Chapter 2: A clockwork pumpkin
Their final class was just a few hours away and Dumbledore never thought that he would actually want to have had more classes that day. In a few moments they would know if their plan had worked or if they would have to stay in school during the whole holidays, as the headmaster had told them they would.
It would not be all that bad, since he would have more time to study for his N.E.W.T.s, which would take place in the beginning of the next school year. He hadn't yet decided whether he wanted to stay at Hogwarts as a teacher or apply for a job at the Wacky Willie Novelty Workshop, a small workshop that an American wizard had just opened in London, creating magical wonders like the one he had just created.
All those thoughts, as well as the sad look his father would give him if he ever found out that his son had been talking to centaurs, ran through his mind as he stood in front of the headmaster's office, his hand hesitating to knock.
After a few more seconds he made up his mind and knocked.
"Headmaster Nigellus, it is I, Albus Dumbledore. Could I come in, sir?"
"Come in boy. But make it quick! I'm busy..."
Dumbledore opened the door slowly, not wanting to make any noise that could disturb the headmaster.
"Sir, I believe I can explain the incident in the dark forest" he said with a firm voice "though I am sure the explanation will amaze you quite a bit, sir." He added with a smile.
"And what explanation would that be young man? Perhaps the Slytherins who saw the student leaving the castle to talk to the centaur were dreaming, or something like that?"
"No sir. I would never question the word of a fellow student, sir. They saw exactly what they told you. A student talking to a centaur."
"And you explanation to this is..." Nigellus said, looking deeply into Dumbledore's eyes.
"You see sir, it was no one other than myself that the Slytherin students saw heading towards the forest. And I would appreciate if you followed me there now, sir, so I can explain why they think I was talking to a centaur." Dumbledore finished.
The headmaster pondered for a while, examining Dumbledore's defying face. He was the best student Hogwarts had ever had. He was also a headboy, and if he said he could explain everything it would be reasonable to at least listen to him.
"Very well then. Let's go to the forest..." Nigellus finally said, standing up "But I hope you have a very good explanation for this, Mr. Dumbledore!"
Meanwhile, Harriet, Edward and Michael tried to get to the rim of the forest rolling a pumpkin five feet in diameter without drawing too much attention.
It would have been an impossible task on a usual day, but since most students were busy with their final exams, the only great obstacle was getting past the Keeper of the grounds, a dreadfully thin man named Gotfried Janus.
"If he gets us we're doomed!" whined Michael in a thin, whispery voice.
"Come on Michael! This is no time to cry! Be a big boy and help me with the invisibility cloak..." Harriet said in a motherly tone.
"All right" he said, looking on the verge of bursting into tears.
They covered the pumpkin with the cloak, but it didn't solve the problem of having to roll it past Keeper.
"I have an idea" Edward said, smiling and taking his wand from his pocket "Locomotor pumpkin!" He commanded, waving his wand firmly.
The invisible pumpkin then started floating a few inches off the ground. Unless someone looked at it from the ground, it would be impossible to tell that there was a giant pumpkin crossing the school grounds.
"Nice touch Ed!" Michael said, now looking much less frightened.
"A nice touch indeed. Now let's hurry. Albus must be talking to Nigellus at this very moment!" Harriet added, opening the front doors.
They ran as fast as they could, trying to stay near the lake, where it would be most difficult for them to be spotted from the ground keeper's hut. It was precisely when they were on the farthest side of the lake that they suddenly spotted the Keeper's silhouette, walking towards them.
"Stop right there!" Janus shouted with his squeaky voice "You are skipping classes, aren't you?" He asked, closing on them.
"N-n-n-no sir." Michael answered quickly.
"We are just... training!" added Harriet.
"Yes! For the race, this summer! You know Janus, we're planning to have this big competition this summer, since we won't be able to leave school... I'm sure you'll want to join us! It'll be wonderful!" Edward ended.
After that lengthy explanation Janus laughed and patted Edward's back. "Go on then, boys... And don't forget to tell me when to hand in my inscription!" He said, heading to the castle's entrance.
As soon as Janus was far enough not to hear them, they all started laughing nervously.
"Wow! I though this time he had us!" Said Harriet, trying to regain her breath "Thanks Ed... I think we all owe you one now."
"Thanks Harriet, but I don't think we have much time... Look, there's Albus and Nigellus coming out of the castle!" Ed said, pointing to the two figures coming out of the main hall.
The trio looked back to the castle and starter running faster than before. When they finally arrived at the forest's rim they were panting heavily. Harriet and Michael leaned on a tree and Edward threw himself on a patch of especially soft grass.
