A/N: I have added a new story that works as a companion for this one. "Blood of the Lamb, Blood of the Beast" follows the story of Rafe and Tasha Canagan and Fenrir Greyback from when they were turned as children. If you like this story and the weres I hope you read "Blood of the Lamb, Blood of the Beast." Now onward with the tale. Link: .net/s/6251396/1/

Chapter 5: Eavesdropping in a Joke Shop

Angie awoke early. She did her very best to avoid stirring, she didn't want to awaken her brothers. She looked around the tiny room. The Canagan boys and Reylyn Conner slept on pallets scattered across the floor. She and the younger boys slept clumped together, head to foot. Caleb had started to separate himself from the group after his twelfth birthday. He now slept on the other side of their space. The little two room shack was a far cry from Frostmoore Heath Farm where the pack had lived until her sixth year. Angie missed Frostmoore greatly. She missed the wood floors, the kitchen, the garden and the halls. But more than the structure itself, Angie missed her Uncles even though the thought of them brought cold shiver of fear across her skin. To her eternal sadness the memory of her Uncles was forever tied to their deaths, haunted by the green eyed man.

She pushed the shiver way, she wouldn't let fear ruin this day. They were to get school supplies today and Angie would have her first foray into the larger wizarding world. For as long as she could remember she'd never met anyone who wasn't pack or family and the idea of an entire street of people with whom she did not share blood or pack bonds.

Angie could feel the excitement building somewhere around her navel and she turned to her side and saw Jacob's eyes peeking over Felan's back. He had shoved his fists in his mouth to keep from making any noise and was practically vibrating from excitement. Jacob was too young to really remember the farmhouse, he was only four when it'd burned down. He hadn't left the pack base camp since then. As far as Jacob was concerned, this little trip into the wizarding world was better than Christmas. He met her eyes and Angie gave him a little nod. He leapt from the bed and scampered from the room. She heard the tell-tale "oof" through the wall as Jacob pounced on his sleeping father crowing "Get Up Dad! We're going to Diagon Alley!". Felan groaned and rolled over, pulling his pillow over his head in a vain attempt to block out his younger brother's squeals of glee. Reylyn, who slept head to foot with Felan and Jacob, pulled the blanket over his face and kicked his bunkmate in the shoulder saying, "Felan, for the love of the gods, shut your brother up!"

Jacob came tearing into the room and crowing "We're going to Diagon Alley!" Caleb pegged him with a pillow without turning over and growled, "Not at five in the morning, you're not. Now shut up and go back to sleep."

In the other room Rafe rolled over and groaned, "Tasha, your son is awake dear." She arched an eyebrow at him, "He doesn't become my son until the sun rises. Before six am he's your son, darling." Rafe gave her a tired, pained look, "But you know I can't take them to Diagon Alley. I'm a wanted criminal, a known associate of Fenrir Greyback. I'm a dangerous man." Rafe's face lit with a mischievous smirk and crept up to his wife's cold shoulder and kissed it. "Just ask the Ministry, I'm a danger to society. I shouldn't even be allowed out of the house much less out of the bed." Tasha's attempt to feign sleep failed as she burst out laughing and rolled over to face her husband. "You're right," she chuckled as Rafe gave her puppy dog eyes, "you are clearly a danger to society" and rose to go deal with her quarreling offspring. Rafe gave her a sleepy smile, "Thank you." She yawned "you owe me" as a reply.

Tasha gathered her brood under her arms, doing a quick head count. Felan, Reylyn, Jacob and Angela, Caleb had flounced into the woods, petulantly refusing to join his siblings in their outing. She hoped for the best but, Tasha suspected that the teens mood would only darken as summer drew to a close. They grasped hands and apparated.

The motley crew materialized just inside the door of the Leaky Cauldron with a sharp crack. Tasha smiled at the wonder on her children's faces. She wished her first foray into wizarding britain had been so awestruck. Tasha's first trip to the Leaky had been in her early twenties, and she, Rafe, and Fen had been asked to leave. The new bar mistress, a pretty young woman with large warm eyes, gave her a welcoming smile. Tasha answered the barkeep's smile with one of her own and herded her brood out the back of the pub and into Diagon Alley.

Angela thought her eyes were going to fall out of her head. Everything was so brightly colored and alive. She'd been worried when Tasha brought them out of the pub to face a couple of mouldering trash bins but she'd simply prodded a couple of bricks with her wand and this brilliant world was revealed.

