With a flourish of wands and the rustling of a feathers

“Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming, swimming, and swimming.”

Peaking out from underneath the sheets that covered him, Ariel watched as his bedroom door opened to reveal the pyjama clad little girl that he’d put to bed the night before which, upon glancing at the clock on the nightstand, was only a handful of hours ago. He’d had a terrific sleep and he knew that he’d be worn out by the time the day drew to a close once more. This was just the morning though and already, Ariel was feeling the potential strain. He didn’t know how people with multiple children survived. He had one and she was enough to swear him off reproducing (again) for life; not that he had anyone to reproduce with mind you and clearly, he no longer wanted to.

Any child he’d ever fantasised about having and calling his own was epitomised in her, right down to the little Tigger slippers on her feet. He was lucky beyond belief that she was in fact part of him - something he helped perfect. Ariel smiled absently and watched as she stood, mouth agape, clutching her Unicorn teddy to her chest, her eyes placed firmly on the television in the corner of the room that was playing Finding Nemo. She, like most children her age, was bemused by the moving pictures. Ariel doubted that he’d ever forget how television sets stopped children in their wake. Their attention was caught and it didn’t matter whether they were sitting or standing, they were enraptured by it and would not do anything but stare absently until the whole thing was over and done with.

From where he was laying, Ariel could spy the mark on side, just below her ribcage. Ariel continued to be amazed by her resilience every day. He died every time he looked at the lunar calendar and found that the Full Moon was mere days away. He hated to see her have to go through it but she was the happiest werewolf Merlin had ever seen fit to let them create. Ariel didn’t know anyone in the pack that looked as happy as Clementine did – as genuinely happy as she looked. She truly looked happy to be alive. Even in these moments when she was on a completely different planet – or continent as it were – he could see how happy she looked. She didn’t even seem affected by the bite. Her pup was as young and as playful as she was herself.

The only thing she ever stumbled over was the bite itself. It had not been done with care at all and it was clear that Ariel had not been the one to do it. He'd been the one to clean it up though; he'd been the one to make sure she survived. It had not been his decision to bite anyone that night. A rogue werewolf that had been part of the Northern Revolt had bittern her. His daughter. He hadn't realised it at the time - not until Grace told him. Clemmie hadn't been conceived consciously on either of their parts. Gracie was terrified by werewolves and the fact that her daughter was one scared her all the more.

Grace all but gave Clemmie to Ariel. She had one stipulation though: that she could see her. Ariel let her without question. He wasn't ready to be a father, surely not. But Clemmie was his the moment the ink dried on the papers. He could see himself in her. He could see her mother and his mother and even a little bit of Fenrir in her.

Now, Clemmie was his; down to the last blonde lock on her head she was his – his little girl. She was not perfect by any means but to him, she was a gift greater than any he’d received in his life and she was one that he was not going to lose bits of and allow to be worn and become dirtied like so many other gifts he’d had in the past.

“Dory is blue,” Ariel stated the obvious as he swung his legs over the side of the bed. Clementine’s concentration was broken and she turned momentarily to frown at her father before swivelling her hips back around so she was facing the television. Ariel smirked and stood up before padding across the carpet towards her. “We’ve got places to go today, sweetpea. How much more of this is there?” And once again, she turned to frown and Ariel scooped her up before plopping her on the bed and heading towards the bathroom, deciding that it was better just to leave her to it and not harass her any more than she preferred.


“Can we get a fish, Daddy?” Clementine asked, hopping up onto the short wall that lined the flower beds in front of one of the many outer-London houses. “I want a Nemo! And, and, and...a Dory!”

Smirking, Ariel lifted the little girl, unicorn and all, off of the wall and placed her on his shoulders where she was a lot easier to keep an eye on. They’d been walking for long enough and she’d been complaining about her feet up until they’d passed a pet shop. She’d been hounding him for a pet for as long as he could care to remember and Ariel knew as well as she did that one day, he’d be worn down and he’d relent. He didn’t want to get her something as naff as fish though. He wanted Clemmie to have something good – something powerful – like...a Kneazle with anger-management issues. Wait no...Kneazles were...way too fluffy for the upholstery.

“I want never gets little miss.” Ariel countered with a laugh. He heard her huff and reached up to tickle her neck. She cracked a smile and giggled, bringing a smile to Ariel’s face as well.

