Summer Picnic

"Well, she's been using paper up til now," Brian frowned. "The wall is a new canvas for her. Khaat is going to say it's a no-no, but she stresses sometimes too much about the little things. You know, if you're serious about wanting to work for Robert, we'll have to try that course and see how you do. Somehow, I don't think you're going to have trouble getting a decent score. I should warn you, it isn't an easy course. Robert designed it to be challenging even for good aurors, and he does elevate the challenge from time to time to push us. It's really a good workout."

Kate brought back a tray with lemonade and put it on the coffee table and gave them each a glass. She called for Abbey, and Abbey came out with a bright green crayon in her mouth. Kate scowled and went over and took the crayon and gave Abbey a sippy cup of juice instead.

"Dada!" Abbey ran over to Brian and threw her arms around his leg. Brian set his glass down and picked her up. She looked at Jack and pointed and said, "Goggie!"

"What?" Brian looked at her with a deep frown. Kate stopped and looked at her with an equally deep frown.

"Goggie! Goggie!" Abbey said, looking at Jack.

"That's her word for doggie," Brian looked at Jack. "You don't suppose..."

"What? What are you talking about?" Kate asked.

Jack chuckled then nodded " deadly serious about the assault course, that's good to know" he said " I'm a skilled combatant, good with guns and swords and my wand, when I get a replacement as my old one my brother snapped" he said " I'll go to Olivanders tomorrow." he glanced at the clock and saw he still had time until his date with Jess.

He watched Abby toddle from behind the couch then call out to Brian. It made his whole body freeze when she shouted 'doggie' and pointed to him. His mouth went dry and he reached out for a glass of lemonade before he spoke. " she's defiantly intelligent" he sighed and looked to Kate  as he spoke again " Abby has picked up that...that I'm a werewolf, I was bitten by my brother when he tried to kill me, the only reason I can think of why he left me alive is that he was disturbed, but be reassured I won't harm your family Mrs Lupin, in fact I owe them my life. Khaat was the one who found me and healed me, Robert is teaching me how to control my anger and well ..Jess is teaching me that my life can still go forward." he said looking at her.

"You're welcome here, Jack," Kate smiled, unconcerned. "I am a Lupin, after all. I'm just sorry that you have to go through so much. I know what Remus had to deal with. You're among friends here. What bothers me is the thought that perhaps Abbey has some sort of seer abilities starting already. The women in our family have always shown their skills early but never this early. This is completely unheard of in our family, so far as I know." She went over to Abbey. "Abbey, what sort of doggie is Jack?" Abbey looked at her and then tried to do her best barking sound. Kate looked at both Jack and Brian. "She seems sure of herself."

"Well, she showed that Animagus thing early," Brian shrugged, "so maybe it's possible. I don't know."

"We'll have to ask Robert when he gets home."

"I guess I would rather think its an ability starting early than to think she's got some sort of odd childhood thing from eating crayons," Brian said. Kate laughed.

"I hardly think it would cause the child to bark, Animagus or no," she said. "Jack, is it possible that your brother knows Fenrir Greyback? I only ask because that sounds exactly like Greyback's attack on Remus. Greyback believes there is no good human, and that every human needs to be turned to be a werewolf. Does your brother have some reason to hate you? Besides the fact that, up until he bit you, you weren't a werewolf?"

Jack sighed and relaxed again now smiling as Kate spoke " thank you, Mrs Lupin" he said and looked to Abby before looking at Kate " he might have, everywhere I found James there were Greyback fanatics, so he could have felt a kin to him, and well he blames me for him being kicked out the house by my parents, but it was his own fault ." he said not going into too much detail. "That and the fact he always saw me as the runt, small, beneath him, just because I was born after him, along with my sisters." Jack drank his lemonade and sighed " I tried to talk to him but he was spouting about I needed to change, to evolve..that's when he attacked me." He closed his eyes and took a long slow deep breath in calming himself from the memories of that fateful night in the woods under the full moon.

"Greyback drivel," she sighed. "We've heard all that before from Greyback. I think it might well be possible that your brother knows Greyback or at least has taken to admiring him. Now, if ever there was a poor roll model, Fenrir Greyback would be at the top of my list."

"Agreed," Brian said. "Either way, don't let yourself get concerned about that with Robert. He is surely no friend of Greyback's, so you won't have an issue with him on that."

"No, indeed not," Kate said firmly. "He would like to have an opportunity to settle the score for what Greyback did to Remus, but he's not foolish enough to go hunting it. Are you two going to take the packages for Robert to the farm?"

