Of shoes, and ships, and sealing wax...
[meant to be posted Saturday; sorry y'all, computer was dedz]
Tess' hand firmly in his as they made their way down the cobblestone streets of Diagon, Jonathan kept his dark gaze alert. He didn't suspect that anything would happen on their outing, but he'd noticed several eyes turning in their direction. He'd known the visit Gwen and Tess had paid him at the Ministry would be talked about; Gwen was a well known athlete in the Quidditch world, and known in society besides. It'd been a very public display in a public arena. He hadn't read the papers, but he knew enough that it'd been reported on.
"Anywhere in particular you'd like to go, Princess?" he asked the dirty-blonde, eyes cast down at the top of Tess' head.
"Ice-cream, later," Tess answered immediately, remembering the huge cold-box at Fortescue's with all the many flavors in it. She looked about them, taking in the shop windows and trying to decide what looked like fun. "No clothes. Regan taked me there last time. Books? Or go see an'mals?"
"We could go to Eeylops," Jonathan answered, smiling. He'd never had a personal owl growing up, and had envied the others at school who had. Animals were work and a 'distraction' that he wasn't afforded. "They have owls, if you wanted one."
Shaking her head, Tess pointed farther down the street, past where she could see the shop signs. "No owl, they grumpy. Other one, with doggies." They were called something else, and looked a little funny, but they were like doggies, and she liked to play with them. She tugged on J-man's hand, pulling him toward where she wanted to go.
Frowning at the idea of the Magical Menagerie, not really enjoying the particular aroma of that shop, he let the small girl lead him in that direction.
Tess danced along for a moment, then glanced up to the unenthusiastic face above her. "Not want?" she questioned, pausing on the sidewalk. "You not like an'mals? You like Teddy..."
"Teddy is a singularly clean and well-kept animal. Most of the pets in that shop are not," he said, shrugging his shoulders, "but if you'd like to go in, we can. I'm sure the doggies would love your attentions."
"Oh." She looked around again, eyes flicking doubtfully to the owl shop, only to be caught by something far more interesting. "What this place?" she asked, pointing to the neon-bright, flashing sign that had captured her attention. She recognized the letter 'W', big and several of them, but her reading was not up to telling what the shop was, yet.
"It's Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes," Jonathan read for her, his eyes narrowing slightly before he remembered that there were quite a few in the family of redheads, and that this wasn't the Weasley that had made Regan cry. "It's a joke shop."
The name sparked something in her memory, and Tess piped after a moment, "That Jack's daddy his name, Wease." The bright colors were enticing and she tugged in that direction. "We go?"
"Sure."
Grabbing the door and pulling it open, Jonathan kept a hand on hers. It was a Saturday, and even though school was in session, there were a lot of children running around the space. Everything was bright, several things making noises as they bounced around in boxes. It was no wonder the kids had large smiles on their faces as they ran up and down the aisles.
"Welcome to the Wheezes," Fred called, ringing out a customer as he saw a man and a little girl enter the shop. "Yell if I can help you with anything."
Mesmerized by a display of tops that seemed to be hovering in mid-air, Tess wandered toward the shelf, looking closely to see that they were actually balanced on a very skinny, clear string, spinning and spinning and spinning. She reached out cautiously to touch one, and squeaked as it jumped into her hand, continuing to spin.
Grinning as Tess spent her attention on the bright tops, Jonathan let his eyes wander the vibrant shelves, looking up to the second floor. It was obvious that this was a well thought out shop. Every corner was filled with something to catch your eye, make you interested. Profitable, for sure. "Did you want one of those?" he asked Tess, focus turning back the small girl.
"Dunno yet. Look some more," Tess said distractedly, tipping the top carefully back onto its shelf. Regan had told her not to always pick the first thing she liked, because there might be something she liked better that she just hadn't seen yet.
She skipped off to a cage of fluffy little creatures, grinning broadly as they scooted around, sniffing things and climbing on each other. "Look, J-man. Fluffs."
Following after Tess, Jonathan placed both hands on her shoulders as she peered into the cage. The small balls were interesting and comical, rolling over each other. It was a surprise that they were considered a creature at all, but he could see the draw for children. "I wonder what they eat."
