Pulling the Trigger

[Tristan Drage]

Tristan was still leaning against the wall when the sound of footsteps reached his ears. "Who's there?" he asked, his eyes narrowing. Although his mind was out of place, he still knew his own girth and used it to his advantage, whether by primal instinct or not. Most wouldn't dare to challenge a man as big as he was.

His gaze was still brimming with confusion when it fell on the man he recognized. "Josh," he said, more matter-of-factly than anything. Something like relief coursed through every pore of his body. The man was so familiar, and he felt so comfortable around him, and he couldn't even begin to know why. To say that Tristan was frustrated was much of an understatement.

"Why can't I remember you?"

 

[Joshua Hanson]

Josh looked around, then noticed a large figure lurking in the shadows. Tristan. He moved to make his way over towards the man he had known forever, wondering just how this was going to go down. It was now or never to have a chance to figure out what was wrong with Tristan. Josh stopped a bit short when Tristan asked him why he couldn't remember. "Well, my man, that would be the million dollar question tonight. Seems you have forgotten about a lot of things and left quite a few people rather confused and worried. Some people who for Merlin only knows what reason love your stupid ass."

He moved in a bit closer to the area, then cast the Muffliato spell around them, so as to keep their conversation private. He wouldn't put it past Thorine to come outside to check on Tristan, making sure he apparated home. "Ok. What do you know right now? I need to figure out just how to help you, but I need details man. What do you know?" He was concerned about just telling Tristan about Julie and the kids, not quite sure what the repercussions would be.

 

[Tristan Drage]

Tristan's brow furrowed as he took in what Josh was telling him. Other people loved him? But who? He only needed Thorine and Christian, right? They were the only ones that mattered.

At least, that thought had been dominant up until now. He had a feeling that Josh was not lying, although he was having trouble processing this new information. "I remember... my wife and child." A silly, lopsided smile slipped onto his face. "Thorine- and Christian. You should see him now. He's almost a year and a half and he's really smart. And fast too."

"We're- happy together." Why they were happy together, he really could not say. They just, were. Rubbing at his head, he continued, "I remember my grandfather. He liked books." Tristan held out the cigar, as if to show Josh what had triggered the memory. His reminiscent smile morphed into a frown. "I think I'm supposed to know you. Your voice is familiar, your face is familiar. When I try to remember you, it's like this wall is there."

 

[Joshua Hanson]

Josh listened as Tristan spoke, realizing the amount of work that needed to be done. "Okay. Let's start at the beginning. My name is Josh Hanson. We met on the train to Hogwarts when we were 11 years old. We have been best friends since that time. And there is only one woman who EVER has made you get all giddy and act like a little girl in the last 30 some years, and Thorine is not that woman." He ran his hand through his hair, then took a puff off of his cigar. "Do you remember your father? Or your brother and sister at least?"

 

[Tristan Drage]

To say that Tristan's expression was perplexed was an understatement. "Josh Hanson... Josh Hanson..." Something that was a memory, or a figment of a memory at least, started to form in his mind. He had been around the age that the man said he was. Eleven, and scared as hell. It didn't help that he wasn't confident in his ability to use English. But then there was a boy, all alone in a compartment on the train, and Tristan had sat there. They had gotten to talking soon enough, and yes, they had been sorted into the same house. Ravenclaw.

A sly smile twisted onto Tristan's face. He remembered something they had done when they were older. "We tricked that fat toad, didn't we?" Josh would probably know that he was referring to the tyrant of a Defense teacher, Dolores Umbridge. She was a teacher that had actually made Tristan hate the class.

The large man's eyes narrowed, well, his one good eye of course. "I am not a girl," he stated firmly. Then he remembered, for the first time in a long time, that he had not been able to see out of one eye at all. "Who is this- other woman? I don't remember anyone but Thorine." He brought his hand over his bad eye. "I think- I remember my father." He scowled. "He did this to me. Because he was angry."

