Emilia

When Emilia closed the door to her dorm today her heart was beating very fast. She was both scared and excited to finally be alone with Sally after…

She looked up to her friend who sat on her bed as usual.

“You know, I never would have guessed YOU were interested in such unscientific things as … rituals.”, she started.

“Well”, Emilia searched for the right words. She had never explained much of this to anyone.

“The thing is, that you have to take it by what it is, not by what people want it to be.”

Sally waited for further clarification, so Emilia sat down next to her.

“You can not… resurrect people from the dead how some want you to believe, through a ritual. You can also not make everything and anything happen through a ritual – as I said, its effect is limited. Just a very small mood enhancing charm is extremely hard. BUT, once you manage to get it right, its undetectable and also almost unbreakable without other forms of rituals. The common explanation is that everything in the universe is somehow connected, and that your magical observations in rituals can alter current circumstances, simply by you observing.”

Emilia made a short break.

“Of course there's a big religious aspect to it. People have used it as forms of punishment, to inflict pain, humiliation and misfortune on others, or they even did so on people during the rituals. But I can tell you, bringing others, say, misfortune for months or even years is extremely hard, if not impossible. You also don't have to harm anyone in a rituals, although it is true that all of them need to contain a certain amount of pleasure and pain – that can also just be a small pinch in the arm though while drinking a tea you like.”

“Do you… believe in any of those religions?”, Sally asked.

“No”, Emilia answered without hesitation. “I never really cared for that. Overall I can only observe the world, but I don't see how I ever will be capable of determining what exactly this universe is made of. I only know my own mind.”

There was a small break again. Suddenly Sally smiled.
“What else do you do… research about? If you aren't scared by the stigma even those rituals have… you said you had many interests before. I'm sure that didn't mean… school subjects.”

Emilia looked at her for a few seconds. Could she dare it? She didn't know where her trust in that girl came from, but she stood up and gathered a book from her bedside table. She lay it on the bed in between her and Sally.

“That… that is a third grade schoolbook? I don't understa- WHAT?”

With a small tap of Emilia's finger the book suddenly changed its cover.

“What does the title say Emilia? Particle Physics– what on earth is that supposed to mean?”

Emilia laughed. “Do you know that muggles think that everything is build with extremely tiny particles – or waves?”

Sally looked at her confusedly. “I… uhm… I heard there's something like atoms, but more than that… wait, do you read books about MUGGLE sciences?”

“Yeah, I do. They are pretty interesting, and honestly, I think there's much you can learn from it.”

“Do you… do you think its true what muggles believe about… science?”

“I think it works. That's it. It has to, otherwise their planes wouldn't fly, their electricity wouldn't light any lightbulbs and their medicine wouldn't allow them to treat diseases. They have things called X-Ray, and MRTs – they can look into their bodies without magic or cutting them open! I've been in one, it was quite fascinating.”

Sally was silent for a while.

“I … I have to say, I didn't know that. How did you get into this? I mean, you aren't even muggleborn?”, she wondered.

“My parents work with muggles, they help, well, squibs to find their way into the muggle society. They helped a girl my age when I was 10. Instead of going to Hogwarts she went to middle school and had a proper education with the help of my father. So of course he needs to know a lot about muggle society and could teach me many things.”

“I see…”, Sally said. “Are you still in contact with her?”

Emilia smiled. “I barely had any, but my father still has. He is in contact with many mug- uhsquibs he helped.”

Sally seemed to be deep in her thoughts. It wasn't new to Emilia that wizards didn't care about muggles, and that they looked down upon them. She also knew that they usually didn't think about what happened to what they called squibs – unless one of their relatives was one, and even then they often ceased contact as they didn't accept it and were ashamed.

“Most wizards I have talked to never cared about that.” Emilia added. “They pray for their own child to be a wizard as well whenever the topic comes up, but never imagine or prepare for their child if they actually are a muggle.”

“You call squibs muggle?”

“Yes. My father says that's just what they are. Wizardborns without magical abilities are muggles just the same way muggleborn wizards are still wizards.”

Emilia knew that sentence by heart – her mother had told her so many times when she asked questions about her fathers job.

“I guess… but, YOU were prepared if your child was one, right?”

“Technically but I… well, children are none of my concern.”

“Oh, you don't want children?”, Sally looked surprised.

“Yeah uhm… no. I don't.”, Emilia took her book and stood up, looking very defensive all of a sudden.

“Its very late already”, she said. “I think its better we sleep now.”

Sally watched her shutting the light and going to bed.

“Yeah, maybe. Good night Emilia”, Sally said.

“Good night”

While laying in her bed Emilia felt a bit overwhelmed. She never dared to bring up her views on muggles in front of others, and she was glad Sally had reacted that way. She could just hope it wouldn't backfire.

After this day their nightly talk wasn't as awkward as Emilia had feared though – although Emilia wasn't too sure if she shouldn't also a bit disappointed that Sally didn't even bring it up again…

~

“Emilia?”, Sally stopped her when she was about to leave to the bathrooms next morning.

“Yes?”, she turned around, the doorknob already in her hand.

“You went to bed so quickly yesterday. Was that question too personal? I'm sorry, its not my business so…”, Sally explained.

“Its alright”, Emilia smiled. “Its just nothing I want to discuss.”

“Don’t worry, I wont bring it up again! As I said, not my business.”