Chapter 5 : Explanations

Meanwhile, in Ilvermony School of Witchcraft and Wizardry…

Susan was enjoying her fist meal of the day when the chatter started. At first, it was small with only a few British exchange students talking about the happenings in their home country. But, then, it started spreading as the rest of the students became interested. Although it didn't touch them directly, many among them had heard stories from their grandparents about the Grindelwald War… Hearing about a Dark Lord resurfacing, especially after he'd seemingly died, was bound to draw their attention. Even if the aforementioned Dark Lord was on another continent, who knew if his ideals might cross the Atlantic in the future. And even more important : the war.

On the other hand, Susan wasn't exactly worried. She figured, with her dad working in MACUSA, that she'd be among the first informed if worries were needed. So, when one of her housemate started talking to her friend across from her with a newspaper in hand, she only briefly glanced at the pictures due to curiosity…

The knife halted in the air over her bread as she blinked a few times. Suddenly, her gaze turned sharp and she rose from her sit to grab the paper.

« Hey ! What gives, Stark ? » Her housemate exclaimed. However, seeing the frantic expression, the vigor with which she was clutching the newspaper… When he saw her frown, he felt a shiver run down his back, making him hope that she wouldn't notice him… Especially so, when she declared :

« I'm gonna kill the little shit ! »

Thankfully for him, she stormed out of the room without paying further attention to her housemate, taking the paper with her…

* * * * * *

The youngest of the Stark family was snoring away, recuperating from the last day's exhaustion when he was rudely awoken by the incensed voice of his mother. Half groggy from his sleep, at first he didn't understand why she was so angry and yelling at him. On the side, his father had taken on a firm stance, but he could be seen glancing at the armor standing in its display case.

« Wha~ha ? » Ned asked, yawning loudly while rubbing the crust around his eyes. « I'm exhausted, mom. Why are you so angry ? »

« Why am I so angry ? » She parroted. Then, as if once wasn't enough, she repeated again but in a rising tone of voice : « Why am I so angry ? » She brandished a paper and put right in front of his face, almost touching his nose. Now, even if he wasn't still half asleep, he wouldn't be able to read it. Snatching it out of her hands, he looked at it once more…

« Whoa ! » He exclaimed. « Our press is rather effective isn't it ? This just happened yesterday !

« Oh~? And how would you know that ? »

Resting his eyes on his picture in armor in the background of Dumbledore and Voldemort's duel, Ned started to catch on. He didn't miss the underlying threatening tone promising unimaginable pain his mother was using… Scratching the back of his head as he felt dread creeping up his spine, he stuttered :

« Well… You see… I was… Ahem… » He tried to divert the topic : « Hey, dad ! You're on vacation, right ? »

His dad, who was observing his armor intently, suddenly looked at him while making 'stop that' gestures. Indeed, his mother hadn't liked it :

« Don't you try to change the subject, mister ! Now, answer me ! Why were you halfway across the world participating in a battle you had nothing to do with ? »

He coughed embarrassedly and muttered in a barely audible voice :

« Field testing the armor… »

As Sarah was ramping up for another bout of yelling, he continued :

« Come on, mom ! You can't expect me to believe you didn't notice I was building a magical armor ? What did you think I was planning to do with it ? Go to a renaissance fair or something ? »

She frowned. She did notice but, like his idea of an external and artificial source of magic, she didn't believe (or understand) half the things Ned was planning and creating. And now, she didn't understand why her little boy was intent on putting himself in harm's way. Her anger was overcome by the worry she was feeling ever since she saw the article.

« Why ? » She asked simply.

« Because the world isn't safe, mom ! You have guys like these… » He showed her the article and continued : « … who want to impose their political views through violence. And if they succeed, people like me, no-majs born and probably the no-majs, too would be rendered slaves and toys for the supremacists to play with. »

« But it's in England ! »

« Yeah, but what about when they have to flee overseas or, worse, they somehow managed to win their war ? Or if there're people sharing their point of view here ? What if they decide to emulate them or become a branch of their movement, here in the United States ? » He sighed. « I know what you're going to say. This didn't happen and it might not even happen. But, I still have two reasons why I prepare myself… First, it's better to be prepared and not need it, than be caught with my pants down. Like the roman general said : 'if you want peace, prepare for war'. And second… » He paused, not sure how he should explain himself.

« And second ? » His father gently asked. Since Ned had managed to calm Sarah's anger, he didn't mind participating in the conversation anymore.

