LONDON CALLING

Andrew was only gone a moment. He brought paper on a clipboard and a pen and handed it to Angus.

"Okay. Can I go now?" Sam asked, anxious to see if the fondant tools were intact. He had been having a great time with the fondant because it was a lot like working with modeling clay. He was actually more frustrated that the fun with the fondant was overwith for now than he was that some of his and Sam's new stuff had been destroyed.

Angus was getting a feel for what interested the boys and what didn't. It would have been so easy for the boys to have gotten rather clingy and possessive about the stuff, but Sam and Victor truly didn't care much. They were far more interested in getting to know Angus and getting to understand his relationship with Ruby and what their new family was honestly going to be like. Stuff was disposable. Families, not so much.

Angus wrote a letter to the headmaster about the adoption and what Angus honestly believed was going to be a lingering danger to them from their new stepfather and their mother. Angus requested that he be permitted to station bodyguards for the boys near the gates of Hogwarts and in Hogsmeade on the weekends that they boys were permitted to go to Hogsmeade. He didn't want them kept from enjoying the village like all the other students, which would have been far easier, Angus knew, but Angus offered to station plain clothes guards to be within eyesight and earshot of the boys when they weren't securely on school grounds. Angus also explained the attack that had come barely 12 hours after he and Ruby had legally adopted the boys and the fire that had destroyed the books and the lessons. He asked for replacements asap, and then he updated the headmaster about the progress of Victor's leg.

He had Andrew send the letter, and then he tucked into some of the casserole Ruby had made.

"Great lunch, Ru," Angus said. "Nothing like good old fashioned comfort food, especially after a bit of a rough morning. Very nice. Thanks."

Ruby was pleased with the food as was Jack " hey we can go once we've eaten its not going anywhere" he said " sometimes patiants yealds the best results" he said and looked at Angs " I belive thats one of yours" he said smiling as he tucked into the casserole.
Now done Ruby cleared the table of things but left the food in the warming draws for the others should they want any.

Jack finished his food and sat back siping a cup of coffee and smiling. Jess looked at him " whats got you all smily?" she asked and he motioned to teh boys .

"never thought I'd see Angus wth a family" he said " its good though, suits him" he said and stod up " okay when your done I'll be waiting on the porch, come find me and we'll head over," he said moving out to smell the some what smoky air after eating.It ws now Ruby heard something appear on the counter and she smiled.

"the order of fondant has arrived." she said standing she walked over to it and smiled taking off the envalope from the top of the big box.
" its from the suplier, he says not to worry as we're their best customer and he sent over extra to put away." he said " oh and he hopes were all safe and well." she read then handed him the hand writen note.

"Let's go," Sam said to Jack, hoping to get back to playing with fondant.

"Thanks, Ruby," Angus said. "That fondant order was really speedy. And it's a good thing. I have a lot of work ahead of me. The boys, though, were wonderful help, believe it or not. I really don't want Edward and Simone to see what I'm doing ahead of time, so I'm considering asking Robert if we could use his place and work in their kitchen over there. Either that or maybe we can do some sort of enchantment on my office to make it bigger to put a workspace in there with a set of steel shelves, some air tight totes, a worktable with some chairs since a standard culinary work table would be too high. That sort of thing."

Ruby nodded " I asked them to rush it, I know its important to you," she said smiling then listened to his idea," hum maybe if we ask Robert but I don't think he'd have any objections, it would be like a pastry section." she said smiling as she watched and heard Sam talk to Jack "Sam manners please." she said looking over at him.

Jack chuckled at Sam's enthusiasm and opened the back door for them to head out " come on then" he said walking them across the yard to the burnt house. He held open the doors and looked around. Grabbing a plastic box he stood by teh counter " okay nything you find put in here" he said placing it down on the counter for them to put teh tools in as he looked for anything else. He found Angus's book beside the reliner and picked it up since it wasn't too bad he slipped it into his pocket to give to Angus when he returned . " so found everything yet?" he asked

"Well, I'd certainly have to ask if I used the farmhouse, but I wouldn't need to ask permission to enchant my office. Remember, until I was on medical leave, all those decisions were mine anyway."

Sam was scooping up everything off the table and chucking it in the box. He scooped up the sculpting tools and the molds and the toolbox and everything else that was on the table.

"I can't find Dad's sketchpad. There were gabillions of sketches in there. I know it was here--with his tin box of sketching pencils. Well, I think it was here," Sam was sure at first, and then he got rattled at not finding it. "And there was a big picture book on wedding cakes..." He started to panic and flicked his wand and cast a spell without thinking. "Accio, Stuff!" The second he did, all sorts of random things began flying every which direction through the house, and he got smacked right between the eyes with Ruby's missing pendant that was now glowing a foul, eerie slime green color, and when it hit him, it burned like fire.

