A Birth day

Aria listened to Tara and smiled looking to Marcus as she spoke about still coming and standing with Angus " she'll make one brav vanyan sòlda, sorry, brave warrior." she said and chuckled slipping back into her native Haitian Creole. " everything's ready when you get here Tara." she said threw the floo before she heard Tara click it off making her smile as she looked again to Angus and Marcus.

Ruby had herd and chuckled at Tara response she'd had a feeling she would come no matter what. She looked to Simone and smiled " well that solved that, Tara and Even and the girls are coming here " she said with a chuckle to Simone as she watched Caprice pull herself to stand and look at Simone smiling.

Angus sighed, feeling a bit helpless, and he headed for the kitchen.

"It isn't your job to protect grown who don't want protecting, Mate,"  Marcus said.

"You're right, of course," Angus said, getting out some chicken that he'd found in the fridge in Tuscany. He began chopping it into small pieces. He diced an onion, and began added mayonnaise and some other odds and ends, not even thinking of what he might be making. 

"What are you making?" Marcus asked. Angus stopped and looked in his bowl. 

"Um...well, I guess I'm making coronation chicken," he said. Marcus laughed.

"Your knife got chopping without you, didn't it?"

"it did, a bit," Angus said. He finished making the coronation chicken and set it aside and made a big salad with lots of fresh greens and lots of fresh vegetables. Then he started to work on a salad dressing. He decided to make an apricot vinaigrette with apricot jam, some white wine vinegar, some olive oil, a wee bit of dijon to bind it, and a pinch of salt to bring forward the flavor of the jam. 

"Can I do anything to help you?" Marcus asked.

"Do I still have a box of oatcakes in the pantry? They might work with this for lunch. I guess I'm making lunch," Angus said.

"I'll look. And then maybe I'll see if there's lemonade in the fridge," Marcus said. He looked in the pantry and found a large box of oatcakes. When he got back Angus was plating up the large salads into individual large shallow pasta bowls. He put a scoop of the chicken salad on top of the salad, added some slivered almonds and poured some of his apricot vinaigrette on top and put a few oatcakes on the edge of each bowl, and Marcus took the bowls to the table. 

"There's some here for you and Simone if you want to join us," Marcus said.

"If you don't mind, I think I'll take ours over next door. She's hurting again," Edward sighed. "I'm going to have her take more pain potion after she eats. Maybe she'll sleep a little then."

"That's fine," Marcus said.

"I do appreciate it, though," Edward said.

"No problem," Angus said, feeling like he was forgetting something.

"I think we have everything laid out except for what everyone wants to drink," Marcus told Aria and Ruby.

Ruby gathered up the babies and carried them while Aria carried the play pen into their side of the duplex pacing it back in its spot she placed the babies down into it. Ruby saw the look on Angus face and turned to look at him " you look like you missed step in the recipe" she said walking over to him.

Aria moved to Marcus " hum maybe some soda this time, different flavours so we can chose." Aria suggested to him a she kept one eye on the babies. It was now she saw Jack with a hippogriff or rather being dragged along by one " hey stop this, get back here" he was calling out as Aria glanced to Marcus " something spoked it?" shea asked seeing Jack jump up on its back and fly quickly away.

"Well, I didn't misstep once I decided what I was making," Angus said. "I just started to throw things together before I gave it any real thought. It's what I get for not having my mind on what I was doing

"Soda is fine," Marcus said. He got out some glasses and put some ice in it and set out some cans of soda.

"Come help yourself," Angus said. "I've made everyone a big tossed salad with lots of fresh vegetables and slivered almonds and some coronation chicken. There's an apricot vinaigrette if you're feeling adventurous. If not, then there are all sorts of regular dressings in the fridge."

"I like that you've made a very light and healthy lunch," Marcus said. "It won't entirely undo our run this morning. Suppose Jack is going to be alright on Swifty?"

"Probably. It used to be that only Kate and Robert and I could do anything with him, but Swifty's mellowed out a bit in the last few years. And Jack's been good to him, so I think he's formed a bit of a friendship with him. If he gets into any real trouble, I'm sure Archangel will come and get me," Angus said. 

