They all looked at each other, waiting to see who would be brave enough to go first. Not surprisingly, it was Dash. She inhaled sharply, took a bit of Floo-powder in her hand and tossed it into the flames. After they turned green, she stepped into them and said, “The Burrow.” Harry thought he saw her start to spin as she vanished.
“I will go last,” announced the Headmaster, “in case someone needs help.”
“And I have paperwork back at Hogwarts, so I’ll take my leave now,” said Professor McGonagall.
After that, one after another, they followed Dash’s lead. Twilight, Applejack, and Rarity insisted that Harry and the fillies go before them. And Apple Bloom and Scootaloo insisted on going before Harry. The Grangers would follow the Equestrians.
What Mr. Weasley had failed to mention was the spinning that took place as Harry flew through the Floo system. He could see various fireplaces flying by with glimpses of sitting rooms, kitchens, dens, and businesses, some with people in them and some without — basically, any room with a fireplace linked to the network, he decided. As each approached, he felt himself spinning to face it as if it might be his destination. Finally, one fireplace seemed to grow larger as he approached, until it, and the sitting room beyond with many standing people, was all he could see.
He shot out of the fireplace as if he had been catapulted — a sensation he remembered quite vividly from the Pony-Pitcher they had built.
“Woah!”
“Ah!”
“Look out!” he heard as he slid to a halt with a solid thud against a couch, knocking it and its occupants over backwards.
Harry blinked and tried to figure out what had happened and why he was upside down. Into the silence, he heard,
“’Cor! I’ve never seen anyone leave the Floo like that!”
“Oh my goodness! Are you all right?”
“Impressive!”
“Now that’s an entrance!”
“Do you . . .”
“. . . think we could learn . . .”
“. . . to do that?”
“Are you alright, Harry?” Apple Bloom said from beside him. She grabbed his arm and lifted him to his feet. Scootaloo took his other arm.
“I’m fine. Just . . . surprised,” he said. Rubbing the back of his head, Harry looked around. Pinkie Pie was holding a sign up that said “7”.
Two tall thin boys with bright red hair who looked exactly alike were holding signs that read “8”. They looked at the signs with puzzled expressions, before setting them down and starting to right the couch and help a younger girl, also with bright red hair, to her feet. They all had infectious grins. There was no doubt these were some of the Weasley children. Over by a door, beyond which he could see a kitchen, was a short, plump, kindly-looking woman with reddish hair. Standing beside her, shaking his head in disbelief, was Mr. Weasley.
In short order, Sweetie Belle, Applejack, and Rarity came stumbling out of the fireplace, barely keeping to their feet, but managing it. Twilight, though, followed Harry’s lead, and shot across the room like a human battering ram, once again knocking over the couch and its occupants. Except Twilight bounced up off the couch and hit the wall behind it, sliding to the floor.
Harry sighed. A quick look at Pinkie Pie revealed her holding up a sign that said “10”. Beside her were the twins and little sister, all also holding signs that said “10”. A smaller red-headed boy held a sign that said “9”. The red-heads all looked puzzled at exactly where the signs had come from and how they had ended up holding them.
A pained “Ow” came from Twilight as she regained her feet, rubbing her head and then her bare right shoulder.
The twins announced, “Blimey that’s even . . .”
“. . . more impressive an entrance . . .”
“. . . than that wizard’s!”
Their mother said, “George, Fred, behave!”
“Yes, mum,” was the quick stereo response.
“But . . .”
“. . . still . . . ,” they mumbled, giving each other a sneaky smile.
Headmaster Dumbledore made an elegant entrance as he casually stepped from the fireplace and then flicked his wand to remove the copious amounts of ashes spread across the room. He surveyed the upended couch, Twilight getting to her feet and straightening her dress so it didn’t quite reveal as much as it was, and the signs being held up, with a soft smile and twinkling eyes. “Floo travel can be tricky for some people,” he said. “I trust everyone made it here, though, correct?” Various nods reassured him that they were not missing any members of their group.
Once the sitting-room was set to rights, the introductions began.
“. . . and this is Harry Potter . . . .”
There was an “eep!” from the red-headed girl, who quickly fled the room. Harry saw her peek back inside the sitting-room from the kitchen. That and everyone stared at his forehead. He just stared back at them. First in the pub this morning and now here. What was the fascination with an old scar? It was a nice scar, he thought, a really ace lightning shape. Kids who saw it when he was in primary had always been impressed, until Dudley had spread lies about him doing it to himself just to get attention. And his mane had kept it mostly hidden in Equestria.
It had been much more vivid last year. For some reason, after Tirek’s battle with Twilight in Ponyville, Harry’s scar had started to fade. He missed the old library. It had been cosy.
