Finding a book

Calista walked out of her apartment building and began heading down the street. She was wearing a long black skirt and a short sleeved black blouse. She had a small black and red jacket on, she had her braided down her back. She walked into a shop that had candles and picked two white and three pink. She paid for them and walked back out walking down the street to look for the shop she really wanted to take a look at. Calista looked around not paying attention as she looked for the shop she wanted to go to. It was a book store that she had saw once and wanted to find it again.

Another grey foggy day in good old London Town. He had his coaching responsibilities up at Hogwarts but more often then not Mordecai found himself down in the big city, be it for a supplies run or a Quidditch meeting with the British Quidditch league. Even though he was now officially retired from the game Mordecai was not lost to the circuit. Which was why he was strolling down a London street on his way to Diagon Alley. The day before he had sat in for a League meeting on changing the penalty rules for the game or some such nonsense. He had barely any say on the matter but it was good to know what was going on first hand so he just bit the broomstick and made the trek back and forth. Also he couldn't stay cooped up in that school for more than a week or so before he started to go a bit stir crazy. Too many teenagers in one place, not enough room to fly, that sort of thing.

It just so happened that he was crossing a busy street, trying not to get himself run over by insane Muggle drivers, when he caught sight of a woman walking toward him. He paused for a moment to admire what he was seeing. Hey, he may be a sucker for a pretty face but he sure appreciated a nice looking woman.

It turned out that he wasn't the only one. Edging along behind her was a non-descript looking gent who seemed to have a keen interest with the lady's purse. Mordecai could just see what was going to happen before it happened and without giving it a second thought he veered off his route and darted between two parked cars which allowed him to come up behind the would-be pick-pocket.

"Oy mate. Is this yours?" Mordecai called out softly, just loud enough to get the man's attention.

"Wha?" The man slowed down long enough to look behind him and before he could make any sudden moves Mordecai hand his hands on the front of the man's jacket and forced him to stand on his toes.

"If I were you, I'd rethink my actions. Mate." Mordecai growled. He wasn't going to make a scene out in the open in the middle of a busy street. No wands, no spells, nothing. For a problem like this all he needed was a little persuasion. That is if you could call the Maori Death Glare persuasion. Thankfully the man took one look at Mordecai's face and realize that he had been caught red handed. No fuss, no problem. When Mordecai relaxed his grip the man straightened his jacket, gave him a nod, turned on his heels and sped off in the direction he came. Some little old lady was probably going to end up having her purse stolen after that but Mordecai couldn't save them all.

Now, where did that woman go to?

Calista found the book store and smiled to herself. 'Finally i thought i would never find it.' she thought to herself as she walked into the store. 'Now if i can only find that cook book i need from here.' She looked at the rows of books and a woman came up to her. "May i help you?" The woman asked softly. "Um can you help me find a cook book?" she asked the woman. "Yes of course. Just follow me." the woman said smiling. Calista followed her wondering what was happening on her farm while she was staying a few weeks in London. She had got an apartment here because she always needed things here and sold some of the food here to local vendors. Calista needed a cook book because her old one fell apart and she had to throw it away. The woman showed her the line of cook books and left her to pick out which one she needed. Calista looked at the books biting her lower lip softly trying to decide on what book she really wanted.

Damn it all. Where did she go?

Mordecai stood on the crowded side-walk looking like a complete dolt as he scanned the crowd that jostled around him for the woman who had been right there a moment ago. Why was it that whenever he played the "Knight in Shining armor" card it always rebounded back in his face? Sure he saved the lady's purse, but he ended up losing the woman.

Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, this wasn't his day.

Mordecai shook his head and let the wave of people move him toward his original destination which was the Leaky Cauldron. Located between a large music store and a three floor chain bookstore the Leaky Cauldron had become his local watering hole. The Hogshead at Hogsmead just didn't seem to quite meet the same standard as this place and he already had a running tab with the bartender that he called Sparky. What the man's real name was remained a mystery to him.

Mordecai paused outside the Cauldron to give the hustle and bustle crowd one last look over. Nope, no lady. Blast it. Well, he could always cheer himself up with one of the Muggle books. They tend to make for an interesting if rather misguided read. And didn't that new James Patterson book come out recently? There was nothing like a hard-hitting thriller to keep the wandering mind on the right track.

That thought put a spring in his step and he veered toward the bookstore

Calista found the cook book that would replace her old one and walked up to the front desk. "Did you find everything you were looking for miss?" the woman asked her smiling softly. "Yes i did thank you. I've looked in three different book stores and none of them had the cook book i wanted." Calista said smiling softly. "Well it is a very old book most stores don't keep it on hand. But I'm glad that our store had the book you needed." the woman said ringing it up. "That would be seven dollars miss." Calista handed her seven dollars and then walked out onto the street again smiling. She could now relax and find something else to do before heading back home.

As Mordecai walked into the bookstore the lady he had tried to find walked out.

Wait. What?

Mordecai's head snapped around as his eyes followed the long black hair and he didn't see where he was going.

"Oomph!" He had walked straight into a little old lady and nearly bowled her over. "Oh jeez, I'm sorry."

"Well you should be!" The old woman screeched as she clutched her handbag to her as if she thought he was going to take it and run. "Colliding into people like that. What's the matter with you! Don't use your eyes anymore?"

"Listen, I apologize, I just didn't see you...." He tried to explain while edging for the door but the little old lady wasn't having none of it. What ever happened to the nice cute grannies? Why'd he have to end up with the shrieking harpy?

"You could have knocked me over and I could have broken a hip! Of all the codswallop I've heard in my days this beats all. Shame on you sir! Shame!" She scolded loudly as her words began to draw a small crowd of on-lookers who were highly enjoying watching a big bloke like Mordecai get told off by a wrinkled old bat.

Mordecai sighed.

"Yes shame on me. Once again I'm sorry and won't do it again. Happy?" He growled as a few strands of hair crept toward his eyes. Now she was really started to annoy him.

"I should say I'm not! Of all the nerve." The old woman sniffed.

"You know what? Why don't you go outside and get on your broomstick and do us all a favor and fly away you old crabby witch!" He snorted and didn't for a moment regret his words. The shocked look on her face was just too good. With that he turned on his heels and marched out of the store, feeling a dozen set of eyes locked on his back. Good, he hoped they stared until their eyes fell out of their skulls. There was only so many times he could apologize before he lost his cool.

"OY! Lady with the books! You there!" A sharp commanding whistle ripped through the busy street as Mordecai roared over the noise of the Muggle traffic in order to get Calista's attention. He was finished playing hide and seek. Random people on the sidewalk stopped and stared as he brushed his way past them without a single thought. If he wanted something done he was going to have to do it himself.

Calista stopped hearing someone yelling, she turned to see where it had come from. She walked over to the side of the sidewalk so that people could get past her. Several men who walked by took a double take to look at her but ended up bumping into people. Calista rolled her eyes when she knew they weren't looking, she was used to people looking at her but she didn't know why they did. 'Keep on walking boys you haven't a hope in the world.' she thought trying not to smile.

"Excuse me miss?" came a voice beside her a distinctly male voice. "Are you looking for something? I could help you i know my way around the city."

"No thank you but I'm waiting for my husband." she lied to the man anything to get him to go away.

"But your not wearing a ring miss." He said smiling widely catching her in her lie.

"That's because i left it in the jeweler's because i was trying on a different ring because the other was too big for my hand." she said trying to get him to leave her alone. 'Please let someone help me get this guy away from me.' she thought to herself as she slid away from him carefully.

Blast it!

It looked like someone else had already beaten him to it. Probably was the woman's boyfriend. Or husband even. Dang it.

Mordecai sighed to himself as he gave the woman one last glance before he turned to vanish into the Leaky Cauldron in order to settle himself with a double shot of fire whiskey. Nothing soothed the temper like that gorgon's blood. There was something about what he was seeing that didn't quite sit right with him. If the bloke was the woman's significant other, why was she trying to get away from him? Mordecai could read a person's body language just as easily as he could read a wind current. There was something amiss with all this.

"Why do I get myself into these things?" He growled out loud before he squared his shoulders and bulled his way over to the woman. People either got out of his way or he knocked them aside. There were a few cries of surprise but no one did anything about it. The hard set of his jaw and the cold look in his eye was pretty clear to everybody.

"Hey sweetheart, I got the book you wanted." Mordecai coughed as he sidled his was to Calista's side, giving her his most winning smile before he turned to the man who was harassing her. "Who the hell are you?"

Calista breathed a sigh of relief, "Oh thank you sweetheart, i hope it wasn't too much money." she said sweetly smiling. She got closer to the man trying not to show how truly frightened of the other man she was.

"I was just asking the miss where i could find a bookstore, she told me so I'll be taking my leave." he said quickly walking the other direction as fast as he could manage, practically running.

When the man was out of ear shot she said, "Thank you sir. I couldn't thank you enough for that." she stepped back slightly from him her hands shaking slightly because she knew that other man had wanted from her.

"Finding the bookstore. Right mate." Mordecai actually growled as he fixed the other man with a look that told him exactly what Mordecai as about to do with him in he didn't move his ass out of his line of sight in the next ten seconds. Intimidation tactics, just another life skill learned out on the Pitch. It always worked like a charm.

Mordecai's eyes followed the man's back until he turned a corner and was gone for sight. He'd remember that face from now on.

"Eh?" Mordecai brought his attention to the woman beside him. "You alright? You remind me of a martini, all shaken up. How's about I get you a little something to sooth the nerves over at the Cauldron eh?"

Okay it was a cheesy line to use but a little bit of humour did more good for a person than having twenty questions thrown at them.