“Pleaseeee Daddy!” she cooed between laughs. Ariel grinned and drummed his fingers against her little red shoes that she’d insisted on wearing. “Everyone has fishes!”

“Fish,” Ariel corrected as they slipped into the more rural part of the little area they’d not known about until the day prior. “Fish, Clemmie. It’s already plural.”

“No, Daddy! It is fishes! I know because....” She trailed off and gave a little wiggle, kicking her legs out in an attempt to get down.

Ariel took her off of his shoulders and set her down on the ground. She shot off up the lane and the twenty-seven-year-old could only do but follow his daughter. At six (or, rather, five and three-quarters) she wasn’t quite as steady on her feet as she would have liked. She was nimble like a werewolf and certainly strong like them but she still possessed Ariel’s wearing part of the disease. She seemed to feel the discomfort within herself as well as within her father but she always seemed to kill the alpha wolf down. Ariel didn’t know how or why but she calmed him and he responded better to Ariel when he was.

“I’m off to see the wizard, the wonderful Wizard of Oz!” She sang as she skipped away from her father who hung purposely behind her so she could feel a little bit freer. “Do you see it, Daddy? ....Dad-oh!”

Ariel scooped her off of her feet and let her scramble back up onto his shoulders as he took a right down a little slip road towards a small cottage that practically screamed Jack Dyllan. Anticipation rose up within Ariel and he bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from giving into temptation and Apparating home again. He’d come here for a reason, as reason he reminded himself of as he walked down the path. He set Clemmie down again and took her hand before using the other one to knock on the door.

Ariel breathed a sigh of relief.

Now, they only had to wait.

Jack loved being her own boss.

Sure, she was woman of many, odd jobs. She, of course, still ran Weasleys Wizard's Wheezes. Of course. She also became a Magizoologist, specializing in- wait for it- dangerous creatures. Meaning dragons, griffins, all the cool stuff. Luckily, she had a big back yard with a stone paddock- sometimes her work came home with her. And she had kept her promise- she had earned the exclusive title of 'Werewolf-Wizard Relations Coordinator.'

That meant she went between groups of werewolves, working to get needs met. She also was the one with the unpleasant duty of reporting rogue bands- though she often ended up being the one that stepped in and told off officials when justice was being beaten by discrimination. And, of course, it meant writing and improving werewolf laws, spreading truth rather than myth, and trying to relieve discrimination.

It was said they wanted her to now add Spectral Beings-Wizards relations. That meant ghosts and poltergeists. She had simply laughed and said maybe in a few years.

Irony.

But the beauty of being her own boss- besides retaining her need to shun authority- was that she worked whatever hours she wanted. It was summer so Goose was home, being lazy, naturally. That also meant she had spent the morning at home, relaxing, going over some reports that had come in. She often wrote her own, and they were becoming increasingly popular in various newspapers. People found the idea that some werewolves simply were fluffy and were grumpy because of fleas simply addicting to read about.

Jack was in the kitchen, pointing her wand at popcorn to pop it. "Jaaack?" Goose called. "Gooooose!" Jack called back, mocking him. He laughed and she smirked. She had never been big on the mother thing. It was not like she was actually the boy's mother. He knew it too. She had been close to nineteen when she adopted him as a six year old. Now he was fourteen and heading into muggle high school.

Jack typically thought she hated kids, because they whined and cried and had no reason. But the little boy with Huntington's disease- a terminal, untreatable disease- had all the reason to, and yet he was to strong to even sniffle. Without parents, he still managed.

And now her boy had grown up into a young man... "Jaaack! Hurry up! It's just getting to the gory part!" Jack rolled her eyes and dumped the popcorn into a bowl. She had suggested the old, bad movie- Thankskilling- the worst and somehow best movie ever.

She walked into her quirky living room. The ladder in the middle of the room led to the loft, and that was where Goose slept. He was sitting on the couch, watching as a demonic turkey chased a group of stereotypical friends around a cow town.

"Isn't this great?" Jack said, flopping down next to him, deciding that the reports could wait. Goose looked at her. "I dunno, it could be better." She blinked before pulling him into a headlock, rubbing her knuckles against his hair. "Uncle! Uncle! Uncle!"

She released him. "That's what I thought." She smirked. "Sh!tbiscuit!" Jack glanced over at the ladder, where her Jarvey- the talking ferret- was sitting. "Fred, censor yourself. And no talking during movies!" Jack made a humph-ing noise and Goose giggled silently. Max trotted in from outside, shook the warm air from his fur, and collapsed at Goose's feet. Today he was a white Airedale. That spectral hound and his forms.

