TBAY: Invisibility Cloaks and Barbeques

[Melody <Malady579@hotmail.com>]

No: HPFGUIDX 52159

Melody peered around the room.  All eyes seemed to still be focused on
the rather large sword in her right hand.  Elkins was tiptoeing
backwards to the door, but Cindy, Risti, and Eileen were frozen.

"I'll just be outside," Elkins waved fumbling with the door handle.

Melody shut here eyes a moment and let her shoulders relax.  "Elkins,
wait," she called.

Elkins froze dead in her tracks, and only dared to move her eyes up to
look at the girl.

"You can take coffee, but no poptarts for you," Melody said gesturing
with her sword for Eileen to pour Elkins a new cup.  Elkins took it
graciously and nodded herself back towards the door letting it close
gently.

"And keep Coney out of the rose bushes," Melody instructed after her,
"It takes hours to get those thorns out."

She turned back to the room as the eyes still followed the sword.
"Any one mind if I shift the conversation *back* to were it originally
started?" she asked buffing the blade a bit with her shirtsleeve.

"Oh no."  "Oh course not"  "By all means."  "It is y'all's house."

Melody smiled, "Thank you," and with that, she tossed the sword up in
the air and dipped her head down to catch the sword in its invisible
scabbard on her back.  When the sword clicked in place, it disappeared
as well.

"Now then," Melody said hopping on the counter as if nothing just
happened.  "James' parents.  Cindy, you think at least one was a part
of the DMLE, and Elkins said one was a high ranking official."

Cindy nodded.

"Ok, then why if this cloak is sort of 'issued' as part of the job,
would the cloak be inheritable?  Wouldn't the cloak follow the job not
the family?" Melody asked.

"Hmmm," Cindy said resting her chin on her hand.  "How did we miss that?"

"I don't think we really did," Melody answered.  "We just got ahead of
ourselves because the invisibility cloak is rare.  So rare that it
makes quite an honor.  Quite a gift in fact.  Maybe, the invisibility
cloak is given to those that have distinguished themselves very
honorably to have strict moral character.  A sort of knighthood."

"Wait, wait, wait," Eileen objected.  "That is what Order of Merlin is
for.  That is the WW knighthood."

"Ok, ok.  That I will agree with, so I will shift that.  It is a badge
of honor, or a special token like the metal of honor.  And if that is
so, then Elkins could still be happy with Crouch's inv. cloak.  He
used it dishonorably even though he got it honorably," Melody said as
she watched Elkins and Coney strolling through the garden outside the
window.  Nice to see them getting along.

"So then we have saintly parents to James too?" Risti asked from the
table.  Her card house of poptarts was growing quite high now.

"Yeah, Pip won't like that," Melody commented under her breath.  "But
James seems to have a good solid background, so it seems his parents
were not too bad."

"Melody, there is so little canon to infer that statement, that I am
sure you do not want to put too much weight on that," Cindy said
kicking off the counter and crossing the kitchen.  "Besides, it is
lunch time.  We should really start thinking about what to feed all
these people, don't you think?"

Buried deep in the fridge, Cindy opened and closed a few drawers
filled with fruit and vegetables until she reached the biggest drawer
and exclaimed, "Looks like The Wolf *has* been hunting a lot lately.
We shall have a barbeque."

Cindy unloaded the contents of the drawer on the counter, and Sneaky
began gleefully fussing around the kitchen.  Eileen rose and looked
out at Elkins.  "Um, I am not too good in the kitchen, and you know I
cannot leave a good debate with Elkins about Crouch Sr. alone, so if
you do not mind..."

"I think I will follow you," Risti said making a beeline for the door.

"Oh go, go," Cindy fussed as she found the matches.  "Now where is the
grill?"

"Out back, past the porch on the left deck," instructed a deep voice
walking into the kitchen.  "And you better leave some of that meat
rather raw, Cindy."

"Oh course, of course," Cindy waved bundling up all she needed and
carrying it outside.

"Mel, there is someone at the door that you need to meet," Grey
informed her as he followed after Cindy.  "If you need me I will be
out here making sure our favorite captain does not burn down the
neighborhood."

"Thanks, Grey," Melody smiled as she bounded her way to the entry
hall.  Pip was already there greeting their guest.

"I really do not know how it got here either.  It just showed up one
day," Pip said shrugging her shoulders, "Oh Melody, there you are.  I
don't think you have met Marina in the bay."

Melody smiled meekly.  "Hi."

"Hello," Marina smiled.

"Marina came by to see her PRESSURE COOKER.   It seems to be housed
here now," Pip explained leading them into the main living room.

"Oh, so that is hers?" Melody asked as her eyes got big.  "Oh, I have
some questions to ask you.  Questions about that new theory that has
been around the bay lately."

"Shoot away then, kid," Marina encouraged as she lowered herself onto
the couch and took the offered cup of tea from Pip.

"Well, I--" Melody started but Pip interrupted.

"Um...Mel.  Why is Cindy outside with her captain's hat on fire?" Pip
asked setting the teapot down sharply and staring out the window as
Grey dowsed Cindy with a bucket of water while Elkins and Eileen tried
hard to contain their deep mirth laughter.

"We are having a barbeque," Melody smiled.

"I see," Pip said twitching her mouth.  "Excuse me a moment."  She
disappeared around the corner to the back door to stop Cindy from
chasing Grey Wolf with the tongs raised threateningly.

Marina looked over and eyes the girl next to her.  "Is it always like
this?"

"It is lately," she grinned.  "Anyway--I want to talk about how this
new Lupin theory works with PC and MD.  See, because I do not
understand how it works so well with yours."

Marina took a sip of tea and said, "Well, I think canon shows pretty
clearly that Snape is a powerful wizard, an expert potions maker and a
very intelligent man; and the mere fact that he's still alive and
walking around indicates that he was also a competent spy.  He is
exactly as he is read.  No hidden agendas at all except what is
presented."

"And that I understand is where MD and PC splits, and rightfully so,"
Melody nodded, "but what I get lost in is the no agent parts.  See -
from my view, the agent Lupin theory seems to be based on the idea
that Agent Lupin's goal in the SS is the life dept.  If that notion is
accepted then it also means Dumbledore is working a master plan to
bring about the flawed potion.  That *completely* goes against PC, right?"

"I'm afraid there *are* no agents in PC.  Everyone is acting on their
own, following their personal agendas.  Pettigrew's escape and his
life-debt to Harry are unpredicted consequences of an unpredictable
situation.  Dumbledore can make use of these things now that they've
happened, and he intends to, but he did not plan them in advance,"
Marina concluded.

"Ah see, that is what I thought," Melody said shifting her legs
beneath her to sit on them.  "So agent Lupin only works with PC if his
agent duties are to be used in other ways."

"Yeah, like with Black," Marina nodded taking an English biscuit.  "I
really believe the idea that Lupin was brought to Hogwarts that year
to help the staff deal with Black."

"So this Agent Lupin theory, really is too extreme for PC taste, but
not as extreme as Agent Snape," Melody stated leaning back.

"Are you going to repeat everything I say today?" Marina asked with a
curious look on her face.

"Oh I am sorry," Melody sighed, "I just want to make sure.  You see.
In my view, the Agent Lupin theory being tossed around takes the goals
and the Dumbledore from MD, and the Snape and need for basic
inferences only from PC, and then twists the idea of an agent to fit a
new character.  Yet somehow, this new theory does not fit well with
either MD or PC."

"So our theories are linked in our incompatibility?" Marina asked amused.

"Yep," Melody nodded.  "You staying for lunch?"


Melody