Chapter 202: Wizarding Recollections
9th March 2012, New York City
(Jasmine Sayre POV)
I calmly answered him, “You’re so angry with me. But you, yourself, are doing nothing about the main problem. You could try targeting Hydra. I have already started their downfall starting with the world security council. You can either wallow in your betrayal, in your despair, or you could find the people responsible and make them pay. I just gave you a start and the direction. Whether you choose to do this alone, or with your team, will be your choice. As I said, I’m washing my hands of this. This is your father’s doing, it would be poetic for his son to fix his mistakes.”
I teleport back to my mansion, leaving a confused billionaire. I was barely gone for ten minutes, and the girls were still sitting around, talking. I sit back down on the sofa, “Sorry girls, Stark was being annoying. Now, where were we? Oh, right! What have you girls been up to while I was gone?”
The girls just looked to each other, and Rose spoke up, “A lot has happened, Jasmine.”
I chuckled, “I heard. Did you seriously make a superhero team?”
They blushed in embarrassment and Wanda answered my question, “Well, it started because we were trying to look for you. We just helped people along the way.”
“And how did the two of you meet Rose? I made sure that the magical and non magical world were separated. It was the only way I could find in safeguarding magic’s existence on this planet.”
Jean shook her head, “I still don’t understand why you did that? Why did you go this far to make sure that both worlds were separated. I mean, you altered history and turned it into myths and legends, you physically and intellectually separated two worlds that were joined together for thousands of years. Were things really that bad?”
I let out a bitter laugh, “People don’t realize how bad things were in the past. Very few people lived past thirty, men and women got married in their teens and had a dozen children, after which the mother would inevitably die of childbirth. Women were guaranteed to bury half their children from sickness. And those who survived, had to deal with thirst, hunger, and weakness. People, today keep complaining about the economy, about being poor, but the fact remains that if they were born more than a century before that, they would dream of a life with an education, with food, water, clean clothes, and so much more. However, that wasn’t the case for mages. The moment anyone manifested magic, they had an easy way out of the poverty. Just the food doubling charm and the water conjuring charm were enough to guarantee a long and happy life. Add in the possibility of transfiguring a home, of warding it against intruders, and they’re already in the top one percent of the population.”
Rose stood up, “They felt Jealous.”
I nodded, “Yes, Greed, Envy, Fear. They’re such human emotions, aren’t they?”
Jean though seemed confused, “But magic’s been there for thousands of years. Why did they start acting by then?”
“Well, the rise of Christianity started the witch hunts. But it was only zealots, and fanatics who travelled from one village to another, finding magical children and slaughtering them. But the general population didn’t care for mages. That was until Hogwarts was created. The castle was supposed to be a haven for young mages, and it was. They learnt how to use their magic. Over the centuries, barely a fraction of the mage population was able to use magic properly. Most didn’t even know that they had it, and even if they knew, they didn’t even know how to read let alone cast spells and learn theories of magic. It was only old wizarding families who actively tried to see if their children could use magic. But then, after a few generations of Hogwarts students, villagers started to see their neighbors get invited to their schools, guaranteeing them a life of wealth and security.
“Jealousy and Envy of mages started to spread as more schools were founded around the world. That was until it was starting to worry the monarchs. It only took one powerful ambitious wizard, who could even be a commoner, to threaten their rule. Even they grew resentful and fearful of the rise of mages. After a while, things lead to one inevitable conclusion. War. This was a war that would damage both races, and quite possibly the extinction of mages, as children were to be killed at birth. I realized that both worlds couldn’t coexist, so I made sure to separate them once and for all.”
They were all enraptured by my little speech, and Wanda said, “The people have security now, they have safety.”
I shrugged, “Yet greed and fear remain as humanity’s driving forces. Take a look at how they’re dealing with mutants right now. Call it a little test. If non magicals could accept them, include them in their society, without either enslaving them or oppressing them, then they would be ready to accept the magical world and the boons they represent, back into their society.”
