Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality

The shadowy, green-lit figure waited.

It didn't take long to think about, though. If you discarded all the confusing parts... then Harry Potter was planning to mess around with something that could cause a gigantic political explosion, and it would be insane to just walk away and let him do it on his own. 'We'll study blood,' said Draco.

'Excellent,' said the figure, and smiled. 'Congratulations on being willing to ask the question.'

'Thanks,' Draco said, not quite managing to keep the irony out of his voice.

'Hey, did you think going to the Moon was easy? Be glad this just involves changing your mind sometimes, and not a human sacrifice!'

'Human sacrifice would be way easier!'

There was a slight pause, and then the figure nodded. 'Fair point.'

'Look, Harry,' said Draco without much hope, 'I thought the idea was to take all the things that Muggles know, combine them with things that wizards know, and become masters of both worlds. Wouldn't it be a lot easier to just study all the things that Muggles already found out, like the Moon stuff, and use that power -'

'No,' said the figure with a sharp shake of his head, sending green shadows moving around his nose and eyes. His voice had turned very grim. 'If you cannot learn the scientist's art of accepting reality, then I must not tell you what that acceptance has discovered. It would be like a powerful wizard telling you of those gates which must not be opened, and those seals which must not be broken, before you had proven your intelligence and discipline by surviving the lesser perils.'

A chill went down Draco's spine and he shuddered involuntarily. He knew it had been visible even in the dim light. 'All right,' said Draco. 'I understand.' Father had told him that many times. When a more powerful wizard told you that you weren't ready to know, you didn't pry any further if you wanted to live.

The figure inclined his head. 'Indeed. But there is something else you should understand. The first scientists, being Muggles, lacked your traditions. In the beginning they simply did not comprehend the notion of dangerous knowledge, and thought that all things known should be spoken freely. When their searches turned dangerous, they told their politicians of things that should have stayed secret - don't look like that, Draco, it wasn't simple stupidity. They did have to be smart enough to uncover the secret in the first place. But they were Muggles, it was the first time they'd found anything really dangerous, and they didn't start out with a tradition of secrecy. There was a war going on, and the scientists on one side worried that if they didn't talk, the scientists of the enemy country would tell their politicians first...' The voice trailed off significantly. 'They didn't destroy the world. But it was close. And we are not going to repeat that mistake.'

'Right,' Draco said, his voice now very firm. 'We won't. We're wizards, and studying science doesn't make us Muggles.'

'As you say,' said the green-lit silhouette. 'We will establish our own Science, a magical Science, and that Science will have smarter traditions from the very start.' The voice grew hard. 'The knowledge I share with you will be taught alongside the disciplines of accepting truth, the level of this knowledge will be keyed to your progress in those disciplines, and you will share that knowledge with no one else who has not learned those disciplines. Do you accept this?'

'Yes,' said Draco. What was he supposed to do, say no?

'Good. And what you discover for yourself, you will keep to yourself unless you think that other scientists are ready to know it. What we do share among ourselves, we will not tell the world unless we agree it is safe for the world to know. And whatever our own politics and allegiances, we will all punish any of our number who reveal dangerous magics or give away dangerous weapons, no matter what sort of war is going on. From this day onward, that will be the tradition and the law of science among wizards. Are we agreed on that?'

'Yes,' said Draco. Actually this was starting to sound pretty attractive. The Death Eaters had tried to take power by being scarier than everyone else, and they hadn't actually won yet. Maybe it was time to try ruling using secrets instead. 'And our group stays hidden for as long as possible, and everyone in it has to agree to our rules.'

'Of course. Definitely.'

There was a very short pause.

'We're going to need better robes,' said the shadowy figure, 'with hoods and so on -'

'I was just thinking that,' said Draco. 'We don't need whole new robes, though, just cowled cloaks to put on. I have a friend in Slytherin, she'll take your measurements -'

'Don't tell her what it's for, though -'

'I'm not stupid!'

'And no masks for now, not when it's just you and me -' said the shadowy figure.

'Right! But later on we should have some sort of special mark that all our servants have, the Mark of Science, like a snake eating the Moon on their right arms -'

'It's called a PhD and wouldn't that make it too easy to identify our people?'

'Huh?'

'I mean, what if someone is like 'okay, now everyone pull up their robes over their right arms' and our guy is like 'whoops, sorry, looks like I'm a spy' -'

'Forget I said anything,' said Draco, sweat suddenly springing out all over his body. He needed a distraction, fast - 'And what do we call ourselves? The Science Eaters?'

'No,' said the shadowy figure slowly. 'That doesn't sound right...'

Draco wiped his robed arm across his forehead, wiping away beads of moisture. What had the Dark Lord been thinking? Father had said the Dark Lord was smart!