"That's the plan, anyway," Brian said. "If you have time to stay with Abbey?"

"Of course I do," Kate beamed. "You know I will."

Jack, we'd better get those things over to the farm so you have time to go change," Brian said. "I'm ready whenever you are."

Jack nodded to Brian's words then when Kate spoke he could not disagree with her " well Robert and I both agreed on that, he's no friend of mine, my brother chose his path, I walk a different one. " he looked at Brian " a good one , and yes we should , I don't want to keep Jess waiting , that would not look good, especial on a first date." he smiled at Kate " it was good to meet you Mrs Lupin and seeing you again too Abby." he said pulling a silly face to make her laugh.

"okay Im ready" he said moving to pick up the bags and boxes that were Roberts ready to aperate over to the farm. He looked at the assault course and smiled " make you a wager that I'll ether beat your time or come close by a couple of seconds?" he said smiling at Brian.

"I'll take that wager," Brian said, loaning Jack his spare portkey to Robert's farm. "You're the one that hurls when he ports, remember? Not me. I'll be there before you get done being sick to your stomach." He was glad Jack could take a little friendly teasing. He picked up some of the packages to go to Robert's, glad for Jack's help. "Kate? Do you need anything while we're there?"

"My knitting bag, please?" she asked.

"You've got it," he smiled. "I'll meet you there, Jack." He ported to the farm and landed in the large sunny farmhouse kitchen. He jockeyed the packages to go lift the lid on the biscuit jar, and he found Kate's fresh treacle biscuits inside. "You never disappoint me, Kate," he said quietly with a smile. "Jack! Kate's got biscuits, Mate!" he called, knowing Jack had probably landed somewhere in the house by now. "And they're fresh baked. Come get one. Then we'll take these things down to the lab."

Jack groaned and took the port key from him "can't wait" he said jokingly as he watched Brian leave. Porting to a farm he found himself stood in a living room. He quickly moved to the kitchen and leaned over the sink taking deep breaths in and out. " they smell good but...let my stomach move back in place first then I'll try one." When he heard Brian mention a lab he raised an eye brow " Robert has a lab here?" he asked " wow he has everything...well almost he dosn't have an assault course" Jack said chuckling as he gathered the rest of the bags and boxes but not before grabbing a cookie and taking a bite.

"these are delicious, how dose she do it?" he asked finishing the first and taking another. " oh you found out my weakness" he said chuckling as they moved out the kitchen.

"Kate loves to cook, and now that Khaat is finally back to work, Kate's been a big help by taking care of the cooking. I am concerned it leaves us stretched too thin. I have a mate of mine that is actually a certified chef, and he works for Robert. He's also a very skilled former auror, so he's valuable to Robert. I've asked Robert about transferring him here, and Robert is in favor of it. I just haven't talked to my friend yet. Maybe I'll get a chance to do that this evening. It would help Kate to be able to do her farm duties and help out here as she likes but not be forced into it."

"Yeah," Brian said, when Jack questioned Robert having a lab. "Wait til you see this. To get to the lab, we have to go through the library. The library is actually in the turret of the farmhouse and it goes four floors--the basement, the ground floor, the first floor, and the attic. He's got thousands of books, and on just about any subject I could ever think of. I used to try to find a topic that he didn't have a book on, but I never found it. This way."

He led Jack through the house and opened the glass doors to the circular library with its spiral stairs going up and down. Brian went over to the stairs and looked up, all the way to the top, and then down. Brian flicked his fingers to light the library lights, and they went on both up and down.
"Impressive, isn't it?" Brian said. "The man loves books. He studies incessantly. Now, to get to the lab, we go down. Come on." He led him down into the basement, which was the lower floor of the library but he kept going down to the sub basement into Robert's large home potions lab. "And if you really can't find him? Chances are he's right here. He does most of his serious work here. At St. Mungo's he's most often only replicating the potions they need for the stores there. And over there? On the far wall? His bug jars. He uses all sorts of bugs in his work, so he keeps a large collection. Take a look around if you like. Just be careful what you touch."

Jack followed Brian as he talked into the library his eyes were everywhere " wow so many books" he said softly. Soon they entered the lab and again his breath was taken away " oh in regards your friend I would ask him, all he can say is nope, even then you've not lost anything." he said looking around , turning on the spot as he took in all the potions and ingredients on shelves around him " wow!" He heard Brian mention Bug Jars and chuckled remembering Jess threatening to have Robert turn him into a bug.

"ow the infamous bug jars" he said and walked over to them " so are all these former people or just normal bugs?" he asked watching a dung beetle run around in the jar.