There was a knock and Jack turned her head, staring at the door like a foreign object. Goose had amused the movie and was staring as well.

A visitor? Whaaaaaa?

Jack stood and tucked her wand into her pocket, standing and hopping over the couch, walking over to the door and slowly opening it. Goose was behind her, peering awkwardly over the couch. Jack cocked her head for a second, looking between the man and the little girl on her doorstep. And suddenly, it clicked. "Ari?" she asked. She glanced at Goose, who had raised his head and was staring at her in confusion. Jack looked back at Ari, standing there awkwardly before laughing and walking forward, hugging him. "What are you doing here?!"

(Okay, I tweaked it a little. Well, I tweaked the first post because I went off the rail with this one and somehow made Clemmie sound as if she was Ariel's. I preferred it that way too so that was what I did. I just modified the first post so there is a little change - not that much though. :3 Ari is a daddy! xD)


Clemmie had a thing about doorstep rugs. She didn’t like them at all and went out of her way to avoid standing on them. That was why she was currently swaying in the breeze beside a potted plant, as far away from the rug as possible. Ariel meanwhile kept an eye on her as he tried to soak in as many details of Jack’s house as possible. Clemmie was distracting though. She was definitely her mother’s daughter. They had one particular trait shared between them: the inability to shut up. Ariel didn’t mind Clemmie’s incessant babbling. In fact, he found it rather charming. What he did detest was her mother’s continuous stream. That was probably why he had Clemmie and not Grace. Speaking of her, he’d have to give her a ring sometime and ask her how her trip had been. Honestly though, Ariel didn’t want to have the whole rundown of South America. Frankly, he could have cared much less than he already did.

“When does Grandpa get home, Daddy?” Clemmie asked, looking around her surroundings with a vague interest. Her eyes turned to her father and Ariel shrugged. How was he supposed to know? Perhaps he’d have to owl Fenrir and ask him how the campaign in Normandy was coming along. Poorly, Ariel didn’t doubt. He was the charisma. His father, however, was the brute force and ignorance. “Daddy? When Grandpa comes home...can I get a fish?” She didn’t even wait for Ariel to tell her ‘no’. She burst into a monologue which was no doubt meant to convince him it was a good idea. Ariel would just let Fenrir buy her one; then they could both gloat. He didn’t really want to be responsible for the bloody things (and plural it would be by the time they were at the pet shop) so he was just going to let his father buy them. Genius.

Ariel stepped off of the doorstep and picked Clemmie up. She gave a shrill giggle and she reached up to cover her mouth with her tiny hands. Ariel raised an eyebrow at her and she continued to snicker at him. Shaking his head, Ariel set her down on the doorstep and stood behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders and giving her a silent instruction not to move. The two had always been in tune with each other so it was no surprise that she stayed put. She continued to giggle though, much to Ariel’s chagrin. She continued right up until Jack opened the door.

Ariel stood up a little straighter upon setting eyes on her. Clemmie gave a smirk and peered up at her father with interest before looking at the redhead and then back again. It was as if she understood but evidently didn’t at the same time. She snickered again and slid out of Ariel’s grasp. He made to take hold of her again, if only to ensure she didn’t fall into a bush or something equally horrifying, but he was cut off as Jack stepped forward and embraced him. Ariel’s eyes widened and he spluttered silently for a second or two before curling her arms around her in a distinctively familiar yet unfamiliar hug. He heard Clemmie giggle and he narrowed his eyes at her, pursing his lips and scrunching up his nose in a way that only made her laugh harder.

Finally, Ariel pulled back and he bit his lip, unsure how to introduce the giggling child. In the end, he guided her over and began to twist his fingers into her long, golden hair. She pouted and twisted in an attempt to get out of his grasp but Ariel didn’t plan on letting her out of his sight. He knew Jack would never be one to live conventionally; he was no fool, so he wasn’t going to trust Clemmie with anything in the house unless he was specifically told it was safe.

She got into enough trouble every month because of him. He didn’t want to add more pain for her and more heartbreak for him and her mother. That was the last thing he wanted. Today was a good day though. Today was one of the best days. Tomorrow wouldn’t be so great and it would be a lazy day spent trying to coax her into doing something productive. In the end though Ariel knew, even as he stood there hours prior, that they would spend the day on the couch until Ollie came home with food and company in tow.

