Harry Potter and the Order of Mercaba
by SeraphimBlue
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all the characters of his universe are owned by J.K. Rowling. I hold no claim over anyone here, except for my original characters and the Order of Mercaba, which is my own creation.
A/N: This is a shorter interlude to show what's going on while Harry is away. I will go back to longer parts in the next one. Thank you.
Chapter Fifteen
Diagon Alley
The cobblestone streets that lined the alley were busy as families wandered about preparing for the newest year at Hogwarts. Children laughed and gathered their school supplies while their parents chased after them, trying to keep them under control. Everything was peaceful and people didn't have a care in the world… except for one thing.
A discarded Daily Prophet lay draped across a bench, forgotten by its owner but not thrown away yet. On it's cover was an article that had been showing up more often than not lately.
"Where is Harry Potter?"
The latest article was by a Samuel Pierce and was more fair minded than the ones done by Rita Skeeter, but there was still much worry.
"It's been five years since the family of Harry Potter left to… as Gringots claims… go visit family in Asia. Five long years with no word from them, no sightings of them, no proof there were anywhere there at all. I ask you this… why? Why can no trace of them be found? What happened to them? Are any of them still alive?
I went looking for them and didn't find much. I traveled for almost a year, moving from embassy to embassy, in every country that Wizards and Witches live… and found no trace of them every checking in anywhere. That's not to say they weren't there, many families don't when they are visiting relatives… but for no one to see them anywhere is just too big a sign of something being wrong.
I will tell you one thing, however, that discovered. I did some searching with the more… fringe groups… when it comes to magic. The Ministry don't want you to know other types of magic exists. They think… wanded magic is the only magic there is… but if you speak to the ICW, they will begrudgingly admit that there are, and I quote, 'Enclaves of magic users that go about their lives performing similar spells to wanded casters.'
Enclaves of other magic users? Now why would the Minister not want us to know this? I will tell you. It's because for many of the other countries in the ICW… those in the enclaves are more powerful than us; in some cases, greatly so.
You're probably laughing at the mere thought of that right now… but you shouldn't. French Ambassador to the ICW, Renee Descarte, said to me when questioned the following.
Madam Descarte: It's true. There are other forms of magic in the world. Magic has been alive in the world for thousands of years and not every nation used wands their entire life. In fact, many of them do not use them at all… preferring other forms of focus.
Samuel Pierce: If that is true, then why are we taught that one can do magic only with a wand? Why are we being lied to?
Madam Descarte: Do not consider it lying… just withholding information for the good of the people.
Samuel Pierce: For the good of the people… that phrase has bad connections in Britain. Albus Dumbledore… may he rot in the pits… used that phrase when he wished to control what people believed. Hearing those words come from your mouth makes me wonder just what game the ICW is playing.
Madam Descarte: (untranslatable cursing in French) "… is why you don't deserve to know. You English are all insensitive pigheaded children. You destroy anything you don't understand. You vilify anything not pure-blooded. You are all petulant children and that is why you are not allowed magic that you cannot control. We offered to bring you into the modern world… many times… but no, you spit in our faces and tell us there is nothing better than a wand and anyone who things otherwise is stupid. This is why the rest of the world things the British Wizarding World is… retarded.
At this point, readers, Madam Descarte switched back to French again and walked away in a huff. She compared us to mentally challenged children because of our belief that the only magic is wanded magic. I decided to dig a bit deeper.
I was already traveling from country to country checking on Harry Potter's family, so I used this as an excuse to check with the locals on how magic is done in their countries. Let me tell you… I learned a great deal of interesting things.
Did you know that in Africa there are many tribes of magic users who can shapeshift into animals and protect their villages. You're probably thinking… they're just animagus wizards and witches, nothing more… but they're not. An animagus can only become one animal. Why in Africa, I saw one old wizard shift first into a lion… then an antelope… then a cheetah… then a water buffalo… then back to a lion before becoming human once more.
Four animal forms.
I don't know about you, but I was in shock. I asked him how he was able to learn so many forms. I asked him if he was the most powerful wizard in Africa. Do you know what he told me? He laughed and said he was just a minor shifter. Shifting… he called it… and said that his father, when he was still alive, could take on a dozen forms.
A dozen… and we brag about the skill to become one form. How egotistical we are and how childish.
This is just one of the many things I learned. There are so many, to tell you them all I would need to write a book… so I will give you a few examples.
