Chapter 3: The Workings of Wizards

Author's Note: Sorry this took so long to post, I wanted to get a few chapters ahead so I could release them closer together. Thanks for you patience!

   Elanus Green sat behind his desk at the Ministry of Magic, reading a report from one of his underlings. Sighing, he leaned back in his chair. Being the head of the Department of Mysteries was certainly rewarding if stressful. Part of him couldn't wait to go to Texas and visit his uncle and cousins for a few days. He desperately needed the break, and soon he'd get it, but he had to get through one more day.

   His job had been made more stressful after last year's victory over Voldemort. A dozen dark wizards had decided to mimic the dead Dark Lord and his department was responsible for seeing if they were a real threat. On top of the idiots pretending to be Voldemort reborn, there was the matter of finding out what Voldemort had been hiding. Uncle Gene and Samuel had made it clear that they felt Voldemort was afraid of something even worse then him.

   There had been no leads so far as to finding out what this was. All of the Dark Lord's secret caches had been found and picked clean. Every surviving Death Eater had been questioned under the most powerful truth potions that could be concocted. Less ethical means had been used on some. A muggle detective had even let them use an old polygraph machine that he'd salvaged from his station. Absolutely nothing had been found.

   Gene had even written extensive letters to Elanus detailing what he saw inside Voldemort's head. Samuel has provided everything he knew as well. Whatever it was, Voldemort kept no record of it, and told no one about it.

   Arthur was up to something as well, and he didn't like not knowing what. He knew that Samuel was going to be invited back to Hogwarts to teach. It was unusual to send two wizards to invite him personally. He had checked this Grider woman's files and found that she was an Auror. Not only was she an Auror but she was a good one. Two awards for exemplary service and she'd even managed to bag a rather devious Voldemort imposter with little help from anyone else. Likely she could have given Mad-Eye Moody a run for his money if she'd graduated Hogwarts a few years prior. 

   Percy was Arthur's son and assistant and had been Fudge's assistant the year prior. While not technically a high position in the hierarchy of the Ministry, he did have access to things that almost no one else did. The only exception, of course, being Elanus' personal files which no one had access to. Arthur would not have sent his assistant, much less his own son to the States with an Auror like Miss Grider unless it was very important. Elanus rubbed his chin for a moment. The Minister must have thought that there would be some sort of danger involved.

   It couldn't be for Gene and his family's protection, he reasoned. No wizard could use magic near Gene unless he wanted them to, not even Dumbledore. If he didn't want a wizard to use magic, there wasn't anything they could do about it.

   "Dumbledore and Arthur must know something I don't," Elanus said under his breath, "I have to find out."

   Finally he was able to leave work. He'd slipped out of the building earlier the day before to retrieve a letter from a muggle post office and had been caught. Of course he couldn't be reprimanded and he was in no trouble, but he'd never been caught before. Someone was keeping a pretty close watch on him lately and he didn't like that. He walked out of his office to say goodbye to his secretary for the day. She was a pretty auburn haired witch with many talents he held in high regard.

   "Leaving early today?" She asked.

   "A little, you can to if you wish, we're all caught up for the week," he replied.

   "You'll be leaving for Liverpool then I take it?" she asked.

   "I'm visiting my uncle in Texas," he said quietly.

   "I have it written on your schedule that you'll be in Liverpool for the next few days," she said, winking at him.

   "Of course," he said smiling.

   She was very good. He hadn't thought about it much, but it was probably wise if no one knew exactly where he was. Hopefully he'd be back within a day or two and the only two wizards that knew where he really was were already in Texas. It would take weeks for an owl to deliver a message and by that time they'd already be back.

   Today he'd Apparate home. It was one of those rare days he didn't feel much like walking. The Ministry didn't like people Apparating into the complex, but didn't much care if people went out that way. Still most people apparated out near one of the guards. It was a bit of a holdover from the old days when apparating wasn't well understood and people occasionally needed help.

   Elanus nodded to one of the guards and Apparated to his house. His home was a bit on the small side and "untouched by female hands" as his mother used to comment. He had never married, of course. Work was always his first priority. Soon after graduating he'd worked under Arthur Weasley for a time and then went on to become an Unspeakable. Many Unspeakables were not married, and those that were married, were usually married to other Unspeakables. Too many secrets had to be kept. It simply wasn't good for the relationship.

