A Birth day

"Let's try again tomorrow," Sergio said. "I think that's enough for one day."

"Agreed," Angus said. The four of them walked back to the duplex, and Sergio and Ana headed to Edward's side and went upstairs to shower for the night.

"Well, that was eventful," Marcus laughed.

"I'll go make some spiced cider in case anyone wants something hot to drink," Angus said. He went to the kitchen, got out a stockpot, and poured in a gallon of cider, added muscovado sugar, some fresh squeezed orange juice, and some spices--cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice. He mixed it till all the spices were dissolved and then heated the cider til it was nice and hot.

"Hot spiced cider, anyone?" he called.

"Me, definitely," Marcus said.

"And two more," Andrew said. "One for me and one for Elwood. He's been thinking about fall coming, and the leaves turning and all things pumpkin. I think he will really enjoy some cider tonight."

"Here," Angus said, pouring to tall mugs and putting in a cinnamon stick in each one. He handed them to Andrew, and he poured one more for Marcus and one for himself. Marcus called down to the girls and told them that Angus had made cider. Andrew told the boys when he went upstairs. The kids came to the kitchen and Angus poured four more.

Ruby and Aria both saw Marcus and Angus return and chuckled " we saw Jack hurrying over to where the Assault course was in a hurry. But seeing them return and Angus start spiced Cider both women smiled " oh defiantly me" Aria said " haven't had that in along time, well I think since Christmas" she said and chuckled as Ruby smiled and walked over top Angus " you need a hand?" she asked as she picked up two mugs and sent them over to Marcus and Aria before looking at two more for each of the boys.

Aria took the mug from the air and blew on it to cool it before taking a sip and loving how warm it made her feel as she drank it " okay I can so get to love this drink." she said and chuckled , smiling at Marcus she sipped her drink again..

"My mother uses the old fashioned wassail recipe," Marcus said, "and nothing against her recipe, but I like Angus's better. Don't tell her that."

"Your secret is safe with us," Angus laughed. "How's the Honeydukes remodel coming?"

"Well. They're almost finished," Marcus replied. "Ezra's home from St. Mungos, and they've headed back to Hogwarts, so that's all as it should be. Robert has him on a special diet for a little yet while his digestive tract continues to heal, but Ezra says he feels well enough. I believe that Madam Pomfrey will continue to follow with him until Robert releases him from conditions entirely, but he believes Ezra should be able to go to his classes at least. Mom and Dad are coming back in a couple days, and Michael has offered them his place so they can get the shop cleaned, the candy restocked, and their place refurnished. Dad loves that the kettle is enchanted. Mom is completely taken with Snidely and the dogs. In fact, I think they've asked Michael for a pair from the next litter."

"Um...speaking of litters, I suppose we should probably tell you," Ginger said. "We found a pair of kittens outside. They look new. Or new-ish. Anyway, we couldn't just leave them unattended, so we...well,..."

"Where are they?" Angus sighed.

"In a shoebox in our closet," Anise said.

"Go get them--now," Angus ordered.

"But..."

"I don't believe I stuttered. Go get them now," Angus repeated. The girls got up and brought two rather large-ish kittens that barely had their eyes open and showed them to Angus. One was ginger, except for a cream-colored patch on its chest, and one was all cream colored. "Well, first of all, those aren't cats."

"What do you mean? Of course those are cats," Anise frowned.

"No. They're not. Those are newborn kneazles, both of them."

"Kneazles? Are you sure?" Anise asked.

"Positive," Angus said. "Look at the tails and the ears. Those are not cats' ears or tails. Kneazles. Did you find any more of them? Or did you see an adult one anywhere?"

"No. Just these two little blokes."

"No. One bloke, one bird."

"How can you tell?"

"How do you think I can tell? The orange one is a bloke, and the cream colored is a bird," he replied. He set down his cider and went to the kitchen. He got out a can of condensed milk, some yogurt, some eggs, and mixed them, added some water and then heated it. While he was doing that, he got out a pair of old small baby bottles and shrank them a bit further.

"What are you doing?" Ginger asked.

"They have to eat something. No telling when they ate last," he replied. "They're too little for anything else but formula, and since we don't happen to have kneazle formula, this homemade version will do for them very nicely. It'll be ready in a moment. Anyone up for baby kneazle feeding?"

