Drew Thornton
Ministry of Magic
Auror-in-Training
I didn't do it and you can't prove otherwise...
Posts: 14,114
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Post by Drew Thornton on Jan 17, 2009 17:39:24 GMT -5
Drew bit on his lip, and nodded slightly, not exactly sure how to respond. It had never really seemed like a fairy tale to him growing up, but then again that was the point; he had grown up with it all. To him, it was just life. It was probably a bit of a disillusion to realize that the Magical world had all the same issues as the Muggle world and a wave of the wand still didn't fix the big problems.
"So are you saying you're going to stay on this side of things?" he asked, knowing a few people went that way. He didn't usually agree with that kind of thinking, but he kind of understood why it happened.
Actually, no. He didn't.
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Gail Lawrence
Witch
Leaky Cauldron Waitress
Just looking for something new.
Posts: 274
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Post by Gail Lawrence on Jan 21, 2009 23:00:15 GMT -5
Gail sighed again and was silent. Drew had asked the big question. It had bothered her for a while now. Being unable to answer it had helped push her farther along the path toward university. It had also kept her at Hogwarts and the Cauldron, even when her illusions about the magical world had fallen away.
She hated the way things were among wizards and could not help but compare their status quo to the muggle world. But, her curiosity would not let her ignore something that was so obviously a part of the world at large, whether or not most people knew it was there. Things had been so good for her at first, but then they became so awful. She could never truly understand why she stayed, when there seemed so little to keep her in the world her father had always known.
After a moment, she said, "Yes. No. I don't know." Gail twisted her hand in her hair. "That's my problem. I don't know. It's like I have two different lives pulling at me. One seems to be so awful, that the other should be the one I choose by default, but I can't, and..." She finally looked up at Drew. "I just don't know!"
She had not rambled like that in a long time. Not to Eli and Dev. Not to her parents, before they died. Not to anyone. Something in Drew's question had opened the flood gate, and now she could not seem to stop the emotion from flowing forth, after being held back for so long.
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Drew Thornton
Ministry of Magic
Auror-in-Training
I didn't do it and you can't prove otherwise...
Posts: 14,114
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Post by Drew Thornton on Jan 23, 2009 22:47:25 GMT -5
"Awful?" he asked, a look of concern crossing his face. He had a strong suspicion that she was talking about the Magical world. "But there's awfulness everywhere. It's just that certain groups hide it better." Whether it was a small business of a super-power nation, there was evil at work inside, outside, and all around. It all depended on what you chose to focus on and what you chose to ignore.
"Gail, seriously. It doesn't have to be two different lives," he told her, feeling like she was talking about denying one side of who she was. That just wasn't right. "Okay, so you stick mostly with whichever makes you comfortable, but there are still ways to accept the other side. You don't have to chose if you don't want to. You shouldn't have to chose."
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Gail Lawrence
Witch
Leaky Cauldron Waitress
Just looking for something new.
Posts: 274
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Post by Gail Lawrence on Jan 25, 2009 14:32:06 GMT -5
Gail looked out the window, feeling suitably chastised. It was Drew's first comment that stung the most. She remembered when she was little, watching her father struggle to get access to information as a reporter. And, as a curious girl, she had watched the news of conflicts around the world. She had learned early, though not first-hand, about what plagued the muggle world.
So, when she had been introduced to the magical world, it had seemed like a fairy tale, a dream come true. But she had discovered the hard way, this time first-hand, that the more perfect things seem, the less likely that image is the truth. But, she realized, the disappointment of the magical world hurt much more.
She had grown up in the muggle world and was long accustomed to what went on there. On the other hand, all her illusions about the wizarding world had been pulled down in rather quick succession. It had been more than two years now, and she was still struggling to deal with it.
Gail was silent for a long time as she mulled over these thoughts, some of which she should have realized long ago. She really had not seen the forest for the trees, so focused was she on her injuries and her paranoia. They were legitimate fears, but Drew was right--there was more to the world than just the little that had happened to her.