"Anything, though I'd advise against feeding them cheese, if you value your sense of smell," Fred quipped, leaning against the wall near the tank of Pygmy Puffs. "There's Puff Pellets specially-made, which are sort of like what you'd feed rats or rabbits," he added, pointing to the bags of food on the shelves beneath the cage.
Turning her face up at the new voice, Tess smiled at the man, probably a Weasley, given the color of his hair. "You ginger like Jack's daddy," she observed. "You Wease?"
Teeth flashing in a wide smile, Fred stooped to address the little one watching him. "That's because Jack's daddy is my brother, and yes, I'm Fred Weasley, and this is my shop. D'you know Jack from school, then?" She looked a little young to be enrolled at Sara Prep, but he guessed she might be in the pre-form class for fours and fives.
Tess shook her head. "I know Jack from Regan my siss, she take me visitin'," she explained. A frown appeared a moment later, and she continued, "Not no more, though. She sad now, and say she not see Percy, and I not see Jack til later."
Appreciating the lack of filter in Tess, not sure he'd have been able to put it so succinctly and without anger, Jonathan just squeezed her shoulder slightly, small grin on his face.
Things clicked together in Fred's head as the tiny girl spoke, and he grimaced briefly. "Stupid, poncy, speccy git..." he muttered under his breath, making note to arrange for Lav to take Jack somewhere for a while soon while he knocked some sense into his brother.
"I'm sorry to hear that... I happen to like your 'siss'... she's a nice girl, and she was pretty good at keeping my wife's dogs drooling and happy the last time she came to visit." He found another smile and fished a Puff from the tank, snagging the 'playpen' out from under the shelving with the toe of one shoe and offering the little ball of fur to the clever child. "D'you want to play with one for a minute?"
Accepting the creature readily, her hands gentle on the bitty thing, Tess plopped down on the floor to cuddle and coo at the Pygmy Puff.
"You must be Auror Savage, then," Fred surmised, offering a hand to the genial-looking fellow watching him.
Shaking the offered hand, Jonathan nodded at Fred, an eye still carefully watching Tess, though he knew she was safe for the time being. "Jonathan," he murmured in greeting. "You've quite a shop here, Fred."
"Thanks... It's a lot to manage, but I love it. Can't imagine doing anything else." That much was the truth, though he'd had his moments in the years after he'd lost George. His eyes followed Jonathan's to where Tess was giggling at the Puff, and he nodded in her direction. "Joscelin said Gwen had adopted a little one, but I'll admit I didn't believe it at first. Doesn't quite seem like what I know of her."
Jonathan's initial reaction was to tell the ginger man that he probably knew very little about Gwen, but it was clear he hadn't meant any offense in the statement. Fred had mentioned Joscelin, which meant this man was an acquaintance of Gwen's brother. He also vaguely remembered his lover saying something about her former chaser, Katie, and put two and two together.
He watched Tess continue to coo at the bright fluff, laughing as it began to sniff at her fingers. "Tess is drawn to anything fluffy and bright. I think there are quite a few things in your shop that might qualify as necessities."
Fred chuckled, shrugging his shoulders. "I'd say 'sorry', but that's how I get a lot of my business. I'll refrain from showing her anything explosive, though; I don't particularly want her Mum hunting me down."
Tess looked up and tugged on the black pant leg directly behind her. "J-man? I ask Mummy for fluff. I like... but maybe she not like." She also wasn't sure she wanted this particular kind of fluff. It was very cute, and she liked the soft pink color of its fur, but it wasn't really big enough to cuddle properly.
"Well, you won't know until you ask her, Princess." He had a feeling that whatever Tess asked Gwen for would be granted, within reason. Turning to Fred, deciding a little more information on the Puff might be prudent and appreciated, he asked "are they hard to take care of? Noisy? Do anything that might make someone's wand hand a bit twitchy?"
Knowing exactly who was at reference in the latter comment, Fred grinned and shook his head. "They need food and water, obviously, and cheese apparently makes them horribly flatulent, but otherwise they're about as complicated as a pet rock." He lowered his voice, feeling it prudent to impart one additional piece of information, given the age of the munchkin. "They don't live all that long, though... a year or two, at best."