   After an hour's rest he decided he might as well get on with it. It'd be closer to noon in Texas when he arrived and it had already been a long day. He picked up a small black canvas bag that he'd packed earlier and a small disk shaped object. Most of his inventions took on a disk shape, he found it to be most convenient and liked consistency. This particular object helped him Apparate over distances that would normally require a Portkey. Few people in the Department of Mysteries had one, and fewer people outside the Department even knew they existed. He set the longitude and latitude on two small dials on the disk and pressed a button in the center. Instantly he found himself in the middle of a grassy plain. A short distance away he saw a two story white house with a storage shed next to it.

   He walked along a well worn path towards the house. In his younger years he came here to help his Uncle Gene and learn about metal crafting. He had made everything from horse shoes to semi-complicated parts for broken well pumps and the occasional oil rig in the shed. A smile crossed his face as he stepped up to the door of the house and knocked. James answered the door a short while later and grinned.

   "Well get in here!" James said, shaking Elanus' hand, "About time you showed up."

   "Elanus!" Maria cried as she ran into the room.

   "Well hello! How are you?" Elanus asked.

   "Very good," Maria said, "Everyone is in the kitchen eating. Can I fix you something?"

   "No I ate before I left," Elanus said, "Thank you though."

   "You know where to unpack," James said, "Glad to have you back."

   "Good to be here," Elanus said as he climbed the stairs and opened a door in the middle of the upstairs hallway. This was his home away from home. His room was a bit on the small side but it was his nonetheless. Even in his forties he still got the same sense of excitement when he threw his pack on the small bed as he did when he was a teenager. The room had definitely changed over the years, a testament to how much he really visited.

   Force of habit caused him to pull a change of clothing out of the closet and take a quick shower. He'd flown on airplanes as a teenager, and for most of his young adult life. The long trip was stressful for him and the shower helped him adjust, and smell better. Even though ten minutes before he'd been sitting on his chair in England, the shower helped.

   After he dressed he went downstairs and to the kitchen to greet everyone. The family and two visitors were sitting around the kitchen table enjoying dessert when he walked in.

   Gene stood up after quickly wiping his hands and throwing his napkin down on the table. "Elanus! When did you get in? I heard the shower," he asked shaking Elanus' hand.

   "About twenty minutes ago, thought I'd clean up before coming in here," Elanus replied.

   Samuel and Percy stood up and greeted Elanus cheerfully. Bethany sat frozen in her seat, just staring up at Elanus. "You must be Bethany Grider," Elanus said, offering his hand to shake.

   Bethany stood up with a jerk and shook Elanus' hand stiffly, "Yes, sir!" she nearly shouted.

   "Is she always this uptight?" asked Elanus.

   "Pretty much," Percy replied.

   Bethany blushed and sat down slowly. Elanus pulled up a chair and relaxed, talking to his family. It was definitely good to be back. Once everyone had finished eating the table was cleared. Dishes were cleaned and put away and the kitchen was tidied up.

   Eventually everyone made their way into the living room where they generally relaxed for the rest of the afternoon. The heat of the afternoon soon turned to the cool evening. It wasn't long before everyone was entertaining each other with their talents. Samuel played his guitar, and they all took turns fencing with each other outside. Maria and Samuel taught Percy and Bethany the basics while everyone else watched. The two wizards enchanted soda cans to dance and other such novelties. Once the sun set they all returned to the living room and sat down.

   "I never knew muggles had so much fun!" Bethany commented.

   "If you thought that was fun, wait 'til we go into town tomorrow," James commented.

   "I hate to change the subject," Elanus said, "But why exactly did Arthur send you two?"

   Bethany fidgeted in her seat and Percy leaned back and looked at her. "I knew this would come up," Percy said, "We're supposed to give you some rehearsed answer, but I'll be honest with you."

   "Percy we can't," Bethany interrupted.

   "I know what dad told us, and I also know how to read between the lines," Percy said, "Basically, there are some in the wizard world that are afraid of Gene and Samuel. There are others that want to exploit the two of you, and a few that would like to see you gone altogether."

   "I suppose you two were sent here for our protection?" asked Samuel.

