We’ve made some significant improvements in magical society over the past 15 years. We surpassed muggle Britain in many regards as we always had LGBT witches and wizards, but formally recognized magical marriage equality years before the muggles did. Much of this originated from the equality measures that immediately stemmed" from the fall of Voldemort.
Instead of moving on, we talk about her parents [check on our website for the extended interview posted at a later date] and what exactly their lives are like. She’s grateful that the time spent in 1997 and 1998 alongside her friend Harry and [now] husband Ron directly helped to create the advances in wizarding society that we see today, and most notably that her parents could safely return to Britain and their memories. We speak about the similarities and differences in equality that she sees between the magical and muggle worlds. As a former UN representative, she is up close and personal with the political differences that each world faces. I let her know that our magazine will be covering Malala Yousafzai and Hermione exclaims that she will now read this issue! [She could never read about herself before, but maybe she’ll just skip the centerfold she teases.]
The MP brought up very specific points. “We’ve made some significant improvements in magical society over the past 15 years. We surpassed muggle Britain in many regards as we always had LGBT witches and wizards, but formally recognized magical marriage equality years before the muggles did. Much of this originated from the equality measures that immediately stemmed from the fall of Voldemort. However, due to the complicated roles that many other magical beings played in the Battle of Hogwarts and before – either staying out of the battle or siding with the dark wizard – many have been not only hesitant, but vocally negative towards magical being equality. We have to move past the preconceptions of ‘dark’ and ‘light’ and recognize that a being’s proclivity to morality depends not on their blood, but from the society that they live in. If we continue to actively discriminate against them, why should we
expect them to follow our statutes and laws that so devastate their communities?”
Yet I had remembered how not all magical beings were on board with the Ministry’s recent moves and brought up the Hogwarts textbook staple “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” – notably the section on designating magical beings versus beasts. Hermione, characteristically, had a response. “In my younger – much younger – years, I thought that I needed to do every little thing possible to help those that I had deemed less fortunate. I founded S.P.E.W. and attempted to force the Hogwarts House Elves into freedom. This backfired considerably on me. We must let magical being communities decide for themselves as to what is the best measure for their equality. Witches and wizards have never been directly in their place and cannot imagine to really know the struggles they’ve faced. This comes with intense dialogue and, quite honestly, grassroots movements, but we as magical humans need to start putting the measures in place to allow for the new sorts of equality that are going to be springing up.”
I can see from the way in which her eyes light up that Hermione Granger has big plans for Magical Britain and, indeed, the rest of the Wizarding world. And these plans are to bring us to a place of greater understanding and acceptance. Where all this leads, I do not know (as I’m quite sure since Madame Trewlaney despised my divination skills). However, I do know that Hermione Granger - a war heroine, a fantastic witch, and a loving being – seeks for the best for all of us, Muggle, Wizards, and Beings alike.
- Elsbeth Riverspell
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