Numinous [A Wizarding World Story]

iv.

Friday the second of September dawned cold, grey and raining. Adelaide barely made it to the Great Hall in time for breakfast, and as it was, she almost had no time to scoff down a slice of toast before the warning bell for morning classes rang.

"Someone overslept a little bit." Wil laughed as she slid onto the bench beside him, across from Ava. Adelaide nodded, buttering her toast and then spreading it with a generous helping of marmite before stuffing it into her mouth.

"I was up late reading through my Muggle Studies textbook." She replied between mouthfuls. "I wanted to see if they got anything wrong this year."

Ava leaned forward, interest piqued, resting her chin in her hands.

"And did they?" She asked.

It was a well-known fact between the three of them that Adelaide had had a mostly muggle upbringing, despite both of her parents coming from magical families. However, her father, as a half-blood, and her mother, as a squib, had wanted herself and her siblings to be well-versed in the normalities of both worlds – Mr Hayes so that his children would get along well with their non-magical family members, and Mrs Hayes in case any of the three had turned out like herself (though in the end, none of them had).

"Very little this year. Professor Burbage vetted the textbook very well apparently." She admitted. "The only thing I've found so far is a sentence that mentions electricity blackouts preventing muggles from functioning correctly."

"How do you mean?" Ava was listening attentively. Wil, on the other hand - though he had his head cocked to one side, ear raised as though taking in the information – appeared to be slightly more interested in the waffle on his plate, which he was attempting to drown in maple syrup.

Adelaide chuckled, polishing off her toast and reaching for a pitcher of pumpkin juice.

"Lots of muggle technology operates on electricity, but not all of it does. There've been quite a few recent inventions involving wireless technology, and people still have access to books. So, when a blackout occurs – that's when the electricity malfunctions and stops working – there are plenty of things for muggles to do to keep themselves occupied, and functioning as a society."

"Fascinating." Ava breathed. "You really need to invite me over during the summer. I'd love to see some of this 'wireless' stuff."

Adelaide shrugged, noncommittal, and drained her glass.

"Why aren't you taking Muggle Studies then?" She asked. Ava sighed, rifling through her book bag and pulling out her schedule, which she slapped down on the table in front of Adelaide.