What Do You Buy the Wizard Who Has Everything?

"McCoy? A tyke? Well, actually, I always sort of thought he was just an old fart," Khaat quipped. "And I honestly don't know if he is a nice chap or not. Don't know him that well. I know who he is to see him, but I"ve never really spoken with him. And as for Wilson, well, I've thought a lot of things of him, but I don't think a 'Master of Deception and Disguise' has ever entered my head where he is concerned. I would agree he has learned some things from you. I do see a few similarities," she said. "But I prefer originals to the copies. And you, Professor, are definitely an original. At least as far as most of the people around here are concerned."

His remark about not liking to share, except for sharing others things made her laugh. That had not surprised her in the least. It was all about the lack of attachments with him. Avoidance of anything that dared to think it could get too close, unless Doyle had purpose for it. If he could use it and manipulate it for his own purposes. To soothe his own overly inflated ego. But Khaat saw a certain charm in it. For whatever twisted reason, she liked him. She loved his sense of humor. He made her laugh, and the more he tried to be rude, the more it made her laugh. He was certainly a breath of fresh air in her life.

"Hm. Then I guess I shan't have you over for curry over couscous," she laughed. "Actually, I wasn't raise on all that fancy stuff either. I was raised on rather plain comfort foods. Grilled fish and steaks, soups--if they're fresh. None of that canned muggle crap. We might survive in that rainforest after all. And we would definitely survive the symphony. " She had made a mental note about him having Snape's notes. That was something she herself had been in search of awhile back. She wondered what a look at those notes would cost her? What the heck would Doyle want if she actually did ever want a glance at them? No, wait...on second thought, she really didn't want to know.

''He is a tyke... an old one, but he is a tyke. Much better then I am... he's actually friendly to people he does not know'', he commented, with an amazed look at the end. ''And that is exactly why he is a Master of Deception... isn't someone whom you crack an amateur? As said, he is much more than the moody Scarecrow he seems like from afar and the intelligent bastard he seems like when you actually talk to him... but, he isn't deceptive, right?'', he said, winking to her. ''Why... thank you... and then people say my charm doesn't make people want to have sex with me? Idiots! He has learned well... although... he is in many points a stronger person than I am... but look at me blabbering about my wrist watch again...'', he said, changing the subject.

''I have survived the rainforest... that series of documentaries on Animal Planet was exhausting, but I managed to survive it. Bloody cameraman... made me shake and shiver during the whole journey... but the symphony, isn't that dangerous?'', he said. ''And what are you wondering about?'', he asked, seeing her look.

"Oh," Khaat grinned, "So you are a leglimens. I should have known. Either that, or I'm losing my touch and becoming just amazingly transparent. I was wondering about how you and Severus Snape might have actually gotten along. Seems to me it might have been a rather fiery relationship. Severus never did have any sense of humor whatsoever. I think my uncle and his friends intimidated the humor right out of him. They were a rather reckless bunch in their Hogwarts years, as my uncle told me. It would have been nice to see that. I think I might have liked them. And you? Well, I"m not sure. My thoughts are that people either like you or hate you and there probably isn't usually a midground. I'd like to think Remus would have liked you. I think you might well have designed some very creative uses for that marauder's map."

She could tell Doyle didn't really give a jot about whether anybody liked him or not. Khaat was learning not to care about whether people liked her much either. However, she was extremely tired of evil hearted bastards to get too close to her--any of them. She knew she was tired of allowing herself to be victimized. She was tired of caring too much and having it implode in her life. She really had learned a great deal from her husband about not investing a lot into people until she knew them. And she was learning how to be social but noncommital at the same time. And Doyle was a comfortable fit with that. He didn't invest in much of anything. And that suited her just fine.

She had spent her summer, recharging herself, in Tuscany, and had found that going her own way, living her own life, suited her well. Doyle seemed to do that with flawless precision. She liked that.

"I do think I could learn a lot from you," she said thoughtfully. "You seem to have an immense understanding of some things I would like to learn more about." She knew she was not being specific, but, well, she wasn't sure he would understand if she told him.

''I am both, but I deduced from your expression this time... which does not necessarily have to mean you've lost your touch... or have you?'', he said, with another mischievous and symbolic smile.

''Severus Snape and I? He was a little older than me... he was a good fellow, we had an understanding... and his somewhat hidden sense of humor would rarely come out... we weren't the best of friends... but we respected each other and we valued each other's opinions... we trusted each other and that was the main thing in our relationship... we had a quite good understanding. That is why I have the notes you'd like to see so much... and yes, it is obvious'' , he replied.

''I suppose you don't want to come to my classes... nor my bed, yet... so, what exactly are you referring to?'', he asked with a suspicious facial expression.

"I'm referring to people, in general," She said. "I horribly misjudged the character of the man i married, and he turned out to be a git, as I said earlier. I also, it seems, am prejudged continuously because of being a Lupin. I am expected to get overly involved, care immensely, and become an emotionally bleeding heart for everyone. Truth be told, I'm not. I would like to be able to effectively distance myself from some things a bit more. And I think you probably do that very well. Not that I would be particularly good at sarcasm. However, I really do like the way you approach the world and people--particularly the ones you don't like. I guess I am, more or less, doing the same thing you seem to be doing. Removing myself from becoming emotionally involved when it becomes uncomfortable. But I suppose that for a Lupin to do it, I would be seen as cold and shallow and aloof.

