Although Christian was tired from today's training, he still proceeded with tonight's meditation before checking the memory room, as he called it, before sleeping. Over the past month, he had checked one memory a day, but most were useless.
He was tempted to check these larger or more luminescent vapors, but did not dare gamble. He took his mother's warning seriously regarding unknown magical phenomena. As such, until he finds a way to organize these memories, he reckoned he wouldn't gain much from these things unless he were very lucky.
The next day was Sunday, and he did not have school. After breakfast, he checked and wrote mail to his former language tutors, practicing his calligraphy so as not to be rusty. He did not know whether he could continue once he started school, but Sango should have no problem delivering letters from Hogwarts. The only issue is how to explain suddenly sending letters through an owl.
In the afternoon, Christian used a Portkey to travel to France to a match between the Holyhead Harpies(an all-female team) and the Puddlemere United.
"You never told me the rules of Quidditch," said Christian after reaching the stadium.
"There are three chasers, two beaters, one keeper, and one Seeker. The keeper is essentially the goalie. The Chasers are strikers and score by throwing the Quaffle(red ball) through the goal hoops. Each goal is worth 10 points." Tiara pointed at the hoops to show the different positions.
"There are black balls called Bludgers bewitched to hit everyone in the field, and the Beaters, who are essentially defenders, have bats to hit them away from their teammate or towards the opponent. Seekers are the most critical position; they have only one job: catching the Golden Snitch. The snitch is worth 150 points, and the game only ends once it is caught."
"Wait, the game only ends once someone catches the Golden Snitch? There is a time limit, right?"
"Nope. The longest game in recorded history is three months."
"You must be joking, right?"
"I am not." Christian was speechless; he could not fathom watching an entire game for three months. "Wouldn't it make sense to have a time limit, and the final score by then determines the match?"
"What's the fun in that?" replied Tiara. "The best Quidditch Match is during terrible weather, like a thunderstorm, and watching the Seeker fight against nature for that little ball."
Christian shook his head as he had never seen this side of his mother. However, he was glad to see her so jovial. Although she hides it very well, he sees sadness in her eyes when she thinks she's alone.
The match was indeed exciting, especially with the performance before things started, followed by the excited crowds and all the snacks. The Puddlemere United had a slight advantage during the game as they were not afraid to commit many fouls to intimidate their opponent, but in the end, the Holyhead Harpies won the game as their Seeker was smaller and nimbler, catching the Golden Snitch after half an hour.
"What do you think?" asked Tiara as they left the stadium.
"It was exciting. I only wish they could use wands and spells. That would have made it even more interesting."
"That's a terrible idea."
"Why?"
"Can you imagine what kind of spells these people would use when their team was losing? With the adrenaline rushing through their brains, I doubt few could keep a rational mind."
"You have a point."
"…STUPID THING….DO…THING…"
Christian looked in the distance and saw a well-dressed gentleman with his cane beating a large-eared creature dressed in rags.
"Do you know how embarrassed I was?"
"Dak is sorry. Dak promises Master to be better."
"How many times have you said that?" the gentleman groaned before beating the creature even more severely. Christian took a step in their direction, but Tiara held him.
"Why are you stopping me? He's obviously hurting that poor creature."
"Your intervention will only make the situation worse."
"What do you mean?" asked Christian, trying to control his anger. Tiara sighed, "That's a house elf."
"And?"
"Do you remember the conversation we had about racism and discrimination after what happened to us in the US?" Christian's body trembled as he remembered that dreadful day. "Why are you bringing this now?"
"The magical world is no different from the Muggle World, as it also has these issues. However, instead of discriminating based on people's skin color, they do it based on their bloodline status."
"Bloodline status?"
"Purebloods (people with two magical parents), Half-bloods, and Muggle-Borned — people with no magical parents but awakened their magical prowess. Many old families are obsessed with their status as purebloods. Because of their wealth, status, and power, their influence has integrated deeply into every aspect of the magical world, turning this issue into a systematic one."
Tiara looked at the poor elf and secretly waved her hand. The well-dressed gentleman flew in the distance and crashed on the floor. He stood up, looked around, and yelled, asking who attacked him. Furious that he could not find the culprit, he stormed out with the house elf following behind. He also did not forget to give him one last kick.
"One of the influences of these ideologies is the wizard's sense of superiority towards Muggles and all other magical races, even the ones with intelligence," continued Tiara.
"Wizards' law forbids Goblins or any humanoid, magical creature from using a wand. The tensions between Goblins even reached a point where they rebelled. Meanwhile, house elves have been enslaved for hundreds of years."
"Slavery? How is that acceptable?"
"These poor creatures have been brainwashed for so long that servitude has become a part of their culture — a part of their inheritance. The only way for a house elf to regain their freedom is to receive a piece of clothing from their masters. However, 99% of them believe it is their greatest shame to attain freedom. I have seen countless house elves who allowed themselves to starve to death or commit suicide after being freed from their servitude."
"That's horrible."
"Indeed."
"Isn't there anything we can do?"
"Such systematic issues are complex and cannot be dealt with easily. One day, you can try to use activism and other means to change things. Or, maybe, pursue a career in politics."
Tiara did not want her son to see the ugliness of the magical world so soon, but some things were out of her control.
"Okay, let's go home."
…
"Christian, what's on your mind?" asked Bart, sitting on a comfortable sofa with a pen and notepad in his hand. "Your mother told me you've been feeling down lately. Talk to me."
Christian lay flat on his back, staring at the ceiling. After a few seconds, he sighed, "I guess I'm disappointed."
"Oh, elaborate."
"Magic was such a wonderful, and well, magical thing, and I guessed I romanticized it. After what happened with that Dark Witch, I thought that was an isolated incident. But after that match, I kind of had to face the reality that things were not as beautiful as I imagined."
"So, you're having a hard time accepting this change in how you perceive the magical world?"
"You can say that. Just like how a child first learns that Santa Claus is not real, I guess I'm experiencing a similar thing, something akin to the loss of my innocence."
"And how does that make you feel?" asked Bart. "Do you feel the desire to reject this truth and pretend it does not exist?"
"No, I understand I must face the truth," replied Christian. After what happened to him in America, his aunt taught him he could not run from these problems.
"Anyway, this was not the first time I faced such a harsh reality."