Chapter Thirty

Surprise Guests

Jeremy was delighted when he was allowed to go home a day early for First Fall. He spent the day it with his brother Timothy at Whitebridge, playing the games and drinking hot cocoa while wearing a pair of Whitebridge mittens. His little sisters, Carrie and Kristy, spent a lot of their day doing crafts with Serendipity in an art area set up for the younger children.

After a fun-filled day, it was time to head home. The Millers waved goodbye to Quintin, Seren, and Truman, packing into the minivan for the drive home and filed into the house.

"Everyone change out of those wet clothes," their mother told them. "Luke! Don't you dare turn that thermometer up."

"Just for a few minutes. I'll remember to turn it back down," Luke promised.

"I've heard that one before," Sharon said skeptically. "Any objections to salad? Considering all of the junk those kids ate today, I was thinking maybe it'd be good to have something more real."

"How about veggie pizza?" Luke suggested.

"Ha, ha. That's very funny," Sharon said as she pulled out some salad mix and some individual bags of vegetables.

"You left out all of the important stuff," Luke complained, going back in the fridge. "Ranch dressing, croutons, bacon bits, eggs..."

"I made those for deviled eggs for tomorrow! How about leaving something for Thanksgiving?" Sharon suggested.

"I am. I'm leaving that big uncooked bird in there," Luke explained. Before Sharon had time to comment, there was a knock on the door. "I'll get it," Luke said.

He peeked out the side window and frowned in confusion before opening the door.

It was a handsome man in a red visor, carrying a couple of pizza boxes.

"Yes?" Luke asked.

"I have two pizzas here for Mr. Jeremy Miller," the delivery man explained. "Might I see him? I was asked to deliver these to him personally."

"Okay," Luke replied with confusion, wondering how the delivery man knew that he wasn't Jeremy. Shutting the door, Luke went over to the stairs and called Jeremy's name, waiting for him to get halfway down the stairs. "Did you order pizza?"

"No, but it's a great idea..." Jeremy said approvingly.

"Well, there's a pizza delivery guy out there with two pizzas with your name on it, and he said he'd only deliver them to you. I hope you have money for them," Luke said sternly.

"I didn't order them. Maybe Quintin did it as a joke?" Jeremy suggested, making his way to the door with his father.

Luke opened the door again, and Jeremy stared in shock to see the Magician wearing a delivery uniform and carrying two pizzas.

"What are you doing here?" Jeremy demanded, Luke gazing at his son curiously.

"I've brought some pizzas! Cheese and Vegetable Supreme!" the Magician said with a charming smile. "How about a trade? You can have the pizzas if you agree to have a chat with me."

"I'd chat with you even without the pizzas," Jeremy told him.

"What would I do with them, then?" the Magician wanted to know.

"Good point," Jeremy said. "Dad, can he come in? He's a friend, sorta."

"Sorta? How about a name sorta?" Luke insisted.

"I'm the Magician," the Magician said.

"You're the guy that Jeremy interviewed for the school paper," Luke said for clarification.

"I am hoping that he will give me a follow-up interview in exchange for the pizzas," the Magician explained.

"Sure, I don't mind... if we keep it to the living room, so Dad's not nervous. Is that a good compromise?" Jeremy suggested, glancing at his Dad questioningly. Luke sighed.

"Who am I to stand in the way of free pizza?" Luke said in resignation, and suddenly found the pizzas shoved at him.

"Thank you very much," the Magician said. Jeremy led him to the living room and asked him to sit down.

As Jeremy and the Magician began to have a quiet conversation, Luke peered in but couldn't hear what they were talking about. He wandered back over to where Sharon was. She was still trying to put together a salad and attempting to figure out what was going on.

"So Jeremy ordered pizzas?" Sharon asked, lifting up the lid and squinting when she saw it had vegetables on it. "Or did you?"

"Uh, Sharon, you know that spy that Jennifer was telling us about that the Ministry couldn't catch, the one Jeremy interviewed for the paper?" Luke said.

"Yeah," Sharon said.

"Well, he's in our living room talking to Jeremy," Luke explained.

Sharon stared at Luke. Then she leaned over so that she could see into the living room, and Luke did the same thing.

"He doesn't look hostile," Sharon said.

"If he was, Wind's security would have gone off," Luke pointed out.

