A troubling situation indeed

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Lief Sigurd

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The sun bit gently down on the blonde wizard's neck as he sat on the patio swing. He had long since given up smoking, yet he wanted a cigar more than ever. After receiving a letter from Julie he had gone to pick her and the kids up. He was exhausted from apparating, and on top of that completely perplexed. People just didn't vanish into thin air.

Lief groaned a bit as he wiped away the beads of sweat that had come in droves to his forehead. He had gotten more situated to Oceania's climate but he still had more trouble than everyone else. He was used to the cold, cold that never gave way to humidity. He had had to get away from everyone else for a few moments so that he could gather his thoughts.

According to Julie, Tristan had left one morning without explaining where he was going or what he was planning to do. She hadn't seen him since. Lief wanted to believe that there was some good explanation for this, but walking off was not a new concept for his brother at all. The only person Julie had contacted besides himself and Daisy was Josh. They were waiting to hear from him.

Lief was hoping that his brother would show up sooner or later. He would have a lot to answer for.
 
Julie was still a bit unsettled by the whole apparition thing, but had started to get used to it. Lief had been wonderful and come to get her and the kids for the time being. She was frustrated to all ends, and extremely upset. Tristan had left her and she had no idea where he went. This was not the best timing on his part, with her being 6 months pregnant and all. Now she was with her sister and brother in law in Australia, waiting for Josh to show up. She was grateful that Daisy and Lief were willing to take her and the kids in for a while.

As she settled in, she unpacked their suitcases and put the toys across the hall in the kids rooms, she realized how tired she was. Stretching out on the bed, she closed her eyes for a few minutes. Daisy was off doing a bit of shopping, and the kids were playing together. It was the perfect time to relax for a bit. But Julie just couldn't relax. She kept thinking back to the last time she was there and that she was with Tristan and they were happy. She couldn't understand what happened to him. He left to go to the store, or so he said, and never returned. She started to bawl, curling up on her side. She had not had much of a chance to cry over the missing man, and now it had finally caught up with her.
 
Lief could take no more of the scorching sun. The winter here had been tolerable- most people thought it was cold, but the temperature had been actually warm compared to the place he had grown up. He was dreading the summer coming on. He loved living with his family in New Zealand, yet he wished he could see some snow.

Brushing off his trousers, he figured that he would go and check on Julie. A somber mood had seemed to consume her. But who could blame her? With a sigh, he closed the patio door and made his way upstairs.

He nearly killed himself making his way up the stairs. Stepping on a squeaky toy, he slipped and had to catch the railing to avoid a rather nasty fall down the stairs. Under their cute disguise, children were trained assassins. Fortunately for him, he and Daisy were also expecting another. Chucking the toy to the bottom of the staircase, he managed to get to the guest room without cracking his head open.

Knocking lightly on the door, he said, "Julie, are you doing alright?" Lief had never been a man of many words. He could hear her crying her eyes out. It made him want to hunt down his older brother and smash him right on the kisser.
 
Julie heard the footsteps approaching the door. They were not the little steps of one of the children, and it was too heavy a step to be Daisy. It almost sounded like Tristan, but she knew that was not going to be the case. He had left her. She had no idea why, but he did. She figured that the footsteps belonged to Lief, and that was confirmed when she heard his voice.

The tears fell harder when asked how she was doing. His concern touched her heart and made her emotions even more pronounced. "Not r-r-r-really," she managed to choke out. She didn't move from the bed, remaining in the same position as when she had laid down.
 
Deciding that he wasn't going to keep asking questions that he knew the answer too, Lief brought his hand to the doorknob. His fingers curled around the cool metal and twisted it. The door opened smoothly and he stepped inside. He wasn't sure what to do, but he couldn't leave her when she was so distressed. Besides, it was something that Daisy would tell him to do- even if she were better at it.

His long legs carrying him to the armchair that had been set next to the closet, he put his head in his hands. "I'm afraid I'm not very good at consoling anyone," he said, his voice thickly accented, "So I apologize." He looked up, lacing his fingers together. "I-truly am sorry. None of us were expecting Tristan to do something like that, not now."
 