Nodding, thankful for the information Fred had given him, Jonathan looked back at Tess as she held the little ball up in an attempt to see if it had any legs. He didn't like the thought of the little girl becoming attached to something only to have it die. She'd had enough loss in her short life as it was.
"I'll be sure to let pass on that knowledge," he said, looking over at Fred with a friendly grin. "Your wife was on Gwen's team, yeah?"
"Yeah," Fred confirmed. "'Til... not quite two years ago... she was a Chaser." He smiled sort of sheepishly, running a hand through his hair. "And then we found out she was pregnant, and Quidditch lost its spot as top priority. Gwen was really great about it, though."
"I've heard she was rather good," Jonathan offered, "though I'm sure she's a much better mum and immeasurably happy being that."
"She is, though I'm thinking I may have to nominate both her and my mum for sainthood before the boys start school. They're... definitely mine." Fred was immeasurably proud of Katie; he did everything he could, but she was still the primary caregiver for their sons, and as much as they loved the boys, it was work.
"Hey, bite-size," he addressed Tess, smiling when she tipped her head back to look up at him. "Ever seen a bouncing ball with legs?"
Tess shook her head, holding out the pink fluff for him to take. "You show? I ask Mummy about fluff. She not like mess."
Glad that Tess had decided that the puff was better off staying here and not coming home with them, Jonathan waited until Fred took the fluff from her hands before helping her to her feet.
"Up," Tess requested, holding her hands out to J-man. "You show ball, please," she directed to Fred.
"Yes ma'am," Fred answered, chuckling to himself. It was still hard to imagine Gwen with a child as unlike her as this one was, but the girl obviously had the Auror wrapped around her cute little finger.
Lifting Tess, one arm secure under her thighs, Jonathan followed Fred as he led them towards something less furry and hopefully less likely to make Gwen's eye twitch.
Summary: Jonathan takes Tess on an outing to Diagon and they end up in Fred's shop, really to no one's surprise.
Tess' hand firmly in his as they made their way down the cobblestone streets of Diagon, Jonathan kept his dark gaze alert. He didn't suspect that anything would happen on their outing, but he'd noticed several eyes turning in their direction. He'd known the visit Gwen and Tess had paid him at the Ministry would be talked about; Gwen was a well known athlete in the Quidditch world, and known in society besides. It'd been a very public display in a public arena. He hadn't read the papers, but he knew enough that it'd been reported on.
"Anywhere in particular you'd like to go, Princess?" he asked the dirty-blonde, eyes cast down at the top of Tess' head.
"Ice-cream, later," Tess answered immediately, remembering the huge cold-box at Fortescue's with all the many flavors in it. She looked about them, taking in the shop windows and trying to decide what looked like fun. "No clothes. Regan taked me there last time. Books? Or go see an'mals?"
"We could go to Eeylops," Jonathan answered, smiling. He'd never had a personal owl growing up, and had envied the others at school who had. Animals were work and a 'distraction' that he wasn't afforded. "They have owls, if you wanted one."
Shaking her head, Tess pointed farther down the street, past where she could see the shop signs. "No owl, they grumpy. Other one, with doggies." They were called something else, and looked a little funny, but they were like doggies, and she liked to play with them. She tugged on J-man's hand, pulling him toward where she wanted to go.
Frowning at the idea of the Magical Menagerie, not really enjoying the particular aroma of that shop, he let the small girl lead him in that direction.
Tess danced along for a moment, then glanced up to the unenthusiastic face above her. "Not want?" she questioned, pausing on the sidewalk. "You not like an'mals? You like Teddy..."
"Teddy is a singularly clean and well-kept animal. Most of the pets in that shop are not," he said, shrugging his shoulders, "but if you'd like to go in, we can. I'm sure the doggies would love your attentions."
"Oh." She looked around again, eyes flicking doubtfully to the owl shop, only to be caught by something far more interesting. "What this place?" she asked, pointing to the neon-bright, flashing sign that had captured her attention. She recognized the letter 'W', big and several of them, but her reading was not up to telling what the shop was, yet.
