Just because We're Old

Flint entered the three broomsticks ready for a nice brandy. It was getting chilly outside, fall was coming and it was coming soon. He was wearing a dark trenchcoat, but a casual pair of jeans and a black shirt underneath it. He took of his jacket and ordered himself a drink, then he proceeded to take a seat at a table near a window. He wanted it to snow badly, he enjoyed snow. He took a drink of his mug of brandy and looked at his watch. He was supposed to be meeting Mikey here soon.

It had been a while since they last had coffee or something along those lines. He was looking forward to it, but Mikey really had nobody left besides him. So they tried to do as much as possible together. Wether it be having coffee or just...drinking whatever's in the bar or something. He really didn't know.

Michael had had a go-around with Khaat's furniture, and was just a bit put out by the fact that he had somehow rented this furniture along with the cottage from Robert. He had almost lost track of the time dueling with the hat rack, and now, he snatched a cordoroy blazer from the hat rack who was teasing him and threatening not to give it to Michael.

Michael slipped on the tan blazer over his denim shirt and jeans and walked down to the Three Broomsticks. He went inside and ordered a firewhiskey--top shelf, please. And he found Flint at a window table. Michael went over, laughing. "Well, well, well," he laughed. "if it isn't Shelly. I see you haven't changed a bit. How are you, you old dog?" He sat down at the table with his old friend. Flint was one of the few people who knew Michael's past and accepted him anyway. Well, hell, Flint had used Michael's catburglary skills in some of his own dealings, years ago. Michael was pleased to be back in the company of old friends.

"You know, Robert is getting more ornery all the time. Do you know he rented me his daughter's cottage, and the whole bloody place is filled with enchanted furniture. Some odd fluke of accidental magic, as I understand it. Now I have to duel with a stinking hat rack, and contend with some ottoman that Khaat actually named Otto. Stupid footstool thinks its a cocker spaniel. Robert said I could change the furniture back, all but Otto. Seems she's attached to it. Well, she'd better come and get the thing or I'm going to tie it in the yard."

Flint couldn't help but laugh at all of Mike's ordeal with furniture. It was one of the most bizzar things he had ever heard. But it was a Lupin, and most Lupins were like that. "You made the first mistake by renting from Robert. You should've known better Mikey." he said smirking largley. "An ottoman named otto, that's almost as bad as naming my piano..well piano. But..of course I wouldn't name my piano." he said. "It's why Robert would never be allowed near it," he said. He tried to stiffle a smirk but it broke free. "I'll take it off your hands if you like. Daisy wouldn't mind I'm sure, she's always complaining how I have all the fun. Well let's see how she handles a living ottoman." he said in a mock angry tone.

"How have you been, you look as old and haggard as usual." he said chuckling. Flint was two years old but they were both considered old farts as his daughter always put it. "Apparently 60 is the limit before people start thinking you need help getting your ass out of bed. I went for an hour run this morning...well so to speak." he said as he took another sip of his brandy. Nothing would beat a three broomsticks brany. There was like a hint of cinnamon in the drink or something like that. It was always perfect, he wouldn't always treat himself though like this. They needed to sell this stuff to take home or something, not just in the broomstick.

"Broomstick brandy was always my favourite, ever since we moved here." he said, although Mikey already knew it. He said it every time he had one, and he would continue until it no longer satisfied his taste buds.

"I've been hearing a bit of the same talk. Especially if I try to slip into Honeydukes for a bit of their fudge. Right now, all those pesky students are in there, and elbowing each other, asking, 'Who's the old dude?' I am not a dude. The last I knew that was a term for a cowboy. When the hell did that change? Makes me sound like some fat Texas rancher. And, I don't feel old. Not yet. Mature, maybe.

"Oh, hell. We are old," he laughed. as the server brought the firewhiskey over. "Well, as to the ottoman, if your wife wants to foster it for awhile, that would work, but if I give it away, Robert will put me in one of his infamous bug jars. Do you remember that week we spent in jars in his lab? I don't even remember what we did. But the next thing I knew, I was a grasshopper in a jar. What were you? God, that's been a long time ago. I hear he's got hundreds of jars now. Wonder how many of them really are bugs.

