40 World Wide Web

The sleek, white coupe glided smoothly into the visitor's parking lot of the Grunnings Corporate Office in Cambridge. Sal adjusted her cream-colored blazer, ensuring her appearance was impeccable before exiting the vehicle. Her blonde hair was styled in loose waves, framing her delicate features and bright blue eyes. With a confident stride, she made her way towards the entrance, her black pumps clicking against the pavement.

The lobby was spacious and modern, with floor-to-ceiling windows allowing natural light to filter in. Sal approached the reception desk, greeted by a young woman wearing a polite smile. After exchanging pleasantries, Sal stated her purpose. "I have an appointment with Mr. Dursley. Jamie Harper, business consultant."

The receptionist's gaze flickered to the computer screen before she nodded. "Of course, Ms. Harper. Let me inform Mr. Dursley of your arrival. Please have a seat."

Sal gracefully lowered herself onto one of the plush chairs, crossing her legs as she waited. Her eyes scanned the lobby, taking in the minimalist decor and the occasional employee hurrying by. A faint scent of freshly brewed coffee wafted through the air, mingling with the subtle fragrance of her perfume.

After a few minutes, a portly man emerged from the hallway, his face flushed and his bushy mustache neatly trimmed. Vernon Dursley extended a meaty hand towards Sal, his grip firm as they shook hands. "Ms. Harper, a pleasure to meet you. Please, follow me to my office."

Sal returned the handshake with equal confidence, her lips curved into a polite smile. "The pleasure is all mine, Mr. Dursley. Thank you for taking the time to meet with me."

Vernon led the way down the corridor, his footsteps heavy against the plush carpet. Sal's gaze flickered to the various framed certificates and awards adorning the walls, taking note of the company's achievements.

Vernon ushered Sal into his spacious office, gesturing towards a pair of leather chairs positioned in front of his desk. "Please, have a seat, Ms. Harper."

Sal settled gracefully into one of the chairs, her posture exuding confidence. Vernon rounded his desk and lowered his bulky frame into the high-backed chair, his movements causing the piece of furniture to creak in protest.

"Now, Ms. Harper, you mentioned something about potential investment opportunities and innovative materials for our drill manufacturing business?" Vernon's beady eyes narrowed slightly as he regarded Sal with skepticism.

Sal nodded, her expression one of professional poise. "Indeed, Mr. Dursley. I represent a consortium of investors who are interested in diversifying their portfolio. Your company's reputation for quality and innovation caught our attention, particularly in light of your esteemed connection to your nephew, the renowned Harry Potter."

Vernon's chest puffed out, his ego visibly inflated by Sal's words. A hint of pride crept into his voice as he spoke. "Ah yes, my nephew is quite the prodigy, isn't he? Always had a keen mind, that one. Even at such a young age, he displays a remarkable thirst for knowledge and an insatiable curiosity."

Sal leaned forward slightly, her eyes locking with Vernon's. "Precisely, Mr. Dursley. And it is that very trait that our investors find so appealing. We believe in nurturing the minds of those who will shape the future, not just through financial means, but by providing them with opportunities to explore and expand their horizons."

Vernon's brow furrowed slightly, and he shifted in his chair. "I'm not sure I follow, Ms. Harper. What does this have to do with our business?"

A gentle smile played upon Sal's lips as she reached into her briefcase, retrieving a small, elegantly wrapped box. "You see, Mr. Dursley, we believe in investing in the future, not just financially, but in nurturing the minds of those who will shape it. This is a gift for your renowned nephew, Harry Potter. A rare stone known as Tanzanite."

Vernon eyed the box skeptically, his brow furrowing. "I appreciate the gesture, Ms. Harper, but Harry has already received countless gifts and accolades from admirers worldwide. He's become quite accustomed to such attention."

Sal's voice took on a warm, understanding tone, her words carefully crafted. "Of course, Mr. Dursley. Your nephew's accomplishments are truly remarkable, and it's only natural that he would be showered with admiration. However, this gift is meant to be more than a mere token of appreciation."

She leaned forward, her eyes locking with Vernon's. "It's an opportunity for you, as his esteemed uncle, to nurture his insatiable curiosity and thirst for knowledge on a personal level. A child's mind, no matter how brilliant, still craves guidance and mentorship from those they look up to."

Vernon's expression softened, his desire to be seen as a positive influence in his nephew's life evident. Sal seized the moment, her words flowing like honey.

"Imagine the pride you would feel, Mr. Dursley, knowing that you played a direct role in shaping the intellect of the brilliant Harry Potter. This stone could spark his imagination, fuel his desire to learn and explore the wonders of the world around him, with you as his trusted guide."

A flush crept up Vernon's neck, and he straightened his tie, puffing out his chest. The idea of being associated with his nephew's fame and success was too tempting to resist. "Well, when you put it that way, Ms. Harper, I suppose it couldn't hurt." He reached out and accepted the box, cradling it in his meaty hands. "I'll make sure Harry receives this gift. He'll appreciate the sentiment, I'm sure."

Sal beamed, her expression one of genuine warmth. "Excellent, Mr. Dursley. I'm certain your nephew will appreciate the gesture, and the thoughtfulness of his esteemed uncle."

As the meeting progressed, Sal expertly navigated the conversation, her words carefully crafted to appeal to Vernon's sensibilities and stroke his ego. By the time she departed, the seeds of their plan had been sown.

oo0ooOoo0oo

Lucas sat hunched over his computer, his fingers flying across the keyboard as he used the new World Wide Web. The soft glow of the monitor illuminated his face, casting shadows across the room. He paused for a moment, leaning back in his chair and stretching his arms above his head. A small smile played at the corners of his mouth as he thought about how far ahead of its time this technology was, by two years to be exact.

