Chapter Thirty-Two

Thundershock

Ambrose looked at his watch thoughtfully, wondering if the sign had changed as he waited for his last few customers. He glanced out the window at the street and noticed how many students were turning back, more than likely because they saw either an empty wall or and empty lot.

"I need to close the shop a bit early today so that I can head to the museum, so you're my last customers of the day. I'm hoping to close in ten minutes or so," Ambrose informed the students still looking. Several of the students gift-shopping for their parents grabbed tea mugs and wand kits, while the rest who were looking for presents for themselves or their siblings grabbed a Trial and Error set.

Quite a number of Trial and Error sets had been sold that Hogsmeade trip, Ambrose mused. Much more than he would have expected considering there was a new toys and game shop in town. In fact, there hadn't been a day he had opened the store lately that someone hadn't bought at least one. They hadn't sold so many since the year his father came out with them, he realized. Was there a reason for it? Was it just coincidence and lack of better choices, or were students getting ready to face some mortal dilemmas that they needed to be prepared for?

The uneasy feeling he got just thinking about it made him believe there was a reason behind it. Hopefully they'd have plenty of time to play and practice with those sets before whatever caused the rush subsided. He looked over at his last two customers, Elliot and Gloria, who were apparently on a shopping date and were standing in front of the game.

"Don't you have one of those already, Gloria? I have one as well," Elliot said.

"Yes, but I was thinking of getting one for Culver," Gloria admitted.

"Buying him a holiday present? After what he did to you? You should send him a lump of coal instead," Elliot said critically.

"Well, when we broke up, I played a few rounds of solitaire and it really helped me feel better about things," Gloria said. "It's been well over a month, and I've noticed that he doesn't seem to have gotten over it, despite the fact he was the one that called it off and... well, he did say he still wanted to be friends, right? As his friend, I think he needs one," she reasoned, pulling it off the shelf.

"Fine, but I'm going to get you that quill set you wanted, so don't be surprised to find it under the tree," Elliot said, grabbing it.

"Thanks, Elliot," Gloria said with a smile, and the two of them went to counter to put their coins in the jar.

"Do you want me to Christmas wrap them for you?" Ambrose asked.

"Thanks, but since she already knows what it is, I think I'll do it myself," Elliot decided.

"I'm going to wrap my own too," Gloria agreed with a smile. "Happy Christmas, in case we don't see you before then."

"Happy Christmas! Enjoy the rest of your trip," Ambrose said in return.

"Not much left of it, but we'll try," Elliot promised and the two of them left.

Ambrose grabbed his cloak and put it on, unsurprised when the shelves were bare by the time he reached the door, locking it before taking his key to the museum. He then worked his way through the museum to a receiving room near the art gallery to find that TJ and Adam were already going through the shipment.

"Sorry I'm late," Ambrose said, noting that they'd already checked over half of the new museum art pieces already to make sure they hadn't been damaged in the shipment.

"Not at all, really, we just got started early," TJ assured him. "Although it's been difficult since the Levitation Tunnel for the children's floor is in several crates. Even miniaturized, it's taking up quite a bit of space. I don't suppose we could go ahead and put it in after the museum closes today to get it done with?"

"If we can ever decide which corner to put it in. Did you want it by the Lift or by the window?"

"I thought we decided against putting it next to the Lift because it'd make it hard to tell where it was if you're coming from the miniatures section," Ambrose said.

"Yes, but putting it by the window isn't any better since it'll block the view, and I'm sure it will look quite out of place... it would put it too far away from the rest of the Magic in Motion section. Can't we move some of the tot exhibits near the window instead and put them there?" TJ asked.

"At this point, I don't care where it goes, as long as it's out of the way so we can inspect the rest of these art pieces," Adam complained. "So where do you want it, boss?"

"Let me take one last look upstairs," he said, going over to a work table and grabbing a tape measure before stepping out and going up the Lift to the second floor to have a better look. Children were running around everywhere, while parents sat in strategically placed benches and stools scattered around the floor to make it easier for them to sit and supervise.

It was as Ambrose was wandering around to figure out where to put the new feature when he missed a step and nearly fell on his face. In front of him was the last person he thought he'd ever see in his museum. She was looking at her hand-held Wiznet device with sunglasses on, and her hair was in a bun with two diamond hairsticks holding it in place. But despite that, Ambrose would recognize that figure anywhere.

"Charity?" Ambrose asked in obvious shock.

She turned around with a gasp, apparently just as surprised to see him.