"How is Daisy, anyway? And the kids? Are you bouncing grandkids on your knee yet? Seems Robert has a granddaughter and a great-granddaughter at the same age. Better him than me. Cheers." He took a sip of his firewhiskey. "I'm glad to hear you're still running. Me too. We'll have to run together sometime and chase some of the students down the main street here in Hogsmeade. We'll show them who's old. I bet we can outrun most of them."

"Oh man it's been years since I had Honeydukes fudge. Lilly saved some for me every year when she was at Hogwarts. If she could keep it away from Jonathan that is." he said remembering how it melted in your mouth. "I loved that fudge, just don't tell Daisy. Hers is only number 2 on my list." he whispred. He'd never hear the end of it if his wife found out. "I get called old all the time. You get used to it, it's nothing once you turn sixty three." he said grinning heavily. Mikey was only sixty two, but hey..

"Old is just a term for 'not dead yet'" he said nodding his head. 'We've still got a few 50 years ahead of us. I mean look at my dad, he's eight eight and he can still manage to stun me if I try to sneak food off his plate at dinner." he said laughing. Then Mikey brought the bug har up, he shiverd slightly. "Don't you dare remind me, I can't not remeber it! Being a catipillar sucked! I had to tie over...I don't even know how many feet I had." he said chuckling and sighing at the same time. It was a weird sound, something he was known for. "Oh dear lord, I heard half of them are Death Eaters."

"Daisy's great, enjoying her time off for a while. I told her to stop cleaning and relax a little bit. That lets me put my cleaning spell skills to the test. The house is clean just not as much as it would be if she was doing the cleaning." he laughed. He wished he had grandkids, but alas no. Jonathan had been married for a while now, but he couldn't have kids. They thought about adopting and have been thinking about it for a few years still. "No, not yet. I think Jonathan and his wife are thinking about adopting though. But I'm not getting my hopes up." he said grinning for a minute. "I'm surprised Lilly hasn't been snagged yet, guys come to me asking for permission to marry her righ and left. People I don't even know...well that's playing up a little but whatever." he said laughing.

"I just never stopped running, my muscles ache but a pain spell Robert taught me fixes that easy. It's nice having a healer and the had of St.Mungos as a friend. But it also sucks, you can end up in a bug jar within an instant." he said laughing.

"And from what he tells me, Khaat, poor girl, inherited his love of transfiguration. He says she's got some quirk about teacups and cheeky hats. And it seems she loves making portkeys out of stray socks. Seems its the only use she can come up with for them. Someone needs to teach that child how to make a sock monkey.

"Have you seen Kate since you've been back? Robert says she has an art gallery in Diagon Alley now. I haven't been there yet, but I"ve been meaning to. They sent me a beautiful stained glass lamp she made a couple Christmases ago, and I brought it with me when I moved back.

"That reminds me. What the heck are you up to these days? So far, I haven't looked for a job. Don't really need one. Things are comfortable enough as it is. But, well, if something comes up that fits my skills, well, we'll see. " He sipped on the whiskey again.

"I'm glad your family is well. I haven't seen your dad since...oh, when was it? Oh, I know. I ran into him in Madrid on holiday about ten years ago," he laughed. "Haven't seen him since. Too bad you don't have grandkids yet. You ought to send Jonathan's wife to Robert. He has been working on some fertility spell or potion or something or another. Maybe she'd have some luck with him.

"So what do you say we cast a boggart into Honeydukes, run those young twerps out, and go scout out the fudge?" he grinned.

"Well it was only time before Khaat turned into him, I remember when he was the spitting image of Remus." he said laughing. "Only he was more or less...alot more fun. Although they seemed like twins rather than brothers." He looked at the final remnance of his brandy, it goes so fast. But one was his limit, he'd have to get cofee next. "I'm gonna grab a cup of coffee." he said standing up. He walked over to the front counter and asked for one, it came fast which was good. He really felt like a cup of warmth in this weather.

He sat back down at the table, the warm cup of joe in his hands was now placed on the table. "An art gallery? Well it has been a while, I've just ben busy with a few things in America. Haven't had much time to talk to anyone besides Daisy and my dad." he told him. "I'll have to check it out, she always seemed like the artistic type." He took some sugar and mixed it in with his coffee. Cream followed the sugar up, he hated black. It was alays bitter to him.