"Is it still working?" Sharon wondered.

"Yep, pretty sure it is," Luke agreed.

The two of them grew quiet when they saw them get up. When Jeremy stepped out of the living room, he couldn't help but notice his parents leaning over and staring at him.

"Dad, can I go out to lunch on Friday? Just to Quickbrooms," Jeremy said.

"Sure, as long as you're not doing anything illegal," Luke said flatly.

"Um... well, it's like reporter stuff," Jeremy improvised.

"Okay," Luke said unsurely. The two of them watching as Jeremy escorted the man to the door, and after a few more words, shut it and turned around to see his parents still staring at him expectantly.

"So... uh. How about pizza?" Jeremy asked with an innocent grin.


Thanksgiving was always a busy time for Jennifer, and she and Sally had been quite busy the day before making all the pies and bread, as well as mixing up several trays of morning buns so that they could proof overnight. It was also nice to be back in her old room above the cafe, reliving all of the times she had stayed there.

Early the next morning, there was a heavy knock on the door. Sleepily, she reached for her wand and opened it.

"It's me, are you decent?" Billy Packer asked.

"More decent than the hour," Jennifer grumbled, pulling her blanket over her head. Billy opened the door.

"I brought you a cup of coffee. Sally says that if you want more, you have to come downstairs. Lots to do, you know..."

"Okay, okay, I get it," Jennifer said. Billy smiled at that, leaving her coffee on a small table before heading back downstairs.

Somehow Jennifer managed to put herself together, the coffee giving her just enough energy to get downstairs so that she could get another cup. Already the smells of cinnamon was in the air, mingling the smells of pumpkin, brown butter, and roasting turkey.

"Good morning, Sally! Just give me a moment to get a second cup, and I'll be ready to pitch in," Jennifer said, going to the coffee cup.

"No problem, Jackie. Hey, I have a message for you... a runner delivered it from Coventry Suites," Sally said.

"Really?" Jennifer said, and glanced at it. "It looks like it's from my brother," she said and opened it. Then she let out a long, drawn-out groan.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Sally asked after seeing her reaction. "Is someone hurt?"

"Worse," Jennifer said. "It's a warning that my father is coming to Thanksgiving this year."

"Oh come now, Jackie, that's not so bad, is it? In fact, it's about time he came and saw the place as often as he's said he was going to drop by," Sally said.

"Still, it's not like him to decide to show up out of the blue like that, especially in the middle of a work week," Jennifer said, sitting down with her coffee. "My father doesn't generally do things on a whim."

"Well, I doubt you'll have all that long to wait to find out all about it," Sally said, making sure all the blinds were down on the windows. "Do you mind moving the booths and tables so I can start setting up the table?"

"Alright," Jennifer said, quickly finishing her coffee so that she could put the cafe in order. Not long after everything was rearranged and she was putting the cloth on the dessert table, Lucky and Dale came in with their two kids and got to work establishing a children's area with Robbie and Susan being its first two customers.

It wasn't long after that when there was a rattling at the door, and Dale jumped over to let Thomas in. He came in with a large file under his arm. He inspected his surroundings carefully, gazing at the walls, lights, windows, counters, and the floors. Finally his eyes landed on his daughter, who had walked over to greet him.

"Nice security," he told her sincerely, rather impressed.

"Yeah, tell me about it," Billy said from behind the counter, and Jennifer darted him a warning look.

"Not much seating though, is there?" Thomas added critically.

"A lot of the booths have been removed for Thanksgiving because we sit at two long tables, family style," Jennifer explained with exasperation. "Those booths along the back wall stay in place, however..."

"That'll work. Hi, Sally," Thomas said.

"Welcome to Kingler's and Company, Thomas! Great to finally have you here," Sally said warmly.

"If I'd known the security was this good, I'd have come a long time ago. How's the food?" Thomas asked, walking over to the booth.

"I don't know, are you as picky as Jennifer?" Sally inquired.

"Close," Thomas admitted.

"We don't have a regular menu today, Dad, everyone's getting ready for Thanksgiving. How about coffee and a morning bun?" Jennifer asked, a little afraid that he'd try to order a full course breakfast.

"Fine by me. I still want to see a menu in case I want to come back," Thomas insisted, sitting down.

"I'll get it," Billy said, grabbing the menu and the morning bun while Jennifer went over to the coffee pot.

