A Birth day

Joseph looked at Robert knowing he messed up Jack frowned at him and pointed to the door " out" Jack said " when I say stay you stay" he told him as he heard Michael speak then leave. Joseph with his head low walked out the door and back to the grounds mans tower and his room sitting on the bed he stayed there. Jack went to find Michael.


" he's slippery one I thought the sneaking around was over for him but he seems to want to be in the know about everything.

" He said then looked at Michael " kinda like you did when you were young, he knows a concealment charm that he uses." Jack explained " so what do we do about this person taking magic , if shes attacking in their dreams him being unconscious isn't good" he said walking to the kitchen and grabbing a cup of coffee for himself.

Ruby smiled seeing Abby with the syrup jug and butter " oh , thank you Abby" she said letting her take them to the kitchen. Ruby opened the fridge " could you place them on the shelf for me too" she asked making sure the dishwasher was filled and set going then the plates in the sink were washed.

"He is gonna quit that crap or he's gone, Jack," Michael told Jack. "Those tricks don't impress me, and we don't do that here. We don't hold secrets from each other in this family. I presume you would prefer to handle it because if I do, he's going to have another bodily orifice somewhere, and I promise you that if he misuses that concealment charm even once more, believe me, everyone within radius will know when he's around, visible or not, because, right off the top of my head, I can think of about two million ways he could be seen, smelled or heard with even the slightest movement he'd make. And I guarantee you he isn't going to want that. Jack, I know street rats a mile away because I was a street rat, and you have a scared one in that one. You need to find out what the hell he's hiding, but I actually do have a set of thumb screws. I've never used them, but I could be persuaded. Get to the bottom of it. That's your key for knowing what the hell he's up to. And in the meantime, I'm going back to work."

Abbey put the butter and the syrup in the sink.

"Aggie, can I swishy swishy?" Abbey asked.

"You can swishy the table if you want," Angus said. "I think Ruby is putting the dishes in the washer. Here."

"I can hardly wait to know what a swishy swishy is," Marcus teased.

Angus went to the sink and got a dishcloth and got it wet with warm water, wrang out the water and added just a little soap. 

"Okay," he said, handing the dishcloth to her. "You can swishy swishy." She ran over to the table, delighted, and she took the dishcloth and swished the wet dishcloth across the table in her 3 year old attempt at wiping off the table. Angus knew full well she was getting far more pancake crumbs on the floor than doing any actual cleaning, but Angus was fine with it. She liked to do anything in the kitchen. 

"I can't reach!" she said, getting frustrated.

"You ready?" he asked. She nodded. He levitated her in the air, a few inches from the top of the table, so she could swishy the rest of the table. He knew he was going to have to clean the floor next, but he really didn't care. He expected her to laugh, but she didn't. This was serious work to her, and she wanted to get it right.

"So, will you levitate me the next time I wipe off the table?" Marcus teased.

"You can reach. I dont' need to levitate you--unless I shrink you first," Angus teased.

jack listened to Michael and nodded " I'll get to the bottom of it and stop this sneaking around, he doesn't have to around us. nor is he ready for the organisation " he said then heard Michael say he was going back to his work and Jack nodded " yeah I should finish cleaning out the stalls, hum might get Joseph to do that on his own and feed the Puffskeins." he added and chuckled.

Ruby watched as Abby put the syrup and butter in the fridge then closed the door " hes right I am " she said then watched as Angus wrong out a cloth and gave it to Abby " oh I have heard about your swishy swishy, and have so wanted to see it" she said smiling as she moved from the kitchen to watch her clean the table as Finn came running and sat under the table catching large crumbs happily. She chuckled as she watched Abby float in the air " wow , that looks like fun" she said smiling to her as she watched her clean the table and Finn happily eating the crumbs.

Once the job was finished, Angus put her back on her feet. Then he whispered in her ear.

"ROOby! Aggie says you might gots bubbles!" she said, excited.

"She's asking you if you will help her get a bath so she can get dressed," Angus said. "And then, Abs, we have to think what we're going to take Gam for lunch at the studio. I told her we'd cook."