   "Not exactly, we're supposed to bring you back to England," Percy said, "One way or another. The Ministry is a bit spoiled. They're used to getting what they want, when they want and don't much care how they get it. Everyone related to you is being watched, and closely."

   "Including me," Elanus muttered.

   "But why?" asked Maria.

   "Everything has changed in the last several months," Percy replied, "All of the old families have been displaced. The centers of influence have changed drastically. A lot of older wizards are scared that what little power they have left will be stripped away."

   "So basically they're looking for any excuse to throw their weight around and get rid of a threat?" asked Samuel.

   "Not so much that as there are those who want to return to the old ways," Bethany interjected.

   "What do you mean?" asked Gene.

   "Well, there are some wizards who sympathized with Voldemort's pureblood sentiments. They want to revive the pureblood families. They see muggle blood as tainted, though they don't agree with his methods. These revivalists see Arthur as a bit of a threat. His new muggle policies are very much against their way of thinking. He talks to Dumbledore frequently and they've all heard rumors of the Opposites. They're scared that the Minister could easily get rid of anyone that speaks against him," Bethany continued.

   "Why didn't he approach Elanus with all this?" asked Samuel.

   "Dad's being watched too," Percy said, "We find people spying on our house all the time. He finds magic watching devices and on a few occasions, muggle video cameras, in trees overlooking our home. Dad is afraid to be seen talking to anyone connected to last year's incident."

   "That doesn't sound much like Arthur. He's not the sort to skulk around just because he thinks people are watching," Elanus said.

   "Afraid may be a bit to strong of a word. He's smart enough to not be caught talking to people he shouldn't. You know how Ministry politics are," Percy commented.

   "So if we're such a problem why does he want us back in England?" asked Samuel.

   "We don't know, that's Dumbledore's doing. They do need good teachers who were there last year though," Percy answered, "There are a good number of children who were traumatized, so to speak. Many of those children are in homes where their parents don't believe what happened really happened."

   "How could they doubt it?" Maria asked, "They saw Voldemort hanged."

   Percy leaned forward and thought for a moment then glanced at Bethany. "You must understand how wizards are. Many have a very superior attitude and are very ashamed when they're afraid of things. They see Voldemort hanged, and suddenly he wasn't so powerful. If a muggle could save us, then things weren't as bad as we thought," said Bethany. "It's easier to believe something horrible didn't happen then to accept the fact that it did. Look at how they treated Harry Potter. Almost all thought he'd defeat Voldemort, he was a hero. He was so much of a hero that they were quite willing to throw a child at the Dark Lord to save themselves. When it was all said and done, and their own cowardice was brought to light, they didn't like it so much."

   "The wizard world has a problem with rewriting events to make it look better. Why do you think muggle history and wizard history books read so different? It's not a different point of view so much as it is wizard historians trying to make wizards look smarter. What do you think the reason for those awful statues in the fountain at the Ministry are? Most wizards think they're better then the centaurs, house elves and goblins. Everyone else is inferior for some reason. It's sickening," Percy commented.

   "You seem awfully put off by it," James said.

   "When you come from one of the poorest families in the wizard world, you tend to get picked on a lot," Percy said.

   "You had the same superior attitude in school," Bethany said, "Especially after you became a prefect."

   "I was younger and stupider. People change," Percy replied.

   "Well I'm anxious to get back and talk to him," Elanus said, "I'd like to spend a few days here first. I'm in need of a vacation."

   "Of course," Gene said, "Why don't we leave at the end of this week. We'll need to get the house ready anyway."

   The next few days passed wonderfully for the family. For the most part it was spent relaxing and preparing for the journey. A day or two before the departure date Bethany woke up to the sound of the loud, steady clanging of metal against metal. She looked out the window of the guest room she was sleeping in and saw the door of the shed open. It was still dark outside, even though it was about six in the morning. "I could get used to the sun not rising so early," she said under her breath. The clanging continued a moment longer, then stopped briefly and returned again. Bethany wrapped a terry cloth robe around herself and got out of bed. Strangely no one was up, or so she thought. Gene was sitting in the living room smiling to himself and reading a book.

   "What's that noise?" Bethany asked.

   "I like to call it high impact aroma and steam therapy," Gene said, looking up from his book, "Go out to the shed, you'll see," he said smiling.

