[HP AU]

[mnt_raph]

"An' you're sure this is the right address?" Raph asks again, for what Mike thinks might be the millionth time.

"Yes, I'm sure Raph. For like the millionth times. I told you," the smaller boy says sighing. "I read the map. I followed Donnie's instructions to the letter. Just...be still, look tough, and try not talk so much. Your accent kind of a dead give away that we're tourists, okay?"

"Bite me, Mikey."

"You'd probably like that too much," he says with a waggle of his eyebrows as he presses the doorbell of the Montoya's East London home.

Comments

[interrogoiterum]

"He was little at Christmas," is Renee's excuse.

Ben looks at the hand holding, and up at Renee, and doesn't even notice Raph making eyes at his friend.

"Are they friends from school?" he asks Renee.

"Yeah. they showed up at home."

"Oh."

Ben's face tightens with worry, then he nods.

"I'll go smooth things over with her, 'kay? I'll text you when it's safe to come home."

[mnt_raph]

Mike gives Renee's hand a reassuring squeeze before he lets go and takes a step towards Ben.

"We really didn't expect to be in town today, and probably should have called first, but I'm kind of crap with phones. Not exactly the best introduction, I'll admit, but...I'm Mike, and it's really nice to finally get to put a face to the name," he holds out his hand to Ben.

"There's a whole shiny dollar in it for you if you can impress upon your mother that Raph and I can become estranged at any time...if that helps."

"Hey!" comes Raph's reply. He's just about to try and smack his little brother upside the head for that, but Renee's in the way, and she's already hit him once today.

[interrogoiterum]

"And," as if this is the worst thing in the world, "you're American."

Ben grins at him, and shakes the hand.

"You hurt my sister and I'll kick your arse," he says cheerfully, without any idea who he's issuing the threat to.

"And yes, you should have called."

He glances at Raph, and then over his shoulder at Abi.

"I'm going home!" he yells back. "Mum's got tea ready!"

There's a yell of annoyance, but his friends move away.

The final warning glance is given to Renee.

"Tell them to call, next time. Or at least send one of those owl. Things."

He gives Mike another look, and jogs towards his home.

[mnt_raph]

When Ben is out of earshot Mike turns to Renee and says, "He's cute. So that runs in the family."

Raph...well, he's just keeping his eyes on the other kids on the street. He doesn't have to say anything, the dare for them to make the first move reads loud and clear in his body language.

[interrogoiterum]

"He's too young for you, Mike."

And, as far as she knows, likes girls. But that's irrelevant to the ribbing.

Renee follows Raph's gaze to the kids. "And they're too young, too."

Two of them have turned away anyway. One kid is squaring up, returning the dare. The other - the blonde - She's got her arms crossed and is waiting to see what's about to happen.

"Raph," Renee repeats. "Com'on. There's a magic shop down here I've been dying to check out for years."

[mnt_mike]

To heck with being irrelevant to the ribbing, it's irrelevant to Mike, who habitually crushes on straight boys. It's a curse, really.

"He won't always be," Mike says with a grin, before turning his attention from Renee to his brother.

"C'mon Raph, you can flirt later. It's the Easter Holidays, they're not going anywhere interesting."

Raph squares his shoulders, tilting his head just enough to the side that his neck cracks, and then turns to follow in Mike and Renee's wake.

[interrogoiterum]

Renee is heading down a side street with all the self assurance of someone who lives in the neighbourhood and isn't going to let a thing like a seeming dead end stop her when this iron gate is never left unlocked and it's not actually that hard to squeeze through this wall.

"Bet you didn't know there was a magical neighbourhood in the East End," she's saying. "It's not all Diagon Alley down here, you know."

[mnt_mike]

"I don't bet against sure things," Mike says easily.

Raph...is still kind of distracted by the blonde girl who at last glance was still giving him the stink eye.

"You know we ain't ever been to London, right Renee?"

