QLFC, round 7. CHASER 1: Write about a witch or wizard trying to explain to a magical child how (one or more) Muggle technology works. Prompts: (word) motor, (phrase) change the lightbulb, (object) broken torch
wc: 2978 (GDocs)
Beta: Sophy
Knock knock.
Arthur looked at the door, surprised. No one ever came down here, and certainly, no one was ever interested in his work. His ears perked up as shuffling sound came from the other side of the door.
"Enter," he said, hoping that the person—people?—in front of his office was indeed waiting for it.
Ludo peeked in. "Arthur? May I?"
"Ludo, what a pleasure!" It was; it would save his jaw from dislocation due to too many yawns. "Please, have a seat," Arthur said, eager to keep Ludo in his office for as long as possible.
"Oh, thank you." He dropped into the first chair he found with visible relief, then he looked around.
Arthur folded his hands on the desk and waited for a few seconds, knowing that it wouldn't take long for his visitor to take his office in, given the small dimensions of it. "What can I help you with?"
"First of all, I… I'd like for all of this to be strictly confidential. It's—" He ran his hand through his hair, embarrassed. "It's nothing to worry about, really. It's just a ridiculous story, but given my position—you understand—"
Hoping he wouldn't get caught in some questionable bet, Arthur nodded, a reassuring smile on his lips as he thought more and more that not even his children were this nervous when they had to confess any mischief to him and—well, just to him. Molly was another story.
"It's Otto, my brother."
"Is he in any trouble?" Arthur didn't understand. If they needed money, he was definitely the wrong person to go to.
"Yes. No. Well, it's funny, actually." Ludo let out a dry chuckle. "Some Muggle artefact has been giving him a hard time, and we—I—thought you could help us. I don't want Obliviators and other Departments to get involved in my family's business."
Arthur raised an eyebrow. Obliviators? Things looked too much out of control for him. Yet— "What's the matter?" he asked and was not surprised to hear curiosity in his voice.
Ludo clearly noticed that too and grinned. "It's his—" He pulled out a note and read, "—lawnmower."
Arthur nodded; he had heard of those. Tricky things, those. "Alright," he said slowly, cautiously. "And?"
"The... " Ludo seemed to be searching for the right word so Arthur intervened.
"The lawnmower?"
"Hm? No, that… that beast—you must know about 'The Monster Book of Monsters,' right?—well, this is is far worse and more vicious. I'd like to say we are completely innocent, but I fear that my brother is behind it."
Arthur sighed. He hadn't understood why yet, but lawnmowers were the most prone to go crazy; all the more so if they were exposed to magic. He blamed that odd mixture they were fueled by.
"At first, it was just things like not working or emitting colored smoke. Then, it started dragging my brother around, eating grass, overturning—showing off—almost stunting… And now—"
Arthur, who had been unsuccessfully trying not to laugh, casually covered his mouth with his handkerchief and pretended to cough into it.
"—the worse has happened; he's started chasing down and attacking people by creating grassballs—in different forms and dimensions—and throwing them at anyone."
"I can see why you think Obliviators might be needed."
"But I bet you're more interested than they could ever be, aren't you? And it's not like you wouldn't be involved anyway."
Undeniable. If Ludo's brother was as fascinated with Muggles as he himself was, Arthur had to know him, so he simply asked, "When do we leave?"
Ludo grinned.
.
"Finally," Otto Bagman said, frantically shaking his brother. "Nine days! Nine long days since you promised you would take care of this, and look!"
Arthur looked around too.
They were in a pretty little town in the South of England, in a Muggle neighborhood where all the houses were elegant terraced houses, each one similar to the next one. Otto's was not an exception, and nothing but his garden trashed by that lawnmower would give the idea that a wizard lived there.
"I would have hoped you had much more faith in me, brother," Ludo was saying with a smirk.
"It's Peyton who—"
"Ah, my dear sister-in-law, always expecting the worse!"