After the introductions, Mrs. Weasley said, “Well. Would anyone like tea?” The adults all readily agreed. “Wonderful!” she said. She looked at her older boys who were bored and already trying to decide what they wanted to do next. “Boys, why don’t you set up the tables in the garden lawn, the kitchen isn’t large enough for us all. Ron? Ginny? Why don’t you show Harry and his friends the garden and orchard?”
“Orchard?” Applejack and Apple Bloom said almost simultaneously, and looked towards the kitchen where the older boys were already headed.
Almost as soon as they left the house through the kitchen door, Fluttershy spotted a couple of chickens. With a gleeful “Oh!” that was almost loud enough to qualify as a whisper, she immediately bounded over to them.
Twilight took one look behind her at the house and grabbed Mr. Weasley. “Show me the spells you used!” she demanded. Mr. Weasley was only too happy to oblige as they started walking around the house, Twilight peppering him with questions so fast that he barely had time to answer one before she asked another.
Pinkie was the last out of the kitchen and was carrying a cake. She gave the twins a wide smile as she placed the cake on one of the two tables they had just set up.
Harry saw Molly gave Pinkie a puzzled look. She turned to Rarity and said, “Where did she get the cake?” Harry stifled a laugh.
Pinkie, now standing beside them, said, “Oh, I baked it!”
“When?” came the bewildered response.
“Just now.” Pinkie had a dazzling smile in place.
“Where?”
“Why, in your oven, of course, silly-billy!”
“But you couldn’t have, not even with magic could you bake a cake that fast!” Molly declared, hands on her hips.
“Oh, it wasn’t fast at all, about forty minutes. And then I frosted it, which took another five minutes.”
The witch stared at Pinkie, “But you weren’t in the kitchen that long!”
“I work fast,” she said, tilting her head slightly.
“But . . . .”
Rarity tapped the woman lightly on the arm. Molly looked at her, frowning. “Don’t,” said Rarity. “You’ll just get a headache and you still won’t understand.” She gave her a significant look, “It’s just Pinkie being Pinkie,” she said emphatically.
The twins were alternating staring at their mother and at Pinkie. “I don’t think anyone else,” one started.
“. . . has ever flummoxed mum . . .”
“. . . as thoroughly as us.”
Then, to change the subject, Rarity asked, “And the tea?”
The twins looked at each other. “Flying?”
“Quidditch?”
“An excellent suggestion . . .”
“. . . my dear brother.”
“To the broom shed!” They both pointed dramatically at a small shed built into the side of the house.
“Flying?” said Dash excitedly, almost leaping over to join them.
“Oh, yes,” said one.
“We try to get . . .”
“. . . as much flying practice . . .”
“. . . and Quidditch . . .”
“. . . as we can . . .”
“. . . in the summer.”
“Show me!” she said as she eagerly followed them.
Meanwhile, Applejack and Apple Bloom were inspecting the closest apple tree in the orchard. Harry, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and the two youngest red-heads trailed after them, half listening to the entertainment behind them.
Rarity sighed and looked at Mrs. Weasley. “Would you like help with the tea?”
“Oh, no, dear. I’ll have it out here in no time at all,” Molly said, after a bewildered look around at how quickly her guests had all disappeared. Pinkie was currently crawling under the roses looking for who knew what.
The Headmaster just stood by the house, taking in everything that was happening. He paid especially close attention to Pinkie when he believed she wasn’t looking at him.
Applejack studied the tree with a critical eye. “Not in the best of condition, is it, Apple Bloom?”
“Nuh, huh,”
Applejack placed her hands against the tree and looked up into the branches and at the tiny apples growing there. She closed her eyes.
“What’s she doing?” asked Ginny.
“Usin’ her magic to look inside,” came Apple Bloom’s reply.
Applejack kicked off her sandals, and dug her toes into the soil. “That’s better.”
That was when they heard, “waaaAAAAHHHHhooooo!” and Rainbow Dash shot by barely over their heads, riding a broom.
Harry and the fillies exchanged looks. Wizards and Witches could fly? On brooms? Applejack blinked and said to Ginny, “Humph. How about that . . . .” as the four Equestrian foals took off back to the house so fast Ginny later swore she could see red, orange, yellow, and white coloured trails behind them. Ron hurried after them. Hermione wasn’t as interested in flying, but still decided to follow the others. Applejack shrugged and walked over to the next tree. “Let’s see how you’re doing.”
Rarity sighed as she saw Rainbow Dash vanish among the treetops. She took the cup and saucer that the witch had floated over with her wand. Molly was staring off in the direction Dash had disappeared, as well. Rarity added the bit of sugar she liked and took a sip. She smiled appreciatively. “This is excellent tea, Molly Weasley.”
Dumbledore, who had taken a seat across from Rarity, nodded after taking a sip. “Wonderful, as always, Molly.” The Grangers murmured their approval, too.
Brought back to the garden, Molly said, “Thank you. I rather like this blend.”
