Disclaimer: See Chapter 12
12 Chapters. . . In one day. . . Is. . . My. . . All time. . . high. . . *Head falls on desk, and she starts snoring* Michi: Do you think we should wake her? Mari: Naw, the last time I tried that, she whacked me in the face in her sleep.
Professor Okino's first seminar on Magic-Muggle Interface may have been well attended, but from his point of view it didn't go particularly well. He had wanted to verbally scold the magical elitists, one of whom he suspected had meddled with Kiki's broom and almost hurt his daughter. This is just what can happen, he wanted to say, when people separate into camps, instead of working together.
Instead, it was almost all question-and-answer from the packed lecture hall. One seventh-year wizard, who was born Winston Terylton but insisted on being called Vladimir, repeatedly interrupted to proclaim that "fascist agents of the landholding class" who wanted to prevent "a magical uprising of the workers" were keeping magicians and Muggles apart. Most of the other seniors simply shouted him down. About half of the witches asked for details of his meeting and marrying Kokiri, convinced that there was some sort of underlying drama about "star-crossed lovers rejected by both societies".
"The fact is," Okino said with a sheepish grin, "I met her when I asked her to fill out a questionnaire. I was doing research for my doctorate on comparative magic lore. When I got to her village, I sought out the local witch. At that time, she was about your age, but had been an Herbologist for five years, so I asked her to fill out the questionnaire. She showed up the next day at the inn where I was staying to tell me that I needed to reword my questions. We talked about the survey, and my work, for what we thought was a few minutes, and the next thing we know it's suppertime. I hadn't much food, or much money to buy any with, so we pooled our resources and split a bowl of soup and a loaf of bread at a cafe. After that, we took a moonlight walk by the river, and that was that. I proposed the second day I knew her. Maybe for some of you that's a lengthy courtship."
"Don't you think she Charmed you?" asked senior Hieronymous Corrigan.
"I'm sure she did," Okino smiled, "but not with any art they teach in a place like this."
"But what did your families say?" asked Hilary Dunsinane.
"Kokiri's family didn't say anything, except perhaps, 'What took you so long?' Don't forget, in her tradition witches leave home at age thirteen to make their own way by their magic. Marriage usually isn't a part of that first year, but it sometimes happens. And I think my folks knew all along that I'd marry a witch. I daresay your parents know more about you than you think they do."
He never did get to read the lecture he'd worked on for so many days, but Albus Dumbledore reassured him afterwards that the class had gone "swimmingly".
\***
This was a short chapter but still. . . R/R! (I'm getting kind of tired of typing this. This, and the disclaimers.)
12 Chapters. . . In one day. . . Is. . . My. . . All time. . . high. . . *Head falls on desk, and she starts snoring* Michi: Do you think we should wake her? Mari: Naw, the last time I tried that, she whacked me in the face in her sleep.
Professor Okino's first seminar on Magic-Muggle Interface may have been well attended, but from his point of view it didn't go particularly well. He had wanted to verbally scold the magical elitists, one of whom he suspected had meddled with Kiki's broom and almost hurt his daughter. This is just what can happen, he wanted to say, when people separate into camps, instead of working together.
Instead, it was almost all question-and-answer from the packed lecture hall. One seventh-year wizard, who was born Winston Terylton but insisted on being called Vladimir, repeatedly interrupted to proclaim that "fascist agents of the landholding class" who wanted to prevent "a magical uprising of the workers" were keeping magicians and Muggles apart. Most of the other seniors simply shouted him down. About half of the witches asked for details of his meeting and marrying Kokiri, convinced that there was some sort of underlying drama about "star-crossed lovers rejected by both societies".
"The fact is," Okino said with a sheepish grin, "I met her when I asked her to fill out a questionnaire. I was doing research for my doctorate on comparative magic lore. When I got to her village, I sought out the local witch. At that time, she was about your age, but had been an Herbologist for five years, so I asked her to fill out the questionnaire. She showed up the next day at the inn where I was staying to tell me that I needed to reword my questions. We talked about the survey, and my work, for what we thought was a few minutes, and the next thing we know it's suppertime. I hadn't much food, or much money to buy any with, so we pooled our resources and split a bowl of soup and a loaf of bread at a cafe. After that, we took a moonlight walk by the river, and that was that. I proposed the second day I knew her. Maybe for some of you that's a lengthy courtship."
"Don't you think she Charmed you?" asked senior Hieronymous Corrigan.
"I'm sure she did," Okino smiled, "but not with any art they teach in a place like this."
"But what did your families say?" asked Hilary Dunsinane.
"Kokiri's family didn't say anything, except perhaps, 'What took you so long?' Don't forget, in her tradition witches leave home at age thirteen to make their own way by their magic. Marriage usually isn't a part of that first year, but it sometimes happens. And I think my folks knew all along that I'd marry a witch. I daresay your parents know more about you than you think they do."
He never did get to read the lecture he'd worked on for so many days, but Albus Dumbledore reassured him afterwards that the class had gone "swimmingly".
\***
This was a short chapter but still. . . R/R! (I'm getting kind of tired of typing this. This, and the disclaimers.)