Jon's maturity and wisdom, rare for someone his age, surprised Lily. But that was all—she had met other mature children before. For example, the child from the Longbottom family, who had lost his mother early on, always acted wiser than his peers.
Jon's explanation eased the last traces of caution Lily felt towards him, and as promised, she was now ready to answer his questions.
"That man, Bartemius Crouch... is he really a professor at the magic school?"
Even though things had settled down for now, Jon still found the day's events mind-boggling. Ending up in a magical world he'd only read about was shocking but not impossible to handle. Yet, based on what he'd seen today, this world was like the one he knew from the novels, but it was definitely more than just that.
According to the story he knew, Lily Potter—the woman in front of him—had died ten years ago alongside her husband. Their son, Harry Potter, had famously survived an encounter with Voldemort, the greatest villain in the story, becoming the only hope to defeat the dark lord.
The man who had found him, Barty Crouch Jr., was one of Voldemort's most loyal followers—a fanatic willing to kill his own parents for Voldemort's cause. In the original fourth book, Crouch Jr. impersonates the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts, aiding Voldemort's resurrection plan. Though he succeeded, he was eventually captured by the Ministry of Magic, who had a Dementor take his soul.
In the story Jon knew, Crouch Jr. was held under the Imperius Curse by his father, also named Bartemius Crouch, and kept confined at home. How could he now be the Charms professor at Hogwarts? Would Dumbledore ever hire a former Death Eater, one technically dead, to teach at Hogwarts?
Or... was Dumbledore no longer headmaster at Hogwarts?
Jon's mind swirled with questions. Although Lily and Crouch had only exchanged a few words, they revealed a lot. Phrases like "fugitive," "the real Hogwarts," "a terrifying group of impostors," and "exile" struck Jon. He remembered each one clearly.
This was indeed the magical world, but something major must have happened that he didn't understand. For instance, if this woman really was the Lily Potter he knew...
What about Harry Potter?
Of course, Jon couldn't just ask, "Do you have a son named Harry?" Instead, he had to learn more about the current state of the wizarding world by hinting around it.
When he posed his question, Lily's expression darkened, like the surface of a stormy sea—calm, yet concealing potential rage beneath.
"According to the Ministry's official statements, about ninety percent of what he told you was true."
"He really is a Charms professor at that Hogwarts, and finding you was indeed to bring you to enroll. The letter he gave you was a genuine admission letter. But a kind professor and friendly classmates? Ha…"
Her green eyes locked onto Jon's, the darkness and anger in her gaze almost overflowing.
"Have you heard of medieval slave owners?"
Her words made Jon tense up. He swallowed and nodded.
"To that 'school,' students like you, raised in the Muggle world with Muggle parents, are nothing more than slaves in training. For pure-blood students, it's a school. For Muggle-born students, it's a conditioning camp."
"Muggle means an ordinary person—someone in the non-magical world who can't use magic or even knows it exists."
"That letter, written in ancient runes, only requires the signature of a Muggle-born student. Because that letter has another name—the 'Elf Education Contract.'"
Jon's eyes widened in shock.
In the Harry Potter world, "elf" was anything but a noble, beautiful creature. House-elves were enslaved magical beings trained to serve wizards without question, their spirits and minds wholly under the wizards' control.
Lily's voice grew icy, colder than a thousand-year-old glacier.
"You may not fully understand what 'elf education' entails, but signing that contract binds you to that 'Hogwarts' entirely. You'd receive slave-like education, wouldn't be granted a wand, and would never be recognized as a true wizard. The only official term used to describe you would be 'Mudblood.'"
Jon fell silent, shocked.
He had never imagined the world could change this much. In the original story, bloodline discrimination was an issue, but it never reached the level of outright slavery or denying Muggle-borns basic human dignity.
For things to have gone this far, with former Death Eaters like Crouch holding teaching positions, there was only one possible explanation...
The character who, at most, had been a terrorist in the original—Voldemort—had fully seized control of the wizarding world, implementing his twisted regime across Britain.
But could that madman obsessed with killing Muggles truly accomplish all this?
And where was Dumbledore? Had he just stood by as the magical world fell?
With only the scraps of information he had, Jon couldn't make sense of what had happened to turn the wizarding world into this grim reality.
He looked back up at Lily. "Mrs. Potter..."
"You can call me Professor Potter," she replied, her face impassive, betraying no reaction to being called "Mrs. Potter."
Jon took a deep breath, realizing his small test had yielded no result.
"Alright, Professor Potter," he said. "Back at the orphanage, I remember you saying you would take me to the real Hogwarts. Is that also a magic school?"
"There's no 'also.' The place I'm taking you is the only true Hogwarts. That castle no longer deserves the title of a school," Lily replied, correcting his phrasing. "Seven years ago, before the wizarding world became what it is now, Headmaster Albus Dumbledore led us in resisting that man's tyrannical rule. But even in exile, we never stopped fighting back."
"The true Hogwarts isn't bound by any single location. While we work to overthrow this oppression and restore equality for Muggle-born wizards, we also continue to provide fair and proper education for the next generation. So even without the castle, the nearly thousand-year tradition of Hogwarts lives on. I am your Potions professor and the one responsible for your admission."
After Lily finished speaking, the cabin fell into silence, and the flickering firelight illuminated Jon's calm face.
Understanding the dark reality of this world, he let out a quiet sigh and drank the last of his now-cool, thick hot chocolate.