(no subject)

[alt_seamus]

We are learning about the Goblin Rebellion of 1711 in History of Magic. I was trying hard to pay attention. And its a little easier because Padraig the Patient is one of my heros. (He wasnt really patient. That name makes him sound so dull.)

But then Professor Binns said that Padraig was a mudblood. That cant be true, it just cant. Padraig was a half-blood. I learned about him from my mum and I had a book about him growing up. Padraigs mum was a muggle but his dad was a wizard. So I raised my hand and asked Binns if he was sure. It didnt seem polite to just correct a teacher.

He seemed really suprised and then he got all impatient and yelled that there was absolutely no evidence for Padraig having a wizard father and started going on about the marriage and birth records of his parish. I said that maybe his mum was married to a muggle but that doesnt mean his real father wasnt a wizard. And Binns said there wasnt any evidence for that. I said Padraig was a brilliant wizard, he invented some really powerful charms, and a mudblood wizard couldnt have done all that because their magic isnt going to be strong enough. Binns said that isnt true and then he said that lots of great wizards have been mudbloods and started listing people.

Parvati said maybe those parents stole the magic from really strong wizards and maybe there were strong mudblood wizards in the past. But I dont believe it. Padraig had wizard blood for sure, he was way too good to be a mudblood.

Im going to write to Mr Rosier. Maybe my mum lied to me but Mr Rosier will know for sure.

Comments

[alt_padma]

Binns is dif defen definitely wrong, he has to be. Don't blame Parvati for trying to make sense of it. Padraig must have had a wizard in his family somewhere because even when muggles steal magic from wizards and make mudbloods, the magic is all bad and twisted, right? I mean, they do bad things with it and hurt people, right? And Padraig didnt hurt anyone with his magic, except maybe bad people, so he must not have been a mudblood.

[alt_seamus]

Padraig was a great hero and he did all sorts of good stuff. He put down that goblin rebellion. And then came up with a treaty that solved some of the problems well enough that the Irish goblins didn't rebel the next time the English ones did. And he invented the charm for the Unbreakable Vow.

I dont blame Parvati. It was Binns who was insisting he was a mudblood. Parvati was just trying to make sense of it like you said.

[alt_harry]

Tell us what Mr Rosier says mate. Im dead curious.

[alt_seamus]

I will! I owled him this afternoon.

[alt_neville]

I don't see why it has to be wrong, really. People can come from all kinds of different backgrounds and go on to do brilliant things. I don't know why Professor Binns would make something like that up or anything.

[alt_seamus]

But mudbloods arent like us. There are magical things like portkeys that would work even for muggles if you gave it to them and mudblood magic is kind of like that. Our magic is in our blood.

Padraig was really noble and brave. Maybe you dont understand because you arent Irish.

[alt_neville]

Uh . . . people who aren't Irish don't understand anybody being noble and brave?

Maybe people with magic who don't have wizards for their mum and dad are the only ones who can understand how they might have magic of their own. But I don't get that stuff about them stealing magic from others.

[alt_seamus]

No people who arent Irish might not understand how it feels to have a teacher insult an Irish hero.

[alt_neville]

Oh, okay. Sorry I misunderstood.

I don't think you need to think of it like that your mum had to be lying to you if Professor Binns is right. I guess whatever we know about people we've never met has to come from what someone else has said about them. Or books written about them. Then you have to figure out what would be most likely to have the truth. Maybe both your mum and Professor Binns learned about Padraig the Patient from something they thought was good evidence. For Professor Binns, it's whatever he said, the parish records, for your mum it's--I dunno. However she learned about him.

Don't know if I'm making much sense. I guess for someone who lived so long ago, it may be impossible to know for sure.

The thing is, I don't quite agree that what Professor Binns said was an insult to someone who's a hero. Don't mean to make you mad, Seamus, but I don't.

But I know that not many people agree with me on that.

[alt_padma]

Honestly, Longbottom, you call yourself a wizard! Only real wizards can do magic properly - everyone knows that.

Or are you some sort of mudblood-lover?

I think because he died so long ago, Professor Binns just is outdated. Like when they used to think that the sun revolved around the earth and then Copernicus saw that it was the other way round and so they rewrote the books then - wizards, anyway. Muggles didnt I guess, they tried to kill him instead.

So maybe Professor Binns keeps teaching us out of old books that arent right anymore.

[alt_seamus]

Well I checked the library and in Great Wizards of Ireland it said he was a half-blood and that his father was named Osgar Connolly. Professor Binns definately needs to read some up to date books.

[alt_neville]

Honestly, Longbottom, you call yourself a wizard!

Uh, yeah, I do.

Only real wizards can do magic properly - everyone knows that.

Well, doesn't that mean that Padraig the Patient was a real wizard, then? Cause he could do magic? That's all that's important. Not who or what someone's mum or dad is.

[alt_padma]

Well, doesn't that mean that Padraig the Patient was a real wizard, then?

Well, of course it does! That's why his parents must of had some wizard blood somewhere, because otherwise he never would of done proper magic!

Parvati was right, you are thick as anything.

[alt_megan]

Doesn't no evidence mean no one knows? Only we do. Sort of. Because if he was a mudblood, he couldn't have done all that. Everyone knows that. So that's evidence.

Look at the ones around the castle. Can you imagine them making treaties?

Professor Binns must have been confused. I suppose? He's awfully old.

[alt_seamus]

Hes not just old, hes dead!

[alt_megan]

Yes, but he was awfully old before he was dead. Older than my guardian! So he may have got mixed up. Some of my guardian's friends get mixed up. Not very often. And it's not funny at all. And my guardian never does.

[alt_seamus]

If he gets mixed up then why is he teaching history. None of your guardians friends are teachers are they?

[alt_megan]

I don't know.

Of course they're not. But they still tell me things. And expect me to know them. And remember them.

Maybe no one else wants to do it.