Chapter 20:

At the start of the summer, I subscribed to the International Herald Tribune. While the Times of London was a good news source, it tended to have a lot of British news that wasn't relevant to me. To keep track of world trends and business, the Herald Tribune was best, with a limited number of pages well targeted to expat Americans, which in a way I was. It also was available the same day, unlike most other American papers which arrived at least 1 day after publication. I couldn't wait until I could finally find this depth of news on the Web.

There was an ad for a computer called the Kazakh-PC, affordable prices, no charge for software.

I looked for an article about it, and found,

Post-Soviet PC industry in Kazakhstan

Intel compatible PC's were made in the Soviet Union, but not in large quantity, nor for a competitive price. Kazakh-PC has been churning out Intel 80486 compatible chips in incredible numbers, along with every other PC system part.

For software, they have been using the free Linux system. Heading off complaints that they are just using others work, they have been actively contributing to it. PC programmers, especially from Hungary, Bulgaria, and Russia have been flocking to computing centers in Kazakhstan.

There was an ad in the Daily Prophet,

Wizards and Witches Wanted in Kazakhstan.

Have an idea for a business? Kazakhstan is the place to start it. Untold wealth is being generated by combining technology and magic. Be a part of it!

We recommend you study the Russian language before arriving, although you can get by with translation spells. Kazakh language is encouraged also. Knowing English is also helpful.

Positions also open for healers. Beyond healing skills, you will need to repeat "Soviet Science, top secret" over and over again. Patients cannot learn that they are being treated with magic.

Visit our combined office of Kazakh recruiting and Starfleet recruiting in Diagon Alley.

Another article:

Kazakhstan, the powerhouse of central Asia adding free trade area

Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan have joined in an economic union. There is an insatiable demand for labor in Kazakhstan, with new world-class industries appearing seemingly every month.

We discussed this over dinner at the Picards. I said, "I'm afraid we have brought about one of the worst eras in human history. While Director Vadim Morozov seems like a good ruler, he now appears to control 3 countries in central Asia."

Xenophilius asked, "Do you think he will become a Dark Lord?"

I answered, "No. I think his people, both magical and non-magical will have a good standard of living and be happy with his rule. Not everyone will like his style of rule, but they'll presumably be able to move elsewhere, even if for now, they cannot.

What I am more worried about is that others will seize other countries. In canon that would be 40 countries mostly in south, central, and western Asia. Some of the others wouldn't be as benevolent as the first. Then they would start to fight each other. Then the non-magicals will destroy the magicals."

Luna said, "Morozov reminds me of Khan Noonien Singh. While he has a different national origin, he has a similar style, and almost the same birth year of original canon. He only operates as the power behind the throne, for now, to avoid defying the ICW."

My father said to me, "You blame yourself. You applied influence at a fulcrum of history, and now there is inertia which is now too strong for you to influence.

However, remember what Q told you. There will be another fulcrum point, which my future granddaughter will be at the center of.

For now, learn what you can, to prepare for that moment. Build what power you can, again for that moment."

I decided, with Luna's agreement, that we didn't know whether it would be better to support or oppose Morozov at the present time, so instead we would study him. So far it seemed like he was accomplishing everything that we wanted to accomplish during this era. My foreboding was due to canon, and also the general sense that any rapidly rising, apparently benevolent leader, is bound to be bad in the end.

We received copies of two published works by Hermione Granger. One was her magic calculator. The other was her report on internet cameras and the threat to the Statute of Secrecy.

Later in the summer, Starfleet R&D Director Vadim Morozov appeared before the ICW, International Confederation of Wizards. "Today I address grave threat to Statute of Secrecy created by digital cameras that provide live feed to Internet. Cameras expected to become more common. Internet connectivity expected to also become faster and more common.

