"A generation minimum, just from adults who don't feel like learning or think they can't and can't be convinced."

"Yeah, but it could be even more than that if nutrition or whatever isn't good enough yet."

"Is that a limiting factor?"

"People get significantly smarter, over the next two hundred years, and it matters for a lot, I don't know if literacy is one of those things but summoning safely probably is."

"What're you deriving that from -?"

"I had Cam recommend me a ton of reading, most of it on development interventions to help poor parts of the world because it seemed most applicable. They have charts."

"Well, if it's a nutrition thing then demons can probably fix it..."

"I think it's mostly nutrition and maybe disease exposure and things, and enough 2179 stuff can probably fix it either way."

"Does this mean that wizards today are probably actually smarter than Muggles, I always thought that was more to do with stuff like having time to read and not necessarily a real thing."

"Don't say it in public but yeah, there is probably actually something to it, they don't come up with a standard form of measure until the early 1900s but from there to 2100 the average person becomes as smart as a one-in-a-hundred person in 1930 - and we're probably well behind 1930 -"

"How does the standard measure work?"

"Uh, ask people to complete patterns and things."

"It's very self-indulgent of me but as long as we're pausing time I wanna try it."

"Go for it. The books I was reading didn't have the test in them but I bet Cam'd be happy to make you one."

"Well, not happy exactly..."

"I bet Cam will make you one without a discernible change in facial expression. I'll read the stuff from the supposed alternate universe version of me tonight and tomorrow and forward you bits that are of interest, if you want to wait on discussing the mass murder thing with him until then."

"I don't see that it'd particularly add anything for more people to discuss it with him at all."

"It'll probably make him miserable but if you have specific questions that haven't been asked of him by anyone I think it's reasonable to ask them. Or have me, if you'd rather it be me."

"You're probably much better at being delicate about it than I would be."

"And the alternate universe version of me helped him do it."

"Helped like -?"

"Didn't ask. Don't know if it'll be in the notes."

"Don't see how a demon'd benefit from help wrecking a planet."

"The oath was very long and detailed, maybe it was help with that part."

"Makes sense." She lands her broom. In they go.