“I came because of an article I suppose,” Ariel said with a shrug, he glanced down at Clemmie who was peering around Jack into the house and he smirked. “Plus...I think we could use a little bit of adventure. I for one, think it has been long enough. I didn’t think a visit would be too much. Perhaps I should have called ahead? Shit-”

“-Daddy!”

“Sorry Clemmie. Yeah, maybe I should have called ahead. Damn. You’re not too busy are you? Oh yeah, this is Clementine-”

“I’m Clemmie!” She cut Ariel off, determined not to be referred to as Clementine in new company, and Ariel rolled his eyes. “Do not call me Clementine. That’s what my mummy calls me.” Clemmie wrinkled her nose and shook her head. “Daddy doesn’t, though! I have him trained,” she nodded firmly and looked up at Ariel, grinning widely at him before turning back to Jack. “You have red hair! My best friend has red hair! My other best friend can change the colour of his hair! It’s so cool! I wanted Daddy to change mine but he wouldn’t because he said he liked my hair the way it was.” Clemmie shrugged and it was at that moment she found the ferret. “Oh my God! A ferret!”

And just like that, she ducked out of Ariel’s grasp and ran into the house in search of the ferret. Ariel shook his head and looked apologetically at Jack.

“I am so sorry. She’s out of control where pets are concerned. She wants fish at the moment but now I think it’ll be a ferret. I’m trying to put her off until my dad gets back then they can bond with it or whatever. Max is a Metamorphagus and his parents own a farm. So what he has, Clemmie wants too. Hayley...the redhead...she’s just...horse mad or something. I don’t even know. The friends bit is not my forte.” Ariel smiled a little and exhaled. “This is belated now I expect but...you don’t mind if we come in do you?”

Once she released Ariel, her attention was caught by the little thing by his side. Jack cocked her head but before she could even begin to think Ariel was speaking, sounding incredibly awkward. The little girl net to him interrupted him, but he continued on. She smirked at the fact that he seemed uncomfortable and waved a hand. "Pshaw, you kidding me, we're watching a horror movie. I make plans, plans don't make me."

He introduced her and Jack stuck out a hand to shake the little girl's hand, but the girl was busy reprimanding her father for the name slip up. Jack usually hated kids- that's why bringing home Goose had been so strange- but she immediately decided this little girl- bright and shrill- was another special exception. Chase's kids had been so, Goose was so, and now here was another.

Jack grinned. "Y'know, your dad used to piss me off-" she didn't bother censoring herself, "by calling me Jaquellene. GROSS, right? I'll call you Clemmie, and you can call me Jack." She smirked. Clemmie said she had trained her father and Jack burst out laughing and listened to the little speech she had regarding hair and best friends. Suddenly, she announced that she had seen Fred and ran off into the house.

Jack turned and called inside, saying, "Goose, make sure Fred minds his manners. Say hi to Clemmie."

She turned to Ariel as he launched into a speech of his own and her smirk continually deepened and deepened as he continued on. At his question, she gestured inside, "Please. I've been driving myself crazy locked up in here. Come on in." She turned and led the way into the living room. The movie was paused and she looked around.

Goose was sitting on a rung of the ladder, Clemmie sitting next to him as he gently set Fred into her lap. Goose was explaining, "His name is Fred and he's actually a Jarvey, a special talking ferret. They only say really rude things so don't get mad if he calls you a name. When he's happy, he'll call you a bum."

Jack grinned. "Goose. Get up and say hi to my friend Ariel really quick." Goose hopped up and strode over to Ariel, puffing himself up a little to try and look tough. Jack narrowed her eyes on him, smirking. He proffered a hand for Ari to shake and said, "Hey, I'm Augustine." Jack poked his chest and he gasped some air and she tussled his hair. "And he's being a dork."

"DORK!" Fred bellowed.

Max stood and trotted over towards Clemmie, sniffing here. Jack glanced to the kitchen. "Wanna drink?" Jack asked Ariel. She turned back to Goose. "Hang out with Clemmie, and don't start Thankskilling okay? Just make sure Fred doesn't teach her any new words." She turned back to Ari, gesturing for him to follow her to the kitchen. "C'mon."

