A Birth day

Ruby saw the headmaster walk in and smiled standing up and making the boys stand up as well s they greeted the headmaster. " thankyou please sit " she said taking Caprice from Angus. She sat down and waited letting Angus deal with the ehad master.

Yu looked at Jessie kneling by his legs. " Yu Im fine now, weak but fine" he said smiling as he brushed his hand against yu's cheek.

"I know but that dosn't stop me from worying " he siad " I saw you thrashng about and..well it hurt me that I could do nothing" he hung his head but Jessie lifted it back up to look at him. It was not he saw the ring and chuckled

"knew you'd get one on me one way or the other, but I love it and am not tking it off" he told him making Yu smile Jess chuckled .

"congrates guys." she said glancing at the duplex as she hoped the headmaster was not being too rough on the boys.

Angus looked at the boys sternly. He wanted them to remember their manners. Victor spoke first and greeted the headmaster, and Sam followed suit while Angus got tea for the headmaster.

"Tea for anyone else?" Angus asked.

"Minister Lupin and I spoke a moment, and he said that the boys did not run off from the school. He said he believes they were taken from the school," the headmaster said.

"We didn't run off," Sam said. "Why would we do that? Where were we to go? We were due to come home for the weekend to see our new sister..." He pointed to the baby. "Why would we muck that up? It wouldn't get us home any earlier, and our dad would cut us in half for even thinking about it."

"Pretty much," Angus said to Sam, glad Sam knew that, on certain things, Angus was firm. He served the tea and then sat down to join the discussion.

"So what happened? Tell me exactly," the headmaster said.

"We were in class..." Victor began.

"No," Sam was angry, and he lashed out at the headmaster. "Why didn't you ask questions first? You didn't do that. You suspended us first, and you're only just asking questions now. You don't deserve..."

"Sam," Angus said in a restrained tone, "look at me." Sam didn't move at first and then he looked at Angus. Angus looked at Sam to try to silently remind him that he had their back last night, and he still had it this morning.

"They didn't come," Sam retorted now to Angus. "They were right there, and they didn't come. They didn't even look for us. Yesterday, when they could have done something, they did absolutely nothing. You were miles and miles away, and you still came. I don't need to tell them anything..."

"I apologize for my sons," Angus said. "Last night was dangerous and pretty dramatic. They are understandably a little rattled."

"No, the lad has a fair point," the headmaster replied. "We should have known, and we didn't. Had we known, we certainly would have responded. On behalf of the school, I apologize, Sam and Victor. I am going to find out why we didn't know. It may well be that someone interfered with our student security mechanisms. I will be finding out, and I'll tell you what I find out. I do apologize to you and to your parents on behalf of all of Hogwarts. Now may we start again? Tell me what happened. Please."

"Tell him," Angus told them quietly. "Tell him the truth, and don't leave anything out." They told him how the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher got them to go with her to help gather  some special herbs that grew in the forbidden forest for a demonstration of a defensive remedy, and the moment they got off the school grounds, the teacher removed the enchantment that kept her looking like the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher and revealed herself to be the crone. Suzanne met up with them in the forest and was in the process of crossing through the forest with them where they were evidently supposed to meet some of Gelding's men on the far side, near the road. Before that could happen, though, Angus had arrived with Jack and Marcus and Michael. Angus knew the rest of the story from there.

The headmaster listened from first til last, and he looked at the boys for a moment as they finished.

"I believe you," he told them. "You told me the truth."

"How do you know? We could have lied to you," Sam said.

"You could have, but you didn't," he replied. "I'm a fair judge of character."

"You're also a seer," Angus said. The headmaster looked at him.

"How did you know that?"

"I work for a whole bloody family of seers," Angus said. "I know the look when I see it. My grandfather is a seer, and my grandmother was also a seer Robert Lupin's wife and daughter and granddaughter are all seers, not to mention that there are a great number of seers on staff here."

"So are you a seer too if its in your line?"

"'Fraid not. I don't know what I am," he laughed. "But you read them for authenticity and did not find lies in their words."

"Correct," he replied to Angus. "I will revoke the suspensions. Any idea where the witch is now and the boys' biological mother?"