Rarity looked around the garden area again, noticing the fillies and Harry closely following the instructions that the two tall twins were giving them at the shed’s door. She smiled, knowing that would keep them occupied for the rest of the afternoon.
Rarity turned her gaze back to the wizard and witch at the table with her, smiling. “So, Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, Professor Minerva McGonagall told us about this statute of secrecy? Why is it needed, precisely?”
۸- ̫ -۸
The twins, seeing the kids charging towards them had already taken two more brooms from the shed. “Sorry,” one said.
“We only have . . . ,” said the other.
“. . . two extra brooms.”
“They belong to . . .”
“. . . Charlie and Bill.”
“But they won’t mind . . .”
“. . . if we let you . . .”
“. . . borrow them today.” They handed the two brooms to Harry and Apple Bloom, who had managed to arrive first.
Scootaloo mumbled, “Aw, horsefeathers! How come he always loses the unimportant races at home?”
Hermione and Sweetie Belle crowded close to inspect the brooms with the others.
“Now then,” said one of the red-heads as Ron slid to a halt beside the shed and ducked inside. “Straddle the broom . . .”
“. . . like this.” concluded the other as he demonstrated.
“Hold the handle . . .”
“. . . like this . . . ,” they said together as one repositioned Harry’s hands on this broom while the other held his broom up for them to see his grip.
Bloom and Harry quickly adopted the same stance as the twins. “Now, push off . . .”
“. . . gently with your toes . . . .” The twin on the broom demonstrated, “. . . to go up.”
“Lean forward . . .”
“. . . to go forward.”
“Lean backwards . . .”
“. . . to slow down . . .”
“. . . or stop.”
“Push the broom down . . .”
“. . . to go down . . .”
“. . . and pull up . . .”
“. . . to go up.”
“And Bob’s your uncle!” they concluded in chorus.
“You can’t go too high . . .”
“. . . or the muggles might see you.”
“And stay over the orchard . . .”
“. . . but not too close to the edges . . .”
“. . . for the same reason.”
For several minutes the two newbies flew around the house, experimenting. Harry felt as if his face might break in two, it was so much fun and he was grinning so hard. He saw Ron give his broom to Sweetie Belle. Reluctantly, he landed back beside the watching Hermione and Scootaloo, followed by one of the twins. He handed his broom to Scootaloo. “You’re gonna love this Scoots.” Reverently she took it and stood astride it as the twins had shown her. The one who had followed Harry leaned over and nodded approvingly at her grip. “That’s the ticket!” he said. His brother landed a moment later.
Scootaloo hovered for a moment, moved slowly forward and turned around to face them, a giant grin on her face. She looked around, making the broom spin gently, twirling her in a circle. She took a deep breath as she lifted her nose, as if she were smelling the air. She stopped and exhaled, looked over at them and grinned even wider. She rolled her shoulders, yanked the broom almost vertical, and shot into the air straight up, leaving behind a trailing and faint “YAHOOOOOoo.”
Just before they lost sight of her, she arched over backwards and plummeted back down, laughing like a madwoman. She pulled out just feet above them to shoot off into the orchard while rotating around her broom.
After a moment’s stunned silence, the twins said, “That one’s . . .”
“. . . a natural . . .”
“. . . I’d say . . .”
“. . . wouldn’t you?”
“Oh, yeah,” said Harry. “She’s been dying to fly for years.” Apple Bloom landed and held out her broom to Hermione.
“Oh?” said one.
“Do you live . . . ,” said the other.
“. . . among muggles?” finished the first one.
Harry and Apple Bloom glanced at each other. “It’s complicated,” said Harry. “We don’t have flying brooms, and there aren’t any muggles around.” He half-smiled shyly. “In fact, until I got my Hogwarts letter we didn’t even know there were muggles, wizards, or witches.”
The three red-heads stared at them. “No muggles?”
“No wizards?”
“No witches?”
“No magic?”
“What?”
“Oh, we have magic. Everypo . . . everyone has magic. It’s just that we never thought about using wands. Or brooms for flying,” Apple Bloom explained.
The three Weasleys stared at them. “Um, flying carpets . . .”
“. . . perhaps?”
“Flying carpets!?” Apple Bloom and Harry exchanged looks. “That sounds like fun!” said Apple Bloom. She grinned at Harry and said, in a low tone, “Cutie Mark Crusaders Flying Carpet Makers?”
Harry grinned back. “Perhaps another day.”
“But if you don’t have wands,” said Ron, “how do you do magic?”
Harry looked around uncertainly and shuffled his feet nervously. “We just do.”
The twins looked at each other, eyebrows raised.
Harry looked around, and then stepped over to the shed. “Like this.” He stepped back and as he did a hoe, rake, and shovel floated out beside him.
“‘Cor!”
“Blimey!”
“Brill!”
