Leo

[0_0_7]

Sunday was a beautiful day. Far too nice to be indoors. But Bond had been itching for this opportunity all week and when Sunday arrived he found himself at Rooks Manor with take away lunch at noon. He rang the bell and the butler let him in. Bond barely spoke to him- he was only the help.

When Leo emerged, Bond smiled pleasantly.

"I brought food. I thought we could enjoy a bite and keep this relaxed," he said warmly.

Comments

[0_0_7]

"First, I'd learn all I could," he said. "There is no greater power than knowledge."

He kept how he might wield it to himself.

[leo_rooks]

"To what end?" Leo asked curiously. "What's the end goal? Surely something motivates you."

[0_0_7]

"Power itself is my motivation, Leo. Knowledge enough and power enough to do as I please, when I please," he said. "No master."

[leo_rooks]

Leo raised a brow at that. It sounded a lot like something his father might have said.

"Might not want the ministry to hear that."

[0_0_7]

"Would you be shocked to hear that others in the ministry feel the same?" Bond asked casually.

[leo_rooks]

"Are you implying there's some sort of uprising afoot?" Leo asked, finishing his sandwich.

[0_0_7]

"Not everyone who craves power wants to conquer the world like your father, Leo. Power, knowledge...these things aren't inherently bad," he explained kindly.

"Do you think Minister Grubley got to where he is without some...ambition?"

[leo_rooks]

Leo shrugged, because he honestly had no idea.

[0_0_7]

"Ambition is a good servant but a bad master, Mr. Rooks. Cromwell knew that- not that he listened. Ambition can take you to such heights, if you have the will," Bond said kindly.

[leo_rooks]

"And what if I have no ambitions?" Leo asked seriously.

[0_0_7]

"None? Is that possible/" he asked, genuinely a bit confused by such a sentiment.

[leo_rooks]

Leo shrugged.

"I just don't, you know?"

[0_0_7]

"Leo, you're young.Butnow is the time to think of what you really want out of life. Chaos? Or order?" he asked.

[leo_rooks]

"You act like those are the only choices. ...And if they were, who'd choose chaos?" Leo asked.

[0_0_7]

"You would be surprised," Bond said. "I can think of a few students off the top of my head."

And perhaps youth was to blame, but Bond preferred to think of it as personal failings.

[leo_rooks]

"There has to be something between," Leo replied. "Balance. Maybe that's what I want. Balance."

[0_0_7]

Bond arched a brow. Guiding this child was going to be harder than he'd anticipated.

"Balance is, of course, the goal," he lied.

[leo_rooks]

"And how do you find that balance?" Leo asked, giving Bond his full attention for the first time.

[0_0_7]

"You learn, Leo. You learn everything you can. And, one hopes, you've got a touch of the rationality of your bloodline and will know what to do with that knowledge," he said.

[leo_rooks]

"The rationality of my bloodline? You are aware he slaughtered people, aren't you?" Leo asked, looking concerned.

[0_0_7]

Bond looked at him curiously.

"I didn' t mean your father," he said. Bond had been quite fond of Nora. Not friends, but they'd met and he quite respected her philosophy and ambitions.

[leo_rooks]

"People don't often speak of my mother."

Leo certainly didn't. It hurt too much. She hadn't cared much for motherhood, but in their last years together it had felt like something had changed. Suddenly she wanted to spend time together. They'd started having a morning coffee out on the porch, watching the sun rise.

She'd started looking at him as though she was proud.

[0_0_7]

"A shame," Bond said gently. "She was an excellent witch, you know. She was so talented in school."

[leo_rooks]

"You were in school together?" Leo asked.

[0_0_7]

"It seems like so long ago," he said. Then he added, "We weren't friends. We had different interests. But we had classes and I was fond of her."