"Oh, Amby! I thought this was a Hogsmeade day!" she exclaimed, glancing over at the block table. Ambrose was so busy staring at her that he hadn't noticed Strato, sitting at the block table with a little girl and boy who were trying to see who could build the highest tower.

"It is Hogsmeade day, but I came back early to help inventory some new exhibits. How do you know it's Hogsmeade day, anyway? Is that your way of saying that you were trying to come here on a day I wasn't here?" Ambrose asked.

"As a matter of fact, yes I was, actually... and on a day my husband was busy, since he wouldn't approve of me bringing the children here. I knew that it'd be hard to coordinate, but now I see it was an impossible attempt. I suppose he'll know about it too, now, thanks to you. You're so much trouble, Amby!" she scolded him.

"I'm the Curator of this Museum, so of course I'm going to be here any time I'm needed," Ambrose said. "Besides, you can't be as surprised as I am to see you, Charity, since I haven't seen you since the day you signed those divorce papers. So you're married with children, now?"

"Yes, I am, but I haven't gone my Charity in years. My name is Cherie now. It means 'dear' in French," she explained.

"Fine, Cherie who?" Ambrose asked flatly.

"Should I tell him?" Cherie asked, glancing over to Strato questioningly.

"I don't see how you can hide it," Strato admitted.

"Wait... I know you..." Ambrose realized, staring at him. "You're one of Bagman's assassins."

"He's our bodyguard for the day," Cherie explained calmly, walking over to the two blonde children who only looked up when she came over. "This is my oldest, Cordelia Felina Bagman, and my son, Henry Ludovic Bagman."

"Wait... these are... you mean that you... that is... no, that's not... what?" Ambrose stammered, his heart pounding so fast he could barely hear his own words.

"Articulate for a historian, isn't he?" Strato observed.

"I have another on the way, due in June. But don't tell anyone, especially Ludo," Cherie warned, putting a finger to her lips. "It's a Christmas surprise."

"You married... but... he nearly killed me!" Ambrose finally blurted out.

"Oh, it wasn't personal. He just didn't like this place. He still doesn't," she admitted with a thin smile. "But don't worry, Amby! I like it a lot, and so do the children! They love it here! They've been having such a good time today, Do you like the museum, Cordy?"

"It's good!" the little girl declared.

"Blocks are good," Henry said.

"There, you see? You have earned their approval! Do you realize just how lucky you are that they like it here?" Cherie asked.

"Stop right there!"

Ambrose looked up and saw Adam pointing his wand at Strato and his face as white as a sheet. Ambrose quickly leapt into action, rushing in front of Adam and pulling his arm back.

"No! Don't, Adam! For god's sake, don't start another spy war!" Ambrose insisted firmly. "Put your wand away!"

"What very good advice," Strato said, standing up calmly. "I see that leaving Azkaban hasn't made you less reactionary, Mr. Hinge."

"Well, let's pretend it didn't happen for the children's sake. All right, children, put the blocks in the basket, it's time to go home to see Daddy!" Cherie said, and the two of them excitedly began picking up. Cherie pointed out different blocks they missed, while Strato continued to eye Ambrose and Adam with the same wariness they were giving him. "There we are, they're such good children," Cherie said, picking up Henry as she waited for Strato to peel Cordelia off his leg and pick her up as well. "I like your museum, Amby. We'll come back again sometime," she added for good measure before they went down the Lift.

"Go to the security room and make sure they leave!" Ambrose snapped at Adam.

Adam didn't have to be told twice, dashing up the stairs to the third level while Ambrose walked over to the front window, staring out of it until he finally saw the four of them walking past the fountain and beyond the boundary.

The moment they were gone, Ambrose felt increasingly overwhelmed, his chest tight and his head aching. He hurried down the steps and went out into the garden, attempting to catch his breath and calm the flood of emotions that had overtaken him, walking as far away from the crowd as he could get so he could find a quiet place to make some sense of what just happened.

Finally he ended up on the far side bench under the trees, attempting to calm himself, especially when he noticed that both of his Dragonheart Diamonds were laced with worry after what was probably a vivid display of terror, anger, and despair. He closed his eyes and got his breathing to slow down, but his chest was still tight and his head foggy when he noticed that someone was walking down the path.

"Ambrose?" TJ called out. Ambrose sighed and shook his head. "I brought you your coat. It's too cold for you to be out here without it."

"I really don't care," Ambrose admitted.

"Well, I do," TJ said, putting his coat on his shoulders. "Adam said something about Bagman's wife and kids being in the museum and said that you had some sort of shock."

