Post by Deleted on Dec 11, 2013 20:30:49 GMT -5
The years had been good to Arthur Weasley. The blue-eyed and now gray and white haired old man had a fine career in the Ministry, a wonderful wife, and raised seven amazing children. True he tragically lost his son, Fred, in the Battle of Hogwarts, and he missed him dearly, but he then went on to be blessed with a wealth of grandchildren. He was a lucky man indeed.
His time as Head of the Office for the Detection and Confiscation of Counterfeit Defensive Spells and Protective Objects allowed him a nice retirement nest egg, enough to support himself and his beloved Molly for the rest of their lives. So money was not a problem, nor was loneliness of course given his large family. The main issue that plagued his retirement was... boredom. There were the days that his wife was out and about, his children were at work or at their own homes, and his grandchildren were at school. That was when he had to make something of the time. He had been up and down and in and out of Diagon Alley, and the place had become a bit dull. So, on a fairly clear day, he decided to take a trip into the Muggle side of London. It was high time he learned more about these non-magical folks that had fascinated him for so many years.
Walking along the streets of London, Arthur wondered where would be the best place to start. Going into a store that sold modern electronics might have been a bit much for him, as he would have to do some back tracking. Fortunately he came across a story called Neddie's Nostalgia Nook. According to a sign in the store, it sold things made popular from the 1950's through the early 2000's. Perfect... just perfect. As he looked about, he suddenly found the opportunity to discover something that he had wanted to know for a very long time. Something he had asked Harry Potter years ago, but never quite got the answer he needed. Now the wisdom of the Muggles would finally shine upon in and unravel a great mystery.
"Pardon me, Miss?" he asked a young sales girl who was in the process of stocking some Dustbusters. "What is the function of this?" The young girl looked at the yellow Rubber Duck in his hand, and then stared at Arthur as if he had gone mad. Well he wasn't mad, but Arthur had always been on the eccentric side. Perhaps he should of expected the reaction, given Muggles were no doubt quite use to such magnificent items as the duck he had in his hand.
"Um... they're bath toys for children," said the perplexed employee.
"Ah," said Arthur, was was sadly a bit underwhelmed at the answer. Without thinking, he then pressed it a bit harder and it squeaked, startling him a little and causing him to drop. He quickly picked it up, a slight blush on his aging face. "Thank you very much, Miss."
He then stepped over and saw something of the Muggles he was somewhat more familiar with, and that was a television. In his travels in London in the past, he had passed stores with them playing a number of times after all. The TV was playing a movie, and Arthur chuckled when the title "The Worst Witch" came on the screen.
"They must be referring to Bellatrix LeStrange," he said to himself. He then heard a couple behind him talking about it.
"Oh I remember this movie," said the woman. "It's about a school that young witches attended to learn magic."
"Sounds a bit nutters to me," said the man. Arthur's eyes widened and he turned to look at them.
"And what is so nutters about young witches attending school?" he asked. The couple gave him the same odd look that the sales girl had and Arthur recalled that he was in a Muggle store again. "Well then... I'll just go purchase my rubber duck." He smiled and nodded to the two before heading to the register. Their odd stares remained though.
His time as Head of the Office for the Detection and Confiscation of Counterfeit Defensive Spells and Protective Objects allowed him a nice retirement nest egg, enough to support himself and his beloved Molly for the rest of their lives. So money was not a problem, nor was loneliness of course given his large family. The main issue that plagued his retirement was... boredom. There were the days that his wife was out and about, his children were at work or at their own homes, and his grandchildren were at school. That was when he had to make something of the time. He had been up and down and in and out of Diagon Alley, and the place had become a bit dull. So, on a fairly clear day, he decided to take a trip into the Muggle side of London. It was high time he learned more about these non-magical folks that had fascinated him for so many years.
Walking along the streets of London, Arthur wondered where would be the best place to start. Going into a store that sold modern electronics might have been a bit much for him, as he would have to do some back tracking. Fortunately he came across a story called Neddie's Nostalgia Nook. According to a sign in the store, it sold things made popular from the 1950's through the early 2000's. Perfect... just perfect. As he looked about, he suddenly found the opportunity to discover something that he had wanted to know for a very long time. Something he had asked Harry Potter years ago, but never quite got the answer he needed. Now the wisdom of the Muggles would finally shine upon in and unravel a great mystery.
"Pardon me, Miss?" he asked a young sales girl who was in the process of stocking some Dustbusters. "What is the function of this?" The young girl looked at the yellow Rubber Duck in his hand, and then stared at Arthur as if he had gone mad. Well he wasn't mad, but Arthur had always been on the eccentric side. Perhaps he should of expected the reaction, given Muggles were no doubt quite use to such magnificent items as the duck he had in his hand.
"Um... they're bath toys for children," said the perplexed employee.
"Ah," said Arthur, was was sadly a bit underwhelmed at the answer. Without thinking, he then pressed it a bit harder and it squeaked, startling him a little and causing him to drop. He quickly picked it up, a slight blush on his aging face. "Thank you very much, Miss."
He then stepped over and saw something of the Muggles he was somewhat more familiar with, and that was a television. In his travels in London in the past, he had passed stores with them playing a number of times after all. The TV was playing a movie, and Arthur chuckled when the title "The Worst Witch" came on the screen.
"They must be referring to Bellatrix LeStrange," he said to himself. He then heard a couple behind him talking about it.
"Oh I remember this movie," said the woman. "It's about a school that young witches attended to learn magic."
"Sounds a bit nutters to me," said the man. Arthur's eyes widened and he turned to look at them.
"And what is so nutters about young witches attending school?" he asked. The couple gave him the same odd look that the sales girl had and Arthur recalled that he was in a Muggle store again. "Well then... I'll just go purchase my rubber duck." He smiled and nodded to the two before heading to the register. Their odd stares remained though.
