Chapter 10 : Interview
[Author note : Sorry guys for the late chapter ! I completely forgot to upload it this morning ! Anyway, new chapter of the Iron Lad squib with not much action but... Letting you hope for some in the next chapters ! Don't know how much you'll like it, though.
If you're interested in my stories or want to encourage me, please check out my Patréon : https://www.patréon.com/user?u=66371596 (replace the é by a normal e) or look for Cathbel on their website
KoSP : 2 advanced chapters
The Squib who became Iron Lad... In DC : 3 advanced chapters
Enjoy !]
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Edmond, Sarah and Susan were listening to the Wireless as the radio host, Miguel Acosta, of WUSAW was greeting one of their family member :
« Welcome, Mr. Stark, to our show ! »
« Please, Miguel ! Call me Ned ! Mr. Stark's my father… Or Ed ! »
They could hear the smirk on Ned's face when he said the last part, and it brought a wry smile to their faces.
« Alright, Ned ! I'm glad you accepted to come, especially with the recent legal battles opposing you and MACUSA about your… How do you call it ? Techno-mancy, was it ? »
« That's right. Why wouldn't I come ? Despite the sometimes extreme measures taken by MACUSA to ensure the Statute, our country is still a free one. In fact, I understand those measures… What with the horror the original English Wizarding settlers had to go through when they tried to mix with the no-majs… The Salem's witch trials, in particular, were… both shocking and revolting. But I like to think that, both our societies have evolved since those dark times ! »
« So, you're saying that No-majs aren't a threat ? »
« No, no, no ! On the contrary, Miguel ! I think most witches and wizards don't give no-majs enough credit in that regard… It probably has to do with how the History of the Witch trials is taught to our children… »
When Ned said this, it made Miguel a little wary, but not only was he curious, he knew the listeners would be, as well :
« What do you mean, Ned ? Is there something we missed in our History that you somehow noticed ? »
A pause, then :
« Not really… » Susan could almost hear her brother shrug while saying this. « Maybe it's because I'm a squib, but I think our Historians wanted to make the no-majs threat appear more harmless and ridiculous that it really was… I mean all those people burned at the stake… Are we really supposed to believe that, when the fires were put out and the witch or wizard, laid there, in the ashes, not a burn on him or her, the no-majs did… What ? Nothing ? Or that they let the condemned keep their wands because they were inept enough to not strip them of their possession ? Or that every witch and wizard ever found out somehow knew the spell to make the flames harmless ? What of the children ? And the no-majs-born ? »
He let the silence speak for itself after all these questions before he started to answer them :
« No, I think that, despite what is taught in Illvermony, Wizarding Kind lost a lot of people to the Inquisition and the fear of magic… Otherwise, the Statute of Secrecy would have no reason to be, wouldn't it ? »
« So… You agree with the Statute, then ? But, what about your techno-mancy ? »
« I understand it. At the time, it was the only way to end the paranoia and killings. Religion had too much power… Power, they didn't want to share and, well… They saw the power Wizarding kind held and felt threatened. So, did the nobles and politicians. It was wise to take a step back… » Silence. Miguel asked :
« I'm sensing a but, somewhere… »
« But ! Times have changed. With the advent of science and its swift progress in the last centuries, no-majs are probably less prone to superstition and fear. I'm not saying they wouldn't be a threat anymore… On the contrary ! Some of them, the governments, the militaries would probably aim to study our kind, weaponize us against their enemies… Or, if we took up arms against them somehow, they would slaughter us. However, that's also why things can't keep going the way they've been going ! »
« What do you mean ? Why shouldn't they ? Especially if what you're saying is true. According to you, the Statute was and still is protecting us… Why should things change ? »
« It protects us, but for how long ? » Ned paused to let his words think in. « I know that most of us in the magical world think it's impossible for the no-majs to find out about our existence… And even if by some chance they do, they just have to be obliviated. However, what most people don't know is that their population is growing exponentially while ours… Well, we've always been a small minority. There will come a time when the Ministry's personnel will just not be enough to treat every instances of magic used in front of no-majs. Not only that, their means of gathering information is becoming more and more diverse and complicated for us to remedy : surveillance cameras in cities, cellphones they can carry everywhere with some models already possessing cameras and ways to share testimonies, photographs and videos across the world. Their technology is evolving much too fast… And it makes me think that, perhaps, the time for Secrecy will come to an end. »
* * * * *
While Ned Stark and Miguel Acosta were having a conversation, a group of friends were listening to them on the Wireless in an island country of Europe. A red-head among the group who was lazily lounging on cushions reacted with derision :
« Like they'll ever find out ! Ha ! This Stark fellow's really full of it ! »
A bushy-haired girl who was previously looking at the magical device with concentration sighed hearing this :
« Actually, Ron, I think he's right… Every day at home, I can already watch the news from all over the world. Muggles have journalists all over, with camera crews. Not to mention, the police, the muggle law enforcement, make more and more use of security feeds. In museums, near and in government buildings, they install these cameras in order to keep track of who comes and goes… When there's a crime, they just have to pull up the footage around the time it happened to gather clues as to who might have done it… Of course, the Obliviators are aware of this and they usually erase the feeds when there's an incident involving magic but… As Mr. Stark said, our numbers compared to the muggles is much too low… »
Harry Potter, with his unruly hair and the famous scar on his forehead asks :
« What do you think we should do ? »
Hermione shrugged :
« I'm more interested in what he thinks we should do… »
* * * * *
« We've been getting sidetracked… So, before we get back to the subject of this interview I have one last question to ask : if what you say is true, what do you think we should do ? »
« Well, for one, we should prepare the Wizarding population for when the secret is out. Isolation and secrecy is all well and good, but when the people you hide yourself from knows you exist and actively search for you, that's when the problems start. Our cultures and worldviews are too different… Moreover, most of us never bothered to even try to understand their culture. This needs to change ! »
« Then, much like the no-majs politicians are doing, we should work on our image. As of now, do you know what no-majs see of us before getting obliviated ? People in strange attire with no common sense performing impossible feats, strange phenomenons with more or less harmful effects, or worse… direct magical attacks whether by disgruntled or dark witch or wizard or by magical creatures. This is something that, if we do not want the full brunt of their military knocking on our doors, we should not let them see ! Instead, we should show them benevolence. Healing their sicks, helping during natural disasters and providing relief efforts. Of course, there will always be naysayers and other unhappy people afraid of magic, but if we work on showing them how they could benefit from our presence… Well, I think it can only do some good. »
Another pause, then, with an audible smile on his lips, Ned added :
« Or, we could work on colonizing another planet from our solar system and emigrate there ! »
At first, the host wasn't sure how to react but he soon burst into laughter. Ned was only half-kidding however… He was already working on blueprints for a spacecraft, though he was really just starting at this point. The fact of the matter was, despite how he presented it, he knew there would be push-back from the no-majs. The idea of an entire race of people with magical powers, even if they were few in numbers comparatively, would be frightening to them… Especially for those in power.