Rose snorted, “Yeah, I don’t see that happening.”
I gave her a wry smirk, “Oh, don’t say that. Humanity has a tendency to surprise you sometimes. What about you, Rose? What has been happening in the magical world after my departure?”
She looked at me, confused, “You don’t monitor the magical world?”
I shrugged, “Well, not actively. I have an organization that sends me reports about the happenings of the magical world. I didn’t really keep up with them because they didn’t seem to be urgent, and I had bigger problems to deal with.”
“Wait, really? Anyone I know?”
I shrug, “I should suppose so. I believe they call themselves the Unspeakables. They operate in every ministry, researching the mysteries of magic, and surveilling the progress of magical research in the world, while sending me reports of the political landscape for each country.”
Rose honestly looked lost, “You’re in charge of every department of mystery in the world?”
“Well, I wouldn’t say in charge, that would mean that I cared about what they do. They just send reports to me, without even knowing who I am. But enough about that, tell me, what have you been up to?”
She shrugged, “Well, Magical Britain was lost after you faked your death, which wasn’t cool, by the way. You exposed Dumbledore’s plans for our country. The man disappeared afterwards and was never seen again. I assume that you killed him,” I nodded and she continued, “Well, added to that, the fact that somehow half the lords of the dark faction – or traditional faction if you want to be fancy about it – disappeared mysteriously, the political landscape was destroyed. Both the light and dark factions had been neutered, and the grey faction took advantage of it, choosing to prioritize the economy over ideology. Fudge and his administration were investigated, and were found to be corrupt, yeah no one was surprised about that, so they ended up investigating every department to see if there were any signs of corruption. Amelia Bones was the Minister at the time, I think, and well, things were weird. Nathan, after being called crazy for hallucinating Voldemort’s return while presumably under the Imperius, kinda told them that he was under a spell to stop mass panic. Still, members of the dark faction started joining the neutral since they weren’t blackmailed by Lucius Malfoy anymore, add in the ones from the light side who were disillusioned with Dumbledore’s madness who also wanted to join, the neutrals became the strongest party in the Wizengamot.”
I shrugged, “So, everything went as I planned. How is the current economic situation in Magical Britain?”
“Well, the neutral faction started buying businesses and investing into muggleborn ideas. Things are a lot better. It took a few years, but the country is back on its feet, and muggle inventions are starting to be adapted into the wizarding world. We barely use owls anymore; Some muggleborn adapted communication mirrors into smaller models and use them as phones. They even made numbers and everything. Observation orbs are now used during quidditch matches or press conferences, so that we don’t rely on newspapers anymore. Things are so different now.”
Huh, that was interesting. I expected things to get better, but not that much better, “What about you? What have you been up to these past few years?”
She smiled at me, “Well, I continued my education with your portrait. It wasn’t the same, but it was leagues above what the other wizards and witches learnt. I didn’t need Hogwarts classes anymore, but I still went for mum and dad. They were devastated when you ‘died’. Mum had a nervous breakdown right after the funeral, actually. It took some time, but she started to get better. She still bursts into tears on random occasions whenever she remembers you. You’re her greatest regret. Dad hasn’t been the same after you were gone either. He’s been more subdued, more passive. He stopped making pranks, or joking around. They still visit your grave every year, crying for the daughter they never even got to know yet lost anyway. I know that you never considered them your parents, but they still considered you to be their daughter. I know that they gave you away and never tried to check up on you, I know that they hurt you, but even twenty years later, and they’re still grieving. Could you please, at least tell them that you’re alive. I told them how poorly they dealt with the situation, and they did admit that they were very pushy. You don’t have to like them, but at least give them closure.”
I nodded, “I will think about it.”