Aria and Ruby heard the girls and looked at Angus as he asked them to get the creatures they had said ere cats. Standing she walke dover to the box they were in and looked at Aria who nodded as Angus said they were Kneazle kits, but then Marcus said one wasn't a Kneazle but a bird. " a bird ?" she asked now curious as she looked into the box " they look like kneazles to me" she said then looked back at Marcus.

Ruby took one of the baby bottles with formula in and gently tapped its mouth witch it opened and took in the teat on the bottle and began sucking and pawing as if against its mothers belly. " well this ones hungry" she said smiling " this ones the girl" she added and chuckled. " you think they escaped from the barn where the others are" she asked Marcus " maybe we need to get Jack over."

"I didn't know we had any kneazles in the barn," Angus said. "I'll take these over there, then, after they're fed. I'm sure Kate has left instructions about whether she wants them to nursemaid newborns overnight or if she wants them to bring them to her. That reminds me, I haven't seen our niffler today. I bet Edward or Sergio took him over to the barn. I hope he's not just running loose somewhere causing mischief."

"Oh, that's right. I got so caught up in our tasks today that I completely forgot about him," Marcus frowned. "Maybe Jack of someone came in and got him while Ruby and Aria were out and we were upstairs with Elwood and the attorney."

"That would make sense." Angus said. "If they did, they should have left us a note. That would save us from fretting about it. I mean, if they did, its fine that they took him, but a note would be helpful."

Marcus wrote a quick note to Jack and sent it over to the barn. The note simply said. "Jack, do you lot have the niffler? And, the girls found 2 newborn kneazles. Are you missing two or are these new intruders? Marcus" He enchanted the note into a paper bird and sent it to Jack.

jack was busy brushing he hippogriff and s the paper bird fly in threw the barn doors he ready it and chuckled as the niffler looked down from his shoulder. Writing a note he sent it back. " yes I have Digger with me , sorry I didn't leave a note but he wanted food then I got busy, my bed" it said then he locked up the barn bringing Digger with him over to the duplex and knocking at the door.

"come in Jack" Ruby said and Jack walked in and looked at the to babies.

" oh there not from our pack,their too small, might need Kate to look at them." he said watching Ruby and Angus feed them " good thinking with the formula, should keep them till morning" he added as he watched them.

"Nah, won't keep them that long," Angus said. "Newborns at this stage need to be fed about every hour. Can't go more than two hours max. Their care at this state is like rearing orphaned newborn kittens."

"I'll call Kate on the floo," Marcus said. He went to the fireplace and opened the floo. "Kate?"

"Just a moment," Nicky said. "I'll fetch her. She's taking a cup of tea to Nigel."

"Nigel? Why is Nigel there?" Marcus asked.

"Would you like Robert's version or Kate's?"

"Either," Marcus said.

"Well, Kate said Robert was an imbicile, and so now Nigel is mending the imbicile's hand down in sickbay. Nigel is going to have to sub for him in surgery for a few days."

"God," Marcus said. "Well, I don't want to bother her..."

"Bother her," Kate said, coming to the floo. "Please bother her before I choke my dear foolish husband."

"The girls brought us a couple newborn kittens, but they're not kittens. They're newborn kneazles."

"Kneazles? Are you sure they're kneazles?"

"They're baby kneazles," Angus called.

"I'm on my way. I can't wait to see them," she was elated. She shut the floo off.

"Well, she sounds over the moon about it," Marcus laughed. Kate showed up a moment later, and when she saw them, she smiled.

"They're adorable," she said. "And what amazing colors. You know, we need to search the grounds. There has to be a mother kneazle on the grounds, and maybe another baby or two. I'll have the grounds crew get on it. If these are the only two, then as young as they are, they would make some fabulous pets for someone."

"Well, since Sam and Victor are moving into the two vacant apartments, and we're hoping to join them soon-ish, is there a chance Ginger and I could each have one of them?" Anise asked.

"I don't see why not," Kate said. "If the boys agree."

"They'll agree," Anise said. "They better agree." Kate laughed.

"I'm getting the feeling that we're just going to be roommates in our new apartments," Sam sighed.