   Bethany opened the door and walked out to the shed along a walkway made of large granite blocks. The air was crisp but the closer she moved towards the shed the warmer it became. Just before she arrived at the door of the shed, a gust of wind kicked up blowing leaves and other debris around. She looked towards the sky and gasped. The sunrise had painted the sky and clouds in vivid oranges, reds, purples and blues that were rare even on a clear day in England. The clanging stopped for a few brief moments then resumed again. Her attention snapped back to the shed. Carefully she peeked in the door and was surprised at what she saw.

   Elanus was standing in front of an old anvil pounding on something red and glowing. He wore a tight fitting short sleeved black t-shirt like the ones she often saw muggles wearing at the train stations and a pair of heavy denim jeans. The muscles in his arms showed prominently as he brought the hammer down on the glowing metal. Sparks flew from the metal and hit the heavy leather apron he was wearing. Some simply extinguished when they hit, but a few rolled down the apron and hit the concrete floor of the shed before dimming.

   "You can come in," Elanus said, not looking away from his work.

   Bethany let out a start then walked into the large shed nervously. She was startled by the heat coming off of a small furnace of some sort. The first thing she noticed however, was the sharp smell of the heated steel as she walked closer.

   "What are you making, sir?" she asked.

   "I'm not sure yet. A knife, maybe a dinner plate, the metal hasn't told me yet," Elanus commented.

   "This is a very quaint workshop," Bethany said as she looked around.

   "Antiquated, if not archaic by muggle standards," Elanus said as he placed the metal inside the clay furnace and started pumping a large wooden lever up and down. As he brought the lever down heat washed from the furnace, making Bethany squint and cough for air. When the lever was pulled up the heat disappeared and she could feel the air rushing away from her. The coals inside the furnace glowed brighter as he worked the bellows.

   "What do you mean?" asked Bethany.

   Elanus continued pumping the bellows for a few moments as he looked in the furnace. "Well for one, most people would use a gas furnace instead of this wood burning one. Some have machines to do the hammering for them, and this anvil is more then a century old. The only things new about this workshop is Uncle Gene replaced the leather on the bellows with some sort of synthetic fabric, the tools are new, and he finally bought and electric grinder," Elanus said, indicating a small machine of some sort with two grinding wheels attached and a cord running into the wall. "He still uses the big manual ones over there though," he said, pointing to two large grinding wheels attached to some sort of mechanical contraption. Elanus returned to the furnace and using a set of tongs he removed the piece of metal from it and placed it on the anvil. He began pounding on it again and turned it over occasionally.

   "Why don't you just enchant these things to do the hard work?" Bethany asked.

   "It's more gratifying to work with your hands," Elanus replied, "Put on an apron and I'll show you."

   Bethany turned around and saw several thick leather aprons hanging from hooks along the wall opposite the furnace. She took off her robe and tied the apron around herself. Elanus looked her over and chuckled.

  "What?" Bethany asked.

  "You aren't the first woman to come out here and help work, but you're certainly the first to do it in a silk night gown," Elanus said. Bethany blushed and looked for something to do.

  "Alright, start pumping that lever up and down," Elanus said as he returned the metal to the furnace. Bethany wrapped her hands around the lever and began moving it up and down. The bellows didn't give way easily and she could feel the pressure being released slowly. She wasn't as tall as Elanus so she had to stretch a bit to get the lever to its peak. While not very hard work, after several strokes her muscles began to ache a little. She noticed after a while that the metal in the furnace began to glow brightly and Elanus smiled.

   "You pick up the rhythm quickly," he said as he took the metal out of the furnace.

   "How many times do you have to do that?" she asked.

   "Until the piece is done," Elanus said simply, "I think this will be a knife. I'm a little out of practice so it won't be all that pretty."

   Bethany nodded and watched in amazement as the metal began to take shape. After several more trips to the furnace and bellows the blade was taking on a recognizable shape. It was to be a simple, one edged knife suitable for utility work. As it neared what she thought was completion she heard footsteps along the walk. She turned around to see Gene walking out to the shed.

   "Good morning uncle," Elanus said.

   "Good morning to you," Gene replied. "What do we have here?" he asked, looking Bethany over, "I think she's the best dressed of anybody we've ever had out here."