He leaned back in his chair, his mind wandering to the contributions he had been making to the development of the internet. As a software engineer in his past life, he had an intimate understanding of how the internet would evolve, and he was using that knowledge to accelerate its progress in this timeline.

He had been working closely with Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of HTML, introducing him to concepts from HTML5. Lucas smiled as he remembered the look on Tim's face when he explained the potential of semantic elements, the <video > and <audio > tags, and the <canvas > element for graphics. These features would make the web more interactive and accessible, and he was kind of excited to see them implemented years ahead of schedule.

But his contributions didn't stop there. He had also been advocating for improvements to HTTP, the protocol that allows web browsers to communicate with servers. Drawing from his knowledge of HTTP/2 and HTTP/3, he had suggested changes that would make the protocol more efficient and secure. He had explained how multiplexing could allow multiple requests to be sent over a single connection, reducing latency. He had also emphasized the importance of header compression and server push, which would further optimize performance.

Lucas had spent countless hours writing detailed specifications for CSS, JavaScript, JSON, RESTful APIs, and SSL/TLS. He had drawn from his experience as a software engineer, outlining best practices and potential pitfalls. He had made sure to present these specifications at conferences and publish them in journals, knowing that widespread adoption would be crucial for their success.

A small chuckle escaped his lips at the thought of JavaScript—a language he had played a pivotal role in shaping from its very inception. In a world where JavaScript wasn't even a concept in someone's mind, he had been crucial in introducing concepts that would have seemed alien in the early-90s. Lucas had laid the groundwork for JavaScript to evolve beyond the limitations of its original design, integrating features like block-scoped variables, arrow functions, promises, async/await, and classes right from the start. These enhancements, borrowed from the future, were designed to equip the language with the robustness and expressiveness necessary for the complex web applications he foresaw. Lucas knew the impact these advancements would have on the web's interactivity and functionality, effectively leapfrogging years of gradual development and setting a new course for the digital world. His interventions were shaping JavaScript to be a cornerstone of web development, far ahead of its time, ensuring that the web would grow in ways more dynamic and interconnected than its original architects could have imagined.

And with the digital age accelerating, the Wizarding World will have to adapt, he contemplated. The Statute of Secrecy will become harder to maintain as technology advances. Cameras, sensors, and data analysis will make it increasingly difficult to hide magic from the Muggle World. But this would've happened with or without me, and I think it's very possible for the Wizarding World to conceal itself even with technology advancing. There will be new spells and methods to conceal data in the future, I'm sure. In any case, it's possible to use Swooping Evil venom to obliviate an entire city the size of New York, so there are a lot of options available.

His mind then turned to the future, to the concepts he had yet to introduce. Cloud computing, in particular, held immense potential. The idea of providing computing services over the internet, with resources that could scale on-demand, would revolutionize the way software was developed and deployed. Lucas was already planning how he would introduce these concepts, perhaps through a series of whitepapers or by founding a company that would pioneer the technology.

He thought about the companies he had invested in - Microsoft, Apple, IBM, and others. His growing influence with these budding tech giants gave him a platform to push his ideas forward. But he also knew that he couldn't rely on his reputation alone. His ideas had to stand on their own merits, to be genuinely useful and innovative. And they were indeed useful, since they were proven ideas from the future.

Sadly the implementation of all of his ideas would take time. He had written detailed specifications for everything he had introduced, but the world didn't move that quickly and it would take time for everyone to grasp it all. 

As he saved his work and sent off an email answering questions about JavaScript, Lucas leaned back in his chair, his thoughts turning to Hogwarts. He had just graduated from university at the end of June, and his eleventh birthday was approaching at the end of July. He would be getting his official letter soon and would need to shop for the remaining items on his list.

Suddenly, he felt a warmth against his wrist. His eyes narrowed as he stood up, his heart rate quickening. He focused his mind, visualizing the Thermal Currents of the Vast Sea and Glow of the Depths spells. Information flooded his senses, telling him of warmth and life around him. After a few tense seconds, he sighed, realizing he was likely being targeted by some organization.

They're more subtle than the Ebon Hand, he thought. They do their work when I'm not around and then disappear. Smart.

He was about to wave his hand and disperse the air, which was likely filled with a lethal gas, but he hesitated. There could be spy cameras in his study or his room. He had to be careful not to show overt signs of magic.

Cautiously, he opened the door to his study and cast a Muggle-Repelling Spell across the hallway to keep the Dursleys away. He also placed an invisible wall of air around his room, protecting Nyx and his snake scouts.

With great care and subtlety, he manipulated the air, guiding it out the window and into the sky. His wristband stopped heating up, indicating the threat was gone.

Back in his study, he meticulously searched for spy cameras but found none. However, he did discover a small box on his desk, hidden behind some books. He levitated it, encasing it in a barrier of earth, fire, air, and water. When nothing happened, he dissipated the barrier and found a small sapphire-like gemstone inside. His wristband heated up slightly as he brought his arm near it.

Frowning, he pulled out his Divination Orb and began scrying, searching for any suspicious activity within a steadily increasing radius. But after thirty minutes, he was drenched in sweat and no closer to an answer.

I need to improve my divination skills, he sighed internally, frustration bubbling up inside him. If I could divine the past of this gemstone, I could find who did this without all this effort.

But divining the past or future was not as straightforward as scrying the present. He suspected it had to do with his lack of an 'Inner Eye'. Perhaps Hogwarts would have books on the subject, or he could use Legilimency on Trelawney to uncover some hints.

For now, though, he needed to figure out how this gemstone had appeared in his study without alerting his snake scouts. He had a suspicion that someone had manipulated one of the Dursleys to bypass them.