Jennifer was painfully aware that the rest of the Kingler family were peeking around corners to see how that meeting was going to go.

"Here you are, your menu and your morning bun. You're Jackie's father, aren't you? I'm Billy Packer," he said.

"I know who you are," Thomas said calmly, sifting through his files.

"You do?" Billy asked.

"You're the only one here that didn't go to Lucky and Dale's wedding, so it's not hard to figure out. You don't look like much of a waiter, though," Thomas observed.

"I'm not. I just came up front to get some nuts," Billy explained.

"Oh. Well, take your pick," Thomas replied.

"Here's your coffee, Dad. Billy, the Waldorf salad?" Jennifer reminded him.

"You're like in charge of the police or something over there, right? How come your daughter is seems to go off the rails all the time?" Billy asked curiously.

"Billy!" Jennifer said with a frown, pointing him towards the back room.

"Despite my title and job description, she gets it from me," Thomas replied unconcernedly. "Craws have their own ideas when it comes to justice, which is probably why you are out here instead of in jail, considering your petty theft record," he said showing him his file. Billy and Jennifer both stared at it in surprise.

"Why are you looking at my file?" Billy asked.

"Just doing some research," Thomas said unconcernedly.

Frowning at that, Billy decided that the best thing to do at that point was go to the back and get out of his sight.

"Really, Dad! That wasn't nice at all. Billy has come a long way since he made those mistakes, just as you have come a long way from yours," Jennifer scolded him disapprovingly.

"It was the fastest way to get him off my back. Speaking of which, don't you have something else you should be doing? I'd like to get some work done before more people show up," Thomas explained.

"Just why do you have those files with you, anyway?" Jennifer asked, squinting suspiciously at him.

"Like I said, I brought them to get some work done. Alexandria talked me into taking over her research concerning the Elderflower Society, and the long weekend here will give me a chance to interview some people over here who are normally busy, like Wind for example," he explained.

"Wind? What would he have to do with it? Or Kingler's for that matter?" Jennifer asked irritably.

"It's standard procedure, Jen-girl. I have to eliminate places with British connections that might serve as a drop-off point for smugglers. The fact that you go back and forth on a weekly basis means that I have to investigate you and all of your connections, as well as Hermione, since she's always here checking in with that book club of hers. I'm not meeting her until Sunday, though. I'm going to the pub next door to Libris. They wouldn't give me permission to enter the order, even if I agreed to a temporary sex change," Thomas grunted.

"That is the scariest proposal I have ever heard," Jennifer admitted flatly. "And don't you think it's more than a little bit of a conflict of interest for you to be investigating me?"

"Yep, but I'm doing it anyway. I want to make sure my family doesn't get swept into this by proxy," Thomas said unconcernedly. "This coffee is stale. How about brewing up another pot?"

"I should have known you weren't just here to visit family or because you were curious about the whole Thanksgiving experience, Dad," Jennifer said with exasperation. But Thomas was so focused on his files that she finally gave up and walked away, muttering to herself as she made more coffee.

"Sally?" Aurelius asked, stepping out of the back. "We don't have enough celery for the stuffing. Do you have a list of stores open today?"

"Sure, there's a place down the street, Lucky knows where," Sally said.

"Anything else so we don't have to make multiple trips?" Aurelius asked.

"Do Muggles have anything like indigestion potions for after the meal?" Thomas asked. Jennifer furrowed his brows at him in irritation.

"Come on, Mum, you could do with a walk too. Maybe we can find another dessert or two to add to the table," Aurelius suggested.

"Fine," Jennifer said irritably, pulling off her apron and exchanging it for a cloak, sticking her nose up in the air when she passed her father on the way to the door. Shrugging it off unconcernedly, Thomas went back to what he was doing.

By the time the three of them had returned from shopping, the place was beginning to fill up, although most were giving Thomas a wide berth. Even Sally had given up trying to be nice, leaving him his own canister of coffee so that he could refill his own cup and no one had to go over there.

Suddenly Thomas heard a chime and glanced at his watch, putting it away along with his work and looking around as if for the first time as his workday concluded, studying the progress made to both the long table and the dishes accumulating on the back table, as well as the crowd that was continue to accumulate.

"What, we're not eating yet?" he asked flatly.