"Well, you must admit that nothing guaranteed you'd come back." Otto frowned.
"But I did. And I brought the solution to all our problems," Ludo said, grabbing Arthur's forearm and dragging him forward. "This is Arthur Weasley, a coworker of mine and a genius in his field."
Arthur coughed, embarrassed. "Nice to meet you," he said, holding out his hand.
"It's a pleasure!" Otto's hand-holding was vigorous and firm. "Come, please. The darn thing is in the tool shed."
As they crossed the little garden, Otto kept talking: "My wife and I are very grateful for your help, Mr. Weasley. She's at her mother's now, but she'll be back in the evening and I'm sure she'd be honored to have you at dinner—"
Arthur was about to say Molly liked their family to be together at meals, but Ludo's brother didn't give him time.
"Ludo, thank you for bringing him here. When even Peyton—she's a Muggle, Mr. Weasley—didn't know what to do, I thought I was lost. Only Liam—our seven-year-old son, Mr. Weasley—took an interest in the beast. Only Merlin knows why. But the lawnmower seems to like my child too, which is good since—Oh, here we are."
Arthur felt slightly bewildered by all that talk. Otto hadn't even caught his breath once.
The door creaked open, and Ludo's brother peeked in, mouthing at his guests to be quiet. Walking on tiptoes, he entered, signaling them it was safe to do the same. "I trapped it in here and he's been quiet ever since, but you never know…" he whispered.
Arthur heard some sort of clicking and a low curse.
"I have to change the lightbulb. Again!" Otto sounded annoyed. "It's Peyton's fault; since I told her that magic and electricity don't get along, she insists that it's not safe to cast any spell in here—made me promise. Oh well, I think the sunlight would do. There must be a skylight somewhere..." After some rattling noise, he said, coughing, "Found it, along with a spiderweb and much dust."
A thump and another muttered curse later, the light broke in upon them, revealing Otto rubbing his forehead where an angry red mark was forming while another, smaller form was retreating into shadows.
"Liam?" Ludo said. "Liam, what are you doing?"
A child came forward. "Hi, Uncle Ludo. Dad. Err..."
"This is Mr. Weasley, a coworker of Uncle Ludo's," Otto introduced, then he frowned. "You know this place is dangerous. And I had told you to play inside..."
"Yes, well, that would be Mor's doing—"
Arthur raised an eyebrow and mouthed, "Mor?"
Ludo sighed, "That's what he named the lawnmower."
"Oh."
"—helped me break out and was teaching me how to read."
"In the dark?" Otto asked.
Arthur wondered what he had gotten into if it reached the point that Otto was more surprised by the fact that his son was reading in the dark than by the fact that a lawnmower—a crazy, potentially murderous lawnmower—could read and had been alone with a child.
The boy struggled. "We had this," he said, handing his father a metal tube.
Arthur eyed it curiously.
"This torch is broken, and you know it, so—"
Liam went on, undaunted, "It's not broken; it's just… tired. You've been tricked, Dad; they sold you a lazy torch. Mor thinks so too."
Arthur started finding it all rather disconcerting. Due to his job, he had met many odd things over the years, but this was preposterous.
"You don't think I believe that ridiculous story about the torch, I hope. So?" Otto asked, rubbing his temples.
Liam looked down for a long moment. Then, "We were just testing Mor's powers," he admitted. "Did you know it could fly? And light up this place? And build a fire?" he said excitedly.
Fly? Light up? Fire? Despite himself, Arthur leaned forward, interested.
"And I think it's just got another power too—" the boy went on.
What that was, however, the three men never got to discover as the lawnmower lurched forward.
Otto managed just in time to pick Liam up and disapparate with him a few meters away as the beast furiously went to the garden, gnawing on anything that was on its path.
"Go, Mor," the child laughed as it tore the lawn to pieces.
"Liam," Otto said, "your mother and I have already told you, that thing is dangerous and you shouldn't encourage it."
Arthur cleared his throat. "May I ask… what happened to it?"
