DISCLAIMER: Harry Potter is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. The Oz series was originally created by L. Frank Baum and is now owned by the International Wizard of Oz Club and Walt Disney Pictures Inc. while the classic 1939 film The Wizard of Oz was produced by Metro Golden Meyer though recently re-released by Warner Bros. Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
A/N You know I just found out not too long ago that Baum's Oz series is in the public domain (even though Walt Disney Pictures Inc. owns the movie rights). So basically I don't have to be putting disclaimers up to it. But I'm going to continue doing so anyway, because I want to.
Chapter 6: The Tin Castle
As far as Ron Weasley was concerned, there was nothing better than the thrill of riding a broomstick at high velocities: the faster the better. Perhaps that was why he was enjoying the carriage ride as the Sawhorse dashed through the countryside at the speeds of a Firebolt. And, according to her delighted shrieks, Ginny was enjoying the carriage ride just as much as he was. Luna's face was completely neutral but Ron noticed that her eyes were shining brighter than usual. In fact, that only one who was truly terrified of the speed was Hedwig.
"Ack! Stop! Stop! Too fast! Too fast!" screamed the snowy white owl. "Stop! Raptorcide! Raptorcide! I can't take this speed!"
"You would think an owl would enjoy these speeds," muttered Ron.
The Sawhorse had long led them out of the Quadling Country into the Winkie Country. This was evident in that the formerly scarlet countryside was now a distinct golden yellow color.
The Winkie Country was considerably hillier than the Quadling Country, and to bypass these hills, the Sawhorse was now taking a course of many twists and turns. Since there were no seatbelts in the carriage, the Hogwarts students couldn't help sliding back and forth on their seats with the veering of the carriage. On one such rather extreme veering, the teenagers were scooted around so much that Ron suddenly found Luna deposited in his lap.
"Oh, hello Ronald," Luna cheerily said. Ron blushed while Ginny giggled. "Mind if I stay here for a while?"
"Er..."
"Don't mind if I do." Luna settled more comfortably into Ron's lap. Ginny appeared to be chocking while holding back her laughs while Ron's face turned as red as his hair.
Had Ron not been so distracted by Hedwig's screams of "Aaaaahhhhh! I'm molting! I'm molting! My world! My world!" he would've wondered why it felt so comfortable to have Luna in his lap.
Eventually, the carriage came to an abrupt stop and the two owls fluttered out. Pigwidgeon was beside himself with glee.
"Wow! Was that cool or what? Wasn't it fun? Didn't you have fun? It sure was fun. Didn't you think it was fun? Huh? Huh? Huh? I loved it! It's cool to go fast! I like going fast? Don't you like going fast Hedwig? Why don't you like going fast Hedwig? Why is that? Huh? Huh? Huh?"
"Pigwidgeon, don't make me regurgitate my breakfast all over you," groaned Hedwig, looking a little green (if owls could look green). Pigwidgeon promptly shut up. Hedwig shook her body letting loose feathers fly around.
Ginny clambered out of the carriage. Ron would've also climbed out if Luna wasn't still in his lap.
"Um, Luna, would you mind moving so I could get out?" he asked. Luna perked up and started fidgeting around a little, attempting to get herself out of Ron's lap. Of course, her fidgeting prompted a reaction from Ron.
"My goodness Ronald, is that your wand? Or are you just happy to have me in your lap?" asked Luna, her eyes positively shining with glee. Ron looked like a tomato while Ginny was now rolling on the ground clutching her sides in laughter. As Luna left the carriage, Ron couldn't help but notice the sway of her hips.
"So where are we anyway?" asked Ginny. They were in the grounds of a large tin castle. There were flowerbeds laid around the main castle and several fountains with crystal water sparkling all over. But what caught Ginny's eyes were the various tin statues that were standing around the courtyard. Ginny went over to inspect the nearest statue. It was a life-size statue of a girl around 9 or 10 wearing a sunbonnet and carrying a basket. At her feet was a small tin dog. The sign at the feet of the statues read "Dorothy and Toto".
"Hmm, interesting," mused Ginny. "This is the most normal looking statue here though. What are these other oddballs?" She went off inspecting the other statues. "Lets see. 'Scarecrow'... 'Tik-tok'... strange, this bald man's labeled as 'The Wizard'. He doesn't look much like a Hogwarts educated wizard. And this one... oh my."
Ginny had come upon a statue that appeared to have a place of honor amongst the other statues. It was a tin statue of a beautiful girl seemingly around Ginny's age. She was wearing flowing gowns and had a tiara around her forehead. A pair of flowers were attached to each side of the tiara and the insignia "Oz" was formed on the front of the tiara. The sign at the statue's feet read "Ozma".