Starfleet R&D is ready to provide assistance to ICW. While many camera types will appear in future, they all will use similar types of sensors. Company, in non-magical economy, controlled by Starfleet, can make these sensors less expensive and more powerful than competitors. Every type of camera will use these sensors. However, these sensors will be magically influenced to not show results of magic.

At same time as they block the showing of magic, they provide magical communication to ICW, so obliviators can be sent to scene of non-magical persons who might have witnessed magic."

The fall term started with sorting feast in September 1994, which was the start of my 4th year at Hogwarts. There was no announcement of a Tri-Wizard tournemant. Remus Lupin was still the professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts. Damocles Belby was the professor of Potions. Snape had quietly left. From what I had heard, he was going to start a potions business, but deal directly with clients and not have a storefront.

I convinced Dumbledore to add library subscriptions to the muggle International Herald Tribune, and the magical New York Ghost.

At our first meeting of the Advanced Study Group, Hermione presented, "I received a letter and package from Starfleet R&D Director Vadim Morozov. It reads,

To Esteemed Miss Hermione Granger,

I am honoured to write to you my sincere thanks for publishing evidence that digital cameras are threat to Statute of Secrecy. I am also humbly in admiration of your invention of magic calculator.

You represent future of Starfleet, and I hope to be able to convince you to join our organization after NEWT exams, and to consult before that.

I invite you, your family, and your friends, no limit on number, to visit our facilities in Kazakhstan, and also to see our new capital Akmola, under construction. Visit could be during one of your breaks at Hogwarts, winter, summer, whatever is most convenient for you. All details will be provided for, just let me know when and who is coming.

Enclosed are some small gifts.

A self-study course of Russian language. Several copies, some with magic charms, some in cassette tape form, some in audio CD form. Each have same reference books.

Also, to encourage your calculator development, a book, on ancient runes of Samarkand. It is in Uzbekistan and during time of Silk Road, wizards created magic abacus. You'll find details in book.

Also enclosed is latest prototype from Kazakh-PC. It is Pentium class portable computer with portable satellite dish and data plan. Battery has rune array and can be charged by magic to chemical reaction. Then when used, battery is again electrical. Just bring computer in its case to area away from magic and with good view of sky, and you are on internet. Satellite dish aim itself automatically, no magic involved. Can also be connected to phone line in non-magical places.

Looking forward to meeting with you."

[Author notes. These are from our actual history:

Under the Indian Ocean, 1,200 km southwest of Kanyakumari is an actual gravitational anomaly.

JumpStation was an actual web search engine at the University of Stirling in Scotland, which was only in existence in late 1993 and in 1994, and was several years than similar search engines.

The Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan economic union of 1994 actually happened.

In 1994, the leader of Kazakhstan proposed the formation of a "Eurasian Union".

1994 Kazakhstan decided to move its capital to Akmola, which had various different names over the years.]

Even now, my previous actions seem to only increase the power of Vadim Morozov. Also, after Luna pointed it out, I agreed that he did have a physical resemblance to Ricardo Montalban, a little younger than in his appearance in the Star Trek Original Series episode Space Seed, except having some Russian and Kazakh background.

The group discussion started with Colin Creevey, "Are you going? Can I go also?"

Dumbledore interjected, "Let's let the others talk also, and let Miss Granger answer afterwards."

When the Weasley twins were mentioned, Hermione got uncharacteristically blunt with them and said that they should come along with their father, but no-one else in their family.

Fred answered, "I agree. However, our mother would not allow that, and we received our own invitations, so we'll just sneak off there on our own when it is possible to."

Luna said, "I can answer for my father. He wouldn't want formal or implied restrictions on what he can publish, if he went. He would agree with my going if Tom's parents were there."

Altogether, 14 us were going. Leaving the 26th of December and returning the 30th. Hermione and her parents. Me, Luna, and my parents. Harry Potter. Sirius was too busy to be away. Susan Bones, Hannah Abbot and her mother, Colin Creevey, Dennis Creevey who was now a first year Gryffindor, and their father.

