A/N Did I mention I'm hoping to put up 1 a day for 14 days? Guess not. Have another one anyway! ~Dq.
Chapter Two
The Sewing Bee
It was a warm Saturday at the Craw Mansion; every window was opened, letting in the sea breezes to help cool the lower floors of the estate. Jennifer had been positively delighted to be invited to Fleur's Sewing Bee, quickly inviting along Mercy and her granddaughter Ellie to join them. Collette was also there, along with Beth, Maurice, and Ambrose, while Lucky had taken Leu and Quintin down to the shoreline.
The party sat around with their work in a ring of comfortable chairs, plus a couple of more practical stools for Maurice (who was showing Ellie how to spin wool) and Ambrose (who had just started on a new tapestry). Three triple-tiered trays were set on a low table with sandwiches, scones, and french pastries that met even Jennifer's picky standards. Tea cups floated in the air beside their owners, deftly moving out of the way of elbows and other sudden movements, or sometimes over to Fleur's side when they needed to be refilled.
At the strike of noon, Fleur looked up.
"Oh, dear. I suppose I should break for Thomas' lunch..."
"It's all right, Fleur, I have it. I'm almost done with this one," Beth offered, knotting the embroidered name on the tiny work shirt and snipping it neatly. Just as Beth was standing, the clock reached the last strike of twelve. Thomas walked in and peered curiously into the parlor, having completely forgotten that Fleur was planning to have anyone over.
"Well, doesn't this look like a regular coven! Maurice, what are you doing over there?" Thomas asked with his hands on his hips.
"I'm teaching Ellie how to use a drop spindle," Maurice explained. "Mrs. Weasley is going to teach knitting to some of the Elves who don't know how yet in exchange for enchanted wool skeins."
"He's getting really good at it," Jennifer intervened before Thomas could comment. "At both enchanting and identifying enchantments on thread in fabric, I mean. It'll be quite useful down at the site, won't it? You won't have to call in an special expert anymore any time you find enchanted clothing."
"Or if anyone needs to use that Distaff again," Thomas said dryly. "Is Severus planning to have that thing destroyed before its used to enslave something else?"
"I can't say he didn't think about it," Jennifer admitted. "But from what he told me in his last letter, it sounded as if he already found a hiding place for it." Thomas grunted in apparent disapproval.
"Well, if these two boys start getting in the way of your witchy conversations, feel free to send them down to the secret lab. Where are my grandsons?" Thomas asked.
"Lucky, Leu, and Quintin went to the shore, but I told them to start heading back at noon for lunch," Jennifer explained.
"How long does it take them to get back from there if Quintin sets the pace?" Thomas asked.
"Ten minutes and twenty-five seconds, Thomas," Fleur replied.
"I guess I'll wait in the kitchen until they get back, then," Thomas decided. Just as he turned to go, there was a flicker in the fireplace.
"Thomas, wait! There seems to be a message coming in," Fleur informed him. The rest of them looked up curiously as the ice fire broke and burst into flames, a face forming as soon as the fire had become steady.
"Oh, no, Bosworth! What the hell do you want? You know I don't like being interrupted at lunch!" Thomas complained.
"I'm sorry sir, but Minister Malfoy told me to contact you and told me that you are report back to the Ministry straight away..."
"But I just left there!" Thomas growled. "What's the emergency?" Bosworth glanced around, noticing how many people were in the room.
"I'm sorry, but the Minister asked me to keep it quiet. I can only tell you that you are needed back without delay."
"Fine! But it had better be justified," Thomas warned. "Jennifer, don't you dare leave until I get back. I would like to see Quintin at some point today!"
"Sure," Jennifer replied. Turning to see Beth standing there with a plate, he tweaked a couple of sandwiches off of it before storming back out the door.
"Just what was all that about?" Beth asked, looking at Jennifer. Jennifer shrugged.
"I don't know. I can't really read faces in flames well," she explained. "It sounds like we should have time to get all of these done, though. Mercy, do you have the next uniform that needs embroidered?"
"Yes, Jennifer. This is Darcy's," Mercy said, holding up her work proudly, looking very much like a small butler outfit.
"Lovely! Perhaps we should do this one on the kerchief," Jennifer said. "How many are left?"
"Only two left, Jennifer," Mercy said.
"I have twelve left," Colette admitted.
"No problem! As soon as we're done, we'll jump in and help finish the staff here," Jennifer said.
"Thank you, Jennifer! I'm so glad I thought of this. It's much more fun doing it together," Fleur said.
"I agree. Typically I have Minerva over to sew, but right now she's still busy making baby apparel for every lady in the house of Brenin," Jennifer explained with a grin. "She has Ashley helping her while we're on school break."
"Why, I should have thought of inviting them! Perhaps I shall if we ever decide to do this again," Fleur decided.
"I wouldn't mind," Maurice replied.
"I agree, this has been fun," Beth said with a grin. "And it gives me a chance to show off my pastry skills! I thought I'd never pass that class!"
"Well, it gets good marks in my book," Jennifer said, helping herself to a pumpkin scone in support. Because she had gotten up, she was the first to notice that the fire was changing again. "Looks like another message is coming in, Fleur."
"Really? How very strange!" Fleur said with a frown. "We hardly ever get them when Thomas is gone."
"I think it's Father coming through," Maurice observed, and Fleur stepped over.
"Is there something wrong, Thomas?" Fleur asked.
"Have Beth meet me at the Ministry reception desk, Fleur. I need to talk to her about something," Thomas said.
"Me?" Beth said in surprise, feeling very strange all of the sudden. Surely her brother hadn't done anything to break his parole already...
"I'll see she gets there, Father," Maurice said, interrupting her thoughts.
"Fine. And Fleur, don't wait up. Tell Jen-girl she can go whenever she likes as well. I doubt I'll have time to visit Quintin for a while," Thomas said grumpily, and then immediately the fire snuffed out again. The flames slowly recovered, turning blue once more.
"Well, what do you make of that?" Fleur asked no one in particular.
"Come on, Beth. Let's go find out what's going on," Maurice said, lifting up a cockatrice figurine off the mantle and grabbing a Ministry key.
"I'm going too," Ambrose decided, and the two of them stepped over to Maurice, disappearing.
"Hey all," Lucky said from the doorway, Leu and Quintin peering in from where they were drying off in the kitchen. "What's going on?"
"Not sure, Lucky, but perhaps it'd be better if we finished up for now," Jennifer admitted, looking apologetically towards Fleur. Fleur nodded in understanding, her face lined with worry. "Whatever is going on, I doubt it'll be long before we get caught up in it and I'd rather be home when that happens."