"That's putting it mildly," Ambrose said irritably. "Because Bagman's new wife just happens to be my ex."

TJ blinked, then winced.

"Adam didn't tell me that," TJ admitted, sitting next to him. "I'm sure it's because he didn't know if you wanted it kept secret or not."

"I would love to keep it a secret," Ambrose said fervently. "But whether I want to or not, I'm going to have to report this to Alex. I'm getting sick to my stomach just thinking about it. After all the people he killed... the explosions... the terrorism... how could she possibly get involved with him of all people? I nearly died because of him... and I could have gone permanently deaf... not to mention what happened to the Coventries... and the Carnegie's house... and everything else..."

"Wait, what about Toby?" TJ asked with alarm. "Does she know about him?"

"No... no, Uncle Severus and everyone else I care about warned me not to tell her anything," Ambrose said, combing back his hair. "To think what have happened if she had known the truth. I thought it was bad when she was threatening to expose me, but if Bagman found out... no wonder my father cut me off and refused to see me. He must have remembered something that warned him this wasn't going to end well. I still can't believe she did this! How could she marry someone so ruthless!"

"I don't know," TJ admitted. "Perhaps she was forced to or something? Some sort of deal?"

Ambrose shook his head.

"No. I'm sure it wasn't anything like that," Ambrose replied. "As much as I hate to admit it, there can't be any denying that she seemed comfortable with her situation, and her kids seemed openly affectionate. They're just one jolly big happy family."

"Well, so what? You have an amazing family too, you know..."

"And they don't go around killing people just because they feel like someone is nosing around in their business like Bagman did," Ambrose interrupted.

"Is your family really so blameless as all of that?" TJ asked sternly, and Ambrose's throat tightened. Apparently it must have shown on his face just how much that had stung, because her expression softened. "I suppose that was a bit harsh of me to say. I apologize."

"No, you don't need to. Because you're right," Ambrose said quietly. "My family is filled with people just as bad as Ludo, and some of them even much worse."

"Worse?" TJ asked, wondering if he was including Thomas.

"Yes, but that's different because it's not my fault that they were related. But she married him knowing full well what he was capable of. What sort of person would do that? I know I'd never marry anyone capable of that sort of evil," Ambrose said fervently.

"It's probably just as well, because I really don't think Bagman's your type," TJ decided, and Ambrose gazed at her in exasperation. "I also think it proves that she wasn't your type either, considering who she ended up with. You're much too nice for her."

"Unfortunately, that's not true either," Ambrose said somberly. "I lied, I cheated, and I pretended to be someone that I'm not. I was the one who messed up. And finding out where she went after those mistakes has really made me realize that I never really knew her. I screwed up. I just hope her life isn't screwed up because of it too."

"I thought you said she seems happy," TJ ventured.

"She does," Ambrose admitted miserably.

"Perhaps she'll be good for him then. Perhaps she'll turn him around," TJ suggested.

"Perhaps hell is freezing over," Ambrose said dubiously.

"Speaking of which, it's frightfully cold," TJ said, standing up. "I don't know about you, but I think I've had enough for today. Let's just leave the Levitation Tunnel one more day and go to the Enchanted Spoon for dinner to cheer you up."

"I'm not really in the mood for fine dining right now," Ambrose said, but got up and put on his coat.

"I'm just trying to return the favor," TJ explained. "I'm not leaving you alone any more than you left me alone when I needed someone to vent to. So either name a place, or I'll Shell Beth and Maurice and let them decide where we're going to go," she threatened.

"Please don't bug them about this, TJ. You win. We can go out for Indian after work or something," Ambrose suggested.

"Deal," TJ decided, and the two of them walked back into the museum.


To the Editor;

It is come to our attention, as no doubt it was reported in the gossip section, that the esteemed Minister of Mysteries was seen over the weekend in Hogsmeade entertaining a handsome scoundrel; who, I have reason to believe is none other than the Dashing Doppler himself. It is concerning that the third highest member of the government, second only to the Minister of Magic when it comes to pardoning powers, would fraternize with Public Nuisance #1, who may or may not be entertaining a proposal made by her arch enemy and society's greatest threat, Ludovic Bagman. I implore the counsel to consider more measures of transparency to insure that elements of corruption do not find a further foothold in our government.

An Alarmed Citizen.

Thomas stepped into Alex's office on Monday to find her sitting in a comfortable chair with the newspaper draped over her head.

"Trying osmosis?" Thomas inquired.