"Chicky!" Abbey nodded.

"Chicky? Are you sure?"

"Messy chicky," she nodded.

"Messy chicky. I haven't made that for awhile. That's a good idea. How about I put some chicky on to cook in the oven so we can make messy chicky later."

"Nooo. I wanna help cook the chicky," she shook her head.

"Okay. I'll wait for you. You and Ruby go play in the bubbles, and then we'll cook the chicky," he said. He looked at Ruby. "You don't mind, do you? She's not usually a splasher, but she does like bubbles."

"What is messy chicky?" Marcus asked.

"Chicken salad sandwiches," Angus laughed. "Abs, vegetable salads on the side or soup?"

"Noo Noo soup," she nodded.

"Okay, noodle soup it is," he said.

Ruby smiled as Angus put her back on her feet then listened nodding as she was asked if she could take Abby for her bath " of course , i have bubbles that smell like strawberry's" she said chuckling as she walked over and took Abby's hand then listened as she asked for messy chicken she waited as Marcus asked what it was and she heard Aengus respond " oh I was going to ask that too" she said then walked towards the stairs pausing when Abby said she wanted noodle soup to go with it " sounds delish" she said as together they walked up to the bathroom so she could wash Abby and dress her ready to go to the studio.

Jack finished his work and went over to the groundsman tower. entering every one stood up as he moved to the stairs and up to Josephs room. Knocking he stood while he head Joseph open the door. " okay what was that all about, if your showing off to get in the organisation you just set yourself back, no one is impressed, least of all me, quit that shit and just do as your told" he said and Joseph nodded quietly to him. " now what is bothering you that you have to stick to my ass like a school boy on his first day?"he asked

Joseph looked up at Jack and said nothing for a moment " I just thought those men had something to do with that kids injuries" he said " and I wanted to help" he added Jack looked at him and shook his head .

" you can help by doing as we ask that's how you help, we don't need our men going rouge." he told him and Joseph nodded " now tomorrow your cleaning the barn out by yourself" Jack saw Joseph about to complain and he raised his hand to stop him saying anything else " get that done and you'll be back on regular duties , but do not do this again, no more stunts."

Michael was contacting Irene and Owens to see if there was anything new, anything more that could be done, but there was nothing. Michael was frustrated immensely. He was just closing the floo when Iya came upon him.

"Pardon," she said, "but I have been researching my books. There is a spell we might be able to use to help shield Beau but it only works temporarily, a few hours at best. Still, if I had all the ingredients, we might be able to renew it and, maybe it might buy us some time."

"Could we use it to protect Angus?" Michael asked.

"There is a caution in my book against using it with seers," she said. "It's old, and I don't know who in my family might have made that notation but I'm sure they didn't do it lightly..."

"Then if it helps Beau, I say we use it."

"Well, we could, except I don't have the key ingredient. The spell takes a lot of it, and it's out of my price range to buy," she said.

"What is it?" 

"Sassafras root. It only grows in North America, and I know we can get it in New Orleans. As I said, though, its very expensive."

"How much do you need?"

"For the amount of potion we'd need to brew, at least five pounds of it, maybe more. We're talking hundreds of dollars, and we'd have to go to New Orleans to get it."

"That isn't a problem." He went to the floo and opened it.

"Yo!" he called. "Anybody home?"

"You're too late for breakfast," Marcus laughed.

"Your other half over there?"

"Yeah. What do you need?"

"If I give her a wad of American muggle money, can she take someone with her and go make a very quick trip to New Orleans?"

"I'm sure. What do you need?"

"Then, tell her when she's free, please, to get her little fanny over here, and I'll hand her a wad of hundreds so she can go fetch it for us. I'm in Brian's office, down the hall from the kitchen. Please and thank you," Michael said, closing the floo. Marcus looked at Aria.

"I have no idea what he's after, but he doesn't want you going alone. Perhaps Ruby might like to make a quick trip there. Do keep in mind, won't you, that with the time difference, it's about 2 am there. You might find some of the shopping to be a little limited," Marcus told her.

