Survivors (Goldeye)

[michaelchiang]

It was a nice sunny Saturday morning with students outside. Michael would have been joining them on his broomstick if it hadn't been for news he'd been told in St Mungo's the summer after his third year.

The healers officially grounded him since the treatment he was taking to give him very limited mobility wouldn't give him any more. He'd again raised the issue of playing quidditch which led to a letter being sent to the school nurse. There was no way he'd be allowed to even fly and that was the final world.

After that he'd had to give his pads and broom to his sister and the beaters bat would remain under his aunts bed at home to help deal with burglers. The gifted broom proved to be unnecesary since Lucy now had a Nimbus 1700 and dealing with her own problems by escaping into quidditch.

One dream had ended but there wasn't much else he could do exercise wise here. He'd developed wheelchair sprints in the corridors to give him something to do and he used the gym when he was home for the summer. He still could pass a quaffle well but that dream had died.

So he from that point onward devoted spare time to developing his mind and his future prospects. So he became a more serious scholar and got more into herbology. At least he could reach plants from a sitting position as he worked on an essay for the subject.

He'd be seen in his wheelchair and wearing jeans, trainers, a dark blue FC Wimbledon football shirt (his aunts favourite team and one he'd found himself watching to) and his small round glasses. His studies were now his distractions. The place he went to get away from the worries of family life especially his sister and the frustrations of broken dreams. Survivors like him would bear the scars of the yet unfinished 2nd wizarding war for a good while yet.

[Nickarlen "Goldeye" Torlen]

Goldeye was dressed in a flamingo pink robe today, with a hat that shot rainbows out it's tip. Where these rainbows landed, they splattered, faded to grey and disappeared without a trace. A rather somber metaphor for the man who was tap-dancing into the library.

Goldeye spun dramatically and landed in the chair opposite Michael, a cane twirling in his fingers. "Why so glum, chum?" he asked cheerily. "Realizing the truth of consequences and how inescapable life is? How dreams of a life time can be shattered forever by a moment in time that was malicious and not even your own fault? How about the fact that if you really love a girl, it will always end in heartbreak? Either you break up, which would break your heart, she dies, which would break your heart, or you die, which would break your heart."

"Life is shit. Have a rainbow." He nodded his head and a rainbow shot out of the tip of his hat onto the desk in front of Michael.

[michaelchiang]

"Theres a song I heard on 'the life of Brian' which sums that up nicely Professor. 'Always look on the bright side of life'. Funny, relevant and more to the point that a book on religious dogma" Michael replied as she turned another page over and read a bit more. He barely gave the rainbow a glance as he'd caught a glimpse of the professor from the corner of his eye.

The tap dancing along with seeing people fly carefreely on brooms and even walking normally were daily reminders of what he'd lost. Easy mobility was an essential of life yet this world had no idea about wheelchair access. If his chair couldn't hover he wouldn't have been able to access most of the shops in the village. Even the ones which hadn't steps had very narrow doors.

"Doors and steps.. thats one thing can could be more carefully considered when you design a new building in the wizarding world" he added as he finally looked up at Goldeye.

[Nickarlen "Goldeye" Torlen]

"Really?" Goldeye considered the question carefully, pondering the vast repercussions of such a proposal with the immensity that such a task deserved. Doors and doorways allowed entrance. People who had entrance could be inside. But what if the doorway wasn't big enough, for say, Hagrid. The entrance is the first proper impression of a building. It HAS to be perfect. But what of the vast moral implications of such a discovery? "Of course!" Goldeye smacked the desk loudly.

"Why do we spend so much on the inside of a building? It's wasted, wasted, if the doors are not always open. If not everyone can be inside, to admire, to gather. We're fighting our primitive desire to show off!" Twirling his cane, he flicked it into the air and caught it again.

"Might I ask though, Mister Chiang, why the metaphysical question?"

[michaelchiang]

"Professor I've always considered it a practical question. When you need a bigger door or ramped entry surfaces in the muggle world like I do it makes you wonder just who buildings are designed for in this world. Not just those who aren't fully ablebodied but those on four legs or who are larger than normal. The same goes for floo chimneys. Thats only for starters.

Our worlds has had different sub-cultures for centuries. When will we become a true multi-cultural society? " Michael carefully replied. He knew what Lucy thought about species equality and he supported her in a way.

His view did differ slightly as he seen they had to be given the chance to co-exist with their neighbours. Which also meant you had to respect their cultures and cater for their needs. Things like blood being available for vampires for example. You catered for wizards and witches who were vegetarian so why couldn't you serve blood to a vampire?

[Nickarlen "Goldeye" Torlen]

Goldeye stopped mid-step and looked over Michael. "Do not pretend for one instant you understand what they feel like. Someone of your upbringing would likely of never met a vampire, Lupin was likely the only werewolf if you were around for him." He leaned over low to Michael. "What the hell do you actually know? Are you actually doing anything? No? Then stop bitching and make a difference." His mood has lapsed and he appeared solemn and quite angry.

"Behold the generation that whines and doesn't do a thing. If you're going to complain, be willing to fight, and if you're going to fight, be willing to die. I'm not going to debate with you. Don't go on strike. Blow shit up. Let the world know this constant stream of bigotry and hatred will not go on any longer. But do some proper research first. Don't study them. Live with them. Then fight." Goldeye flicked up his cane and stormed out of the room. He felt like destroying something beautiful.

[michaelchiang]

Michael hadn't even wanted the debate in the first place. The professor had approached him and hadn't even given him the right of reply. Then he stormed off in anger.

What could he do in the here and now? Not a lot as Lucy always said but she seen the future in the shape of Revan Haine's political movement. Something she wanted to be part of when she was old enough to have influence and free from school. That had fired her up at least now there was a focus to her beliefs.

Knowing things about being and magical creatures called beasts wasn't enough. He couldn't act just yet but when he came of age then he'd able to help out. Right how he had to concentrate on being a prefect and looking out for his house as well as getting through OWL's. Also fight if the yet unfinished 2nd wizarding war affected him or his sister again. He'd fought once as a member of Dumbledore's Army and nearly died then. So he could easily risk his life again if the group ever needed to be reformed.