Store fronts glowed with warmth in shades of gold and red showing. Through the windows interesting trinkets glimmered and winked at her like hundreds of tiny eyes in vivid bottle greens, cerulean blues, ultramarines, and glowing violets. From the robe shop, glamorous silks and rich velvets cascaded across the window display. Some people on the street wore muggle clothes like Tasha but most wore wizard's robes like her Uncles. When she was small, she'd wondered aloud why wizards wore dresses even though they were boys. She still vividly remembered the beating her uncle Rodolphus had given her and the stern conversation he'd had with Rafe, who wore muggle jeans and t-shirts, that'd been heavy with words like "respect," "dirty muggles," and "setting a good example."

Angela allowed the gentle pressure of Tasha's hand on her shoulder to steer her away from the glittering fabric in the window display. She turned her attention, instead, to the people. They were an odd assortment that ranged in age from babes in arms to wizened old men with wispy tufts of hair like snowflakes. The people were almost as colorful as the window displays, glittering like gems in the morning sunlight. There were other children, younger than Jacob bouncing around sweets vendors, brandishing bronze and silver coins. A group of middle-aged wizards haggled over an odd looking plant that seemed to be a cross between a turnip and a bush and made soft purring noises. She smiled at Felan, who was just as wide eyed as her and whose grin now occupied the majority of his face.

Tasha had guided them to a rather shabby storefront. The name Ollivander's hung over the door and through the windows Angie could see only boxes. The inside of the store was dusty and apparently deserted. Tasha stood in front of the counter expectantly. Just as Angie and the boys had made up their mind to go wondering through the stacks of boxes, a stooped, whispy haired old man shuffled from behind a large pile. He wheezed up to the counter, regarding Tasha with over-large eyes, so pale that they were almost milky. Angie found herself wondering if the man was blind. "What may I do for you, Madame?"

Tasha smiled warmly at him, "Two of my boys are starting Hogwarts this year and they need wands." The old man's face lit up like a light house. The simple change completely transformed his demeanor. He straightened up and shuffled brightly toward one of the larger shelves in a way that can only be described as spry.

"What are your names young ones? I remember every wand I've ever sold, I probably sold your parents their wands." Felan grinned from ear to ear and stepped forward. "I'm Felan Canagan." The old man smiled and shook Felan's hand, "It's a pleasure to meet you young Master Canagan. I am called Ollivander. Might you be Rafe Canagan's son?" A momentary flash of worry flickered across Tasha's features but Felan plowed on unafraid. "Yes," he answered with a grin. Ollivander gave Tasha a reassuring nod and continued, "Well then young Master, I sold your father his first bought and paid for wand as well as your older brothers." He puttered around the piles letting his fingers flit over the boxes like birds until he his fingers landed on a box in the middle of the pile.

He neatly plucked the wand box out, "Hazel, Dragon Heartstring, 13 inches. This one's rather bendy. Go on young man, try it out." Felan gingerly plucked the wand out of its satin lined box and gave it a flick. It shot gold sparks and Ollivander smiled warmly, "Just like your father then," and Felan beamed at the complement. The older man then turned his attention to Reylyn, who'd surreptitiously edged behind Angie. Ollivander turned his milky gaze on the hiding boy, "And what's your name young master?" Reylyn looked to Angie and waited for her nod of approval before muttering, "Reylyn Connor" at his shoes. Ollivander nodded thoughtfully, "hm, Connor, Connor, would your father be Marcus or Nathaniel?" Reylyn's eyes got wide before he answered "Marcus" in a tone of awe. Ollivander smirked at the child's expression, "Yes I have a very long memory, don't I. I think I have just the wand for you."

Again, the old man floated off into the shelves and stacks of boxes and returned with a long thin package. "Holly, Unicorn tail hair, eleven inches. This one's rather stout. Go on, boy, give it a wave." Reylyn gave the wand a suspicious look before lifting it out of its satin lined container and neatly flicking it. To his utter horror the harmless flick sent a small pile of wand boxes flying. Reylyn gave the wand an accusatory look before cautiously setting it back in its satin habitat. Ollivander was shaking his head muttering, "No, no, that won't do at all." Finally he turned back to Reylyn. "What was your mother's name?" "Emma Ellison Connor" Reylyn answered.