[interrogoiterum]

"And I've never been to America so we're even," Renee tells him cheerfully.

[mnt_mike]

"Do you want to? Because that's a thing that we, thanks in part to today's today's test run, we are now proud to say we can offer."

Ta daaaa!

[interrogoiterum]

Outside a shop that's no different from any other shop on the street, except it offers fresh fruit on display outside and the usual flyers stuck to the window include PSYCHIC READINGS and HERBAL REMEDIES, Renee pauses, and considers Mike's offer.

"Not while it could get me kicked out of my house. Let me finish school first."

[mnt_raph]

"Fair enough," says Raph with a shrug. He can't imagine why she'd want to stay with a family that fears her like her's does, but as she's told him time and time again: he doesn't have to understand. His job is to merely accept it.

"Provided everything goes according to plan? There'll be one waiting for you when you're ready," Mike adds.

[interrogoiterum]

"One what?"

Renee has stopped dead, and now she's dropped to one knee, pulling up her trouser leg to reveal a knee length sock.

Into that she has her wand tucked.

[mnt_mike]

"Set of emergency travelling papers."

"Say it a little louder, Mikey. I don't think the people down the block heard you," Raph scolds.

[interrogoiterum]

"Yeah, I don't think they can while we're outside this shop," Renee says.

She stands up with her wand and taps the doorhandle before pushing the door open.

"You guys coming?"

[mnt_raph]

"Yeah yeah, sure. Who wouldn't want to look at crusty old herbs and spices?"

"You mean aside from you, right Raph?" Mike's grin is cut short by the sound of something vibrating in his back pocket.

"Uh...you guys go ahead. I'll be right there."

[interrogoiterum]

Renee smirks at Raph.

"Yeah, cause a wizard always knows to trust the outside of a shop."

She glances at Mike, her smirk disappearing with his grin, but holds the door open long enough for a chocolate frog to come leaping out.

"Shut the door!" comes a call from inside.

[mnt_mike]

"I'll be right there," he reassures her, hand darting out to catch the leaping frog. Mmmm. Chocolate.

It's only after he's caught the frog that he goes reaching for the jade turtle figurine that he keeps in the back pocket of his cargo pants. Normally it's plain green, but at this moment? It's flashing bright orange.

[interrogoiterum]

Checking to see if Raph is following, Renee steps into the shop.

That on the inside looks like Honeydukes and Jiggers got together and made a nest full of loud, screaming children and tired looking adults.

[mnt_raph]

Raph is most certainly following, you can tell not just because of his physical presence, but also because of the groan of distaste he has for the organized chaos of the store.

It's not that Raph dislikes organized chaos, but rather that he likes to bitch about...well, damn near everything.

"If this place ain't a running advertisement for birth control charms, I don't know what is..."

[interrogoiterum]

"Second floor," says a harried looking witch next to him.

This shop didn't look like it had a second floor from the outside.

Renee is already heading towards the spiral staircase, and the big department store sign next to it.

Sure enough:
Second Floor: Medical charms and baby supplies.

"What are you in the market for, Raph?"

[mnt_raph]

Raph's impressed. You wouldn't know it by looking at him, but he's impressed, and usually is when it comes to the whole bigger on the inside thing.

"A beer. Some peace and quiet.

...

The name of the cute blonde from before."

[interrogoiterum]

Fifth Floor: The Swift Sphinx Tavern

Renee looks around for a lift rather than stairs, and when she can't find one, starts up the staircase.

Under her feet, it suddenly starts spinning under her, rising up in a screw motion.

Renee grabs on to the bannister with both hands, including the one clutching her wandumbrella.

"Moldwart!"

[mnt_raph]

Raph is dumbfounded for a second, and as such has to jump at the last second to catch up with Renee.

"Wait...seriously?"

He never was very quick on the uptake.

[interrogoiterum]

Renee's eyes are wide with annoyance at being taken by surprise.

"Why can't wizards ever do anything simply?" She demands of him, like he should know."