"I'd have picked better reading material," Alexandria said, glumly pulling the paper away.

"You know he just wrote that to get a reaction out of you. It's your own damn fault if you let Bagman pull your chain like that," Thomas said bluntly. "Is the Doppler able to get to the files where I have them hidden now?"

"No," Alexandria replied, sitting up. "He said that even if he managed to get inside the house, the blood magic on the Craw Mansion would keep him from getting anywhere close to it."

"Good. Then for everyone's sake, we'll be working on any prison business in the Craw Mansion for now."

"You are going to have that area completely secured during the Christmas party, right?" Alexandria asked.

"The children's party this year is going to be on Yule, the same night as the Ministry Ball. If there are going to be any political intrigues or infiltrators, it'll probably be at the ball. But since it's not an election year, nobody's going to question my throwing my party on the same night. On top of that, your mother, Aurelius, Quintin, and Rus will all be in attendance. I even suggested to Jay and Rus that they could bring a friend if they liked just in case Rus wanted to invite Kendrick along," Thomas said.

"Maybe I should go to the Ministry Ball then," Alex pondered. Thomas slid out his wand enough to roll up the newspaper and hit her on the top of the head with it. "But the Magician might show up if there aren't going to be any Truth Seekers!"

"Why would he bother if the prison plans are out of reach and you're not going to be there?" Thomas asked.

"To try and complete his objective, whatever that is," Alexandria said, rubbing her head and standing up.

"How are you sure that it doesn't have something to do with you or the Ministry itself?" Thomas pointed out.

"I don't know what it has to deal with," Alexandria reiterated.

"In that case, if he doesn't show up at the Ministry Ball, we will know that it probably does, since he'd have no reason to go," Thomas reasoned. "Besides, if you don't show up at Yule, I'll come after you and I don't think you want to go there."

Alex frowned but knew better than to respond to that, going over to the boxes to see if there was any coffee hidden behind any of them.

"I wouldn't worry about that letter in the paper, by the way. You know damn well you can talk to whoever you want to and have full immunity, so any accusations by Solidarity about 'fraternizing' would get shut down quick," Thomas said.

"Bagman knows that better than anyone. He's just trying to get a hand in on current politics... and he's succeeding," Alexandria said.

"Which brings me to the main reason I came in here, because I don't think he's doing this from a distance. I don't care if his flag isn't responding, I think he's in the country," Thomas told her.

"I know he is. I had confirmation of that over the weekend," Alexandria admitted, pouring him a cup as well. "His wife, kids, and one of his men decided to visit the museum Saturday. Ambrose had returned early after the Hogsmeade trip and found them on the children's floor."

"What? You could have told me," Thomas snapped.

"I just sent two teams out this morning trying to follow up on it, Grandfather, one here and one in the States. There isn't much to tell yet," Alex said. "Well, other than to confirm that you're right in that he is here somewhere, and that his wife turned out to be a bit of surprise."

"What's surprising about her?" Thomas asked in confusion, knowing that Alex had known about her.

"Apparently Ludo did a good job of hiding who she was before they got married, because Cherie isn't her birth name. She's Charity, Ambrose's ex wife," Alex explained.

"What? You mean that girl?" Thomas said, using both hands to pull on his shirt to show her proportions.

"Yes, that's the one," Alex said, and Thomas immediately went for the door.

"I should have known there was some reason Ambrose didn't check in this weekend. Maurice and Beth got a note saying he was taking an impromptu holiday. Let my office know that I'm taking the rest of the day off," Thomas informed her, stepping out into the mist.


When Thomas knocked on the kitchen door, Ambrose ignored it, too busy staring at the Teledim to be interested in answering it. After a lot of persistent pounding, Ambrose heard the front door open. A moment later, Thomas strode into his bedroom, sighing with exasperation when he saw Ambrose sitting at his desk with his arms folded, staring at the device.

"You call this a holiday?" Thomas asked skeptically.

"I just told them that so they wouldn't worry and they wouldn't bother me right now," Ambrose admitted. "How did you get past my Father's security?"

"Your owl let me in," Thomas explained, leaning against a door. "Apparently, he's smarter than you are. Doesn't your ex know you live here?"

"Sure, but if she wanted to put a hit on me, I'd already be dead by now," Ambrose replied.

"Good point," Thomas admitted. "Have you been in here by yourself this whole time?"

"Some of my co-workers keep dropping by to check on me, despite me telling them I just needed some time. I sent a Teledim to my Father about it. He's the only one I want to hear from right now," Ambrose insisted.

