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This chapter is a chance to describe one of my favorite things about this country; sardines grilling outside in the company of family and friends during the summer. We also get a description of an interesting form of transportation; Professor Pitt's Portable Pumpkin, an invention of mine that was originally intended for The Magic Quill but didn't make it into the story. Never mind, I'll use it here in my story.
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As Bernardo was putting the final touches on the bath rooms, (one side had wizard fixtures, the other had fixtures designed for house elves and were both divided into two sections-men and women) a white van drove up and parked by the pigsty. As the side door opened a veritable parade emerged: the Pereiras, the Carvalhos, the Figueiras, the Limas and a host of house elves. Besides providing all the ingredients for the sardine roast, they brought all sorts of household items: sheets, blankets, cauldrons, cutlery, china, glasses, some tables and chairs and a few beds to name a few. The very last thing to exit the van was a muggle washing machine; because of its bulkiness, the four house elves carrying it were having a bit of a problem.
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"This thing be so big, I can't get a grip!" whimpered one of the four elves trying to manouver the washing machine.
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"It be heavy, too," groaned another of the four as his legs threatened to buckle underneath him.
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"Watch it! Don't yous tip it over on top of me!" yelled another one as he felt the weight shifting to his side of the machine.
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"HELP!" shouted the fourth one as he felt the machine slipping through his fingers.
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Some wizards heard the anguished cries of the four house elves and ran over to catch the machine before it crashed to the ground. They lifted it up and carried it away, putting it by the side of the other household items. As the four house elves were horrified that they hadn't been able to carry it; they started banging their heads on the side of the van.
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"Bad elf! Bad elf!" they muttered as they banged away. After a minute of this self torture, they stopped, then staggered groggily over to the other elves cross-eyed.
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Bernardo was overwhelmed by this show of generosity.
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"We all got together and decided to donate all this material," explained the head of the Pereira clan (Sr. Jaime Pereira), "You have always helped us in the past, now it's our turn to help you out."
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"Hear, hear!" chorused the rest of the group.
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"In that case, I accept, and I speak for all of us when I say thanks," croaked Bernardo as unbidden tears filled his eyes, and his throat suddenly squeezed very tight. Wiping his tears away with the side of his hand, he laughed and joined in helping put all the things in sort of order.
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While some folk put the household things to one side, others fired up the four charcoal barbeques and covered the grills with peppers that would be roasted first. Others set up a three bedroom wizard tent and used the kitchen inside to prepare sangria (both red and white), gaspacho, salads, potatoes for boiling and for slicing loaves of bread.
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As the potatoes were put in the cauldron to boil, the drinks, including lots of non-alcoholic beverages like juice, water and lemonade, were poured into perma-chilled jugs, the sliced bread arranged in baskets, the gaspacho and salads found their way into bowls and everything was placed on an awaiting table complete with a white table cloth. An anti- bug charm was applied to keep insects away and a huge cloth was conjured over the table to keep the sun off.
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Meanwhile, Julia had arrived from a quick check-up on Ursie, her baby and Bica--they were fine--and greeted her guests. After showing her gratitude by hugging anybody in reach, she pitched in with the rest getting the things ready for the roast and storing all the household goods inside one of the tent's bedrooms. She was flummoxed by the muggle washing machine.
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"Who donated this thing?" she asked.
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"I did," said Dona Amelia Carvalho, "We found it by the side of the road the other day and brought it home. I have to admit I didn't have a clue as to what it was at first; so we put it just outside the kitchen door, and the next morning an augurey had made its nest inside, and then it made perfect sense!"
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"What made perfect sense?" Julia asked with a puzzled look on her face.
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"Washing machine, of course. When it's going to rain, the augurey sings--if you can call that singing--and then you have time to take in your washing!" Dona Amelia beamed.
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"Oh," understanding flashed on Julia's face. She peered inside and sure enough there was an augurey nestled in the drum fast asleep, its greenish black feathers clearly visible. She thanked Amelia for her thoughtfulness, even though she knew exactly what a muggle washing machine was.