India – there were mages who could charm beasts and speak to them the same as you and I would speak. They have powers of healing that can near bring back the dead. They know how to move in complete darkness just by feeling with their magic.
Russia – there are troops of soldiers that live and work with the muggles, protecting them and being protected in exchange. They are so magically powerful they can exist with no discomfort in temperatures and landscapes that would kill you or I. They have such control over their magic that they can weave the elements like someone would knit a sweater. I saw a young woman melt the ground, lift it into the air, cool it into what resembled dough made of liquid earth, then form walls with it to build a home out in the wilds. She was fifteen.
China – I saw men and women moving so quickly they were flying. They could run up the trunks of trees, bend them without breaking with just the force of their will and move from treetop to treetop like squirrels. I saw them call down lightning from the sky, let it hit their bodies then throw it from their hands to attack their enemies. I saw them move with such speed, they became a blur.
These are just a small sample of the magic I witnessed in other countries. There was so much that I could barely recount it all… and all of it, 1000 times more powerful than wanded magic. But will we ever learn that on our own? No… and why… because the Ministry of Magic is like an ostrich with its head in the sand.
"Wanded magic is the only magic there is… except for wandless magic, but only those as strong as Merlin could do that."
Only magic there is… only Merlin could do wandless magic. Do you know who told me that when I asked? Everyone… everyone from the graduating students of Hogwarts, some of the Hogwarts Professors themselves, Aurors at the Ministry and even the Minister herself.
If this is the viewpoint of magical Britain… I can see why the rest of the world thinks we're children… because we are. We're stupid, stunted children that have been told for generations… 'only use a wand'… 'you can't do magic without a wand'… 'lose your wand and you're as good as dead.'
As good as dead… that's how bad it has become.
As a child, we do wandless magic. They call it accidental magic and they immediately force it out of us. They metaphorically beat it out of us by scaring us to death. They tell us it's wrong. They tell us it's dangerous or unnatural. They stunt our growth… each and every one of them.
They we go to Hogwarts… the so called best school there is to learn magic. Best school there is… now that is a lie.
On my way back to England, I stopped by the other schools and asked to take a tour. Most of them gladly let me visit and I saw the forms of magic learned there. Let me tell you… Hogwarts is far behind each and every other school.
In Hogwarts… students only learn one fifth the magic they would learn at other schools. There are classes available in the other schools that haven't been seen in Hogwarts for more than 200 years. 200 years behind them we are… and our scores are much worse than the Ministry tells us.
Out of the five schools I visited, the average graduating scores were 68 percent higher than the comparable scores of students leaving Hogwarts. Not only were they higher but they offer more classes as well with lessons that I wish I had had in Hogwarts.
As an example… I had six newts; not the worst but not the best by far… but average for Hogwarts in my day. In nearly every other school I explored… the poorest of those who graduated had the equivalent of at least fourteen newts with some having close to twenty. Yes you read that right… twenty.
That makes you wonder the quality of the education your children are receiving doesn't it? Will they ever get a better education? Who knows? I do know one thing though; my daughter will not be going to Hogwarts. My wife and I have already received word that our daughter has been accepted to Beauxbatons where we know she will be given the opportunity to learn twice as much if not more than she would at Hogwarts.
As for the Ministry… when asked for a quote about this situation, I was threatened to remain quiet or be sent to Azkaban. Sent to Azkaban… for telling the truth. Well the Ministry can kiss my arse. I left England well before this article was to be published and if anyone even thinks of hunting me down… let it be known I have sought out sanctuary with the French Ministry and notified them of what the British ministry threatened me with. The ICW will be stepping in to investigate.
My final word to you all. Do not blindly trust the Ministry. Do not blindly trust Hogwarts… even with the cancer that was Dumbledore gone. Do not believe everything you hear in gossip. Think for yourselves.
Oh and one more thing. I did find the family of Harry Potter. The boy is fine and happy. He's been traveling the world, learning real magic and not being stunted in his growth. He's brave and healthy and a good boy. Leave him alone."
A gust of wind whipped through the alley and the newspaper was caught in the updraft, soaring up into the clouds only to vanish… as the shopping throng just continued about their way, blissfully ignorant of the rest of the world around them; preferring to keep their heads down and do as their parent's did… instead of trying to understand the truth.
Yet another generation blinded and deafened by the hand of the Ministry...