Harry Potter and the Norse Gods

{3} Wonderful World of Wizards

ALEX'S POV

If someone had told me a year ago that I would soon die, go to Valhalla, help trigger and then stop Ragnarok, get a boyfriend (who was also dead), find out about the existence of Greek, Roman, and Egyptian deities, and then be invited to attend a magical British school for wizards to stop a crazy bald wizard from taking over the world with the help of some mysterious all-powerful god, I would have told them that they were crazy. 

Turns out, I was the crazy one.

There I was, on a grizzly Tuesday morning, standing next to Magnus with a bag of my belongings, waiting for a wizard - an honest to gods wizard - to come and collect us. 

"What are you picturing?" Magnus asked, "The wizard, I mean. What'd you think they're gonna look like?" 

"Old," I said confidently, "With a long beard, wearing something outrageous." 

"Like robes?"

"Like extremely brightly coloured robes." 

"Now it just seems like you're projecting." 

We were saved from further speculation when, in a flash of light, an old man appeared. Like I had suggested, he had a long beard - and ridiculously long hair - and was wearing vibrantly coloured robes. 

"Hello," he said brightly, "My name is Albus Dumbledore." 

"Of course it is," I muttered. 

"You must be Alex," he said with an old-man twinkle in his eyes. 

"Did the hair give it away?" 

"And you must be Magnus," he continued, turning to my boyfriend, "Miss Chase's cousin." 

"Yeah," he nodded. 

"We'll be going to the Burrow, which is the new temporary headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix. Your third... member is there already. What have you been told about her?" 

"Not much," Magnus answered. 

"Not to piss her off," I added. 

"Well, that's not wrong. She can be a bit violent on occasion," he chuckled. 

That didn't seem like something to laugh about, but whatever. He was a weird old man, and there was probably more to the story. There was always more to the story. 

I shouldered my bag instead of answering, exchanging a glance with Magnus. 

"Grab onto my arms," he instructed. 

"Why?" I asked reflexively. 

"Side-by-side apparition. Unless you feel like walking to England, in which case, be my guest." 

"No thank you," I said, putting a hand on one of his outstretched arms. 

Magnus followed suit, and moments later, the ground fell out from under us. I blanched, but just as quickly we materialised somewhere new. 

It was a dirt road, surrounded by fields, and the strangest house I had ever seen - and that was saying a lot - towered in the distance. 

"Come on, we have quite a walk ahead of us," Dumbledore said cheerfully. 

"Why couldn't we teleport closer?" Magnus complained, looking dismayed at the prospect of walking. 

"Apparation," Dumbledore corrected, "There are boundary spells around the Burrow to keep out attackers." 

"But... now we're just walking in," Magnus pointed out, "Or are your bad guys incapable of walking?" 

"It's a great deal more complicated than that."