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Bernardo then started work on the chimney with the help of the rest of the men; they used both muggle methods and magic to erect a fireplace tall enough for a man to stand in. With so much assitance it was finished in a flash. A fire was started and Bernardo threw in some floo dust and flooed to the ministry to reconnect his fireplace to the floo network. The fireplace was situated in the area designated 'kitchen', so there might not be a kitchen as such but there was a fireplace--the rest could be finished later.
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"All hooked up! I thought I would go down to check on the dragons, bring them some sardines. Does anybody want to join me?" Bernardo asked as he stepped out of the fireplace. There were quite a few who wanted to go so they all grabbed their broomsticks from inside the van and flew off through the forest towards the beach. They alighted at the same place Bernaro had stopped the day before with Mojo and Jojo. There they were, Omar, Marisa, Jojo, Mojo and the seaweed nest full of shell pink eggs. It was hard to see the two dragons because they were resting and the color of their scaly skin was the exact color of the surrounding sand. The only give-away was Marisa's bandaged paw.
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"They seem to be alright," Bernardo said softly.
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He caught the eye of Mojo and beckoned him to come up to the cliff with Jojo. When the two house elves reached the pine covered cliff Bernardo inquired, "How's everything with the dragons?"
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"Everything fine, Sr. Nardo," Mojo and Jojo said in unison.
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"Good, I've brought a little treat for all of you," Bernardo said as he handed over a flat basket full of already salted sardines and some salad, bread and drinks.
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"Wow, thanks, Sr. Nardo!" exclaimed Mojo.
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"The dragons can roast these when they wake up," Jojo said with a smile.
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After the elves went back down to the beach, the rest stayed for a while admiring the sleeping beasts.
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"I understand you are going to take the dragons with you when you leave," Sr. Pedro Carvalho (head of the Carvalho clan) stated.
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"Yes, they are coming with us. As you can see, there are dragon eggs down there and they happen to be the first ones Marisa has ever laid. Julia and I just can't bear to leave the dragons behind. I am their keeper; it's my job, but it's more than that-they're family," Bernardo uttered with feeling.
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"There's just one problem, how am I going to get them to the Açores? I don't want to put them with the birds and all the rest. They should be seperated; they may be a little on the tame side as far as dragons go but they are dragons all the same. I wouldn't want to make the same mistake I made yesterday. I should never have brought Marisa to the clearing by the house; it would have been more sensible to summon Julia to the beach," Bernardo admitted to his guests shaking his head sorrowfully. "But what's done is done and now I'm at a complete loss as to how to transport them safely. Would any of you have a suggestion?"
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The head of the Lima clan (Sr. Oscar Lima), enthusiastic breeder of flying Lusitano horses, piped up immediately, "When I have trouble transporting my horses to sky races and aerial dressage competitions, I use a flying carpet with horses embroidered on it. They settle right down and enjoy the ride. Just be sure that there is something from their paddock that smells like home to them on the rug. It could be a curry brush or a blanket. Of course, the problem now is to figure out what would smell like home to a dragon."
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Sr. Antonio Figueira (head of the Figueira clan) spoke up, "I have the same problem with my hippogriffs when I take them to shows. Usually I dig up some dirt from their paddock and put it inside the traveling box; the smell reminds them of home."
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Bernardo looked at each of his friends in turn, a smile appearing on his face and exclaimed, "That's it! We have an arraiolas rug in our Lisbon flat covered with blue bellies and beach scenes; we'd have to get permission to enchant it to fly, of course."
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"That shouldn't be too much of a problem," Oscar said. "They are always sympathetic at the department of transportation, and as it's a one time deal, you should be alright."
