Chapter 6
**Chapter : The Seed of Change**
By the time Alex was eight years old, his mind was a fortress. Occlumency had become second nature to him, allowing him to build and expand a vast mind palace within his thoughts. The practice had started as a way to protect himself from mental intrusion, but it had evolved into something more—a tool to organize his thoughts, catalog his knowledge, and keep his two lives in balance. He was both Alex Black McKinnon and John White, and in his mind palace, those identities coexisted.
The mind palace wasn’t just a defense mechanism. It had become a place of creation, a space where ideas could flourish without the limitations of the physical world. One of those ideas had been growing quietly in the back of his mind for a while: the idea of changing the wizarding world itself.
The more he read about magical history, the more Alex realized that wizards had once been more connected to the world of science and rational thought. Before the Statute of Secrecy in 1700, there had been wizards who contributed to fields like astronomy, mathematics, and even rudimentary physics. Their contributions were often small or crude compared to what the No-Maj world had accomplished, but they existed. Wizards had once been thinkers, innovators, even if they relied more on magic than on empirical evidence.
But something had changed after the Statute of Secrecy. Wizards had pulled back from the world, retreating into their isolated communities, relying more and more on magic alone and shunning the No-Maj advancements in science and technology. The result was a stagnation in magical society—a world where most wizards didn’t even know how electricity worked, where the idea of scientific inquiry was laughed at or dismissed as "Muggle nonsense."
Alex couldn’t accept that.
In his previous life, as John White, science and technology had been his bread and butter. He had seen firsthand the leaps in human understanding and progress that came from a scientific approach to the world. To Alex, it was clear that if wizards could merge their magic with the rational, inquisitive mindset of science, they could achieve incredible things.
But how could he get them to see that?
The answer came to him one night as he sat in his room, mind wandering through the corridors of his mental palace. He would write a book—a book that would challenge the very foundation of how wizards thought about science and magic. It would be provocative, controversial, but it would get people thinking. And that’s what mattered.
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For weeks, Alex poured his thoughts into the pages of a book he titled, **"Science? Is It Really Just a Muggle Thing?"** The title was intentionally provocative, meant to spark curiosity and even outrage among wizards who were so quick to dismiss No-Maj achievements.
In the book, Alex started by laying out the basic principles of scientific thinking—observation, experimentation, and the pursuit of knowledge for the sake of understanding the world. He compared these principles to magical research, showing how even the most advanced magical discoveries had roots in trial and error, a form of experimentation not so different from the scientific method.
He then delved into the history of wizarding contributions to science before the Statute of Secrecy. He brought up wizards like Nicholas Flamel, who had dabbled in alchemy, and early magical astronomers who had charted the stars. He pointed out that, while their methods were magical, their drive to understand the universe wasn’t so different from that of their No-Maj counterparts.
Finally, Alex posed the central question of his book: *Why had wizards stopped thinking?*
Why had they given up on questioning the world around them, on innovating and discovering? Why had they retreated into the safety of tradition, relying on spells passed down through generations without seeking to improve or innovate? And, most importantly, what could they accomplish if they embraced the curiosity and rigor of science alongside their magic?
Alex’s goal wasn’t to belittle magic—it was to show that science and magic didn’t have to be enemies. They could complement each other, push each other forward. Wizards could enhance their magical abilities by understanding the world in a deeper, more analytical way. They could become *more* powerful, not less.
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When Alex finished the manuscript, he knew he couldn’t publish it under his own name. He was only eight years old, and no one would take a child seriously. Not to mention, the backlash from traditionalist wizards would be fierce. He needed to remain anonymous, at least for now.
That’s where the goblins came in.
Goblins, as Alex had learned, were notoriously secretive when it came to business dealings. They didn’t care who you were or how controversial your ideas might be—as long as you had gold, they would help you. And Alex had plenty of gold, thanks to his inheritance.
He made a discreet visit to Gringotts in Salem, where he met with a goblin named Grishnak. The goblin raised a curious eyebrow when Alex explained what he wanted—a book published under a pseudonym, distributed widely across the wizarding world, with no trace back to him.
“And why would a young wizard like yourself wish to remain anonymous?” Grishnak asked, his long, pointed fingers tapping the desk.
Alex smiled politely. “Let’s just say that certain... circles might not appreciate the ideas in my book. But I believe it’s important. Wizards need to start thinking again. They need to question things.”
Grishnak studied him for a moment before nodding. “Very well. We can arrange for distribution. And I assure you, no one will trace it back to you. For a small fee, of course.”
Alex slid a small pouch of Galleons across the desk. “I trust that will cover it.”
The goblin smirked, his sharp teeth gleaming. “It will do. Consider it done, Mr. Black.”
And just like that, the wheels were set in motion.
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Two months later, **"Science? Is It Really Just a Muggle Thing?"** began appearing in magical bookstores across the wizarding world. The author was listed only as "A Curious Mind," and the book’s content quickly caused a stir. Some wizards dismissed it as ridiculous, claiming that magic was all they needed and that Muggles were beneath their notice. But others—especially younger witches and wizards—found the ideas intriguing, even revolutionary.
Discussions began cropping up in common rooms at Hogwarts, in magical universities, and in private circles. Some wizards, inspired by the book, began conducting their own experiments, trying to combine magic with scientific principles.
For Alex, this was only the beginning. The book had planted a seed of curiosity, and he hoped that one day, it would grow into a movement that could change the wizarding world forever.
As he watched from the shadows, Alex couldn’t help but smile.
*The world is changing,* he thought. *And this time, I’ll be ready for it.*