RP:Hall of Records

[pb_zacharias]

Characters: Zach Smith, Luna Lovegood
Location: Godric's Hollow
Date: 06 November, 1999
Status: Semi-Private
Summary: Zach and Luna investigate the Hall of Records
Completion: Incomplete

Zach apparated to Godric’s Hollow he was a little nervous. When he found indications of an old record hall, it had been very exciting for him. Professor told him not

Comments

[pb_zacharias]

There was a certain logic to Luna that Zach liked, sure she didn't always run in the realm of the believable but at least it wasn't just random faith. Perhaps he had run that day so he could survive to do something later in life. Not something he wanted to dwell on now but later he might give it a closer look.

"I don't know meaning in my life, connections. I have not seen my family since the end of the war." He said mostly to himself. Just saying it made it more real. There were a few owls from his mum that he read and reread all the time and that was it.

Zach couldn't believe it in less than a decade, the Ministry had changed even in minuet ways. "Luna? How much do you remember from History of magic? Anything important between the years 1903 and 1911?"

[pb_luna]

This one one subject that often caused Luna to fall short. Discovering the meaning of something was rather different than finding a meaning for something. In her opinion, the meaning of life was always subject to the individual's need for meaning, otherwise you were left with a mass of people who were apparently following a path already set out for them, each one of them affecting the others in ways they were never going to fathom. Technically, each individual was utterly insignificant and they could only ever mean anything when the whole race was brought into question. But that was probably not what Zach wanted to hear and also a tangent that did not need to be voiced

[pb_zacharias]

Zach cocked his head a Luna talked, he wasn't exactly sure what she was talking about, but thought that it was very nice that she had at least tried to explained her point to him.

"You might be right, I guess I am just still finding my place in this world. I used to think I was going to be the perfect pureblood son and now I'm trying to figure out who to be now."

Maybe something as simpled as someone with an idea had come to the Ministry and had started to spread their influence. Opening the next book Zach found a census from 1922 the last question asked Is there anyone in your home over the age of five not able to practice magic "Ok this one was certainly a target question for squib, but they don't really do things to squibs other than bar them from Hogwarts, right?"

[pb_luna]

"What is a perfect pureblood?" Even though Luna believed it was impossible to be a perfect anything, as a pureblooded daughter she was at a loss. Her father had never set her the standards or limitations that seemed to have been imposed on many of her schoolmates. "Just be Zach. You don't need to be anybody else."

Luna shook her head, "They're still part of the community. But it's possible they were trying to establish how many practicing witches and wizards there were." She wasn't very convinced by that and she didn't sound it; but it was a possibility. "Some of the older families must have hated that question," she said absently.

[pb_zacharias]

Zach gave her a wry smile. "It was something my dad always talked about, bringing pride to the family, doing something important. I used to believe everything he told me until, well there was irrefutable proof that he was wrong. When he found out he couldn't even claim a war hero, he kicked me out. I don't think I've been disowned but I know I'm not welcome."

Being Zach wasn't as easy as Luna made it sound, but he was trying. Part of the whole new adventure. The only squib he knew off hand was Mr.Filch and he was only at Hogwarts because of the old headmaster.

"You 're probably right, I've never seen anything on the books that makes squibs targets, but there are a lot in the older families, it's why my parents stopped with me, didn't want to take the risk once I showed magical ability."

[pb_luna]

"If your father cannot see why he should be proud of you then I pity him," Luna said softly. Why parents would be so harsh towards their own children was something she could not fathom. You were supposed to encourage them. But then she had been lucky when it came to her parents' outlook on how to raise a child.

"There was a Muggle war between 1914 and 1918," she added as food for thought, "Though I don't think that had anything to do with squibs."

"Still, so far only magic seems to matter. Family background is apparently irrelevant."

[pb_zacharias]

Zach nodded, he would never have the change to tell his father what he threw away but he would learn to live with it. And in time maybe even start his own family.