Julie took a deep breath in, then sat up on the bed facing Lief. She crossed her legs criss-cross applesauce (as Eliza calls it) and looked at her brother in law. She realized that the reason she was most upset was that Tristan had done this before, with every relationship that he had ever been in. He freaked out, then ran. She should have known this was coming. "Thanks, but really I am the one at fault. I thought he was actually committed to us being a family, that he truly loved me. I just don't understand what would have made him run. He was excited about the baby and being able to actually be there to raise his child from day one. And to leave Erik? And all of his things? It's just so odd." She was a bit whiney, but that was to be expected. She was heartbroken, and tears still were streaming down her face.

She grabbed a tissue from the box that was on the nightstand and wiped away the tears on her face, and then grabbed another one to blow her nose. "Thanks for bringing us here for a while. I am so glad to get away from our house for a bit. I just wish I knew what was in that owl message that he got before he left. He took the paper with him." Her eyes started to glisten again from the tears that she wanted to shed.
 
Lief remained in a slouch as he listened to what Julie had to say. His expression was perplexed. His sister-in-law had told him that Tristan had basically disappeared, but nothing about an owl or a letter. A light sigh rolled off his tongue. "I think... that he had us all fooled," the blond man said morosely. He had never hated his older brother, but at this point he was resenting him completely.

"It doesn't make sense," he added after a few moments of silence. "Whenever he was with someone- he never really talked about them at all. You're the only woman he's ever actually shown off." He swallowed hard. "He even married you. No one ever thought Tristan was going to get married." No, this didn't make sense at all. Especially if his brother had been happy at home. "Did he ever say or do anything out of the ordinary recently?"

The pale wizard nodded. "It was not a problem. It is probably better that you're here." And much more safe too, he thought to himself. If Tristan had gotten involved with his old group again, there was no telling what could happen to Julie or the kids.
 
"Really? He never introduced anyone before to anyone? Wow. I had not realized," Julie spoke stunned. She had not realized that the womanizer that was now her husband kept his women so private. Until her. "I think the worst is not knowing why. I mean if he wanted to leave me that bad, just tell me, don't be a chicken about it. Be a man and fess up, ya know?"

Julie moved so that she was sitting at the end of the bed, her tear streaked face no longer flooded with tears. "Lief, is there any way to use your magic to track him down? Find out where he went?" she asked hopefully. "I just want to make sure he is safe, that nothing happened to him."
 
Lief shifted in his seat. This whole situation was sitting badly with him. Although Tristan had never proven to be, well, dependable- not as far as women were concerned, anyway- suddenly taking off without telling at least one of his family members or Josh was out of the ordinary. It sounded petty of him, but Lief was hoping that something had really happened to his brother, instead of the possibility that he had disappeared of his own volition.

The blonde man ran a hand through his hair. "He is despicable if he disappeared of his own will. If not," his expression was grim, "Well, we can't rule out the possibility that he is in trouble."

When Julie asked him if he could find Tristan through magic, he shook his head. "As far as I know, that would be impossible," he muttered. "If I knew his location I may be able to get a message to him and find him that way, but that sort of magic- if it even exists- is beyond the capabilities of myself or anyone I know." His ice blue eyes were apologetic when he looked back to his sister-in-law. "The most we can really do is wait to hear from Josh and see what turns up."
 
Josh apparated after the festivities in Obsidian to Lief's house. He had received word that Julie was there and that she was not in the best shape. Tristan had abandoned her, and he knew where he was. With Julie's pregnancy, he was not sure just how to explain to her that her husband was with another woman -- and returned to the Death Eater's again.

Showing up with a pop on the front steps, he knocked on the door, then opened it as he usually did. This was his best friend's little brother's home, but Lief and Josh were becoming better friends and the courtesy of just walking in had been extended to him. Making his way through the living room, he called out, hoping to locate his friends. "Hello? Anyone home?"
 