"It's Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes," Jonathan read for her, his eyes narrowing slightly before he remembered that there were quite a few in the family of redheads, and that this wasn't the Weasley that had made Regan cry. "It's a joke shop."
The name sparked something in her memory, and Tess piped after a moment, "That Jack's daddy his name, Wease." The bright colors were enticing and she tugged in that direction. "We go?"
"Sure."
Grabbing the door and pulling it open, Jonathan kept a hand on hers. It was a Saturday, and even though school was in session, there were a lot of children running around the space. Everything was bright, several things making noises as they bounced around in boxes. It was no wonder the kids had large smiles on their faces as they ran up and down the aisles.
"Welcome to the Wheezes," Fred called, ringing out a customer as he saw a man and a little girl enter the shop. "Yell if I can help you with anything."
Mesmerized by a display of tops that seemed to be hovering in mid-air, Tess wandered toward the shelf, looking closely to see that they were actually balanced on a very skinny, clear string, spinning and spinning and spinning. She reached out cautiously to touch one, and squeaked as it jumped into her hand, continuing to spin.
Grinning as Tess spent her attention on the bright tops, Jonathan let his eyes wander the vibrant shelves, looking up to the second floor. It was obvious that this was a well thought out shop. Every corner was filled with something to catch your eye, make you interested. Profitable, for sure. "Did you want one of those?" he asked Tess, focus turning back the small girl.
"Dunno yet. Look some more," Tess said distractedly, tipping the top carefully back onto its shelf. Regan had told her not to always pick the first thing she liked, because there might be something she liked better that she just hadn't seen yet.
She skipped off to a cage of fluffy little creatures, grinning broadly as they scooted around, sniffing things and climbing on each other. "Look, J-man. Fluffs."
Following after Tess, Jonathan placed both hands on her shoulders as she peered into the cage. The small balls were interesting and comical, rolling over each other. It was a surprise that they were considered a creature at all, but he could see the draw for children. "I wonder what they eat."
"Anything, though I'd advise against feeding them cheese, if you value your sense of smell," Fred quipped, leaning against the wall near the tank of Pygmy Puffs. "There's Puff Pellets specially-made, which are sort of like what you'd feed rats or rabbits," he added, pointing to the bags of food on the shelves beneath the cage.
Turning her face up at the new voice, Tess smiled at the man, probably a Weasley, given the color of his hair. "You ginger like Jack's daddy," she observed. "You Wease?"
Teeth flashing in a wide smile, Fred stooped to address the little one watching him. "That's because Jack's daddy is my brother, and yes, I'm Fred Weasley, and this is my shop. D'you know Jack from school, then?" She looked a little young to be enrolled at Sara Prep, but he guessed she might be in the pre-form class for fours and fives.
Tess shook her head. "I know Jack from Regan my siss, she take me visitin'," she explained. A frown appeared a moment later, and she continued, "Not no more, though. She sad now, and say she not see Percy, and I not see Jack til later."
Appreciating the lack of filter in Tess, not sure he'd have been able to put it so succinctly and without anger, Jonathan just squeezed her shoulder slightly, small grin on his face.
Things clicked together in Fred's head as the tiny girl spoke, and he grimaced briefly. "Stupid, poncy, speccy git..." he muttered under his breath, making note to arrange for Lav to take Jack somewhere for a while soon while he knocked some sense into his brother.
"I'm sorry to hear that... I happen to like your 'siss'... she's a nice girl, and she was pretty good at keeping my wife's dogs drooling and happy the last time she came to visit." He found another smile and fished a Puff from the tank, snagging the 'playpen' out from under the shelving with the toe of one shoe and offering the little ball of fur to the clever child. "D'you want to play with one for a minute?"
Accepting the creature readily, her hands gentle on the bitty thing, Tess plopped down on the floor to cuddle and coo at the Pygmy Puff.
"You must be Auror Savage, then," Fred surmised, offering a hand to the genial-looking fellow watching him.