 

[Joshua Hanson]

Josh watched Tristan trying to dig through his brain and not getting anywhere fast. His expression gave that away. "Ah, so you are starting to remember a bit. Last time we crossed paths, you didn't even register that we were friends, let alone best friends. We pulled off some fun tricks in our time at school. We spent most of our time together, even chased after a pair of twins for a bit together."

He looked at his friend with empathy. It had to be hard for him to get ahold of the memories. Thorine did a real job on him. "Yes, your father did that to your eye. You told him you were leaving the Death Eaters and he was not happy. You had a cousin that lived with you, Sammael. Valcan raised him like another son. He held you responsible for his death. Those combined reasons cause him to slash your eye." He hesitated a moment, then spoke again. "That also is the catalyst for you meeting your real wife, the one who is presently raising your children alone. Julie Drage." He hoped that Julie's name might bring back some memories, but was not hopeful yet.

 

[Tristan Drage]

Something close to a chuckle sputtered out of Tristan's mouth. Yes, he remembered now. Josh had been his best friend at school. "The Weasley twins?" he muttered, obviously mistaking the Patil twins for the Weasley brothers. Fred and George had been amusing to say the least, but they always stole the spotlight. "They left." Of course, who could not forget that wonderful night at Hogwarts, with a portable swamp decorating the halls and the two redheads escaping on broomsticks?

Tristan's mind was obviously scattered, but his mind was processing what Josh was saying- if ever so slowly. His expression remained disdainful as his hand fell from his face. "I did not kill my brother," he stated, "He killed- Morgase." The pain that the man was reliving was tenfold this time around. He had loved Morgase, but he had had to let her go. Right?

"I hate my father," he stated bluntly, quite like a young child. His fists curled at his sides as he gritted his teeth. "I didn't kill Sam," he murmured again with a bit of sadness in his voice, almost as if he were trying to reassure himself and not Josh.

"My- children?" He tried to remember more children, but couldn't. "The only one I can remember is Christian." He glanced down to his hands again. "I don't have a ring." If he didn't have a ring, he couldn't be married, right? Oh, how his head hurt. The name Julie brought a warm feeling to his stomach. Why couldn't he even recall the woman's face?

 

[Joshua Hanson]

"No, you did not kill Sam. He killed Morgase, and her brother killed Sam. However, Valcan still blames you for the death because he feels you were the reason he ended up dead. You and your father both have a love/hate relationship with each other," Josh replied. He then registered the confusion on his friends face again.

"Tris, just because your ring is missing does not mean you are not married. Your wife, Julie, contacted me and your brother Lief when you just disappeared one day. She is worried about you, and do you know how hard it is to keep her calm? Since Lief brought her and the kids to his house, she has been crying almost nonstop which is really not good in her condition. And the kids are confused, well, your youngest ones. Your oldest is at school and has no idea that her father has returned to being a Death Eater."

Running a hand through his hair again, he touched his friend's arm. "Tristan, you have two children, Estrella and Erik, as well as a stepdaughter, Eliza, and another child on the way." He started to rummage through his pockets. "I think I have a picture here of your family from Easter." He pulled out a moving photo with the bright shining faces of Tristan, Julie, and the kids. He held it out to his friend to take or not take, leaving the option up to him. It was a good picture. Tristan and Julie kept sneaking kisses and the kids were being kids. Julie's stomach had just a bit of the now very prominent baby bump.

 

[Tristan Drage]

I don't think it'd be a Christmas picture. That'd be a year until the baby is born. :

Tristan's head continued to throb as he leaned against the stone wall of a building. In one night his entire world had collapsed around him. He no longer knew what was reality and what wasn't anymore. The large man nodded as Josh informed him that he had a love-hate relationship with his father. He had always striven to be the best for his parent, but he had never been good enough. Even though he was in his forties, he knew that he was still trying to live up to standards that he had never been able to meet.

He glanced back at the man who he now knew was his best friend. "Crying?" he started quietly. Only little children cried- they couldn't help it. Christian always cried when he hurt himself or when he didn't get his way. The fact that he loved another woman and had kids did not register until Josh pulled out a picture.