"I figured that out when they started taking over buying the furniture," Victor said.

"What about the niffler?" Sam asked.

"I'm rather hoping Joseph takes him," Kate said. "They could both use a companion, and perhaps, if Joseph has a bit of challenge keeping Digger out of trouble, he'll learn a lesson or two himself."

Jack stood and looked at Angus " oh, okay I'm not a knezel expert" he said then chuckled as Kate spoke threw the floo then came over to look at the baby Kneazles that Ruby and Angus had and were feeding. He heard Kate ask if Joseph could take Digger and Jack chuckled " well he did ask about him earlier" Jack said " so yeah he'd take him" Jack looked at Kate " well I'll make him take him." .

Ruby finished feeding her knezel and looked at Kate" I think mine is a girl or a bird as Marcus said" she told Kate " have to say not heard that term used before" Ruby said with a chuckle even Ruby chuckled and shook hr head as she made sure the kneazles baby was warm.

"You've not heard that before?" Kate asked Ruby. "Its British slang, actually. Started to become a popular term in the 60's and 70's but there are some people who think it might have actually started in the middle ages. I suppose its who you talk to as to how old it actually is."

"How's Robert?" Angus asked.

"He cut the palm of his right hand while he was working upstairs in his workshop," Kate said. "He got himself a Japanese cleaver knife for cutting ingredients, but he had some sort of an accident and cut his hand with it badly. I honestly thought he was going to bleed out before Nigel could get here. Michael and I put a tourniquet on his arm because direct pressure wasn't going to have any effect at all. Nigel took him downstairs, and he's doing some surgical repair on it right now. I think Jess is pulling a second shift tonight, so I haven't sent for her, but Nigel might do that when he's finished with surgery. Clearly, Robert's not going to be working tomorrow, but, knowing him, I very much doubt that he takes more time off than that."

"It simply is not his evening, is it?" Angus sighed. "Between my obliterating the new dummies, and him injuring himself..."

"Now, don't you worry one moment about those dummies. He's already got new ones on order. he did that before he went up to the workshop. Just between you and me, he was far more impressed than he was going to let you know. Those dummies were supposed to be indestructible, and you took them out in just your second go with them. It proves his point that the first stringers are far more skilled than the aurors are, and I think he's going to to be giving raises according to level to the fighters, so well done, Angus, and all your team mates are going to benefit from it by a bigger paycheck."

"Do you want me to try to reach Jess for you?" Marcus asked, still sitting by the floo.

"Oh, I suppose a heads up doesn't hurt. I don't know yet if Nigel will fill or him tomorrow or whether he'll stay tomorrow with Robert and fill for him after that," Kate sighed. "Jess can work that out with Nigel later tonight when she gets home."

Marcus opened the floo and tried to connect with St. Mungos. He actually got Khaat and Robert's secretary.

"Director Lupin's office, Portia speaking," she said.

"Portia? What are you doing there at this hour, Love?" Marcus asked.

"Marcus! Long time no see. Khaat had a budget meeting. She's just finishing up paperwork now. How can I help you?"

"We're trying to reach Jess. Robert isn't going to be in tomorrow. Can you find her and ask her to ring me back on Angus's floo, please?"

"Consider it done," Portia said. "I'll go down to her office right now." She clicked off the floo.

Ruby looked at Kate and shook her head " nope maybe a long time ago it was popular but not heard it lately" she said and chuckled "I guess its like the use or Bro" she said with a chuckle looking at Angus. This made Aria chuckle too.

Jack shook his head and sp[otted Joseph walking past and called to him.

"hey Joseph" he called and Joseph walked over " here , his name is Digger, look after him" Jack said then looked to Kate " if he ahs any questions , he can ask you right?" he asked as Joseph stood with Digger and smiled .

"hey Digger" he said rubbing the nifflers head then let him climb and settle on his shoulder looking at every one. " guess I should get you home, got a nice spot for you to sleep in" he chuckled.

Jess had just finished her last patient and was headed back to her office when she spotted Portia looking as if she was looking for some one " you okay Portia?" she asked and let her explain and she nodded " okay, I'll message Angus to let him know I got his message." she said entering her office she opened her floo and spoke " Angus , you there?" she asked .