"There's one more thing I'd like to show you," Nicholas said, standing. "Something quite extraordinary that's happening right now in the Muggle world."
"The Muggle world?" Rowan asked, surprised.
"The French have always maintained better relations between magical and non-magical communities than Britain," Perenelle explained as they left the garden. "We don't have the same rigid separation. Many French wizards follow Muggle developments with genuine interest, especially in engineering and architecture."
They walked back through the magical quarter until Nicholas stopped at what appeared to be a blank wall. He tapped a specific sequence of bricks, and a doorway opened. Not into another magical space, but onto an ordinary Parisian street.
The transition was jarring. The magical quarter had been grand, colorful, impossible. This was just... Paris. Cobblestones, gas lamps beginning to flicker on as evening approached, the smell of horses and smoke and humanity compressed into urban space.
But Nicholas led them with purpose, navigating streets with the confidence of someone who'd walked them for centuries. They turned a corner, then another, and suddenly Rowan stopped.
In the distance, rising from the Champ de Mars like a skeletal giant, stood the beginnings of something massive. Iron lattice work, barely started but already imposing, stretched upward in four enormous legs that curved toward a point that didn't yet exist.
"The Eiffel Tower," Nicholas said with evident satisfaction. "They started construction in January. It's going to be over three hundred meters tall when finished. Tallest structure in the world. Built entirely from iron, using engineering principles that most people can't comprehend."
They walked closer, joining a small crowd of Parisians who'd gathered to watch the construction. Even incomplete, the structure was breathtaking. Rowan could see workers high above, tiny figures moving along the iron framework, riveting beams into place with methodical precision.
"Why show me this?" Rowan asked.
"Because," Perenelle said quietly, "we need to remember that Muggles are capable of extraordinary things. Through ingenuity, mathematics, engineering. This tower, when it's finished, it will be proof that non-magical humans can create marvels through pure intellect and determination."
"The magical world tends to forget that," Nicholas added. "We look at Muggles and see people without magic, therefore lesser. But look at this." He gestured at the rising iron structure. "They're building something taller than any magical structure in Britain. Using principles of physics and engineering that most wizards couldn't begin to understand. And they're doing it without a single spell."
Rowan stared at the construction, understanding dawning. "You're showing me this because of what I'm trying to do. Bridging magical and non-magical approaches."
"Exactly." Perenelle moved closer to the barrier surrounding the construction site. "The future you're trying to build, where Muggleborns aren't dismissed as inferior, where innovation is valued regardless of blood status, it requires understanding that magic isn't the only source of human achievement. Muggles have been solving problems and building wonders for millennia without magic. That's resourcefulness. Solving problems without the tool most wizards consider essential."
"When this tower is finished," Nicholas said, "millions of people will visit it. It will become a symbol of human achievement, of what can be accomplished through reason and engineering. And pure-blood wizards will dismiss it as 'Muggle construction,' as though that makes it less impressive." He smiled slightly. "But we know better. Innovation is innovation, whether achieved through magic or mathematics."
They stood watching as the sun set behind the incomplete tower, the iron framework turning to black silhouette against orange sky. Workers were descending now, their day's labor complete, the structure a few meters taller than it had been that morning.
"Progress happens incrementally," Perenelle said softly. "This tower is rising piece by piece, beam by beam, with workers calculating stress loads, weight distribution, and structural integrity. Each piece must be perfect before they can add the next. That's true for any worthwhile project."
"Like changing the wizarding world," Rowan said.
"Like changing the wizarding world," she agreed. "You can't force transformation overnight. You build it carefully, piece by piece, ensuring each foundation is solid before adding the next level. Rush the process, and everything collapses."
They watched a few minutes longer before Nicholas finally stirred. "Come. One final stop before we head home. The best part of any birthday."