“What else can you do?” Ron eagerly asked.
“Teleport?” Harry looked unsure. “Illusions?”
“What’s telapart?”
Harry frowned. “Teleport.” He closed his eyes, then looked back into the shed. He frowned. “I’m not sure I can do that here, but here goes!”
He concentrated, then staggered as he nearly lost his balance on the shed’s uneven floor. When he stepped out the three red-heads went goggle-eyed.
“You can apparate?” Ron breathed. His brothers appeared equally astounded.
“Not well, yet.” Harry looked around the garden area and sighed. “At home, I can get about four or five. . . miles, tops. Never had to go farther, actually, so maybe I could do more.” He shrugged. “I don’t really know what my limit is.” He looked up as Twilight and Mr. Weasley came around the corner of the house, still discussing how the house used magic. “Twilight can go over several hundred miles. Princess Celestia can go anywhere in the world.”
Ron turned to Apple Bloom. “And you can do all that, too?”
Apple Bloom shook her head. “My magic is Earth magic. Anything to do with the Earth, Ah can work with it.”
The boys looked puzzled.
“Like this.” Apple Bloom walked over to a nearby bush that wasn’t doing as well as the ones to its sides.
“That’s dill planted there . . . , ” said one of the twins.
“. . . and that one is always a bit small,” finished the other.
Apple Bloom nodded and dropped to her knees. She put her hands in the dirt to either side of sickly plant. Nothing happened for a moment, then, to the red-heads’ amazement, the plant began to grow. Its stalks grew taller and thicker, and the buds suddenly burst open into brilliant yellow blooms.
She leaned back, then stood. “The soil thar’s a bit sandy, drains the water away too fast. Try a good helpin’ o’ manure before the winter and work it well into the ground. Don’t over water it.”
Harry grinned. “I bet Applejack’ll have a whole list of things you need to do for your orchard. And your crop this year will be fantastic!”
“wheeeeEEeeeeee!” Scootaloo zipped by them.
Sweetie Belle drifted over to them, not nearly as confident in her flying skills, but still sporting a huge grin. Hermione was following her at a much lower altitude and had a hesitant smile.
“And what’s her specialty?” asked one of the twins, watching Scootaloo disappear into the orchard again.
“She’s a pegasus. They handle the weather at home — move the clouds, make it rain, stuff like that.”
“A weather witch!” They exchanged looks.
“That’d be handy . . .”
“. . . at Hogwarts.”
“Just imagine . . .”
“. . . always perfect weather . . .”
“. . . for Quidditch!” The twins grinned widely at each other.
“What about you?” asked Ron, looking at Sweetie Belle.
“She can do magic like me,” Harry said. “She can’t teleport yet, but she’s been doing levitating since she was a fo . . . toddler.”
The Weasleys looked at Sweetie Belle with awe.
۸- ̫ -۸
For a long moment the elderly wizard looked at her. “You have never heard of the Statute of Secrecy?”
Rarity tilted her head, “No, dear. Everyone has magic. It would be silly to try to keep that a secret.”
“Interesting.” He sighed and took off his glasses. He pulled out a handkerchief and started wiping the lenses. “The International Confederation of Wizards proposed the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy in 1689 and it became established law in 1692 — three hundred years ago.” He put his glasses back on and gave her a long look. “It was thought at the time that wizards and witches in every country in the world had been contacted and were a part of the Confederation.” He smiled ruefully, “Apparently not.” He cleared his throat.
“It was a response to the muggle witch-hunts going on long ago. As the witch-hunts grew ever fiercer, wizarding families began to live double lives, using charms of concealment to protect themselves and their families. Wizarding families were prone to losing younger family members, whose inability to control their own magic attracted Muggle witch-hunters. By the seventeenth century, any witch or wizard who chose to meet with Muggles became suspect of colluding with the muggles. Some even became outcasts in their own communities.”
“Witch hunts?”
“Yes. The muggles accused wizards and witches of treating them as inferiors, of using their magic to sicken livestock, ruin crops, steal, and commit other crimes against them. Basically, anything that went wrong for a muggle was blamed on a witch or a wizard, true or false was of no concern. It didn’t matter how trivial a matter it was; if someone dropped a bucket of water, it was because an evil witch made them do it, not that they were simply clumsy. They also accused witches and wizards of consorting with Satan, the demon of Christianity and opponent of the God they worshipped. Sometimes just the accusation, without proof, could get the priests to destroy a family.”
Rarity nodded several times, thinking. “And were they? Doing those things?”
Mrs. Weasley, Rarity noticed, looked guilty.
“Are they still doing those things?” she added, arching an eyebrow and leaning back in her chair.
“Unfortunately,” the Headmaster said, “there are always those who feel that they are superior to others and act upon those feelings without considering the repercussions of their actions.” He shook his head sadly.