"Oh, I tried to cast a Replenishment Charm on its tank."
"I see. Maybe we could—"
"No, no, NO. Please. Don't change Mor back. It's perfect like that. Right, Dad?" Liam squirmed in his father's arms until he was let down.
"Son, listen—"
"Otto, how about we let Mr. Weasley handle this?" Ludo intervened. "After all, you only know the basics about lawnmowers, I barely know a thing, and Peyton only and ever saw his father using it since yours went crazy from the beginning. Maybe Arthur will be able to explain to Liam how it should work." Then, he turned to his nephew who was on the verge of tears. "Liam, Mr. Weasley is a good man and a father. He'd never harm the bea—Mor, okay?"
Ludo caressed Liam's cheek and whispered to Arthur, "That was not in the plans, but—"
Arthur smiled and crouched down. "Hey, Liam," he said in a soothing tone. "I know how you feel. Merlin knows how happy my children would be—especially two of them—if they had such a thing at their disposal. And it would break my heart to tell them the lawnmower must be fixed, but that thing is not a toy and can get very dangerous."
"But—"
"It sounds unfair, I know, since you never got hurt by it, but consider this too; the lawnmower—Mor—has a work to do."
"Really?"
"Yes, it helps your father keep the garden neat and pretty for you to play in, and by helping him, it also allows him to spend more time with you. Would you like that?"
Liam nodded.
"Mor is a bit off now, but this is not its true nature. It should care of the grass and the garden, not destroy it. With that, I'm not saying lawnmowers are boring. Far from it. Even Muggles know they can be touchy and must be treated with respect. Muggles also say lawnmowers only work on Sunday morning."
"Why?"
"Because lawnmowers are mischievous—and I bet Mor is the worst—and don't let their humans sleep in." Arthur winked.
Liam smiled which turned into a laugh when his father tickled him.
"Much like you do, always waking me up at dawn," Otto playfully said to his son. "That's what my neighbors always say, Mr. Weasley. It's actually what prevented them from calling the police and why the Ministry of Magic still knows nothing about this. A crazy lawnmower is not unusual. But lately, things have been getting… out of hand."
They glanced at the garden where the words You're all ugly stood out. The beast lay beside it, clearly pleased with itself.
Liam cheered, and an undignified snort left Arthur's nose as he tried to suppress his own laugh. A lawnmower who knew the alphabet was the last thing he expected.
Otto sighed and waved his wand; the writing disappeared
The beast roared and headed toward them at high speed.
"Uh oh," Ludo said, glaring at his brother and hiding behind some boxes of nails.
Otto was rooted to the spot, Liam was laughing, and Arthur raised his hands in surrender. At this, Mor stopped in front of him and nuzzled against his right leg.
Ludo whispered relieved, "He likes you."
"I think this would be the right moment to tie it," Arthur mouthed, careful not to move for fear of angering the beast which was almost purring at his feet and created a grassball shaped like him, glasses included.
Liam laughed and picked it up. "Yesterday, it did me too. And Mum. It never did Dad or Uncle Ludo though. It must really hate them." He grinned, staring at the little statue in his hands.
After the lawnmower was bound, Otto said, "Maybe this time we'll manage to defuse this menace."
His son whimpered as Mor struggled against the ropes and spat grassballs and fuel.
"We should get our hands on the motor though," Ludo said. "I suspect my brother modified it too. Didn't you, Otto?" He glared at his brother who shrugged and looked away, muttering something under his breath.
The lawnmower growled.
"And its motor is where Mor is more likely to cut our hands off," Arthur sighed, then a sparkle entered his eyes. "Actually—"
Ludo and Otto looked at him expectantly.
"—I think engine would be a more appropriate term."
Mor purred contently and Arthur beamed. "Ah, I knew it!"
At that, the two brothers looked at each other shocked, their jaws dropping to the ground, and seemed ready to strangle him for getting their hopes up.
