Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters named in this chapter. This chapter is inspired by canon events, and glimpses into Barney's childhood and family life on HIMYM. AU liberties are taken with Barney's childhood. References are made to "Insane Duane", Barney's conviction that Bob Barker is his father, and the Magician's Code, which can be credited to Bays and Thomas and the rest of the HIMYM writing team. This chapter is also inspired by Neil Patrick Harris' Choose Your Own Autobiography (2014).
For as long as he could remember, Barney loved magic. Every Friday afternoon when he was a kid, Loretta would give him and James two quarters each as their allowance. James would spend his money right away on candy, maybe save up for a new toy or sports equipment, but not Barney. Instead, Barney would make his way to the magic store.
Soon, magic became a hobby of sorts, an escape from loneliness. Shorter than average, with a frizzy mass of blond hair, and a retainer to fix an overbite by the age of 7, Barney was often picked last for every team. It wasn't just his looks. He soon realized that young boys could be forgiving about that. Take his neighbour, Duane. Growing up, Duane was probably the most physically unattractive child in town, and yet somehow by middle school, he was the most popular guy around, and he became known as 'Insane Duane'. True story.
Sure enough, Barney came to school wearing his brother's hand-me-downs. He carried a Star Wars lunchbox from 1978 that had belonged to his cousin when the movie had just come out. He had nearly absent hand-eye coordination and was terrible at most sports.
None of these things really mattered on their own, but there was one other thing: parents whispered about Loretta Stinson. There were sighs and disapproving clicks of the tongue when mentioning how she was raising two young boys on her own. She could not even hold a job for more than a few months at a time.
When Barney and James were really young, Loretta would put them to bed at 5pm on Friday afternoon, and disappear for hours, often until early Monday morning. Over time, she stopped wandering off like this. It was suspected that the boys' grandmother, Loretta's mother, had put her foot down and gave Loretta a stern lecture about having to check-up on the boys over the weekend. Maybe this talk about taking responsibility as a young single mother had scared Loretta straight, because after that she had put more of an effort to find permanent work and spend time with her sons. It didn't help that at around the same time, she insisted that Jerome Whittaker, who still came to visit regularly, should stay away from her sons permanently.
Alone, afraid, and with the best intentions, Loretta Stinson tried to be the best mother that she could be. Still, gossip followed her wherever she went. Parents cautioned their kids to stay away from Barney too.
The real clincher was Barney's storytelling. He was the little brother, and as he tagged along with James's much cooler older friends, he learned that a good way to get attention was to tell stories. He told tales about the fantastic adventures he would go on on weekends. In reality, Barney spent a lot of time in front of the TV. He would watch taped reruns of The Price is Right.
Then there was the insistence that Bob Barker was his father. At first, the other boys chuckled uncomfortably, as though it was just a joke that had fallen flat. Soon, Barney had become so earnest about it, it was as though he was truly convinced that the man on the screen was his father. When it had become clear to the others that Barney actually had real, long conversations with man on the TV, the whole situation became creepy to them. That incident cemented for them that both Loretta and her son were weirdos. So Barney ended up all alone for hours on end.
Then he discovered magic.
Learning how to perfect the delivery of a magic trick began to consume Barney's free time. He'd spend hours in his bedroom, performing for his Ewok action figures. Soon he became really good at the basics. The owner of the magic store took a liking to Barney. Recognizing his talent, the owner started showing him how to do harder tricks. Barney was an eager student and soaked it all up.
"Look, Barney," the older man told him one summer afternoon when James was off swimming with some neighbourhood boys, and Loretta was baking pasteries at the local café.
"Magic can be a powerful thing. When it's used for good, it can make people happy."
Barney nodded.
"It's ok not to tell truth about a magic trick. It makes the audience so delighted, they don't want to know the secret. Not really. Sure, they may ask. But we follow the Magician's Code of not revealing the secret of the trick. Why? Because the audience doesn't really want to know the secret. Once the secret is out, the illusion is gone. The illusion is what makes them happy. Do you understand?"
Barney nodded again.
"Remember the Magician's Code."
"The Magician's Code. Never to share the secret," Barney echoed.
"Yes, and you want to use magic for good. See, there is a dark side to the power of magic, too."
"There is a dark side?" Barney didn't want to believe it. Something as wholely wonderful and joyful as magic, that makes people happy, surely doesn't have a dark side?
"Yes," the older man nodded.
"See, tricking people without good intention drives them away. It hurts them. It hurts you, too."
"I would never do that," promised Barney. "My magic will always have good intention."
The older man looked at the boy up and down. Barney looked every inch Loretta Stinson. The man wondered if he had just made a big mistake, introducing this naïve, wide-eyed child to the intricacies of magic. A few whoopee cushions and book on tp-ing a building was one thing, but this student had quickly surpassed those gags, and was thirsting for a more complicated story. So the magic store owner gave it to him.
"Tricking people without good intention hurts them," the older man repeated firmly.
"They have fun when there is consent. You have fun when there is consent. Do you know what I mean by consent?"
The little blond boy shook his head.
"Consent means that they give you their full agreement. When they do that, they accept the magic trick. They accept the story. They accept the lies and illusions that make them happy. They accept the Magician's Code, to not know the true secret of the trick. And you will be happy, too, because you brought them the joy of illusion and not knowing."
There was a long silence as the small boy absorbed this speech.
"Do you understand, Barney?"
