A Serious Lesson Or Two

"Get that evil bag, Tessie!" Michael laughed. He liked her. He liked Skinny's kid too. He liked their sense of life and their love of it. While Tessie was distracted chasing the foul and rebellious paper bag, he looked up the street and saw a rather ill tempered man stomping their direction. He had thought he knew this man by reputation as a death eater, but he wasn't sure about that. However, this man did not appear to be the least bit amused by Tessie's song about dragons or how disruptive he clearly thought she was, or how untraditional she was in the tradition steeped wizarding main thoroughfare. He cearly, though, did not have the slightest friendly intention. He allowed himself to enjoy the moment, but he never lost sight of the overly angry man approaching their way. The instant he saw the man raise his wand, Michael drew his wand out of nowhere and fired.

The evil man was now simply a grasshopper on the brick street. Michael accio'd the grasshopper to him quickly before someone could squash it and held it in his hand. "I shall turn you over to Ozzy, my evil little friend," He told the grasshopper. "He likes bugs. He should well like you in his collection." '

He turned and looked at Tessie and Laura. "My apologies, Ladies. I don't tolerate rudeness. It was his own fault, really. If Ozzy decides to pardon him, then that will be his business. I could feed him to Jeremiah, but now that doesn't seem quite fair, does it? Ozzy has a fair hundred or so empty bug jars our friend here will find quite comfortable, I think. And besides that, I can't keep him. I don't know what grasshoppers eat. I was rather trying for a butterfly, but somehow, I got a grasshopper instead. I shall have to ask Ozzy how he does that bit."

She vaguely heard Michael call something to her but she did not notice. She was crouched on the bag still, on her hands and knees as she bared her teeth at the inanimate object that had committed some unknowable crime that it would surely pay for. "Look, buddy, I know you think you can defeat me, but good always conquers evil! I play enough Nintendo to know that. In every 80s video, the weird nerd is the one who gets prom queen, and the evil-doing bag gets used for a brownbag lunch."

She looked up and saw a man storming over towards her and she sat up on her knees, completely and utterly defenseless. Marki was a good judge of character, but she also did not understand normal human behavior. She cocked her head, her hair falling as a small curtain as he approached. Jeremiah let out a warning croak and hopped into her arms and she covered his face, realizing the man was about to harm her.

A flash of light and then a grasshopper stood in his spot. She plopped Jeremiah down and she crawled over towards the bug as Michael strode over and picked up the bug. She looked up, cocking her head and then stood up, picking Jeremiah up again and stroking him. "Probably because to be a butterfly you have to be pretty. Even if it had worked, he would have been a moth." She smiled vaguely and said in her neutral, vague voice, "He was going to hurt me. But you stopped him."

Sophia looked at Michael confused. "But insects aren't evil though they help the world."said Sophia softly. but shrugging. "Oh wow... I didn't know Robert had a jar of insects."said Sophia softly but she didn't know much about Robert. Sophia looked at Marki and nodded in agreement. "Butterflies are the prettiest insects there is there not easy to catch."said Sophia softly. "Oh... wow, talking about insect what a weird conversation."Sophia thought to herself. The old man was sure his rocker and Marki was well... one of a kind was the only way Sophia could desribe her.

"You know, you could always tansfigure it into a butterfly."said Sophia softly to michael she did it all the time at Hogwarts. Sophia wondered if he even thought about that it or not but who knows with this crazy old for man. Now Sophia knew why her father always got a kick about talking about him for this man was funny to her. They must of thought Sophia was weird herself for she loved animals and wanted to protect poor defendless animals. Sophia looked at Marki and smiled. "How long have you had your frog there Marki?"Sophia asked her softly.

She sure was an odd one, where mostly all hogwarts student choose to get an owl or a cat she had a frog as a pet. "Hey, some people like frogs better then cats or owls but I liked owls and cats."Sophia thought to herself. She honestly thought frogs as slimey and creepy looking. Sophia would never admit she it but she was afraid of frogs when she was little and she is alittle.