At this Ollivander lit up again, "Such a lovely girl. I sold her her first wand when she was your age. I heard she passed away in the Second War." Reylyn just looked at his shoes and nodded. Ollivander put a reassuring hand on the boy's shoulder, "She was a wonderful witch." He then turned to another pile and carefully extracted a second box. "Oak, Dragon Heartstring, eleven inches. This one's a good solid wand. Go ahead and give it a wave." Reylyn gave Ollivander a skeptical look but grabbed the wand anyway. He gave the wand a little flick and to his surprise gold sparks erupted from the tip. Reylyn let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding and smiled.

Ollivander then turned his attention to Angela. "What about you, young lady? Are you starting Hogwarts in September?" Angela smiled broadly, "Yes sir." Ollivander shuffled toward the shelves "Well, then you'll be needing a wand too. What's your name? I bet one of your parents bought their wand here." Angie laughed. "I already have a wand, Mr. Ollivander." Angie pulled the wand her Uncles had given her out of an inner pocket of her jacket. Ollivander saw her wand and his brows immediately drew together. "May I see that please?" She gave him a wary look before turning it over to him.

Ollivander gingerly held the wand with the tips of his fingers, eyebrows still knit in a look of intense concentration. "Yew, phoenix feather, 13 1/2 inches." He looked up at her sharply, "Where did you get this?" "It was a gift," she answered evasively and made a grab for the wand. Ollivander caught her hand in an iron fist. "This wand was supposed to be destroyed along with the body of its master. Who gave this to you?" The man's angry intensity sent fear and adrenaline flickering across her skin and Angie struggled against his grasp. At this Tasha stepped in, "That's quite enough." Tasha's voice, though quiet, held enough power to stop a charging bull and it forced the old man to freeze in his tracks. "Now, Mr. Ollivander I intend to purchase two wands from you. How much will that cost? And for the gods' sakes, man look at yourself. Your accosting a child over a wand that may or may not have been important a decade ago. Get a hold on yourself. Your supposed to be an adult." At this Ollivander seemed to collect himself and relinquished the girls arm and the offending wand with a look of disgust on his face. "Get out," he spat. Tasha laughed cooly, "Don't be silly. How much do we owe you?" she asked and pulled out their little money purse.

Ollivander was physically shaking with barely contained rage. "You dirty creatures owe me more than you could ever pay, thanks to your master. How about two years of my life? or perhaps a remedy for two years worth of spell damage? Or maybe even some bloody justice? But no, you Death Eaters think gold will erase your crimes. It may work with the Ministry but it won't work with me, I haven't forgotten." He was yelling and Tasha let out a breath that sounded more like the growl of the wolf she was every month. "Give the wands back to the nice man, boys. We'll get your wands elsewhere." The children looked at each other. Angela was clutching her wand to her chest, her face a mixture of confusion and worry. Felan and Reylyn looked at each other, disappointment etched in every feature and held their new wands out.

Ollivander spat at them, "Keep them! Wands choose the wizard but I can't account for taste, besides they're dirty now."

Tasha drew herself up to her fullest height and donned the haughty expression she'd learned from years of dealing with pure-bloods. She gathered her children to her and shuffled them out onto the busy street.

Angie was laden with purchases. They'd gone through every second hand store on Diagon Alley before Tasha had pronounced them prepared for Hogwarts. Felan suddenly gasped, dropped his supplies and ran full tilt at an orange storefront. He pressed his nose to the window and stared. Under the gold legend Weasley's Wizard Wheezes a wide array of strange and interesting artifacts glittered and whirred appealingly. The four looked from the window to Tasha and back again. Jacob let his eyes go wide and a small pout crossed his lips. Tasha sighed, Jacob could put on a puppy dog face like no one else. "Mommy can we please go in? We don't have to get anything, we can just look around!" said Jacob. Suddenly Jacob's pleas were joined by a chorus of

please Mom please, can we?" from his brother and adopted siblings. Tasha rubbed her temples and chuckled. "Fine," she laughed, giving in to her children's wishes. Tasha dug twelve sickles out of the coin purse and split them up between her children, "alright, you get three sickles each. Use them wisely." The children gave four matching squeals and bolted into the shop.

Angie had never seen anything like it before. The store was packed with people, all examining the colorful boxes and talking animatedly. The shop echoed with pops and whizzes as miniature broomsticks zoomed overhead chasing little animals made out of sparks that danced across the ceiling and occasionally singed customers. Angie pressed her nose to a tank full of odd fluff balls in pastel colors. They looked like candy floss balls and they cooed like doves. When she looked around she realized she'd lost her brothers. They were somewhere in the brightly colored shelves. She wasn't worried she'd call them, eventually, and they'd come.

