1 Accepted into Hogwarts…..kinda

It's been 5 years since Weirdmageddon happened. And a lot has changed. Especially ever since Great Uncle Ford offered me that apprenticeship a second time. Before Weirdmaggedon ended, I turned it down. I had Mabel to think about. She needed me and I couldn't leave her alone. Things were tough as they were. We couldn't separate at the moment. The world needed us…... We needed us.

But Weirdmageddon made me realize something….

I was too weak. I couldn't protect Grunkle Stan. He had to sacrifice his memories to finally vanquish Bill. I had nothing to do with it. If he hadn't done what he'd done, then the world would have been destroyed. He's the hero. No thanks to me.

I couldn't protect the town either. It was utterly destroyed. Everything. From the Dawn 2 Dusk to the water tower to the people in it. Everything destroyed. And I couldn't do a single thing to stop it.

Not to mention I let Great Uncle Ford be captured. I was right there, merely 10 meters away, yet I was powerless to do anything about it. If I just had more strength…. more knowledge… I could have done something….Anything.

And last but not least -- Mabel.

Although she said it was a great job that we did, I can still tell that there was more that we could do. We could have done something better. Something different. Something….. Something…. I don't know. But we… no I didn't do anything great.

After the town reverted back to normal -- as normal as it gets anyway -- we checked our injuries. Although she didn't show it, Mabel was badly injured. From the constant falling and the explosions, there was bound to be some type of injury. Lucky enough Great Uncle Ford had some medicine in the Basement that could fix that right up. But the fact is she was injured.

So at our birthday party that year, I had already steeled myself to ask Great Uncle Ford for that apprenticeship. I had to get stronger. For me. For Grunkle Stan. For Great Uncle Ford. For Mabel. Originally I expected I would have to bring it up. But to my surprise and delight Great Uncle Ford came up to me.

I was at the concessions table drinking a glass of punch when it happened. He walked up to me and started talking about nothing important at first. Something about a Bigfoot in Alaska or something like that. But then he said something that caught me off guard. He said, "I wish I could have been stronger."

At that moment it looked as if Great Uncle Stan had aged 10 years. I could see the damage the years had done to him. A lifetime of experiences. It got me to wondering what he had experienced all those years in those alternate dimensions. For 30 years, trapped in foreign worlds. What did he see? What kinds of hell had he come to know?

As my mind was wondering, Great Uncle Ford pulled me back to reality with his next few words.

"I can tell you feel the same way too, Dipper. I can see it in your eyes. You wish to become stronger. To protect the ones you hold dear. To destroy all those that may wish harm upon your family. I feel it too."

And he paused there, turning to look me directly in the eyes. His eyes seeming to be burning with a flame, he continued.

" I know you've already rejected my invitation once but allow me to ask you once again….. Dipper, would you become my apprentice? To follow to the ends of the earth? To uncover the mysteries of this world and others? And to gain the strength to protect those we care about?"

As he asked me that, I looked around the room. I saw Wendy. She was chatting with her family. Smiling. I found Grunkle Stan laughing together with Soos. There was all the town folk -- Lazy Susan, The Mayor, Old Man McGucket, the Sheriff and deputy Edwin, Pacifica and her parents, even Gideon -- with smiles on their faces. And there was Mabel. Talking with Candy and Grenda. Obviously fawning over some boy from the way their eyes lit up and the giggles that they tried to cover up.

I felt the need to preserve that moment. To allow them to keep that happiness forever. And it came to me that I couldn't do that without strength. If I remained weak, what would happen the next time a threat appeared? What if I wasn't as lucky the next time? What if I lost someone. What if I lost Mabel?

As this thought crossed my mind, I knew what my answer to Great Uncle Stan was. Although it would break Mabel's heart, it was something I had to do. No matter what, I had to gain the knowledge and strength to protect their happiness and peace.

I turned back to Great Uncle Stan. He was still staring at me, patiently waiting for my answer.

"I don't really know what the future holds. And I don't know what Mabel would think about me staying here to apprentice under you. And I'm not sure who I'll become if I accept."

As he heard this, his eyes carried a trace of disappointment and he was about to speak but I cut him off.

"But I do know something. And that is that I need knowledge and strength. Knowledge and strength that I can't get anywhere else but from you. Even if she refuses to speak to me after this, I still must do this. Great Uncle Stan…. I accept your apprenticeship."

Great Uncle Stan let out a great hearty laugh. His entire body shaking with joy.

"You didn't let me down, boy. You didn't let me down."

Then his expression suddenly became serious. The atmosphere changed as a thick pressure formed. He stood up straight and stared me into the eyes once again.

"This won't be easy Dipper. It won't be a walk in the park. The road we shall walk will be a dangerous one. One that we can never turn off of. Are you prepared for such a journey?"

I replied with no hesitation, "Yes!"

"Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!"

He once again burst into a fit of laughter. And I joined in with him.

To everyone else it looked as if we were laughing at some hilarious joke. Mabel probably thought it was a nerd joke. Only we knew what the implications of our laughter meant.