"Doesn't that damn thing take months even if they answer right away?" Thomas said flatly.

"I know that, but maybe I'll get lucky and he'll know how to make it go faster somehow," Ambrose said. Thomas sighed with exasperation.

"Why didn't you just go to the castle to use the Merlin painting?" Thomas asked.

"Uncle Severus would ask me why I want to use it, and then he would want me to talk about it. Worse, Aunt Jennifer might be in there, and she'll insist," Ambrose replied.

"Fine, I get it. But you'll have to talk to this Dad, because I think you know as well as I do that Toby's not likely to get a message back here until after you've gotten over this," Thomas said, pulling Ambrose's chair around to face him. Ambrose sighed. "Got anything for lunch around here?"

"Not much," Ambrose said. Thomas took out a small notecard, borrowing a quill off the desk to scribble out on order.

"Here, go give this to Csyn Brogan and return with my order," he told Archimedes, the wooden owl hooting in understanding before grabbing the note card and flying off. "And you put on the kettle."

"Fine," Ambrose said and got up, going into the kitchen.

"As different as you and I are from one another, there is something we have in common, believe it or not," Thomas said, sitting down at the table while Ambrose put the water on. "You and I are the kind of people who everyone else comes to when they need advice about something. True?"

"True," Ambrose agreed, pulling out a basket of tea and the honey pot.

"At times, it can make it hard to figure out just who to go to when the tables are turned and we're the one who needs advice. Even a barman has problems to spill on occasion," Thomas pointed out.

"Who do you go to for advice?" Ambrose asked with open interest.

"Depends on what I need advice on," Thomas said with a shrug. "Fleur, Thatcher, Draco, Brogan, Maurice, even Cheeky and Jennifer on occasion. I don't hold back just because I've given them advice in the past... no matter how big the lion's share it is. I know they'll gladly return the favor and give me a different perspective," he explained, Ambrose nodding thoughtfully at that. "But considering you apparently don't feel comfortable enough to go to your partners or your friends and wrote your father instead, I'm going to offer you some fatherly advice." Thomas paused as Ambrose poured some hot water in their cups, then waited until he sat down. "I am guessing that ever since you found out your ex-wife went off and married the man who nearly took your life, you've been trying to figure out why she'd do such a thing, and how she could she after what he did to you, right?"

"Yes, wouldn't anyone?" Ambrose challenged him, stirring his tea.

"Sure, they would, but it's pointless speculation," Thomas said bluntly. "You see, the problem with that line of thinking is that it doesn't matter."

"Doesn't matter?" Ambrose repeated in disbelief.

"It isn't about you," Thomas explained calmly. "No matter how they got together and what she sees in him, it has nothing to do with you. The fact that he nearly killed you doesn't even come into it because their relationship had nothing to do with it. Whatever reasons she had, it wasn't out of spite, although I could think of several million other reasons. Whatever reasons he had, it also wasn't out of spite, and I can think of at least two good reasons why he'd be interested in her," Ambrose sighed with exasperation at that. "Not to mention the fact that she was a lot sharper than everyone gave her credit for. We underestimated her... mostly because of her clothing choices and the fact she made the mistake of marrying you."

"Thank you," Ambrose said crisply.

"Hiding out in this house and trying to wish your problems away isn't going to solve anything. I'm sure you already know by now that Bagmans are nearly as family loyal as the Craws are, and since she seems content enough with the old man to rear his young, I don't see him changing his mind about his choice or her switching sides now. Do you?" Thomas asked.

"No," Ambrose admitted.

"Good. Then are you over it?" Thomas asked bluntly, sipping his tea.

"No, but I think it's mostly because the shock hasn't completely faded yet," Ambrose explained. "But I think I understand why I needed a father instead of my friends to tell me that. Friends tend to candy-coat things to make it easier. I needed someone to tell me like it is."

"It's what I do," Thomas said. "Don't hesitate to come to me for fatherly advice again while your other father's gone, or I will take issue with it. Do you really want to be on my bad side?"

"No, Dad. Thanks," Ambrose said with a smile.

"Now how about we head to the house and get some real lunch? I doubt anyone's home that'll bother you, but if they are, I'll tell them where to put if for you," Thomas offered.

"Sure, why not?" Ambrose said with a smile, and they put their cups in in the sink before heading out.

Five minutes later, Archimedes returned with a takeaway bag, hooting curiously and twisting his head back and forth, wondering where they had gone. Finally realizing they weren't coming back, the wooden owl went off to find someone hungry to deliver the order to.