Flame had recently had a change of heart about a lot of things. In fact, the change of heart was very sudden. It just happened, soon after what the Grand had done but, until now, she had not faced anyone but Harshing since. Now she wanted to make amends, and she started with the person she believed would be hardest to get to forgive her- Scone.

She walked up to the door and knocked on it nervously.

The door swung open to reveal Milo standing in an empty room looking out of the window. His eyes were glazed over and seemed manic but the rest of his body was as still as the calm seas. He flicked his hands into his pocket and took out a handkerchief. He dabbed his eyes slowly, softly, longingly then dropped the cloth. It drifted slowly to the ground until a harsh zephyr swept it away and out of sight.

He turned around slowly and looked at Flame, tears leaking from his red eyes. "Miss L..lestrange," he sobbed, falling to the ground. "The Family have taken everything. Go on, rub it in, go on gloat about your pretty successes. My task was to work against them. Instead I have been corrupted. Nothing you say can hurt me anymore." He continued to sob into his hands.

Flame stepped in, shocked to see the tears running down his face. It hurt her to see it. How could she do anything but feel sorry for him. The family changed everything about one persons life, each being changed by it's terrible ways

"I'm not here to do that." she told him, her voice soft. She shook her head. "I came to apologise and now, I wish to ask for your help as well." she stepped coser to him, but made no attempt to make physical contact, it wouldn't have been right.

"Firstly, I am sorry for what I did in potions that day, for everything I have done wrong to you in the past. I was wrong, I see that now." She paused, taking a breath in. "I want to break the family. The best way to do that is to place doubt in the minds of the followers. I can't do it on my own. Help me, please."

"There is no time for that Flame. There is a battle to be won." Milo stood up and dried his face off, still blubbering a little. His robes turned to a dark blue and his hair flatted down with magic. "We will attack the Family tomorrow, we will crush their campaign. We will remove them."

"Will you fight with us?"

Flame watched him gather himself silently. She prefered it this way- Scone acting stronger than her felt. "I shall fight with you. He does not deserve my loyalty, I wish I had seen it long ago." she told him. "But to begin with, I shall act as though I am with them, get closer to the resistance before turning on them."

"A good plan, act as if nothing has happened, be near him in the battle then smite him when we attack. Perhaps I wont even be there.... Perhaps I'll sit this one out." He sat down and a chair appeared underneath him. "Life's a bitch," he glugged some whiskey in a very Harshing-like manner. "And then you marry one."

Flame shook her head. "Sit it out? Would you really want to be stuck here when you know people you care about are out there risking there lives?" she blinked, unsure of this new, weaker, Scone. "Are you married professor?" she asked him, stepping further into the office and tilting her head to one side inquisitively. It wasn't a question she'd normally ask, but he looked like he needed some help and comfort was a good place to start.

"I am not married. No one wants me. And I want no one." Scone drank some more, his eyes lolled in their sockets. He fell back in his chair, feeling the course fabric on his back. It was torture. His life was torture. The two worked well together. Then again... didnt he deserve it? Thats another story. He looked at Flame, "Perhaps I don't care about anyone anymore. Perhaps I only care about me for once."

Flame frowned. "That cannot be true, professor, someone out there must care for you." she laughed. "I mean, people care about Harshing, and you're not as bad as him." she shook her head.
"If you care for noone then you are nothing. Everyone cares for someone, it is human nature, you must not realise it." she sighed. How could she help this man?

"If the world died now and I was the only one who was left I would be happy!" He blurted in drunken rage. "No more complications. Perfection. Just me and my dog. Going it alone. No more sillyness. No more stupidity."

He threw the bottle to the floor and roared again. "BUt he must die, yes yes, he must. And I shall kill him."

Flame shook her head in dismay- this was going to be harder than she had thought and she couldn't turn back now. "You wouldn't be happy. You might think you will be, but you won't. Professor, listen to me, I know it is true." She walked over, placed a hand on his shoulder. "You need to sober up. You can't do anything when you're like this."

"Go Flame. Just go!" Milo fell into the floor and curled up to go to sleep. He closed his eyes. "I shall see you on the battle field." A blanket appeared over him and he fell into the land of nod.

Flame was worried about him, she knew that much. She didn't want to leave him like this, it was crazy. However, when he told her to leave she did, for she didn't need weakening before the battle. She would talk to him after the battle, she might get more sense from him.