The Marauders - Order of the Phoenix Part Three

Splendid

"It's the muggles what should be even more worried than the wizards isn't it, though?" Wally said.

Kevin's eyes darted from Oliver to Wally. "What's a muggle? Wait, you mean like the magic? Because I don't have any magic like Oliver? Is that what a muggle is?"

"See what you've done, you've broken the statute," Oliver said, pushing Wally in the shoulder.

Wally looked around, "Because him being in Diagon Alley at Fortescue's ISN'T breaking it?!" 

Oliver hadn't considered that. "Alright, true, but --"

"Fantastic Fudge Ripple!" Michael shoved a bowl in front of Kevin as Nate and Eli came back, carrying dishes for Oliver and Wally. 

Eli put Yertle on the table and dropped a couple of strawberry slices in front of the turtle. "Look, Jasper said turtles like strawberries."

"They love strawberries," confirmed Meg, coming down the stairs and into the shop just as Eli was dropping the strawberries down. She walked over and picked up one of the slices and held it up for the turtle. Yertle opened his mouth wide and chomped into the bright pink fruit. "See that?"

"Wow, cool," Eli took the slice from Meg and continued on feeding Yertle.

Meg looked at Wally. "Okay, wait - did I miscount yesterday or do we suddenly have a yet another boy this morning?" She laughed. "How've you been, Wally?"

"I'm alright, Meg," Wally answered.

"You know Meg?" Kevin asked.

"Yeah, she was a Gryffindor at school like me and Ollie."

"Are you magical too?" Eli asked Meg, looking up at her.

"The most magical," Oliver said. "She got rid of all my bruises."

Eli looked at Oliver's face, then up at Meg. "You're nice."

She laughed, "Thank you, sweet heart.' She kissed the top of his head. 

After Meg left with the boys, Jasper hesitated, then put up the closed sign in the window of the shop. "Be back at 1," he magicked a sign to say, spellotaped it to the door, and hurried to the upstairs floo. 

He'd completely forgotten that he needed to talk to Harry Underhill.

After going through all the security at the Ministry, Jasper was arriving just as the ceremony for the inauguration was going out. The atrium was crowded and the hallways a bit reminiscent of swimming upstream. He saw the Minister for Magic lope past, surrounded by several strong looking wizards and trailed by Annalee McKinnon. There were a good deal of men and women in their grey and purple uniforms, and he spotted Frank Longbottom carrying a wrapped parcel and laughing at something his wife, Alice, had just said in his ear, his shiny new badge stuck to his chest. Then, just down the corridor, he spotted James and Lily Potter.

Lily was leaning with her back against the wall, James in front of her, leaning against his splayed palms, their faces close together, her green eyes shining up at him... It was all too familiar a sight, something anyone who'd been at school with them during their seventh year had seen a hundred thousand times during their "rounds" in the evenings - Jasper, of course hadn't been there, but he'd heard about these two from Meg and he couldn't help but laugh, even as he approached them with a rather serious bit of conversation to have...

"...are most definitely the most loviest..." James was whispering in Lily's ear and she was giggling, but then her eyes landed on Jasper and she poked James's shoulder, pointing. He looked over. "Jasper?"