“So, the muggles were justified, in part, in chasing after wizards and witches. And if the only wizards and witches they met did them evil, then it would be easy for them to assume that all witches and wizards were evil, would it not?”
“I suppose that is so,” said the Headmaster sagely.
Molly looked guilty, still, but then she brightened.
“We are trying to put a stop that. My Arthur is the director of the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office at the Ministry of Magic. It’s his job to hunt down items that were enchanted by wizards and witches that have fallen into the hands of muggles.” She frowned, “Although there are a few who do that on purpose. He told me last week that he had found a few vanishing keys.”
“Vanishing keys?”
“Oh, yes. A wizard will duplicate a muggle key and enchant the key to keep getting smaller until it vanishes. It’s very hard, though, to convict anyone because no Muggle will admit their key keeps shrinking — they’ll insist they just keep losing it. And then find it again when they don’t need it.” She shook her head ruefully. “Bless them, they’ll go to any lengths to ignore magic, even if it’s staring them in the face . . . .”
Rarity turned her attention to the Headmaster again. “You mentioned a god and demon? Can you tell me more?”
Dumbledore adopted a scholarly contemplative expression, leaning back in his chair and interlacing his hands’ fingers together over his stomach. “The major religion in England is Christianity. The believers worship an entity known as God. A key feature of this religion is that it has a demon known as Satan that tries to trick believers into betraying their god. They call this demon Satan, the King of Lies.”
Rarity nodded her understanding. “And where does this God live?”
The wizard, witch, and Grangers, exchanged looks.
“Well, according to the Bible, the book of the Jews and Christians, he lives in Heaven with his son.”
“Jews?”
“Christianity is an offshoot of the Jewish religion. They share the same holy book, with the same God and Satan. One thousand nine hundred and ninety-one years ago, the Christians say that God sent his son into the world to teach a new way for his followers to get into heaven, splitting off from the Jews.”
“Wait,” Rarity sat up straight, frowning. “Why aren’t the Jews Christians if their God told them to obey his son?”
“The Jews don’t believe that Christ is the son of God.”
Rarity sat back and stared at them in disbelief. “And their God hasn’t corrected them? Why does she allow this? That makes no sense! Unless this God enjoys conflict? How distasteful!” She shook her head, making an expression of mild disgust. “Is she a God of Chaos?”
Again the others exchanged puzzled looks.
Mr. Granger sat forward, looking at Rarity. “No one can ask God or Christ directly, they’re in Heaven. We only have what was written down two thousand years ago when Christ was preaching to the Jews.”
“And you can’t make an appointment to go to Heaven and ask?”
They all frowned. After a quick puzzled look at his wife, Mr. Granger continued, “Only after you die do you go to Heaven. And if you’ve failed to follow the teachings of Christ, you may go to Hell instead.”
Rarity was shaking her head. “No, this makes no sense. If you can’t talk to your god directly, how do you know she even exists? Much less that the stories about her are true.”
The Headmaster chuckled softly, “And there you have the crux of the matter between wizards and Christians. A Wizard wants to see evidence that there is a God — if there is, wouldn’t magic reveal him? — and the Christians say you must take it on faith.”
After a moment of watching Rarity still shaking her head in disbelief, he asked, eyes twinkling, “And what of yourself and your friends? What do you believe? Do you have a religion?”
She sighed and took another sip of her tea. “I suppose we don’t really have a religion. Oh,” she waved her hand dismissively, “some pray to Princess Celestia, and more lately, Princess Luna and Princess Cadenza.” She paused. “And, fortunately, Twilight hasn’t had enough attention yet for it to be an issue. But there’s no organized religion, no holy book of what Celestia has said. Unless you count history books. Celestia actually discourages pon . . . people worshiping her. She says it’s annoying and wastes her time. And leads to fights as po . . . people argue about what exactly she meant when she said something she considers trivial. Such as the time she said every . . . one should brush their teeth. There were fights about how toothbrushes should be made to properly show respect for Celestia.” She shook her head.
“And what Princess Luna says about worshipers isn’t language fit for mixed company! You start praying to her and you’ll be getting nightmares every night.”
That got the Grangers and the other two frowning again.
Slowly, considering his words carefully, Dumbledore asked, “Doesn’t Princess Celestia rule your homeland?”
“Oh, yes!” Rarity straightened. “She’s ruled for over two thousand years now, except for that period when Dis . . . the God of Chaos ruled.” She paused and wrinkled her nose. “Confidentially, I don’t like saying his name,” she said, “It might attract his attention.” She gave a delicate shudder, “You do not want him popping up in front of you!” She sighed. “Fluttershy claims he’s reformed, but I don’t know.” She stared at her cup for a moment before taking another sip. “However, no one is positive exactly how long he ruled.” She shook her head. “It was impossible to keep track, but that was at about one and a half thousand years ago.”