For a moment he was speechless. The family in the picture looked so- happy. And it was indeed his family. Tentatively, he took the picture from his friend. He ran his fingers over each of their faces. "Estrella isn't here," he started to mumble to himself, "But- wait. She was angry at us. For getting married." While just before he had been absolutely braindead, and now everything about his new family was flowing back to his mind. "Erik and Eliza like to play together. They can be naughty, but really, they're good kids." A small smile came to his face. "And Julie..." His fingertip brushed over her face more than once, and then wandered to the bump of her belly.

Tristan's eyes squeezed shut tightly. Tears welled in his eyes, even though he was a grown man. When he opened them again, they were brimming with anger. "Why has this been done to me?" Keeping someone's thoughts from them just didn't make sense. Why hadn't he been allowed to remember the wonderful family he had? Why did they steal the one thing in his life that had made him truly happy?

 

[Joshua Hanson]

Josh stood back as he watched his friend with the picture. The reaction went from one of confusion to one of anger. "I have no idea why you were targeted, but we have been able to come up with a few ideas. Thorine Dolohov seems to have taken a fancy to you and the fact that the two of you have a child appears to be the catalyst. I figure it is some type of a love potion. You seem to be under her control. If it was a curse, you would have fought it off by now." Josh was just as confused as Tristan was as to why and the full details of how, but now it was important to figure it all out.

"Now that you are back, my friend, we need to work out a plan to get you out of this. You could simply take off tonight, leave her behind, but I have a feeling that you would be hunted down like a dog. Plus, I have a feeling you don't want to leave Christian behind if possible." He was at a loss, not sure what his friend would want to do at this point.

 

[Tristan Drage]

Tristan put his head in his hands as he processed what Josh was telling him. "A love potion?" he whispered. "All this time I've been under a love potion?" The large man had always underestimated the power of the potion. "How long have I- been like this?" Hell, he didn't even know what month it was right now.

Surprisingly, the anger that had been boiling his veins to combustion had morphed into a slow simmer. He was finding it more and more difficult to direct any sort of hatred towards Thorine. He had left behind another child, for the woman to raise on her own. Christian deserved to have a father as much as his other children did. If he had reason to despise anyone, it was himself.

He shook his head. "I don't think I can just leave her behind. I don't want her to hurt anyone." His gaze was steely as he looked back to Josh. "But I cannot keep taking it. I cannot." Now that he had his freedom to think back- well, scraps of it anyway- he didn't want someone manipulating his mind again. "I- I don't know what to do about Christian." He had developed a strong love for the child over the time he had spent with Thorine, but he knew that it would not be right to tear him from his mother, no matter how much he thought he could justify it.

 

[Joshua Hanson]

Josh was not sure what to say, so he puffed on his cigar and ruffled his hair again, a nervous habit of his. "I don't know for sure how long you have been under the potion. It has been a bit though. Julie notified me a few weeks ago about your disappearance and I started to put out feelers to find you. I finally located you, then we moved Julie and the kids to a safe location and I started to work on figuring out what was going on." He gave a sympathetic look to his friend. "I understand that you cannot just abandon Christian. You did not choose to have this child, but now that you do have him, you need to figure out how to handle it. Julie told me the two of you were trying to figure out how to handle things with Thorine before she took matters into her own hands." He placed his hand on his friend's shoulder. "Julie loves you so much, she will stand behind whatever you choose. I know she will. Until we figure this out, I will stay with her and make sure that your other children are taken care of."

Josh put his hands in his pocket and took out a coin. "I took a page from my son's book and picked up a set of fake galleons. Do you think that you would be able to use this to get in touch with me without Thorine knowing?"

 

[Tristan Drage]

Tristan brooded on Josh's words. He was especially grateful that Josh had gone out of his way to help Julie- despite the fact that she was a muggle and his best friend was a deadbeat father. The dark haired man could not really ask for more. He nodded to his friend solemnly. "Thank you so much." He could really not say more. Tristan was surprised that Josh had not ditched him by now- after all the idiotic things that he had done with his life. After a few moments, he mused, "I do not know what to do with Christian. Leaving him with his mother is the only thing I can contemplate doing. I don't believe Thorine would be willing to reach any sort of consensus." His gaze was downcast as he spoke. He hated that he would have to leave behind Christian as he had done Estrella, but right now that seemed to be the only possible outcome.