"Aha, my dad's coming for dinner tonight. Would you like to join us? Hell bring Robert and Kate. The more the merrier, besides I'm cooking and I think I bought too many steaks anyway." he told them. "You could try for an auror, it'd be the perfect way to show the world that the old aint old yet!" he smiled and took the first drink of his nice coffee. It filled him with warmth, even though the fire was cackling some cold wind managed to seep in. "Mikey, you read my mind. But let me finish my coffee before we send a boggart. I always keep a few hidden in my closet downstairs. When me and Daisy go down there to get one it alawys turns into a spider shark." he said laughing.

"Mine always turns into some nameless woman in a wedding dress," Michael sighed dryly. Every time a boggart came out for him, it was always the same. Some gorgeous woman in a wedding dress coming after him. She always had that same dazed look of blissful expectation on her face. It terrified Michael.

"Do you remember when we tried to fight the same boggart simultaneously and ended up with some stupid shark in a wedding dress?" Michael burst out laughing. "I almost got eaten."

"Seriously, though,..." he began. He looked up. He saw Robert come in. He was dressed all in black. Black slacks, black turtleneck, black boots, and his black cloak. Michael's mood changed immediately. Robert had been on business. "Wait..." Michael raised his hand slightly.

Robert saw Michael there, with Flint, of all people. He ordered a double firewhiskey. He waited until the barkeeper handed him the glass, tossed a couple sickles on the bar and came over.

"You haven't looked that serious since I got back here," Michael said to Robert. "That's what I like about you. You're always so subtle." Robert's choice of clothing was as blatant as a neon sign to Michael.

"Ah, well, life has changed, Mike," Robert said, sitting down with them. "Flint. Good to see you again. Its been much too long. Its about time you came back. I think the last time I talked with you I was telling you about the joys of retirement. Hah! Well, so much for that. Khaat, it seems, had different ideas about my golden years. So how are you?"

Flint snorted into his glass, he remembered that memorable night. "Oh dear lord, had I not had that experience while fishing a swarm of bee's wearing wedding dresses would've been chasing us around the room." he laughed loudly. He looked in the direction Michael seemed to be focused on, Robert had walked in. He waved, he sensed nothing wrong. He smiled as Robert sat down with them, his drink in hand.

"I see your still drinking double firewhiskies," he said chuckling. "How have you been Ozzy?" he asked using his nickname. Whoever guesses why he's named that gets a cookie by the way. "Well my life takes me many different places. Daisy's threatened to knock me silly a few times because I leave last minute." he chuckled drinking his coffee some more. "I have no intentions of retiring anytime soon, I love my job. It's a shame you're not amung the working men Mikey! It's a nice life having something to do in your spare time." he said chuckling.

"Well," Michael laughed, "I do still have those schematics of London Tower..."

"Don't tell me," Robert said. "I dont want to hear it. I do not want to have to arrest you for trying one more time to rob the queen of her jewels. Cut it out. You hear me?"

"But I'm a wizard," Michael moaned, "It would be so easy!"

"You don't need 'em. They look better on her anyway."

"Do you know how bad this is? A thief in between two cops?"

"Hey, don't let that get out. Its bad for our image," Robert said. He was starting to relax a bit.

"Oh, by the way, you have to take that cocker spaniel footstool to Khaat or I'm either going to tie him in the yard or give him to Flint."

"Khaat'll kill me. She loves that stupid thing. Ok, I'll take him to her but you have to keep the snarky hat rack."

Michael groaned. "Reduce my rent then, for putting up with harrassment."

"Done," Robert agreed. He looked at Flint. "Khaat had a burst of accidental magic one while she was drugged on one of her outlaw husband's illegal potions. I'd like to put him out of that little business for good. Someday when we get bored, let's go blow his Knockturn lab up again."

"Again?" Michael asked. "Oh. Again. You've done this before. Okay. I'm in. Flint? You up for a little mischief? Sounds like its for a good cause. Why exactly did she marry an outlaw anyway?"

"Long story," Robert said. "Boils down to love, and an idiot for a son in law. He deserves to have that lab blown up as many times as he rebuilds it. Hm...might have to work on a hex for that...so it automatically just blows up every so often at random. Speaking of mischief. I don't believe, soomehow, you two were just sitting here over a couple of drinks. What are we planning?"

"Boggarts in Honeydukes?" Michael laughed. Robert frowned for a moment.

"OH. Fudge. I get it. Ok. Works for me. Can I finish my whiskey first?"