"Minister Lupin had the witch delivered back to Azkaban, I believe," Angus said. "And, as for Suzanne Tyler-Gelding, I believe she returned to her home in France, pending the resolve of any legal complaints or charges."

"So she just gets off free for trying to take them?" he asked.

"No, she isn't getting away with anything. I know Lupin far too well. He won't let it go, not like that. His reputation for justice is real. I don't pretend to know what he has in mind, but he doesn't turn a blind eye to a crime, and never in the instance of injustice to a child. You have a more important issue, though. You might have a dead professor. You need to find her and make sure she's alright."

"I do indeed," the headmaster said, "but these boys are equally important to me, and right now, Im here."

"And we were bilked out of almost a full day of our three day weekend with our family, out of time with our new sister because nobody looked for us until our dad came for us.  And then we were accused of something we didn't do," Sam said angrily. "We want that day back. We want our time. I want one more day of our weekend before we have to come back."

The headmaster considered for a moment, and then he looked at them. "Alright, that sounds reasonable to me. Monday afternoon or Monday evening. Before curfew. Take it or leave it."

"We'll take it,'' Victor answered.

"So," the headmaster said. "This is your home with your new parents, then." They nodded. "So, show me your place. From the first day you came to this new home, you boys have been absolutely glowing. So, show me what it is that makes you love this place so much."

"You really want to see it?" Sam asked.

"Yeah. I really do," he said. The boys looked at Angus

"Can we?"

"Of course," Angus said. "You know where you can go and where you can't. Take your time." The boys took the headmaster and started by showing them a quick tour of the house and then took him outside to see the grounds. Angus understood and respected what the headmaster was doing. He was deliberately taking time with the boys alone so he could try to rebuild some respect and trust from them. The man clearly saw the damage that had happened because the school apparently hadn't known and hadn't come for them. Angus believed, looking back on it, that it probably had worked out for the best. If the school had gone into the woods blindly, not knowing what they were up against, some people surely would have died. However, the fact that Jack, Michael and Marcus were highly trained for all sorts of fighting and had gone with Angus, there had been no loss of life and, in fact, no injuries. So perhaps it had all worked out for the best, in its own way.

"You did that very well," Edward told Angus.

"I didn't do anything. The boys handled it themselves, as it should be. If they're going to be men, then they need to be able to explain themselves," Angus said. "My job is to make sure they're safe and happy, and I think they are. The rest is up to them for now."

"That's not entirely true," Edward said. "Suzanne and Reginald did not treat them much differently than how your parents treated you. You know how that feels, but since they've been with you and Ruby, they've heard and they've seen that they are loved and that they matter. That is, singularly, the most important thing you can do for anyone, but when you went and fought for them and got them back last night and brought them safely home, that was huge to them. It's equally important that they have seen this morning that you're still both fighting for them. And,  it matters that they were traumatized by last night, and they're seeing that you're coaching them through it. I know you both will always fight for them, but, to them, what they see you and Ruby doing for them, it means everything. I can't think of anything you could have done for them that would have meant more."

As Edward was speaking, Angus got the smell of something exceptionally foul. He sniffed the air, wrinkling his nose. "Ru, one of you needs fresh underwear--either you or Ralph. It's coming from over there where you are," Angus said. Edward burst into laughter.

"Ruby, shame on you," Edward teased her, knowing full well it was Caprice's diaper and not Ruby at all. "I thought you were housebroken already."

Ruby sat and watched as Angus and the boys spoke to the headmaster bout how the boys had been abducted from school. She smiled down at Caprice feeling glad she would not understand for some years what had happened. It was now she looked up to see the headmaster and Angus talking and then walking away with the boys as they showed him around the house and their favourite places to be. Ruby smelt Caprice needed a dyper change and stood up but on hearing Angus 's jibbing chuckled " Okay, I'm on it" she said and walked to the nursery to change Caprice.

After she'd washed and changed her into a clean Onsie she wrapped her in a hippogriff blanket and headed back down the stairs to Robert and Angus. "I didn't know the head was a seer, glad he is though," she said picking up a bottle for Caprice and sitting down to feed her. " what do you think you'll do with Suzanne?" she asked Robert " or are you just going to see how she behaves from now on?" Ruby looked down at Caprice and smiled at her as she suckled on the bottle.