The day suddenly got much better for Ariel. It was a bizarre sight, watching his daughter interact with the woman that he’d been besotted with during his seventh year of Hogwarts; a very bizarre sight indeed. He’d forgotten he called her Jaquellene. He could remember the duel in the Study Room quite vividly now. Well, it hadn’t really been a duel but it was near enough. Clemmie liked duels. Well, magic in general. She adored hearing tales about how her Uncle Ollie whipped her Daddy’s arse. Ariel had always been quick to point out that it was Ollie whose ass ended up bright orange and hairy. He was sure that his best friend was poisoning his daughter’s mind with trollop that suggested that he’d been in that position, though. He didn’t mind but he did have a scary-werewolf reputation to adhere to. It was easier to do that when your best friend wasn’t telling everyone that at some point in your life you had bright orange butt cheeks. Thank you, Oliver.

“She has not trained me,” Ariel pouted, folding his arms over his chest. “I simply like full names.” Then of course he remembered the ridicule. Named after a mermaid. Yes, charming. Another point of laughter for Ollie and Clemmie. There was a reason why Grace kept that film at her house and Clemmie’s Disney collection was bare of the first and the second Little Mermaid films. “Clemmie sounds better than Clementine though.” He had to admit that much. That was the last influence Grace had. If Ariel had his way then his daughter would not have been called Clementine Druella Greyback. It was impossible for Grace to pick anything sensible. “Anything is better than Clementine.” He heard Clemmie mutter something along the lines of ‘amen’ and Ariel smirked. She was mouthy, far too mouthy for someone so long. That was another influence of Ollie’s, the sod.

Ariel followed Jack into the house and cast a look at the ferret. He didn’t trust that thing but he was highly amused by the fact that Clemmie would sooner eat the thing than pet it during the Full Moon. He didn’t want to be picking ferret bones out of her teeth though. Ariel also kept an eye on Clemmie. She would take the thing home if they weren’t all careful. Animals were at Grace’s house or in Ollie’s bin or in Fenrir’s hole. Not in his humble abode where his siblings still stayed. They were only fifteen for Christ sakes. The idea that he had them living with him as well as an overly impressionable five year old with a pet-fetish baffled him. He understood now why he let Ricky – Ollie’s girlfriend, Pureblood with an insanely stupid name so everyone just called her Ricky – babysit her while he took off down the pub every Thursday. It was too much. Plus, it was a welcome break from the bombarding needs of food, Disney and pets.

“Clemmie do not feed it anything,” Ariel scolded her, catching her as she offered a drooball to the ferret. She hid them behind her back and grinned toothily, innocently, at him. Ariel rolled his eyes and looked over at the boy that Jack was introducing. Ariel smiled and shook the offered hand firmly. “Hello Augustine. Ariel,” he introduced himself. “Clemmie is...put the drooballs away or give them to me!” She pursed her lips and sighed before tucking the drooballs into her pocket. “Good girl.” He said warily, harbouring the feeling that she’d take them out again soon. This was another reason why he wouldn’t get her pets. She’d love them, feed them something weird, they’d die and she’d cry and he’d have to get another sodding pet. Yep, definitely a Grace-house thing.

Ariel shook his head and followed Jack through into the kitchen. “If she kills the thing then I’ll buy you a new one. Merlin knows if I got her a sodding rock she’d find a way to kill and bury that. “You’ve got a really nice house. Bloody terrifying but it’s nice. Cosy, sorta.” It felt personal. Ariel felt like his house was a port. Ollie would swing by on his way to see Ricky. Ricky would swing by on her way to see Ollie. Fenrir would spend a few days with them here or there. As would his mother and some of her brothers. Then there was Grace who really wanted nothing to do with Ariel. She just accepted his coffee and took Clemmie with her before promising to drop her back in the following few days. Yes, he much preferred it here. “So...a swearing ferret, eh? I would say typical but I wouldn’t have thought of it myself, honestly.”

Jack watched Ariel father Clemmie with an amused expression, imagining the man when he was just a teenaged boy, too sure of himself to listen to everyone. Too good to adhere to authority. And here he was, filling the shoes of those same authoritative figures. She could not help but chuckling- he had not changed, per se, but he had grown up.

Max stood and walked over to Jack and Ari, sniffing Ari's hand and then turning to look up at Jack, still looking as a white airedale. She felt her eyes lock with his, in a way that they never seemed to do with a human being and she grinned, reaching down to rest the heel of her palm on his brow before clicking her tongue. He barked and strode back over to Goose and Clemmie.

