Chapter 48 Part 2

6th of June 1942

Nicholas POV

His eyes glancing towards his wife who seated comfortably on a Persian rug with a glass of wine in her hands, with a pleased and relaxed expression on her face as she enjoyed the brisk summer weather. She turned to him "What do you think he'll show us?" She asked with a curious expression on her face.

"Bah! How would I know!" he grumbled as he leisurely took his seat next to his wife.

"You don't have to pretend to have creaking bones, you know" Perry said with a sniff though he could see mild amusement in her eyes.

"Ah but dear wife, but I do!" he said with a flourish as his eyes twinkled "I must always be the same" he said with a waggling finger with an lazy grin.

She scoffed but handed him a glass of wine as they watched the rolling hills of the Portuguese countryside. They'd...elected to vacate France for the time being until things...settled down. They had no concern with regards of their manor being found but they'd found the current climate a little stifling, even in the comfort of their homes.

He must of unconsciously sighed "France?" she queried and he looked towards her and smiled a little. She knew him so well. He supposed after 600 plus years, it was to be expected.

He nodded slightly before returning his eyes to rolling hills of Alentejo. A small rural place that they'd often vacationed throughout the centuries. It was peaceful and it allowed them to intermingle with muggles without much problems.

It was a nice way to relax.

She hummed musically as she sipped on her wine "It will be over soon enough. Maybe not in a years time...or even five, but eventually he'll lose."

He glanced at her in the corner of his eyes before he refocused on the horizon.

"They always do, I suppose" he finished for them.

"Dark Lords rise and fall, it is the nature of things. At least the true Dark Lords...not like those in the Americas who characterise themselves as one."

He chuckled mildly but said nothing else.

She was about to say something until she saw something in the corner of her eyes, something he saw too.

They turned their eyes skyward and Nicolas squinted his eyes "Is that an enchanted auto?" he questioned as it neared.

They both got up "No, it's far too elegant." Perry answered.

"Mhmm, we should be careful"

She turned to him with a raised eyebrow "I think Nicky, the safety measures you've used today covers us well enough" she said amused before she returned her eyes to the sky.

The vehicle, which was more oval shaped than arrow shaped, was quiet, almost completely silent if not for the mild sound of air displacement and even then, he had to strain his ears to hear anything.

The vehicle approached them and slowed down until it hovered slightly above the ground some couple of dozen metres away from there. 

Legs protruded from the vehicle and it landed quite gracefully.

"Shall we?" Nicolas asked with some excitement as he extended an arm and Perry looked at him with a mild smile and took his arm.

"Well, it seems that Atticus has quite the surprise for us." Perry said as they walked.

He chuckled softly "Do you think it's as capable as Egyptian carpets?" his eyes gleamed in excitement. 

He really did love those carpets. The Dynasty IV edition was marvellous! It even had ability to pitch a small tent on it without fear of it falling off! 

She sighed lightly as she glanced at him with mild disapproval in her eyes "You're still not getting another, I still remember vividly what happen in 1902" she said with thinned lips.

"Ah!" he exclaimed "It was never that bad!" he defended weakly. It had been pretty bad.

He'd been testing an alchemic solution, one that...enhanced...life experiences...in high altitude conditions whilst he was flying on his carpet. Suffice to say, it had been a bad idea and Perry had to ensure he didn't kill himself whilst he had the time of his life. 

Unfortunately he hadn't been permitted to do it again.

It saddened him deeply. 

He sighed dejectedly but soon enough his attentions were grabbed.

The vehicle opened its hatch with a small hiss and he could see the young man standing there as the ramp fell down.

He looked at them with a small smile that he couldn't help but return. They'd met several times in the last few months, talking about various things, mostly about magical theory as he picked their brains.

Whilst he knew many of the notable theories, he had a fantastic grasp of it instinctually that many would not reproduce in their lifetimes. That he's managing it at seventeen was more than a little impressive. 

Nicolas had been talented in his youth though he'd been especially talented in Potions, Magical Theory and Alchemy. He made up for the lack of raw magical power with dedication, obsession and the intellect needed to excel.

"Nicholas, Perenelle!" he greeted with a smile as he descended down the ramp and walked towards them.

His wife disentangled herself from him and walked up to him gracefully and took him in with a hug.

His wife has always been a warm person, well, warm to those she liked. She certainly liked the boy.

She'd demanded to go see him after they'd heard about the terrible news that had befallen his family which was in fact what had instigated their frequent meetings.

Perry and Atticus parted from their hug "Atticus, good to see you." She stepped back.

"Indeed." He said as he clasped Atticus' hand.

He indicated with his head "Let's go shall we?" he said as he let go of Nicolas hand.

Nicolas almost bounced on his heels as he neared the ship. He looked at the exterior first and brushed his hand on the hull. "These runes..." he said as he felt the indentations, tracing his fingers on the symbols.

Perry and Atticus walked up to him and the young man hummed "Those are runes that protect the outer hull from various elements and dangers" he answered.

Perry looked at him with narrowed eyes "I see you've applied Aldrecht's principle of buoyancy." She said slowly as she walked towards the front of the ship and he followed her until they arrived at the front. "Dearie, even Kristoff's runic sequence that is typically used for furnaces." She eyed him with the corner of her eyes "A lot of protective runes on this flying boat"

"There are a lot of things that the ship needed to be protected against" he answered with a smug expression on his face.

"This is no ordinary...ship is it?" Nicolas asked slyly with a gleam in his eyes. Atticus laughed merrily and his smug expression only deepened but he said nothing.

He returned his attentions to the front of the ship. It was as sleek as the rest of the ship barring a clear space at the curve of front section.

Nicolas had seen some of the muggle planes, curious as he was, and he'd known, as had Perry, the vague resemblance, even if it wasn't in resemblance but merely in function.

"Let's go inside shall we?" Atticus asked them and they agreed.

They made their way towards the hatch and as they stepped into the vehicle, his eyes widened dramatically. 

The walls of the ship were lined with golden lines and runic schemes that were far more intricate than the ones on the hull.

They were linked towards the massive diamond wardstone and he made his way towards it. He saw the runes that enabled the ship whilst he saw runic schemes he hadn't seen before. 

Fascinating. The runes were used in a brutally logical method that he hadn't seen before, quite different from the elegant runic schemes he'd seen in his Runes Mastery.

"Did you find this stone or did you make it?" he inquired as he glanced at the young man.

"Created it" he answered with a smile. 

"Alchemically?"

A satisfied gleam was in his eyes "Transfigured actually. Permanently." He answered.

He laughed happily and Perry looked at the young man with curious gaze. "Can you do it with everything?" she asked plainly.

He suspected the boy might be able to do it after his Transfiguration Mastery.

The young man mulled it over before he nodded slowly "I can do it with everything...as long as I understand the molecular structure"

"Even precious metals?" Nicolas queried even if he knew the answer.

The young man smiled all but confirming it. Perry chuckled softly before she turned to him "Well Nicky, I did tell you" she said with a twinkle in her eye.

