*Missis Granger POV*
It was more than a month since the boy, named Magnus started living with our family. In the beginning we were hesitant to take an unknown kid to our house, but we couldn't just leave him live on the street either. So, we took him in, after continuous pressure from our daughter Hermione.
However, the longer he lived with us, the more we liked his presence. After he came into our house, breakfast was always waiting for us when we wake up. He also helped with cooking of dinner and supper. Helped to clean house, despite working. And that was another positive about him – extremely hardworking.
To get money for study, he never even once considered asking us for money. He works 7 days a week and not part-time, but full-time and still finds time to help us in the house. He was a perfect kid if you ask me, but one thing about him was concerning. He is very talkative and always brings positivity whenever he is with us, but as an adult I can see deeper beneath his façade. What I see there is a lonely kid.
Sometimes, when I wake up especially early, I see him sitting in kitchen after making a breakfast with a face that feels and look very different from his usual one. As if he contemplates live or thinks deeply about something. He is more mature than some adults and that's what bothers me. Kids get mature so early only in few cases, and none of them are positive.
Sometimes, I want to just hug the kid and say that he can stop worrying about everything and just live happily, but just as I make a step forward, I think if I have a moral right to say so. I am not his parent and from what our daughter said he is also an orphan who lived alone since he was a kid.
My daughter is still young and not very thoughtful, so she never asked him why he as an orphan did not live in an orphanage like normal kids but worked since childhood. This question always bothered me, so I finally decided to ask him.
I woke very early that morning, but Magnus already made breakfast and was sitting there, staring into nothingness. I came up to him, thinking he won't notice me, but when I was 2 meters away from him, he instantly noticed and greeted me.
"Good Morning, missis Granger."
"Good indeed but a bit too early for you, isn't it?"
"I am accustomed. Breakfast?"
"Later maybe."
"Okay"
I didn't know how to ask this question, without offending him and apparently, he noticed my deliberation, so he said first.
"Is there something you wish to discuss, miss Granger?"
"Yes, there is and please don't be offended by my question. Magnus, I always wanted to ask you, why didn't you live in orphanage?"
There was a silence after this question. Not an awkward one, like when you ask an uncomfortable question, but a heavy silence that pressures you harder with every second. After a minute of this silence, he finally looked at me and asked a question of his own.
"Do you want a true reason or an honest answer?"
"What's difference?" I was confused by his question.
"Difference? There is none and that… is the difference."
"I don't understand."
"What do you see, when small one/two-year-old kids are playing with small kittens that were born not long ago?"
I thought for a bit, before answering.
"I see them having fun together, I suppose. They hug them, pet them and overall enjoy each other. Why do you ask?"
He smiled and laid back in chair. Then he closed his eyes and started speaking with a very calm and steady voice.
"And I see 2 sets of living creatures, let's call them… first and second. First creatures are void of mercy, with near unlimited wish for exploration and experimenting. In that process they were able to find second, whom they force to do their bidding. In the meantime, second has to comply to whatever first desires, because second has no power to resist."
After saying all that, he opened his eyes and looked at me.
"Now tell me. Which of the 2 answers we gave is a true reason and which one is an honest answer?"
I wanted to refuse, because his words were absolutely horrifying. How can somebody perceive it this way, but then I started thinking. And the more I thought about, the more I understood that his words contain some truth. That made me contemplate even harder, because I couldn't imagine how could he, a kid, come to such a description of the situation.
"This is…"
"This question is rhetorical, because it has no correct answer."
"What do you mean?"
He smiled and said.
"It doesn't matter what I mean. What matters is what you think I mean."
The more we talked the more confusion took over me.
"I though your answer is a true reason, but then you said it has no answer, so I honestly have no idea what you mean."
"I never said so."
"But…"
"I said it has no correct answer. You see, true reason is something void of subjectivity. However, as soon as you try to tell it you are actually conveying your honest opinion of that matter."
I got a little frustrated after his explanation, so I asked.
"Then what's the point of asking what I want to hear, in the first place? You can't tell me a true reason anyway!"
But he calmly answered. At this point I caught myself thinking that it was he who was adult in this situation.
"Intention, Expectation and Contemplation."
"Huh?"
"If you pick true reason, then I should have intention to think and try to convey true reason with as little of my perspective as possible. It does not make it less of an honest opinion, but it helps you see true reason clearer. This is intention.
Expectation is on your side. When you expect to hear true reason, you will look for reason in my answer. Subconsciously you will know reason is not 100% true, so you will try to understand it on your own, thus probably understanding true reason on your own.