He followed her and she walked over to the stove. At his words, she smirked, reaching up and grabbing the teapot from its hook. "Fred? Don't worry about him, he's more intelligent than your average hamster. She's funny." Jack was honest here, and when she found someone funny, she approved of them. Perhaps if Jack and Ari stayed in touch Jack would make the treacherous move of getting Clemmie a pet for her birthday. With her job, too, it would not be a normal pet. It would probably be an invisible gecko or a giggly leopard. Something of the sort.

She filled the teapot with water, pulling out cocoa, deciding to make some for Goose and Clemmie. She scrounged out some Firewhiskey and poured two mugs, sitting at the little table and sliding thwe other mug towards Ari. She smiled as he spoke about her home. It had been a nice find- big estates and suburban homes did not appeal to her. She was too smart, too frugal for a mansion home. She liked her little quirky cottage. "Thanks. It's different, and it's a place to hang my hat."

Jack grinned at his words. "He's actually not of my own mistake, I mean, making. Fred's a Jarvey. Talking ferret with a vocabulary made up of only rude phrases and insults. I'm finding all these new types of animals in my line of work. But he's not even the cool one-" Right on cue, Max walked in and she saw that sometime down the hall he must have decided to change form. Still a white dog, he now resembled a wolf more than anything. One of his least favorable forms, but he must have picked up on something...

Whatever could that be?

"Hey Max," Jack said. "This is the same aeridale from the other room. He's a Gytrash- spectral hound. They have a pretty bad rep." She grinned, taking a sip of her Firewhiskey. "So. How have you been? What are you up to lately? You seem like you've been busy," she said this last part, jerking her head towards the living room, where Clemmie could be heard, talking incessantly to Goose.

There would be a new want tonight, Ariel didn’t doubt. In a few hours the fish would be forgotten and replaced with thoughts of ferrets and big dogs of doom. Ariel just hoped he wouldn’t want to strangle the blonde before he put her to bed. She could talk anyone’s ear off. She was incredibly well-spoken for her age, Ariel had seen that despite Ollie’s lack of pronunciation and the fact that Nicky was from Newcastle, but the high soprano was still intact. She’d chirp and sing and quarrel with the television when things happened to her television characters that ought not to have happened. She’d quarrel with her father, her already high voice raising another octave or so as she made a fuss about something – usually something stupid like bedtimes or peas. She was still a child regardless of everything else. She was flighty and indecisive. She’d always been that way and Ariel doubted that would ever change; although the thought of a flighty, indecisive teenager wasn’t as appetising or as endearing as the toddler was.

“No she’s not; she’s a pain in the ass.” Ariel quipped sarcastically, sitting down in one of the chairs by the kitchen table. “She’s her own person, that’s for sure.” Ariel smiled wistfully and threaded his fingers through his hair. “She has too much of her mother in her. Not enough of me.” Ariel smirked and cast his eyes over to the doorway where he could just spy Clemmie if he craned his neck far enough. “Still, c’est la vie and she makes it bearable. She turned out to be one of the best mistakes I’ve ever made; even if she is totally out of her tree.” Ariel smiled and shook his head, dropping his hand and casting his eyes around the kitchen. The whole house seemed to have the same, slightly cluttered, but sweet style. It was homely to the point of it being a place where Ariel would have gladly curled up and gone to sleep. There was a warmth about it but he couldn’t put his finger on what it was. Perhaps it was because it was a home, purely a home, instead of a port of call for everyone in the Scottish highlands like his house was.

Ariel nodded when Jack summarised her house in a handful of words. It may have been a hat stand but he was sure that there was more to it than that; there had to be. Ariel heard Clemmie giggle in the next room and he craned his neck again, idly wondering what sort of mischief the cub was up to. He watched her interact with the animal for a few movements before looking back at Jack as she explained about the ferret. A swearing ferret, fantastic.

“So...Augustine...adopted huh? You didn’t seem like the child-type back in Hogwarts,” Ariel observed, taking the cup Jack had slid to him.