Aria looked at Marcus as Michaels voice came from the floo she listened and then when it closed looked at Marcus again " whats crawled into his ass" she said then nodded to Marcus " we'll get what ever it is hes after and come right back , depending on how difficult it is to find this item he wants, I'll go see him first" she said then looked at Marcus a she ported to the main house and went to Michaels office and knocked on the door " you wanted me?" she asked " Ruby's bathing Abby and will be done soon." she told him " give me the details and I'll inform Ruby."

Ruby ashed Abby with lots of strawberry scented bubbles , once she was done playing with them Ruby lifted her out and dried her off " okay what do you want to wear" she asked her before she took it from the backpack Abby had brough. Now dressed she took her hand and placed the towels and Abby's PJ's in the wash basket before then headed back downstairs to the living room. Ruby brought out some colouring books and some picture books for Abby to look at should she want to.

Iya came into the room, with a slip of paper and a pendant of a golden feather.

"We're working against time," Michael told her. "I presume you've heard. Iya's grandson is barely alive. Iya has been looking in her books, and she's found a possible potion that might help him, but she's missing the most important ingredient, and, of course it doesn't grow here. It does, however grow in, guess where, New Orleans. Of course it does."

"You're going to get a large quantity of sassafrass root. It's gotten ridiculously expensive, and we want to make sure that there is only sassafrass root in the bags and not any other wild root that they can dig up. I have an address where you can get some. It'll be pure. We can be sure of that. However he isn't cheap either, and he's got a place way out in no man's land. Watch out. It's full of gators and snakes. He does not like intruders. He's a hermit, and he won't want to deal with you. But he will, if he sees you have this. He'll know I sent you." She handed her the pendant and a slip of paper with the address. "If he gives you a hard time, tell him I'll bring him a fresh crawdad pie when I get home.  His name is Jacobi. He's a good man but he isn't cheap."

"Pay him what he wants," Michael said, handing her a wad of muggle cash. "There's a thousand dollars there. We want however much he'll sell you for that. It should get you about 15 or 16 pounds, but if it gets us twelve, I don't care. Just get it, get home, and don't get eaten by gators. i do not relish the thought of wrestling gators today, just so you know. Time is important here because I don't know how long Robert and Nigel and Jess can continue life support spells. Questions?

Aria listened to Michael and Iya and looked at the pendant she nodded and took it from Iya placing it in her pocket " I know the place you talk of so shouldn't take long to get there, but yes hes a cancerous sort of fellow, good at what he does though." she said looking to Michael she nodded " don't worry no gaiter wrestling today" she said with a smile. Porting back to the duplex she was glad to see Ruby with Abby down stairs " we have to go" she said " Iya needs  sassafras root  and we have to get it ASAP." she looked to Ruby.

Ruby looked to Aria and nodded " okay , Abby why don't you go and see if Angus needs your help " she said once Abby left she transfigured her clothing and moved to stand with Aria .

"be back soon" Aria told Marcus and ported to the location Iya had given her they now stood at the edge of a swamp, walking towards a hut they were stopped by gun shots that hit close but not too close to their feet..

" well seems we found the right place" Ruby said as Aria stepped forward .

"Iya sent us she need some  sassafrass root" she said and held up the necklace that Iya had given her.

Jacobi set the shotgun down in the corner near the front door. Jacobi was biracial, and long hours in the southern sun had made his skin a buttery cocoa brown color. He was almost Edward's age, but he wore it well. The decades and decades of hard physical labor had made him lean but very well toned for his age. He knew he could outlift and outwork any muggle that was twenty years younger. He stepped out on the wooden porch and sat down in the creaky old rocking chair.

"'Cards said she was comin'," he said, not surprised. "Said Beau was in trouble, and cards and bones--they never lie." Jacobi knew the old ways, the really old ways, and he believed what the cards and the chicken bones told him. "That boy needs to stop tinkerin' with the beyonds. Gonna get him in trouble. Iya knows because she knows the old ways like I do, but that boy, he tries to do what she does but he don't know as much as he think he do. How much she need this time? Price gone up on it, ya know. Costs me more to gas up the swamp boat to go fetch it. Man's gotta eat, though."