Last chapter!

Harry and Ron were exhausted by the time they returned to Diagon Alley. "I'm at the point that if we don't get a solid lead soon I think we should put this whole case on hold until there's another theft," Harry complained. He drew his wand and cast a tempus. "I know it's late, but to wrap things up for now are you up for one more stop before heading home?"

Ron nodded. "We may have scared off the thieves just by our questions. They realized we were close to catching them and closed up shop. I bet we won't hear any more reports."

Harry nudged his friend. "You won't, anyway. Say, have you decided where you want to have your farewell luncheon next month?"

Ron smiled. "I was thinking about The Quidditch Room. It opened a couple of months ago. It will be cozy with our group, but can fit us in. Have you and Ginny been there yet? You'll love it!"

Harry led the way up the stairs over Potash Cauldrons.

Virgil Toddington opened the door. "Mr. Potter! Mr. Weasley! Good to see you again. Come in." He gestured for them to have a seat and summoned a bottle of firewhisky from the spindly sideboard along with three tumblers. After pouring a generous portion into each, he raised his glass. "My sister said she enjoyed your visit with her. She said you were actually going to work with St. Mungo's to have them sell the sanitatem corporis potion at an affordable price. That would truly be great to us law-abiding citizens who pay those hags in Knockturn Alley what they can squeeze out of us. Thank you!"

The three sat in silence for a minute enjoying the drinks.

Leaning back, Harry rubbed his chin. "I just wish I'd known about the problem much earlier. I didn't realize our veterans weren't being taken care of."

Virgil snorted and poured each another glass. "Our parents died after having to sell their house to help my sister with her expenses. No one cared about her plight."

"That wasn't right." Ron shook his head vigorously. "No one should have been forgotten."

"No one," Virgil agreed. "Not even those who left our world as a result." He finished his glass. Raising the bottle, he silently asked if they wanted another refill. Harry and Ron nodded and held out their glasses.

Knowing better than to bring up Snape's name, Harry took another small sip before he spoke up. "I've made an appointment to meet with the St. Mungo's Board of Directors next week. If all goes as I hope, people like you and your sister will see the results very soon."

Virgil finished his glass. "It will make a world of difference." He paused, looking out the window. "You know what would really make it right though?" He turned back to face the auror as Harry cocked his head questioningly. "It should be free to people like my sister." He poured himself another glass. "Our heroes should be honored, not forgotten." Harry's guilt began to rise again. How many others were no longer remembered except by a few loved ones?

Encouraged by Harry's silent nod of acknowledgment, Virgil pounded the table. "Yes, remembered! My sister already paid for our freedom from those Death Eaters. Those so-called righteous wizards and witches should pay their share now. They ought to have been required all along to pay for the care of those who fought so that they can live their happy wizarding lives. Did they?" In his aggravation, he got up to pace around the room. "No, they just went on with their contented lives and thumbed their noses at people like my sister just because she wanted to walk around comfortably like anyone else without a wooded leg."

As the unsteady Virgil passed by the sideboard, he bumped into it. The bottles started to tip over. Ron instinctively drew his wand to keep them from rolling off the table. A glass previously tucked behind them caught Ron's attention. He stood up to examine it more closely. It had various models of brooms flying in circles. With his back towards the still pacing Virgil, he cleared his throat to catch Harry's attention. When Harry saw what Ron was looking at, he remembered the disappearing glass on the counter next to the cash register in Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. He nodded and got ready to pull out his own wand.

Stopping again to stare out the window, Virgil shook his head, "Sorry. As you can tell, I get emotional about the subject."

"Mr. Toddington," Ron said, "You wouldn't happen to know of any problems shopkeepers in the area are experiencing, do you?"

Virgil paled. "None. I've heard nothing about any thefts."

Harry casually flicked his wand into his hand. "That's an interesting glass you have on the sideboard. Unique, even. And I don't recall saying anything about any thefts. I just mentioned some problems."

Virgil stared at the wand, entranced. "I got the glass … You must have … I mean I heard rumors but nothing more … I've nothing to do with …." he blustered.

"Then you wouldn't mind us looking around, would you?" asked Ron.

"No! I mean yes I mind you poking around. You've no right …"

"Not a problem, Mr. Toddington," Harry responded. "But if you'll just slowly pass us your wand using two fingers and come with us, I'm sure we can resolve things in no time."

