Bob the Skull / 19. Anticipation
Title: Seventh Time's the Charm
Fandom: The Dresden Files (tv-verse)
Characters: Bob, Harry
Prompt: 19. Anticipation
Word Count: 899
Rating: PG
Summary: Harry and Bob discuss the sudden wizard population explosion.
Disclaimer: The Dresden Files do not belong to me. Just passing through.
Table: Here There be Ghosts
"Harry."
"Yeah, Bob?"
"There appears to be a witch peering in through the window."
"What, another one?" Harry looked up from his book. "That's the third one today."
"Fourth." Bob nodded toward a pair of bright, inquisitive young eyes peeping through the pane of musty shop front glass. Only the nose up to a shock of sandy colored hair was visible. Either the owner was kneeling on the concrete outside or they were too short to be seen.
"I think they prefer to be called wizards."
Beyond the window, he watched as a taller figure approached the door then reached down to take a small hand. The miniature witch turned away from the window, adjusted the pointy hat with her free hand, and hurried off beside her mother, robed in matching black.
Harry stood up from the desk and wandered over to the door, peering out into the night. Shrouded in darkness, tonight the normally quiet sidewalk was teaming with activity. The curbs were lined with cars packed bumper to bumper, as close as they could manage without bumping into their immediate neighbor. Most were minivans of various shapes and sizes. As he watched, the door to a blue Chevy slid open, disgorging a gaggle of giggling witches and wizards in handmade robes and conical hats pasted with stars and moons.
"Humph," opined Bob, watching the newest horde of children being shepherded down the street toward the mega bookstore several blocks away. "I haven't seen a single wand being used with any finesse whatsoever," he said with distain. "I wonder what they would do if even a single one of those urchins turned out to have an ounce of magical talent. They could obliterate half a city block waving a wand about like that."
"Lighten' up, Bob," said Harry. "They're just little kids having some fun."
"Not so little," observed Bob as a buxom young woman sauntered by in a leather bustier and knee-high stiletto boots. "Now there's a witch whose wand I'd like to--"
"Bob!"
The ghost blinked innocently at Harry, deliberately obtuse. "Yes?"
"Mind out of the gutter, okay? There are kids around."
"You might want to mention that to the young vixen that just passed us by," countered Bob. "And while you're at it, ask her if she has a sister. It's been some time since you took a wench to your bed. It's making you irritable."
"It is not!"
"I beg to differ."
"You're just pissed because I haven't given you anything to watch."
"That, too," admitted Bob with a wry smile. "Ah, now there's one with potential!"
A husband and wife were strolling by, hand in hand and talking animatedly to each other. Like many of the other adult they'd seen, they were wearing robes in burgundy and gold. A small child was skipping along before them, blonde curls bouncing. The wand in her hand was a bright blue and covered with pink Hello Kitty! stickers. Instead of waving it about as if it were a light saber or baton, she carefully held it by her side, as if it were an extension of her hand.
"Not bad. Think she's got talent?" asked Harry.
Bob briefly closed his eyes and reached out with his senses. "Hmmm. Not that I can detect but that doesn't mean it isn't there. It may not have manifested as yet." When he opened his eyes, the family was already out of sight. "What a pity there isn't such a thing as an organized school for wizards."
"It'd never work," said Harry. "The High Council would insist on controlling that along with everything else." He turned to look at Bob and grinned. "You know, I bet you'd make a pretty good Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."
Bob's eyes narrowed with suspicion. "Is that an attempt at an insult?"
"It was a compliment!"
"They've all turned out to be villains. I am NOT a villain." Not at the moment, at any rate..
"I meant that you're more like Lupin. You know: cursed but basically one of the good guys?"
"As if being compared to a common lycanthrope is any better."
"You're no Snape either, Bob."
"I know," said the ghost haughtily. "I'm much better." He turned his back on the window and wandered over to the book Harry had left open on the desk. "You have ordered your copy, of course."
"Four months ago."
"It's nearly midnight. You could go to the bookstore tonight and get it."
"And fight that crowd?" said Harry with mock horror. "Nothing doing! It can wait until morning." At the ghost's pout of disappointment, Harry rolled his eyes heavenward. "You've spent a couple of centuries stuck in a skull. I think you can wait 12 more hours to read a book."
"The book."
"Even the book." Harry closed the volume on the desk. The dust jacket bore the cartoonish image of a youth with round owlish glasses and a telltale scar emblazoned on his forehead. "You know, when you think about it, she gets almost as much right as she does wrong."
Bob looked momentarily thoughtful. "Now that you mention it, she does come close," he agreed. "But mostly wrong."
"Yeah, but there's enough right to make you wonder."
"You think she's a wizard?"
"Maybe. Maybe not." Harry grinned. "But all the attention has got to be driving Mai and the High Council crazy."