Contemplation is about talk we had before that allowed you to understand the intricate difference between honest answer and true reason. When you gave honest answer you didn't think much, but when I implied that I am going to tell a true reason, you mind started to contemplate over my words even before you fully comprehended them. That is why you feel understanding of my point slowly coming to you."
"I …"
I wanted to say something, but I just didn't know what. What he went through to mature so much and see world in such way?
"In the end, I would give an honest answer. I did not like it there, so I left."
Magnus just answered my question with one sentence in the end. This whole conversation was in the end finished with one sentence. I was surprised and tried to see some hidden meaning in his words but couldn't, so I just asked him.
"That's it?"
"Did I need a better reason?"
"But you talked about so much just to finish conversation like this? I don't understand. You could have lived in an orphanage."
I saw how he ruefully sighed.
"Remember the cat and kid situation. Try projecting this situation on orphanage. Who do you think I was? A cat or a kid?"
'So that was why he talked about it?'
"You are a cat, right?"
"Do you see me as a cat?"
He asked me back once more. I feel like this conversation is leading me nowhere.
"Can you for once answer me directly?"
"I can't. The whole point is for you understand that what you perceive is not a reality. It is your subjective perspective. What you need to think about is why you think I will feel better in orphanage. I feel good on my own. I have no one to worry about. Nobody holds me back. I have books to read, food to eat and bed to sleep. What else should I have?"
"But you are just a kid. It is not normal for you work like an adult. You need some people to care for you, help you with studies, play with you and …"
I was interrupted by quiet laugh from the boy.
"Well I see your point, but do you really think orphanage is an equivalent of parent?"
"I don't, but …"
"Then why are you describing a parent? Miss Granger I don't think we will ever understand each other. I like to live unfettered. Now that I know there is magic in this world, I found my goal in life and I will strive for it. Nothing can stop me on the way to this goal."
He smiled and continued:
"I do appreciate your concern for me, but I lived like this for many years and don't feel any burden. Have a nice meal. I will go for a run."
Then he left and I did not know what to say once again.
'Who is an adult in this situation?'
Anyway, this gave me a lot to think about. Moreover, because Magnus is so hellbent on not going to orphanage, I am thinking about something. However, I need to discuss this with Wendell(husband), first.
*Magnus POV*
I relievedly breathed out after exiting the house.
'This woman is either dumb or too persistent. Can't she understand I am avoiding this topic. I am mentally exhausted now. Leading her in circles while looking like I am explaining something, so tiring.'
Thank god, in my past life I liked contemplating about life and philosophy. Otherwise I would be in a huge problem, because I didn't want to give any details about this world. Lying about something even if small will lead to snowballing effect.
My background and my life stories are lies already even if I thought it through, they have holes. I shouldn't build new lies on top of it, for now. Maybe after I will raise speech to 50 or 60, I can bullshit through anything by having very thick plot armor, but now let's keep it simple.
Talking about speech, this conversation with Miss Granger was a tough one. I got a raise in speech twice and that taking into consideration I got a raise recently. Apparently my first ability, the one I obtained from the speech tree helped a lot.
〖Strong argument 1/4 (25)〗
〖Your words and sentences hold more weight. People listening to you, with higher probability will trust you. Higher chance to win in verbal arguments.〗
By the way, now that I have speech at 26, I can upgrade this ability. Shame I don't have any skill points. Next level up, I need to consider this carefully.
Also, I cleaned up my saves. I deleted 4 saves, which I didn't need anymore.
Thanks to my cooking steadily raising, I decided to discuss my position with restaurant's chef. He said he can make me apprentice chef, looking at my skills and raise my payment, but if anyone complains on any of my dishes in the next week, I lose my week payment and return to previous position.
I decided to save before agreeing in case he will intentionally fail me. And if he won't I will easily pass, I will just save(first time, then overwrite) every 30 minutes on the work. This way if I fail on dish, I will just go back and redo it.
By the way, 2 weeks passed since that cursed legilimency check, but nothing bad happened, so I assume I am not a suspect on the case anymore. However, I have a very strong hunch that the auror dude still suspects me. That is so bothersome, but whatever. I just need to be more careful with my future actions.
If only I knew how that damn trace works…
*Progress*
『 Alchemy 27 | Sneak 25 | Speech 24 ➔ 26 』
『 Studying 29 | Wand Making 26 』
『 Herbology 24 | Magic Channeling 27 』
『 Magic Chanting 24 | Magic Gesturing 24 ➔ 25 』
『 Magic Theory 32 | Astronomy 22 』
『 Riding Expertise 21 | Crafting 21 』
『 Playing Games 17 | Enchanting 17 』
『 Cooking 25 | Training 22 』