J. K. Rowling owns Harry Potter
Chapter Six
"I think it's time for some explanations," Mr. Corner said cheerfully, to Mark's great relief.
They had told the wizards plenty of stories of his unusual doings over the years, but they had not managed to convince them until he had mentioned how only he had seen the monsters in the alley. His parents had looked quite distressed by his experiences, but their guests had been immensely pleased and had decided that he was probably a wizard. Then Mr. Peasegood had jumped up, saying something about a book of acceptance, and had promptly vanished, to the Evans family's astonishment.
"We're waiting," Mum said archly.
"Well," Mr. Corner said, and Mark noticed that he seemed to be mainly addressing him, "where to begin? There's so much to explain, after all."
No one responded to this rather obvious statement.
"I suppose we can start with the - ah - episode that you witnessed three weeks ago," he continued into the silence.
"It's really rather unfortunate that your first exposure to the Wizarding world was to witness an attack upon two innocent boys by a pair of some of the darkest creatures in existence. They are called dementors, and they drain all happiness from their victims."
"We didn't have our happiness sucked out of us," David pointed out.
"That would be because you never shared an airspace with them," Mr. Corner responded. "Nevertheless, those they do approach will quickly be reduced to a quivering mess of fear, unable to move or act, until the dementor applies what is known as its Kiss, and sucks the soul from the person's body." He said all this in a very calm tone, but his hands shook slightly, matching the horror Mark felt. After a few moments' pause, he finished, somewhat anticlimactically, "Only wizards are able to see dementors."
"So… how did Harry get rid of them?" David asked in a hushed, nervous voice.
"With the Patronus Charm. It is the only defense, and it is very advanced magic."
"Was that the silver stag?"
"Yes."
Mark was happy to get a full explanation of what had happened in the alley, but his father seemed less so. "What I would like to know," he said angrily, "is why you wizards seem to have all manner of terrible creatures roaming around, threatening innocent children! What if Mark would have been outside? He doesn't know any 'advanced magic'! He could have been killed! What about any of us, for that matter? I assume these dementors don't only go for wizards, do they?"
Mr. Corner gave a short, hollow laugh that had no humor in it whatsoever. Then he spoke, and it sounded as though he had suppressed this speech for far longer than the half hour he had sat in their living room.
"No, we do not have Dark creatures wandering around, randomly attacking innocent people. No, no, not at all. We have something far worse," he said bitterly. "We have the most evil wizard of all time preparing to wage war against all we hold dear, and the magical government just says 'Everything is fine' and tries to prosecute Harry Potter for defending himself when He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named sends dementors to attack him!"
He sighed, shaking his head, then said, "I could lose my job for telling you this. The Ministry leadership is determined to shut down all talk of You-Know-Who. I'm only talking because you saw the dementors either way." He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I guess I'd better start at the beginning."
Mark listened, frozen to his seat, as Mr. Corner told, in awful detail, the story of how a dark wizard had risen to power. How he had killed large numbers of people. How wizards everywhere had been - and still were - afraid to speak his name. How he had been defeated many years ago by a baby Harry Potter-
"As in - as in this same Harry Potter? The - the one from the neighborhood?" Dad interrupted in apparent astonishment.
"The very same," Mr. Corner replied. "You-Know-Who killed his parents in cold blood, but when he tried doing the same to Harry, his power was broken and he fled into hiding for many years. No one knows why."
Dad looked shocked at this news, but Mum looked at the wizard with narrowed eyes. "You said, 'for many years,'" she pointed out. "Do you mean he came out of hiding eventually?"
"Sadly, yes. Or at least that's what I believe, along with a good portion of the Wizarding community, led by Albus Dumbledore, one of history's greatest wizards. The evidence has been piling up for months, and the dementor attack upon You-Know-Who's greatest enemy, by the way, seems to me conclusive proof. However, the official account of the Ministry of Magic is that he has not returned and that those who say he did are merely fear-mongering."
"And the dementor attack?" Dad asked disbelievingly.
"Oh, they claim it never happened," Mr. Corner replied with a sardonic smile. "Why bother with truth when lies are so much more convenient?"
At this moment, there was a loud pop! and Mr. Peasegood reappeared, smiling broadly. He walked over to Mark and extended his hand. "Welcome to the magical world," he said.
"Where - what -" Mark began, rather nonplussed at this abrupt greeting.
Mr. Peasegood backed off awkwardly and lowered his hand. "Did you tell them about Hogwarts yet, Angulus?" he asked.
"We were discussing some other aspects of the magical world," Mr. Corner answered lightly.
"Well then, I'll explain," Mr. Peasegood continued, still standing in the middle of the room. "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is one of the oldest and finest schools of magic in Europe. Every magical child born in England has his or her name recorded in the school's Book of Acceptance, and a place is reserved for them to attend when they reach eleven years of age. I just went to check the book, and your name is on the list of students for next year."
Mark was rather surprised by this. Why would he agree to join a community that seemed to be essentially a war zone?
"How can we be sure this school is - is a safe place?" his father asked, voicing his thoughts.
A look of panic briefly came over Mr. Corner's face. Then he smiled reassuringly, but Mark noticed that his eyes still appeared anxious.
"Why ever would there be anything unsafe about it?" he said heartily. "It is an excellent school, for many years now under the leadership of Albus Dumbledore, one of the greatest wizards in the world. My own son, Michael, is entering his fifth year there next week. I'm sure Mark will enjoy his time there immensely."
"Oh, we know you love Dumbledore," Mr. Peasegood cut in, "but it's completely ridiculous, the way he shares no information at all with the Ministry. Do you realize that we almost Obliviated a wizard because of that? And this whole rubbish about You-Know-Who coming back? I'm telling you the man's going senile!"
"There's no need to discuss politics now," Mr. Corner responded hastily. "Either way, I believe our job here is finished. As for Hogwarts, a representative of the school will come to your house at some point this year with your official acceptance letter, as well as additional information. In the meantime, as my colleague said, welcome to the magical world."
He smiled thinly and nodded one more time. Then, with two more loud pops, the wizards disappeared, leaving Mark more bewildered than ever.