TRTRTRTR

That evening, Ron gave Hermione the details of the case. "So then we took him in to headquarters. We performed a priori incantatem on his wand. What do you think we found?"

"Compulsion charms and obliviates?" guessed Hermione thoughtfully.

"You got it in one! He was arrested immediately. Swore his sister didn't know anything, that he acted on his own. With his knowledge of both the wizarding and muggle worlds, he was able to fool us all into looking for a ring of dark wizards instead of one bitter man. Living in Diagon Alley he could case out stores with ease and strike when he knew they would be empty. Spending so much time with his sister taught him to blend in with the muggles."

"Do you blame him for being bitter?" asked Hermione rhetorically. "Who notified his sister?" she added thoughtfully.

Ron looked stumped. "I'm not sure who has that task."

His wife sighed. "You need to find out, Ron. The poor woman will start to wonder what happened to her brother and from what you said she has no way of contacting anyone to find out."

Ron squeezed her hand. "One of the many reasons I love you is because you worry about such things. I'll do it in the morning. And you'll be happy to know Harry is meeting with the St. Mungo's Board of Directors next week about stocking the sanitatem corporis potion and selling it at Snape's reasonable price." He gazed at the fireplace for several minutes. "Hermione," he finally asked hesitantly, "Are you sure you don't ever miss the muggle world?"

She shook her head. "I'm a witch. I can't imagine not living as one." She paused. "Since you brought it up last time, I have been wondering about the advances going on in the muggle world. If what the Haworths said was true, we could be missing a great deal. If Professor Snape can straddle both worlds, why can't others? Maybe not everyone, but if just a handful…" she fell silent.

Ron felt a chill as he foresaw the wizarding world changing. "But don't you like the way things are?"

"Of course, Ron! But that's not to say things are perfect. Don't you want Rose and Hugo to be whatever they want to be? What if that requires them to have more knowledge of the outside world than they can currently get at Hogwarts?"

"What aren't they learning at Hogwarts that they can't learn on their own?"

Hermione closed her eyes. "When I was a little girl, I wanted to be an astronaut or a nuclear physicist." She opened her eyes and laughed. "I didn't even know what a nuclear physicist did, but it sounded like something that only someone really smart could be and I wanted to prove I was smarter than anyone else. I'm proud of the work I do advocating for the rights of other magical beings, but now that you've told me how the muggle world has progressed, I wonder if I couldn't use its technology to help me in my job."

"But you won't stop being a witch, will you?" asked Ron desperately.

"Of course not, love! I just want to be like Professor Snape, able to go back and forth between the wizarding and muggle worlds."

"As long as you keep the two separate," Ron grumbled. "And keep time for me."

Hermione squeezed his hand one last time before getting up. "I think I'm going to talk to Professor Snape tomorrow and see how he does it. It would be a good opportunity to see Fionna again too."

"Let me know what time you're going," Ron sighed. "Harry needs to talk to him about making additional sanitatem corporis potion. Harry's willing to pay for the expense until it becomes available through St. Mungo's. He's still trying to determine how many of our veterans like Maizie need the potion."

TRTRTRTR

Late the following afternoon, Harry, Ron, and Hermione met up with each other outside Snape's house. The professor was waiting for them as they walked up the sidewalk.

"Good to see you again, Professor," said Hermione with a smile. "Is my god-daughter here?"

"No, Nuala took her and the boys to the park but I expect them back shortly. What did you learn from speaking with my clients?" he asked as he motioned them into the kitchen.

Harry took off the muggle jacket he was wearing before sitting down. "We didn't realize there were so many wizards living in the muggle world."

Snape snorted. "Perhaps the problem lies in the last couple of words you used."

Bewildered, Harry thought back to what he said. "Um…, muggle world?"

Snape shook his head. "If you think we live in separate worlds, then in your eyes a wizard who wishes to use muggle conveniences must completely leave the magical society."

Hermione looked thoughtful. "But you yourself are an example of a person who is comfortable in both. It can be done. Maybe not always, and maybe some won't want to live in both. But perhaps if I could have restored my parents' memories, I would have kept my ties with old muggle friends. If Harry's family had treated him better, he would have stayed in touch with them."

