Arnold's Wizarding World
Chapter 12: The Boy of the Volcano
I'm a bit insecure about the first chunk of this chapter but bear with me, the rest should be okay. I don't have much else to say, enjoy!
I definitely wasn't in Hogwarts anymore.
After checking the relic to see if I was in a real place, and confirming that I was indeed in San Lorenzo, I didn't know what to feel.
Relief, because I was no longer trapped in The Hole anymore.
Confusion, because I was the only one who had landed here.
Fear, because I didn't know what to do next.
"Arnold."
I faced the Green Eyed young girl I had met a few months ago, and watched as she motioned for me to follow her.
The Green Eyes! Oh thank goodness!
I quickly followed her, and she motioned for me to stay silent as she led me toward a tunnel and into their hidden city.
There, everyone greeted me like they had before, but the greetings were a bit rushed, because as soon as the King saw me, he pulled me to the side and led me towards their temple. He then pointed at the new hieroglyphics painted on the walls, and I studied them closely.
The first drawing was of a boy with round glasses pointing a wand at a shadowy, dark creature. Harry Potter, no doubt. And that must be Voldemort.
The next drawing was of La Sombra creating The Hole, and ordering Boris to put me inside.
The third was of Helga, Gerald, and Abner leaving The Hole with Draco, but me leaving the Hole because of the Green Eyes. That explains why I'm here, they must have transported me here.
The fourth one was confusing. The Green Eyes stood around me, pointing wands at me, while striking me with a green force.
The next one was of me, with my eyes illuminated like emeralds, and aiming a wand at La Sombra, with him aiming his own wand at me.
The last one was strange too, there was a boy, using a wand to smash the Corazon into pieces.
"What is this?" I asked him.
He eyed me apologetically, before whipping out an ancient wand, made out of oak, and aiming it at me. The Queen did the same, and so did all the other Green Eyes.
"Wait! What is happening?" I exclaimed, trailing backwards with my hands held in front of my chest.
"Good luck," the King's daughter said, with the little English that she knew, before all the Green Eyes chanted a few words and a swell of energy burst within me.
I cried, and yelled, and the familiar, magical feeling that burst within me a few weeks ago became prominent again. But this time, it felt stronger.
The feeling stopped, and I lost my balance, but was caught by the King, who smiled softly at me.
The kids opened their mouths in fascination, and I realized that my eyes were glowing. The King then approached me, and handed me his wand, which I refused, but he insisted to give to me anyway.
He motioned for me to try it on a watermelon the Queen had placed on one of the steps, and I aimed my wand, remembering what fake Hogwarts had taught me.
"Wingardium Leviosa."
The watermelon floated, and the Green Eyes cheered. I smiled softly and placed it back down. The King then nodded towards the Queen, who pulled out her own wand and placed it on my head. "Good luck. Apparate, Ministry of Magic."
I appeared in a place I had never been to before, and just as I was going to ask myself where I was, I heard Abner oink and run toward me, causing me to crash to the ground in glee. "There you are boy!"
Gerald approached the doorway, and he sighed in relief. "There you are! FOUND HIM!"
After Abner finished licking me, he got off of me, and I stood up to come to face Helga, who was leaning on the doorway with an angry but relieved look in her eye.
"Where have you been football head? We thought we lost you!"
"San Lorenzo," I responded, showing them the wand the Green Eyes had given me. "The Green Eyes transported me there, and they gave me powers again, I think I have to use them to fight La Sombra."
Gerald and Helga delicately touched the wand in fascination. "Wow Arnold, way to go Fairy Godmother on everyone."
"Hey!" I exclaimed.
"Do you know how to use it?" Gerald asked.
"Well, I know a bit," I said as I caused a book to float from a book shelf
"Woah!" Helga and Gerald cried in unison.
"Mm, mm, mmm, you're really going to go out there and fight La Sombra."
"Well, apparently, but I don't know Gerald. I don't have much experience in dueling."
"We can worry about that later, some girl named Hermione wants to feed us dinner, and they say that they know you," Helga stated.
I nodded and followed them out, heading towards a dining area where Ron and Hermione were currently discussing something with one another.
"Where's Professor Malfoy?" I asked.
"Oh, you mean the Grinch?" Helga asked. "He left a little after bringing us here, some hero."
As soon as Hermione saw us, she stood up gleefully, "Arnold, it's good to see you again."
"Glad to see you're doing alright mate," Ron smiled. "Remember us?"
"Wait, you guys were real?" I asked.
"Yes, Draco would come back to the Ministry every night to give us status reports, and your name would come up a lot, so Ronald and I had to go meet you," Hermione explained.
"I still can't believe none of you told me that tosser was on our side this whole time," Ron argued. "Why was it such a secret?"
"Draco didn't want anyone to know, you know why he's doing it Ronald!" Hermione scolded.
"So he and his sorry excuse of a father are in danger of being locked away in Azkaban, the gits deserve it for working with Voldemort!"
