The Weasleys

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"Imagine our world as a ship sailing across a vast sea," Elias said. "From the deck, we can glimpse other distant ships - other spheres. Each ship carries its own cargo and crew. Most of the time, they pass so far away that even a spyglass can hardly catch sight of them. But every few thousand years, a great storm sweeps across that cosmic sea, fierce enough to drive the ships close together. When that happens, sailors from one ship may cross onto another, and cargo may spill from one deck to the next. When the storm passes, the ships separate again and sail their own courses."

One legend after another came from Elias's mouth.

The first Conjunction of the Spheres. The arrival of humans, elves, dwarves, and witchers. The Brotherhood of Sorcerers. The Church of the Eternal Fire. The Lodge of Sorceresses, once powerful enough to manipulate kings, remove rulers who failed to satisfy them, and build states controlled entirely from the shadows. Sorceresses who loved politics and intrigue had placed themselves in terrible danger while playing at power, and those who lost in such struggles often met miserable ends.

Torture. Witch hunts. Burnings. Eyes gouged out.

"These violent delights have violent ends," Elias said, closing his account with a proverb from another world.

"Merlin's beard," Dumbledore murmured.

He adjusted the spectacles that had slipped down his nose in his shock. He made no attempt to hide it. The world Elias described possessed magic, yet had developed in a radically different direction. The current wizarding world had chosen concealment under the Statute of Secrecy in the late seventeenth century. Through Elias, Dumbledore glimpsed a magical world that had never made that choice.

The conflict between magic and religion, the tragedies born from human nature, and the bitter end of the Lodge of Sorceresses all left Dumbledore deep in thought.

After a brief silence, he spoke slowly.

"Mr. Vale, your past is extraordinary..."

As Elias conversed with Dumbledore, the wolf medallion at his chest suddenly began to tremble.

A witcher's medallion could detect nearby magical disturbances. Elias was only confused for an instant before he realized that Dumbledore was using magic on him.

Then another memory struck him with unpleasant force.

The old man sitting across from him was a master Legilimens.

That meant Dumbledore was trying to read his memories.

Cold alarm snapped through Elias. He did not dare imagine what might happen if Dumbledore discovered the Harry Potter story still buried in his mind.

"Are you casting a spell on me, Mr. Dumbledore?"

Elias's gaze sharpened. He sprang up from the bed into an attacking stance, left hand rising to trace a magical rune through the air. A pale-gold shield flared into being around him.

Dumbledore was startled as well. He clearly felt the Legilimency he had just begun cut off the moment the yellow shield appeared. When he realized Elias had noticed his small intrusion, regret crossed his face.

As a master of Legilimency, Dumbledore was more than familiar with using it silently and without drawing notice. In his desire to test the truth of Elias's story, he had used it almost by instinct. He had also forgotten that a witcher from another world might carry something capable of detecting magic.

"I am very sorry, Elias," Dumbledore said.

He rose from his chair and bowed slightly in apology.

"You must understand, there are many people in this world who use magic for evil. I am the Headmaster of a school, and I must be responsible for my students. That is why I attempted to use magic to test whether the story you told me was true."

Elias did not lower the shield.

Dumbledore's eyes showed a trace of weariness.

"I am very old," he said softly. "I have fought evil for a very long time. Sometimes I may be too cautious. I hope you can forgive an old man."

The wariness in Elias's eyes did not fade. He had seen too much bloodshed, too many schemes, and too many knives hidden behind tired faces. He did not pity people easily. Some men slit your throat the moment you mistake pity for safety.

An uneasy silence settled over the hospital wing.

In the end, Elias considered Dumbledore's strength and the fact that both of his swords were no longer within reach. He lowered the shield first.

"I think," Elias said coldly, "that in any world, reading another person's mind without permission is extremely rude."

Dumbledore visibly relaxed. The fragile warmth that had existed between them, however, had vanished.

While Dumbledore and Elias spoke in the hospital wing, Harry and Ron were not having a much easier time.

A Howler in the Great Hall would have been bad enough. Molly Weasley storming into Hogwarts, seizing Ron by the ear, and dragging him all the way to Professor McGonagall's office was far better material for school gossip.

The corridors were in an uproar. Molly marched forward in a fury, twisting poor Ron's ear as she went. Ron's pleas for mercy echoed down the hall. The Weasley twins trailed behind him, laughing so hard they could barely walk. Harry kept begging Mrs. Weasley to spare Ron and trying to take the blame himself. Mr. Weasley walked helplessly beside his wife. He knew her temper, and common sense told him that now was not the time to offer an opinion.

Percy and Ginny followed at the rear, both red with embarrassment. For Percy, who cared deeply about discipline and appearances, and for Ginny, who was easily mortified, the day had become one long humiliation.

"Ron!" Mrs. Weasley cried. "Are you trying to turn yourself into a criminal? How dare you steal the car, fly it into the sky, and run someone over! You've caused terrible trouble for your father. The Ministry is still reviewing him over this! You are going to be the death of me. And as if that weren't enough, you dragged Harry into it too!"

At that thought, Mrs. Weasley tightened her grip on Ron's ear, ignoring both his pleading and Harry's attempts to defend him. The curious students following at a distance collapsed into laughter.

The Weasley family managed to create yet another scene at the door to Professor McGonagall's office. Every one of them tried to enter first, and they jammed themselves together in the doorway. Percy, who had been walking with his head down, tripped and fell. His glasses flew off.

That sent the watching students, especially the Slytherins, into even louder laughter.

Professor McGonagall finally had to step out of her office and sharply order the students back to class. At her command, Mrs. Weasley at last released Ron's abused ear.

Dusty, disheveled, and thoroughly humiliated, Harry and the Weasleys filed into Professor McGonagall's office.

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