"I've already dealt with Suzanne," Robert told her. "I intended her to find it quite unpleasant to have to deal with me, and I am sure she won't be back for awhile. As for how I handled it? There are some things you're better off not knowing. If she does anything else, I'll know." He laid a hand on Caprice's head to make a very brief check. "She's doing fine. She's on track with where she should be. Looks like you're both doing very well. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some odds and ends from last night to tie up. I'll see you all later." He left, heading back to the main house.

"He's probably right, you know," Angus said to Ruby. He clearly remembered hearing Suzanne's wailing and protesting coming from Brian's office last night, but Ruby didn't need to know that. "Robert is a good man, but he is also a man that believes that the ends justify the means, meaning that he is not above using the occasional dark magic spell as a weapon when necessary to make sure that justice is served. He believes all magic is just a tool, nothing more, and he says that even spells that aren't dark magic can be used for dark purposes, and he has a valid point. Frankly, I'm surprised it hasn't come before this, but, he's let Suzanne go for quite a long time and he hasn't interfered. This time was different because she deliberately went directly after children.

"In Robert's book, she went way too far when she engaged such a powerful dark witch and took the boys from the school. If he follows his pattern, this was his strongest and last warning he will give her to knock it off, and if she blows off this last warning and attempts to go after the boys again or even so much as thinks about going after Caprice, he absolutely will kill her, no other chances given, no more warnings, if it means he has to kill her himself. I am quite sure he told her if there is a next time, he will give no quarter whatsoever."

Angus already knew, even though he wasn't saying it, that if Suzanne struck against the kids again, he wouldn't need Robert's order to go take care of Suzanne. Nor would he wait on Robert to do it. He'd handle it himself before Robert needed to order anything.

"If Tom Gelding is on his game," Angus told Ruby, "he will recall that Robert gave Gelding's father a similar last warning, and Gelding's father blew it off. Then, at their next encounter, Gelding's father attacked Robert, and Robert killed him in self defense. Tom knows exactly how lethal Robert can be if he has to be. It was not without warning, though. From what I saw between her and Tom last night when we released her in Paris, Tom was more than a little put out with her. He was really angry with her but I saw him remind her that he had warned her about not toying around with Robert."

They listened as Ruby said she didn't know the headmaster was a seer.

"Angus is right about the 'look,' " Edward told her. "If you watch, when a seer is using their powers, their eyes get a certain look that almost looks like a glazed over expression because, they're looking at something you can't see at all. They're looking with a different kind of sight. if you try to look around and see what they're looking at, you're not going to find it because it's something that is either in the past or the future or in a different realm altogether. Angus has just seen it so many times that he can recognize it straight off."

"It actually can be frustrating when they're looking at something that nobody else can see. When I was a boy, I used to think it was just rude as heck," Angus grinned.

"Rude? You never said you thought it was rude," Edward frowned.

"You never asked," Angus said.

"You know, what the boys said about the Dark Arts teacher not letting them practice their spells makes immense sense," Edward said. "Think about it. If the witch was impersonating the dark arts professor, then she would not want the students learning spells that would counter dark arts spells. So, she lectured rather than demonstrated. And, its very likely that she didn't give them the proper spells in the first place."

"So if they practiced the spells either wouldn't work or they'd be buggared, and all it would take is one like Hermoine to figure out that her spells were all bogus. Then the witch's entire plan would be blown," Angus said.

"Exactly," Edward smiled, seeing that Angus had followed along precisely.

"Doesnt matter. They'll be home for good in just about six week, and I'll teach them myself," Angus said.

"There are a lot of good people here they can learn from. I'd turn them over to Jack for conditioning and for on-the-job training if they're going to work here, and we can start polishing their spellcasting."

"Jessie could teach them some of the animal care in the barn and some of the other outdoor tasks," Angus said. "If he doesn't mind working with them. I've been meaning to ask. You going on the survival weekend this year?"

"Nah," Edward said. "I'm supposed to be retired. I don't need to sit up to my ears in cold water and mud in a freaking lean-to made of twigs. No, thank you. You going?"