   "The nightgown is a nice touch, I'll admit," Elanus said.

   Bethany blushed again and stepped out of Gene's way as he stepped up to the anvil. "How's it coming," he asked Elanus. Elanus handed Gene the rapidly cooling knife blade and smiled. Gene looked it over meticulously, tapped it a few times and examined the back of the blade.

  "Nearly perfect," Gene said. The swell of pride that flowed through Elanus was noticeable and somewhat contagious as Bethany felt it too. She could see in Elanus' eyes what he meant about gratification. He respected the old man and hung on to his every word. Gene showed Elanus the few flaws in the blade and told him what to do to correct them. His spirits dropped slightly though, when Gene pointed out something wrong with the blade's tang. She felt a bit angry at Gene for that and glared at him harshly. Didn't he know how hard Elanus had been working on it?

   Elanus nodded gratefully to Gene and returned the blade to the furnace. Bethany manned the bellows again and worked them hard, glaring at Gene. She didn't know why but she felt angry and at the same time she had the urge to do a good job in front of the old man. Gene smiled at her and nodded approvingly when Elanus took the blade from the furnace and began to gently shape it. After a few moments Gene gave a few encouraging words and soon the blade was finished. Elanus handed the blade to his uncle for inspection and Gene nodded with approval. The blade was returned to the furnace again then dipped in water. Three times Elanus did that and then sat down at what looked to be a big felt wheel set onto a foot turned contraption.

   "Whoa!" said a voice from behind Bethany, "We have got to have her over more often is she's going to dress like that out here." Bethany spun around to see James standing behind her, and Maria close behind him.

   "James!" Maria said.

   "What, I was just commenting," James said, "How's the whatever you're making coming?"

   "Just finished shaping it!" Elanus called from the polisher.

   "He's a bit rusty," Gene said.

   "And I suppose you can do better?" Bethany snapped. Everyone fell silent and stared at Bethany.

   "Oh now you've done it," James said, "You've challenged the old man."

   "You see all those swords along that wall?" Maria asked Bethany.

   "Um, yes?" Bethany replied.

   "He made every single one of those, and the practice epees we use," Maria said, "He can do much better. However, if he intends to prove it today, he has to eat first," she said staring at Gene hard.

   "Yes ma'am," he said, taking a step backward.

   Maria turned on her heel and marched back into the house. James busied himself by moving a table into the center of the shed and setting a few shop chairs around it. Bethany replaced the apron for her robe and sat down at the table along with Gene, Elanus and James. Bethany eyed Gene warily as he twiddled his thumbs.

   "You want to see something neat?" Gene asked. "Samuel!" he called at the top of his voice. In an instant Samuel came running out the door and stood in front of his father.

   "Yes?" he asked.

   "This young woman has challenged me," Gene said.

   "And I assume my wife has postponed said challenge until after breakfast?" Samuel asked. Gene nodded in response. "That's good," Samuel said, "I'm starving."

   Maria returned shortly with a large covered platter in hand, and a groggy Percy trailing behind her. She placed the platter on the table and removed the cover as soon as Percy sat down.

   "Oooh, burritos," James said in approval. Maria smiled at him and sat down at the table next to her husband. Gene said a prayer over the food and every ate their fill. After breakfast and a chat Gene wiped his hands and face on a towel and smiled at Bethany.

   "The rule is, the challenger has to assist or compete," Gene said.

   "I wish to pick a champion," Bethany said, grinning at Gene.

   "She knows her stuff," Gene said, "Alright."

   "I pick Percy to assist," Bethany said with a grin.

   "Oh no, not me," Percy said.

   "You'd give me unskilled labor?" Gene jested, "It doesn't look like he's worked hard a day in his life."

   "I haven't," Percy agreed.

   "You're right, I suppose he's a little on the soft side," Bethany said, "Your oldest then? He doesn't look like he's used to it that much either."

   "Much better," Elanus said.

   "Oooh, bad choice of words," James said to Bethany.

   Maria smiled at Samuel and winked. "Well I suppose I can defend the young lady's honor," Samuel said reluctantly. Gene stood up and selected a steel bar from a barrel full of them. After examining the block he set it down on the anvil and donned his apron.