A few minutes later, when they could at least speak, Dumbledore arrived with the Headmaster. The pumpkin had been uncovered a few moments before their arrival, since school rules forbade having an invisibility cloak.
"I hope you explanation is inside this pumpkin Mr. Dumbledore... And it would better not be pumpkin juice!" Nigellus said, the blood flowing to his face.
"You are right sir. The explanation is precisely inside the pumpkin. Or better yet, it is the pumpkin." Dumbledore said triumphantly, taking his wand from his pocket. "Machanus ignitio!" He said, with a flick of his wand.
Jets of golden light erupted from cracks on the pumpkin's surface. In a moment the Headmaster realized that they were not cracks, but thin lines, where the pieces of an intricate machine came together.
The vegetable then began to unfold and grow, rearranging it's pieces, showing thousands of cogs and coils while doing so. A mechanical sound, like that of many clocks ticking at once, flooded the area. It was not loud, but all present, except Albus, were annoyed by it.
After a couple of minutes the orange pumpkin had become a full sized brass clockwork centaur. Its eyes were made of marble with golden pupils. When examined close enough they would reveal themselves to be a collection of delicate tiny cogs, turning and ticking. It stood there, silent, blinking eventually. It's tail, made of thin metallic strings moved like that of a real horse and its torso moved when it simulated breathing. Finneas Nigellus had to suppress his look of amazement when he noticed all were looking at him and smiling.
"There you are, Headmaster!" Dumbledore said triumphantly "the centaur I was meeting at the forest was nothing more than this beautiful simulacrum I made with the help of my friends. I wanted to keep it a secret until it was complete, so I could present it to the school, but I think I was a bit too careless." He finished with a laugh.
The Headmaster pondered, looking at the four young students and their beautiful contraption. He didn't know whether or not they were telling him the truth, but the fact that they had managed to build such a thing clearly proved that they had impressive magical skills, much greater than those expected from a student, even a 7th year one.
He took a magnifying glass from a pocket in his vests and examined the centaur closely. He then asked for the four wands, and examined them too. After this, he pondered a bit more and finally spoke.
"I am very impressed with what you have built. My inspection leaves no doubt that this work was done using these four wands. I will announce tonight that you are all free to go home, since the mystery has been elucidated."
Their final class was just a few hours away and Dumbledore never thought that he would actually want to have had more classes that day. In a few moments they would know if their plan had worked or if they would have to stay in school during the whole holidays, as the headmaster had told them they would.
It would not be all that bad, since he would have more time to study for his N.E.W.T.s, which would take place in the beginning of the next school year. He hadn't yet decided whether he wanted to stay at Hogwarts as a teacher or apply for a job at the Wacky Willie Novelty Workshop, a small workshop that an American wizard had just opened in London, creating magical wonders like the one he had just created.
All those thoughts, as well as the sad look his father would give him if he ever found out that his son had been talking to centaurs, ran through his mind as he stood in front of the headmaster's office, his hand hesitating to knock.
After a few more seconds he made up his mind and knocked.
"Headmaster Nigellus, it is I, Albus Dumbledore. Could I come in, sir?"
"Come in boy. But make it quick! I'm busy..."
Dumbledore opened the door slowly, not wanting to make any noise that could disturb the headmaster.
"Sir, I believe I can explain the incident in the dark forest" he said with a firm voice "though I am sure the explanation will amaze you quite a bit, sir." He added with a smile.
"And what explanation would that be young man? Perhaps the Slytherins who saw the student leaving the castle to talk to the centaur were dreaming, or something like that?"
"No sir. I would never question the word of a fellow student, sir. They saw exactly what they told you. A student talking to a centaur."
"And you explanation to this is..." Nigellus said, looking deeply into Dumbledore's eyes.
"You see sir, it was no one other than myself that the Slytherin students saw heading towards the forest. And I would appreciate if you followed me there now, sir, so I can explain why they think I was talking to a centaur." Dumbledore finished.
The headmaster pondered for a while, examining Dumbledore's defying face. He was the best student Hogwarts had ever had. He was also a headboy, and if he said he could explain everything it would be reasonable to at least listen to him.
"Very well then. Let's go to the forest..." Nigellus finally said, standing up "But I hope you have a very good explanation for this, Mr. Dumbledore!"
Meanwhile, Harriet, Edward and Michael tried to get to the rim of the forest rolling a pumpkin five feet in diameter without drawing too much attention.