“Thank you, that’s all I could ask. But where was I, oh, yeah, Nathan. He had a rough couple of years in Hogwarts, you know with his twin officially dead, and people thinking he’s unstable. Things did get better. He ended up marrying Tracy Davis, a very nice girl from Slytherin, and they have two kids, Jasmine and James Potter. He cleaned up his act, after you know getting over the shock of Dumbledore’s betrayal and your death. It hit him pretty hard, especially since you’re his twin. He’s actually the Minister for Magic, now. I never expected him to continue into politics, but he became an Auror, worked his way up to be head of the department and was elected as Minister. Dad retired, and mum continued her research in charms and potions. I just continued learning under you. I never realized the depth of your knowledge in magic. Even now, I have barely scratched the surface. Anyway, Fenrir Greyback didn’t like some of the werewolf laws that were being made. The Ministry was now forced to employ werewolves and pay for their monthly Wolfsbane potion, and make sure that they have a day off the day before and after the full moon. Werewolves started getting a lot less aggressive, and attacks had pretty much ceased. Fenrir Greyback didn’t like that, so he engineered an attack on Diagon Alley while I was there. I kinda reacted by instinct and restrained the entire pack with my hard light chains.”
I snorted, “I guess you’re the ‘next coming of Merlin’ of this generation.”
She burst into laughter at that, “Pretty much, yeah. It was hell. People kept bothering me with things I didn’t want to deal with. Everyone asked for my advice for things I didn’t even know. I didn’t care about politics at all. I just wanted to keep exploring my magic. They tried to give me a ministry position, that I rejected. They tried getting me to join the Department of Mysteries, that I also rejected. They even tried to get me to teach at Hogwarts. I was almost tempted, but I didn’t like teaching too much and I didn’t see myself grading papers all day. They even tried to convince my parents to marry me off. They refused, of course, but it was nearly made into an actual law.”
I frowned at her, “They tried to bind you to the Ministry so that they could use you as leverage in their international dealings, like Dumbledore did for years.”
She nodded, “Exactly. I was able to get out of it, thanks to Nathan since he was the Minister at the time. But my biggest problem came at the hand of his undersecretary, Hermione Granger.”
Chapter 202: Wizarding Recollections
9th March 2012, New York City
(Jasmine Sayre POV)
I calmly answered him, “You’re so angry with me. But you, yourself, are doing nothing about the main problem. You could try targeting Hydra. I have already started their downfall starting with the world security council. You can either wallow in your betrayal, in your despair, or you could find the people responsible and make them pay. I just gave you a start and the direction. Whether you choose to do this alone, or with your team, will be your choice. As I said, I’m washing my hands of this. This is your father’s doing, it would be poetic for his son to fix his mistakes.”
I teleport back to my mansion, leaving a confused billionaire. I was barely gone for ten minutes, and the girls were still sitting around, talking. I sit back down on the sofa, “Sorry girls, Stark was being annoying. Now, where were we? Oh, right! What have you girls been up to while I was gone?”
The girls just looked to each other, and Rose spoke up, “A lot has happened, Jasmine.”
I chuckled, “I heard. Did you seriously make a superhero team?”
They blushed in embarrassment and Wanda answered my question, “Well, it started because we were trying to look for you. We just helped people along the way.”
“And how did the two of you meet Rose? I made sure that the magical and non magical world were separated. It was the only way I could find in safeguarding magic’s existence on this planet.”
Jean shook her head, “I still don’t understand why you did that? Why did you go this far to make sure that both worlds were separated. I mean, you altered history and turned it into myths and legends, you physically and intellectually separated two worlds that were joined together for thousands of years. Were things really that bad?”
I let out a bitter laugh, “People don’t realize how bad things were in the past. Very few people lived past thirty, men and women got married in their teens and had a dozen children, after which the mother would inevitably die of childbirth. Women were guaranteed to bury half their children from sickness. And those who survived, had to deal with thirst, hunger, and weakness. People, today keep complaining about the economy, about being poor, but the fact remains that if they were born more than a century before that, they would dream of a life with an education, with food, water, clean clothes, and so much more. However, that wasn’t the case for mages. The moment anyone manifested magic, they had an easy way out of the poverty. Just the food doubling charm and the water conjuring charm were enough to guarantee a long and happy life. Add in the possibility of transfiguring a home, of warding it against intruders, and they’re already in the top one percent of the population.”