Tristan glanced at the coin as Josh held it out. The galleon gleamed dully in the less than adequate lighting of the alley. No matter how dim it was, it seemed to be a beacon of hope. The twisted smirk that used to grace his lips in their Hogwarts days lighted his features for a brief moment. "You know, I think that will work. But I need to find a way to stop taking the potion." The bad thing was, he didn't know who administered the potion every morning, when, or where. His hands clenched into fists at his sides. No matter how fuzzy his mind was at the moment, or how distant his thoughts, he knew that he needed to take his senses back, forcefully or no.

 

[Joshua Hanson]

Josh nodded in agreement with what his friend was saying. He doubted that Thorine would give up Christian without a fight to someone's death, and getting Tristan away will be just as tough. "My guess is to be 'sick' in the morning and not be able to keep anything down. Someone will most likely tip their hat to make sure you have the potion and try to push something on you. I know you will figure it out, whatever you decide to do."

He was not a fan of leaving his best friend behind, but instead took the time to show him how to use the galleon, and how it will alert him to a message from his end. He also explained that he would not let Julie know because he figured that would be hard on both of them and she did not need that stress right now. "The worst part is not only having to stop the potion, but you have to act like you did under the potion. This will not be easy. We don't want Thorine getting suspicious and changing her methods."

 

[Tristan Drage]

Tristan twirled the cigar between his fingers as he listened to Josh. It was very much a nervous movement, a habit he had fallen into when he started smoking. As fuzzy as his mind still was right now, he knew that he would have to follow what his best friend was saying. Things might turn out very badly otherwise.

He nodded lightly as Josh ceased to speak. "That will be difficult indeed. I don't ever want to be like that again." He was attentive as his friend showed him how to use the fake galleon. "How long do you think this is going to take?" he asked. The large man had never been one for acting, and acting as something he detested would be pure torture. Plus, there was that house elf to consider. Thorine wasn't the only one with a pair of eyes on him in the Dolohov estate.

 

[Joshua Hanson]

Josh watched the cigar twirl in his friends fingers. "I really don't know. I selfishly hope it is not long at all, but until we can work something out to get you away from Thorine..." His voice trailed off, still not sure what to tell his friend. He needed to talk with Leif and Julie, and needed a bit of time to contact a few other trustworthy Death Eaters. Really, there was no such thing as a trustworthy Death Eater, but there were a few of them that Josh knew would be willing to help him out as needed.

 

[Tristan Drage]

Tristan nodded in agreement. He brought the cigar to a standstill, glancing down upon it sadly. If Thorine did force feed him the potion, well, he hoped that she had alcohol stashed somewhere. Shifting where he stood, he said, "Thank you a bunch, buddy. I don't know what I'd do without you." Josh had gotten him out of a lot of scrapes, and hopefully he would be able to get him out of this one. "I should probably go back and- check on Christian. Before she gets there. That way, I'll have time to find out where she keeps her stash." Saying it was Thorine's stash lightened things up a bit for Tristan. As far as he was concerned, it was poison.

 

[Joshua Hanson]

"Good idea there buddy. The sooner we get started on this the better. Keep me posted as to what you find. I will keep you up to date from my end as well," Josh replied. He was afraid for his friend to get found out, but knew that it would happen eventually. "Stay safe and keep under her radar. I don't want to know just yet what she will do if she knows you are not under her potion. Oh, and I would locate a safe spot to stash some alcohol." He punched his friend in the arm, and backed up a step to allow him to apparate away.

 

[Tristan Drage]

Tristan could not really do anything much more than nod at his best friend. His expression morphing from hopeful to solemn in an instant, he gave Josh a weak attempt at a smile. He attempted to keep his wits about him as he disapparated with a loud pop.