However, soon, the government would be overwhelmed by the rise of metahumans. Wizarding kind just had to ride this wave, present themselves in a good light and maybe, just maybe, things would turn out well enough…
« Alright, that's enough of that ! My superior here at WUSAW are buzzing in my ears that I should get on with our topic… Your product. At this point, only you and MACUSA are aware of what it is… Can you tell us more about it ? »
« Well, Miguel… I won't bore you with the technical details. Suffice it to say that, I've managed to create portable sources of magic power. And the first item I want to merchandize is this… A portable phone. Much less bulky than what no-majs are able to make these days and with a few additional functions I think squibs like me will appreciate… »
Miguel interjected :
« First, I have to ask for our listener… What's a phone ? »
« Think of it as the two-way mirrors we use to communicate long-distance, only mostly with just sounds for now. Now, normally, those mirrors are connected to each other so they're rather limited… You can't just communicate with anyone and the other person you want to talk to needs to have a mirror connected to yours. With these phones however, you enter a code or a phone number of the person you want to talk to and their phone will ring. Then, you can talk to pretty much anyone as long as you're somewhere covered by my network… »
« What did you mean by something squibs like you will appreciate ? »
« It's better if I show you ! » Ned exclaimed excitedly. « Now, you know as do pretty much anyone who knows me that I'm a squib, right ? I can't use magic. »
« Hm… Yes ? »
« Well… » A smile was present in his voice as he chanted : « Wingardium leviosa ! »
« What the… » Miguel started, then he described professionally : « You guys can't see this but… Ned Stark just started levitating the table. Oh, it's lowering now ! » A soft thud was heard and Miguel asked : « How did you do that ? »
« Once again, to explain it fully, I'd have to get technical. Besides, it's kind of a trade secret for now. Let's just say that, this little device contains a small magic battery. It's nothing too big and the spells someone can use with it are simple. Lumos, Wingardium Leviosa, a few others not too demanding magic-wise… You just have to tap on the icon for the Spellcasting application and call out the spell. Like I said, at the moment, it's nothing too impressive, but it can give squibs like me the feeling of using magic of their own… And I think a lot of people would like that. It would make them feel more… included in our society. »
« That'… Wow ! That's impressive. Despite what you say, I think it's a real breakthrough ! » Miguel paused, then said : « Now I understand why MACUSA refuses the sale of these device… If no-majs got their hands on it… »
« They'd be able to use it too… Of course, I understand their fear. But it would also be a way for them to feel… closer to our kind. And understand us better, too. That said, I don't plan on selling these devices to no-majs. Not if things stay as they are… That's also one of the reasons why we ask our clients for their bio and magical signature. It is then registered into the phone the person is buying, therefore, if the phone hands in someone's else hands, it can be remotely portkeyed, either to the person's home or one of our shops. »
« Oh, wow ! » Miguel and Ned continued to talk in this show for a while, thousands of witches and wizards listening to him around the world… At least, those who heard about him and his interview on WUSAW…
* * * * *
For the first time ever since he donned the armor, Ned was standing in the light. Metropolis was a very bright and rather beautiful city… If it weren't for the smoke, fires and sounds of explosions resounding underneath him. Face-plate lowered on his face, Ned watched the devastation caused by the first alien invasion… Probably the first of many.
Then, he looked up to the invading ship in the distance. It vaguely resembled a skull with tentacles protruding from the sides… Ned shivered in fear. Brainiac's ship ! One of Superman's most powerful enemies… In some iterations of Superman's story, he was the cause for Krypton's destruction. Ned wondered briefly whether that was the case, here. And then, there were the different versions of Brainiac's origin story. A Kryptonian AI, an alien who attacked their world…
As Ned was gradually losing to his fears, he shook himself out of it, talking to himself out loud :
« Come on, Ned ! Even if you can't deal with Brainiac, that doesn't mean you can't help ! There are people out there who are waiting for someone to rescue them ! »
With a deep sigh followed by a clenching of his fists, Ned propelled himself toward the city.
[Author note (again) : Sorry about the cliffhanger but... Well, I needed time to think about the battle when I initially wrote it. Still hope you liked it ! Later, guys !]