When Ludo composed himself, he said, "Well, there's a reason he is the best."
"Sorry." Arthur smiled. "Based on past experiences, combining our magic, we should be able to pull the engine out." He crossed his fingers behind his back, knowing it was an apotropaic gesture among the Muggles and hoping the plan'd work.
It did, but it took eleven spells and thirty-two hexes to neutralize the beast which put up a good fight—all accompanied by Liam's protests. At the end of the war, the wizards were covered in grass, fuel, mud, and scratches, but the menace was gone.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Bagman," Arthur said. "You'll have to cut the grass the Muggle way, I fear."
Otto shook his head. "That's the least of my problems, and I'll gladly do it now that everything's normal again. Thank you so much! You saved us all from that monster, Mr. Weasley."
"Well, I liked Mor," Liam pouted.
Arthur smiled at the boy. "It's still there. And it can still be fun. Look." He waved his wand and a seat appeared on the back of the lawnmower. "You can sit there when your dad cut the grass. And Mor will happily buzz under you."
Liam clapped. "Can we try now?"
"I—" Arthur had hoped to go home. It was rather late, and chasing down the lawnmower had been tiring, but the boy's brown eyes were too similar to most of his children's for him to be able to refuse. He looked at Otto who nodded.
"Fine, jump on!" Arthur said, patting the seat.
Liam did, grinning.
"Now, the first thing to do is be sure that the tank is full or Mor will get hungry and collapse. He likes his mixture as much as you like—what's your favorite food?"
"Sweets!"
Arthur laughed. He expected nothing less. "Good, I like them too." He winked. "Then, you have to be sure the field is free from stones and other things who might make Mor stumble. Well," he said, looking around at the destruction that surrounded them, "in this case, I think using magic would be better. But if you feel like it, you can challenge your father: who finds the highest number of things who might bother Mor wins some kind of sweets."
Liam beamed. "I will. And I'll win; even without using accidental magic, I'm a great finder!"
"I'm sure you are," Arthur said, messing the child's hair up. "And finally, you pull this cord—the starter rope—and you're ready to go... As long as you haven't offended your lawnmower, of course. If you have, well, you'll be pulling that cord until you neighbor will take mercy on you and lend you a pair of bolt cutters. Trust me; it'll be faster."
"Cool! But Mor and I are friends, so it would never refuse to—" The child reached for the cord to make his point, but his father stopped him.
"Wait," Otto said. "I'm not ready yet. You know, I'm growing old and I've had enough excitement for today." He mockingly wiped his sweat off his forehead and panted, then he turned to Mr. Weasley. "It's not the first time I've had troubles with Muggle artefacts, but this lawnmower…"
"I just hope this didn't discourage you." Arthur could already foresee many interesting exchanges between himself and a Mr. Bagman. Hopefully...
"Never, be assured! And remember, my wife is a Muggle."
Arthur sighed longingly. "I hope a child of mine will marry a Muggle too!"
Otto laughed, "That's a legitimate wish and I'd grant it if I could. In the meanwhile, is there anything I can do to repay you for your help?"
"Don't worry, brother. That's on me," Ludo said. "Seriously, Arthur, we were at loss and you saved us. And you even managed to make Liam happy." He nodded towards the child who was bouncing up and down on the lawnmower and making a roaring sound with his mouth.
Arthur wasn't used to so much gratitude and felt uncomfortable under those amazed looks. "Oh, it's nothing. I'm just interested in Muggles, that's all."
"It was very lucky for us," Otto replied with a huge smile. "Ludo, be sure he and his family like your surprise."
"Don't worry, they will. Let's make a bet, shall we?"
Otto playfully swatted him. "Ten Galleons?"
Arthur laughed.
"I like Ludo," said Mr. Weasley mildly. "He was the one who got us such good tickets for the Cup. I did him a bit of a favor: His brother, Otto, got into a spot of trouble—a lawnmower with un-natural powers—I smoothed the whole thing over."
J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
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