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Smelling the sardines, Omar lifted his head and saw the delicious treat. He gently nuzzled Marisa awake and the two of them stared at the basket of fish. Omar picked one of the sardines up delicately with his fingers and gently roasted it for his mate, who ate it happily. Then she roasted one for Omar. They continued their roasting, giving some to the house elves, who ate theirs on a slice of bread while the crowd on the cliff looked on.
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"They are so nice to each other, it does my heart good to watch them," Pedro remarked with a smile.
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The group stayed for another minute, enjoying the sight of the dragons eating their sardines so daintily, before taking off again on their brooms to have their own roast.
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Chica had arrived while Bernardo and his group had been down at the pine covered cliff, her pink ensemble visible from afar. She was happily helping her mother Trina, and the other elves set the table with dishes and cutlery. The oranges that she had bought were already in a bowl on the table.
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Lena had also arrived with Mara and Mauro. They were arranging the fruit and vegetables that had been graciously donated by the centaurs.
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The peppers had already been roasted and were now being peeled and torn into strips to be eaten as a salad. Cruets appeared on the table full of olive oil tp put on the salads and the 'to be' roasted sardines.
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The barbeques were ready now for the sardines; so they were put on the grill a few at a time, and turned over when ready. The wizards took care of this operation, levitating the trays of roasted sardines to the table where all could partake in the treat. Some ate their sardines on a plate with boiled potatoes and salad, some ate their sardines one at a time on a slice of bread with a dash of olive oil on top. Everywhere was a party feeling-everybody talking and having a good time.
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Lena, who was eating her sardine on a slice of bread with her fingers, said to her father, "Seta was very pleased to get the egg. I've spoken to Mara and Mauro and they've agreed to come with me as free house elves." She licked her finger tips. "I'm going to send them later to get all our stuff from the school," she added taking a sip of her red sangria.
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"Excellent. I'm going to need the rug from our house in Lisbon. I'm thinking of sending Chica later for it." He speared a potato with his fork.
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"Hey, wait a minute! Mara and Mauro could go with Chica to Lisbon and get some clothes at that special place in St. Vincent's Square that caters to house elves. They are going to need regular clothes and work smocks," Lena ate a soup spoon of gaspacho.
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"Right you are. First the school, then Lisbon," Bernardo drank some white sangria.
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"Chica, Mara, Mauro!" Lena summoned the elves and proceeded to explain the plan to go to the school first, then Lisbon. The three agreed and finished their lunch before they vanished only to reappear within minutes with a trunk and two crups: Ollie and Rosa. The two crups scurried over to Lena and sat down wagging their stumps.
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"Hello, you two cruppies! Did you miss mama? I missed you. I saw your babies yesterday, yes, I did! I saw Rica and Rico, they are just fine. Here, let me get you a plate of food," Lena gave each crup a pat on the head and then started putting together a plate of food for them--sardines, a little salad, some potatoes all cut up into tiny bits. They waited until Lena had placed the plate on the ground and said, "Alright, go for it," before they attacked the plate of food with gusto. Lena looked on amused.
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"Sr. Nardo, we go now. Is there anything else you want from Lisbon?" Chica inquired with Mara and Mauro by her side.
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"No, Chica, I just need the rug with all the blue bellies and beach scenes embroidered on it. You can charge the clothes to my account, alright, Chica," Bernardo explained.
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"Mara and Mauro, you don't have to rush back today. Take the rest of the day off and come back tomorrow morning," Lena instructed her friends with a smile.
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"Thanks, Menina Lena, see you tomorrow," Mara and Mauro echoed.
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So, after Chica gave her mother, Trina, a hug and a kiss they were gone with a crack.
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Later, when everybody had finished their excellent meal and were getting ready to leave, Sr. Pedro Carvalho came over to where Lena and her father were sitting, "There's just one more thing I would like to donate to Lena," he said with a smile. Beckoning them to follow him, they went to the white van parked by the side of the pigsty and he ushered them over to the driver's side of the van.
