Jack ran his hand through his now shortened hair, "Yeah, it's too bad we hadn't got much work to do, sorry about it" he said, it wasn't his fault, but he was apologizing because he was being glad he had some time to get some things sort out within his family.

"Oh, she's just a little 12 year-old, but she's always planning things in advance" Jack laughed a little before explaining, "After she found out about the extra subjects you can take on the third year, she's been going through her options every day...at least she decided to take Divination, we'll see how that goes" and smiled, if her mother was still alive, she would completely talked her out of it, Jack didn't mind, he took the class as well, and after taking her into home-schooling in the middle of this year, he was only hoping she wouldn't get sick again in her soon-to-be third year, "Her brother will miss being around her all the time" he thought, but he'll get over it.

As he apologizes for the lack of work, Katherine laughs. "Don't apologize. I mean, you can't really do anything unless you're going to go out and hire a werewolf to create more so there are people who need support."

Once he answers her question about his daughter, she smiles. "My little brother is ten. But he doesn't have any ideas about school yet. I think my parents are teaching him for the time being. As far as I know, he didn't inherit my grandmother's skills, like I did. I took Divination in school, among the multiple classes I ended up taking. needless to say, it came pretty easy to me." She glances at the Tarot cards, still out on the table, and wishes it still was as easy as it was back then.

"Hire a werewolf? That's one thought that never passed through my mind" he sounded like considering that option, but laughed, making it obvious that he was only finding funny what Katherine just said, "I think It'll be hard to do so" and took a sip from his bottle, with an amused expression on his face.

Jack looked at Katherine as he heard about her brother, he was having flashbacks as she continued to talk about how Divination was for her, and spoke as soon as she ended, "Well, maybe they're just waiting until he's 11 and gets the letter from Hogwarts, unless they get him to Durmstrang or other school" he froze for a second, "Durmstrang" he thought, that's where his twin brother decided to go, they were so different from each other, "Yes, it happens often, even if you're related it doesn't mean you'll be alike or have the same abilities or gifts" he remembered how hard it had been for his daughter to be on a broomstick until just a few years ago, and how his 3 year-old son seems completely at ease on it.

"It wasn't that easy for me, I had great interpretations but lack that extra-something for Divination, I did ok after all, but I used to start arguments in every class" he continued, in the end, the professor told him it might be good to take another class instead of Divination, but he was already going to do that, at least he enjoyed it, sometimes.

Jack noticed she faced her cards, "I wonder what could be wrong" he thought, he didn't even looked at the cards throughly, it seemed to be an invasion of privacy, for him.

Katherine smiles as he acts like he would consider making work for them. "I don't know if I'd trust very many werewolves no tto attack me if I tried to get them to do something for me."

When he mentions her brother going to school, she smiles again, this time a little sadly. "I don't really know what their plans for him are. What school they want him to go to or anything. To be honest, I've only recently started speaking to them again. After I had graduated from Hogwarts, we kind of had a falling out, after which I left home and traveled for several years." She wasn't going to mention exactly what she had done while she was traveling.

She heard him talk about his experiences in Divination class, but didn't respond. Arguments were fun and all, but she had been a Ravenclaw. She tended to respect professors. She decides that she wasn't going to get much more from the cards, so she gathers them up and places them back in the bag she keeps them in.

He chuckled at what Katherine said about the werewolves, he started to remember how instincts-only they became when transformed, and how they couldn't recognize others either.

"Oh, I see" Jack said about her family situation, he could've said something insightful, but continued to listen, "Traveling? That's great, you must have enjoyed that a lot, the times I traveled were business-related only" he said, Jack remembered the times when he and his teammates traveled abroad for matches and World Cups, it was part of his past, he wanted to keep it that way, so he didn't mention anything more about it.

After taking 2 sips of his bottle, he turned to Katherine again, "So, how's your husband?" Jack asked, hoping it wasn't an inappropiate question to ask.

Katherine shrugs off his comment about traveling being enjoying. "I was eighteen. It was nice being able to see as much as I did, but I don't think I was really knowledgable enough to enjoy it." Then, when he asks about her husband, her eyes widen for a second, and then she composes herself. "To be honest, I don't think he's having a lot of fun not working. He's used to having things to do."

His face turned to a sad enough look, and Jack noticed himself nodding and saying "Of course" about the travel issues, Right, she said it was just after she graduated, and also said, that she had left her home, there might have not been a lot of enjoyable moments afterwards" he thought, the reasons for traveling aren't just business and vacations, he knew that but those were the only things he thought of when people mentioned travel.