Finally, she shifted and looked back at Drew, eyes slightly glassy. "I've blinded myself so badly, haven't I? I've focused so long on the ills in one world that I've almost completely ignored the other." She bit her lip and winced at the pain. "But what can I really do when both worlds are rife with so many problems, such evil?" Working against the flow of magical life was difficult enough. Fighting both seemed an overwhelming prospect. "What can anyone do?"
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Drew Thornton
Ministry of Magic
Auror-in-Training
I didn't do it and you can't prove otherwise...
Posts: 14,114
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Post by Drew Thornton on Jan 25, 2009 22:34:07 GMT -5
He hadn't meant to make her feel bad, but he needed her to realize that it wasn't just one side with the problems. The good news was that, while the evil do-ers seemed to garner the most press, they were the minority. The bad news was that the majority of the population seemed to be made up with people who either didn't care, didn't know, or were too afraid to do anything.
"You do what you can," he said with a small shrug and a sympathetic sigh. "I think the more people there are who are willing to speak up and do something to better this world... and Muggle or Magical, it is all just one world... I think the better off we all are."
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Gail Lawrence
Witch
Leaky Cauldron Waitress
Just looking for something new.
Posts: 274
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Post by Gail Lawrence on Jan 27, 2009 22:49:10 GMT -5
Gail's eyes widened as she let Drew's response sink in. So much bad in the world, such corruption. And he was fighting it. She sighed. It seemed like an impossible, pointless venture, when so much had gone so wrong.
She tilted her head as that thought floated through her mind. She remembered the love her parents had for each other, despite generations of tradition and prejudice. She remembered her friends, Jacob and David, from when she was little, though they were now so far away. She thought of the students, banding together to overthrow the blessedly short reign of the Deva in Hogwarts.
No. It was difficult. It might even be impossible. But the struggle against the demons of the world was not pointless. There was good in the world too. It made such a difference, and it could do so much. The philosopher Edmund Burke had made a statement on the nature of good and evil, centuries ago.
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."
Gail did not realize that she had spoken aloud until she heard the echo of the words in her own ear. Her eyes focused again, showing Drew still sitting across from her. After just a moment, she nodded in silent and growing agreement with Burke's sentiment. It was a new thought, trying to change the world, rather than go against it. She knew it would take a while to sink in.
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Drew Thornton
Ministry of Magic
Auror-in-Training
I didn't do it and you can't prove otherwise...
Posts: 14,114
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Post by Drew Thornton on Jan 27, 2009 23:35:41 GMT -5
"Edmund Burke. I love that quote," Drew said, with a sheepish smile. He had heard it a few years ago and had taken it to heart. It stood true during the American Revolution, stood true through World War II, continued to ring true through the rise of Voldemort, and still stood true today. For centuries, people chose to look the other way when bad things happened, sometimes because they didn't care, but quite often because they were afraid. Drew hated the first attitude, but understood the second. The thing was, he believed that if more people stopped being afraid and stood up for what was right, the fewer problems they'd all have.
"They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself."
He answered her quote with one of his own. Not one he thought of often, but still a good one to keep in mind.
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Gail Lawrence
Witch
Leaky Cauldron Waitress
Just looking for something new.
Posts: 274
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Post by Gail Lawrence on Mar 7, 2009 16:52:02 GMT -5
Drew's response to Edmund Burke's statement was "They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself." Gail thought it sounded like another quote.
"I haven't heard that one before," she said.
She found, though, that it seemed to speak to her even more than Burke. She had spent so long bemoaning the state of the wizarding world, and yet she had not done anything to change the status quo. She had read about the war with Voldemort and knew how Ministry inertia had kept any resistance from moving forward for a full year. It was those who stood up to the establishment that made a difference.
Gail remembered the invasion as well. Their captors had been overthrown because the freed students, herself included, had acted upon their will and determination. It would not have happened on its own.