Lief's head snapped up as a voice that was definitely not a child's erupted from the downstairs. "Speak of the bloody devil," he muttered to himself, "That will be the very man right now. Please excuse me." With another look to Julie he turned out of the guest room and made his way down the stairs. This time, he was careful to scope for toys. Luckily, the kids had not yet realized that they would have to set up another assassination attempt. At the moment they were blissfully quiet- too quiet. Lief, however, had more to worry about than what four children were getting into.

His expression was grim as he entered the living room, although his eyes reflected just a bit of hope. "Did you learn anything?" he inquired simply. The Norwegian man had a feeling that he was going to be losing more than a little sleep tonight.
 
Josh looked up as the tall blonde made his way down the steps. "Sadly yes. I did find out some major information. Where is Julie? How is she holding up?" he asked cautiously. "I think she will need to hear this also." Making his way over to a sofa, he settled down and rested his head in his hands. "All I can say is this is really not good. Not good at all." The fact that his best friend was seemingly drugged, and in the arms of another woman was not going to make his wife happy, or his family for that matter. He only could be there for Julie and the rest of them and try to help them figure out how to proceed from here.
 
His expression twisting into a frown, Lief leaned against the wall. Although Josh was best friends with his older brother, the man had become like family to the Sigurds. His voice soft as usual, the blond man replied, "She's... distraught." He wasn't sure how else to explain Julie's condition. He made his way quickly up the stairs and popped back into the guest room.

"Josh is here, and he has news," Lief said, unsmiling. Only assuming that Julie would follow, he turned back down the stairs for a second time and slipped into the living room. He stood, preferring not to sit. His stomach was churning in anticipation. Josh had said that what he had to say was not good, and the Norwegian wizard could only imagine the worst.
 
Julie's eyes had filled with tears when she heard Josh's voice downstairs. Her stomach turned summersaults and she felt like she was about to throw up. He had the information that they were waiting for -- information about Tristan. She was scared. She wanted to know what happened to him, but yet she didn't. If he had left her for another woman she wanted not to know.

As Lief returned to the room and informed her of Josh's arrival, she took another tissue from the box and wiped her face. Standing up, she straightened her shirt out and fixed her maternity jeans so she didn't look like she had been throwing a tantrum on the bed. Slowly she made her way to the door of the room, then turned back and grabbed the box of tissue off the nightstand. Moving into the hallway, she made her way down the stairs and into the living room. The sight of Josh sitting on the sofa, head in hands, was almost too much. Tears that had been threatening began to course down her cheeks again. Julie stood for a second, then moved over to the sofa and sat down next to her husband's best friend. Touching his shoulder, she spoke softly. "You found him, didn't you? With another woman?" She was voicing her greatest fear - even more than if he was dead. She didn't want to think that he left her for another woman. And if he had, he would wish he was dead by the time she was done with him.
 
Josh looked up as Julie touched his shoulder. He felt horrible over what he was about to tell her. The fact that he disliked muggles was no longer an issue for him with her. She was not just any muggle scum. She was his best friend's wife and mother to his child. He no longer associated Julie with being a muggle, but as being a good friend.

Looking at the heartbroken woman's eyes, he spoke quietly. "Yes. I found him. Earlier this evening actually. You know of our involvement with the Death Eaters," he glanced over at Lief, knowing that he was fully aware of his and Tristan's involvement in the group. "Well, we had a gathering tonight and I was shocked to see Tristan there. We were wearing our masks, but there was no mistaking him." Taking Julie's hand in his, he continued. "And yes, he was with another woman. But there was something really wrong about him. It was like he didn't recognize me when I was there. Like he was drugged or something." Josh shook his head. "It was disturbing, even for him."
 
Julie listened in a daze. He was with someone else. That bastard! She paused when Josh mentioned that he seemed to be drugged. "Who was the woman? Was it anyone that you recognized?" Her thoughts began to race through her head. "Tristan recently found out that a female Death Eater he had a one night stand with before he met me gave birth to his son. We ran into her when we were out to eat. I think she owns a pub, The Leaking Bucket or something like that. Anyways, she did not seem to like it too much that I was there -- and it seemed to both of us that she was able to see through Tristan's polyjuice."
 
