At The Museum
Summary: /AU/ At a museum, Wizarding children discuss scarcely credible things past.
Date written: August 21, 2009 (crossposted from LiveJournal)
Rating: PG
Genre: General
Word Count: 365
Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns the Harry Potter series and all related characters, settings, and plots.
"Can you believe that we actually conceded to the Muggles for centuries?" one boy said to his brother as they paused over a plaque. "All of Wizardingkind must have gone mad."
"I'm just blank as to how we managed it for so long," his brother said, frowning at the plaque. "Sure, Memory Charms, secrecy, all that, but you'd think..."
After a pause, the boy said, shifting on his feet and glancing in the direction of another exhibit, "Well - that is how the Order members wound up the way they did, isn't it? The Statute didn't quite... work... for them."
His brother sneered. "Muggle-lovers. Oh, they were all for understanding and tolerance of Muggles - but Muggles didn't care about the same for us when they went after kids - kids younger than the two of us, did they?" His brother kicked the plaque's pedestal. "Muggle-lovers're all filthy hypocrites, that's what I say."
"Well," the boy said, seeing rage building in his brother - which usually led to him doing something stupid, not to mention embarrassing to the family honor - and trying to head it off, "we got Lord Dumbledore as a result, and without him, we'd probably all still be in hiding, so -"
"Eh, I think Lord Grindelwald could've managed on his own," his brother said, distracted from his anger. "I like him - lively sort - Lord Dumbledore's got the calm and finesse, fine, I know you think he's better, but Lord Grindelwald-"
"Sirius, Regulus, hurry along now! We don't have all day!" their mother bellowed from further down the hall. Beside her, their father cringed and attempted to impersonate a piece of furniture.
"Coming, mother!" Regulus called back, even as Sirius rolled his eyes. He tugged on his brother's sleeve. "You heard her. Hurry up."
Ignoring him, Sirius gawked at the details of the plaque. "Muggle-lovers actually tried to cover up burnings? Claimed Flame-Freezing Charms saved all the real wizards and witches?" He leaned closer, as if searching for a giveaway that it was all a joke. "They taught that at Hogwarts?"
"Sirius -"
"Yes, yes, I'm coming," Sirius grumbled, and they went trotting down the hall towards their mother.
Author's Note: Inspired by the Museum (#004) prompt in the 100_prompts table I claimed for Grindeldore a while back. Alas, I wasn't able to actually work the pairing in.
(Slightly off-topic –s The AU 'Order of the Phoenix', to make a long story short, is filled with people like Ariana – indeed, Ariana (in this AU, an obedient follower of the Greater Good) is its founder and head. Suffice to say that all Order members have given up rejecting their magic, and instead embrace it, and the madness it caused, with open arms…)