Again, as Kronos spoke of the technical difficulties of riding ... flying with thestrals, Sasha shook his head dismissively.  Granted, he hadn't yet tried but if ordinary wizards, with minimal experience in equitation, were capable of it, surely it couldn't be that hard.  Certainly, couldn't be that much harder than negotiating a muddy, rain-soaked bank jump into water at the end of the full-length endurance day. 

But ... the next time he went home.  Home.  Sasha grinned and nodded his head as he took a seat.  "That sounds rather agreeable," the Ravenclaw confirmed as he took his seat.  Visits would, he assumed, prove more challenging now that their continued association wasn't a complete secret. 

"Perhaps over the holidays, somehow.  I don't know where I'll be yet, though.  I know I don't want to stay at school and I definitely can't go back to my parents."  The sooner he could sell that place, the better.  Sasha wasn't looking forward to another summer wandering that empty place - not with the memories of the bodies strewn everywhere.  He came of age in only a few month's time but not in the world that oversaw the estate and the lawyers.  He hoped to find out over one of the holidays whether they'd approve selling the property and buying a new home even before his eighteenth birthday.

Sasha grinned, a little uncomfortably, before nodding in agreement.  Even if Abby agreed to go with him, chances were they would just be going as friends - Sasha was well aware of that.  So, he couldn't see there being much to gain from correcting the man when there was nothing to correct.  And, promoting the 'friend' status was probably best in the long run. 

Sasha had been perusing the menu when Kronos returned to the topic of necromancy.  Slowly, the young man lowered his menu, glancing quickly around them before taking a sip of his water.  "I ... um ... I've been thinking about it.  And, reading up some.  I got some books from the library and..."  And, as far as he knew, no one was aware he had them.  The ones he removed from the restricted section weren't the first texts in Old German Sasha had borrowed and Mr. Morgan hadn't asked. 

"It's different, right?  Bringing someone back to talk to them and all the ... making bodies come back.  Obviously, that stuff's not good - I wouldn't want to do that.  But, talking to someone ... it can't be that bad.  Right?  And, is as hard as it sounds?"  There was probably no way to make the questions sound even half-way out of simple curiosity. 

Kronos maintained a casual air about him.  He wasn't particularly bothered that Sasha was asking about necromancy, but the boy was easy to read and he seemed eager to practice, as he said, talking to them.  The dead.  Kronos couldn't help but wonder who - the boy's father?  Mother?  One of the girls who died last year?  Like Kronos, Sasha now had many among the dead to choose from.  But, it didn't matter terribly much who it was, or what they'd have to say.  Kronos feigned disinterest in the details and acted to encourage his curiosity. 

In the end, dabbling in necromancy would be beneficial.

"Speaking to them, yes, that can be done differently than when one tries to animate a corpse which, is certainly more dangerous.  To call upon the dead for purposes of divination and correspondence is not a simple thing to do... but," he looked at Sasha as though sizing him up.  "Certainly you could do it, given the right supplies.  Do you... need supplies, Sasha?"  He watched him over the edge of his glass as he took a sip of his water.  He'd of course answer all the questions in the world that he might have, but by skirting the question of whether or not calling upon the dead with magic was 'that bad' - and by encouraging risk-taking behaviour by bolstering his belief in his own abilities... Kronos was being the best father he knew how.  In his own, very special way.

"And, in the end - when you're done - they simply go back and it's how it was?  Like hanging up the phone?  There's no, you know, lingering consequence?"  That's how Sasha had been allowing himself to picture it.  Once the ritual was complete, the deceased would return to wherever they were, Sasha would remain where he was and life...time...whatever would continue as it had.  It wasn't ideal.  But, it wasn't as extreme as creating inferi.  Right?

It might be a bit unconventional and unsavory but, in the end, if it helped and no one was hurt, wouldn't it be worth it? 

By design, Kronos had been the only person Sasha had considered asking.  The man seemed a more reliable gauge for whether the idea was completely mental.  He was less likely to have a knee jerk reaction to the simple ethical aspect of it.  And, if Kronos responded with reservation well, then, that would have said something.  But, Kronos responded just the way Sasha had been hoping and expecting.  And, if Sasha could count on getting a vote of confidence from anyone for this particular endeavor, he knew it would come from Kronos. 

Knowing he'd been meeting the man and knowing the topic would likely be broached, Sasha had come prepared.  After another quick glance around, he tugged what appeared to be a simple German-French Vocabulary Dictionary from his pocket and murmured, partially dispelling the concealment charm.  The cover remained unchanged but the pages within aged and faded into old parchment.  The text was all in Old German but the illustrations, Sasha assumed, were self-explanatory.  And, if not, Sasha could offer translation where needed. 

"I - ja, I think so.  There are a few of the potions ingredients I can't get at school.  Not without raising questions.  And, I still haven't figured out what of hers I can use.  Since I'm not really entitled to anything."  The later quandary Sasha doubted Kronos could help much with.  After all, he was less likely to have an item of Ava's than Sasha was.