Snape nodded. "Our cultures are different, but not incompatible. In the past, keeping separate was to the benefit of wizards. Magic enabled us to do things muggles could not dream of and created much misunderstanding. However, in the past two decades or so, I would suggest that the advance in muggle technology has resulted in them at least equaling or even surpassing some of our abilities. If wizards are not to be left behind, we need greater interaction with the muggles."

"It sounds like you've given this a great deal of thought," Hermione commented, looking inquisitive.

"I have indeed." Snape leaned forward with an intent look. "I believe Hogwarts must update its curriculum to teach two things. First, we need to educate the students on the benefits of using modern technology. Second, they need to learn strategies on how and when to avoid using magic when around tools that require the use of electricity. Currently, they are given only vague admonishments not to do so. Students leave Hogwarts reaching for their wand in almost every circumstance. Because of that, even those who at first desire to retain use of basic technology such as cell phones break them repeatedly until they throw up their hands and say they never wanted one anyway. With the right motivation, discipline can be learned so that those who wish to retain the benefits of living in the technological culture can do so. Knowing how and when to limit or avoid using magic altogether when appropriate, and not being condemned for their choice, some graduates may embrace both cultures, thus enriching ours."

"But we don't need outside help!" Ron sputtered.

"Don't we?" Snape raised an eyebrow. He paused, and looked around the kitchen. "Do we truly understand magic, or do we flick our wand like a muggle flips a switch and not understand how the light comes on? If we don't understand how it works, how do we know its limitations? Muggles are still learning the implications of fast paced advances in technology. If wizards refuse to admit it's even happening, one day we will wake up and find we've become quaint relics."

"You're saying magic can be replaced by technology?" Ron looked aghast.

"No. At least not yet," replied Snape. "I know of no replacement for instantaneous apparition, for example, however uncomfortable and dangerous for the less skilled though it is. Technology can't transfigure the robes you were wearing to the clothes you have on now. But muggles can accomplish most of the same things we can, though it might take them longer. And they can do things we can't dream of."

Hermione pushed some loose strands of hair behind her ears. "I remember evenings with my mother blow-drying my hair and brushing it afterwards. On Rose, I just use a drying charm." She bit her lip. "I have to admit I'd love to explore the intraweb Ron mentioned. To have all that knowledge at hand …"

Snape snorted. "I think you mean internet. I use it extensively to conduct research."

"So you use muggle knowledge to help create potions for wizards?" asked Ron slowly, "While using wizarding knowledge to solve a Rejectionist problem?"

The potions master nodded. "Five points to Gryffindor. However, ten points deducted for using a pejorative description."

"I deserve that," Ron sighed. "This is new to me. It was a slip of the tongue."

Snape looked at the three of them. "If we as wizards don't adapt to the modern world, we will find more and more of our young people choosing to ignore our culture. Minerva has told me the percentage of muggleborns accepting admission to Hogwarts has declined. I suspect our refusal to look at ways to allow students to keep their feet in both cultures is the cause."

Hermione looked thoughtful. "You told Harry and Ron that few wizards have the ability to straddle both wo – cultures."

Snape smirked. "As things are now – yes. But if we educate our young properly, they could. Stephen, for example, has learned to control his magic enough to be taken as a muggle, and is as comfortable in Diagon Alley as on Oxford Street. Patrick is already learning that he must behave differently in different locations. It's not that different than muggle children learning that what is acceptable at home is not in a place of worship."

Harry looked thoughtful. "Working this case has opened my eyes and I agree with your observations. But we'll have our work cut out for us to convince the Ministry and Hogwarts."

"Hmm." Looking determined, Hermione started to transfigure a handkerchief she found in her pocket into parchment. She stopped when she noticed the sharp look Snape gave her. The potions master rolled his eyes and walked over to her, carrying a pen and paper. She took it sheepishly.

"But, but …" Ron sputtered.

Hermione glared at him. "Don't you think Rose and Hugo should have the freedom to choose how much technology they want to embrace? Do you want their generation to refer to us as being the real Rejectionists?"

The chatter of excited children drifted into the room from down the hall. Snape glanced up as Stephen and Patrick burst into the kitchen.

"Children like these, comfortable in both cultures, are our future," Snape said with pride as walked over to help them wash their hands.

"Professor," Hermione replied, her mind beginning to fill with possibilities, "I agree. This could be the beginning of a new day in wizarding society."


I dedicate this story to my beloved husband whose key editing and critical suggestions have contributed to making this a richer story. Please review and make us both happy!