"Why do the doors move like magic and how do you lock your car without touching it," Bellatrix asked.
Arthur was moving about in the kitchen, attending to their glasses of fruit punch. "Does everyone want punch," he asked.
"Is there anything softer," Juda asked and Arthur laughed.
"It's just a sort of mix of fruit juice."
"Oh, then that's fine," Juda said.
"So fruit punch for everyone," Arthur asked again.
"But I thought it'd be harder," Rod complained.
"Seriously," Arthur demanded.
"Alright, alright," Rod relented. "Fruit punch for everyone it is. Are you having some?"
"I guess so," Arthur said, a mild tone of sulk to his voice.
Bellatrix frowned, wondering just what he thought he had to sulk about.
When he re-entered the sitting room, he carried two glasses of red liquid, one in each hand. The glasses were dark amber and short and fat in structure as if they should hold whisky rather than fruit juice. He presented one to Rod and one to Juda then turned and hurried back to the kitchen. He was back at once with two more similar glasses for Bellatrix and Rabastan. Bellatrix took hers, murmuring a thank you.
"Sure," Arthur smiled. Turning he headed back into the kitchen.
"The doors are automated. Electronic. It's technology, sort of like Millicent's computer, only different," he said, finally getting back round to answering Bellatrix's questions. He joined them, settling into a chair near Juda's with his own glass of punch in one hand.
"As for my car, it locks with a system that connects the key fob to the car via a built-in Radio Frequency Identification system. This barcode system utilizes an electromagnetic field to locate or identify stored information called tags. The tag provides the information to the remote device, in this case my car, though it can work on other doors like garages."
Bellatrix blinked. "What?"
"More computerish stuff," Arthur explained with a shrug.
Rod sipped his fruit punch. "Never had anything like this before," he said.
"All of our fruit juices are separate. Like apple, or orange, or pumpkin. I've never considered mixing them. Perhaps we'll have Harold give it a go."
"That pumpkin juice is amazing," Arthur said. "I really liked it."
"So if these computers break, all your magical seeming items won't work, yes," Bellatrix asked. She didn't really care about the fruit punch. It was overly sweet and not particularly satisfying. Whatever Harold made would surely be better. Her current focus was on the Muggle items that had caught her attention, because those wizards without magic would likely be more than eager to get their hands on anything even close to a substitute for magic that they could get.
"Yes. If the power goes out, nothing works. It's a major drawback to all our advances, unfortunately," Arthur said.
"So you've seen some of what magic can do, and we've seen some of what your Muggle technology can do," Bellatrix said. "If the wizards currently without their magic go for Muggle technology to make their lives easier during these current times, what will they want first?"
"Why," Arthur asked.
Bellatrix shrugged. "I'd sort of like to know if we'd find anything they'll be using threatening or dangerous."
"Smart woman," Rodolphus murmured approvingly as he slipped an arm around Bella's shoulders.
Arthur nodded. "Okay. Good thinking. Let me see...I'd think they'd want things like telephones and microwaves and cars if they don't take Muggle public transport. Of course, cars are in no way as fast as your Apparating, but it's far better than walking or horseback riding." He chuckled. "Cars don't shit everywhere like horses do, and they go far faster!"
"What is a microwave," Bellatrix asked. "Of course we are aware of what a telephone is."
"Of course," Arthur murmured sarcastically.
Bella shot him a frown, but before she could speak, he was answering her question.
"A microwave is another thing you may consider to be nearly like magic. It's a small box in which one can cook food far faster than on a stove."
"For those who don't have house elves, of course," Rabastan said.
Arthur nodded. "Of course. Nothing beats a Harold, after all." He grinned at Juda. "Or a Juda. I'm sure you cook well too… Err that is… Do all elves cook?"
Juda shrugged. "All of us once did. We were forced to serve wizards, and that included making their meals."
"You did that," Arthur asked.
Juda nodded. "Juda's parents served a family, and he was being trained to do so as well, for whenever that family's young children grew up and had children of their own."
"What changed that plan," Arthur asked curiously.
Juda smiled. "The new Ministry did. They sent in free elves along with goblins, and sometimes Acromantulas, to force the families to hand clothing over to any elf who wished to be free and come work with them. As it happened, Juda wished to be free."
Arthur nodded in understanding. "Sweet."
Juda grinned. "Yes."
