Old Flame

[Mikhail Matthias]

The moon was high and nearly full, and it was a good evening indeed. Having just left the Ministry after a long day, Mikhail felt like he needed to go for a walk. Walking in the evening was always a mood relaxer. At least for the older gentleman. Plus, he had recently acquired a child. She was not his, to his dismay, but his brother's. She was named Elsa, and was the cutest little girl. Mikhail just prayed that she would never end up like her father. Mikhail had reason to believe that she might be the only good that came from him. Though who know if there were other kids that were sired by him. Mikhail had no idea, and no way of knowing where to start looking. If anything, they should at least know their uncle. The Russian sighed over how broken the family was. Deep down, they were. Metrophanes was estranged. Arman managed to quit the drink, but his past kept Mikhail away from him. Nicolette was with her husband and his family, so there was no one he could turn to for comfort. Siblings didn't always mean closeness. Mikhail, deep down, helped others in the best way he could, in order to soothe the growing loneliness within.

As he was strolling, his golden eyes looked forward to see a blonde head of hair. Was that? No, maybe it wasn't. Upon getting closer, he noticed that it was her. Katherine. The one that bore twins that were his, and he didn't know about it for years because of his countless travels. "Miss Katherine," Mikhail started, as soon as he was close enough to at least speak to her. The night was a little on the chilly side, so he removed his cloak and offered it to her, and to put it around her shoulders for her. "It is a little cold out."​

 

[Katherine Alicastell]

Standing at the edge of Brightstone Square, Katherine looked up toward the castle in the distance, illuminated by flecks of light coming from the school's many, many windows. The students inside were no doubt having dessert by this time, which the Headmistress was usually present for most nights, but this evening she had a few errands to run in the wizarding village. Surely, Hogwarts could survive an hour or two without her presence, as necessary as it was most of the time. Under the last Headmistress' leadership, a poltergeist had been born from the sheer amount of chaos in the school. Pregnant head girls or prefects setting poor examples for the younger students, a young boy drowning, another boy attempting to murder a peer. Even in her short time there, a new student had almost endangered the lives of others. She was lucky not to be expelled, but at only eleven years of age, and the product of poor parenting, her life would only go downhill if she were to be removed now. The world could do with less prepubescent murderers. Young minds were malleable, and radical groups like the Scitorari had a chance to leave lasting impressions. The woman felt there was a distinct absence of order, and it was her duty to restore that before it was too late to do so.

A voice from behind drew Katherine's attention away from the school, her focus shifting on a familiar face. "Mikhail." She responded with a pleasant smile, accepting the offered cloak gratefully. She hadn't accounted for how cold the night would be when she left the warmth of the castle. "Thank you. It's nice to see you again. Still a gentleman as always." He hadn't changed much, from the man she knew all those years ago, yet he'd come so far. They both had. Despite seeing each other both during her time at the Ministry, heading the Committee on Experimental Charms, and their interrogations on the Wizengamot Council, the woman didn't often get a chance to speak to the Deputy Minister, the man who fathered her children. Katherine turned to face him, her eyes drawn to his own, which shone like gold. An uncommon trait, by wizarding standards, but one that she'd always found attractive. "It's been a long time. How have you been?" Katherine didn't know too much of his personal life, but she did know his brother had recently been sent to Azkaban. After all, they'd both been among those who sent him there.
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[Mikhail Matthias]

Mikhail was grateful that she accepted his assistance, since it was hard for him to have some rejection over help. It was strange for a Matthias or Hensel, to be as nice as he was. Mikhail allowed a smile to spread across his lips, which seemed to fit him over any of the others in his family. His family... They were all separated right now, though Arman was working on bringing them together. Just that Metrophanes had issues. Mikhail was iffy about his brother, but he was long since sober. Nicolette was another matter, and Thomas was too. Thomas was wrapped around Seraphine's finger, but it seemed natural for the brothers to earn the spot for Deputy Minister. Though, Mikhail doesn't see himself falling for the current Minister, because, well, it was a man. Mikhail did not swing that way. He barely had any proof to back that up since he never married, and only had flames that could be counted on one hand. Most of them were romance and never went up from there. Mikhail chuckled, "Chivalry is not dead, though it might be in the younger generations." Mikhail always believed in treating those he cared about in the correct manner, and to treat all strangers as friends.

"I've been well. I'm raising one of Zannon's daughters now, since he, well..." Mikhail rolled his eyes disapprovingly. His little brother was always the wrong sort. Mikhail suspected him to be apart of the Scitorari, but it was never really proven. He was in Azkaban for life now, and he deserved it. "With the right rearing, she should not follow his path." Mikhail loved his niece like his own daughter, but he never had the chance to raise children on his own. This really helped fulfill the empty hole he had within his heart. "I heard you are the new Headmistress of Hogwarts New Zealand! I can imagine how good you are with children, and you are definitely teaching them properly. Although, a shame that Ava left. I have a feeling my brother is to blame for that one too..." Zannon seemed to ruin a lot of lives. Ava was simply a pawn in his desires, much like the mother of Elsa. Mikhail hated that about his brother. Who knows how many kids he had out there, despite hating kids.​

 

[Katherine Alicastell]

Katherine nodded her head in quiet understanding as Mikhail mentioned Zannon, needn't having to say any more. Putting him in Azkaban was the right call to make. She'd have made the same judgement for her own relatives, under the same circumstances. "It's for the best. I couldn't think of anyone better to lead her in the right direction. Men like your brother aren't fit for raising children." A murderer was hardly suited to be a father. The woman was glad to hear that at least his child would be taken care of by a far better man. It was always a concern she often heard voiced, about the impact the Wizengamot's decisions would have on family members, particularly descendants. As hard as it could be on a family, it was always for the greater good. At the thought, Katherine couldn't help but wonder what her own children's upbringing may have been like, if she hadn't of lied to them, and to Alex. Would it have saved her relationship with her children?

