The diary

James came awake slowly to find himself laying on a soft bed. He blinked twice staring up at a gray wall and then looked to his side to see Angus sitting on a twin bed with his head down staring down at a book while a breakfast tray of pancakes and eggs set between them on the nightstand.

Angus looked over at him as he noticed James was awake. He stared at James in concern. "How are you doing?"

James shook his head rising to a sitting position before he sighed and stared at Angus. "What happened?"

"You got tired from all the travel and fell asleep when we got to the hotel. Bad dreams?" Angus guessed.

James shook his head not meeting his gaze. "Sorry. I was just tired. I'll be ready to get up and go in a second."

"Take your time son. We were doing a lot of hoping around here and there. We get our rest then we're on the hunt again. Do you want to talk about what's bothering you?" Angus said.

James shook his head. "No I don't want to talk about my feelings bro." He said automatically then flinched at his mistake.

Angus was quiet. "Hmm. So you saw an embarrassing moment in your old man's past." He said with a rye humor in his voice. "It wasn't my best moment but it was a moment I needed to have to make change in my life."

James nodded silently. "Are eggs still warm?"

"Yes they are as are the pancakes. The plate keeps them warm. What were you thinking about before we left that jackass in the country?"

James was quiet as he picked up his plate setting it on the bed and picked up his knife and fork and started to dig into his breakfast. "I wasn't thinking about anything, Dad."

"That my friend is poor attempt at an evasion and a out right lie. You won't hurt my feelings none by your answer son. I did what I had to. I didn't owe that man nothing."

James looked up at Angus to see him smiling kindly and looking at him. "I wanted to know how you became so powerful. I've never seen anything like you did Dad. Your quick reaction. That show of raw power coming out of your weapon and then your use of magic I haven't seen. I imagined you had always been like that but I just for some reason hadn't seen it."

Angus nodded his head. "But, then you saw my embarrassing moment. I bit that paints things in a different light of understanding. You got to start somewhere."

James nodded. "The Wuxia helped you become a great wizard." He said.

Angus shook his head. "No. I'll never be a great wizard. The Wuxia taught me how to become the best version of myself how to develop what I was good at and how to take the first steps toward my own greatness. I haven't completed my training that will take me more decades to go but they put me on the right path."

James frowned, picked up his knife and fork and started slicing up and started eating a few moments. Angus left James to his breakfast silently.

Angus went back to his book. He was reading intently and James noticed that his weapon set beside him on the bed in his holster. James noticed the peacemaker glowed occasionally.

"Why does your weapon glow like that some times? Is it alive?"

"The peacemaker is as much alive as the wand in your pocket son just not quite like us." Angus said calmly.

James frowned. "Did you create the peacemaker?" He asked.

"Yes. I did. I made a handful of peacemakers over the years. It's a very niche market. As a whole peacemakers are viewed as a novelty to wizards and the magi. I make more making magical weapons and sword and wand repair."

"Wand repair. Do you know how to make wands?" James asked.

"Yes. I worked and studied under Mr. Garrick Ollivander in the art and science of wand creation before I attempted to study blacksmith work with the Dwarfs. They weren't as welcoming to a human magi attempting to learning the precious secrets of their super secret blacksmithing though they were more then ready to try and "sell" me one of their weapons until I died of course then they would just as soon take the thing back. No big deal on my end I just learned old fashioned blacksmithing from non-humans."

James stared at him. "Was all that before you finished Hogwarts or after you returned from the land of the Wuxia?"

Angus still looking down at his book flicked another page with his finger. "It was a couple of years during my times at Hogwarts in the summer and winter breaks when I worked part time jobs in Diagon Alley."

"You worked part time jobs during school? Why?" James asked.

Angus smiled but there wasn't anything nice about on the expression on his face. "I had to pay for my school supplies and room in board at Hogwarts after my mother got sick and couldn't work anymore. So I worked part time jobs and tried to learn trades I use to earn spending money."

"Oh." James said quietly. "I didn't know. I'm sorry."

Angus shook his head looking at James. "Nothing to be sorry about son. It's life. You have good times and hopefully you have much better times. Your mother I worked hard so that you didn't have to focus on nothing but your school work, making friends and focusing on becoming the best person you make of yourself." He said and nodded to James.

James pursed his lips together and sighed but nodded back. He glanced back at the book Angus had been intently reading. "What are you reading? A spell book?"

Angus shook his head. "Oh no. It's Grandpa Harry's diary. He left it to me after his death. Every once in a while I read it to to keep mind remembering advice on subjects and lessons he learned from his own mistakes." He said.

James stared at him. "Oh. I never knew he had wrote a diary."

Angus nodded closing the book. James looked at the cover it was a plain red leather bound thick book with gold gilded pages. "Neither did I until he died. I met him a few times before he died. He was just a regular English guy. He asked me to consider a simple career path and widening my education beyond being a great wizard. He said I should consider being a great Angus."

"What did you say to him?" James asked.

"I told him to go screw himself. I was going to live my life the way I damned well wanted to become a greater wizard then he ever was." Angus said with a grin. "While I failed to become a great wizard. I think I have made a bit of legend of myself if not greater then the him then at least equal to Grandpa Harry."

James stared at Angus. "You did not say that to him? Did you!?"

Angus still grinning pointed to James' breakfast. "Finish your breakfast James. We got a job to finish. We're going to head out and get that dammed stone for the Count."