"Presently, we are still waiting for those who went to the parade to return," Severus explained in the booth next to him. "It will likely be another half an hour."

"Oh."

Sitting next to Severus, Ginger turned to face him.

"You couldn't just take the day off like the rest of us?" Ginger taunted him.

"Well, someone had to work today," Thomas grunted, going over long enough to pat Brigid, Branwen, and Seren on the head as they sat across from Ginger and Severus, coloring. "Actually, I spent the night here last night, putting in some field work on the Elderflower Society case. I'm staying tomorrow night, too. I decided to look into it myself, since it's an international case and I can open doors that Thatcher can't. I also wanted to make sure none of our family members were wrapped up in it."

"I can understand the concern," Severus replied solemnly. "You know as well as I do that Jennifer, Corey, and several other members of the family I could name would be sympathetic to what the Elderflower Society is doing."

"Especially since the penalties are stronger over here. Before I looked into the case, I would have guessed it'd be the opposite. I thought we had the stricter code," Thomas admitted.

"I think it's because it's so much more integrated than ours," Ginger offered. "It would not only be easier to do, but it's also probably a lot more tempting when everyone over here is dealing with Muggles every day. The codes are stricter to keep it in check."

"Or at least it kept it in check until this Elderflower Society popped up," Thomas said. "I really don't see why the Ministry needs to get involved at all. If it wasn't for the fact that components were being traced back to Britain, I'd take a book out of the Foreign Office and simply file it and stay out of it. What do you say to that, Corey?" he called out. "Have you got any idea how those components are getting to the Elderflower Society?"

"Honestly, Dad! This is a family gathering, not an interrogation!" Jennifer protested, helping Justice set the table.

"Nobody's under oath," Thomas pointed out.

"No, but I can't help but admire whoever is behind this," Corey said bluntly. "Muggles who are licensed to work within magic society in the States still have restrictions that we don't. For example, all of the Haveners are well versed in magic and use potions all of the time. But over here, they're supposed to go through the regular medical system unless they have a magic-induced ailment."

"They have a medical system in the States? That's news," Thomas said sarcastically.

"They have an insurance system with a bit of medicine sprinkled in," Lucky agreed.

"It's a real headache when it comes to getting all of my employees covered at an affordable price. The overhead here is extreme," Maurice put in.

"Preaching to the choir," Mark Ghent said, leaning on the office doorway. "It's Kingler's largest operations expense, and that's even after the break we get from the witch and wizard half of our staff who can get their coverage through the Wizard Bureau."

"All businesses have their expenses. I'm quite sure they have higher taxes than we do in their country," Sally said.

"Typically, maybe. But considering where this cafe is located, our taxes are high as well. Be grateful this place is as popular as ever," Mark said.

"We even added a Broom Service this year," Lucky offered.

"Well, it only made sense to add it, considering all of the orders we were getting to be picked up. There was already a demand, so Lucky set it up for us," Sally explained.

"Sure, we're making profit, but Mark's right. It'd be better for the business if there was a way to get everyone on the Wizard Bureau;s business plan, but they don't offer it to hybrid businesses," Lucky said. "That would take a policy change, and politics here moves kinda slow."

"Politicians move slow everywhere," Aurelius said, then began filling glasses as the group that had gone to the parade filtered in.

Thomas found himself sitting between Maurice and Severus, intentionally boxed in just in case he said something questionable.

"Just remember who's going to choose who sits where at the family Christmas party," Thomas warned dangerously when he noticed it.

"As you like, Thomas, that's your home, after all," Severus said unconcernedly.

"All of the sudden, I feel like my own family doesn't trust me," Thomas complained.

"Is he behaving over there, Severus?" Thomas heard Jennifer say, making him furrow his brows.

"For now, but he might test the waters if he feels restricted," Severus warned.

"You got that right," Thomas snapped.

"I love you, Dad," Jennifer said flippantly.

Thomas unsleeved his wand and cast a quick spell under the table, ignoring the fact that Jennifer started to cough as he calmly tried the salad.

"Are you alright, Jennifer?" Severus asked.

"Ghost Pepper," Jennifer wheezed, reaching for Seren's milk. Seren didn't protest, she simply watched her mother's expression curiously.

Deciding that getting involved would only get him into trouble, Severus offered Jennifer a bread roll then asked Rus if there was any interesting floats at the parade.