Hogwarts was brought up, and Katherine glanced back toward the castle in the distance with a soft sigh. "It still needs a lot of work. I never met Ava, but she left the castle in a state. Poltergeists, murderous children, fatal accidents, there's a long list of flaws. Sometimes it feels like more of a circus than a school. It'll get there, in time. Difficult as it may be, I'm hoping my guidance will steer it toward a brighter future. Merlin knows we need it." The wizarding community was already something of a mess in recent years. It didn't feel as safe as it once was. There was a lot of work to be done, both by the Ministry and the school.
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[Mikhail Matthias]

Talking about Zannon always left an awful taste in Mikhail's mouth. Thinking about his kids, it did make him thankful that they were all being raised by someone much more capable of love than Zannon was. Zannon never wanted kids, but never had trouble making them. Mikhail, on the other hand, wanted children and wanted a family, but had a hard time finding a wife to settle down because of his extensive Ministry career. Now, it might be too late. Mikhail came to terms with that just recently, once Elsa came into his life. It was better than nothing, but he didn't know if she would ever call him dad. That might be strange. Hearing about the condition of the school, his heart went out to the families that suffered from murderous children and fatal accidents. Though, he did not know much about poltergeists. Mikhail gave her a reassuring smile, "Once the school is cleaned up, the poltergeist may leave. Without anything chaotic, it should disappear."

The theory was flawed at best, but it was the most he could come up with on the spot. Mikhail figured that someone like Katherine would know how to get children into shape. She did raise two fine boys. That much he would admit freely. For so long he wanted to be apart of their lives since he had met Aeon, but feared that it might be far too late. "I don't want to seem too forward, but would you like to get a cup of coffee with me? Only if you have the time, of course." Mikhail was not exactly asking her out, but he did want to spend some time with her. Katherine, he always had a soft spot for her. Something about her made him smile.​

 

[Katherine Alicastell]

Katherine chuckled softly as Mikhail spoke of the poltergeist leaving once order was restored. If only it would happen sooner rather than later. It was difficult to attempt to take control of the chaos when the spirit was so adamant on causing it in the first place. It was a poor influence on the youth there, and attempting to contain it was a temporary measure. If she were to try and imprison the spirit, there was no telling how long it would take it to break free, and what havoc it would cause after. "You make it sound more like a bundimun infestation than a haunting." She smiled. The Headmistress would have much preferred the former - a poltergeist couldn't be so easily scoured away with a cleaning charm.

At the gentleman's offer, Katherine paused for a moment, looking once more to the castle in the distance before answering. "I shouldn't be away for too long, who knows what I'll come back to." Late as it was, there was no rest for the wicked. For whatever reason, many of the children loved to try sneak out of their common rooms after dark. It was a matter that could be dealt with by her staff, however. At least the few who put in the effort to enforce the rules. "For you, Deputy Minister, I'm sure I can spare the time." She smiled once more, pulling his cloak more tightly across her shoulders. A warm coffee would be welcome. "I owe you that, after all these years." She felt awful for having kept secrets from him in the past, for choosing Alexander and living a lie. They'd come so far since then. There was a lot of catching up to be done.
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[Mikhail Matthias]

Mikhail chuckled as she described on how he seemed to view it. Perhaps he did see it as an infestation than a haunting. Ghosts were much better to deal with than poltergeists. At least ghosts could not create mischief. Perhaps they could be annoying, but that is as far as they go. The wisdom that some could offer could be rewarding too. Shame the poltergeists were not like that at all. "I think I would rather have a haunting, with a few ghosts than just one of those pests." Mikhail was not as young as he used to be, so he couldn't really chase those things around and clean up their messes constantly. Mikhail paused in his walking to see her look toward the castle, in ponder of what she might say to his invite for coffee. After all, Katherine was such a nice woman, and he wanted to be able to spend some time with her.

"I'm sure that some of the staff there won't tolerate the students that sneak out." Mikhail knew one of them, since he was Nicolette's relative, and the one he thought of was Kalif Styx. That man didn't tolerate anything out of shape, and also helped the Hensel family get back on track. But he was glad that she would accept his offer, and then reminded him of the past, though he did not hold it against her. After all, it wasn't like his own life hadn't had complications involved. "I never held any ill will against you, Katherine. You have done amazing raising the boys, and that's all I could ever ask for." Mikhail gestured toward a cafe that had some dim lighting across the street. "At least we both live in the same country now, and can see each other whenever we so choose." Mikhail always seemed like the good one, perhaps he was too good. Yet, he would ever let anyone evil slip by him.​