"Bah!" he grumbled. They'd had a bet to see if there was more to Atticus' mastery. She'd suspected that he'd cracked permanent transfiguration but he'd been a bit more doubtful.

Perry walked away from the wardstone towards where her eyes caught something of interest. "These plants..." Perry trailed off as she inspected the transparent trunk, catching his attention. He made his way towards her and he recognised them with ease. They were plants that were quite efficient in producing oxygen and recycling air.

"The plants are to ensure that there is always a supply of air in this ship. It is a self contained ecosystem, effectively. I didn't need to create a biodome, simply to ensure that I have a large supply of replenishable air" He answered.

"Now if you'll follow me, I'll show you why we're here today" Atticus remarked as he went off into the next room. Perry and he followed.

They came into the room just as he sat down. He turned to them "Take your seats. There is a locking mechanism that you need to use before we take off. It's a bit muggle and quite unnecessary with magic but when I made this, I kind of went overboard with safety" he said with a mischievous grin.

They did as he asked whilst he concentrated on the strange buttons he was using. The front melted away in a strange fashion as the opaque metallic front made way for a transparent window.

"Oh" Perry said in surprise as she frowned in concentration "You've charmed the front much like the entrance of the 9 ¾ platform?" she asked curiously.

"Almost" he confirmed with a smile as he turned to her "I did take my inspiration from it but it's not nearly as complex as that mechanism is. It only appears to be the same." He then went on to explain what he did and Nicolas had to admit it was creative.

He didn't see much point in it, simply other than you could do it but then he supposed that was reason enough.

The young man checked them over to ensure they were strapped in before taking his seat again and putting his hands on the wheel that sprouted from the dashboard.

He turned to them with a wild grin "I don't like that grin" Nicolas said warily.

Perry laughed with a tinkling quality to it "My dear, now you know" she said with an expression that said she enjoyed his wariness.

Before he could reply, the ship jerked up and he watched as the ship begun to rise in altitude. He glanced at the young man just in time to see him move the wheel towards an upward angle and the ship jerked forward at an speed that he'd never been at before.

Perry began to giggle as she bounced a little in her seat and sent him a wink that almost made him forget how high they were going.

"Atticus" he asked warily.

He laughed "We're not there yet." He glanced at them "Don't worry...I've done this quite a few times" he said with a mischievous grin.

He said nothing to that as he looked in the side window and was just able to see how far up they were as he could now see the outlines of the Earth.

He turned to Perry who sat just in front of him and he could see that she was becoming a little worried.

"Where exactly are you taking us?" Nicolas asked intently as he tore his eyes away from the side window.

"Somewhere only two other people have been" he said with a knowing smile before he returned his attentions to the wheel.

They all remained silent as the cloudy sky disappeared as they rose above the clouds. He looked on with fascination as he saw a sea of clouds below the ship as the night sky began to clear up.

"He's taking us..." Perry breathed out in awe as her stood transfixed on the sky.

"Into the void" Nicolas said with a little grimness in his tone.

The void had been, at a point in his life, of interest to him that he soon lost interest in as he pursued more...earthly endeavours. But there was always something about the void that had interested him but practicality and lack of worth had made him ignore it.

They'd known that the stars were very likely like the Sun for hundreds of years but with the lack of effects of the stars on magic like what the moon and the sun have made any other exploration into the nature of the stars beyond the use of constellations by some Divination experts pointless.

The blue haze of the sky disappeared completely and the sight of stars and the moon in all of its splendidness came into vision.

"Beautiful" his wife breathed out in awe as she stared at the sights. They'd seen the moon in countless detail as they'd been gifted with a powerful magical instrument that vividly shown them the details of the surface of the moon but to see it like this...with their eyes even if it was still distant.

He heard clicking sounds and he turned to it and saw the young man get up and making his way towards them. He waved his hands and they were both unstrapped.

Atticus helped Perry up with a large smile as he got up. It was a strange smile...one that he'd never seen on the boy and even less in the meetings they'd had since the death of his father.

It was unadulterated, it was unhidden and it was unrestrained...one that spoke of joy. It was a smile that he recognised in those who held complete passion in their craft.

"You've taken us into the void" Nicolas said with ease as he watched the young man carefully.

He was readjusting his assessment of the boy. To do this at seventeen...

He could do a dozen masteries and it wouldn't be as spectacular as what he's done today. There'd been plenty of people throughout their history that were purported to fly into the void.

Icarus was one such example. The muggles had taken to believe the story to be one of cautionary tale...one that spoke warningly of reaching into the realms of the gods. A metaphorical tale.

But for magicals...well, it was a true story. Icarus had been a mage who wanted to reach into the void and so he developed a flying harness that would take him there. It had been an event that several dozen magicals had witnessed and had included quite a few muggles too.

In the end, Icarus had fallen several kilometres away from where he'd taken off from and the remnants of his body had shown that the upper echelons of the sky were deadly.

And so, like so many avenues, it hadn't been investigated any further with conclusive evidence.

Until now.

"I have" he confirmed softly as he watched them with sparkling eyes. He turned away from them towards one of the walls and tapped it. 

A door opened and he walked through it. He glanced at Perry who only smiled in return and followed Atticus.

They came into an expanded room, the same grey metal walls until the young man waved his hand and the grey washed away and he breathed in deeply as a section of the room became transparent.

His knees weakened as he stood transfixed...mesmerised at the sight. 

It was one of the most beautiful things he'd seen before and he'd seen much in his long life.

He didn't know how long he'd been watching but he felt his hand held by a soft hand and he turned and saw Perry looking at the sights of the Earth with glistening eyes.

He glanced at the boy who stood there watching them with keen eyes.

"When I first saw the Earth, time became meaningless as I took in every detail, every little speck, awed by the beauty of the place we call home" he said with a soft wistful tone...with eyes that were distant and filled with a strange melancholy.

Perry turned to him with emotional eyes "There is not much we have not seen in our lifetime...we have lived through much...seen much but this is perhaps one of the greatest gifts" she said with earnestness in her voice.

Atticus simply smiled to her and inclined his head before he waved his hand and two chairs came into existence and his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Wandless conjuration...of this complexity and ease..." he murmured as he watched the boy.

Perry hummed softly as he led her to her chair before he sat in his own chair.

"Full of surprises" Perry said softly as she intently watched the young man who took a seat opposite them with the Earth in the background.

"What you've achieved today..."

"Is nothing in comparison to what I plan in the future" Atticus said with a fervent tone as he captured their eyes.

He'd watched the boy carefully. He'd been watching the boy carefully ever since he'd seen him again after his father's death. His magic had always been incredible to see.

Both he and Perry were attuned to magic more than most people...one that they obtained with age...as they ventured into the depths of magic.

They'd never used mage sight directly on him for he was blinding, almost as much as old Albus. It was what truly triggered their desire to talk with him in Alexandria that fateful day. 

He exuded magic, it was remarkable to see and now...both he and Perry had been worried about him...not just because of the psychological issues that the death of the boy's father would warrant but because there was a tinge of darkness to his magic...one that gradually was decreasing but it was still there.

The wandless conjuration only sparked his interest. Wandless conjuration...anything other than the elements was remarkably difficult. Charms were much easier to do and it spoke of his capabilities in magic.

They'd known he'd eventually become an Archmage but he was certain, now, that he was most likely one already, before he'd even reached his final maturity. 

It was a frightening prospect. One that worried both of them...even if they had impressions of the boy that he was unlikely to become a menace like Grindelwald.

But it only takes one tragedy...one more tragedy for such things to change. Albus had been lead away from his path of domination with the death of his sister, through actions of his own.

Something fundamental was often a trigger. He hoped that this boy...that this boy would not have another trigger.

The young man got up from his chair and turned his back on them as he stared towards the Earth, an action he easily followed.

Atticus raised his hands and the window that showed the Earth expanded to encompass the entire room almost, except for the ground and the back wall.

Nicolas glanced at the Earth and saw that they were above somewhere in Morocco, though it seemed the craft was going to go west, towards Central America.

"When I was a child, whenever there'd been a clear night sky, I'd lie down on the grass, my eyes fixed on the sky, watching the dim lights of the stars pass over me" Atticus whispered softly with a reverent tone and Nicolas turned to watch him. He was standing slightly angled, enough so that he could see some of his face. 

"My sister used to join me from time to time" Nicolas heard the smile in his voice "I'd wonder about them, these stars, stars that are almost inconceivably distant, trillions upon trillions of miles away. 

Stories, legends, have been written about them, countless tribes, countless civilisations, known and unknown have wondered about them too. Some thought them to be the souls of the departed. Others believed them to be Gods watching over us, the Moon and the Sun being the father and the mother of the Pantheons." 

Nicolas sensed a strange melancholic tone to his voice, a sadness that felt...personal. 

"So many origin stories about the world, about the universe" he turned to them with an reverent gleam in his eyes that was gone as soon as it arrived "This world..." he trailed off with a strange tone before he turned slightly to look at the Earth before returning to them again "I do not believe many people will truly understand the beauty of this world amidst a sea of nothingness, isolated and alone...until they see it...until they see it with their own eyes the magnificence of the home our species was born to...the home that cradled us...that nurtured and allowed us to grow into what we are now" he said with a distant smile that almost seemed sad.

"Oh I don't know" Perry chimed softly "There are many beautiful things on Earth..." she smiled kindly at the boy "But I do agree that it gives a certain different prospective..." she looked at the Earth with mesmerised eyes "It highlights the fragility and the irrelevance of the conflicts that are on it" she sighed.

He smiled deeply and inclined his head as he looked at her with deep respect in his eyes "Just so." His smile turned saddened as his eyes grew distant "And yet, there will be many who only see something to conquer...something to dominate, to take" he said with a grim tone.

They grew silent as they all contemplated on his words until he broke it. "Why have you done this?" Nicolas finally asked with immense interest.

"I understand doing things just for the sake of doing things but I doubt that was the purpose of this ship or even why Perry and I are here" he commented intently as he searched the boy's face.

He sighed before he took his seat, his hands entwined his lap, and met Nicolas' gaze with intensity.

"There isn't a single reason" Atticus said as he looked at Nicolas with a piercing gaze.

He gestured at the Earth "My curiosity has always been insatiable and I'm somewhat of a dreamer" he said with gleaming eyes before his face fell into a serious expression "But I'm also a realist." He glanced at the Earth. "Our world is a broken one" he said with a tone of finality "We are abnormally against change as a society, at the very least most of the magical societies in Europe." He turned to them with hardened eyes.

"And those who do want change, and can bring about change, are often those who want to do it at the cost of others, to enrich themselves and a select few." He said with a harsh tone.

He glanced at Perry and saw that she agreed, at least to some degree, of what he was saying.

Perry was the more...sceptical of the two of them. Their long lives, their magic, made them fundamentally different to muggles in the way they saw the world, the way they interacted with others. 

Change was hardly ever welcome. There have been countless of Dark Lords that weren't true Dark Lords but those who sought to bring about change forcibly when legal ways had been closed to them.

And often those people were off muggleborn or half blood origin, those who were harshly excluded from the higher tiers of magical society.

Both he and Perry had taught at Beauxbatons almost a dozen times in their 600 years of life, to encourage and nurture a certain of thinking that was continuously ebbing away as society hankered down on their ways, growing ever more resistant to different ways of thinking. It was their influence that ensured that France was the most progressive nation in Europe and even then, it paled in comparison to the Americas, in particular MACUSA.

Atticus continued when neither said anything but remained listening with rapt attention "This ship..." he trailed off for a moment as he seemed to think on how to explain "This ship was always going to be built. My fascination with the way the universe worked, the advancements the muggles have made would have always resulted in going into the void." His eyes shone with pride before they dimmed and became somewhat sheltered.

"Though whether I would have brought anyone with me, at least at this stage, was quite unlikely." He leaned back in his chair, lips pursed "For a long time, I believed the magical world to be almost without any redemption and had been making plans to seclude myself away, somewhere in the world away from both civilisations, at a home that I'd build myself, seeded with magical life, free to learn and experiment without the turmoil and conflicts that occur in both worlds."

Nicolas' eyes widened and Perry beat him to it "What makes you say that?" she asked in a surprised tone and Nicolas saw a flicker of recognition in her eyes of Atticus' desire.

Atticus sighed and Nicolas could see a kind of tiredness in his eyes as Atticus glanced at them with weary eyes. "The prejudices, the bigotry, the inherent societal imbalance, the forced illegalisation of entire branches of magic, the perception that muggles are less than animals when they are perhaps the largest threat, other than ourselves, to wizardkind" he listed off almost in an emotionless tone "All of it, all of it is a unstable mixture in a small cauldron waiting to explode at the slightest change in environmental conditions.

To change all of that, to halt the stagnation that has seeped into the magical world would require a monumental task that I had not believed I could achieve. My suggestions, my ideas and those who would be able to bring about change in our world for the better, all of it would be unwanted and I would have find myself fighting my entire for something that I'd be lucky to get away with, with only political opponents." He said with thinned lips.

"When I began my forays into science after my curiosity was sparked into a burning inferno, I learnt how far behind we were, how...incurious a people we could be. We live for centuries and yet there is little change from someone who was born in 1550 to someone born in 1920. Knowledge rather than increased, has decreased and hidden. Compared to the muggles, they've had several ages that caused monumental change to their existence that someone from 1500s would not be able to recognise in 1942." He said with a disappointed tone, an unhappy look on his face, a hint of shame in his eyes Nicolas recognised.

Nicolas eyed him carefully. He found it odd that such a young man could have a sceptical view of the world. But then the desire to change things was a common thing in the young. Nicolas had felt it in himself. 

The youth would always be the ones who would seek to change things, their desires, their energy driving them towards it. But age tempered all, and rarely were there individuals who could truly change things.

And those who did...they tended lose their way, hardened and darkened by their actions.

Was this the fate of this boy, he wondered. 

He knew that Albus had a deeper link with Grindelwald than he'd ever admitted, a personal tragedy marked him for the rest of his life. Where Albus shied away from power, deeming power as the corrupting factor in people, Grindelwald went and sought it, to use it to affect change in the world, where Albus sought to halt it.

He had to ask the burning question...

"And what made you change your stance?" Nicolas asked with ruder tone than he intended "You said you believed that the magical world was almost without redemption" he said with shrewd eyes.

Atticus smiled thinly and his eyes grew distant before he looked away towards the Earth. "I'd heard about the Aurors who'd arrived in Sudan too late to save a magical child and their family. They'd been brutally killed by the natives for their 'witchcraft'" he derided with fury in his eyes that soon left as he rubbed his face with his hand 

He glanced at them with strange glint in his eye. "It made me realise that I did not dislike the magical world, that I did not hate or dislike our people, but rather the systems, the laws, certain aspects of our culture and the society itself." He looked again at the Earth and Nicolas could see a wistful expression on his face.

"Magic is a wonder and those who have magic in their blood are just as wondrous and I hadn't thought of that until I heard what happened to that family in Sudan. I hadn't thought about the thousands, maybe even tens of thousands of magicals who live in regions in the world where they'd be killed should their magic be discovered." He turned to them with passion in his eyes "These people who'd die for the crime of being magical, the people who are marginalised in the magical world for faults not of their own and could achieve much if given the opportunity, all of these people would never reach their potential, to embrace magic in the way it should" His eyes were luminescent as magic rolled off the boy.

He sat transfixed as the boy captured their attentions.

"I love magic for all that it is, I love the diversity of life, the diversity of magic that exists, permeates all around us, within us, and that tragedy made me realise how derelict to Mother Magic I would be if I decided to ignore the plight of our people, if I ignored the rupturing of our society from within and later on, outside"

He couldn't help himself. "Our people are resistant to change." Nicolas idly commented as he watched the boy carefully.

Atticus gave a sardonic little smile and inclined his head "Yes. But I do not seek to force through change" he said a glint in his eye "Not through violence, for violence would only undo what I would seek for our people" a sentence that eased Nicolas' concerns somewhat.

"And what do you seek?" Nicolas leaned forward as he gazed at the young man.

The young man's eyes gleamed "For our kind to be on a path to fulfil our fullest potential" he said with a determination that he hadn't heard from him before.

He strode forward, met Nicolas gaze when he uttered his next words "I want to see the lowest witch or wizard, even a squib, to rise to the highest of positions based on their achievements, based on merit." He whispered passionately that carried through the air "I want to establish a society that investigates everything, that asks why and how and 'what can we do about it?' and try to understand everything and anything" his brilliant violet eyes with emerald flecks that gleamed like stars as they shone, driving the point whilst he passionately spoke of his sincere desire.

"A noble desire" Perry remarked softly, kindly and Atticus turned to her with a gentle smile and respectful dip of the head before he looked at them, his eyes flickering between them, a serious expression on his face.

"And it is a desire that I have spent much time pondering about, to determine where the faults lie within our world. I have thought about the nature of our society, the nature of why we have not developed in a similar way to the muggles and I've come to conclusions, while obvious are startling" He said with a neutral, guarded expression, his arms crossed behind his back as he looked at them intently.

"Oh?" Nicolas asked curiously

"The muggles are interdependent on each other. They need to coexist, cooperate, build together in order to survive, in order to prosper. Such interdependence has allowed for civilisations to begin to form as peoples took root in fertile lands, primitive social systems, over time becoming more expansive, numerous, more complex and fairer, as their numbers increased, as their existence was eased by new technological developments.

For a long time, we fitted in one way or another...as shamans, as priests, as healers, as advisors and so on. Of course, the vast majority of our kind never had such privileges but those that did, were part of the social system of civilisations. But just as they advanced, so did we. Magical education became more and more available to the masses, no longer were families confined to the knowledge they themselves accumulated. And then wands became available to the masses, exponentially making magic easier to use, to manipulate." He paused momentarily as his words settled in the room.

He eyed them with intense eyes "And as a consequence, it removed the dependence of magicals on muggles and in many ways, the dependence of magicals amongst ourselves"

Nicolas narrowed his eyes "And why is that such a bad thing?"

"I never said it was a bad thing" he said with a wry smile before he turned serious "But it does hamper the development of social structures. The establishing of the ICW, of Ministries only came to be because it was a change forced on the magical world, to protect it from the threat of the muggles." He pointed out before he leaned back in his chair, turning toward the Earth, eyes looking distant.

"Power remained and remains in the hands of the Old Families, concentrated and hoarded without limit or purpose other than for themselves. Representation is a farce and a mere bidding process of who can promise what and how much rather than being elected based on merit and agenda that seeks to drive the magical world forward" he shook his head disdainfully. 

"And the problem is that unless these Old Families make the lives of those who they 'rule' over difficult, anything they decree largely doesn't affect the families within the borders of the Ministry. After all, magic makes us almost completely self sufficient. We can build our homes on little land, a barely competent wizard will never starve, and we can defend and hide ourselves from most threats with only a few spells. This self reliance makes the majority of our people barely invested in magical society as the core needs remain, for the most part unaffected, unless specifically targeted." He pursed his lips as he stared at the Earth.

"And that makes stagnating the magical world easy. There is no need to drive forward with new ideas, different perspectives...we hide behind our traditions, the behaviours of our ancestors as a reason to fight against change that would benefit magical society. We reject those from muggle heritage and their ideas that could well invoke the change we need to progress." 

"Yet the muggle world progresses through conflict, through war." Nicolas said evenly. "Yes, the muggle world is changing and shifting all the time but it is done on the blood of thousands...of millions." 

"True, war pushes the muggles forward as they compete with each other. But it is also not their sole way to progress. The systems they've developed allows them to seek out different routes to life to enrich themselves or to establish a name for themselves in ways ours doesn't truly allow. 

At the heart of it, competition is something that defines them and they have developed their governance, their society on this notion, to make things fairer for the lower members of their society so that they can uplift their status and social standing through their chosen field.

And from establishing fairer conditions for competition, comes the notion of accountability, of responsibility that the magical world lacks for the most part. What accountability exists for those from noble families who can bankroll Dark Lords with impunity, people that can bribe officials with zero consequence? What responsibility do those in power have other than to themselves for the most part?" he shook his head.

"And how do you suggest to implement accountability and responsibility? How do you define such things?" Perry asked of Atticus.

"By changing the culture, by giving us a direction" He answered simply "Culture is ultimately the most important way to change the structure of society. Our culture stems from family and it rarely extends any further than that. Muggle society has ever changing culture, fitted to the age they're in. And this is what I intend to work on." He said passionately "Of course that is long term." He remarked with a tiny smile.

The boy brought his hands in front him with his palms facing upward.

He glanced at Nicolas "You asked why I had done this."

"This ship was made with purpose" he nodded deeply "One of the main reasons was that I wanted to find out if with muggle knowledge of physics and magic could create a vehicle that could sail in the void" he grinned as he gestured the ship with his head "Suffice it to say it worked" he said with a small smile "But it is merely the beginning of what I intend to do"

The boy's eyes glowed slightly as something begun to coalesce in his hand...it was at first formless until it turned into a misshapen rock about thrice as large as the boy's hands.

"This is an asteroid...one of the many between Mars and Jupiter." He looked up as the rock floated above the boy's hands. 

"The sizes and consistencies of the asteroids are varied. There are hypothesises that they are the leftovers of the original source material that this solar system consisted off...in any case, that means that many of these rocks have high metallic content" Atticus' eyes gleamed.

The rock transformed, first split in two before the shape began to change. The rocky material was removed and a metallic shell was made and the interior of the rock was transformed. The upper shell was fused with the lower shell almost like a Faberge egg that rotated freely until the upper shell cover the lower shell.

The shell floated towards them and he looked at it with keen eyes. He saw a city with large spiral towers seated at the base of a large mountain with the city surrounded by a large lake with the city connected to lands beyond the lake with fantastical bridges. He saw forests, smaller settlements, plans, hills, tropical jungles all in sectioned parts.

Perry breathed out loudly as she watched the creation, absolute fascination in her eyes.

Nicolas paid rapt attention at the display of magic. He watched keenly at the magic that the boy used...so...effortlessly, to create such a transfiguration. To differentiate the transfiguration with such ease...

He watched the boy with keen eyes. How capable was he, he wondered.

"Once this is built, I intend to build a society that is built on a foundation of meritocracy, whereby blood doesn't matter...where it doesn't matter if you have creature blood, where it doesn't matter if you're a squib or a wizard as long as you're capable and have magic in your blood. I want to build a shining beacon, a shining example of a magical society that none can rival." He whispered enticingly to them, confidence and belief easy to see in his face.

Nicolas studied the creation carefully. The way it is encased in a shell, with the possibility that it could be enveloped completely...

"This is no island..." he said slowly as he captured Atticus' eyes "Is this like this vessel we're in?" he asked with a little wonder creeping in his voice.

The scale, the audacity...

"It is" he said with barely contained excitement in his voice that seemed infectious. Nicolas almost thought it was laced with magic but it was simply his enthusiasm, his excitement at the possibilities his creation would provide him...them.

"I do not want to create an island bound to the Earth. Of course the world ship will be built here on Earth but it won't be bound to it."

He took off his eyes from the creation and looked at Atticus sharply and met his eyes.

Atticus continued "Why must we remain bound to the Earth?" he whispered softly with gleaming eyes. "Magic permeates through the universe. We do not get our magic from the Earth. Yes, magic is stronger here but" he turned away from Nicolas' gaze and turned back to the beautiful world below them "ultimately, we have far more options than we ever dared dream" he said with a strange tone to his voice.

Nicolas filed away his comment regarding magic for later purposes as his mind fixed on something.

"Do you know what you're saying?" Nicolas whispers softly as Atticus' attentions were returned to him. "Are you aware of the challenge you're setting yourself? Even if we entertain the idea that it is possible?"

Atticus looked grim but nodded "I do. To all counts. I have already developed methods to shrink and reduce the mass of the asteroid to a tiny fraction so bringing down the Asteroid is not a concern. If you're asking about where we would work on it, Antarctica is a wonderful isolated place." He said with an enticing smile.

"We?" Perry asked with a raised eyebrow but he could see the interest in her eyes. How could she not be interested? The chance to work on this...

But he had another question "You said world ship" he asked intently.

He turned to Perry first and gave her a small smile with eyes that knew of her interest "An opportunity exists" he merely noted to her that meant far more than what was said.

He turned to Nicolas with a tilted head "It's the closest thing that I can describe it as. I originally wanted an island, like you'd mentioned but I hadn't thought of the way you did. But then I came across idea of using an asteroid to shape as I desired. At that point, given my skill in Transfiguration, I would be able to change the material magically conducive material and at that point, making it capable of flight and able to be a closed system capable of sailing through the air, even the void, should it become necessary, is a natural progression" he said with a slight smile as his eyes held a spark of excitement.

Nicolas couldn't help himself and laughed. He laughed and laughed.

"My boy..." he finally said after calming down a little "Oh, a natural progression...?" He shook his head in disbelief before he turned to Perry who looked more excited than in disbelief.

"You say that I'm impulsive and do ridiculous things" he said with humour.

She turned to him "This isn't ridiculous Nicolas!" she said with a disapproving tone before she smiled and turned to Atticus "It's an uncommon solution to the problem you've described to us. How large will it be?"

"The asteroid will be just under 40km but is something 82% nickel and iron. I'd originally wanted to use a 200km asteroid with roughly the same metallic content but I was advised against it" he said with a bashful expression. 

Before he could ask who'd advised him Perry interjected "Nickel and Iron are good materials to use to alchemically change to magically conducive metals. However it is also incredibly power intensive to change something that size" she said worriedly.

He nodded "I know. That is why I've developed a way to use diamond wardstones effectively as batteries full of the ambient magic that they've gathered to trigger the reduction of mass and size. At that point, I've calculated that we can resize the asteroid to a tenth of its size once it is on Earth and use the same kind of batteries to trigger a permanent transfiguration into a magically conducive metal." He answered them before he fixed his eyes on them.

"This island...Illos is my solution, my way of providing a path towards change that would bring us to greater heights, unencumbered by those who resist change with everything they are, for it would chip away at their power at the cost of the health of the magical world" he spoke to them with such passion in his voice, his eyes blazed with the fires of youth, in such a way that Nicolas could only admire such conviction and desire.

"Violence will not be needed, war would not happen this way and we would be free to create a society that would be greater than Atlantis itself." He smiled to them with radiant purple eyes as the creation floated towards and Nicolas inspected the creation carefully.

The details of...Illos was impeccable and he saw that it was carefully planned, carefully taking into account the regions of the world where there was abundant magical life.

"What your plans for the magical creatures?" Perry inquired, forcing him to look at her.

He knew she was more than just a little interested. They'd been...growing...tired of living, somewhat.

They kept track of their descendants, before the Stone took away their ability to have another child, but they rarely interacted with them anymore, the last time being over half a century ago.

The successions of wars that they'd witnessed, the staleness of less than interesting things happening in their lives, was making it all a little tedious.

Boredom wasn't quite right...but rather a...state of simple...existing. They had no clear purpose anymore.

The problems that existed today were problems that did not affect them nor involve them. If he did not love Alchemy as much as he did, to try and figure out new things, he'd be pulling his hairs out at the...monotoniety of it all.

And this...

He turned his eyes back at the boy.

The boy kept on exceeding their expectations. By far.

For all of his concerns, he was something rather unique. People had certain...flavours to their magic and the boy radiated curiosity.

He did not doubt that he loved magic, he did not doubt that the boy was a dreamer. It was in his magic, after all.

The boy's eyes gleamed with excitement "I intend to provide them a safehaven. From the smallest Flobber worm to the Horntail, I want them all, here, safe and freer than they'd ever be in the world at large. I have some advantage to that, given that my family owns many creature reserves and it would be a simple matter of moving them.

Not just them either, there are plenty of mundane creatures that could do with better protection from the muggles who are encroaching on their habitats. It is intended as much as it is a safehaven for our kind but also of magical creatures at large" he answered them with honesty in his words and eyes.

He glanced at Perry and saw approval in her eyes. It seemed that he was slowly convincing his dear old wife.

He turned to Atticus. He nodded more to himself than anything else. "I have my concerns." He said with seriousness in his tone.

"As expected. I'll do my best to alleviate them" Atticus said with a matching serious tone.

The next few hours went to discuss the issues Nicolas had and Atticus, much to his credit addressed them as well as he could until he asked the pertinent question.

He couldn't help but ask "One thing that is clear to see, is the complete isolation from the muggle world that such a place would have..." he trailed off as he looked at Atticus who understood.

He nodded and looked away, his eyes growing distant. "This century is a turning point for the muggles. Much like after the advent of wands where our diversity of magic increased, the muggle science and weapons will explode in complexity, in deadliness and in numbers. In just over fifteen years, they'll eventually land men on the moon with sheer graft and technology. They will develop thousands of weapons that would only need a fraction to destroy this beautiful blue orb." He intoned to them with immense graveness as he turned slightly towards them, his eyes grim.

"You've mentioned this before" Nicolas simply stated.

He nodded before he turned back to face the Earth "I have...and I know that our kind will not take the muggles serious".

"The ICW is only a loose organisation...one that ensures the Statue is kept intact but they will not be able to keep it alive. In a centuries time, the muggles will be as different from the muggles today are as different from two thousand years ago. They've reached a point where everything improves with an astounding rate. One that we will be unable to cope with without serious change" he said lowly with fervent passion.

Perry looked at him with calculating eyes but Nicolas could see some concern in them before she turned her eyes to Atticus "You truly believe that?"

"I know it" he said firmly "the visions...they are vague but with the amount I've studied their theories and concepts of the future, it's quite incredible that many of their ideas will come into existence" he shook his head before he turned his vivid purple green eyes on him "And therein lies the problem." He thinned his lips as he stared at Nicolas.

"Every century, at least once, there is a Dark Lord that rises of great power. Every century there is at least a number of Dark Lords in our communities that instigates the population either against muggle or in a way where muggles are collateral damage" Atticus said with severity laced in his voice.

"You think Exposure will happen because of one these Dark Lords" Nicolas answered softly as he watched the boy.

He nodded gravely "I do...and if it doesn't then it will happen by some sort of accident. The muggles have already developed film...moving pictures which they will later develop into monitoring methods which they will later develop into a instantaneous network where they can monitor one end of the world from the other side of the world. And we will be hard pressed to remove any incidents from the world when the act of magic is captured by one of these devices which end up transmitted to the other end of the world."

He turned his eyes towards the Earth as silence fell amongst them.

"The Statute is not maintainable" Nicolas whispered softly capturing their attention. He turned towards Atticus. "That is what you've been hinting...rather poorly, this entire time." He gestured towards the Earth. "If the muggles become advanced enough in their technology to get up here, then they are on their way to develop ways to discover the secret through magic...not through observation of us but through energy" he said with keen eyes.

Atticus smiled grimly and nodded "I made allusions to it a few times...I'm glad you caught it" he frowned as he mulled over his thoughts before he continued "I've determined that magic...that magic is a universal energy and I have also confirmed that with experiments up here"

Nicolas sat up straight in his chair and looked intently at Atticus "Explain" he demanded.

And so for the next half hour, he and Perry sat riveted as Atticus explained the experiments that he conducted in space regarding magic and whether magic existed in space.

His results had shown that magic existed in the void and that he'd travelled to the moon and measured the presence of magic on the moon through a device and discovered that magic was less on the moon but it was still there, slightly more than the ambient levels of the void.

He spoke to them about his experiments with regards to magic, comparing the frequencies of magic to the electromagnetic field...that magic was a field of its own that permeates through the universe, enhanced and more potent as life is propagated.

He laughed loudly as he clapped his hands "My boy...what you have discovered will forever change the nature of our understanding of magic" he said with immense respect in his tone.

It was an understatement...the discoveries would propel the boy to the scale of Merlin himself.

And that thought...it marvelled him truly.

And seemingly it was one that Perry shared. She turned to Nicolas with mischievous eyes and a sly look "I think it won't be too long before we begin to say Sayre the same way we say Merlin" she said with sparkling eyes making him laugh before she turned to Atticus with deeply speculative eyes.

The boy looked a little flushed before he shook it away. "I..." he cleared his throat "Thank you for such comparisons." he said with a bowed head. 

"It might be centuries before they truly discover what this energy is...but they'll observe that their current theories of the universe are...incomplete. They'll determine that something is there...but they won't know what."

Nicolas eyes' widened in understanding "So you think that they'll observe that the strange energy they'll eventually observe on the world" he gestured towards the earth "through their monitoring devices, the...films you said?" he inquired.

He inclined his head in affirmative "They'll eventually develop their films not only to capture images...but also to capture heat, to capture different types of light and then later different types of energy. I'm not certain of the time scale but when something doesn't make sense..." he trailed off.

"It sets of curiosity" he frowned as he thought it over.

"Will those images show our hidden communities?" Perry asked in concern. He turned sharply to her with surprise before he turned to Atticus with quizzical eyes.

From the look of his face, the possibility was certain. "Yes." He answered simply.

"Our wards are muggle repellent, they affect the minds of the muggles...images...images are not the same. Through proxy, they will be able to see our communities" he said with grimness in his tone.

"And so, they'll eventually discover many of our enclaves" Perry whispered deeply troubled.

He only nodded grimly "I will ensure that the DOM will know of this...that the muggles will eventually develop ways to circumvent our safeguards but it is only a matter of time until we can no longer adequately develop ways to counter their development." He sighed deeply as he grabbed the bridge of his nose "There will be many that will seek for us to establish greater control over the muggle world"

"From the sounds of it, it may well be necessary" Nicolas commented with focused eyes.

Atticus smiled grimly before he turned away from Nicolas. "It would be necessary if we were to survive." Atticus sat back in his chair as he gazed at the Earth.

"For all of the differences between us and the muggles, our mentality is quite the same. We hate not being in control, we also fear what we do not understand. For us...because of magic, we understand the universe on a scale that the muggles do not. We know that there is an afterlife, we know that there is depth to the universe that the muggles have not even have the faintest suspicion yet and we know things that they would never discover without our aid." He turned to the pair of them with certainty in his eyes.

"And because of this, we are far more accepting of things that seem impossible..." he waved dismissively "but that's not my point. My point is that when we fear something, we often perceive it as a threat. It is what happened in our relations with the muggles for millennia." His eyes flickered to both Perry and Nicolas.

"And so, if the muggles discover that we have been controlling them with magic...that we have been changing their minds...removing their memories...that we have used magic to kill them...to take from them...." he trailed off with a whisper.

Deathly silence filled the room "But removing their memories is necessary for both our peoples. It doesn't hurt them." Perry pointed out.

Atticus smiled grimly "Have you considered it from their perspective? That we're capable of literally changing their minds and removing their memories. Do you not see how frightening that prospect is?" he said with keen eyes as he and Perry fixed their eyes on each other before he continued. 

"Imagine that is what you know of magicals...that they are so capable of affecting your reality...that your mind is not your own...that your actions could very well not be your own." He said with ferventness in his tone as his eyes gleamed with severity. "Your fears would run wild. 'What else are magicals capable of?' 'They can change reality? They can change one thing into another? What is to stop them from changing the air into toxic gas?' 'Am I the person I've always been?' 'They can kill with a single word?' 'They have magic, the bible said they are Devil spawn, they must be exterminated'" Each sentence was a death knell.

Nicolas had always known the fragility of the relationship of muggles and magicals. Even in his day, those with magic were seen with deep mistrust, steeped in fear. Magical nobles were whispered amongst the common folk, the nobility and the clergy alike...and those of noble status were the only ones that could get by without being harassed as magical merchants had been.

What he was supposing had the ring of truth.

"There will be some that will seek to use us for their own ends...those in positions of power. There will be those well versed in science who would like to discover the secret of magic for their own ends...disappearances would become frequent...and it would be too late for us to notice as they'd target those from mundane backgrounds...there will be those who would work with the muggles because they were scorned by the magical world...all of this would contribute to an inevitable state of war that would decimate this wonderful, life rich world" he said with grave severity.

"Your fear mongering aside" Nicolas said with piercing eyes "There is merit in your words" he acknowledged "but our people are adaptable. You underestimate us" he said with narrowed eyes.

Perry said nothing as she turned her attentions to Atticus.

He dipped his head before he met Nicolas' gaze "Perhaps I am" he admitted "Perhaps I am wrong and I have too little faith in our people to remain hidden for as long as we desire. Perhaps I am wrong in our adaptability to hide from the gaze of the muggles as they increase in numbers, as they increase their technology." He leaned forward with intense eyes and a stony expression "But it would only take one occasion whereby the obliviators are unable to erase the presence of magic and magicals...it would only take one instance of werewolves or vampires being caught on film and for it to spread around the world. It would only take one Dark Lord to attack a muggle village or town and the murders to be caught by the muggles. It would take one religious fanatic to be voted into office. It would take one dissatisfied muggleborn scorned by the magical world to seek revenge against those who treated him or her as lesser despite having magic." He leaned back in his chair whilst keeping his eyes on Nicolas.

"It would only take one disastrous moment to unravel the Statute." He whispered softly as he took on a sad expression on his face "For now, such disastrous moments are very unlikely to happen because the muggles are still quite primitive in their technology but as they compete, as their weapons increase in complexity to compete with their rivals, so will their monitoring methods. After all, war is not only killing." 

His expression changed to neutral "Politics is war with quills and ultimately you need to know what your opponents are doing. Spying will increase in complexity years before it gets filtered through to the population and given that several major nations are in on the secret of magic, to think that they would leave a dangerous people like us alone is folly" he finished.

They remained in contemplative silence. He'd seen the merits of having a place for magicals, away from muggle civilisation. It had never been needed, at least in Europe. There were enclaves in places like Africa, South America and the Middle East that were had zero contact with muggles, something that is quite difficult in Europe given how entwined it all was, centuries ago.

"You want us to ally with you" Nicolas broke the silence as he watched the boy carefully.

"I do" he answered easily as he met Nicolas' gaze. "You two are some of the most brilliant people in our world. You have knowledge, you have lived through several different ages, giving you a perspective that will be invaluable." He eyed them both with calculating eyes.

"You have yet to mention how you would rule Illos, before we make our decision to join with you or not" Perry interjected as she watched him carefully.

Atticus pursed his lips, clearly thinking over what to say before he nodded, his eyes shining with certainty "For the moment, there will be three council tiers; A High Council, a Magical Council and a Representative Council.

The Representative Council would be the legislative body of government that would represent the electorate, creation of laws and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. 

The Magical Council would be filled with those representing each sentient magical race and this body would serve to ensure the rights of each race whilst also ensuring relations between the races are at the very least amicable. I intend to invite sentient magical races who would seek equality under the law and protection under the law whilst also honouring their culture and practices, provided they don't infringe on the rights of others." He paused momentarily as he watched their reactions carefully before continuing.

"The High Council will be responsible for the direction of the nation, an overarching direction that would ensure personal interests and political power is limited to governing rather than enriching. This Council would hold the other two Councils responsible and accountable if they deviate from their positions" he declared to them, his eyes watching their reactions carefully.

Nicolas frowned. It was unlike a system he'd heard so far, especially the so called Magical Council. The history of equality between races is one that is fraught with problems. Very rarely had there been an era whereby wizards and magical races that were equal to another and it would be something that many Old families would fight against. 

One thing he was curious about however...

"And I presume you would be on this...High Council?" Nicolas asked curiously.

"I would" he answered with cool eyes.

"As King?" Perry asked softly with piercing eyes.

He inclined his head with almost resigned eyes "If I have too...as King." He turned towards the Earth. "Anything less than being a ruler, as captain of the ship, will not work, unless I want it to eventually become like every other Ministry." He paused for several moments that crept in the space between them.

He turned his eyes back at them, a swirling mass of power were in his eyes "I despise corruption. It is a disease that eats at the foundations of society, at the very seams that holds everything together and corruption is born from those who seek to enrich themselves, to propel themselves in power. There are only very few people who are not susceptible to it and I will not allow the home that I intend to build to be riddled with it." He said almost snarling because his face returned to a more gentle expression.

"At the beginning, it will be necessary to ensure that the foundations are firmly rooted with the ideals that I seek to uphold Illos. Absolute power is not what I desire" he shook his head and Nicolas noticed that he meant it. He continued "It would run counter to what I seek...a nation of meritocracy, of exceptionalism and it would not work if I bound the country to a system whereby there is someone who can override the nation at his whims. Absolute power will corrupt absolutely if left rampant and I have no desire to become corrupt, much less the nation" he declared fervently.

Nicolas believed him. He glanced at Perry who was deep in thought before she looked up at him.

"I believe you. And I agree with you. For some time, a leader to direct the course of the nation until it is stable and firmly rooted will be necessary." She paused for a second as she glanced at Nicolas with a certain look before she returned her eyes to Atticus "Will it become hereditary?" she inquired.

"I don't know" he said honestly "But what I do know is that at some point, I intend to ensure that the post becomes constitutional with limited powers of veto. For example, any significant changes to rights, to education and war will have to be something that I retain control over. Other than that, I have no desire for the position to be anything other than a figure head...a head of state that ensures that the citizens of my home have every opportunity available to them." He answered them.

They all remained silent for a few minutes as they thought it over. Nicolas eyed the boy.

"It's quite something for a teenager to come up with" he commented lightly.

Atticus turned to him with a wry smile "I have a sense of responsibility, of duty" he said with a tiredness in his voice as his eyes grew distant.

"A sense of duty taken on by young shoulders" Perry said softly.

"Aren't those the best shoulders to take on such a heavy burden?" he said with a light tone in his voice that belied the seriousness of their conversation.

He grew serious "Are you willing to aid me in this?" he asked them. A question that asked much of them.

"How far?" Perry asked.

"That..." he trailed off as his piercing eyes met Perry's "That depends on you." He tilted his head "I have many plans that I want to enact, separate from Illos. Many of them are centred on education." He paused for a second before he continued.

"Right now, I have been setting up a higher level institute in Ireland – one that is master level. I'm creating a research institute whereby students can be taught by the dozens if not hundreds advanced magical and science to progress our society" he paused momentarily as his eyes flickered to them 

"I see no one better than the pair of you to head this institute. Your names, your experience, your knowledge as well your open minds will be a massive boon to this institute. I have literally dozens of projects that I don't particularly have the time to work on my own"

"Such as validating or even coming up with your own theories that will change the way we see magic." He looked towards the Earth "One of the theories I think you might like to discover is whether there are universal leylines" he turned back to them with a mischievous glint in his eye "Imagine if that was the case...that there are entire worlds converging on leylines, with magic more potent than Earth. Maybe once it is time and we find a way to sail the void, we can settle these worlds" he said with a passionate gleam in his eye before he shook away those thoughts.

Atticus then explained to them his plans for an institution that would churn out highly educated magicals for the next half hour.

It was a good plan, one that he saw would have several opportunities, namely a place whereby Atticus could recruit many young people for Illos, something that didn't evade either of them.

For all of his doubts and concerns, should the boy stick to his plans, it would be a way to power without much bloodshed, at least without him starting it. 

He was no fool. The intent of poaching talented magicals from the magical population worldwide was there. And yet, he could not fault such actions. It would provide a haven to those who would otherwise have little routes in life due to their circumstances, not to mention those who are unfortunate enough to be born in a troubled region.

He turned to Perry and met her gaze. He saw then that Perry quite certainly would want to be involved more than that. And he couldn't fault her for it.

"How many people know of your plans with this place?" Perry broke the silence.

He mulled it over "One other" he answered with a little wince.

"Trust issues?" Perry asked knowingly

He shrugged "Well, you can't blame in this case" he said wryly. Perry laughed and nodded deeply.

"Quite understandable, this time." She paused for a second "Emily?" she asked softly and he smiled and nodded. Perry smiled back "I'm glad you trust her with this and I'm glad you trust us with this" She paused momentarily as she eyed him carefully "Your family doesn't know?" she asked with a hint of sadness to her tone.

He shook his head a little guilty "No. I will...eventually but right now, they don't need to know" he answered her.

"Your mother should know" Perry told him softly and before he speak she continued "But ultimately it is your choice" she said with a graceful dip of her head. 

She turned to Nicolas and a few moments passed between them before he nodded, causing her to smile and to turn to him. "We're interested and we will see how this goes. We are placing our faith in you." She said with inspecting eyes. 

He smiled genuinely at her and nodded "And I will not abuse it" he said with deep respect in his voice.

Nicolas hummed "We won't betray your trust with this. You have our word." He said intently and Perry nodded in agreement.

"What is the timescale?" Perry inquired. 

"For the moment, the island is perhaps half a decade away. In theory, I think I could start within a year...I have several things that I'd like to finish that I have half completed but I won't because of the war" he said with a firm tone.

Perry nodded in understanding. They had known of his desire to join the war.

"We have little to do at the moment. How far along are you with this institute?" 

Atticus answered and provided the timescale they were on.

He smiled heartily "My boy" he shook his head "I think we'll have a great partnership" he said happily.

He turned to Perry who looked at him just as excited "Things were getting boring anyway" she said to him with a sniff and he chuckled before he turned to Atticus who was smiling at them.

A few hours later, they were back at their cottage in the Portuguese countryside, seated by the terrace looking at the retreating sun.

He sat deep in thought in his reclining chair, glass of firewhiskey swirling in his hand.

"I don't think he'll understand until later, don't you think?" his wife asked with a gentle tone, breaking him out of his thoughts and turned towards her with questioning eyes once they met hers.

She continued "The symbol he is becoming, the symbol he is turning himself into." She pursed her lips as she looked at the sun that was beginning to disappear into the horizon.

"I know you favoured Albus to be the symbol but he is far from this world of ours needs, Nicky. He would detest the kinds of change that boy would bring into this world, the change that we both know we need" she turned to him with a soft smile when he placed his hand on top of hers.

She turned her hand around and squeezed his. She looked at him with a fond smile that broke out on her face.

"Do you not think he might turn out like all the others?" he asked her with a worried tone in his voice "Even if Albus is a little zealous with his views on power and magic, there is truth to it. Magical power often leads to a certain kinds of arrogance, not like what the boy is experiencing" he pointed out.

She shook her head "You know very well that it was not arrogance" she said with a frown "It's confidence and determination and given what he'd shown us, and I could sense that he knew far more and has done far more than he let us see." She looked at him with curious eyes. "Do you truly believe that he could be like the others? Do you truly not see the symbol he could be for our people? The one who could unite us like none other has done before? Without the need of violence?" she said softly as their eyes met.

He sighed and closed his eyes. "It's the hope." He opened his eyes and wryly smiled at his wife "The potential in the boy is there, the desire for change is immense and his drive to do what is necessary is strong." He turned serious "And it's in that knowledge that I dare not hope beyond cautious optimism. He has the potential to become a symbol for our people, true, but he also has the potential to truly destabilise everything beyond repair."

He turned his eyes towards the horizon "For all of Albus' faults, and I know that man has a great many, he would not destabilise the magical world."

"And yet he would not progress us further, simply stagnate and force us to become closer to the muggles, something that would split our society even further" Perry commented with a disapproving tone.

"Yes" he sighed.

They remained silent for a few moments.

"It's a wonderful creation though" she added lightly and he laughed.

"I know...In all honesty, I do believe he will be able to do it. Even if the scale is incredible, the magic behind it is not unknown, simply innovative and approached in a different way." His eyes gleamed "The prospect of working on such a creation..." he sighed happily.

Her laugh was tickling and soft. "Yes, the idea of working on something that would approach the legend of Atlantis..." she trailed off.

Once again they remained in comfortable silence as they watched the sun disappear in the horizon.

"A Wizard King." He murmured.

"Hmm. It would be rather fitting. A wizard King that took his people to safety." She mused. She laughed a little, her eyes sparkling "A tale for the ages"

He laughed and looked at her amused "And are we his little knights?" he teased.

She looked at him with a raised eyebrow before she got up in a huff after she let go of his hand and looked down at him with twinkling eyes "My dear Nicky, I think we will be much more important than silly little knights" she said with a haughty tone before she walked off, leaving him behind completely bemused.

He necked down the glass and got up and stretched a little, his bones cracking as a result and a groan escaped his lips that eked out into a sigh.

"Kings, floating islands, magic in the void." He murmured to himself before a small smile came across his face.

"An interesting day indeed." He laughed softly to himself before he turned towards the doors, ready to retire for the day.