Scarlet isn't Just For Christmas Anymore

Khaat had gone to Diagon Alley to do some holiday shopping for the handful of people that usually went with her. It was hard to escape them in order to buy Christmas gifts for them when they took their job of making sure she stayed out of the harmful reach of Luther Burke, Tom Gelding, and Felix Barker. She had managed it today by letting Brian sleep in. He'd been up late delivering a foal in the barn. He hadn't gotten to bed until almost sunrise. So, she had taken full advantage of it and and gone to Diagon Alley alone.

She hadn't been in Diagon Alley very long when she saw, clearly, Luther Burke. She saw him taking long, determined purposeful strides towards her, and she had attempted to lose him in Knockturn Alley. But that had been stupid. Knockturn was like a playground to the likes of Burke. No sooner than she saw him come into the alley and saw the smirk on his face, she knew she had miscalculated that manuever. She attempted to escape down the alley, but, as with the general nature of Knockturn, it only got more dark and evil the farther down it she got. She began to wish for Rob or Jen. Someone who was more at home here than she was.

Burke fired his wand at her, and she had, out of instinct, raised her arm to shield herself. Another stupid move. The sectumsempra he'd fired hit her arm instead of her neck or her chest. She fired back a couple of rapid fire explosive blasts in his general direction that were certain to gain attention. Luther cursed at her and fled. She sat down on an empty wooden shipping crate and tried to catch her breath. She took her ivory knit muffler and began to try to wrap it around her arm. This was not the way to begin Christmas shopping. Not at all.

"I..I think," Khaat said. "I dodged most of it. I guess I'm a bit out of practice. I should have used my shield. But when one blocks a sectumsempra with their arm, then one gets what one deserves." She cast the Vulnera Sanentur spell over her arm in order to stop the bleeding. "Next time, I hope I can arrange it for the aurors to catch him. He's an evil little man who deserves to spend the rest of his life in Azkaban. He's a paid assassin. He works for the highest bidder. I want to see him and his friends standing in front of me in the Wizengamot. I'm sorry. I haven't even told you my name. I'm Khaat. Khaat Lupin. And you are?"

She knew most of the witches and wizards in London, and she hadn't met this man before. He seemed nice enough. She wasn't sure what he was doing in Knockturn, though. He didn't seem to fit here anymore than she did. "I don't think I"ve seen you here before. Are you new here?"

"Very nice to meet you Mr. Manson. My adopted daughter's last name was Manson, but I presume you are no relation. Her family was from Romania. And yes, I am related to Remus. He was my uncle." The memory of Remus was a fond one for Khaat, and it made her smile. "We were very close. He was responsible for raising me most of my life. Not because I didn't have good parents. I mean, I do have good parents. But I was very, very unlike my parents. They just did not understand my need for adventure. Not like Remus did. Remus and I were alike in almost every respect. So my parents gave up trying to change me and let Remus handle things. It just seeme dto make for a happier house," she laughed.

"As for Burke, yes. I would. I'd put him in Azkaban and throw away the key most likely. So you're interested in becoming a gamekeeper, huh? Well, you know if that doesn't come through for you, you might consider taking over Eyelops for my mother. She doesn't really have time for it. She specializes in magical creatures, so she bought the shop, but I know she'd sell it in a heartbeat if she found someone else that loved animals like she does.

"You'll have to meet my eagle. My mother trained a bald eagle for me. He does my owling duties. His name is Archangel. He's just awesome. My father designed an enchanted fetching toy for him. When its thrown, it morphs into a bird. When it lands, it changes into a mouse if it lands on land. If it lands on water, it changes into a fish. He hardly ever misses bringing it back when we play. And he so loves to fly. He's one of my best friends. Say, would you like a cup of tea? I have a bistro just down the street, and we have a new Christmas spice tea. It's very nice really."

"Then, let's go get some tea," Khaat smiled, standing, and walking towards Diagon Alley. "The bistro is just a couple blocks down the street to the right from here. It hasn't been open quite a year, but it is a popular place. We've expanded four times since we've been open. We started small, then we doubled the dining space. Then we added a number of private rooms for parties and events and a catering business to it. Then we added a gourmet bakery and a gourmet coffee bar. I just recently added 50% more dining space.

"My father makes all the tea blends for Sparks. He is a potionsmaster,and making tea blends is one of his favorite hobbies. We always have two or three different flavors of tea on the menu besides the standard blends like Earl Grey and chamomile and the like. The Christmas spice is brand new to the menu...."

As she entered Diagon Alley, she spotted the unusual form of Archangel flying into the crowded street. His impressive figure was always easy to spot. His large wings were spread wide into a gliding position, and she saw he had a letter in his talons. He glided over to her, dropped the letter in her hands and landed on his shoulder.

"Well, speak of the devil!" she laughed. "James, I'd llike you to meet Archangel. Archangel, this is a new friend. This is James." She looked at the bird who cocked his head to the side as if studying the new man in front of him. Khaat laughed. "I think he' s trying to figure you out," Khaat said. She opened the letter and read it. "Hm...It seems that Burke is getting a bit more desperate. One of my father's friends thinks he saw Burke's employer, Tom Gelding, in Hogsmeade trying to find my house. That ought to be interesting. The Lupins have been tangling with the Geldings and their illegal business for decades. Whenever Tom Gelding gets desperate, he gets sloppy."

"No, I haven't tried Chinese tea, but it sounds completely wonderful," Khaat said. They reached Sparks, and Khaat opened the door and said, "Come in. I'll get tea for us."

"Khaat," one of the servers smiled and greeted her. "Lizzie has some new scones today. Cranberry Almond and Orange Pecan. Would you like to try them?"

"Yes, please. And send a pot of tea over to our table, please, Angie?" Khaat asked. "And a few bites of fish for Archangel?"

"Right away," Angie smiled, petting Archagel and then hurrying off.

"Come sit," Khaat said to James. She took him to a table near the window and had a seat before continuing to fill James in. "Tom Gelding is the son of Seth Gelding. Seth made his money by kidnapping and selling wizarding children to power hungry or money hungry muggles. The children are taught only the spells that will make their masters more powerful or more wealthy and are kept in slavery. My family has been fighting the trafficking of wizarding children for decades. My father was responsible for, rightfully, killing the fathers of Tom Gelding, Luther Burke and Felix Barker, all in the act of rescuing wizarding children. Its been pretty much just all out war to protect wizarding children, but its one we're dedicated to. None of those men have ever forgiven my father, and they've sworn revenge on my father. The one thing that my father loves more than his own life is his family. That makes me and my children their prime targets. They'll have to work to find my house, but if they do, they won't be looking to get rid of my house. They'll be looking to get rid of me. And my baby girls. Nothing would hurt my father more than for something to happen to me and my babies."