TBAY: small DEW DROPS could matter

[Melody]

No: HPFGUIDX 45664

Previously, on As The Bay Turns...

>"Hi, Melody", says the Grey Wolf in what would be a cheery manner if
>it wasn't being said by a 6' 6" werewolf weighting over 200 pounds,
>"Have you moved in definitely? Do you like your logins?"

>"Hi, Grey Wolf", answers Melody, "yes, I have moved in and I love my
>room. It is so big! What brings you here? I thought you were off
>someplace to hunt rabbits"



Melody awoke with a start.  Catching her breath, she looked around to
figure out where she was.  The shadowed sun and calm waters of the bay
were quite comforting after the restless sleep she had.  She leaned
back against the headboard trying to figure out what just happened.

She was sure it was all a dream.  Something about a huge hairy beast
in a nicely tailored suit.  "Maybe I've just watched Beauty and the
Beast too many times," she commented rationally to herself and turned
over.  However, she still did not feel appeased.

She squinted her eyes to the back of her head to remember that there
in fact was a beast...and he was a little over a foot taller than she
was, but she wasn't afraid.  "We seemed to be talking...in this
house!"  Melody jumped up and grabbed her sheets in case she needed
their defense.  The beast sounded so elegant," she remembered, "But
why did I speak in short sentences like a five-year-old school girl?"
 How odd.  Moreover, why was Ride of the Valkyries** playing in the
background?  Extremely odd.

[**For those not in the know, think of the Bugs Bunny cartoon
"Kill the wabbit, kill the wabbit."  :)  ]

Feeling that food would help, Melody rolled off the bed onto the floor
and headed, or rather stumbled, down the stairs.  On the way down, she
also remembered something about boldface words drawn from the air.
"How strange," she said even though she was the only one around.  "It
seemed so real."

Reaching the bottom, she smelled the fresh bacon from Sneaky's cast
iron pan.  At least she knew that was real.  Sneaky smiled brightly at
the tousled hair and sleepy eyes of the Safe House's new member.
"Good morning, Miss Melody," Sneaky chirped.

"Morning Sneaky...Thanks," she greeted while taking her plate.  The
breakfast nook is very cozy but felt a bit isolated this morning.
"Sneaky, where is everyone?"

"Off.  They's busy.  Very busy." Sneaky answered while disinfecting
the counter.

"Oh," Melody said sitting down at the scrubbed table.  After a few
heavy moments, at least by Melody's perspective, Melody asked,
"Sneaky, did Grey Wolf come home last night?"

"Oh yes'm.  Very quickly.  Very urgently." Sneaky said with pride.

Sitting back in her chair, Melody thought aloud, "Oh.  I didn't
imagined it...Is he still here?"

Sneaky stopped working for a moment and looked at Melody with a
quizzical look.  "Oh no ma'am.  He's long gone.  Comes and goes as he
pleases.  You should know that."

"Yeah I do, but I thought he might at least rest a bit," Melody
explained while playing with her toast.  "Is Pip here?"

"Yes'm.  As usual.  Busy in her study." said with pride again by Sneaky.

"Think she'd mind if I interrupted her a bit?" as Melody finished her
bacon.

"Only a bit," Sneaky offered.

"Thanks, Sneaky." Melody said as she grasped her cup of orange juice
and headed towards the study.  It was one of her favorite rooms in the
House.  So many books and volumes all on a boy named Harry and his
world.  Hundreds and hundreds of volumes about military warfare,
hidden motives, plus the odd book about bloody ghosts.  All
spectacularly catalogued, collated, and filed to be able to find in an
instance.  In a high leather chair, Pip sat frantically typing away at
her computer desk, which overlooked the bay.

>From the double doors, Melody called, "Pip?"

Pips fingers froze over the keyboard as she turned toward the creature
that dared to interrupt.  Seeing her new housemate, Pip's face relaxed
and she gently smiled.  "Yes, Mel?"

"Well, I had an odd dream last night, and I was wondering...well you
see Sneaky said...well...was Grey here last night?"  Melody managed to
sputter out.