"Ow! Damnit!" he cursed. "Sonofadeatheater! What the hell is it!"

Jack watched the boys then saw Sam panic, he walked over and took his wand " deep breath son" he said slowly " and sone of a death eater, realy" he said smirking " that was Rubys neclace, accioe sketchbok" he said and it appeared on the counter " you have to be exact in what you want" he told him befoe taking out his wand "Finite Incantatem duplex" he said and the spell Sam cast stopped everything landed on the floor at their feet. "breathing and control" he told them both. " so we have the sketch book now think where he had the book last, then accio it to you, clear words." Jack told Sam, he looked at Vincent "he always like this?"



Ruby put the fondant in the fridge and nodded " oh thats right its brians place not Roberts, sorry got muddled, my bad" she said and chuckled " Im sure Brian will let you, it could always be put back once the wedding is over." she sat down feeling her feet swell slightly at bing on them for so long.

Sam took a breath and tried to calm himself.

"Not usually," Victor answered Jack. "Except Reginald used to get so mean when we couldn't deliver something he'd told us to do. We saw him kill men for less than that. It didn't rattle me much anymore because I didn't think we'd ever really be able to leave even once we did turn eighteen. I used to hope I could piss him off enough that he would actually just kill me and get it overwith. Sam started to just panic because he knew too that someday Reginald would just kill us over something stupid, like not finding a cold soda in the fridge. Sam, Dude, really. I don't think Angus is going to use a killing curse on either one of us if we can't find something. Doesn't seem to be his style. I think you can chill about that."

Sam tried to take another deep breath and nodded. He looked down and saw the necklace on the floor. He picked it up, and as he dangled it by the chain, it made him shiver just by looking at the foul glowing green color it now had.

"That thing didn't use to glow like that," Victor said.

"No. It didn't. And I don't think Ruby woulda kept it if it did." Sam said, taking it over towards Victor.

"Dude, it's left a burn on your forehead where it hit you. I wouldn't touch that stone if I were you. Something's wrong with it. Better let Dad see it."

Jack listened to Victor and sighed " Angus will never raise a hand to a child or any one innocent, if you didn't find soemthing he'd just let it go, come on man, calm down" he said then saw the necklace okay , let me take that" he said taking it from Sam " we have someone , Gabe he can take a look at it." Jack said as Jessie walked in " Hey Jessie take this and put it in the lab with the other marker " he said and handed it off " good spot though " he said to sam" getting back to what I was saying, Angus is not like reginald hes patiant , kind and obove all honest and open" Jack told them both. " so don't fear him okay oh and if you need any one not part of the family Im always open to talk to"

Jessie looked at the necklace and slowly took it from Jack " wow , strong bad vibes" he said and Jack nodded" okay off to Gabe with you" he walked back across to the house where Ruby saw him.

"hey thats my neclace, but what in the world , why is it glowing?" she asked and looked to Angus. " you don't think.. mother" she said frowning. but staid calm. " are the boys okay?" she asked Jessie who nodded.

"yep Jacks looking after them." he siad walking to the lab and palcing it in a container made for things of a bad nature.

"Thanks," Sam said. "It's gonna be different having decent people around, not thugs. Mom and Dad were both basically scumbags, and everyone they hung out with were scumbags. Jack is there anything that does tick off people here?"

"Sam, you remember when they told us that Gryffindors were the sort that would get angry if something happened to someone they cared about more than that would something that happened to themselves?" Victor said. "I think some of these people are more like that. And I kinda think Angus is the same way."

"I guess I thought that was all magical myth. Fairytale junk. I don't know if I've ever met anyone that was truly like that," Sam said.

"Maybe we have now. I dunno. How else do you explain someone that will adopt a couple kids he doesn't even know just because its the right thing to do?"

"Well, when we got the letter saying he was gonna provide for us and he sent all that money, I just decided his cheese slid off his cracker," Sam shrugged.

Jack laughed out loud and then looked at the boys " nope his chees did not slip, that's exactly who he's like, him, Robert, Edward, practically everyone here, grated Jessie and Ruby are still learning but there grounded and that's what matters." he said " I for one would be out in the woods tearing every living thing to pieces if not for Robert and his potion he made for me and Jessie" Jessie picked up the box with toold and everything else in and loked at the boys " okay got everything, that book you wanted its on the table in his office I can see it" Jack said and pointed to the door behind them.

Once Jess placed the necklace in the enchanted box he moved back to the living room and took some food forhimself " well its safe now once Gabes de enchanted it Im sure it will be safe to have back" he said and looked at Angus. " I have a feeling Sam and Victor will fit in realy well." he said smiling. He watched out teh window as Jack opened the door again for the boys to leave the house. " looks like they might need a shower before bed." he said seeing their sooty clothes and dark hands.