Chapter One: A Mission and A Completed Project

"Please? For me? For Christmas?" begged Charlie.

"Isn't this the sort of mission you'd normally send Dad on?" asked Ron. "I think it's a bit too…" here Ron paused and screwed up his face in concentration. "…provocative to send me?"

"Okay," said Charlie. "First, I don't' think you actually know what provocative means because you keep using it wrong. Second, yes, usually I would send Dad to do this…"

"Then why," Ron interrupted, "are you sending me on this mission? This mission to find…a Muggle replica of a dragon called Reptar?"

"Because this mission doesn't involve confronting wizards about Muggle things, it's about confronting Muggles about them and I'm afraid Dad would loose himself in the company of an actual Muggle."

Ron nodded agreeing that, however inconvenient, it was true. That was something his dad would do. "Okay," he sighed. "What exactly is it that I need to do?"

"Well, I was thinking that you could take Harry and Hermione with you. And Professor Dumbledore wrote a letter and volunteered to go with you. Honestly, how does that man know everything? Anyway, then you just need to go to California. Which, Ronald, is in the United States of America. There you have to meet a family called The Pickles. The father, Stu, has a special Reptar for me. Get it from him, then come back immediately. Got it?" explained Charlie.

"Got it," replied Ron.

***

Stu wiped his dirty hands on his pants. "There," he said. "I've done it!" He gave a small, surprised laugh. "I've done it. I've done it! I'VE DONE IT!"

"Stu!" Didi stage whispered down the stairs. "Keep it down. Dil is down for his nap right now. We don't want to wake him!"

Stu apologized as he ran up the stairs. "Didi! Oh, Didi!" he said while spinning her in the air. "Guess what I've done? You'll never guess what I've done!"

"Stu," she giggled. "Put me down."

He set her down. "Didi, I've made the first ever, anti-ager machine! I'll turn adults into babies."

She looked confused. "Why?"

He rolled his eyes at her, as if this was the most obvious thing in the world. "Because," he explained, "we can anti-age ourselves and finally know what our kids are talking about when they blab, or cry, or make weird noises. And, then, we'll know everything. And we can sell this thing and become rich and…"

"How about," Didi said, "we do all that after you finish remodeling that Reptar toy you promised that kid from England."

"First of all, he isn't a kid. He was, like, twenty or something. And Second, I'm almost done!"

"Okay, Mr. Almost Done, finish it. It needs to be all the way done. Then, we can worry about your anti-ager machine." Didi said.

Stu sighed. "Alright," he agreed. "I'll go finish the Reptar…"

A/N: This is being written for my brother, James, for Christmas. This idea came about late one night when I had taken Ambien so I don't exactly remember what happened, but apparently I promised to write it. More to come soon. I know I always say that and it never gets done but this time I promise!!! I hope you liked it, let me know what you think. REVIEW. (I'm shameless, I know...)