Fandom: The Dresden Files (tv-verse)
Characters: Bob, Harry
Prompt: 19. Anticipation
Word Count: 899
Rating: PG
Summary: Harry and Bob discuss the sudden wizard population explosion.
Disclaimer: The Dresden Files do not belong to me. Just passing through.
Table: Here There be Ghosts
"Harry."
"Yeah, Bob?"
"There appears to be a witch peering in through the window."
"What, another one?" Harry looked up from his book. "That's the third one today."
"Fourth." Bob nodded toward a pair of bright, inquisitive young eyes peeping through the pane of musty shop front glass. Only the nose up to a shock of sandy colored hair was visible. Either the owner was kneeling on the concrete outside or they were too short to be seen.
"I think they prefer to be called wizards."
Beyond the window, he watched as a taller figure approached the door then reached down to take a small hand. The miniature witch turned away from the window, adjusted the pointy hat with her free hand, and hurried off beside her mother, robed in matching black.
Harry stood up from the desk and wandered over to the door, peering out into the night. Shrouded in darkness, tonight the normally quiet sidewalk was teaming with activity. The curbs were lined with cars packed bumper to bumper, as close as they could manage without bumping into their immediate neighbor. Most were minivans of various shapes and sizes. As he watched, the door to a blue Chevy slid open, disgorging a gaggle of giggling witches and wizards in handmade robes and conical hats pasted with stars and moons.
"Humph," opined Bob, watching the newest horde of children being shepherded down the street toward the mega bookstore several blocks away. "I haven't seen a single wand being used with any finesse whatsoever," he said with distain. "I wonder what they would do if even a single one of those urchins turned out to have an ounce of magical talent. They could obliterate half a city block waving a wand about like that."
"Lighten' up, Bob," said Harry. "They're just little kids having some fun."
"Not so little," observed Bob as a buxom young woman sauntered by in a leather bustier and knee-high stiletto boots. "Now there's a witch whose wand I'd like to--"
"Bob!"
The ghost blinked innocently at Harry, deliberately obtuse. "Yes?"
"Mind out of the gutter, okay? There are kids around."
"You might want to mention that to the young vixen that just passed us by," countered Bob. "And while you're at it, ask her if she has a sister. It's been some time since you took a wench to your bed. It's making you irritable."
"It is not!"
"I beg to differ."
"You're just pissed because I haven't given you anything to watch."
"That, too," admitted Bob with a wry smile. "Ah, now there's one with potential!"
A husband and wife were strolling by, hand in hand and talking animatedly to each other. Like many of the other adult they'd seen, they were wearing robes in burgundy and gold. A small child was skipping along before them, blonde curls bouncing. The wand in her hand was a bright blue and covered with pink Hello Kitty! stickers. Instead of waving it about as if it were a light saber or baton, she carefully held it by her side, as if it were an extension of her hand.
"Not bad. Think she's got talent?" asked Harry.
Bob briefly closed his eyes and reached out with his senses. "Hmmm. Not that I can detect but that doesn't mean it isn't there. It may not have manifested as yet." When he opened his eyes, the family was already out of sight. "What a pity there isn't such a thing as an organized school for wizards."
"It'd never work," said Harry. "The High Council would insist on controlling that along with everything else." He turned to look at Bob and grinned. "You know, I bet you'd make a pretty good Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."
Bob's eyes narrowed with suspicion. "Is that an attempt at an insult?"
"It was a compliment!"
"They've all turned out to be villains. I am NOT a villain." Not at the moment, at any rate..
"I meant that you're more like Lupin. You know: cursed but basically one of the good guys?"
"As if being compared to a common lycanthrope is any better."
"You're no Snape either, Bob."
"I know," said the ghost haughtily. "I'm much better." He turned his back on the window and wandered over to the book Harry had left open on the desk. "You have ordered your copy, of course."
"Four months ago."
"It's nearly midnight. You could go to the bookstore tonight and get it."
"And fight that crowd?" said Harry with mock horror. "Nothing doing! It can wait until morning." At the ghost's pout of disappointment, Harry rolled his eyes heavenward. "You've spent a couple of centuries stuck in a skull. I think you can wait 12 more hours to read a book."
"The book."
"Even the book." Harry closed the volume on the desk. The dust jacket bore the cartoonish image of a youth with round owlish glasses and a telltale scar emblazoned on his forehead. "You know, when you think about it, she gets almost as much right as she does wrong."
Bob looked momentarily thoughtful. "Now that you mention it, she does come close," he agreed. "But mostly wrong."
"Yeah, but there's enough right to make you wonder."
"You think she's a wizard?"
"Maybe. Maybe not." Harry grinned. "But all the attention has got to be driving Mai and the High Council crazy."