« It's not just the Wizarding World… » He just said and shrugged. Ned got up and headed for his desk. Rummaging through it for a while, he continued to explain : « Whether it's the no-majs scientific advances, our own stupid mistakes or freak occurrences caused by magic, the Statute of Secrecy is approaching its expiration date. It's even more likely to arrive since we've cut ourselves almost completely off the no-majs society. It's almost a stigma now to be interested about their cultures and creations. When we do, we're either considered like weirdos, or liars… The truth is that the speed at which their science advances is increasing over time ever since the Industrialization in the 19th century. My guess is they'll find a way to detect magic in a few decades at most… Again, if we don't somehow blow the whistle ourselves. »

Ned dropped a heap of newspaper clippings on the desk and declared :

« And then, there's the no-majs own weirdness… Some remain hidden still, either because it's easier to operate from the shadows or some other reason. While others… » He retrieved an article with a picture of two buildings with the blurry form of a man in red and blue taking off the ground. « … They don't bother to hide ! This article is from a very serious, very reliable no-majs' newspaper called the Daily Planet. Inside, you'll find an interview of this man… » He pointed at the blurry figure. « …who claims to be an alien and the sole survivor of his people which explains why he can do what he does. »

« No matter if he's foreign or not, the Statute of Secrecy is worldwide. MACUSA will fall on him sooner or later ! » His mom said and looked at his father, who shook his head in denial.

« Not a foreigner, mom. An alien ! As in, coming from up there, in space. And if his story's true, it begs the question : what else is out there ? 'cause you can be sure that not all aliens are as benevolent as this Superman dude. » Taking a deep breath, he concluded : « That's why I made the armor and why I went and tested it in a real battle. To be prepared for worse… »

Sarah went silent. She wasn't sure what to say… That her own son was alarmist ? It might be true, but then he was and still is a genius. No one before him was able to build something like the mana battery, much less his reactor ! Moreover, unlike her, Edmond or even Susan, he spent years studying among no-majs : he knew what he was talking about. As for the articles, although she didn't really believe in them, her son did and that was enough for her.

As for Edmond, they already had this talk… or at least, parts of it disseminated during their long hours working on his son's designs. When Ned talked right now, Ed almost felt how desperate for power he was. This drove home something his son never really showed : his disappointment at not being born a wizard. But it also showed how brilliant and determined he was ! Using only his mind, he was able to give someone without magic, magical powers ! Because this was what his armor was at the end of the day… A way for him to use the magic he was deprived of at his birth.

Finally, his mother retorted :

« I still don't see why you would put yourself in danger in such a way ! »

« Because, mom, the way our societies are right now, we're too different. If we're discovered as we are now, or worse, a dark wizard outs us by slaughtering a bunch of innocents, we'd be seen as a whole, as evil. Especially since we've lived hidden from them for so long. »

« You want to be the bridge between our two kinds… » Edmond remarked.

« It's a bit presumptuous but, yes. But, not just that… If I present myself like this guy did by gradually building my reputation as a savior before introducing myself to the world, I can control the narrative… Or at least, be a part of it. »

« So, your plan is to parade and fight bad guys in this ? » Sarah exclaimed in disbelief.

Ned looked his mother in the eye and nodded seriously. Unlike him, he knew his mother was never really corrupted by the idolatry of comic heroes… He wasn't even sure she knew what a superhero was. After all, in the U.S., they didn't have the amazing Dumbledore or anyone like him. If they had, maybe she'd be able to understand Ned's feeling of wanting to join the ranks of his heroes.

He couldn't even expect her to understand his urgency in arming himself. The threats of this universe were… too many to count. Of course, he was terrified. In fact, every time he thought of a situation where he'd operate alongside the Justice League, he almost had a panic attack. The Justice League was created to face the threats that no single hero could face alone… This meant that, neither Superman, with his overpowered body and incredible powers, or the Flash with his speed and the power to alter reality by traveling through space and time, or Wonder Woman, the Demi-goddess, or… Anyway, none of them, despite being powerhouses on their own, could save the day against those things alone. Alien invasions, gods, demons, Elemental Guardians…

Ned noticed his hand trembling and with a shaky voice, he told his mom :

« Some part of me wants to do this for the thrill. To say that I, poor squib in a magical family, was able to stand shoulder to shoulder with people like this. To stand proudly among my family because of my own achievements. While another part… » He paused. « Another part is just terrified. It wants to crawl into a hole and hide. But it also knows that… there's no hiding. Not anymore ! »

He clenches his fist :

« So, I won't ! I'm gonna do my damndest to face the problems of the future, by preparing early and learning. » After a moment of silence, he apologized : « I'm sorry to worry you, mom… »

Sarah was frozen. She finally understood. At least, some of it… Ned might have appeared to just shrug off his status as a squib, the truth was that he did not. And how could he, really ? When, for years, they've treated him so carefully, as if he was made of glass, as if he would break… It was their fault, too. He wanted… No, he needed to prove himself. To prove that, even without magic, he could accomplish great things. And even if, to them, he already had, it wasn't enough… He needed to prove it to the world ! To no-majs and wizard kind alike !

She sighed, feeling defeated. How was she supposed to react ? Her son might still be a minor but he's always been pretty independent. Just the fact that he already built a company, with very little financial aid from their part (aid that was already repaid), was proof of that. Besides, it seemed he was already very successful at the stock exchange. Though she needn't be, she was afraid of pushing her son away if she came too hard on him. She asked herself if it was also because she considered him impaired, before she dismissed it and talked to her son :

« Alright, Ned. You win this one. Just… Promise me you'll be careful ! »

He nodded seriously, then, with a cocky grin he bragged :

« Of course ! Don't you know I'm a genius ? »