Ariel bristled slightly when the dog entered. He looked down at it and raised an eyebrow at Jack in question. It looked different but she was quick to point out that it wasn’t. Ariel frowned and shook his head. He didn’t move to touch the animal or anything of the like. He didn’t particularly want to. He wasn’t as enthusiastic about animals as Clemmie was. She wasn’t bitter about the fact that she was an animal herself. She loved the Full Moon. Of course she never dealt well with the transformations but during the night itself she was in her element. She didn’t seem to quite understand just how debilitating the affliction was. Both in the literal and metaphorical sense. Ariel hadn’t had a job in months. The last one had been a Muggle one before he was fired for taking too much time off sick. No one wanted a Greyback working for them. He didn’t blame them either so he stuck close to the pack.

“I suppose,” Ariel shrugged his shoulders. “Just pack stuff I suppose. Fenrir wants stuff done so I’ll do it. Clemmie is...overwhelming. I’ve had her long enough that I should know how exhausting she is but she manages to surprise me every day. Then there’s her mother who seems to want to beat me with an iron every time she sees me, as if it is my fault.” Ariel scowled and drank some of the Firewhisky. “It’s nice, that feeling, the feeling that you’re going to get your balls severed off because your ex blames you for her daughter being turned into a werewolf. It’s a terrific feeling. S’pose one day she’ll actually manage to get me with a severing spell.” Ariel smirked. “The days in the life of the Greyback son. Oh, by the way, Ollie says ‘hi’. He also wanted me to pass along an invitation to dinner at his. Incidentally, that means at mine because still, even now after all these years, he still has no home.” Ariel grinned.

Jack grinned when he called Clemmie a pain, because while she found Clemmie's spunk quite satisfactory, Jack would be smacking the girl upside the head if she had to hear it as often as Ari undoubtedly did. Jack already wrestled Goose to the ground anytime he talked back, a girl would not do for her. She knew that too well. She was already the awkward aunty that taught Kitty all the bad things. She'd ruin a daughter.

She listened to his story, sort of hoping for the whole story, but he did not elaborate. She was sure he would without her prompting. He had touched on it a bit. Clemmie was his but her mother did not seem like she was in the picture anymore, well, not as far as Ariel was concerned. Jack had figured Ari would be more like her, lone wolf- no pun intended- but she remembered now he was always the one that really did crave companionship. Jack needed it, but she needed it in the human instinctual form of need, not her own decision of wanting people around.

At his inquiry about Goose, Jack grinned. "Well yeah, especially since I would've had to have had him in like, third year. No, to be honest, I'm still not a huge fan of kids in general but I was visiting a muggle hospital and he was only about six... He has Huntington's... It's a terminal disease and no magic can cure it, I've had people look into it. We don't know how long he has. Some days he's fine. Other's... He just can't control himself." She paused. "He's not really like my son, anyway. Sometimes he is, but mostly, he's a friend, my little brother.”

Ari looked skeptical about Max and Jack chuckled. "I'm not pulling your leg, here, I swear. He can change his form, though his are strictly dogs. There are species that are donkeys and horses. He's not really a pet either. I tell people he's my life partner, just to freak 'em out." She chuckled. "Max has saved my life. He is the best friend I have." Max thumped his tail and blinked up at her. "He's more intelligent than a dog. Sometimes I think he's more intelligent than humans. He seems to read my thoughts."

Max gave her a sage-like dip of his head and trotted out of the room. Jack smiled after him and turned her eyes back to Ari, the smile still lingering. It became more of a straight expression as he went on, somber to match his story. It returned slightly at the mention of Ollie. She grinned. "That kid.. He was a funny one. That sounds fun. I'll stop by unexpectedly one day and demand dinner." She grinned playfully, even though that was probably how it would happen. She took a drink of her own drink, looking down at it and saying, "I've sort've been doing my own pack work too... I'm a Magizologist, but I'm also the first 'Werewolf-Wizard Relations Coordinator. I've been following and tracking some packs, making ties. Haven't run into the Greyback pack yet."

Ariel didn’t know a lot about Muggle diseases. He didn’t know a lot about wizard diseases either. He lived and breathed his own disease just as he watched Clemmie do the same. He knew that Lycanthropy was terminal but not in the sense Huntingdon’s probably was. With Muggle diseases, there was deterioration just like there was with Lycanthropy. There was the metaphorical mountain of health. One day, you went down the slope of ill health and you just wouldn’t go back up the other side. That was what everyone was waiting on. It often happened in children and the older werewolves. The rest either got themselves killed or died in pack fights. Often the women would die if they carried children to term successfully, too.