If she wanted real change, not more of the same, she would have to make it herself.
She remembered a line from last year's presidential election in America. "We are the change that we seek." She looked up at Drew, mind racing. There were so many things she had discussed, so many things she thought needed changing. It would take such work, and she would never be able to stomach doing it from inside the system. But there was still so much work to do.
All the problems she had found rolled around in her mind for a while, she did not know how long exactly. Finally, she let out a short laugh, tinged slightly with panic and hysteria. "Where do I even begin?"
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Drew Thornton
Ministry of Magic
Auror-in-Training
I didn't do it and you can't prove otherwise...
Posts: 14,114
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Post by Drew Thornton on Mar 7, 2009 21:42:26 GMT -5
"Andy Warhol," Drew answered. He wasn't necessarily Drew's favorite philosopher (if he could really even be called one), but Drew had heard that quotation and liked it. It seemed to express a lot of what he was feeling when it came to starting the study sessions back at school, fighting the Deva, or even joining the Ministry.
She quoted another one and while Drew had been pulling for the other guy, he had to respect the idea behind those words.
"I don't think it matters," he answered with a small shrug. "You do what you can, even if it's a little bit. I mean, no one expects one person to change the world, but if we all do whatever we can, then hopefully it will be enough."
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Gail Lawrence
Witch
Leaky Cauldron Waitress
Just looking for something new.
Posts: 274
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Post by Gail Lawrence on Mar 30, 2009 20:38:22 GMT -5
Gail nodded. Even a little bit would have to be enough. Drew was right; it was better than nothing. She had no idea where she would start. The muggle world and the wizarding world were both rife with problems, and ignoring them failed to improve the situation. So many things, and with both worlds combined, no wonder it was overwhelming.
Then, she had a thought. She and Drew had just discussed this topic. "I shouldn't have to choose," she mouthed, not realizing she did not say the words aloud. There were so few who straddled the line. Purebloods were ignorant of the muggle world, and so many muggleborns either immersed themselves in wizarding life or left it altogether after Hogwarts. It was so rare that someone could integrate both sides.
"I shouldn't have to choose." This time the words were spoken.
Perhaps she needed both. Muggles were moving so fast. Wizards had such power. If they wanted, they could have gone to the moon long ago. Instead, muggles had beaten them there by 40 years and counting. And they had done it the old-fashioned way, without any special abilities at all. Maybe that was the wizards' problem, that they couldn't leave the past. The dominance of the old families proved that what amounted to wizarding 'aristocracy' was still flourishing, even though the muggle queen had little real power anymore. They still used parchment and quills!
"I choose both. I need... I..." she faltered. Ideas were coming quickly now, and it was as though she could not stop her thoughts long enough to form coherent words.
Her eyes lit. "I'm sorry, I have to go." She gathered her things and threw her rubbish in the bin. Before she left, Gail returned to Drew and kissed him on each cheek. "Thank you!" Then she rushed out the door. She still did not know what she wanted to study, but at least now she had a goal and many ideas on how to get there.
She would have to get Drew Chocolate Frogs on his birthday. Lots and lots of Chocolate Frogs.
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Drew Thornton
Ministry of Magic
Auror-in-Training
I didn't do it and you can't prove otherwise...
Posts: 14,114
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Post by Drew Thornton on Apr 1, 2009 2:14:20 GMT -5
There was a spark in Gail's eyes and while Drew wasn't exactly sure what it meant, he had a good feeling about it. When she told him that she was going to choose both, he smiled. That particular choice was pretty hard, but one he thought was Gail could handle. If more Wizards tried to understand Muggles, maybe there wouldn't be a need for such secrecy about the Magical world.
He was about to say something when she abruptly got up and left. Drew was even more surprised when she returned, kissed him twice, and rushed out the door. He was left sitting there, slack jawed and flush faced, trying to figure out what happened. maybe he'd catch up with gail another day and ask her what she had decided to do.
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