Aragorn Leaves the Kingdom
Stefan looked at his half-packed trunk, he’d got his cauldron and telescope and potions equipment in. He’d wrapped his delicate potions’ things like glass phials and his telescope up in his jumpers so they wouldn’t get ruined. The only things that hadn’t been packed yet, where one set of his school robes which he would be wearing tomorrow, and his books.
The books. Over the last eleven years, he seemed to have acquired over a hundred books, and he wanted to bring all of them!
Stefan sighed, and was about to start sorting through the books he didn’t read anymore and so could give to Harry or Ophelia, when there was a light tapping on his bedroom window.
Legolas was tapping at the window, having delivered the message, and received a reply. Legolas had been very busy, he usually had to fly over to The Burrow at least once a day. Quite often the message’s only read, ‘Percy, can you come over, Stefan?’ which would be followed by a reply from Percy saying he was on his way, and often Percy would get to the Burrow only seconds after Legolas had delivered the letter.
Stefan had written to Percy only half an hour ago, saying, ‘Percy, emergency code- I have to many books! Send help, Stefan.’
Stefan opened the note, and read, ‘Stefan, that is not an emergency, but I will be more than happy to help you with the books, I’m on my way, Percy.’
Stefan beamed in relief that Percy was coming over to help. He ran down the stairs taking them two or three at a time, and ran into the garden. Percy was running up the garden path beaming as Stefan came into the garden.
Percy and Stefan stopped running, and stood opposite each other, in the August twilight, holding their necklaces up to touch each other.
‘As long as the sun shall rise, and the moon shall shine brightly o’er the kingdom, I shall not forsake thee brother,’ they said together. It was now tradition to repeat this vow, and remind each other that even if Stefan was going to Hogwarts, and they might get sorted into different houses, they would always be best friends.
‘Hi Stefan,’ chuckled Percy.
‘Hey Perc,’ laughed Stefan tucking the acorn back under his t-shirt.
‘I’ve got something for you,’ said Percy fishing in his pocket.
‘Now before you say anything, I got it in the second hand shop in Diagon Alley, so it didn’t cost much, Dad helped me pick it out.’
Percy passed Stefan a bronze chain necklace, with a charm on the end. The charm was off a bronze crown, which shone brightly in the twilight.
‘You gave me the ring, and Frodo is the guardian of the ring and wears it.
‘I’m not worthy to wear the ring,’ said Stefan, ‘Aragorn protects the ring.’
‘Aragorn wears the crown,’ said Percy indicating the crown on the end of Stefan’s new necklace. ‘Frodo bears the burden of the ring, but Aragorn, protects the kingdom and everyone in it.’
‘A kind doesn’t wear an acorn,’ said Percy replacing the two necklaces, ‘he wears a crown.’
‘Just don’t forget, even though you’ll probably be a Ravenclaw, I think there’s a lot of Hufflepuff in you Aragorn.’
‘Hufflepuff?’ said Stefan confused as he looked at crown charm, ‘I would have thought that Aragorn would be a Gryffindor.’
‘No,’ chuckled Percy, ‘Aragorn doesn’t fight people and kill just because he can, but because it’s the right thing, he protects his kingdom.’
‘Well Perc,’ said Stefan looking up at Percy, ‘I’m going to be going away for a bit, but I want you to look after the kingdom of Ottery St. Catchpole for me in my absence, and look after all our little subjects.’
‘Don’t worry Stef,’ laughed Percy. ‘I’ll keep an eye on the kids for you.’
‘Now, I thought you said there were some books to sort out?’
‘Oh yeah,’ said Stefan heading into the house having completely forgotten about all of the books.
Stefan and Percy walked up to Stefan’s room, and Stefan’s bedroom was full of stacks of books placed haphazardly around the room, with an open trunk in the middle of the room.
‘Merlin and Morgana!’ breathed Percy looking around.
‘Oh I’ve got those if you want to borrow them,’ said Stefan trying to sort through the mass of books to find the adventure series that he was so fond of.
‘No I mean, Merlin and Morgana, that’s a lot of books!’
‘Well yeah,’ said Stefan obviously, ‘that’s why I need the help.’
He passed Percy a stack of fifteen books in the Merlin and Morgana series. They were a bit past Stefan and Percy’s reading levels, but Stefan had started reading them when he was five, and was invested in the series.
‘What should we do with these then?’ asked Percy, thinking they might as well start somewhere.
‘Harry might enjoy them,’ said Stefan.
‘Right,’ nodded Percy putting the pile down outside the room, with a piece of parchment on top saying Harry.
They soon sorted the books into several piles, the Merlin and Morgana books went to Harry, and all the other children’s books including his copies of The Chronicles of Narnia, and The Famous Five went to Ophelia. Harry and Ophelia were a bit young to read these books now, but Stefan knew they would love them when they got a bit older.
Stefan left his Muggle history books to Remus, knowing that he could use them in class.
Once they had done this, there was a significant dent in the book piles in Stefan’s room. They had now been sorted into several piles; schoolbooks, which had to be packed; extra books which he would like to pack; other books that he wanted to pack but probably wouldn’t have space for; and of course, Tolkien.
‘Ok Stefan,’ said Percy, ‘do you really need to pack your Arithmancy books?’
Percy picked up several heavy Arithmancy volumes which were bigger than most of his other extra books put together.
‘I like maths,’ shrugged Stefan.
‘You can’t start until third year, and they weigh a tone,’ said Percy logically.
‘Alright,’ admitted Stefan, ‘you’re right, I’ll leave them here.’
Percy used this same logic to persuade Stefan to leave his Ancient Runes books behind. With Stefan having made these sacrifices, they fit the Tolkien books in on top of all the other books, and finally managed to shut the trunk by Stefan and Percy sitting on it, whilst Remus did it up.
‘You should get home Perc,’ said Remus, ‘it’s getting late.’
‘Bye Stefan,’ said Percy hugging Stefan, ‘I’ll see you at the station tomorrow.’
‘Bye Frodo,’ muttered Stefan as Percy ran away.