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"This van is a 'Professor Pitt's Portable Pumpkin'. It can be used as a muggle van, or by pushing this button, it can be a wizard's vehicle complete with invisibility switch, underwater drive and boat features for traveling on the surface of the water. It doesn't fly. By throwing this switch on the outside of the van it shrinks to the size of a small pumpkin," he threw the switch and the ordinary van shrank to a small orange pumpkin right before their eyes.
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Pedro held up his hands to stop Bernardo from saying anything, "I know what you're going to say--this is too much--well, it isn't. If it hadn't been for Lena, I would have lost my cork trees to disease. Now, thanks to her, I have the best cork in the Algarve and I have been able to buy the latest model of portable pumpkins (it's able to fly, too) so, in reality you are doing me a favor by taking this old model off my hands."
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"How do you turn it back into a van?" Lena asked curiously as she stared at the pumpkin.
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"Oh, that's simple, just drop it on the ground and it turns into a van," Pedro explained picking up the pumpkin and dropping it on the ground where it expanded into a van.
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Bernardo sat down in the driver's seat and started throwing switches and pushing buttons to see how it worked. He was impressed.
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Lena groaned, "I don't have my driving license yet! I only turn eighteen on the first of September." She wrung her hands. "I'd better pass the first time around," she muttered as she ran into the tent where her trunk was, took out her books on 'muggle' driving and started studying. 'I must remember to check where they give driving tests near here,' she thought frantically to herself as she opened her book, 'First thing tomorrow morning,' she promised herself as she started reading.
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After Bernardo tore himself away from the van he gave each family an ashwinder egg--which they all appreciated--and bade them good bye. They went into the van to retrieve their home bound transportation--some had brooms, there were a few motorcycles and one small muggle car--and left.
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When everybody had gone, Bernardo and Julia cleaned everything up with the help of their house elves. Then they all decided how big the kitchen should be and where the windows and doors should go. Following that they started discussing where to put the living and dining rooms. This was the plan for the ground floor. The bedrooms and another bathroom would be on the second floor.
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"That wizard tent will be really handy to stay in until we get the second floor finished," Bernardo remarked to Julia, who completely agreed, nodding her head.
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"Yes, it will. Who's going to help us put up the walls?" Julia asked.
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"I was thinking of hiring 'Costa's Magi-Constructions'; they have a good reputation," Bernardo looked at his wife.
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Julia thought for a moment and then said, "Yes, that's a good idea. Why don't you owl them and set it up?"
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So, Bernardo sent an owl to Costa's Magi-Constructions and they owled right back saying they would be delighted to come by the next day to have a look and discuss costs.
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With that out of the way, Bernardo and Julia went to check up on the pigsty which was now quite homey: each cubicle had its own elf bed already made up and a bed side cupboard where each elf could put their tea towels.
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Trina came over, "We is almost done, Sr. Nardo, Dona Ju. All we needs now is the roof."
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"The builder will be here tomorrow, you should have a roof soon," Bernardo said.
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Trina smiled, her wrinkled face beaming, "That be good news!"
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Bernardo smiled back, We'll be going for a walk now. Could you make something light for dinner later?"
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"Sure thing. We'll put something together from the left-overs, be that fine?" Trina looked at Bernardo for an answer.
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"Yes, perfectly fine," Bernardo smiled at Trina.
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So, holding hands, Bernardo and Julia strolled over to have a look at Ursie, her baby and Bica. The house elf was dozing with his back against a tree, the rope tied to his wrist moving slightly. There was a half empty bottle of butter beer by his side. Not wanting to upset them, they stopped before they got too close and sat down.
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"We should have brought something to drink," Julia said.
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Bernardo said, "Accio beer bottle!" and the bottle of butter beer flew into his hand. "We can borrow this, Bica won't mind," he whispered in Julia's ear.
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Julia laughed and they both had some butter beer. The thestramule came into view in all its pink glory. It flapped its wings managing to lift itself a few inches off the ground.
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"Imagine that! Already able to fly a little," Julia gazed at the pink baby.
