Marriage is Murder

Jess and cassidy put every one down for their naps took some time as some didn't want to sleep but in time drifted into sleep with the rest. Moving back down Jess made the ceiling dance with starts so not to make the room so dark as to scare the kids if they woke. 

Brant nodded as he watched the heavy oak door swing open he hears Michael's warning and nodded  "of course, check with you first" he said " so wheres the book we need?" he asked looking around but not touching

"Over here," Michael said, going over towards the desk.  "Fifty years of keeping potions journals, and on every subject that crosses his mind. Not sure what he keeps them for, but he's meticulous about it.  I don't think he needs them.  His memory is better than most, really."  He stopped at the bookcase to the side of the desk. "Its...in this bookcase someplace.  I'm just not remembering which one it is, and he buys identical journals for every volume he writes.  Might take us awhile. I don't see titles on any of them.  I used to know, but I don't honestly try to keep up with potions journals. First edition books? Now that is a different matter.  Not some dry, dull old ramblings of a potions maker."

Jess moved to sit as Jack brought her a cup of tea so she could relax and read a book she had found in the hospital library. Brant looked at all the journals and sighed heavily. " your not kidding" he looked at him as he took the first one down and flicked threw its pages as he moved to the desk and sat down " well might as well start now " he said reading h page until he finished the first book and placed it to one side. 

Soon a pile developed and Brant sat rubbing his shoulders as his back began to ache. " how many have we looked in now?" he asked glancing at Michael.

"Not enough," Michael said, with his own stack of books.  He hadn't found it either.  "He needs to not be quite so insistent that everything look perfect.  I really will have to convince him to label...oh wait..." He paused.  He was stopped by seeing addresses in the first pages of the journal.  He kept flicking through pages and started to see sketches of equipment and furniture and specifications--dimensions, materials, all very specific.

"This is it," Michael said. He passed the book to Brant. "I do remember this book.  And I remember all the hours of him sketching this stuff out.  I doubt we'll find another. I don't know of another. Does this stuff look like ordinary catalog requests to you?"

Brant took the book and flicked threw it " nothing like I have seen before" he said and looked up at Michael as he  down and began to make his list " do you think Robert would let us take it from here and back to the main house or would that be to dangerous?" he said as he turned another page he knew this was going to take  a long time. 

Jess lay her head against Jack and sighed " how long do you think they will be?" she asked Jack just shrugged under her.

" if Roberts filing is to go by could take them all night" he said and chuckled.

"He sent us for this book," Michael said. "It'll be fine.  He said you could take a bit to look around.  I'm sure he presumes you'll want to at least see the lab downstairs or wander up to the second and third floors of the library. 

'I don't know how much you know, but when Khaat and Brian were younger,Robert worked at the chemist's in a muggle fishing village and sold potions to local wizard families and did healing for them on the side.  I think that's where the potions lab started rather small, took over the cellar and then grew well beyond that.

"I know it used to make Kate a bit nuts when he spent so much time in the lab, but it honestly was to help others.  Kate learned to live with his need to try to make good potions.  He had retired well before Khaat asked him to work at the hospital.  The ministry thing came much later.  And, honestly, I think he'd be rather satisfied walking away from it all now and just enjoying his family."

Brant nodded and looked around " I could get lost in here for days " he said with a soft chuckle as he tucked the book under his arm as he walked to the  upper level of the library. " as much as I would love to stay I have to get that list done" it was then he saw a book on old puzzles. " um do you think Robert would mind me borrowing this book, my uncle 's puzzle box has me stuck and I'd like to learn more about them before I attempt to open it " he said walking back to Michael.

"I don't see the harm," Michael said. It wasn't where the rare books were shelved, so he figured Robert would just see it as an ordinary book.  "Did you not, primarily, want to see the lab? Or are you finished here?"

Back at the house, Robert went upstairs to check Khaat's shoulder. He found her taking a drink out of the mug Brant had sent up hours ago.

"Did you save your French roast?" he frowned. 

"I dozed off," she said. "Its still worth drinking."

"It has to be cold by now."

"It was," she said, setting the mug down after one final sip. "Its gone now."  He went over to her. 

"You know,"he checked her shoulder, set more healing spells in place and drew off more pain, "this isn't the first time one of us faced some sort of injury that took awhile to heal.  You honestly don't want me to give up, do you?"

"No, not if there were hope," she said. "But we both know..."

"Pardon me, but the last I knew, I had done this longer than you have.  Unless you've changed this somehow," he said.  She glared at him, rolling her eyes at him.  "Well?" he asked. "Do you or do you not..."

"Whatever," she waved him off with her good hand.  He was going to do what he wanted, regardless.

"Precisely," he said, managing a straight face.  He turned and walked out of the bedroom, waiting until he'd stepped out into the hallway and shut the door before he allowed himself a bit of an amused smile.

Brant looked Michael and nodded his eyes lighting up with a twinkle. " ow sure , yes" he said tucking the book into his pocket as he moved to Micheal. " lead the way" he said smiling and some what trying to contain his excitement. Jess was passing by Khaat's room when she over heard Robert and Khaat talking, seeing him leave and smile she spoke.

" She being her usual stubborn self again?" she asked pausing and looking at him. " it took me months to get over what happened to me, but you and Khaat both helped." she said softly.

Michael went to the stairs and merely went downstairs. It wasn't anything he hadn't seen before. Partway down the stairs, he tapped his wand against the stone wall of the cellar. 

"Oi! Lights!" he commanded.  The lights were large glass saucers that hung by chains from the ceiling.  At Michaels' command, magical flame rose up with a satisfying and almost somewhat comforting crackling sound in the large translucent saucers.  A large flame rose up in the mammoth fireplace.

This was Robert's very private domain. Very few people had ever been down here outside of his immediate household--except, perhaps, Michael. But then again, Michael was family.  It was an endless array of cauldrons, books, shelves, jars, and more equipment than Michael had ever seen Slugs and Jiggers ever display.

For Michael, when he came here, it felt like he was entering the very core of Robert's mind.  It certainly felt like a violation when he came here without Robert. If one wanted to understand how Robert Lupin thought and what drove him, this was the place to observe it.  Every inch of it, the things that were here, and how they were organized, it all spoke volumes to Michael about his dearest friend.