Disclaimer: See Chapter Thirteen
Chapter 15! HOO-RAY!
Okino's second seminar went much like his first; he was peppered with questions from the first minute until the last. The seminar had also grown noticeably bigger. Not only had more seventh-years shown up this time, including those who had never signed up for the course, but some sixth- years were also caught trying to sneak in. Most of the students were curious to hear what this knowledgeable Muggle had to say, while some had heard that his lecture style-humorous and conversational rather than dry and pedantic-was a breath of fresh air in the halls of Hogwarts.
"When did you first become aware that there were such people as witches?" asked seventh-year Hufflepuff Chumley Wheezdale.
"Nobody can remember back that far. You hear these bedtime stories about dragons and wizards told to you when you're very young, and you wish they were real. For most people, that wish never comes true. I'm one of the lucky ones.
"That didn't stop us kids from thinking whatever we wanted. And of course we thought we had a witch living in the neighborhood. Ugly little old lady, never came out of her house unless it was to yell at us kids. Of course we gave her reasons to yell at us, but we never thought about that.
"Then, when I was about thirteen, I started going to a junior high school with kids from other villages, and one girl said that she was a witch. Well, I'd never met a witch my age before-never even considered the possibility. So I asked her about the old lady I thought was a witch, and she said the woman was probably a hag. That was my first lesson in kinds of witches, and also an exercise in logic: that all hags are witches, but not all witches are hags."
"How well did you get to know that witch?" asked Medea Fotheringay.
"Not well at all. She was in our class for a few weeks, then, right after her thirteenth birthday, she was off for parts unknown. Now, of course, I understand what happened; it's what the witches in that part of the world call Starting Out On Your Own. The teacher never bothered to explain anything to the rest of us, though. Either she didn't know the truth or didn't care. But her attitude was, "If she comes back, fine; if not, fine, but I'd just as soon not bother with her again.""
Okino stopped and looked around the hall. "That teacher taught us a lot more than literature and history and math. She taught us her attitudes about magic. Some of us already shared those attitudes, and others learned to share them. I'm glad I didn't do either.
"This school." He looked around the room. By now, everyone knew about the sabotage of Kiki's broom, and the students in the hall wondered if he was going to start talking about that. "This school is in a very special position. You stay tight within your magical world, of course, but there are also pressures that you can feel even here; pressures from outside your experience. Don't be afraid of them; treasure them. They could be your most important teachers. Because witches and wizards are not so many, nor so powerful, that they can stand up against the rest of the world."
"But you don't know the history!" Varnelia Blackwood, Prefect for the Slytherin girls, interrupted. "Muggles have attacked us for centuries!"
"Actually, my wife would tell you that I know altogether too much history- and that I talk about it any chance I get. I know about all the witch hunts, I'm afraid, including the times the witches were the hunters instead of the hunted. Reprisal raids were regrettable but understandable. However, there were times when magical forces attacked us Muggles without provocation.
"Speaking of witch-hunts and provocation, you are Miss Blackwood, aren't you? I seem to remember a prominent family of witches in England named Blackwood. That is, they're Blackwood now; for centuries they were the Schwarzwald family, but then the war came along and a different kind of prejudice arose. You wouldn't know that Blackwood family, would you?" Varnelia glowered at Okino, but said nothing.
"In any event, I don't deal in prejudice. Whether it's prejudice about magic-users versus non-magic-users, or full-magic versus half-magic, or England versus the rest of the world. I'm only interested in historical facts, and then only to the extent that you all use those facts to build the future. I hope it's a future without violence, but that's going to be up to you."
***
If you don't know what I'm going to say by now, you're totally brain dead and need serious hospital care.
Chapter 15! HOO-RAY!
Okino's second seminar went much like his first; he was peppered with questions from the first minute until the last. The seminar had also grown noticeably bigger. Not only had more seventh-years shown up this time, including those who had never signed up for the course, but some sixth- years were also caught trying to sneak in. Most of the students were curious to hear what this knowledgeable Muggle had to say, while some had heard that his lecture style-humorous and conversational rather than dry and pedantic-was a breath of fresh air in the halls of Hogwarts.
"When did you first become aware that there were such people as witches?" asked seventh-year Hufflepuff Chumley Wheezdale.
"Nobody can remember back that far. You hear these bedtime stories about dragons and wizards told to you when you're very young, and you wish they were real. For most people, that wish never comes true. I'm one of the lucky ones.
"That didn't stop us kids from thinking whatever we wanted. And of course we thought we had a witch living in the neighborhood. Ugly little old lady, never came out of her house unless it was to yell at us kids. Of course we gave her reasons to yell at us, but we never thought about that.
"Then, when I was about thirteen, I started going to a junior high school with kids from other villages, and one girl said that she was a witch. Well, I'd never met a witch my age before-never even considered the possibility. So I asked her about the old lady I thought was a witch, and she said the woman was probably a hag. That was my first lesson in kinds of witches, and also an exercise in logic: that all hags are witches, but not all witches are hags."
"How well did you get to know that witch?" asked Medea Fotheringay.
"Not well at all. She was in our class for a few weeks, then, right after her thirteenth birthday, she was off for parts unknown. Now, of course, I understand what happened; it's what the witches in that part of the world call Starting Out On Your Own. The teacher never bothered to explain anything to the rest of us, though. Either she didn't know the truth or didn't care. But her attitude was, "If she comes back, fine; if not, fine, but I'd just as soon not bother with her again.""
Okino stopped and looked around the hall. "That teacher taught us a lot more than literature and history and math. She taught us her attitudes about magic. Some of us already shared those attitudes, and others learned to share them. I'm glad I didn't do either.
"This school." He looked around the room. By now, everyone knew about the sabotage of Kiki's broom, and the students in the hall wondered if he was going to start talking about that. "This school is in a very special position. You stay tight within your magical world, of course, but there are also pressures that you can feel even here; pressures from outside your experience. Don't be afraid of them; treasure them. They could be your most important teachers. Because witches and wizards are not so many, nor so powerful, that they can stand up against the rest of the world."
"But you don't know the history!" Varnelia Blackwood, Prefect for the Slytherin girls, interrupted. "Muggles have attacked us for centuries!"
"Actually, my wife would tell you that I know altogether too much history- and that I talk about it any chance I get. I know about all the witch hunts, I'm afraid, including the times the witches were the hunters instead of the hunted. Reprisal raids were regrettable but understandable. However, there were times when magical forces attacked us Muggles without provocation.
"Speaking of witch-hunts and provocation, you are Miss Blackwood, aren't you? I seem to remember a prominent family of witches in England named Blackwood. That is, they're Blackwood now; for centuries they were the Schwarzwald family, but then the war came along and a different kind of prejudice arose. You wouldn't know that Blackwood family, would you?" Varnelia glowered at Okino, but said nothing.
"In any event, I don't deal in prejudice. Whether it's prejudice about magic-users versus non-magic-users, or full-magic versus half-magic, or England versus the rest of the world. I'm only interested in historical facts, and then only to the extent that you all use those facts to build the future. I hope it's a future without violence, but that's going to be up to you."
***
If you don't know what I'm going to say by now, you're totally brain dead and need serious hospital care.