America in the 1950s hummed with the symphony of progress, yet for women like me, the melody often rang hollow against the walls of male-dominated boarding rooms and smoky buros. Me, that’s Evelyn Harper, a typist at Sterling & Powell Advertising Agency, knew this all too well. Raised in the aftermath of war’s devastation, I had grown accustomed to struggle, yet a quiet determination pulsed within me, a yearning for more than the confines of typewriter keys and coffee runs.
Within the bustling corridors of Sterling & Powell, I watched as my male counterparts flaunted their power, their voices drowning out the whispered aspirations of women relegated to the sidelines. But amidst the din of chauvinism, I discerned a different melody—a melody woven from the whispers of possibility and the allure of enchantment.
It was in the heart of the agency, amidst the glow of flickering fluorescent lights and the scent of stale cigarette smoke, that I first encountered the devices of Hogwarts Tech. Sleek and beguiling, they whispered promises of power and prestige, their allure tinged with the scent of secrets waiting to be unveiled.
As I delved deeper into the world of advertising, I learned the secrets of these enchanted devices, their magic pulsing beneath the surface like a current waiting to be harnessed. With each passing day, I marvelled at their potential, their ability to captivate and enthral audiences with a mere flick of a wand or a whispered incantation; but also to connect people beyond anything I had ever seen before.
But it was not until I accidentally stumbled upon a clandestine meeting, that I truly understood the power of these devices. Behind half-closed doors, my male colleagues conspired to target a new demographic — housewives, their days spent in domestic drudgery, their dreams buried beneath the weight of societal expectations. The name of the campaign was: “Magic Wive, Magic Life” and was targeted towards the husbands of the housewives, who should be lured into thinking that thanks to magic devices, their wives would have even more time to make their every wish come true.
In that moment, a fire ignited within me—a fire fuelled by deep indignation. For I knew that these women were more than mere consumers to be manipulated and exploited — they were mothers, daughters, and sisters, deserving of respect and the possibility of a better life.
And so, in the shadows of the agency, I crafted a plan—a plan to harness the power of these enchanted devices and unleash it upon the world, not for the profit of mage men in suits, but for the empowerment of women yearning to break free from the shackles of convention.
Later that day, I exited the building as usual, the sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows across the bustling streets of New York. In the fading light, I moved with purpose, weaving through the throngs of people with a sense of urgency gnawing at my insides. Clutching a bundle of wands hidden beneath my coat, I scanned the faces of the women passing by, searching for those whose weary eyes mirrored my own.
Finally, I spotted her — a woman hunched over a baby carriage, her face etched with the lines of hardship and exhaustion. With a quick glance around to ensure no prying eyes watched, I approached her, my heart pounding in my chest.
“Excuse me,” I whispered, my voice barely above a breath. “I have something for you.”
As I pressed a wand into her trembling hands, her eyes widened with confusion and fear. She glanced down at the intricate carvings etched into the wood, her fingers tracing the smooth surface with uncertainty.
“What’s this?” she asked, her voice barely a whisper.
“It’s a wand,” I replied, my own voice tinged with urgency. “A tool of magic, of power. You can use it, see: Wingardium Leviosa!” and I pointed my own wand to a trash can nearby, which immediately went flying in the air.
She looked after it frightened but also in wonder.
“You can use it to change your life!”
But even as I spoke the words, I wasn’t sure whether she understood them — she needed the proper education, she had no concept of the forces she now held in her hands; how long had I needed to understand them? And yet, in that moment, hope flickered in her eyes, a glimmer of possibility amidst the darkness.
But before she could say a word, a sharp voice pierced the air, sending a shiver down my spine. “What do you think you’re doing?”
I turned to see him standing there — my boss, his eyes blazing with fury as he advanced towards me. In his hand, he clutched a wand, its magic crackling with malevolence.
Caught in the act, I braced myself for the inevitable — a reckoning for my defiance, for daring to challenge the status quo. And as his fist collided with my jaw, sending me sprawling to the ground, I knew that my time at Sterling & Powell had come to an end and with that, probably my life as I knew it, too.
He would spread the word. Call me a criminal, a witch. I would never again get a job as a typer ever again. How should I take care of my family then?
As I lay there, bloodied and bruised, I suddenly felt someone helping me up; it was the woman. But she wasn’t touching me, she held the wand in her hand as if she was born for it and I was flying in midair, now floating back to the ground. Suddenly, I felt a wild, ruthless sense of defiance burn within me — a defiance born not of magic, but of the indomitable spirit of a woman who refused to be silenced. He hadn’t even bothered to use his wand; the stupid jock; he should have finished me when he had the chance. And as I watched the woman walk away, my vision blurred with tears and pain, I knew that my journey was far from over.
The Alternate “Wiz-Tech”-Timeline
Since the global wizarding wars, many attempts were made by companies to sell their tech to Muggles. It was tolerated by the institute of Magic as long as it was not advertised as such. Above is an example of a banned, confiscated attempt to show the magic more openly. However, over time it turned out that Muggles weren’t even interested in the magic behind it, they wanted their devices easy to use and understand; and everyone else eventually joined the wizards and witches.
Eventually, all regulations to sell magical devices were erased and since the late 80s with the introduction of the world wide web, the rise of wiz-tech has only increased in pace: next came the introduction of the iPhone by young wizard Steve Jobs, introducing wiz-tech to the broad public and lately, even magic itself can be channelled through so-called AI agents and the Floo-Network begins to open up to Muggles as well with the Fediverse.
However, with the rise of bad effects that came with it, too, some Muggles are becoming more and more weary of the whole situation and in the wizarding community, people are calling for bringing their knowledge to the Muggles, taking some responsibility beyond their own magical realm, while others call for the institute to again take a stronger stance on the devices in the muggle world due to the negative effects they caused.
How can a good future for both the wizarding and the muggle world look like?
Fungiverse Tales 