Ariel was so careful with Clemmie. He was obsessive to the point of overwhelming her. He was persistent about the bite. There wouldn’t be a day where they’d just bypass washing because they couldn’t be bothered. He put her in the water whether she was clothed or otherwise. He was determined not to lose her. He spent hours applying whatever he could to that wound. His own salvia was often the best cure although why he didn’t know. It was a genes thing, probably, and it was no doubt because he’d bitten her as well that night, if only to clean the thing up. There was a link there. Fenrir was sure he’d overwhelmed the link the other werewolf had made purely because he was Clemmie’s father. For once, he’d been glad of Grace and her over-fertility.

“Can’t they do something along the lines of re-growth or replacement?” Ariel asked, wondering how the boy could live with knowing every day might be his last. He created a lump in his throat. Ariel only had to think of that once a month but that was far too often. He couldn’t imagine going over that every day in his head. He did sometimes, on those bad days, but it was never a constant. He didn’t know how the boy could smile. Ariel didn’t say that he was sorry. Somehow, the mention had created a flair of hope within Ariel. He wanted the boy to be alright. He hoped against hope that he would be. Maybe the Healers just need to think out of the box and come up with something. They needed an idiot; an idiot with stupidly brilliant ideas.

“Why doesn’t that surprise me?” Ariel asked with a wry smile in regards to the animal being Jack’s life partner. “I’m more intelligent than your average dog but this thing is just...weird.” He smiled sheepishly at the animal before adding. “Not that you’re not...lovely...you’re just odd-looking. Forgive me for my insensitivity won’t you?”

Ollie wanted dinner with Jack. That would not end well. They’d all either end up drunk and playing some sort of bizarre game (as drinking games seemed to be Ollie’s forte as of late) or end up turning the conversation to Grace because Ollie had nothing better to do than sit and b!tch about the dark-haired, insufferable chit. He could wake the neighbours with his drivel and he often did, making Ariel the enemy of more than one resident of their town. “Go for it,” Ariel laughed. “Time it so his girlfriend is home, then I’ll bet he’ll want to eat his own balls.” Ariel smirked and drank some more Firewhisky. “You won’t run into them...or, rather, us. We’re always on the move. Well, I stay in the same place but I am pretty sure my house is just a boarding house for those who are sick or just tired. They’re always on the move. I don’t think you’ll find them unless you spend a good couple of months following their movements. It’s fun to get updates though, I must say. Magizology sounds fun. I actually saw your article...it was really rather interesting. May I point out that not all werewolves are fluffy? Some actually wear their hair differently to the rest.”

Jack took another swig of her Firewhiskey and set the mug down on the table with a small thud, never graceful enough to be subtle. "No, there's not. At first, we tried St Mungo's, but the whole point of adopting him was rescuing him from the prison of hospitals. We had some Healers researching but it's encoded in his DNA, it's not gonna go away with pixie dust." She paused. "He's the bravest kid I know. He really doesn't dwell. They explained death to him when he was 5. Started preparing him for it when he was six."

She felt her stomach contract at those words. To think, she might have never met Goose, her Goose. Might have never saved him. He might have well given up. No family to care, no doctors that even wanted to keep him alive, no reason to try. It didn't matter now. He was alive and healthy as he could be with his condition and he was happy. So happy.

She smiled at him, chuckling at his comment regarding Max. Ari seemed nervous about Max and Jack could not help but mutter- very audibly since Ariel was intended to hear her- the word, "Hypocrite." Her eyes gleamed and twinkled happily with the tease, glad to be back in the business of messing with her friends... Huh, that was a funny word.

The plural form of friend.

Did she have that again?

They subject turned back to her job and she grinned. "It is interesting. I specialize in dangerous animals. Surprising, right?" She smirked and sipped her Firewhiskey. She nodded. "I imagine. They seem like they're always busy. Except you, ya lazy lout." She smirked, flicking a loose pack of sugar at him." He mentioned his house was being treated as a boarding house and she felt her expression turn a bit more serious. "Well, you ever get overwhelmed, send them here. I have a few werewolves, typically loners rather than ones part of a pack, that pop in for Wolfsbane or for medical help or just a place to stay and eat. I'm, more than happy to help."

She felt an amused, exasperated smile fall on her face at the mention of the article. "You have no idea how much hell that word choice brought me. I'm going to have to clarify in my next one. I was trying to make a point by using a radical statement, and hey, it's challenging people's mindsets. That's the hope." She shrugged.