Harry Potter and the Elements

It was a typical July day. Albus Dumbledore had been enjoying his tea in his office when a large silver weasel appeared beside him and spoke in the frantic voice of Arthur Weasley. "Albus, come quickly! Something is wrong with Ginny!" Instantly Albus was on his feet and making his way towards the floo. When he stepped out of the fireplace at the Burrow he was met with absolute chaos. There were smouldering fires everywhere, and he could hear screams and the sounds of a struggle coming from outside. Alert and extremely worried, he drew his wand, doused the flames, and proceeded outside.

One of the twins, he was fairly certain it was Fred though one could never be sure, was sitting against the house, breathing heavily and nursing a severe burn on his arm. Ronald Weasley was a few feet away, desperately trying to put out a large bush that had caught fire. But most startling of all was the sight of Molly, Arthur, and George Weasley all surrounding what appeared to be a rather large torch. Albus Dumbledore was bewildered, but he figured explanations could wait until after the crisis had subsided. With a quick flick of his wand, the flames that Ron had been battling died out. Then he advanced on the other three. He moved his wand in an intricate pattern that released a large blue pulse of energy. It coated the surrounding area, preventing any more fires from catching.

However, it did absolutely nothing about the flaming torch.

"Arthur, what is that?"

Arthur looked up, relief evident in his eyes when he saw Albus, then he returned his gaze to the unusual torch. "That is Ginny."

Albus' mouth fell open in shock. He blinked at the form of his student who was still aflame. "How did this happen?"

"She woke up this morning screaming because her bed had caught fire," Arthur spoke wearily. "We managed to put it out and calm her down, only to have half the kitchen light up when the twins started teasing her about something at lunch. At that point the flames started to run up and down her arms, seemingly without harming her. We thought it best to get her out of the house until we figured out what was going on." The man drew a weary hand through his disheveled hair. "It was when Fred got burned that she really lost it and…" he motioned towards his flaming daughter. "Nothing we've tried has been able to put her out."

"My word," Albus exclaimed softly. "She's a full elementalist!" Shaking his head, he decided to ponder that turn of events later; now, he needed to calm her down. He moved carefully towards her and spoke in a quiet voice. "Ginny, you must calm down, my girl." The flames seemed to turn in his direction, and he took that to mean she was listening. "I know that this is frightening, but I cannot help you until you calm down. Only you have the power to put out the fires." The flames grew slightly smaller. "Take a deep breath and try and clear your mind of the panic. The flames will obey you, and they are responding right now to your fear."

Gradually, the flames began to disappear, and Ginny Weasley came into view. The flames retreated from her head first, and then her feet. Then her legs came into view and her torso, until only her arms remained fiery. This seemed to be as far as she could go. She looked up desperately at the Headmaster. "They won't go away!"

Albus smiled calmly at her. "That is good enough for now. Why don't we have a seat here and I will try and explain what is happening. Perhaps that will help you to calm down."

Ginny nodded jerkily and clumsily sat down. She sighed in relief when the flames on her arms did not spread when they came in contact with the ground. She looked up, tears into her eyes, to see her family members in various states of distress around her. With a cry, she started to cry and the flames on her arms began to spread again.

"Ginny, you must try to calm down. I know that you are upset about having caused your family pain, but all of this can be fixed." Albus spoke quickly.