Rain

"He'll be fine. Angus has never cooked any transfiguration experiment," Khaat laughed. "Boys do need to be boys. My father and Remus did that nonsense all the time. Remus got stuck once as a chipmunk in the boys dorm in Gryffindor. It took Dumbledore to find him and change him back. He was under one of the beds for about 3 days before Dumbledore finally came up into the boys dorm room, found him and changed him back just in time for dinner. Remus never would tell Dumbledore who transfigured him, but he held it over my father's head for years that he was going to get him back. I don't recall that he ever did."

Meanwhile, Robert had merely quietly observed all of this. He was not going to let Jack be eaten, and he was pleased that Angus had realized this was not a normal lobster. He wasn't quite sure who it was either. Not yet. He decided to let him sit in the fridge for at least a few minutes. He wasn't going to jump up and ruin the joke, but he would change him back.

"Yes. I am," Khaat said. "I bought swimsuits for the girls. They've never seen the water or the sand. It might be fun a little later to bring them out. Right now, though, I'd rather they finish their naps. Besides they don't need the full sun. Not with their delicate skin. It's nice to know, though, that we can just stop fighting so hard for everything and just be ourselves."

Khaat heard footsteps approaching, and she looked up to see it was Michael. He was dressed in a lightweight white summer suit. "Khaat," he said, "I need to go into Venice for just a short bit. I wanted to know if you would like to go along with me. I promise to bring you back in one piece."

"Venice?" her interest peaked.

"I won't be gone long. We'll be back by dinnertime. Unless they excuse us for a candlelight dinner in a little trattoria I know that has excellent food."

"I think they will know I'll be safe with you," she smiled.

"Oh, and Jess," Michael laughed. "Jack is trying to get snarky in the refrigerator, and Robert is standing deliberately right against the fridge door, talking to Angus about perhaps making a delightful little lobster salad with a bit of butter lettuce in a section of a baguette. It appears that Robert is getting a bit of enjoyment out of taunting him. I presume you would like me to either change him back or talk Robert into doing it?"

"I forgot hats," she sighed. "They had a pair of lovely white hats that were beaded with little pearls and had a little ruffle for a brim. I should have just gotten them. I don't know why i forgot hats. Or a baby sunscreen." She sighed, frustrated. Maybe you and Jack would nip back to the shop for me and pick them up, please? And anything else I forgot? I hate to ask, but I am new with the babies at the beach thing. You know the store. Its the one we keep going to."

She looked up at Michael. "I'd love to go with you, but I don't think I can get up." He laughed.

"Babies in the way already?" he held out his hand to her and his other hand to Jess. "Come on, Ladies, let me give you a hand." Khaat took his hand with her good one and he pulled her to her feet.

"Thank you," she said, grateful. "My sarong? Do you mind?" she asked him.

"No, not at all," he said. He drew his wand out of his elegantly tailored suit jacket and flicked the wand at her sarong, changing it back from a beach towel into her beautiful, flowing sarong. He levitated it to her, and she shook the sand out of it and tied it around her. "Shall we go in?" he asked. Khaat nodded, motioning to Jess.

When they got into the house, Robert was talking about dicing the lobster and mixing it with celery and mayonaise and putting the chilled salad in between two toasted baguette halves.

"Daddy," Khaat laughed, "Stop. Change him back. Enough is enough."

"Oh, I suppose." Robert opened the fridge door and took the lobster out of the pan of water. "Jack, how do you get yourself into these things?" He drew out his wand and flicked it, reciting a spell with it, and in a moment, instead of having hold of a lobster, he had hold of Jack by his ear. "The urge to pinch someone should wear off in a moment," Robert told him. "But perhaps I should hold onto your ear until it passes. Or shall I trust you instead?"

"I'll go change, Michael," Khaat said, going upstairs.

"Ozzy," Michael said, "I'm taking your daughter out with me for a bit. Don't hold dinner for us. I'll make sure she eats and gets home in one piece. Good to see you back out of the fridge, Jack. You should go take a hot shower, though. That cold water bath will do you no good. You'll find yourself needing one of Ozzy's potions for a headcold if you don't."

"You're going out? Now? We were going to eat dinner in a couple of hours," Robert said. "Where are you going?"

"Venice, if you must know," Michael said. "Don't you trust me to protect her?"

"Under normal circumstances, I would never let her go that far with one guard. But since you're at very little risk from Gelding, I suppose its alright. I presume she's changing?"

"She is."

"You have to remember she wont' have a wand unless she takes Remus's wand."

"I remember," Michael sighed. "I won't let anything happen to my goddaughter." Kieran came in.

"Did I hear you were going to Venice?" Kieran asked.

"We are," Michael said.

"I don't like asking to be a third wheel, but if I promise to separate off for awhile, could you give me a lift there and back?" Kieran asked. "There is a good tobacconist there not all that far off the beaten track. Cigars and cigarettes all rolled by hand, soaked in the best, aged brandy. I'd like to get some more."

"Fine by me," Michael shrugged. "So long as you get me some of those. I know the place you mean. They have an order there for me that I have been meaning to pick up. Do you mind?"

"Not at all," Kieran said. "I'll go slip on something a bit more suited to Venice." He went upstairs.

"Give him a moment," Michael said. "He's not that much of a wimp, is he? I figured he'd shower and come back down. What's he going to do? Give up and go to bed before he gets a cold? He isn't that big of a baby is he?"

"Not typically," Khaat said, coming downstairs. She had found a beautiful blue dress and blue stilettos to go with it. "Will this do, MIchael?"

Spoiler:

Michael smiled. "You are perfectly lovely,my dear. Are you sure you can walk in those heels?"

"I spend most of my life in heels like these," she kissed his cheek, "But thank you for caring."

"You'll need a shawl when it gets cool," he said. Brian flicked his wand and it brought a large flowing, beaded white silk shawl that was embroidered with flowers and dragonflies.

"Take it with you," he told her.

"Thank you," she smiled. He went to give her his credit card, and Michael waved Brian away.

"Not necessary, Junior," Michael said. "I am well prepared to pay for my own date, thank you very much."