"You know, it honestly would help us if the pack were back, living in the longhouses," Marcus said. "They were good eyes and ears for us about the goings on, on the north side of the estate."

"Yes. They were. I wonder..." Angus let his voice trail off.

"What? Finish your thought."

"I was just wondering if the girls would be safer spending the summer with their pack."

"No, they would not," Marcus said absolutely, "And they would never go. So you really should stop thinking that you can send us all away one by one. It won't work. Even if no one else sees through it. I do."

"Now, wait. I didn't plan on any such thing. They're just random thoughts."


"Well, disorganized as they might be, then, we're still not leaving."

"I know," Angus. "I was only not wanting anyone hurt because of this thing with Suzanne and me that just goes on and on."

"And miss the next chapter?" Marcus teased. "Certainly not."

Ruby and Aria listened and chuckled " hum one track mind" she said and Ruby chuckled a she looked at her.

"or auto pilot" Ruby said and smiled to Angus chuckling as he spoke of Jack and Swifty as they flew off " yeah hes okay" she said and chuckled as she lightly pored the vinaigrette over her salad and tasted it" wonderful" she said as she pored a soda and sat down to eat while the girls were quiet. Aria picked up Amari and Caprice placing them in the high chairs Ruby had placed and gave them some of the salad.

Aria sat down and grabbed her own food and sat to eat while feeding Amari while Ruby fed Caprice. she chuckled hearing Angus and Marcus " I second that" she said smiling to Marcus.

"Angus," Marcus said, thinking Angus might need to be busy this afternoon and not thinking about Priscilla, "while Ruby and Aria take care of the babies, why don't you and I go and pack up my things that are in my room at the main house and get them moved? We'll be on estate grounds so it should be safe enough. That would get that task done anyway. That will free up a room at the main house in case they need it."

"That's a good idea. I just need to keep my hands busy this afternoon. What about your things that are stored at your parents'?" Angus asked.

"I just need to ask them to ship those things," Marcus said. "I suppose I could actually do the same with the things that I have in my storage unit. I could have them all just moved here and stuffed in the basement of the house for now and get to them in my leisure time."

"Leisure time?" Angus laughed. "Do you get leisure time?"

"Not very damned much with Priscilla around, that's for sure," Marcus laughed. 

"Do you have a full cellar under the house?"

"I do indeed," Marcus said. 

"Then why don't we conjure a wall at one end and a good sturdy door with a padlock. That will keep your things safe until you can. And then, we can get some of the scrap lumber from the storage barn on the north side of the estate and conjure the boards into some strong shelves in that store room to hold you things. That way, the movers can put some order to your things right from the outset."

"That would entirely make too much sense," Marcus said. "I did label my boxes, but there's never been much order to them. You have much too organized a mind, you know that?"

"Occupational hazard," Angus shrugged.

Aria and Ruby herd the men talking and chuckled . " we do have a basement, we were keeping it for exactly this, storage" she said smiling " oh and a humidor for cigars that Marcus wanted too." Aria said and chuckled as she watched the babies play with the toys in the play pen.

Ruby looked at Angus and Marcus and chuckled " you noticed that too" she said chuckling as Marcus had said he was too organised. " you two go do that we're good and if anything happens Edwards next door and we can port the girls to Evens , with him and Tara" Ruby said and chuckled " since he'll be right here soon I hope" she added.

"Calm, Ruby," Marcus said. "They won't be here until towards supper time, when all four of the girls finish their lessons with the tutor for the day."

"She's just got the hots for Evan," Angus teased.

"Evan?" Marcus frowned, the idea striking him as absurd.

"It's going to seem absurd to you because he's not your type, Marcus," Angus laughed.

"He's certainly not," Marcus said.

"Marcus," Robert's voice came through the floo. "Are you there?"

"I am," Marcus got up and went over to the floo. "What's up?"