During the remainder of the fall term, those of us who were going studied Russian and tried to greet each other in Russian.

At the international portkey arrival area, our group was escorted past customs control with no paperwork or questions. We went to a private conference room, where we met Vadim Morozov. He said, "Please call be Vadim" and addressed us each of us by name and gave very welcoming remarks.

He gave us all Adidas track suits and Adidas track shoes to wear. "Unofficial uniform for technical personnel in Kazakhstan." For outdoors we were issued overcoats with hats and gloves. "Need coats. Warming charms without coat make magic obvious."

Vadim showed us around Akmola. "Notice all cars are electric. They are powered from officially fusion reactors. In reality reactors powered by magic, but fusion is officially top secret Soviet technology.

City is ultramodern. You might say, why not traditional? Soviet person not nostalgic. For Soviet, old fashioned is bad memory of deprivation. Want new, clean, high technology, fancy.

City has magic only districts. Officially they are security districts for those with special military clearances.

Plenty of parks and exercise places. We believe in a healthy mind in a healthy body.

Free health care. Combination of technology and magic. Non-magicals never learn that they were treated with magic.

We encourage walking to get around. Very good underground mass transit to get between districts. Encourage walking culture around stations and workplaces and tall buildings. Cafes, bars, restaurants, bookstores. Lively city."

He showed us an office complex, and was asked if Starfleet technologies are developed there.

"No, not here. True military and advanced space technology is in secret, unknowable location even from other magicals. This place is for civilian technology. We have our Starfleet backed companies to accomplish certain goals and to earn money for country and Starfleet program.

We also have ecosytem of small companies in concentrated areas. It is experiment. We use philosophy of American Jane Jacobs, in areas of city that were original. Idea is small buildings, some old, some new, many stores, apartments, walking culture. Industries will develop around each other, feeding on each others ideas, hiring from each other. You get creative economy."

Then he brought us to our ultramodern hotel, and we went to a banquet room. It had quiet Kazakh music playing. There was a feast of Russian, Kazakh and British dishes.

Vadim talked to each of us. Both Luna and I told him that we did spell invention, but not ones we could reveal. He encouraged us to start some published work, and said he would look forward to seeing what we do. We didn't have to watch what we said, due to our magical contracts. I know Luna wanted to caution him about experimenting with faster than light travel before we are ready for contact, but we knew that it would be a very planned disclosure if and when we were ready to talk to him about that. We knew that he might suspect that either Luna or I was a seer, but he never pressed for information.

He was very correct with Susan Bones and didn't even acknowledge that her aunt and guardian was the British Minister of Magic.

The Grangers got an invitation to visit the headquarters of Kazakh-PC. They got an impressive tour, including seeing how magic was used in the factory. It was explained that their badges would vibrate subtly, if anyone not cleared to know about magic was in the area, in which case they were not to discuss nor display magic. Their badge colors and symbols were explained, how all three were guests, but Hermione's showed she was magical, while her parents, Dan and Emma Granger showed that they were aware of magic.

At the fabrication center, "Non-magical companies spend much capital on ensuring absolute purity of air, of checking for imperfections, precision in temperature, purity of materials, and a thousand other expensive challenges. We improve all of these with magic. That allows us to spend much less money on creating the factory, and in producing the microchips. Also, our energy is almost free."

After a nice meal in the cafeteria, they were brought to a conference room. A man in a track suit said, "To get right to the point, we want to license your work on your magic calculator, and ideas written about a magical computer, and get right to making a full magical PC. We have a full set of contracts for you to review, including our desire to have you consulting with us remotely, and here during parts of the summers. Please review these with a good lawyer who is familiar with international wizarding business law and have that lawyer get back to us."

When the Grangers spoke about it later, they were impressed at the amount of money being offered, but that also that Kazakh-PC wanted Hermione to be assured that she was getting a good deal, by having her own council.