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"It's so cute. I wonder what it's going to look like when it grows up," Bernardo mused.
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Ursula came into view; she had been for a walk herself. She went over and nuzzled her baby tenderly. So pure and white, she was really a beautiful sight, positioning herself to feed her baby.
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Bernardo and Julia both looked on enthralled as Estrela had some milk. Bica snored and the noise woke him up.
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"Sr. Nardo, Dona Ju, I be good elf!" he slurred as he fell back to sleep. They chuckled.
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"Now that we've seen this little family, I'd like to have a look at the blue bellies. Would you care to join me, handsome husband of mine?" Julia asked Bernardo, her hazel eyes alight with love.
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"Absolutely, lovely wife," Bernardo answred, his brown eyes full of love as well.
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They apparated to the pine covered cliff and sat down as they regarded the dragons. The sun was setting; a giant globe of fire falling into the horizon. The sky was all colors of the rainbow at once; deep purples above their heads, reds, yellows, pinks, greens and oranges splashed all over the rest of the sky. It awesome. The dragons were active: Omar was flying over the sea as Marisa breathed a gentle fire over her precious eggs. Omar dived in and came up with a sand dab clutched in his paw. He flew back to shore and presented it to his mate. As she started roasting it, Omar flew out again to catch something for himself. The two house elves rested on the sand. They looked up and waved.
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Bernardo and Julia waved back. They took one last look at the marvelous spectacle and apparated back to the area by the tent. Lena was playing with her crups, throwing a ball for them to catch.
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"Hi there, I decided to take a break, we're having a good time running around after the ball," Lena explained as she tossed the ball for the two crups to chase.
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"Well, good. I'm going to check with Trina about dinner," Julia said as she went into the tent.
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Bernardo sat down at the picnic table and joined in, taking turns with Lena at throwing the ball for the crups to chase.
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Soon afterwards Julia came out of the tent with a tray which she set down on the table. Trina came out with some plates, glasses and cutlery. Another house elf came out carrying two jugs of sangria; one white, the other red. After washing their hands in the tent's bathroom, Bernardo, Julia and Lena sat down to have a light meal: it was just a salad made with the left-overs from lunch bit it was tasty none the less. Ollie and Rosa curled up, by Lena's feet.
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"I'll be going to Monchique tomorrow to check out where to have my driving test," Lena informed her parents.
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"That's a good idea. Will you be taking Mara and Mauro with you?" Bernardo asked after swallowing his mouthful of food.
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"I was thinking of leaving them at the house in town while I go ask around," Lena answered before she put another forkful of salad in her mouth.
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"You be careful. We'll be busy here, the construction man is coming tomorrow," Julia added after taking a sip of her red sangria.
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"Oh, mama, I'm always careful, you know that," Lena rolled her eyes, exasperated.
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"I know dear; I'm a mama--I can't help but worry," Julia giggled and continued her emal.
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They finished their meal as night fell around them, watching some lit up fairies flitting around in the darkness.
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Bernardo excused himself, "I'm going to have a closer look at that van of yours."
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Lena and Julia took the dishes to the tent where Trina washed them in the kitchen.
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"I be going now, you wants anything else, Dona Ju?" Trina asked as she wiped her hands on a towel.
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"No, thank you, Trina, have a good night and see you in the morning," Julia responded as Trina left the tent to go to the elves' quarters in the pigsty.
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Lena had already put on a light weight short night gown, the crups had followed her into her room in the tent and were settling down to sleep. Julia looked in, "Good night, love, your father is still out there, come and have a gander."
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The two women tiptoed to the tent's flap and peered out; there was Bernardo looking over the engine with the hood up. As they watched, he lowered the hood and got in the cab and gleefully started pushing buttons: he was like a little kid.
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"Honestly, men and their toys," Julia and Lena giggled as they watched. Lowering the tent flap, they said good night with a kiss and went to bed.
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Bernardo crawled into bed several hours later.
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