"Yes in fact he was." Pip said still smiling.

"Oh, he sure bustled his way back out, didn't he?"

"Generally does.  Makes him feel that he is still independent." Pip
answered rather matter of fact, "Did you need him for something?"

"Well sort of...you see...I dreamed, or rather it seems, I talked with
him last night about acronyms.  Something about a half rat/half pig.
I'm not sure now."

Pip laughed amused.  "He can be a bit peculiar when still in wolf form."

"No kidding, but anyway, I was wondering how does one launch their
own?" Melody finally asked.

Pip rocked back into her chair.  "Hmmm, generally it is bestowed on
them, but recently it has been the owners responsibility to raise the
mast and set it to sail." Pip said rather patiently.

"Oh, so that's all?  I just have to name it really?" Melody said
amazed at the simplicity of it all.  She was sure there had to be a
committee or an official swearing in ceremony or something.

"Pretty much," Pip answered, "Now if you don't have any more
questions, I'd like to get back..."

"Oh, no, no.  Don't let me keep you with my silly questions." Melody
said meekly feeling selfish for distracting her for so long.

Pip smiled once again, "Their not silly, just innocent."

"Oh...ok...I'll just..." but Pip had already swiveled back around and
was typing in a blur of fingers.

Melody backed her way quietly out of the study.  Maybe one day Pip
will be able to come out and play," Melody hoped will climbing back up
the grand stairs.  "And maybe Grey Wolf will stay long enough to leave
a watermark next time," she mused entering her room.

Melody gathered the pieces she needed off her dresser and headed back
downstairs and out the back door.  Crossing the lush grass sprinkled
with topiaries of cannons, Melody headed straight for the dock.
Sitting down so that her toes just touch the water, Melody arranged
her pieces out to construct her little boat.  All pieces for the boat
were gathered from her personal post kits numbers 45002, 45008, 45092
(which has the longer, in-depth version).


First, the body of the boat needed to be constructed:
>Dumbledore's magical pocket watch is used by Dumbledore to monitor
>the general state of Harry's being thus helping Dumbledore protect
>Harry without directly being there.


Once the body was in place, Melody rested a few can(n)ons on board to
defend her tender craft:

>First reference is Dumbledore's watch
>PS/SS Ch 1:
>twelve hands, no numbers, little planets running around the edge
>We are given no knowledge about what the watch says, but we do know
>after Dumbledore peers at the watch, he announces that Hagrid is >late.

>Second reference is the clock *on the wall* in the Weasley's kitchen
>CoS Ch 3:
>only one hand, no numbers, written words around the edge
>This clock seems to assist Molly in her chores like a day planner.
>It only gives constructive, household instruction and only has one
>hand which I presume to be representing Molly.

>Third reference is the *grandfather* clock in the Weasley's house
>GoF Ch 10:
>nine golden hands engraved with each family member's name, no
>numbers, written around the face are "descriptions of where each
>family member might be"
>Each hand of the clock represents a family member and reveals to the
>viewer what the current state of the family.
>This clock and the kitchen clock are both in English and can be
>understood by every member of the Weasley family.


Finally, Melody attached the mass and drew up the sail.  The only
thing missing from her cute little boat was to christen it with its
own name.  Wanting a little ceremonious fanfare, Melody pulled out a
small kazoo and whizzed a simple trumpet fanfare similar to the one in
the opening of Pictures on an Exhibition.

"I hereby decree this tiny ship, <Daaa, dant, da daaaa> DEW DROP!

Dumbledore's Extraordinary Watch Draws Reconnaissance On Potter"

Melody said proudly and importantly.  The seagulls chirped in
agreement making it official.

Watching her tiny ship sail out in the horizon, Melody was proud of
her accomplishment.  It may not be the biggest ship in the fleet, and
it may not even be the most important, but it is built strong and the
mast is high.

"Hmmm, now what to do with the rest of my day?" she pondered while
playing leap frog with some of the topiaries.

Melody