Michael saw clearly the rather stunned look on Tessie's face. He truly enjoyed her innocence, and he wanted to see her keep it. That was one of the wonderful things about the wizarding world, until one knew better. It had the illusion of endless possibilities, and that was part of what he hoped Tessie never lost. He knew that Laura already knew better. She had lost that illusion a long time ago, for the most part. He did appreciate, though, that she was stilll able to see the good things in life. She hadn't lost the zest for living, and that said a great deal about her inner strength.

He looked at Tessie. "The man was an idiot, Tess," Michael said. "I've seen him about and he's never been up to much of anything good, never had much of anything good to say about anybody. With a little luck his time in the bugjar will teach him some manners--if Robert lets him out. But you might be right about why that butterfly transfiguration didn't work. I supposse he'd have had to have some beauty in him someplace to become something beautiful. That makes sense to me. In that case, I wonder what the deuce it says about the fact that he became a grasshopper instead.

"Ozzy? Oh, you have no clue!" Michael laughed. "The man has hundreds of bugjars in his potions lab. So far as I know they live out their lives rather peacefully on his shelves. Don't ask me what its all about, but he had bugjars when we were in Hogwarts together. Drove our head of house crazy with them. I think his wife has given up asking him to keep the bugs out of the house. Now she simply insists they have to stay in their jars. Personally, I'm not sure how she puts up with him." He pocketted the grasshopper in his shirt pocket and looked into his pocket.

"Stay in there, you. Or you'll be an amoeba," he said dryly to the grasshopper. "That one would not take any moral fortitude on your part for me to accomplish."

Marki nodded at Michael's words, blinking away any thoughts of evil and morality. She did not care to dwell on these things like everyone else. Every seemed to always be thinking about the Order, or the Death Eaters, or the Dark Followers, or Potter's Army, or the Ministry of Magic... Marki tended to keep her inquisitive mind from those subjects because she knew if she really wanted, she could think of a way to disprove all of their notions. But they all seemed so rather entertained by their feuds. She would let them have their fun. Besides, she liked thinking about other things. Like pie. And dinosaurs. Particularly triceratops.

She had no reply for Michael's words, so she did not reply. Sophia asked about Jeremiah and Marki held him out to her, practically shoving him in her face. Marki and personal space... Not something that exactly clicked. She cocked her head and said, “Actually, he's a bullfrog. Frog's are pansies. Not him.” He croaked and she pulled him to her. “He also says his name is Jeremiah. He doesn't like you. You know-” She glared at Jeremiah. “You've been rather judgmental lately. Just because she didn't call you by name-” He croaked again, this time louder. “Oh. Really?” She inclined her head toward Sophia and sniffed. “Oh.” She nodded at Sophia. “He smelt owl on you. He hates owls.”

"Well, it seems you are multitalented, Tessie. I don't have a lot of friends who can talk to animals. Just one or two really. Robert's wife talks to animals and raises magical creatures. I really don't know why I don't know more people who have that gift, but I just don't. Most of my friends tend to be, for some odd reason, aurors. I have no idea why.

"Listen, its awfully cold out here today. Would the two of you like to walk down to Sparks with me? They've added Kate's recipe for hot cocoa. Kate makes her hot cocoa with fresh cream, so it is the richest and creamiest and thickest I think I've ever had. My treat. " Michael was also thinking that it was about time for Robert to show up at Sparks in order to have his daily cup of tea and to read the newspaper. It was his way of taking a tea break from work and escaping for a few moments. He was hoping that he could hand over the grasshopper from his pocket to Robert.

He also felt just a wee bit protective over the young women. He wasn't going to openly admit that, but that was the way Michael worked. He didn't like maltreatment of anyone--and it especially irked him of someone who had a major case of superiority tried to inflate their own egos by taking advantage of a young student. That really boiled his blood. Besides that, he wanted no chance that his grasshopper pal hadn't had friends with him in Diagon Alley today that were going to wait until Michael was gone before he struck out against the girls. He didn't see it as very likely. The bloke he'd changed hadn't appeared to have many friends to begin with. but Michael didn't want to take any chances.