"I could use you here at St. Mungo's for a little," Robert said. "There was an accident at Hogwarts in the Care of Magical Creatures class. They brought a graphorn to class, and apparently someone angered it, and it had a rather large temper tantrum. Poppy was injured. I have her here. With your permission, I'll treat her myself, and I'd prefer you take her home. She doesn't have that much left of her school year, and her head of house is going to provide her with her lessons in a format that she can do them at home with you while she recovers. I know we haven't talked about when you can go to your house, but could you find out if Angus could accommodate her somehow with you for at least a few days until we get your move worked out?"

"By all means, treat her, Robert. I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Of course we can," Angus said. "I'll go with you to fetch her."

"Thank you," Marcus said to Angus who had accio'd a pad of paper and a pencil and was already making a list of things to do.

"Give me a couple hours at least to tend her. It's going to take a little. She was injured by one of the horns. Don't hurry here to sit and wait. I know you'll need to make space for her," Robert said. "I'll keep her here in A&E. You do what you do, and I'll do what I do, and then we'll see you here in a couple hours."

"Thank you," Marcus said.

"Glad to do it," Robert said, clicking the floo off.

"Now, before you say anything, here's what I think we should do," Angus said. "I'll get the staff to bring in another twin sized bed, and we can put Poppy downstairs with Ginger and Anise. The girls won't care, and Faith and Evie will use one of Edward's rooms like they always do. Anise and Ginger will have plenty of room."

"You sure they won't care?" Marcus asked.

"They'll care if they find out we thought she wouldn't be welcome," Angus said. "While that's going on, I'll call Clive and have some clothes sent for her."

"Well, I can call my mum too. I know she's got clothes there. I know we could send her to Mom and Dad's but Honeydukes is so busy during the day. At least here, there are people here all the time," Marcus said. 

"Unless you two might be alright with going to Diagon Alley and getting her some things to keep her occupied?" Angus suggested to Ruby. "Take the babies with you. I'm sure we can give you a list of things she likes while I have the crew bring a bed for her. Would you mind?"

Ruby chuckled and nodded to Marcus as he told her to calm down " okay" she said and took a deep breath in making Aria chuckled too but on hearing Roberts voice she looked at Marcus. Hearing him talk of Poppy she stood up and moved to his side taking his hand in her own as Robert continued " of course shes staying" she said softly " Ruby and I can get things ready when you go to fetch her, I'll have Jack set up the bed in the girls room." she told Marcus then looked at him " poor poppy" she said her hand resting over her mouth as she worried for her.

Now it was Ruby that looked to Aria and smiled " she'll be okay, Robert is with her, I'll bring some spare bedding from the closet for her to use." she said to Marcus as Aria looked at her and nodded this time she took a deep breath in and chuckled knowing it was un usual for her to panic but to Aria Poppy and Marcus other kids were like her own and she didn't want anything bad to happen to them

Marcus got his mom on the floo and relayed the news. She said she'd put a few of Poppy's favorite things together and asked if they could come and visit her when Marcus got her home from St. Mungos. Marcus said of course they could visit.

Angus notified Andrew about Poppy, and Andrew said he would come and get the medical things ready that Poppy might need. Then, Angus asked Marcus about what Poppy liked or didn't like, and Angus began making a list of things that he believed would interest Poppy. Angus's list included colored pencils, sketching pencils, watercolors, brushes, sketch pad, watercolor pads, teen girl magazines, books, a perch for her owl Nyx, a beginning jewelry making kit, a friendship bracelet kit, origami kit, beginning crocheting kit, an insulated mug--in purple or pink (of course), a notebook and a pen, and a new journal. That would get her started. He also suggested perhaps a fuzzy blanket in pink or purple just for some extra comfort.

Angus called Clive on the floo and asked for clothes for Poppy, and Clive agreed to put some things together and said he would send them shortly. 

Angus handed his list to Ruby. "You think this will hold her--at least for a couple days?" he asked her. "I know Jonathan told me that she is inseparable from Nyx, so I'll ask Kate or Jack to give me a supply of owl food and owl treats so we can equip a spot near her bed for her to be able to have Nyx close."


"I'll have to get the school to give me that ruddy bird," Marcus said. "Don't let me forget. She'd never forgive me."