Shaking the offered hand, Jonathan nodded at Fred, an eye still carefully watching Tess, though he knew she was safe for the time being. "Jonathan," he murmured in greeting. "You've quite a shop here, Fred."
"Thanks... It's a lot to manage, but I love it. Can't imagine doing anything else." That much was the truth, though he'd had his moments in the years after he'd lost George. His eyes followed Jonathan's to where Tess was giggling at the Puff, and he nodded in her direction. "Joscelin said Gwen had adopted a little one, but I'll admit I didn't believe it at first. Doesn't quite seem like what I know of her."
Jonathan's initial reaction was to tell the ginger man that he probably knew very little about Gwen, but it was clear he hadn't meant any offense in the statement. Fred had mentioned Joscelin, which meant this man was an acquaintance of Gwen's brother. He also vaguely remembered his lover saying something about her former chaser, Katie, and put two and two together.
He watched Tess continue to coo at the bright fluff, laughing as it began to sniff at her fingers. "Tess is drawn to anything fluffy and bright. I think there are quite a few things in your shop that might qualify as necessities."
Fred chuckled, shrugging his shoulders. "I'd say 'sorry', but that's how I get a lot of my business. I'll refrain from showing her anything explosive, though; I don't particularly want her Mum hunting me down."
Tess looked up and tugged on the black pant leg directly behind her. "J-man? I ask Mummy for fluff. I like... but maybe she not like." She also wasn't sure she wanted this particular kind of fluff. It was very cute, and she liked the soft pink color of its fur, but it wasn't really big enough to cuddle properly.
"Well, you won't know until you ask her, Princess." He had a feeling that whatever Tess asked Gwen for would be granted, within reason. Turning to Fred, deciding a little more information on the Puff might be prudent and appreciated, he asked "are they hard to take care of? Noisy? Do anything that might make someone's wand hand a bit twitchy?"
Knowing exactly who was at reference in the latter comment, Fred grinned and shook his head. "They need food and water, obviously, and cheese apparently makes them horribly flatulent, but otherwise they're about as complicated as a pet rock." He lowered his voice, feeling it prudent to impart one additional piece of information, given the age of the munchkin. "They don't live all that long, though... a year or two, at best."
Nodding, thankful for the information Fred had given him, Jonathan looked back at Tess as she held the little ball up in an attempt to see if it had any legs. He didn't like the thought of the little girl becoming attached to something only to have it die. She'd had enough loss in her short life as it was.
"I'll be sure to let pass on that knowledge," he said, looking over at Fred with a friendly grin. "Your wife was on Gwen's team, yeah?"
"Yeah," Fred confirmed. "'Til... not quite two years ago... she was a Chaser." He smiled sort of sheepishly, running a hand through his hair. "And then we found out she was pregnant, and Quidditch lost its spot as top priority. Gwen was really great about it, though."
"I've heard she was rather good," Jonathan offered, "though I'm sure she's a much better mum and immeasurably happy being that."
"She is, though I'm thinking I may have to nominate both her and my mum for sainthood before the boys start school. They're... definitely mine." Fred was immeasurably proud of Katie; he did everything he could, but she was still the primary caregiver for their sons, and as much as they loved the boys, it was work.
"Hey, bite-size," he addressed Tess, smiling when she tipped her head back to look up at him. "Ever seen a bouncing ball with legs?"
Tess shook her head, holding out the pink fluff for him to take. "You show? I ask Mummy about fluff. She not like mess."
Glad that Tess had decided that the puff was better off staying here and not coming home with them, Jonathan waited until Fred took the fluff from her hands before helping her to her feet.
"Up," Tess requested, holding her hands out to J-man. "You show ball, please," she directed to Fred.
"Yes ma'am," Fred answered, chuckling to himself. It was still hard to imagine Gwen with a child as unlike her as this one was, but the girl obviously had the Auror wrapped around her cute little finger.
Lifting Tess, one arm secure under her thighs, Jonathan followed Fred as he led them towards something less furry and hopefully less likely to make Gwen's eye twitch.
Summary: Jonathan takes Tess on an outing to Diagon and they end up in Fred's shop, really to no one's surprise.