"And the only reason I was looking for Snapes notes was to see if he had any references to Nicolas Flamel. Flamel appears, in many respects, to be a rather dead end for me in my research. Severus usually was a wealth of obscure information. I guess I've been hunting that information so long that I became rather transparent there. My apologies."

''Lupin is a name, like Doyle. It's irrelevant what your name is and what others think of you. People are beasts, they lie and they will eat you up without hesitation. That is why I always carry a cane... I actually don't limp. That will require a lot of training, my young padawan... and you shan't be able to achieve that in full measure... not in years time, but you should try... don't quit. But, as far as you are concerned, do not cross the border, do not become Wilson or me... you have more things to lose than any of us... but be sure to find your own cane for the beats... 'cause I am not giving you mine!'', he explained.

''Flamel? Met the guy once, briefly though. I doubt I would recognize him again. Snape's notes my mention something, but what do you need Flamel for?'', he inquired.

"Well, I almost always carry two wands, so i suppose I could have someone make sme a holster, like an Old West outlaw and wear one on each hip," she laughed. "But seriously, your words remind me of something Remus might well have said to me himself. I refuse, though, to be easy pickings for every evil con artist who comes along wanting to sweep me off my feet for their own gain. That's crap. I have no doubt they would not even be entertaining the idea if I were a man. But now the idiots are coming out in droves to try to get some of the pickings that Rob left behind. I suppose that, really, is one of the reasons I find you so fascinating. I like the fact that you really couldn't care less. Its a refershing view of life for me. I like it a lot. And I would look forward to being less of an option for scoundrels and asses.

"Flamel," she said, "Where to begin? Oh, lets start endwise for a change, rather than at the beginning. My necklace. It was made by Flamel. My uncle commissioned by from Flamel when my mother got pregnant with me. It is an enchanted stone of some sort. All I really know about it is that it wards off werewolves. My father said that was the biggest reason Remus wanted it made, so that his 'illness' could not put me in danger. Then when I was born, Remus put it in me when I was a baby and he enchanted it so that he was the only one who could remove it. And since he is no longer here, well, it seems to be a permanent fixture unless someone beheads me--an idea that I do not relish right now. I have tried to track down some of Flamel's own notes and journals, but that's come up empty for me. Albus always seemed to know more than he said about it, and I couldn't pry it out of him. Now Flamel, Dumbledore, and Snape are all gone. I was hoping Snape had something scribbled in one of his journals. You haven't, by chance, seen any mention of a heart shaped emerald colored stone anywhere, have you?"

''Well, there are always going to be idiots in life, that much is certain, but there is one important thing you have to learn - how to not care about them idiots, and how to fight against those idiots you care about or could ruin you. I hardly doubt that a drunk dandy could harm you, but your former husband, that is something that could harm you... and that is what you have to learn. I am a completely different person than you, but you could learn something'', Doyle explained.

''Nicholas Flamel... I might have scrolled through his diaries and I might have seen something about a certain stone, but... why do you want to take it off?'', he replied.

"No," she said. "But if I could learn how, then it would become my option to wear it or not. Having options is always a good thing. However. I am far, far more curious as to what other things this bloody stone does. What I do know is that when I get close to a werewolf, the stone glows with an eerie green light, and the closer it is, the brighter the stone gets until, generally, it somehow causes some sort of either pain or fear reaction from the werewolf. At any rate, it is amazingly effective. I understand why Remus would have wanted to protect me from that side of him.

"Oh, and there is one more thing. If I clutch the stone in my hand and concentrate on summoning my father, it does call him somehow. It used to do that with Remus too. I don't know how that works, but it does seem to. So I know it does other things. I've just never known what. And that seems to have been lost with Flamel and Remus altogether. I figure if I'm going to have it all my life, I'd like to know what it does.

"And, you know, you're right. The world is full of idiots. Its not like we can be rid of them. But Rob, well, he has his bright moments. Sometimes they seem few or far between. But I do need to know how to protect myself from him and ...from some others not so far out of that mold. Alright--in return for your infinite wisdom...lets see. For starters, how about a homecooked Coq Au Vin, with all the trimmings, maybe a bottle of some prime stock wine, or top shelf firewhiskey if that suits you better? I can offer you far better fare than the Hogwarts kitchens--no offense towards Hogwarts."

''I could look it up. But, I know this. Flamel was a Potions Master and I do know that your necklace with the gemstone can be removed by drinking one special potion. It has no name, I have made it once, but since I had no use for it,I archived it. Snape wrote the ingredients and I, for fun, decided to make it. I remembered, during the process, that I would have no use for it, but still I finished it and put it somewhere in my place. I could find it if you find it necessary. The rest of its effects are just plane old magic, I can identify some, but I would need to work on it to decipher all of its secrets, which is why you should take it to Wilson. He is an expert in magic, Dark and normal, and he can identify most spells and enchantments without problems. He was good in detecting charmed objects as I remember. I can remove it, he can decipher it'', Doyle replied.

''Oh, you were serious with the offer, weren't you? You know, I am a terrible house guest and an even worse food critic... even if I like it, I'll find something just for the fun of it. But, if you disregard that, I am the life of the party. So, when and where? I could do you the pleasure once'', he said.