Anakin goes to Hogwarts
Chapter 4: Language, Magic, and Force
Poppy Pomfrey had seen a lot of strange things. Compared to all the maladies and injuries a school of young wizards could come up with even in a week, the afflictions of Anakin Skywalker were fairly tame, if a bit mysterious. The man himself was like no one she had ever met before, however. The way he had impressed his feeling of pure gratitude into her mind was still resonating in her several minutes later as she worked in her lab. She was sculpting a set of clay arms and legs, which would provide the framework in which Skele-gro, muscle rebuilding potion, blood replenisher, and other healing and body-rebuilding mixtures could work and restore the stranger's limbs.
Albus and Mr. Skywalker were still using mainly sign language, pointing at this or that and saying the names of ordinary objects. The stranger seemed to be in good humor, and was certainly very intelligent. The biggest breakthrough had come when Skywalker looked pointedly at Albus' wand, and Albus showed him what it was by summoning a chair to sit in. In response, Skywalker narrowed his eyes and levitated the chair with Albus in it.
Albus thought his new friend might be ready for more magic. The headmaster had already demonstrated simple transfiguration by turning the bed into a comfortable chair, and used a few charms to help the man sit up and give him some food and drink. Now he cast the temporary translation charm, which would allow him to understand and speak Anakin's language, but wouldn't affect the other man, who was looking at the Elder wand curiously.
"That stick seems to be alive," Anakin said when Albus finished the incantation.
"Wands do have a form of sentience, especially this one," Albus said thoughtfully, wondering how the limbless man could tell. Anakin looked startled.
"You speak Basic!" Albus shook his head.
"I'm using a translation charm," he explained. It will allow me to understand you and make myself understood for about a day, but then it will fade. Hopefully I can teach it to you by then, so you can speak to the others around you."
"How does that- how does all this work?" Anakin said, glancing at the transfigured chair and at the fireplace in trepidation. "How did the Healer cure my injuries?"
"Don't you know about magic? How did you levitate my chair, if not by the same means? Poppy told me you transmitted your feeling of thanks to her directly, and I assumed you used some form of mental magic."
Anakin shook his head. "I used the Force," he said simply. "Some people call it magic, and call the people who use it wizards, but it's really just an energy field that surrounds everything in the universe."
Albus nodded. "But I really am a wizard, and what we do here truly is magic." Anakin looked amazed.
"What planet am I on?" he asked, and it was Albus' turn to be shocked.
"What planet?" he repeated, then answered, "We call this planet Earth. What... planet are you from?" he asked. Anakin smiled.
"Originally I'm from Tattooine, but I've lived on Coruscant most of my life, or in space on ships and space stations. Haven't you ever been off-world?" he asked, seeing Albus' stunned look.
"No I haven't, I'm afraid. We don't have many spaceships here on Earth, and only a few people have actually used them. I don't think anyone from this planet has ever travelled farther than the moon."
Anakin's face fell. "Do you have a chart of the galaxy? Perhaps I could tell where I am from that and find a way to contact someone."
"I'll call our Astronomy professor. If anyone can help you figure out where you are, it would be her." Albus stood and went to the fireplace to activate the Floo. "Professor Sinistra's office," he said, and put his head in the fire.
Aurora Sinistra was mostly nocturnal, so he had to call a few times before she came out of her private rooms in a bathrobe. She looked startled when he told her about Anakin, and said she would come as soon as she could with her charts. Albus sat back in his chair and turned back to his friend, who seemed fascinated by the Floo again.
"She might take a while to get here. She sleeps during the day so she can teach and study the stars at night." Albus studied the other man, seeing sadness and regret in his eyes. "You must be a long way from home. Do you have family you left behind?" Anakin looked down.
"I have a son, and a daughter. They don't know me very well- I haven't been a very good father. My son reached out to me recently and changed my life, but I don't even know if he's alright. We were in the middle of a war when I left. I thought I was dying but somehow I came here instead. I hope he got out to safety."
Albus smiled kindly. "I'll try to help you find them again."
They both looked up as Poppy came into the room, with some rough clay shapes and a line of potions on a trolley. "Have you told him about the regrowing process yet, Headmaster?"
"Not yet, he told her. Turning back to Anakin, he focused speaking the other man's language. "She wants to re-grow your arms and legs."