Rose stood up, “They felt Jealous.”
I nodded, “Yes, Greed, Envy, Fear. They’re such human emotions, aren’t they?”
Jean though seemed confused, “But magic’s been there for thousands of years. Why did they start acting by then?”
“Well, the rise of Christianity started the witch hunts. But it was only zealots, and fanatics who travelled from one village to another, finding magical children and slaughtering them. But the general population didn’t care for mages. That was until Hogwarts was created. The castle was supposed to be a haven for young mages, and it was. They learnt how to use their magic. Over the centuries, barely a fraction of the mage population was able to use magic properly. Most didn’t even know that they had it, and even if they knew, they didn’t even know how to read let alone cast spells and learn theories of magic. It was only old wizarding families who actively tried to see if their children could use magic. But then, after a few generations of Hogwarts students, villagers started to see their neighbors get invited to their schools, guaranteeing them a life of wealth and security.
“Jealousy and Envy of mages started to spread as more schools were founded around the world. That was until it was starting to worry the monarchs. It only took one powerful ambitious wizard, who could even be a commoner, to threaten their rule. Even they grew resentful and fearful of the rise of mages. After a while, things lead to one inevitable conclusion. War. This was a war that would damage both races, and quite possibly the extinction of mages, as children were to be killed at birth. I realized that both worlds couldn’t coexist, so I made sure to separate them once and for all.”
They were all enraptured by my little speech, and Wanda said, “The people have security now, they have safety.”
I shrugged, “Yet greed and fear remain as humanity’s driving forces. Take a look at how they’re dealing with mutants right now. Call it a little test. If non magicals could accept them, include them in their society, without either enslaving them or oppressing them, then they would be ready to accept the magical world and the boons they represent, back into their society.”
Rose snorted, “Yeah, I don’t see that happening.”
I gave her a wry smirk, “Oh, don’t say that. Humanity has a tendency to surprise you sometimes. What about you, Rose? What has been happening in the magical world after my departure?”
She looked at me, confused, “You don’t monitor the magical world?”
I shrugged, “Well, not actively. I have an organization that sends me reports about the happenings of the magical world. I didn’t really keep up with them because they didn’t seem to be urgent, and I had bigger problems to deal with.”
“Wait, really? Anyone I know?”
I shrug, “I should suppose so. I believe they call themselves the Unspeakables. They operate in every ministry, researching the mysteries of magic, and surveilling the progress of magical research in the world, while sending me reports of the political landscape for each country.”
Rose honestly looked lost, “You’re in charge of every department of mystery in the world?”
“Well, I wouldn’t say in charge, that would mean that I cared about what they do. They just send reports to me, without even knowing who I am. But enough about that, tell me, what have you been up to?”
She shrugged, “Well, Magical Britain was lost after you faked your death, which wasn’t cool, by the way. You exposed Dumbledore’s plans for our country. The man disappeared afterwards and was never seen again. I assume that you killed him,” I nodded and she continued, “Well, added to that, the fact that somehow half the lords of the dark faction – or traditional faction if you want to be fancy about it – disappeared mysteriously, the political landscape was destroyed. Both the light and dark factions had been neutered, and the grey faction took advantage of it, choosing to prioritize the economy over ideology. Fudge and his administration were investigated, and were found to be corrupt, yeah no one was surprised about that, so they ended up investigating every department to see if there were any signs of corruption. Amelia Bones was the Minister at the time, I think, and well, things were weird. Nathan, after being called crazy for hallucinating Voldemort’s return while presumably under the Imperius, kinda told them that he was under a spell to stop mass panic. Still, members of the dark faction started joining the neutral since they weren’t blackmailed by Lucius Malfoy anymore, add in the ones from the light side who were disillusioned with Dumbledore’s madness who also wanted to join, the neutrals became the strongest party in the Wizengamot.”