   "Damascus, fine choice," James said to Bethany in a mock sports announcer voice, "Makes a very resilient blade. It's difficult to forge, though. We'll see if the old man has still got it. Meanwhile Elanus sharpens his blade."

   Maria rolled her eyes at James, "Come on Bethany you need to get dressed," she said.

   "Yes ma'am, I'll hurry," she said running into the house excitedly.

   "Don't worry they won't start until you get back," Maria called.

   Gene and Samuel conferred with each other a few moments and called Elanus into their circle. The three talked for a few minutes before Elanus started back on his blade. Bethany came running out of the house in a t-shirt and a pair of jeans Maria had left for her and sat down at the table. "Did I miss anything?" Bethany asked.

   "Just the huddle, it seems they're going to go for speed today," James commented.

   "You're about to see a real master in action," Maria said.

   "I've really never seen muggles at work, this should be interesting," Percy said, "How long will it take?"

   "Dad and Elanus are both very good at this," James answered, "Dad and Samuel will have their blade shaped in about an hour, maybe two. He should be polishing and sharpening it by lunch time."

   "It's Damascus steel, a bit harder to work with then what Elanus used but I would imagine James is right," Maria said, "They'll probably have two complete knives by nightfall."

   Carefully Gene cut a section off the bar and inserted it into the furnace and nodded to Samuel. The younger man wrapped his hands around the bellows lever and started to work it. The embers in the furnace flared up and tiny wisps of flame could be seen leaping over the coals.

   "Wow, he's working them fast," Bethany commented.

   "He's been working them since he was five," James commented.

   The metal began to glow brightly and Samuel continued to work the bellows. Soon the steel was glowing white and Gene pulled it from the furnace and began hammering on it. Bethany blushed as she watched Gene work.

   "I thought Elanus' arms were impressive," Bethany whispered as she watched the hammer fall on the glowing steel.

   "Yes Gene is a very impressive man," Maria said.

   "Samuel doesn't look as big," Bethany observed.

   "He takes after his mother's side of the family," Maria commented, "His mother was Elanus' aunt. Believe me he's a lot stronger then he looks," she said with a wink.

   "I suppose James here takes after his dad?" asked Bethany.

   "Yes," Maria answered.

   "So it was a good thing I picked Samuel?" asked Bethany.

   "Probably not, we've done this before. Samuel is faster at what he does then I am. He's also very good with wood," James said, "So guess who gets to make the handle for dad's blade."

   "So Elanus is going to lose," Bethany surmised.

   "Probably, dad has several decades experience on him," James said, "He's good though."

   Bethany nodded and watched the men work. A couple of hours passed and Gene and Samuel finished their blade. Samuel took a break from the bellows and sat down while Gene manned the polisher. Elanus had returned to the table as well and set his blade down. It was a fine piece of metal and very sharp. The quality was almost professional and all the edges were straight and clean. Bethany smiled at Elanus and examined the blade.

   "What are you going to do for a handle?" she asked.

   "Going to have you do that," Elanus said.

   "I don't know how to do that," Bethany said.

   "I've got two pieces of wood here and some red cord. Maria can get started attaching it. It's not hard," Elanus said. Maria smiled at Bethany and took the wood and the blade. She put the two halves of the handle to the blade and used two wooden pegs to attach them. Carefully she started winding the cord around the handle in a pattern and handed it to Bethany to finish.

   "Five winds of this and then we'll weave in some gold thread," Maria said.

   Percy watched with interest as the two women went to work on the handle. By the time they were done Gene was already sharpening his blade up and Samuel was carving a handle. Soon both handles were attached and the two men went to work putting the final edge on their blades. Maria served lunch and that evening the knives were done. Gene and Elanus handed their blades to Bethany for inspection. After carefully examining them she reached a decision.

   "Well, Gene's is prettier and a better knife I'll admit, but I like Elanus' knife better since I helped with it," she said.

   "I think they're pretty much equal," Gene said, "You can have mine."

   "You can have mine too," Elanus said.

   "Thank you both," Bethany said, "I'll remember this forever."

   Night fell and the family went to sleep. The days passed and the house was prepared to be left unattended for the next several months. Two large boxes were filled with the luggage and Elanus prepared to Apparate them all to his home in London. The trip was instantaneous for all practical purposes and they found themselves standing in Elanus' back yard.