"Well," started Kronos, putting down his glass.  "Not always.  Sometimes you think you 'hung up the phone,' when really... you might have left yourself open to otherworldly influences, which, if it happens, you will figure it out sooner or later - maybe not through the most delightful means, but then, there are ways to go about fixing that.  It might not be pleasant, but it certainly won't be your downfall.  All that said, if you are studious about it, and thorough, you shouldn't have much of a problem - 'ending the call'."  He smiled his subtle reassurance to the boy.  It wasn't a walk in the park, but it wasn't Sudden Death, either. 

"You're nothing if not thorough," he reminded Sasha with a wink.  "You'll be just fine.  And, if anything does go awry, you know I'll be here to help you set it back on the right track."

He closed his menu.  He already knew he'd have the langoustine bisque.  Besides, the book that Sasha had presented easily stole Kronos's interest and attention.  He proudly watched as his clever son undid his own concealment spell and the book reverted to a highly valuable, foreign masterpiece of questionable morality.  It warmed his heart. 

Kronos leaned forward to inspect the drawings, nodding slightly as he ran through the supply chain in his head and made mental notes.  After a minute, he gave his final approval.   

"Yes," he said.  "I can get you those.  Give it two weeks....  Unfortunately you are correct that I can't exactly help you acquire the personal item.  Unless of course you know of where my men might go looking for it."  He lifted his brows.  Nothing was impossible.  Still, Kronos didn't know exactly to whom Sasha had referred.  He'd said it was a 'she' which only served to rule out his step-father, and thank goodness it wasn't the alternate father figure he sought!  Knowing that much, he didn't really care who it was.  He was just so proud of his boy!

Being open to otherworldly influences.  There was no telling what, exactly, that might mean and Sasha was fairly certain he was in no rush to find out.  It was safe to assume it would be unpleasant, whatever it was.  However, if that was the only risk - and it was, indeed, a reversible one - it wasn't about to dissuade him.  Sasha already knew there was some danger for the one performing the ritual and, in his mind, he'd accepted facing that danger as an integral part of the repentance. 

Not a year ago, it would have been an entirely different story.  The lad he was a year ago - before ever having met the man across from him - would have looked at something like the ritual in the book and assumed it was an utterly fruitless endeavor.  Probably tossing the book away in disgust and fear at the idea.  But, this was now.  So much had changed.  And, when Kronos reassured him that he'd be there no matter the results, Sasha accepted it without hesitation.  He knew - and fully believed - the man meant it. 

"It'll be doable," Sasha confirmed, nodding his head.  And, Sasha was well aware he could seek assistance from Mr. Morgan but, he'd decided against it for this endeavor.  "I'd rather not let Mr. Morgan know about it, though.  I don't believe he'd interfere but, you know, it's kind of personal.  He doesn't seem quite the type to get that." 

Sasha nodded his head.  Two weeks would be perfect.  As long as the delivery wasn't delayed, the supplies would arrive with just enough time without lingering long enough to risk being uncovered.  "I was planning for Halloween.  I don't know if the old Samhain legends about the veil being thin is true - or if that does make it easier.  But, I figured it can't hurt." 

As far as finding an item went, Sasha shook his head.  "I don't know.  It seems right that I should find something of Ava's.  Maybe it's illogical but, it just seems more appropriate.  More significant.  There might be something left over in the Slytherin dorm.  Or, the quidditch locker room." 

Leaning forward onto the table, Kronos watched Sasha closely as he thought it all through.  This was exactly the kind of thing he had been waiting for.  To see Sasha take the initiative in some sort of project; there were several possibilities and necromancy was as good as any other.  He might have been doing it for, as he said, 'personal' reasons, but all the same he was testing himself.  He would become better by the end of this.  Stronger in his follow-through.  More sure of his abilities.

A small smile surfaced.  He was choosing who to trust, who to include.  Kronos nodded his support.  "It is completely at your discretion how little or how much you want to share with your tutor.  Never forget he works for you, after all.  Whatever is most useful is the way he should be - used."  Kronos thought it was quite painfully obvious that Landis Rue Morgan-Harper was not one of his most devoted or trust-worthy associates.  He despised his position of relative weakness and looked upon the man's son with disdain.  Not to say that he would sabotage Sasha's mission, should he choose to tell Harper about it.  But it was significant that Sasha logistically decided to exclude the librarian from this pursuit.   

"It's bound to help," he said.  "Even if it only affects your frame of mind.  You can learn to use the power of symbols to bolster your activities.  Especially with ritual work such as this," he gestured towards the book.  "Likewise, your personal hunt for an artifact belonging to the deceased should imbue whatever it is you find with deep significance.  I do hope you'll keep me apprised of how it goes.  You're going to do a brilliant job of it, Sasha."  He grinned. 

"Ope, looks as though we're soon to be having ourselves some company!" spotted Kronos, tapping twice on the table top and looking over towards the waiter who was on his way to take their orders.  "Have you thought of what you want, dear?"  He pulled his menu off to the side and took a long drink from his water.  He was beginning to feel slightly under the weather and needed another sip from his polyjuice flask soon.  His insides, or rather Eamonn's insides, were beginning to feel a wee bit wobbly.