"Heck no. Robert told me I could use the 'new dad' argument this year, and I fully intend to."

"Simone wants to go. I told her I'd see her when she got back," Edward laughed. It was several minutes before the boys came back alone.

"He's gone," Sam said. "Said he had to get back and find the professor."

"I think she's toast," Victor said. "I told him that."

"What makes you think that?"

"That old bat had some sort of a necklace or something she took from the professor and a big long lock of hair she'd taken."

"Well, now, that in itself doesn't mean much. If she used polyjuice potion, she needed the hair for the polyjuice," Edward said.

"I still think she's toast," Victor said.

"He thinks Dad ought to finish teaching the class for the year if they can't find a professor," Sam said. Edward laughed out loud.

"Me? Absolutely not. I am not a professor. Not happening," Angus said. "Your headmaster has lost his mind."

Ruby looked at Robert who walked over and checked Caprice breathing out in relief as he said she was hitting her markers "that's good and , if that happens give her one from me too" she said to Angus. Seeing Sam and Victor re-enter the duplex she smiled at them but chuckled as they sugested he teaches the class.

"you are aware DADA has a bad reputation for professors, right" she said looking up as Caprice finished her bottle " they never keep a professor for more than a year " she looked form sam to Victor and then to Angus "and I personally would like Angus around for a lot longer than that thankyou." she smirked

"Yeah," Angus said. "I know. I was in Harry's year, so I saw several Dark Arts professors in my time there. I didn't even think about that old rumor. However, I am already employed and working more hours than most of the other staff here. so no, I am not interested in adding to those hours with a teaching gig. Besides, Voldemort was responsible for that curse and after he died, that curse supposedly has been lifted. And remember Professor Wilson taught that class for years before he left the school. He was probably one of the best professors that class ever had. Khaat knew Wilson very well. They were good friends, actually."

"Oh, say! That reminds me," Edward said. "Someone sent me something to give to Michael, and I keep forgetting to give it to him. They said they found it in a second hand store, and said Michael had been quite fond of it."

"Really? What was it?"

"A wizarding portrait of some woman. I don't know why Michael would want it. She's a cranky old bat. Foul tempered most of the time. I took her to my basement because she annoys the daylights out of me."

"Who is it?' Angus frowned.

"She won't tell me but the plaque at the bottom says her name is Walburga Black."

"Walburga?" Angus was wide eyed. "You got Walburga's portrait? You're kidding me."

"No. Why? Does it mean something? Outside of the fact that her last name is Black I don't know anything about her except that she has a shrill annoying voice."

"She certainly does," Angus burst into hysterical laughter. "She was Sirius's mother. That portrait hung in the Order of the Phoenix headquarters for years, and every time Michael would go into the house, she would scream like a banshee at him."

"Why?" Edward asked.

"He's a thief, and she considered him a reprobate."

"Well, he is. He's a great friend, and I'm quite fond of him," Edward said, "but let's call a spade a spade. That's what he is."

"Well, she did not want him in her house, so he would go to meetings, she would scream at him, and he would do foul things to the portrait, like hexing her mouth shut, taping it shut with duct tape, or vanishing her mouth altogether. Elijah Krum had repaired her on several occasions. I do not think Michael wants Walburga, and I am quite positive she does not want to be hung in his house."

"Why does she screech at me, then? Just general purpose?"

"Pretty much. You're not pure blood, so, for her, you're a peasant. I'm also sure she's probably horrified to be in a log cabin and not in a mansion."

"I'm with Michael. I'm gonna tape her mouth shut, then," Edward nodded. Sam and Victor looked at each other, becoming more mischevious by the moment. Then they sprang up and headed quickly over to Edward's.

"Where are you two going?" Angus frowned.

"We're gonna go practice our insults on her," Sam said, and they dashed off.

"Oh, God. Let the screaming begin," Edward laughed. "Its probably a good thing that Simone is going to work outside in the garden."

