A Birth day

"Thanks," Anise said to Aria, glad that they had something practical decided for her hair.

Angus poured the ravioli into a large serving bowl and set it aside on the counter for Ruby to put on the sideboard wherever she saw fit. He poured the brown butter sauce into a gravy boat and put a small gravy ladle into the gravy boat, hoping he could warn people to not use too much brown butter sauce on their ravioli because it didn't take much to coat the pasta. He finished garnishing the Italian salad, set that on the counter too and saw Simone had the baguette out of the oven and was slicing the garlic toast and arranging it on a platter. She saved herself out one of the heels of the baguette because she loved Angus's garlic toast. Angus finished garnishing the caramel apple trifle with some toasted candied pecans for a little extra crunch.

Just as they were finishing, Victor arrived home with Ginger.

"Sorry we're late," Victor said. "i was late in going and getting her. My fault entirely, We'll go wash up."

"No problem. Just glad you're home," Angus said. "Supper's ready." He glanced up and saw Andrew was bringing Elwood down for supper tonight. That made Angus smile. Sam might not be here, but Elwood was here, wasn't talking about dying, and seemed to be enjoying spending time with his family. Marcus and Edward came over, looking for Simone, and Angus looked at Edward's new suit. It looked completely different from any off-the-rack suit that he had ever seen.

"That is not an off the rack suit," Angus said.

"Not anymore. We did a lot of work to it," Marcus said.

"Now it looks like you spent thousands on it," Angus said. "It looks great."

"It certainly does," Simone said. "Maybe we should get all your suits that way, Edward."

"Hell, no," Edward frowned. "Marcus does not want to alter all my suits like that for the next 50 years."

"It wasn't a problem," Marcus laughed.

"it smells great. Are you sure we need to go to the restaurant, Simone?" Edward asked.

"Yes! For the one thousandth time. yes," she said. "You'll like Guy and his family. Trust me."

"You lot enjoy your meal. We need to go," Edward said. "See you later." He and Simone apparated out.

Victor and Ginger washed up and then came back downstairs and fixed their plates. Andrew fixed a plate for Elwood and set it in front of Elwood at his place at the table and then went to fix his own.

"Come fix your plates, the rest of you," Angus said. Marcus and Angus fixed their plates and sat down to eat

"Thanks, Ruby. Pumpkin ravioli? Don't think I've ever had that. I only think of sweet things like pasties and cookies when I think of pumpkin," Anise said.

"You definitely have been a deprived child, then," Marcus teased. "Angus knows, I think, about 600 ways to cook pumpkin, and so far, I've liked every one of them."

"Only 600, huh?" Angus laughed. "I might need to expand my repertoire. The filling is pumpkin and toasted pine nuts, and the sauce is a brown butter and sage sauce. It's actually pretty traditional."

"How is it that there is no meat in this meal, and I don't miss it?" she asked.

"Because it's pure comfort food," Marcus said. "It is so warm and soothing, it just makes people feel relaxed and comfortable."

"This is brown butter? Where do you buy brown butter?" Victor asked.

"You don't," Angus said. "Butter can be browned in a skillet."

"Wait. Like chicken or fish? it can be browned?" Victor frowned.

"Basically, yes," Angus said.

"I can't even begin to visualize how that works," Victor said, confused. "It is really good, though. I like it---even if I don't understand it."

"Next time I make it, you can watch," Angus said.

"So how do you turn it over when it's browned, then?" Victor asked. Angus laughed.

"Well, okay. I stand corrected. Maybe it isn't exactly like chicken and fish," Angus said.

"Son," Elwood said eating a bite of ravioli, "where the heck were you when I was eating decades of conjured food?"

"Conjured?" Marcus frowned. "Yuck. Nothing is ever conjured here or over at the main house, and I believe that as long as the food in this house is this good, this house will never have a lack of family or friends."

"And that," Elwood said, "in my book, is true wealth."

"It certainly is," Marcus said.

When supper was overwith, Angus wrote a note and sent it through the floo to Clive, asking for more warm pajamas, asking for half a dozen pair of classical cuts so that the tops would button, knowing that Sam wasn't going to be able to get a shirt over his head for awhile. He asked for a warm robe for Sam and plenty of knickers and warm slipper socks, along with a couple pairs of regular slippers--a scuff style and classical style slippers. He explained Sam's dilemma, hoping that would help Clive choose for Sam. Then he ordered some books and puzzle books for Sam from Flourish and Blotts.

"I admire you sometimes," Elwood told Angus as Marcus served coffee and dessert to everyone.

"Why's that? I haven't done anything," Angus replied.

"Even after Sam has given you a good deal of grief, you're still taking care of him," Elwood said.