She skipped lightly down an isle lined with wands that would randomly turn into rats or plastic chickens and turned a corner to a wall lined with sweets. There was box after purple box of Skiving Snackboxes: Sweets to make you ill, a deep bin of yellow sweets that sent random puffs of fluffy butter colored feathers into the air, and a basket of metallic wrapped toffees designed to make the eaters tongue grow to horrible proportions. She heard a crack and looked up to find a spark creature cackle at before flitting away across the ceiling. Angie smirked and followed it through the store. She chased it past an entirely pink isle, along an isle lined with daydream boxes, and around another corner to a much more somber area of the store. Over the top of a rack of shielding cloaks she saw a shock of ginger hair and heard a voice that froze her blood.

"-are doing really well thanks. Teddy's staying with us while Andy's on vacation. After the fiasco with the Lestrange vault and all that Gringotts trouble she deserves a couple weeks to herself."

Angie felt adrenaline pump through her veins like ice water. The last time she heard that voice it had been yelling a killing curse at her uncles. It belonged to the green eyed man, the monster who stalked her nightmares. She pushed her way into the cloaks that separated her from the talking men. She needed to hide. She needed to be unseen. That's the last thing her uncle said to her, "stay hidden, no matter what" and that's what she would do.

The ginger man continued, "Yeah, you've got to feel bad for Madame Tonks. With that face of hers, looking like the darkest witch of the century, she's hard-pressed to convince anyone to let her at her sister's vault."

The green eyed man grunted an assent, "especially since the ministry's been itching to get their hands on that money. Since the goblins sent them the repair invoice for our heist damage two years ago the budget office hasn't had two knuts to rub together. I know Madame Tonks is pissed about losing the family gold but it'll go a long way in the Ministry."

"Speaking of the Ministry, has Mum told you about Bill? He's making a bid to be on the Committee for the Regulation Magical Creatures. Apparently, the goblins are going to try to push for wand rights. I just hope he doesn't get caught up in all that werewolf bullocks again, it's not healthy."

At this the green eyed man chimed in, "Yeah we raided a werewolf compound a few years back when we were hunting the Lestranges and it was pretty grisly. Did you hear, we're getting werewolves at Hogwarts this year?"

"Dirty beasts," spat the ginger, "I know you and Remus were friends, Harry, and I liked him too but I'm starting to think he was the exception to the rule."

"Come on George, they're just kids. Calling them all dirty beasts and assuming they'll be mini Greybacks is like assuming all purebloods are Death Eaters. Hell, even if they do hate wizards, Greyback stole kids all the time and brainwashed them to hate us. We finally get the chance to undo that damage."

"I can't believe Mcgonagall suckered you into teaching."

Harry chuckled, "Yeah, she got Hermione too. It's a temp gig. The Department for the control of Dark Creatures wanted Hogwarts to have at least one Auror on staff until they know how the whole werewolf thing will pan out. That and everyone reckons the Defense Against the Dark Arts job's still cursed. I'll be teacher number eight since the end of the war."

"What's Hermione doing?"

"Transfiguration. But Mcgonagall will have to find a new potions master soon, I saw Slughorn at the staff meeting last month and he's about two steps from going round the twist. Also Neville's now Professor Longbottom, Sprout retired. It's been quite the staffing overhaul. I think only Flitwick, Mcgonagall, Hagrid and Slughorn are left from the pre-war guard."

"Well, Harry, if their firing incompetent teachers you best watch your back."

Angie heard laughter and a thump. Then the ginger chortled, "Ow, okay, okay. Just don't pull a Moody, alright?"

Harry laughed again, "Like what get locked in my trunk for a year, show unforgivables to a classroom full of children, transfigure students, or turn in to a presumed dead Death Eater at the end of term?"

Angie heard a small voice cry "oooooh, mummy look, shield cloaks" and her hiding place was suddenly ripped open. On one side was a very surprised six year old and her rather dumpy mother, on the other, the two men who realized that their conversation hadn't been private. Just as the ginger man called George reached for her, Angie bolted.

She sprinted full tilt out of the shop and into the street. She collided sharply with Tasha's ribs.

"Oof," Tasha exhaled sharply, "there you are, Angie. We were getting worried. Did you get anything?"

Angie looked around and saw Felan playing with a whirring top while Reylyn and Jacob tossed a fanged frisbee back and forth. She shook her head, still to shell shocked to speak. The group grasped hands and apparated away.