Then she said, “Princess Celestia has an open court every weekday in Canterlot. Anyone can petition to be heard. The wait list for non-governmental business is long, though, I’ve heard you have to make an appointment a year in advance, now. But if it’s a real emergency she’ll see you immediately.”
The others thought about that for a moment. “Who is the Queen?” asked Dumbledore.
“Queen?” Rarity tittered behind her hand. “We don’t have a Queen. Or a King. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are co-rulers. You can’t have two Kings or Queens, but you can have as many Princesses as you want.”
“Ah,” said the Headmaster, stroking his beard, “I suppose you can.”
“And we’ve had a thousand years of peace with her as our ruler, so we have no complaints!” She gave them a happy smile. “You know the old curse — well, it’s not really a curse, it’s not a spell of any kind, but still, some call it a curse — ‘May you live in interesting times’? Well the last thousand years have been positively boring!”
Her smile slowly went away. She scowled delicately and murmured, “Though, the last two years have been a bit excitable . . . .”
The wizards looked at her questioningly, clearly wondering what had been happening in the last two years.
۸- ̰ -۸
Another interesting chapter, nice to see the characters actually talking with Dumbledore in this story. I imagine it's not a coincidence you chose to have Rarity being the one having a polite conversation with him hehe.
Fun fact in issue 62 of the comics, which revolved around the leaders from various nations coming together for a meeting, Celestia is actually referred to as a Queen.
vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/mlp/images/b/bd/Comic_issue_62_page_2.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20180127040642
I honestly like the idea that outside of Equestria she might take on the title of Queen just to keep things simpler instead of dealing with other leaders constantly asking her where the Queen is.
This has such a perfect "why did no author think of this before?" feel to it.
You managed to combine three things that work so nicely:
This story has managed to become the one on my In-Progress list whose updates I'm most excited to see. Said it before, and I'll say it again, but tkepner has made one heck of an FiMFic entry with this first submission of theirs.
Nice interactions with the Weasleys!
And Harry and the Equestrians dropping more bombs to the Wizards! (I'm really wondering what the Wizards and the Grangers are thinking right now...)
Hah, excellent work as usual.
I'm just waiting to find out how many people now have seen that the Equestrians aren't wearing underwear and just aren't saying anything because they think it's a foreign policy.
Another excellent chapter, though I hope Harry's visual demonstration hasn't triggered any of the wards to detect underage magic.
Also, he was doing so well in editing out his ponysims, only to slip up and outright say the Scootaloo is a pegasus. Good thing no one noticed (or did they?) Unless, of course, they come to the reasonable assumption that calling someone a pegasus is just foreign slang for a weather witch.
9070833
I'm not sure they would think anything of it. Underwear, as we term them today, weren't worn until about the 1830's, well after the wizarding world started ignoring the muggles. And even then, the "panties" were actually two separate pants that joined at the waist. The concept of a "panties" as a single piece of short clothing came much later. Whether the witches in the wizarding world ever adopted them is questionable -- the pure-bloods might refuse simply on the grounds that muggles wear them. Half-bloods . . . depends on if their mother was muggle-born and if the father objected (and vice versa).
I've always found it interesting how JK spun various religious sects into the series. Professor Minerva McGonagall's father is a Presbyterian minister (by Rowling canon) and various students have been representative of certain other churches, including a Jewish student in there somewhere. There's even a number of Methodist church crossover events including a church that put on a wonderful Christmas frog concert
9070842
Unlikely. The wards are both very specific (being able to detect that Harry cast a patronus) and capable of being fooled (Dobby tricking them into making it seem Harry cast a spell) so they seem to be fine-tuned towards detecting wizarding magic, not unicorn magic.
Not to mention that they rely on a tracer spell being active on the student in question (multiple references to Harry "still having the tracer" are made in the later books). Odds are Harry doesn't even have the tracer yet, since he hasn't even visited Hogwarts where I assume is where such a spell would be cast.
Thank you for a logical respince to why are they princesses has I couldn't figure out why I'm my boyfriend is asking the same question I hasn't been able to find an answer for it finally I can give him something
Inspired by Dogger807’s hilarious story, “Magic School Days
You did it better
I hope Harry briefed Equestrians about the fact that Sun and Moon work differently in this world, otherwise if somepony drops info about Sisters controlling celestial bodies whole group would be considered crazy.
9070794
I hope we will see Dumbledore's inner thoughts in the next chapter or chapter after that. I guess he will came up with some theory akin to Saul Croaker's Atlantis theory from "Magic School Days", this theory will not last long though, since ponies are going to establish parallel official relations with both sides of Britain. Also I wondering how Celestia and Luna would view Statute of Secrecy thing and religious nonsense.
9070854
True, and I'm sure that even if the Grangers were concerned about it, the wizards and witches not reacting or making a fuss would stay their hand, so to speak.