Ruby chuckled as Agus confirmed he would not be taking theDADA position and she relaxed. It was now Edward spoke of some screeching woman " wow realy she that small minded" Ruby said then chuckled again " she'd hate me too then, so Im in agreement she's not coming in here"

She could not help but laugh as the boys took off to the basment and they could hear muffled screaching . " well at least its muffled" she siad softly to Caprice. She wished she had had those kind of days but hers were full of books and classes then all to quickly it had been over and she had lived on her own before joining the ministry. " that will tire them out for tonight" she walked over to Angus and handed him Caprice " some one should start dinner." she sid and kissed his cheek as she moved to the kitchen to cook some lazangea, fries and fresh salad for every one.

"She really was that small minded," Angus replied. "Remember, the Blacks were an exceptionally powerful dark arts family in their hayday, and they had tremendous wealth and influence. She disinherited Sirius because Sirius thought all that pureblood thinking was horsecrap. Even Sirius liked to agitate the snot out of her because she was so blooming annoying. Michael and Robert have stories about their memories of that."

He put Caprice on her tummy on his lap so she could do a little tummy time. She was not at all happy with it, and she began to fuss and squall almost instantly. He knew that, as much as she fussed, it really wasn't hurting her and it was going to help her develop some of her control of her own body. He let her lay and fuss for about a minute and a half before he picked her up.

"Meanie," Edward teased Angus. "Shame on you for wanting her to learn how to lift her head up." As soon as Angus picked her up and laid her on his chest, she stopped fussing. Edward laughed out loud. "God, she's spoiled already," he teased.

"Whatever you're cooking smells great," Angus told Ruby. "I didn't think I was hungry, but clearly, I was wrong."

Ruby smiled at Angus as he spoke of the memories they had from Hogwarts and nodded when Angus spoke of memories they had from Hogwarts. "It's a simple Lesanga, Fries and Salad, be plenty if anyone wants to stay" she offered to place the fries into the frier to cook then began making the salad with lettuce, tomatoes chopped and cucumber with a light dressing for flavour.

Seeing Angus place Caprice on her tummy she smiled seeing her try and lift her head. Then when Angus placed her on his chest Ruby smiled again as she finished dinner and sent the plates to the table so every one can eat " hum could someone get the boys please dinners aare lmost ready" she said tossing the fries and placing them to dry on kitchen paper.

"Certainly," Edward said. He got up and went over and called the boys from the basement and called Simone in from the garden. They all washed their hands and came in for lunch.

"Dad, what is that you're wearing?" Sam asked. "Been meaning to ask you that."

"It's a baby sling," Angus said.

"Is she broken? Does she need a sling?"

"No, no," Angus laughed. "I'll show you." He put the sling on Sam and adjusted it and then put the baby in the sling.

"Hey! No hands!" Sam was grinning ear to ear. "And she doesn't seem to mind it."

"She won't mind it because it puts her up against us, and that's where she wants to be at this age," he said.

"I'm gonna keep her for now," he said. "Can I eat lunch with it?"

"If you don't drop your lasagna on her," Angus said. "Just be careful."

"I won't drop my lasagna on her," he rolled his eyes at Angus. It took Sam a few bites when he got his plate to figure out how to eat and not drop food into the sling, but he seemed to be doing pretty well. And then, Edward motioned Angus to look at the sling.
Sam had apparently dropped a fry into the sling by accident, and out of sheer reflex, the baby had grabbed the fry and squished it in her little fist.

"She isn't going to know how to put it in her mouth yet, so you're not in trouble, but she's just going to need to have all that potato washed out of her hand when we're finished eating," Edward said.

"Oops," Sam said, "Sorry. I'll go wash her..."

"Relax," Angus said. "I'll get it in a moment. All it takes is a washcloth and some lukewarm water for now. She's fine. Eat your lunch. I'm watching."

"This is a very nice lasagna, Ruby," Simone said. "Well done. I don't think you're going to have much left. Everyone likes it."

"It is very good," Edward said. "It was a good thought. Thank you."

"Oh, that reminds me," Sam said. "We're supposed to write a paper on the differences between conjured food and hand cooked food. What's the differences, besides how its fixed?"

"How about we show you?" Angus said. "Let's pick a recipe, and Ruby can make it one way--either conjured or by hand, and I'll use exactly the same recipe and fix it the other way. You both can watch both processes and see it and taste it for yourself. What do you think, Ru? There are some big differences, but maybe they'd learn better if we showed them."