"Draco has changed!" Hermione argued. "And he's been very useful in helping the Ministry find more Death Eaters, we wouldn't have found Boris and La Sombra if it weren't for him. If any of Voldemort's former death eaters deserve pardon, it's him!"
Ron bitterly scowled, but said nothing.
Hermione then looked at the trio, "Sorry about that, the topic of Draco has been a recurring theme of discussion. Take a seat, all of you, I'm sure you have many questions."
"Oh, I have questions," Helga demanded. "Where are we? Why are we here? When can we go home?"
Ron furrowed his eyebrows, but Hermione placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him down. "You're at the British Ministry of Magic, you're here because we want to help you defeat La Sombra, and you will go home as soon as we finish training you in the Dark Arts."
"I understood none of that," Gerald mumbled under his breath.
"So, we're aware that you are affiliated with the Green Eyed people, is this true?" Hermione asked.
I was reluctant to answer, which she must have noticed.
"We don't want to ambush them, we simply want to know what we're dealing with. I've read about them, and how they want to remain secret, and believe me, I respect that."
That put me at ease, and I pulled out my gifted wand and set it on the table. "I am affiliated with them, and they've given me powers. I won't tell you where they are though."
"Wizards can grant powers to muggles?" Ron asked as he lightly picked up my wand, turning to look at Hermione.
"Not necessarily, but the Green Eyed people are a special case. Their powers date back centuries, and this just goes to show how powerful they truly are, it's best if we stay on their good side."
"Wicked!" Ron exclaimed, handing the wand back to me.
"Okay, so the football head has powers. That still doesn't explain how exactly you're going to help us. Tall Hair Boy and I don't have powers, and I've got a best friend back home being held hostage by a lunatic I thought we defeated months ago! So tell me, I get why Arnold has to be here, but what about us?"
"Football head?" Ron snorted, only to receive a slap on the arm by Hermione.
"I understand your frustration, but the Ministry doesn't deem it safe for you and Gerald to return to Hillwood at the moment. When the Auror department finishes training Arnold, we will all apparate to Hillwood to rescue your friends and arrest La Sombra and his affiliates."
"Who's going to train me?" I asked, curiosity peaking.
"Yours truly," Ron smiled cheekily. "You're looking at an Auror in training."
"What is an Auror, exactly?" Gerald asked.
He took the question right out of my mouth.
"An Auror is like the police, but for wizards. They hunt down criminals who are using magic for evil, instead of good," Hermione explained.
"Criminy, Dr. Bliss is going to love hearing about this during my next office visit. Next time you see me I'll be at the wackjob hospital," Helga commented.
"So when do we start?" I asked.
"Tomorrow," Ron answered. "But for now, you'll be staying at my home, The Burrow, my Mum is already expecting you."
I was really happy to see Ginny again, who was shocked and pleased to discover that she and I had been great friends in The Hole. She was only at The Burrow for a while before having to return to Hogwarts.
Ron's family strangely reminded me of mine, which made me appreciate and miss my family even more. Helga, Gerald, and I got to meet George, Ginny, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Ron had told me that he had more brothers, but they already had their own stable jobs.
Ron's home was just as chaotic as mine, except mine was filled with boarders who couldn't see eye to eye on anything.
Mr. Weasley spent the entire evening asking Helga, Gerald, and I stuff about the muggle world. He was especially fascinated when we told him about the time we saved the neighborhood.
"And, and, you drove a bus, because you were good at a driving video game?" he asked, his eyes glossy with curiosity. It was pretty adorable.
"Well, Arnold convinced me, and we were running out of time so he and Helga pressed on the pedals while I steered the wheel," Gerald answered, pretending to move a wheel with his hands.
"And, you didn't hurt yourselves? Are you sure you didn't use magic to drive that vehicle?"
The three of us looked at each other, and shook our heads. "Nope, no magic."
"Amazing!" Mr. Weasley exclaimed. "And why was the neighborhood in dire need of saving, if I may ask?"
"Oh, it's cause a man named Alfonse Perrier von Scheck wanted to bulldoze it so that he can build a big mall complex, but in reality, he wanted to avenge his ancestors from losing an event called the Tomato Incident."
"All that over a bunch of tomatoes?" Mr. Weasley asked, appalled.
"Wait, what did you say his name was?" Ron asked, who had entered the room a few moments ago.
"Alfonse Perrier von Scheck," I answered.
"Scheck," Ron thought. "Where have I heard that last name? Blimey, Hermione is usually the one good at these things. I'll ask her tomorrow."
"Scheck?" George asked as he popped beside Ron. "As in Reviro Francis von Scheck? He was a powerful wizard in Germany, and he married a muggle in Britain, who gave him three sons, Reviro Francis II, Ludvig, and Alfred. Reviro the II and Ludvig were born with powers, but Alfred wasn't, which made him a squib. I read all about this in the historical section of the Daily Prophet. Reviro II and Ludvig would give Alfred a hard time, and Reviro Francis neglected him, so Alfred signed into the British military, and fought during the American War of Independence to show his father that he was worthy of something. Pretty sad stuff, not sure if the lad lived."
