THE WALKER RANCH

"DId you punch holes in the lid of that jar?" Andrew asked. "He'll need them to breathe." Andrew jumped down out of the tree easily. He was mroe at home in a tree than just about any place else in the world. "Oh, and I have some really cool wizard candy in my bag. After we get the tadpole I'll show you some."

He followed John down to the pond and looked in where he knew the tadpoles would be schooling together. "See? There they are. We just gotta catch one. Like this." He reached down slowly and calmly, and just cupped one up in his hand. "And don't worry about him hopping off. While he's a tadpole he can't go anywhere. And as he grows, we'll teach him. I can talk to animals. Frogs mostly. My professor says that's a wizarding power. I just thought it was part of being me. I dont know. We'll just tell him not to run off. He'll stay. Put some water in your jar first, and then catch your tadpole." He put the one he had back in the water, knowing John would want to catch his own.

John took out ihis pen knife and stuck it threw the lid three times "like this" he asked showing him the jar lid , slipping the knife back in his pocket he fllowed Andrew down to the pond, watching how he picked a tadpole from the water easy as picking up coin from a table "wow, thats a cool thing to have" he said as andrew said he could talk to frogs "wish i could , but my magics only just coming out i made a stuffed frog appear in Khaats babys crib " he said he saw andrew slip the tad back into the water that he'd caught and john filled the jar with water and placed it back down beside him , leaning forward he cuped his hands one swum into it and sat there , smiling john looked at andrew as he gently brought his hands out and let the tad slip into the jar, "did you see it actually swam into my hands as if it wanted to be there" he said smiling at him " this is so cool" he said now grinning as he screwed the lid on. Holding it up for andrew to see he wathched it swim about "whats its name?" he asked hoping even as small as it was andrew might have been able to tell "or do I have to wait till its bigger?" he asked looking from Andrew to the tad and back.

Andrew took the jar from John and concentrated on the tadpole in the jar. "Hm..He doesn't have a name yet. But he heard a boy who apparently wandered across the yard, and someone called him Todd. He sort of likes it, but he says you can call him whatever you want. Frogs are pretty flexible that way. If you don't like their names, you can call them whatever you want. They're more interested in the friendship. Names don't mean a whole heck of a lot to them. And I am sooo not calling my frog Russell. That's a stupid frog name. This one is a bit ticky that he doesn't have his legs yet. He doesn't like being little. I'm trying to tell him that being little has its advantages. He's going to be a cool frog for you. He's looking forward to jumping and catching flies. And he looks like the same size mine was. Maybe he'll be a little green one like Frog is."

John smiled looking at the tadple in the jar "I like todd for his name " he smiled "ow i hope so they will get along greate " John smiled as he stood up "come on I think bickets now" he said walking towards the kitchen door , pushing it open he turned back to look at andrew "its good having you as my brother" he said letting the door swing open as he ran inside and placed the jar on the counter, Steven stood in the kitchen with ahot cup of coffee "you boys want hot chocolate?" he asked blowing across the top of his cup , leaning down he looked at the tad pole "wow hes a good one , did andrew catch him?" he asked, john have him alitght thump ,"no dad I did Andrew told me what to do , his names todd " he said smiling at the tad pole who seem to smile back at him from in the jar.

"It wont' seem like John's unless he catches him himself. Can I sleep in the tree house sometime?" he asked Steven. "I love the sound of the leaves in the treehouse. And, hot chocolate would be great. What kind of biscuits?"

He looked at John, "I think I'm going to like having a brother too. But your dad already knows I know things he will never want me to teach you. I will try hard not to do that, Steven. Honest. But most of what I learned to do, my father never cared, so he never told me it was wrong. I'm still figuring out what is okay and what isn't. "

steven chuckled "sure but not to night they say a storms on its way " he said listening to how the leaves shook on the trees even more so now and the sky grew dark, "Andrew I apreciate that and i will do my best to show you what is right and whats not , which is what he should have done in the first place, but to my reconing ya not doing to bad" Steven moved to a cubard that john had been jumping at to grb the handel of and opened the door "well we have malted ones, chocolate cookies, plain bickets whole meal ones , oat meal, ones with yogert on and ones with pitcures on ow and animal cracker ones i belive they had frogs in" he grinned lifting down a large bicket barrel for john who quickly grabbed two "John!" stephen said looking down at him, john sighed "thank you dad" he asid and ran into the living room "so what would you like" he asked warming some milk in a pan for the hot chocolates "I make mine with milk hope ya don't mind" he smiled

"Fine by me," Andrew said, not remembering if he'd ever had hot chocolate outside of Hogwarts. He presumed that Steven didn't want him showing John now to pick pockets or how to steal, or how to lie, pick locks, forge signatures, or any of the other crimes he had learned how to do to survive. Andrew was only now learning that they were wrong. And he really was trying not to break the Hogwarts rules, partly because he really like Professor Wilson. Wilson was good to him, even though Wilson didn't want anybody to know he had a nice streak. That amused Andrew.

Andrew reached into the jar and took two chocolate cookies. "Thanks," he said. "Just so you know, Steven, storms don't bother me. I'll stay in, but so you know. not much bothers me. Including storms."

Steven smiled "they don't bother me ether, but johns scared of them" he said softly as he placed he bicket barell back in the cuboard and closed the door, "I am not scared of storms" said john walking back into the kitchen "wow, ten hours later" he said chuckling as he pored out two mugs of hot chocolate and placed one in front of each boy the tad pole swimming around in the jar stopped and swum to the edge of the jar waggled its tail at Andrew then swum down to settle at the bottom as if asleep.

John took a sip of his hot chocolate a white foam mustach formed on his top lip but he licked it quickly off "Mumm delishiose" he said "ok once you two have had that shower then ya can watch tv for a bit, if it works with this storm" he ahd just finished when a streak of white flashed out side folowed by the boom of thunder and he gentel pitter patter of rain. "ok make sure all windows are shut" John hopped off the stool and dove around checking all the doors he closed the kitchen on and pulled the small blind on it "all secure dad" he said siting down once more next to Andrew, steven smiled to andrew "he fells better doing that in a storm, i guess it reminds him of the dragon attack so he checks the doors, to rea shure himsef its not happening again" he said softly.

'Yeah," Andrew said, "That makes sense. John, if you want, you can sleep in my room with me. Its no big deal. But at least then Frog and Todd wouldn't have to listen to the storm by themselves. You could put Todd's jar next to Frog's box. And that bed is big enough that I know we'll both fit. Neither of us take up much room. Oh, and Professor Wilson showed me how to make my wand light up, so we won't be without a light. And, besides, I have something in my bag to show you, remember?" He wanted John to remember his promise of wizard candy that he'd brought home. He could tell Steven wouldn't approve, but what Steven didn't know wouldn't hurt him--or them.

John looked at steven who nodded "thats fine with me " steven said "I will be up till eleven then bed for me as we all have that barbaque at Khaats tomorrow and I need ya both up and washe and dressed , god knows what this storms gonna do to the ranch " he ahd bearly finished when a boom ovger head made the glasses tinkle on the counter "well, its getting closer" John dove for his rom quickly changing into his PJ's he dove for andrews room and under the covers.

Steven chuckled " ok rember don't stay up too late" he said picking up johns empty cup placing it into the dish washerhe looked back at Andrew "what , ya think we were in the stone age, I know you boys don't like doing the dishes so i kinda incorperated a dishwasher when i redesigned this place" he smiled "now if ya finished , quick shower then bed ,ok" he knew andrew would do just that ," ow take todd" he chuckled at the name " to john for me" he handed him the jar.