Jack stiffened, as he noticed Katherine's reaction to his last question, it must have been a very private subject to ask so openly, he relaxed when she answered it, "Well, something might come up for him soon, at least he's ok" he said, feeling a little ashamed, he wasn't aware her husband wasn't working, he only she was married but didn't know anything else.

He looked around, and drank the last he had of his water, closing the bottle and playing around with it, he wasn't going to bring up the last subject again, unless she wanted to, it was her life after all.

Katherine felt bad as she sensed he was uncomfortable in the discussion. But she was also secretly glad he hadn't kept asking questions. She had no idea how she'd describe what Christopher had done as a career, or even what she had done while she was traveling. So she felt more comfortable when she just didn't have to talk about it.

Taking a few more sips of her coffee, she tried to think of something to talk about. "Well, how'd you get involved with the Ministry?", she asked. She knew it was a weak attempt, but she had nothing else she could think of.

Jack took the question as a sign that the subjetcs recently brought up, should be mentioned again, and a shy smile appeared on his face, "That is indeed a good question" he said, making emphasis on the word indeed, "It's not so complicated, my father used to work for the Law Enforcement Department, he was an auror, I say was, because he's no longer working though, but he pulled some strings and got me an interview" he continued, he had the whole image in his head about that day, it maight have taken him months to finally get to work, but thanks to his father intervention it only took him 2 days.

His eyes seemed lost in space, "How I got to this Department, well, that's beyond me" his hand made a gesture that looked like was drawing the horizon, he couldn't be more honest, "Maybe because of goblins, I don't know" he was going to leave it at that, but realized his words couldn't make more sense and sounded a little childish, "Ever since I was little, the goblins and I have had a good, mmm, relationship? I don't know if that's the word, but they've always treat me with some respect, just as I had treated them as well" Jack remembered when one of them told him at Gringotts how he was the good twin, and he wished his brother would never return to the place, he might have treated them badly, he was young, so he only laughed, "Perhaps, that fact was taken into consideration" he said at last, it was completely rare that he didn't get to chose the Department, but during the interview he said he didn't have any preference for a Department, even though he knew that most wizards get to choose their own after Hogwarts.

He took a deep breath and asked, "I don't think you had a choice, did you?" referring to the office she works in now, "I mean, choosing the Department, or did you chose to be in the Magical Creatures Department?" his pose was much more relaxed than the last time.

Katherine relaxed a little more as Jack seemed to not think her question was strange. She listened quietly as he answered, sipping her coffee. She was still sitting on the floor, but no one seemed to think it was that odd.

As he directed the conversation toward her, she looked at him, slightly surprised. "No. I didn't get to choose what office, or division. I did basically choose the department I wanted to be in though. While I was at Hogwarts, I was pretty good at Care of Magical Creatures. I never seemed to show fear of an creature the professor would throw at us. Evidently that somehow told whoever did the hiring that I would be good at dealing with werewolves. If any ever show up." She smiled.

Liz walks in and looks around, she then heads to the refrigerator. She takes out her lunchbox, and walks over to the table. She sits down and takes out her salad, and a can of pop.

"I am sure hungry, it's been a long day", she says to herself...

"Oh, that's great" Jack said, being completely honest, she got to choose the Department, but if she hadn't got the chance theywould have placed her in the same, "Yeah, they find those things to be critical for placement, apparently" he continued, and it was true, even the slightest detail can be traced down and be the one that sets your future.

He chuckled, as she referred to how she didn't seem to show fear, and how that was probably related to her job now, "They probably thought, "Well, she seems tough, she'll do great in this office" and decided basically on that condition" he said, trying not to sound too critic about the way of selection he witnessed long ago. After saying it, he got to think about how odd it was, she really must be tough when it comes to work or something serious, that didn't seem to cross his mind this whole time.

Come to think of it, he found insteresting the choices for that particular office, "Amazing is the way the placed two witches to work with werewolves somehow, I mean, it's not the Capture Unit, but you still get to work around them" Jack nodded, at least they were suppose to be around them, even if it hasn't happened yet.

He turned a little to his side, he found amusing that someone had a long day, her office must have work to do, "Bon Appetite" Jack said, showing a smile on his face.

Merci

It has been a long, day, emotionally. My sister in law, died just recently. I feel just aweful for my brother and their daughter.

Katherine laughed as Jack said that those type of facts were critical for job placement. "Not always," she said cryptically. As he said she must be tough, she automatically replied, "Thanks. It's not every day that someone tells a person that people must think she's tough." She grins before taking another sip of her coffee.

