Order Only: Agam Japra's parents and their decision
It took several attempts, but I managed to meet with both of them again, and I delivered Stephen's letter, explaining what steps we would have to take to meet their condition that Agam be vaccinated. (This conversation at times was rather laborious, since Dr Japra had to translate some of the more technical medical points for Agam's mother, who is not entirely fluent in English.) Dr Japra, the father, was obviously reassured that we had someone associated with our group who obviously knows what he is talking about, medically.
I explained that while we would certainly try to use the muggle method to vaccinate Agam, it might mean a delay, as we might need to smuggle the vaccine from France, and we could not be as sure that he would be protected as well and as quickly as if we used the potions that all wizards use. And after all, I pointed out gently, what was the real object here? That we adhere to muggle methods at all costs, or that we make sure he is protected from disease? After all, Agam, is a wizard. By releasing their son to us, they have to understand that he will be entering a wizard's world and will grow up doing things rather differently than the ways to which they are accustomed. But we are committing to seeing that he will be safe; that is, after all, why we are trying to keep him out of the hands of the Protectorate authorities in the first place (I tactfully did not mention that, technically speaking, I am a Protectorate authority.)
Dr Japra, I think, as a man of science, is a logical man, and this argument did strike him as persuasive. I did suggest that I could bring a copy of Agam's medical records when I did my yearly visits, and that seemed to all but tip them over the decision point. Yet I could see that they were still hesitating, and so I asked if there was anything else that needed to be addressed to convince them.
Mrs Japra spoke then, rather tearfully, saying that it was just difficult to give up their last child, when they had lost the other two. To never see him, not to be able to be with him during a child's personal milestones...well, you can imagine. I explained about the magical sketch that we prepare for parents, and how it would give them a glimpse of Agam as he grows.
Dr Japra grasped his wife's hand as I spoke and seemed quite overcome for a moment. 'That would help,' he said. 'If I had something like that, of my two little girls, I mean--' He drew out his handkerchief and honked his nose as his wife bowed her head on his shoulder and wept.
I looked away to give them a moment to collect themselves, and that's when I spied the picture, over to one side, mounted above a table. A black and white unmoving Muggle photograph of two little girls, about two and four, I think. The younger one had her head leaning on her older sister's shoulder, just as Mrs Japra's head was leaning on her husband's. I went over and took it down off the wall and brought it back over to my seat. 'This isn't a permanent spell. It will last about ten minutes. I could perhaps show you....'
Perhaps I would have second-guessed my own impulse if I had thought about it more, but I took out my wand and tapped the photograph as I tilted it for them to see. In a minute, the girls aged about twenty years, hair lengthening, their snub baby features smoothing out, blossoming into lovely young women with the same laughing, tender crooked smiles.
'Oh,' sighed Mrs Japra with a catch in her throat as she looked at the photograph hungrily.
Dr Japra made a sound that seemed to be forced out past a very large lump in his throat. I placed the photograph gently into his shaking hands and tiptoed out of the room.
They remained in there for ten minutes, and I didn't hear a sound. I wondered if I had just made a horrible mistake.
And then they came out and put Agam into my arms to take away with me.
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I explained that while we would certainly try to use the muggle method to vaccinate Agam, it might mean a delay, as we might need to smuggle the vaccine from France, and we could not be as sure that he would be protected as well and as quickly as if we used the potions that all wizards use. And after all, I pointed out gently, what was the real object here? That we adhere to muggle methods at all costs, or that we make sure he is protected from disease? After all, Agam, is a wizard. By releasing their son to us, they have to understand that he will be entering a wizard's world and will grow up doing things rather differently than the ways to which they are accustomed. But we are committing to seeing that he will be safe; that is, after all, why we are trying to keep him out of the hands of the Protectorate authorities in the first place (I tactfully did not mention that, technically speaking, I am a Protectorate authority.)
Dr Japra, I think, as a man of science, is a logical man, and this argument did strike him as persuasive. I did suggest that I could bring a copy of Agam's medical records when I did my yearly visits, and that seemed to all but tip them over the decision point. Yet I could see that they were still hesitating, and so I asked if there was anything else that needed to be addressed to convince them.
Mrs Japra spoke then, rather tearfully, saying that it was just difficult to give up their last child, when they had lost the other two. To never see him, not to be able to be with him during a child's personal milestones...well, you can imagine. I explained about the magical sketch that we prepare for parents, and how it would give them a glimpse of Agam as he grows.
Dr Japra grasped his wife's hand as I spoke and seemed quite overcome for a moment. 'That would help,' he said. 'If I had something like that, of my two little girls, I mean--' He drew out his handkerchief and honked his nose as his wife bowed her head on his shoulder and wept.
I looked away to give them a moment to collect themselves, and that's when I spied the picture, over to one side, mounted above a table. A black and white unmoving Muggle photograph of two little girls, about two and four, I think. The younger one had her head leaning on her older sister's shoulder, just as Mrs Japra's head was leaning on her husband's. I went over and took it down off the wall and brought it back over to my seat. 'This isn't a permanent spell. It will last about ten minutes. I could perhaps show you....'
Perhaps I would have second-guessed my own impulse if I had thought about it more, but I took out my wand and tapped the photograph as I tilted it for them to see. In a minute, the girls aged about twenty years, hair lengthening, their snub baby features smoothing out, blossoming into lovely young women with the same laughing, tender crooked smiles.
'Oh,' sighed Mrs Japra with a catch in her throat as she looked at the photograph hungrily.
Dr Japra made a sound that seemed to be forced out past a very large lump in his throat. I placed the photograph gently into his shaking hands and tiptoed out of the room.
They remained in there for ten minutes, and I didn't hear a sound. I wondered if I had just made a horrible mistake.
And then they came out and put Agam into my arms to take away with me.
This entry was originally posted at Dreamwidth. There are
comments on this post, which can be read here