"So this is Ozma?" said Ron as he and Luna joined Ginny in front of the statue. "Funny, I pictured her as being older. This girl looks even younger than m... What the?"
Ron and Ginny finally found themselves frozen in terror for something large had just leapt in front of them. It was a lion, a huge, golden lion about the size of a small elephant with a full mane that made him look even larger than he actually was. Every joint of the lion was rippling with muscle, his claws were sharp and deadly looking, and when he opened his mouth there was a menacing set of fangs and sharp teeth. Ron and Ginny opened their mouths in a scream while Luna simply stared at the lion as if it were a cat. It was surprising however that instead of a roar, the lion let out a shriek of terror and darted behind the statue of Ozma just as Ron and Ginny darted behind the statue of the Wizard.
"There's nothing to be afraid about," said Luna. "He's a Cowardly Lion."
"A Cowardly Lion?" exclaimed Ron. "The concept doesn't even make sense! I mean Gryffindor's symbol is a lion for Heaven's sake!"
"Oh but its true," said the Cowardly Lion emerging out from behind the statue. "I have always been rather cowardly. In the past, I used to be an outright coward until the Wizard gave me some courage. After that, I've always been scared but I've been able to muster up the courage when I need to."
"That's nothing to be ashamed of," said Luna. "After all, being brave means that you're scared but you're doing what you have to do anyway."
"Too true," said the Lion. "You did startle me, but I guess if I hadn't panicked I would've realized you weren't a Nome or a Death Eater." He sighed a deep lion sigh. "I guess I'm just too cowardly afterall."
The Weasleys were about to say something when another huge beast lumbered into view. It was a tiger. If any of them knew anything about zoology, they would've recognized the tiger as an overtly large Siberian tiger. "Whoa! What's that?" asked Ron.
"Huh?" The Cowardly Lion turned to look at the tiger. "Oh. He's my good friend, the Hungry Tiger."
"Oh? Are you hungry?" asked Luna.
"Very," replied the tiger. "Why, just this morning I had 12 casseroles, 15 doughnuts, 3 whole pizzas all with different toppings, 9 apples, an orange, 5 slices of pumpkin pie, a crate of strawberries, a large fish, and a bag of chips and I'm still hungry."
"Oh you poor thing," said Ginny.
The Hungry Tiger sighed sadly. "What I really crave more than anything is a nice, plump human baby. But I know its wrong to eat babies so I just ignore my cravings. By the way, can I eat any of you?"
"No!" exclaimed Ron and Ginny.
"Oh well. It was a long shot anyway," said the Tiger.
"We should probably get inside," said the Lion. "Its not safe outdoors these days."
"Oh really?" hooted Hedwig as she and Pigwidgeon joined the others. "And who are you to decide that?"
"You may want to watch you tongue, you tasty morsel," said the Tiger. "The Cowardly Lion is king and lord of all four-legged beasts in Oz and he and I are Ozma's personal bodyguards."
Hedwig actually looked sheepish. "I'm sorry. I guess I spoke out of line," she said. She then picked up her haughty tone again and said, "But I do not appreciate being referred to as a 'tasty morsel'."
"My friend is exaggerating," said the Lion sheepishly. "I am really nothing more than a cowardly fool."
"And so modest," said the Tiger.
"Oh wow! Big, big cats!" exclaimed Pigwidgeon. "Lookit, lookit! They're so big! Don't you think they're so big? How did you get so big? Could you tell me how you got so big? Huh? Huh? Huh? Is there a way I could also get so big? People always say I'm so small. I guess I'm a little small. Do you think I'm small? Huh? Huh? Huh?"
"Little one, don't tempt me into making you a snack," said the Tiger. Pigwidgeon shut up.
Ginny looked around as the Lion led them toward the castle. "So where are we anyway?" she asked.
"This is the castle of the Emperor of the Winkies," said the Lion.
"Emperor?" said Ron. "I thought Ozma is the ruler of Oz."
"She is. But each of the four kingdoms have their own rulers that serve under Ozma," said the Lion. "They're sort of like the captains to her general. For example, Glinda rules the Quadlings but she answers to Ozma. And you're currently in the residence of the ruler of the Winkies."
The Lion and the Tiger led the teenagers and the two owls into the castle. The walls and ceiling of the interior of the castle were also made out of highly polished tin. Even all the furniture was made of tin and Ron couldn't help but wonder how such furniture could be comfortable. They occasionally ran into several servants who wore gleaming uniforms of tin who bowed every time they passed.
"I could get used to this," said Ron. Ginny elbowed him.
They were finally led to a large tin door. Standing to the side of the door was an important looking Winkie in a particularly stiff tin uniform. "May I present to you, the Emperor of the Winkies!" he explained pompously. The doors swung open on their own vocation.