As he starts contemplating the choices for her particular office, she glances up again. "Well, I haven't really talked to Rosalie that much. But she seems to want to do whatever she can, so maybe that had something to do with how she ended up where she is." She glances over in the direction he appears to be looking when he addresses someone else.

As the newcomer says she had recently lost her sister-in-law, she got a sympathetic look on her face. She had never met the girl, but sh efelt sorry for her. "Oh, I'm so sorry for your loss. Or, your brother's and your niece's loss. However you want to look at it. It must be hard for them."

Very much so. My niece was a first year at Hogwarts, this past year, and her father wanted to keep it from her until it was too late. I was heading for Hogsmeade to talk to her, when I got the news.

At least the term is over now, and she can spend the holidays with her father. I'm hoping to visit them next week.

Katherine's sympathetic look got stronger as she listened to the other girl speak. She was really starting to feel for this young girl who she had never seen before in her life. "Oh . . . that's horrible. At least, the fact that your niece was kept in the dark. I can't imagine how hard it must be, going away thinking your family is fine, and then finding out that it isn't. But at least her and her father can spend some time together to mourn, or do whatever they decide to do."

Jack turns again to Katherine, "Yes, I don't know much about her either, perhaps you're right" he said, now that he thought of it, he hadn't seen her in a while, "Sometimes, the ones that want to do as much as they can, aren't easy to work with, but I'm sure this will not be the case" he continued, and didn't comment much, by now the other woman started talking.

After listening to the bad news she said before, he nodded while Katherine was sort of comforting her, "I'm so sorry" was all he could manage to say, losing the family he once had was and hasn't been easy for Jack, his wife death was still near, 3 years ago might seem a reasonable time, but since they were so close it hit him hard.

"I think he made a good choice trying to keep it from her for a while, it could have affected her school year" he said, nodding but with his eyes away, he thought of how hard it should've been for him to keep the news from his daughter, "At least they have each other, and the family supports them" he continued, even though it wasn't difficult to show some support in times like those.

I know I won't be able to take the place of her mom, but at least I can be there for her. I'm glad that her and I are really close. I don't know if I'll ever get married and have children. But at least I can be there for her, and treat her like my own.

Katherine nodded at what Jack said about Rosalie. But she was now too ensconced in the sad story that the other girl was telling to really comment.

At her last statement, Katherine nodded again. "I don't think you should try to take her mom's place. Just be her aunt. Spend time with her, give her advice, anything. But even trying to replace her mother would just be too difficult on everyone involved."

Absolutely I agree completely. We don't need anything more to complicate the situation already, either.

I'm Liz by the way, from the Werewolf registry.

He continued to listen to Liz and Katherine, while nodding about what they said, "Yes, I agree, substitutes aren't exactly good in this kind of situation" Jack said, how can a parent ever be replaced, it just can't.

"Hey Liz, I'm Jack Lockhart" he said, with a smile that was appropiate for the moment, "I'm the Being Division Head" he continued, placing the empty bottle on the table, and his elbow as well.

Katherine let out a breath as Liz introduced herself. It had been buggin gher that she hadn't known her, but she hadn't exactly figured out a way to ask.

Smiling at her, she said, "Hi Liz. I'm Katherine Bishop. Werewolf Support Services." She laughed a little. "Not that I've had a lot to do. Jack can vouch for that."

Jack chuckled as Katherine said there was not much work to do, "Yes, I think we are all in that kind of situation" he nodded.

Going back to Liz, he said, "And don't worry much about your niece, she'll be fine eventually" that, he was certain, his daughter was doing well right now, "And after what happened in Hogwarts this term, she could use the holidays to take a break from everything" he continued, he couldn't help to smile a little, some students turned into animals wasn't the usual thing he heard from Hogwarts, not from his time, anyway, but was amused by the thought, perhaps if his daughter had been involved he wouldn't find it amusing.

Nice to meet you two! It's great to be able to work here, so far it's been pretty slow. But it's kind of nice to ease into the work too.

Oh, my goodness, you are definitely right Jack. I was absolutely shocked, when I heard about what was going on at Hogwarts. I started at Hogwarts in my 3rd year, and nothing ever happened there, that had anything to do with children turning into animals.

They will definitely need some recuperation time during these holidays.

He listened at what Liz was saying, it seemed unlikely for something like that to overcome Hogwarts, but it was Hogwarts nonetheless, there was something going on all the time, "Yes, in my time there were no such things, just the regular and usual interhouse problems and stuff" he stated, matter-of-factly, especially when Quidditch was involved.

"Of course, they're already investigating the incidents" he continued, even though it was very difficult that they could find anything else, "Recuperation and information about what happened when they were gone" it must had been hard on such students, but thank god nothing else happened to them.