9070896
There actually are no wards it's all done using the trace charm. According to the wiki the trace charm is cast on all underage wizards though it's unclear when exactly it happens. It detects any magic cast in the vicinity of an underage wizard and informs the ministry what the spell was and where it was cast however it does not tell them who cast the spell.
The reason Harry was blamed for Dobby's magic is that he is the only known wizard living in that neighbourhood so the Ministry just assumes it must be him. We can assume that Harry and the girls have just been lucky so far though it doesn't explain why Minerva didn't say anything when she saw Harry using magic.
So how long till we get the reveal to the non-magical side for Equestria's existence and the magical side as well? It's going to be interesting as hell to see the reactions. I'm not sure the Purebloods would know what to do about the fact that in Equestria everypony is a pureblood(By the definition of that word in the harry potter series) meaning their 'Oh-So-Important' blood status is basically unimportant there. The non-magicals might have a negative reaction or a positive one considering while the ponies are a peaceful race there are at least 3 ponies that can claim to be gods(Even if they don't want the title of that), which would be a slap to the face for every monotheistic religion and might be viewed as a major threat militarily because of that fact. Course if met with positive results I'm pretty sure they might ask for the portal to be moved out of the dangerous magical beast filled forest and at least to a open field or something where it's less likely that something deadly would come through.
9070854
And no one is batting an eye that Celestia is really old. I’d imagine even dumbldor would get whiplash after hearing that the rulers of a “country” was at least four thousand years old.
9070934
I'm... pretty sure that's not how it works. The detecting part, I mean. It'd work on muggle born wizards, but in a wizarding family the tracer would be going off all the time if it responded to any magic use in the vicinity.
9070944
According to the wiki a parents magic interferes with the ward so in those cases the ministry leaves it to the parents to punish them.
I imagine they don't raise an eyebrow if the magic happens at the wizards home unless they have a reason to be keeping a closer eye on them which was the case with Harry.
9070941
He's friends with an alchemist who is several centuries old so it's not like living that long is outside the realm of possibility. Wizards actually live longer than muggles after all, and according to the wiki the oldest known living wizard reached the age of 755 in 1991.
9070952
It is all true, but what we can see in "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald" trailer is that Flamel is almost living fossil. Wizards have access to longevity that Muggles have not, but eternal youth is seem to be out of their reach.
9070946
What I understood was that any magic cast in a wizarding household was assumed to be that of the parents. The only reason there is a 'trace' is to prevent accidental exposure of magic, breaking the statute of secrecy. Thus, any magic at a non-wizard household with a known muggle-born wizarding child wizard is therefore a threat to the Statute, which needs to be punished. Magic in non-wizard locations is assumed to be either magical accidents by muggle-born babies or traveling adult wizards -- and the magical accidents are not wand-related and therefore won't happen enough to be of concern.
9070946
It's not just home though, magic is a constant in the wizarding world. Wanna go to Diagon Alley? Can't, spells of the wizards there will trigger the tracer. Wanna see a Quidditch match? Can't, spells of the wizards there will trigger the tracer. Wanna go anywhere that isn't your room? Can't, spells of the wizards there will trigger the tracer. Wanna escape Voldemort with your friends from the Order disguised as you? Can't, spells of the wizards there will trigger the tracer.
It makes much more sense that the tracer just detects what the underage wizard himself casts. Why the tracer went off from Dobby's spell can be explained as house elf magic breaking all the wizarding rules.
9070970
Than the whole ordeal with Dobby in the second book would not make any sense. Also it is not explaining how Voldemort murdered his paternal family and managed to push a blame on Morfin Gaunt.
9070967
9070970
Ok yeah, upon checking the law that the trace is related to, the use of underage magic is only a problem when used in an area known to be populated by muggles. Although magic is allowed in life-threatening situations.
So in places like Diagon Alley, it wouldn't matter. Underage wizards still aren't supposed to be using magic outside of Hogwarts but since the trace doesn't say who cast the spell it would be hard for the Ministry to prove anything.
9070952
What I found interesting is that Professor Armando Dippet lived from (1637 – 1992, making him 350 years old. And no one in the books seems amazed at that!
9070994
Yeah, I guess long lives aren't that unusual for wizards.
I think at this point its clear that the other horseshoe has yet to drop... its only a matter of time before Dumbledore or another is brought to meet Celestia
9071013
If Dippet's age is normal, then that puts the Wizarding population at between 14,000 (if Harry's 40 students is a typical enrollment) to 40,000 (assuming that there are 1,000 students at Hogwarts, as J.K. Rowling has said). And assuming there are no home-schooled children -- which wouldn't be a large number anyway, perhaps 10% at most.
9070970
Lets not forget that Fudge and Umbridge were in 'Sumpreme Asshat' Mode and were actively trying to get others in trouble at the slightest provocation
9071052
Not normal just not unusual, though I imagine there have been plenty of wizards to live longer than normal.