Ron had been half expecting the Emperor to be some pompous jerk like Cornelius Fudge or someone of the likes that Percy would've adored. He was therefore completely surprised that not only was he completely wrong about the Emperor, he was also not quite human.
The man who emerged from the doors was made completely out of tin, from the funnel hat on his head to the tin hinges that made up the joints in his arms and legs. He was also carrying a gleaming axe, which he was carrying on his shoulder rather effortlessly.
"What is this, guests?" he said pleasantly. "A pair of lovely young ladies." He bent down and kissed Ginny and Luna's hands with his tin lips, causing Ginny to blush a little. "And a strapping young man." He grasped Ron's hand and shook it firmly. "Ah, but where are my manners? Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Nick Chopper, and I am known as the Tin Woodman." He gave them a polite bow. "You must be starving from your journey. Would you like to have some dinner?"
Ron and Ginny were a little tongue-tied so Luna politely said, "Of course we would love to."
"I am sure we could prepare a meal for the owls as well," said the Tin Woodman. He looked up at Hedwig and said, "I must say you are a beautiful owl. The pure whiteness of feathers reminds me freshly fallen snow."
If owls could blush, Hedwig would've done so. "Er, uh, why thank you," she said.
The Tin Woodman led them into the main dining room. The long table like the rest of the furniture in the castle was made completely out of tin, as were the dishes and the silverware. But the food was thankfully real. Ron immediately started wolfing down the meal as if it were a regular Hogwarts feast. Ginny rolled her eyes at her brother and turned to their host. "This is an, um, unusual castle."
"I like it," said Luna. "I think it has character."
"It used to belong to the Wicked Witch of the West," said the Tin Woodman. "After I was appointed as Emperor of the Winkies, I hired every tinsmith in the country to redecorate it to better suit my needs." He observed Ginny's confused face. "Perhaps I should tell my story from the beginning. You may be surprised to learn that I was not always a tin man. I was once a Munchkin woodcutter of flesh and blood, engaged to a Munchkin girl. Unfortunately, I somehow ended up incurring the wrath of the Wicked Witch of the East who enchanted my axe to cut myself to bits. Every time a piece of me was cut, the local tinsmith replaced it with a piece made completely out of tin until I was soon the tin man your see before your eyes now."
The Tin Woodman continued his story, of how the tinsmith who forged his new body couldn't give him a heart and thus he could no longer love the girl he was engaged to. Of how amongst the following depression, he had met Kansas girl Dorothy Gale (who's statue the Hogwarts students had seen on the grounds) with whom he had accompanied with the Cowardly Lion and the Scarecrow (statue also on grounds) to the Emerald City to ask the Wizard (once again statue on grounds) to grant him a heart. When Dorothy had arrived in Oz, her house had crushed the Wicked Witch of the East, soothe Wizard gave them the condition that he would grant them their wishes if they also destroyed the Wicked Witch of the West. He told them of how after Dorothy managed to melt the Wicked Witch of the West, the Winkies were so fond of him that they made him their emperor (having just been liberated from the Wicked Witch of the West) and how the Wizard finally gave him his heart shortly afterward.
The Tin Woodman talked for several hours about the various adventures he and his friends had had in the various fairylands. In return, Ron and Ginny told him several stories of the adventures they had at Hogwarts. The Tin Woodman listened to these stories with rapt attention. Eventually, they got to the story of how they were whisked away to Oz by Glinda just before it was sealed off to the rest of the world by Voldemort and how Harry and Hermione were lost somewhere in Oz.
"You have nothing to worry about concerning those two," said the Tin Woodman pleasantly. "I received word from my good friend the Scarecrow not too long ago. He met up with your friends in the Munchkin country. He's currently taking them to Jack Pumpkinhead's place. They should be here in about two or three days." There was a general feeling of overall relief amongst the Hogwarts Students and the owls. The Tin Woodman meanwhile continued speaking, "I imagine that your friends Harry and Hermione will in the mean time be busying building their love nests."
Ron's jaw dropped. "L-love nest? Er...why do you say that?"
"My good friend, I pride on being an expert on matters of the heart," said the Tin Woodman. "Even from what little you have told me about your friends, I have managed to gather that they adore each other dearly. It's all in a matter of perception. And of course, the beauty of young love."
Ginny and Luna were delighted to hear that a neutral observer thought that Harry and Hermione were in love with each other with just their stories. Ron however remained completely quiet, apparently thinking something over. Ginny and Luna wondered how he felt about the prospect of Harry and Hermione being in love with each other.
The thing was, Ron wasn't too sure himself.
A/N OK, I think I'll call this chapter off right here. I know you guys have been desperately waiting for the main plot to shape up but all I can say is please have patience. I'm having a lot of fun with this fic right now and I'm on a bit of a roll.