NOTES: Thanks, sv4me for asking for longer chapters. Unfortunately the story is pretty much written (but for the last chapter). They do get a little bit longer, but probably not as much as you're hoping for!
The Pursuit of Phenomenally Unlikely Payoffs
IV. History of Magic
Clint hasn't really spoken much to Steve Rogers. The young man arrived at the Salem Institute four days into the new year, dazed, confused, heartsore, and out of his time - at the time of the US War of Wizarding Supremacy, he was fifteen.
Seventy years later, he's still fifteen.
Rumours abound: he was Petrified by Erik Lensherr himself because he showed so much promise, he fell afoul of Petrifying hexes at the Westchester School Of Wizardry while hiding from the war and there was no-one to break him out of them, he made a bargain with the Superior Brotherhood so that they would Petrify him rather than kill him...
Listening to Steve talk about the Pearl Harbor attack in History Of Magic seems kind of surreal. It was another world - and not just a Muggle one - but a world in which a school student might end up being involved in a war.
Of course, there was the Second War Of Voldemort in Great Britain – but the only reason that involved students was because Harry Potter was still at Hogwarts. And it was a European thing anyway. Things like that are in the past when it comes to the US – wizardkind here are mostly more enlightened.
Mostly.
"Was it a shock, coming from a Muggle background, realising that people thought that way about Muggleborns?"
"It was more of a shock realising that Pearl Harbor had been a wizarding attack as well, not just the Japanese invading." Steve shrugs. "People will always find something to feel superior about."
"You make it sound like it's a bad thing to feel superior," Loki Odinsson says from up the back.
"Isn't it?" Steve sounds matter of fact.
"Well, maybe not when you are superior. I mean, come now!" Loki looks around the room. "Would anyone here, knowing about magic, really want to be a Muggle? We have insights into the world that Muggles don't, skills they could never use; it makes sense that we should be guiding them."
"Guiding them?" Steve's brow furrows. "Or ruling them? Because Lensherr wasn't about 'guiding' Muggles."
"But we have magic," Natasha breaks in, somewhat unexpectedly. The class looks at her and her cheeks go pink but she answers with cool composure. "Muggles can't perform spells or do the things we do. And they don't know about magic, either. It means we see the world more completely – we have all the facts."
"Xavier says – said," Steve corrects himself with a wince, "that having power means we have a responsibility to those who don't."
"And if that responsibility entails managing them – as," Loki looks at his brother, "our father does with the Muggle village in the next valley, then that's the price of peace."
"Managing," Thor rumbles. "Looking after them. Not what Lensherr did."
"The strong protecting the weak." Coulson nods earnestly, leaning forward in his chair. "That's what Steve means – what Xavier believed in."
"But what about when there is no peace, and no way to gain it but by exercising power?" Natasha asks. "There are times when it's necessary to subdue rabble populations for the good of the broader community."
Loki nods enthusiastically. "Power - and the use of it - is all Muggles understand, or else there wouldn't be all those stupid Muggle wars."
"And of course there's no such thing as wizarding wars." Tony says airily to the ceiling.
"Well there wouldn't be if people were sensible about it." Loki makes it sound so reasonable.
Clint thinks that, given time, Loki could probably persuade them that the sky is green. There's a reason he has the nickname 'Silvertongue'.
"I believe," says Professor Emmagan smoothly, "that the discussion has materially wandered away from the topic. We will, of course, be discussing historical clashes between wizarding and Muggle populations, and the divisions of wizards into pure-bloods vs. Muggleborns – including the recent war in the UK, but right now, we are listening to Mr. Rogers telling us about his experiences in the War of Wizarding Supremacy."
Most of the class settles, although Loki looks like he's about to protest. However, Professor Emmagan lifts a warning eyebrow at him and he subsides.
Class continues, but Clint stares fixedly at the back of Natasha's head and wonders what she thinks of Muggleborns.
tbc