It would have been an impossible task on a usual day, but since most students were busy with their final exams, the only great obstacle was getting past the Keeper of the grounds, a dreadfully thin man named Gotfried Janus.
"If he gets us we're doomed!" whined Michael in a thin, whispery voice.
"Come on Michael! This is no time to cry! Be a big boy and help me with the invisibility cloak..." Harriet said in a motherly tone.
"All right" he said, looking on the verge of bursting into tears.
They covered the pumpkin with the cloak, but it didn't solve the problem of having to roll it past Keeper.
"I have an idea" Edward said, smiling and taking his wand from his pocket "Locomotor pumpkin!" He commanded, waving his wand firmly.
The invisible pumpkin then started floating a few inches off the ground. Unless someone looked at it from the ground, it would be impossible to tell that there was a giant pumpkin crossing the school grounds.
"Nice touch Ed!" Michael said, now looking much less frightened.
"A nice touch indeed. Now let's hurry. Albus must be talking to Nigellus at this very moment!" Harriet added, opening the front doors.
They ran as fast as they could, trying to stay near the lake, where it would be most difficult for them to be spotted from the ground keeper's hut. It was precisely when they were on the farthest side of the lake that they suddenly spotted the Keeper's silhouette, walking towards them.
"Stop right there!" Janus shouted with his squeaky voice "You are skipping classes, aren't you?" He asked, closing on them.
"N-n-n-no sir." Michael answered quickly.
"We are just... training!" added Harriet.
"Yes! For the race, this summer! You know Janus, we're planning to have this big competition this summer, since we won't be able to leave school... I'm sure you'll want to join us! It'll be wonderful!" Edward ended.
After that lengthy explanation Janus laughed and patted Edward's back. "Go on then, boys... And don't forget to tell me when to hand in my inscription!" He said, heading to the castle's entrance.
As soon as Janus was far enough not to hear them, they all started laughing nervously.
"Wow! I though this time he had us!" Said Harriet, trying to regain her breath "Thanks Ed... I think we all owe you one now."
"Thanks Harriet, but I don't think we have much time... Look, there's Albus and Nigellus coming out of the castle!" Ed said, pointing to the two figures coming out of the main hall.
The trio looked back to the castle and starter running faster than before. When they finally arrived at the forest's rim they were panting heavily. Harriet and Michael leaned on a tree and Edward threw himself on a patch of especially soft grass.
A few minutes later, when they could at least speak, Dumbledore arrived with the Headmaster. The pumpkin had been uncovered a few moments before their arrival, since school rules forbade having an invisibility cloak.
"I hope you explanation is inside this pumpkin Mr. Dumbledore... And it would better not be pumpkin juice!" Nigellus said, the blood flowing to his face.
"You are right sir. The explanation is precisely inside the pumpkin. Or better yet, it is the pumpkin." Dumbledore said triumphantly, taking his wand from his pocket. "Machanus ignitio!" He said, with a flick of his wand.
Jets of golden light erupted from cracks on the pumpkin's surface. In a moment the Headmaster realized that they were not cracks, but thin lines, where the pieces of an intricate machine came together.
The vegetable then began to unfold and grow, rearranging it's pieces, showing thousands of cogs and coils while doing so. A mechanical sound, like that of many clocks ticking at once, flooded the area. It was not loud, but all present, except Albus, were annoyed by it.
After a couple of minutes the orange pumpkin had become a full sized brass clockwork centaur. Its eyes were made of marble with golden pupils. When examined close enough they would reveal themselves to be a collection of delicate tiny cogs, turning and ticking. It stood there, silent, blinking eventually. It's tail, made of thin metallic strings moved like that of a real horse and its torso moved when it simulated breathing. Finneas Nigellus had to suppress his look of amazement when he noticed all were looking at him and smiling.
"There you are, Headmaster!" Dumbledore said triumphantly "the centaur I was meeting at the forest was nothing more than this beautiful simulacrum I made with the help of my friends. I wanted to keep it a secret until it was complete, so I could present it to the school, but I think I was a bit too careless." He finished with a laugh.
The Headmaster pondered, looking at the four young students and their beautiful contraption. He didn't know whether or not they were telling him the truth, but the fact that they had managed to build such a thing clearly proved that they had impressive magical skills, much greater than those expected from a student, even a 7th year one.
He took a magnifying glass from a pocket in his vests and examined the centaur closely. He then asked for the four wands, and examined them too. After this, he pondered a bit more and finally spoke.
"I am very impressed with what you have built. My inspection leaves no doubt that this work was done using these four wands. I will announce tonight that you are all free to go home, since the mystery has been elucidated."