I shrugged, “So, everything went as I planned. How is the current economic situation in Magical Britain?”
“Well, the neutral faction started buying businesses and investing into muggleborn ideas. Things are a lot better. It took a few years, but the country is back on its feet, and muggle inventions are starting to be adapted into the wizarding world. We barely use owls anymore; Some muggleborn adapted communication mirrors into smaller models and use them as phones. They even made numbers and everything. Observation orbs are now used during quidditch matches or press conferences, so that we don’t rely on newspapers anymore. Things are so different now.”
Huh, that was interesting. I expected things to get better, but not that much better, “What about you? What have you been up to these past few years?”
She smiled at me, “Well, I continued my education with your portrait. It wasn’t the same, but it was leagues above what the other wizards and witches learnt. I didn’t need Hogwarts classes anymore, but I still went for mum and dad. They were devastated when you ‘died’. Mum had a nervous breakdown right after the funeral, actually. It took some time, but she started to get better. She still bursts into tears on random occasions whenever she remembers you. You’re her greatest regret. Dad hasn’t been the same after you were gone either. He’s been more subdued, more passive. He stopped making pranks, or joking around. They still visit your grave every year, crying for the daughter they never even got to know yet lost anyway. I know that you never considered them your parents, but they still considered you to be their daughter. I know that they gave you away and never tried to check up on you, I know that they hurt you, but even twenty years later, and they’re still grieving. Could you please, at least tell them that you’re alive. I told them how poorly they dealt with the situation, and they did admit that they were very pushy. You don’t have to like them, but at least give them closure.”
I nodded, “I will think about it.”
“Thank you, that’s all I could ask. But where was I, oh, yeah, Nathan. He had a rough couple of years in Hogwarts, you know with his twin officially dead, and people thinking he’s unstable. Things did get better. He ended up marrying Tracy Davis, a very nice girl from Slytherin, and they have two kids, Jasmine and James Potter. He cleaned up his act, after you know getting over the shock of Dumbledore’s betrayal and your death. It hit him pretty hard, especially since you’re his twin. He’s actually the Minister for Magic, now. I never expected him to continue into politics, but he became an Auror, worked his way up to be head of the department and was elected as Minister. Dad retired, and mum continued her research in charms and potions. I just continued learning under you. I never realized the depth of your knowledge in magic. Even now, I have barely scratched the surface. Anyway, Fenrir Greyback didn’t like some of the werewolf laws that were being made. The Ministry was now forced to employ werewolves and pay for their monthly Wolfsbane potion, and make sure that they have a day off the day before and after the full moon. Werewolves started getting a lot less aggressive, and attacks had pretty much ceased. Fenrir Greyback didn’t like that, so he engineered an attack on Diagon Alley while I was there. I kinda reacted by instinct and restrained the entire pack with my hard light chains.”
I snorted, “I guess you’re the ‘next coming of Merlin’ of this generation.”
She burst into laughter at that, “Pretty much, yeah. It was hell. People kept bothering me with things I didn’t want to deal with. Everyone asked for my advice for things I didn’t even know. I didn’t care about politics at all. I just wanted to keep exploring my magic. They tried to give me a ministry position, that I rejected. They tried getting me to join the Department of Mysteries, that I also rejected. They even tried to get me to teach at Hogwarts. I was almost tempted, but I didn’t like teaching too much and I didn’t see myself grading papers all day. They even tried to convince my parents to marry me off. They refused, of course, but it was nearly made into an actual law.”
I frowned at her, “They tried to bind you to the Ministry so that they could use you as leverage in their international dealings, like Dumbledore did for years.”
She nodded, “Exactly. I was able to get out of it, thanks to Nathan since he was the Minister at the time. But my biggest problem came at the hand of his undersecretary, Hermione Granger.”