From the wiki:
lol
9071080
Except to reach over TRIPLE the normal life expectancy (137 vs 350) would be considered EXCEPTIONAL! That would be like someone in our world living to be 243 (average male life expectancy in Great Britain is 81.6 years) He would be as famous as the Flamels because he did without the Philosopher's Stone! And he looks pretty darn good in his Hogwarts' portrait at 300+ years old!
9071097
I'm sure it was a big deal at one point.
I was actually wondering if they'd slipped Rarity some truth serum or something. I know that they weren't going to by lying, but I thought that they were going to be playing their cards a little closer to their vest than that.
I was really wondering what Scoot would find even interesting for her in that school.
9070765
The Twins are one of the few cases where I break the "New Speaker, New Line" rule, and simply break up their dialogue by separating it only with commas and quotation marks.
9070934
I can only think that, if somehow the Trace functions beyond the barrier or if the Ponies don't notice it and dispel it on their own once back in Equestria, is how the alarms will go absolutely haywire because of all the magic...
9070970
9070988
I know that the trace is actually explained to Harry somewhere in the books, and that it works in such a way that parents in wizarding families have to enforce the underage sorcery laws, but I've been looking for the last two hours and for the life of me I can't find the relevant passage...
9071120
Except he was Headmaster when he was ALREADY 270+ years old!
I think it's just J.K. failing to do her math again, yet another inconsistency.
Say that to Ancient Sparta.
9071116
Rarity calls Discord God of Chaos, rather than Lord of Chaos or Spirit of Chaos, also she replace ponies with people though Harry introduced this term to them as plural of "human", so I don't think that she speaks not on her volition, she do not spill anything crucial to determine their origins and goals.
9071097
Well, knowing wizards lifestyle I won't be surprised if 135.75 years life expectancy is significantly lower than average lifespan of wizards who died because of old age. Dippet could have safe lifestyle as a Headmaster, while statistics are significantly worsen by violent and accidental cases of death (murder by evil wizard, murder by dark creature, falling from broom, messed up apparition, messed up magical experiment, etc.) plus magical deceases.
9070842
They also have a cover in the fact that the types of ponies are also referred to as tribes. Twilight was explicitly mentioned to come from the Unicorn tribe before she became a princess. So that's there.
Still isn't exactly the best situation for them, but it helps cover slips there. The corrections they make in their speech, however, are telling to anyone who will take the time to think about it afterward. Dumbledore is a lot of things, stupid isn't one of them. I just wonder if he will figure out that the Mane 6 and CMCs aren't originally human before someone else does, like Hermione.
9071162
Therefore the trace is only functional on students who attend Hogwarts. Otherwise, who puts the trace on the kids? So, if there is magic near a muggle-born or half-blood who lives in a muggle area, clearly the child has broken the law and must be punished. In magical areas it is up to the parents to police their children's activities.
9071186
Pretty much what I was saying. I was just looking for the actual passages in the books where it says that...
I like Rarity's scene here. It showed her detective side along with business agumen. Not sounded overly reject or convince at the others' words.
It must confused the Earth wizards when she tried to question some common knowledge of the world. She seemed to slip some Equestria's knowledge but worded it vaguely without any specific details. I bet all her listeners thought she mixed some lies in her words and made names to camuflague the truth.
9070976
Dobby's a house elf, their magic ignores normal wizarding rules anyway given how they have no problems apparating on the warded Hogwarts grounds. No answer to the second problem, but in return I'd also note that having it be triggered by any random spell being cast near you makes the whole polyjuice escape plan Order of the Phoenix make no sense, since they explicitly forbid Harry from using magic because of the trace, but that makes little sense since their enemies would have found him anyway the second someone cast a spell near him.
In addition to, you know, making life in the wizarding world impossible by forcing underage wizards to stay away from wizards casting spells.
Or the ministry just has a department constantly buried in notifications of the hundreds of spells being cast around thousands of young wizards every day. But in that case it'd be impossible to actually turn the trace into a functional law enforcing method.
9071268
There's actually some comment on the "7-Harry's Escape Plan" in its aftermath in the seventh book, and the characters assume that Harry didn't get any letters and the Ministry wasn't making a big deal out of it because they were still trying to keep hush-hush how strong their incompetence and need to be Seen doing something rather than Actually doing something Effectively, had allowed Tom to become.
For the rest, as has been pointed out, the underage magic laws are basically punitive measures taken against muggle-borns as a measure of trying to maintain the statute of Secrecy, so that narrows down on the number of cases they have to actually follow up on. The rest probably has some sort of automated system set up to sort out all the "Junk Data".
9070952
Fair point we’ll wait till he finds out she doesn’t have a thing like that stone.
Nice Sherlock Holmes reference.