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Yesterday, he pissed off FX. Then later, Molly.

So now there was a wizard in very distinguished robes, reading up on muggle military history again, having afternoon tea.

The message on the back of his robes that once read "~~I play with my wand WAY too much.~~" Now had this instead, "I WISH I HAD A WAND TO PLAY WITH."

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Wells, who has been either sprinting or playing football most of the morning, catches sight of the books before catching sight of the message. This is probably for the best.

He stops a little distance off to get a good look at the title. Who knows? Could be something he's read before.

At the moment, it's The Oxford Companion to Military History (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0198662092/sr=8-2/qid=1148066517/ref=pd_bbs_2/104-4667023-2928753?%5Fencoding=UTF8), as he found in the library. He seemed rather engrossed in the 20th century part particularly.

A fine volume to start with. Wells heartily approves.

"History report coming up?" he guesses aloud.

Draco's eyes briefly flickered up to him. Hmmm... wasn't laughing. And lately, he'd had an easier time dealing with people who didn't know of him. Except for freakish shapeshifting foxes that is.

"Not exactly. More like catching up on some things."

"Ah." Wells nods at the book. "Got a copy of that one at home. 's not bad, for a start."

Draco nodded, "Shocking what your kind's hidden over the years." He was currently reading about the London Blitz. Nothing was ever said at home about it, even though it had to have affected them to some degree. How much were bombings in his world, and how much was magic?

"My kind?" Wells says, eyebrows rising. "What's that supposed to mean?"

He's just a little bit touchy about that these days.

Draco rolled his eyes as if it was obvious.

"Muggles. People who can't do magic of course."

"Ah," says Wells, the bristling dying down slightly. "Sorry. Could've been nearly anything, really... So you ever study this stuff before, or is it all new t'you? You look about the age I was when I went for a soldier."

"Studied some of it, but only from Wizarding aspects. Duels and such."

"Oh, you're a long way off from duel territory, mate," Wells says as he nods at the book. "A long, long way. I dunno if they even do those in the Arab countries any more."

"Well, some Dark Magic had similiarities to this, with explosions and such, but still not quite as wide-scaled as this *science* your kind seems to thrive on," Draco remarked as he read.

"No 'seems' about it, lad, that's what we do thrive on," Wells answered. "And make other buggers not thrive on. Weapons tech, farming tech- any of it."

"Some of it seems silly, until you find out the efficiency of it. And the power," Draco nodded with some small satisfaction.

That gets a small, dry smile. "That," he says, "I can vouch for personally. I've seen it in action far too many times to ever forget."

Draco eyed him, "Oh? You an expert on this then?"

"Twenty-five years of military service, including overseas wars in Bosnia and Iraq," says Wells. "I've been a professional soldier since I was sixteen."

Not counting the last two years, but during those two years he wasn't really a professional anything.

The names of the countries meant little to him.

"I see, had some other gentlemen mentioning about atomic bombs the other day, and now I'm wondering what else there is out there."

"Well, that's a bit at the far end of the scale," says Wells. "Those've only been used against live targets twice. There's non-nuclear weapons that'll do similar damage, though not as powerful- fuel-air bombs, they call 'em."

He looks the young man over thoughtfully.

"I seem to run into a lot of people who don't know shit about modern technological warfare. Just my luck."

Draco remarked, "It exists on my world I should imagine, all of this. In some ways. Just different circles. We keep to our own. Seemed acceptable and preferred for a long time."

"Had our problems and concerns to deal with..." he added half to himself as he thought about the Dark Lord, and what his plans were likely to be.

"Mmm," said Wells. "It's amazin' what turns out to exist in the world when you finally get slapped in the face with it."

Or, in his case, across the gut.

"Something like that," Draco agreed as he turned the page.

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