"Well, he doesn't realize yet just how uphill his life is going to become," Angus said. "I don't want him to be able to continue to believe I'm punishing him or something silly. I think the more he realizes he's caused his own rough patch, the sooner he'll get his head out of...well, never mind."

"I think that's probably wise. It's always tough when a teen's growing pains become painful for the entire house. Still, you're doing the right thing," Elwood said.

"Remind me of that when Sam starts making a lot of noise about it," Angus said.

"I think you should just let Jess and Jack handle Sam's pushback," Marcus said. "Step back and let them deal with him. You can stay focused on the match on Saturday. Speaking of which, I presume he's not going to get to go to Dartmoor?"

"Well, that will be Jess's and Jack's decision. I'm sure Robert can mend the broken toes with one of his spells, but other bones will take more time," Angus said.

"There are some potions too that will accelerate healing," Elwood said. "I'm guessing Robert knows a few good potions for that. If he uses the potion, the collarbone might heal rather quickly too since isn't just a greenstick fracture. The ribs and the bruises and the cheekbone might well take longer. However, if it goes well, Sam should be able to be up on his feet part of the time by Saturday. And if he needs a wheelchair, I'm sure Jess can rent one for him."

"If that all happened, then it truly would be a matter of his behavior," Angus said.

"As it should be," Elwood nodded. "Great trifle, by the way. Caramel apple--reminds me of all the Halloween festivals we have in the our world in the fall. This could be one of my favorites."

"What's your favorite dessert, Elwood?" Anise asked.

"Tiramisu," Elwood said without hesitation.

"That's Angus's too," Anise said.

"Well, great minds as they say," Elwood smiled.

"I'm glad you all like it," Angus said. He finished his own dessert, and he planned to clear the table and clean up the kitchen, but Ginger and Victor headed there as Angus was finishing.

"We'll get the kitchen. You cooked, we'll set the washing up spell tonight," Ginger said. "On one condition--you have to make the ravioli or some pumpkiny thing for Halloween night."

"No problem," Angus said. "I know a savory pumpkin lasagna that Lizzie sometimes puts on the Sparks menu in October."

"I had that last year at Sparks," Victor said. "It was awesome. You're going to like it, Ginger."

"I'm sure I will," she said, as they both headed to the kitchen to clear the sideboard.

"Anise, you look bored," Elwood said.

"I am. There isn't anything for me to do but just sort of lay here," she sighed.

"You should play chess with Elwood," Angus said.

"No, I'm not any good at it," she replied. "Robert said once that he thinks all his first stringers need to know how to play, but I guess that might keep me off the first string, then."

"Why? You're entirely too smart to let that stop you," Elwood said.

"I always lose," she said.

"Well, it's about time that changed. Is there a board down here that maybe is lightweight enough to levitate?" Elwood asked.

"Certainly," Marcus said. He got up and got the board, and Andrew moved Elwood over to Anise. Marcus levitate the board between Elwood and Anise, and Elwood cast a spell to move the pieces into place.

"It's time for you to learn to play smarter and not harder," Elwood said. "You haven't played enough chess to know that Robert got a good deal of his knowledge about strategy from knowing how to play a very wicked chess game. The better you get at chess, the more valuable you will be as a fighter."

"You think?" she asked.

"I know so," he nodded.

"Why don't you and Aria go for a run to blow some of Sam's stress off?" Angus asked Ruby. "It would be good for you. You'd feel better."

Angus was glad to see Aria taking Ruby underwing for a run. He believed Ruby needed to burn off some of the emotion she had wrapped up in Sam. Elwood was educating Anise about chess basics, and, as for him and Marcus, Marcus broke out the mancala board for the two of them. While Marcus was setting up the board, Angus made them each an Amaretto coffee with whipped cream. But then that made everyone else want one. He taught Victor and Ginger how to make them, and they eagerly took over making Amaretto coffees for everyone, excited they now knew how to make one alcoholic drink.

Victor let Finn out for a few minutes but when Finn came back in, he brought in something in his mouth, and it managed to take a leap away from Finn and dash under the sofa.

"What the hell was that?" Marcus frowned.

"Just a little common lizard," Elwood laughed. "Poor thing is probably scared to death."

"Oh, that won't be the half of it if its still in the house when Ruby gets back. I don't think she's going to be all that excited about having lizards in the house," Angus sighed.

"Wait. What?" Elwood asked. "She lived in a house full of brothers. Is she going to be bent out of shape by a lizard?"

"She has babies now. I'm betting she's not going to like lizards or snakes or frogs or any other reptiles in the house," Angus replied. "Victor, leash the dog and go out with him from now on until he quits trying to herd every living creature he finds near the pond, would you?"

"The dog needs something to herd, clearly," Elwood says. "Let him tag with Jack and herd all the wayward groundsmen for something to do. Or that niffler."