"Speaking of that, do you want my punch," Bellatrix asked Rodolphus, seeing that his own glass was empty.
Rod grinned. "I'll take your punch, your Crucio, your nails, give it all to me, baby!"
Bellatrix laughed, handing Rod her glass. "Well, I suppose cars, telephones, and microwaves shouldn't present problems for us if the magicless wizards start using them," she said, returning the conversation back to her concern. "Anything else they could use that we should concern ourselves over," she asked Arthur.
"Well, if they feel their safety is at risk, there are always guns or more violent explosives. You do know what guns and explosives are, don't you?"
The Lestranges exchanged a look and Arthur let out a wordless yell of frustration, then began to laugh.
"Do you know what a Thestral is," Rodolphus asked, and Arthur stopped laughing to shake his head in confusion.
"What? A bird?"
"No," Bellatrix sneered. "That's a Kestrel!"
"Oh well, I am so bloody sorry," Arthur grinned, unperturbed. "What the fuck is a Thestral, please?"
"It sort of looks like a horse shagged a dragon, and you can only see it if you have seen someone die," Rodolphus replied.
"Wow! That sounds weird. But what's it got to do with me," Arthur asked.
Rod grinned. "Nothing at all. Just we don't know about guns, and you don't know about Thestrals."
"But guns aren't being hidden from you, and Thestrals are being hidden from Muggles, so that is hardly a fair comparison," Arthur pointed out.
Rod sighed. "Oh well, I suppose you win," he conceded. "It's just that we don't care about your things."
Arthur smirked."Oh, but right now you do. And guns can kill people at long distance range. They used to be quite loud, so shooters could get caught, but now they're even made with silencers on. Some countries even have laws against common citizens owning them because crazy people would bring them into public places like stores or schools or post offices and start just randomly shooting people."
"Damn," Rabastan said. "Muggles are crazy!"
"That isn't normal behavior," Arthur said. "So only a few Muggles."
"Shooting," Bellatrix asked. "So the gun works like a bow and arrow, or a cannon?"
Arthur blinked, then chuckled. "Closer to a cannon, I suppose. They fire these little cylinders called bullets, but it's very fast and hard, so if it enters a person on impact at the wrong point, like the chest or head or throat, they're likely dead."
"Okay, that sounds like something we should totally be concerned about," Rabastan said, and Bella and Rod nodded glumly.
"We'd better get home and write Grindelwald about it at once," Rod said.
"Wow, it's weird, but it will feel so strange being here back in my normal life and my normal apartment with no magic in sight," Arthur said. "I'll miss you guys," he concluded sadly.
"Hey, you can contact Millicent any time, and we'll visit whenever you like," Rodolphus assured. "Blaise and Gellert will have things sorted with an amulet or something where you can get to us faster soon as well. And maybe once we see if there will be any trouble in America from any Muggles that Delphini may have tampered with, perhaps you could even move to London with us."
Several seconds passed as Arthur gaped at Rodolphus, processing his words. "You want me to live there? Why?"
"We obviously need help with this Muggle stuff," Rod said. "You could open your martial arts school in London, couldn't you?"
"I… Well, I never thought about it," Arthur said. "That's a lot...a big change."
"We could help with the funding," Rod quickly offered.
"I...I don't know. I suppose I could," Arthur said.
Rod grinned, reaching to happily clap him on the shoulder. "Good man! We kind of like having you around."
Arthur chuckled. "I kind of like being around you all as well. Perhaps I could even teach you some martial arts. It's fun and a great method of self defense. And yes, you have magic, but the more tools you can add to your arsenal, the better."
Bellatrix nodded slowly. "Good idea. Thank you."
Arthur smiled. "I'm just glad to be able to offer you all something. You have magic, and as you've said, Muggle things interest you not at all, so..."
"Muggle things may not interest us, but what you, in particular, can teach us interests us very much," Rod assured. "You shall be invaluable when it comes to teaching us what we need to know about what the magicless wizards may use. You in particular can best guess what they will find useful."
"I'm sure a lot of people could," Arthur began and Rod waved his words away with an impatient gesture.
"Stop short changing yourself. As I was saying, what you can share about Muggle technology is invaluable, and these martial art things sound really interesting as well. Say can you use them to kill people?"
Arthur nodded. "Of course. It's illegal, and I never have, but there are places you can punch or even touch that will knock a person out or even kill them."
Rabastan grinned dreamily. "Awesome!"