The muggle war was interesting, but he agreed that it probably didn’t have much affect in the Wizarding world. “What was the war about?” he asked as he tried to find another census.

He did think it was odd that there was no mention of blood purity yet. “I think that’s a bit odd really considering that Salazar was so against muggles.”

[pb_luna]

"It started with an assassination," she said at length, pulling a face at her own awkward answer, "I didn't take Muggle Studies. But the majority of Europe was involved."

Luna returned her book to its place and brought down another. "Not all of them went to Slytherin. Maybe the supremacists had yet to speak out." Of course, not all supremacists were Slytherins either.

[pb_zacharias]

Wow, a continental war Zach agreed that if it hadn't been coved in muggle studies it probably didn't have that much effect on the British Wizarding world.

"Do you know if Grindewald who was on the continent effected us here?"

That was another point hatred wasn't something house specific. "So do you think we should look for subtle anti muggle laws?

[pb_luna]

"Grindelwald?" Luna's eyes widened a little. His influence hadn't occurred to her. "Russia was allied with Britain and France. Against... Germany, Italy and ... Austro-Hungary ... which doesn't exist anymore. Grindelwald could have had influence through the alliance."

"Yes, I think we should," she pulled all the pencils out of her hair and put them back in her handbag, tucking her wand behind her ear. She couldn't think properly when her hair was tied up in knots. "Although arguably this started with the Statute of Secrecy in 1692."

[pb_zacharias]

"It would make sense in a warped way, go to where the power was. Seduce them with magic and promises of glory." From the little he knew Grindewald was not beyond using people for control just like any power mad dictator.

The Statute of Secrecy was as good as any place to start. "Ok, 1692 it is, although was it really anti-muggle or just protection against the witch hunts and inquisitions?"

[pb_luna]

"It only takes one to put the idea in someone's head," Luna's brow creased. There were too many influencing factors or possible influencing factors and they weren't even up to Voldemort's era yet.

"The need for protection implies distrust," she pointed out, "Which can render 'anti-muggle' and 'protection' the same thing in the eyes of others."

[pb_zacharias]

"There's a lot to deal with here, so much that we should know about out own culture that we don't" Zach shook his head in frustration. Why is it that the Ministry didn't want their people to know their own history.

It was more than clear that this wasn't going to be something easily answered, he could spend the rest of his life studying this, but they needed real answers and soon.

"What do you suggest Luna? What would be the best way short of you know something that will land me in Azkaban to find out what is going on?"

[pb_luna]

"Voldemort could have been a catalyst," Luna said as she flicked through the pages, not really looking at them. She liked the way the writing blurred. "A catalyst for a build-up of issues that were never raised. The Ministry won't record anything if they don't know it is happening." Which is why many of her father's theories were frowned upon and labelled nonsense by other academics. There just wasn't any discernible proof. But why would the Minister ever leave written evidence that he was consorting with vampires?

"Often the best way to find answers is to ask the right questions," she said quite simply.

[pb_zacharias]

It was hard to believe that all the hatred and murder had just stayed bottled up until Voldemort made his grand arrival, but it was entirely possible. It would certainly be easier to believe that it had been contained to only one or two generations

“You know I really hope you’re right. We’d have a better chance of fixing things if that’s the case.”

That the Ministry didn’t know anything about it was hard accept, they were supposed to have confidence in their government but how could they if they weren’t even aware of the threats.

“Then we need to find out what the right questions are and who the right person is. That could take forever.”

[pb_luna]

Luna wasn't sure that would make fixing things any easier. Such a concentrated dose of bad blood. Like vanilla flavouring; tastes infinitely better when diluted. Could ideals be fixed? Or just nudged in another direction?

"You don't think we have a good chance now," Luna said as she looked up. It wasn't a question, she was quite certain that was the case, but nevertheless. He was welcome to prove otherwise.

Luna shook her head. Putting a timescale on such things always proved to be disheartening. She didn't understand why people did that. "What was your original question and who would be most likely to know the answer?"