Lief's eyes widened as he listened to Julie and Josh both speak. He had heard that Tristan had had another child, but he hadn't known about the mother being in the pub they had gone to. "Leaky Cauldron," he muttered quietly, although it was more of a subconscious correction than anything. Normally he would joke with the muggle woman for messing up the names of wizarding things, but poking fun was not appropriate at the moment.

He moved out of his slouch, holding his head of blond hair straight. "Who?" He knew that he was merely repeating after Julie, but he was just as anxious to know. If Josh knew who Tristan was with, then they might have an easier time locating him. Lief didn't want to know what his brother was like when he wasn't in his right mind, but he figured that he would have to find out soon enough.
 
Josh looked between the pair in the room, then while looking at Julie, he confirmed her fears. "The woman he was with is Thorine Dolohov, the owner of the Leaky Cauldron. It would make total sense that she would try to seperate the pair of you. She is a notorious mugglehater. Wait. He had a kid with her?" he gave Julie a look of shock. "When the hell did that happen?"
 
"Yeah, he did. He only found out over the summer when we were at dinner. He went after the boys and ended up in a room with her and then realized that her son would be the right age from their one night stand. Well, somehow he was able to confirm that information and he finally fessed up to me that he had another child out there." Julie looked at the two, tears starting to well up in her eyes.

"She really hates muggles that much? So much she would steal a woman's husband? The father to her child? And leave his own children without a father?" She looked at Josh, desperation on her face.
 
Lief was nothing more than quiet as he took in the exchange between his sister-in-law and his friend. His eyebrows raised in recognition at the name Josh had uttered. Well, the surname anyways. "Dolohov- wasn't Antonin Dolohov one of the Death Eaters that was locked up in Azkaban?" It had taken Lief a long time to accept the group his brothers, father, and Josh had joined, and he was hoping to Merlin that they were no longer as nasty as they had been? "I've heard the name," he said after a moment. "Supposed to be from a nasty lot."
 
Josh turned to Lief. "Yeah. Dolohov is the man you are thinking of. Thorine is his granddaughter. He recently died and we had a sort of memorial for him in the Harbor. Lief, don't bust me on this one, okay?" He gave a look to his friend, who also worked for the Ministry of Magic. "If I hadn't been there, we wouldn't have found out where he was." He knew of Lief's hatred for the group he was a part of. "Dolohov's are devious and evil. I wouldn't put it past her to have Tristan under some sort of a spell or potion or something."
 
Lief stroked at his chin as he slouched over on the couch. With a Dolohov involved, he was sure that his brother was in trouble. He would never nark on his family or friend, but it was well known that he disapproved of their actions. The blond wizard glanced up as Josh mentioned spells and potions. "That would be very likely," he commented. "If that's the case, then we've got quite a pressing situation on our hands."

Despite the fact that his brother might not be in a right state of mind, Lief couldn't shed the possibility that Tristan had put himself into the situation. Whether the woman had lured him into her clutches or not, his brother had had free will. And he was not a stupid person. If he had gotten drugged, there had to be some sort of trust involved beforehand. A former Death Eater most certainly would know the mental workings of his kind.
 
"I agree. I feel this is a rather pressing situation," turning to Julie he continued. "I will do what I can, and keep you posted. I am not sure what we are dealing with yet, but we will figure this out and get him back to you. That is, if you still want him back."

Facing Lief again, he asked, "Are you willing to keep Julie here and safe for a bit? I have a feeling that she is not safe off on her own with the kids right now, maybe ever."
 
Lief nodded back at Josh. He decided not to comment on wanting Tristan back. He wasn't sure what to think at this point. His older brother seemed to cause more problems than fix them. The blond man hoped avidly that his brother wouldn't jeopardize his marriage more than he already had.

"Most certainly." His ice blue eyes trailed to Julie and then back to Josh. "And I agree wholeheartedly. If the Dolohov woman is as nasty as you say she is, then I think Julie would be a walking target." He gave a light smile. Possibly only to bring some light into an already dark situation. "But yes, they can all stay as long as they need to. I'm positive Daisy and the kids won't have a problem."
 
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