Sophia looked at Michael and laughed as he told her the story of Robert keeping bugs in the Gryffindor Common room. Somehow she found it quite funny the younger Robert driving the head of his house mad with his bugs. "Khaat told me about his bug jar at one time, I also thinks he keeps one in his office at St. Mungo's although I could be wrong."said Sophia softly. "I would love to meet his bug collection I bet he has hundred of bugs!"said Sophia. Sophia didn't really like bugs but she liked the pretty ones like dragonflies, butterglies and fireflies.

Sophia looked over at Marki her eyes widen when she said her bullfrog Jeremiah didn't like her because she didn't like owls. "Oh well... I'm sorry, I didn't know he didn't like owls but I have a cat name Salem as well and neither of them don't eat frogs I promise."said Sophia softly. "Oh lord, this is hopeless and I'm going no where with this!"Sophia thought to herself. When Michael asked if they wanted to go to Sparks with them she nodded. "Sure I love to Michael, I always wanted to try Khaat's mother hot coca I heard so much about it but never tried it."said Sophia softly.

Marki nodded her head, bobbing boisterously as her hair flopped forward and then back. "Really all he is saying is CROAK! But I get impressions of what he means. You know how best friends can read each other's minds? Well, Jeremiah's my ONLY friend, so it seems like I can decipher his croaks." Sh smiled brightly and dropped the bullfrog into her hood.

Marki shrugged at Sophia's words. "He hates cats too, regardless of whether or not the offending cat or owl is friendly or not. He's sort of judgement and he does discriminate. Silly Jeremiah and his species-ism. He's not too big a fan of dogs either. Very limiting, I know," she sighed and shook her head, Michael suggested they go to Spark's and Marki smiled. "Oh, that sounds luuurvly!" And she began to skip off in that direction.

Michael walked his two new young friends down to Sparks. He picked up three menus from hostess podium as they walked in, and waved the hostess aside. "Never mind, my dear," he said, "I'm family. I'll find my own table," he said to her casually. He led them to a table near the window where they could watch out the window if they wanted and motioned to them. "How about here?" he asked.

He was about to sit down when a middle aged woman at the next table tried to flirt with Michael. He smiled at her, took a step towards her and leaned down and whispered something into her ear. She immediately got a horrified look on her face and got up and left, scooping up her black cloak, and nearly throwing a handful of sickles on the table to pay for her tab.

Michael waited, with a poker straight look on his face until she had flounced out indignantly, and then he roared with laughter. He looked up to see Spark's chef, Lizzie, scowling at him and shaking her finger at him, reprimandingly. Lizzie clearly had never appreciated Michael's sense of humor.

"That was far too much fun," he looked at Tessie and Laura, going back to sit with them. "Order anything on the menu that you like. There isn't anything here I don't like--well, except a customer or two now and then."

Marki stopped at the door of Spark's and sprung to attention, chin raised, back stiff, shoulders back like a guard outside of Buckingham Palace as she saluted Michael and Sophia as they walked inside of the warm, friendly restaurant. She turned and flounced inside after them knocking her fists happily on the greeting podium and sticking her tongue out at the shocked hostess. Why? Because she felt like it.

Marki watched the small thing transpire between Michael and the random flirty woman. Marki sat at the table and watched with a curious look, her head cocked and blinking heavily. She never understood these romantic courting procedures and she had a feeling that Michael had spurred the woman's advances because she looked very startled by his words and eventually left.

"I'll just take that hot chocolate you were talking about... Ooh, and is there a way I can order a side of bacon and a side of pudding? Do they have that here?" She did not scan the menu, however, choosing instead to point, in a every obvious manner since she knocked over silverware to do so, at the retreating back of the woman. "You upset her. What did you say? It seemed as though there were a funny moment that I was not apart of." She blinked, wanting to understand the workings of courtship better.