Written for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry: Challenged and Assignments.
Criminology & Forensics: Criminalistics
Task #11: Computer Forensic: A branch of digital forensic science pertaining to evidence found in computers and digital storage media.
Write about a witch or wizard using a computer.
Disclaimer: I don't own any Harry Potter characters.
Arthur Weasley liked to think of himself as familiar with Muggle objects. After all, when he was at home, he liked to disassemble anything from telephones to stoves to figure out how they worked. He even enchanted a muggle car for heavens sake!
So when a new muggle item showed up at the ministry, he of course jumped at the chance to study it.
A computer. How fascinating!
Arthur was ecstatic as he gingerly took the heavy machine to his shed at home. How did it work? He didn't know but he would figure it out.
He observed the flat board that had letters littered across it, the box that appeared to have a smaller box inside, what looked like a long pole holding up a bigger box with a peculiar film over the front. Curiously, it had a long string coming out of the back on the bottom box.
"How odd!" Arthur exclaimed as he examined the wire. On the end, he noted three small prongs like the gardening tools he and Molly used.
"Hi Arthur, what are you doing?" A voice asked.
The Weasley patriarch practically lit up like a Christmas tree. That voice!
"Harry!" He greeted cheerfully. He turned around to see his one and only son-in-law. "I'm examining this muggle contraption, a computer it's called! Harry, please tell me you're familiar with this."
Harry laughed lightly as he came in the shed. "I'm familiar, my cousin Dudley has one."
The older man smiled so hard that his cheeks hurt. "Will you show me how it works?"
"Of course." Harry looked in the box the computer came in and pulled out another long, skinny wire with a small object attached. "We'll be needing this."
"What's that?" Arthur inquired curiously.
"A mouse."
"Mouse?" The redhead blinked. "Where?" His eyes darted around the room in search of said mouse. "Don't let Molly know."
"Not that kind, this is also called a mouse," Harry explained as he held the small object up. "This end will go into the computer so you can use it." He put the mouse back in the box. He quickly went over what each part of the computer was called and how it worked. "We'll need electricity."
"Oh, how exciting!" Arthur exclaimed. "I love electricity."
Harry gently took the computer and put it with the mouse. "Meet me at my house." He scooped up the box and Apparated away.
Eagerly, Arthur followed and ended up at the Potter residence. He loved spending time with Harry and his one of many daughter-in-laws, Hermione, and appreciated their help with understanding non magical items.
Harry swiftly set up the commuter at the dining room table, plugged it in, and turned it on. "Here you go." He sat down next to his father in law.
Ding.
Arthur jumped as Harry explained it was just the computer turning on. He picked up the mouse and stared at it. How did it work?
The redhead man touched the mouse to the screen, waiting for something to happen. Nothing happened.
"Like this," Harry patiently explained. He put the mouse down and rolled it around.
"Absolutely fascinating!" Arthur said happily. "Now what?"
"Now you can do whatever you want," Harry told him, clicking around the screen. "You can write something; make a slideshow if you want; play a game."
"A game? What kind?"
"Let's see, there's minesweeper, pinball, solitaire."
The Weasley patriarch mulled over his options before picking Solitaire. After a quick overview of Harry to play, he got to work.
Soon, Arthur found himself forgetting about work as he played game after game. His eyes started to ache but he didn't care, he was having to much fun and even tried his luck at the pinball game.
Hours later, Ginny came home with James, Albus and Lily. She was surprised to see her father slumped over the dining room dead asleep, hugging the computer mouse to his chest.
Ginny looked over at Harry and raised an eyebrow. "Dad brought his work home?" She asked simply.
"Always," Harry replied.
A/N: Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed.