The Daily Prophet - December 2011

Wizarding World
Every now and again, it is incredibly helpful to look back on past events in order to better the outcome of a present one. Almost every time of depression, anger, hatred, and war has happened in the past, in some form or another. Looking back, one can be presented with a course of action to take, either mirroring what happened, or taking an entirely different strategy.

I deal, once more, with Lord Voldemort. He has perished, that much is clear. Though some still believe him to be wallowing in the shadows, waiting until his strength rebuilds. This is a farce untrue. Must I explain the prophecy once more? The point of what I am writing now is that there will be a time when someone just as powerful, just as evil shows up to put their own strangle hold on us. History has a funny way of repeating itself, especially when it comes to conflict. Apparently as humans, one of our charming traits is to attack and kill each other.

I know, this is a lighter side column, and I'm producing stories of war, darkness and death. The lighter side, however well concealed, is the ability to learn from mistakes of yore. Through the last Great War, we learned a great deal about ourselves; about us as a community. We learned out resilient we are, how proud we are, and how well we fight back even against the worst odds and in the worst fear. We found anyone and everyone to rally around; from an old Professor, to a young student. I remember, once more, Albus Dumbledore.

Albus, if not I, represents a thousand reasons to grasp for the lighter side, and cling on for dear life. He was tasked with information any one of us would have perished simply at the sight or sound of. He knew of a way to destroy that which he created. Yes, he created Lord Voldemort when he went to that orphanage all those years ago; when he brought him to Hogwarts. He set Voldemort firmly on the path to near destruction. Dumbledore was faced with that guilt, yet he still found the lighter side. Albus Dumbledore.

I am being somewhat cryptic in my presentation this time around, but the message when summed up is crystal clear. The lighter side is everywhere. It's all around you, and it's inside of you. Your friends, your family, your neighbors and strangers in another town all hold that lighter side. It is just as Albus said to his students the year Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban, “happiness can be found, even in the darkest times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.”

Find your lighter side and cling to it, my dear readers, as always.

Muggle World
Last month, I presented to you a chronicle of the city of Detroit, Michigan; the muggle city in which the world of automobiles was crushed by the world of money, or lack thereof. This month, I was to tell you of the next city on my tour, but my author got lazy, erm...my quill got lazy. Instead, I'll tell you of an encounter I had with a young muggle child and a friendly adult.

I was sitting on a bus, and a young child was getting on. I know in our world, the bus is a free and rather unnecessary system. In fact, there's only one. In the muggle world, the bus is a very necessary mode of transportation, and it costs money; one dollar in the city I was in. This child got on the bus to get home, and did not have a dollar. The bus driver informed him that in was a dollar, or no ride. I found this rather harsh, as did the boy, who began to cry. An elderly gentleman rose from his seat a few rows back, and put a dollar in the machine. The boy thanked him, and the man smiled. He looked at the bus driver, and his smile was gone. “He's just a wee boy,” he said to the driver, “and it's just one dollar.” With a scowl, he sat back down, and we proceeded on our way.