I blinked, "Do you know where Alfred von Scheck was stationed in America?"
George waved his hand, "Naw that's muggle stuff, but I would like to know if he lived."
"My Grandpa told me that there was a German officer leading the British military during the Tomato Incident, and Scheck told Gerald and I that his ancestor was that officer, you don't think that could have been Alfred do you?"
George shrugged, "Like I said, I only know what I read in The Prophet, I'm surprised I even remember the article, I don't even remember when I read it."
"Yes, I think I read that article too," Ron nodded. "It was the one thing on the Prophet that didn't have anything to do with Harry or the war, so I thought, why not?"
"Dinner time!" Mrs. Weasley sang as she walked into the room. "Wash up everyone!"
"Mm, mm, mmm," Gerald whispered. "The world gets smaller and smaller everyday. If Scheck really is a descendent of Alfred von Scheck, that means that Scheck is a descendent of a powerful wizard!"
"Oh please Gerald-o, I'm sure there's millions of von Schecks out there. Scheck is nothing special."
"Hey, it's an interesting thought," Gerald offered, causing Helga to roll her eyes.
Harry Potter's story was fascinating! Ron and his mother spent all of dinner telling us about it, all while answering our questions about the wizarding world. I then took the liberty of telling them about our story, and why La Sombra is attacking us. Mr. Weasley was especially interested, hooked onto our every word.
"Pigeon Man did not fly off into the sunset Arnold, to this day, I still think you were seeing things," Gerald stated.
I frowned, "But he did fly off into the sunset! I saw him!"
Helga rolled her eyes, and Ron chewed his food, eyeing us with amusement.
"So," Helga started. "You never told us what happened to the Grinch, why does he look like he hates the world all the time. And I thought I was bad."
"You mean Malfoy?" Ron asked. "He's an arse. Don't pay attention to him."
"Is it true that he's in danger of being sent to prison?" I asked.
"Well yeah, he worked for Voldemort; and even if it was because he was blind and aching to make something out of himself like he said during his trial, he still contributed in some way. I admit, I can sympathize with him because he was young and he was kind of forced into the role by his father, but I hold no mercy for Lucius Malfoy. That tosser deserves to rot in Azkaban."
"Ronald!" Mrs. Weasley scolded.
"So, the Grinch has daddy problems?" Helga asked.
"Lucius…" Mrs. Weasley started. "Just… wasn't a very good father. What Draco lacked was love. His father implanted unhealthy ideologies like anti-muggle sentiment, and the desire for power and pureblood supremacy. Draco craved to please his father, and I believe that's one of the reasons why he chose to work for Voldemort, despite not enjoying it one bit. In a way, Lucius neglected his son, and saw him more as an heir to the Malfoy estate rather than a son. Neglection is one of the worst things a parent could do to a child."
Helga's fork clinked on her plate.
I faced her and her eyes were lost, staring into her plate, lost in a web of thoughts.
From under the table, I grabbed her hand, and squeezed it.
She didn't strip it away.
After dinner, we were all sent to bed, and Helga was up in Ginny's room, staring out into the balcony with a lost look.
"I'm sure Bob and Miriam are worried about you," I stated, startling her from her thoughts.
She turned to look at me with her eyes as wide as saucers, before relaxing and scoffing bitterly, "Yeah right, Bob has probably been too busy watching his soap operas and Miriam is probably on her fifth smoothie of the day. Neither having a clue as to where I could be."
"You've been gone for a while Helga, I'm sure they've noticed by now. Remember Thanksgiving two years ago? They were worried sick about you."
"Yeah, because Olga reminded them!" she snapped. "Forget it Arnold. I have sorry excuses for parents, I'm surprised I haven't tried to work with an evil wizard to destroy the world."
"Helga! No, you're not like that one bit, and you would never!"
"Honestly Arnold, if it wasn't for you, I think I would have. If it wasn't for you putting that umbrella under my head in preschool— If you hadn't seen me..." she stopped. "I don't know where I'd be right now."
The wind was hollow, warm, and peaceful. I approached her slowly and took her hand into mine. I chose to say nothing, and instead looked out into the outskirts below us. She followed suit, and we stayed like that.
Helga and I still had our lows that we needed to work out; for me, it's the adjustment of having my parents back with me, for her, it's getting her through the neglection she deals with back home. We both have holes in our hearts that our parents couldn't fill in our early years, and we each help one another cope with it.
Below, I watched a baby duck reunite with its mother.
All would be well.
Draco: When are you going to let me go home?
Chloe: You just returned from a holiday!
Draco: I don't consider bloody Dinoland a holiday
Arnold: You said you had fu— MMFFF
Draco: *keeps mouth closed* Anyway, bloody review this thing so that we can check out
Chloe: You heard Dinoland's newest fan, hop to it!
Draco: *glares*