Friends
"Please, I insist," said Selene seriously, her gaze firm and resolute. She wanted, at the very least, to find a way to thank the woman who had saved her life… and her daughter's.
Wanda, thoughtful, let out a small smile before replying:
"All right. How about you let these two""she pointed to Harry and Hermione""come read at the bookstore whenever they want, without having to buy the books or be disturbed?"
It wasn't that they lacked money. In fact, Harry could buy the entire shop if he wanted to. But that request was a subtle way of accepting Selene's gesture while also ensuring that Harry could keep visiting her without obstacles or awkward stares.
"Of course," replied Selene with a sincere smile. "Though… I still think it's far too little."
She looked at Wanda with a mix of respect and awe. She coveted nothing. Demanded nothing. Most witches and wizards in her place would have asked for the entire store"perhaps even a fortune. But not Wanda. She showed no greed, no vanity, not even the slightest interest in taking advantage.
Edward, who had remained silent until then, cast a brief glance toward Wanda. In his eyes, for an instant, a spark of recognition flickered. That serenity, that selfless nobility… reminded him of a lady of ancient blood. And only someone with real power"be it magical, financial, or personal"could act with such calm, even before him.
To insist any further would've been an insult. They both knew it. So they saved their words for another time. For when she, perhaps, might need something from them.
Harry and Hermione didn't fully understand what had just happened, but they were more than happy. Being able to come and read freely, and see Wanda more often, was more than enough to make them glad.
"In the meantime… you," Selene's voice turned icy as she addressed the store's former manager, "return the papers. It was a mistake to try and help you. If you want a job, you'll be sent to one of the mithril mines."
"But madam…!" Carl tried to appeal directly to Edward, desperate, looking for a way out.
But Edward simply raised his hand"a gesture that was enough to silence him.
"My wife has spoken," he declared emotionlessly.
The magical world of Britain knew something about Edward Greengrass: that although he was the leader of the neutral pure-blood party, head of one of the four oldest and wealthiest families, and even a rival in power to Dumbledore himself… there was only one thing he truly valued: his wife and daughters. If she gave an order, it was obeyed.
"You may leave," said Edward without even looking at him. And so, Carl was expelled from his own store"or rather, what used to be his store.
The Greengrass family took their leave shortly afterward. However, Daphne and little Astoria lingered a moment, looking at Harry and Hermione with visible interest before departing.
"Awesome, Mum! Now we'll be able to come read while you work," said Harry with a big grin.
"Thank you," added Hermione, who was even more excited than he was.
"It's all right. I still have to keep working," Wanda replied gently. "But now you can read in peace, without anyone bothering you."
Chelsea, the only one who used to complain about people staying too long reading, was no longer there. So Harry and Hermione could curl up on the sofas, surrounded by books, while Wanda went on with her duties.
After all, they behaved well. And she didn't mind having them around.
On the contrary…
It warmed her heart.
…
"Harry, Hermione, look what I brought!" shouted Daphne as she burst in like a whirlwind, running with several vials clinking, filled with liquids in the strangest colors.
Since the day Wanda saved Selene and her daughter, Daphne had been determined to befriend the two new kids. The very next day, she convinced one of her maids to take her to the bookstore, and without Wanda even realizing it, they were already laughing together like lifelong friends. Well, making friends is almost a superpower that only children have.
Throughout the week, Harry and Hermione came by to read, and Daphne never missed the chance to drag them into some new kind of madness. And honestly… they were having a great time.
It was clear that Daphne didn't have many friends. Children of pureblood families always had to be careful, and even though her parents were more relaxed, the rest of the magical world wasn't so forgiving. Plus, her parents protected her like she was made of enchanted glass"no one with bad intentions could get near her. Maybe that's why she was so lonely.
But with Wanda, Harry, and Hermione… things were different. They didn't see titles or surnames; they saw a girl who just wanted to play.
Selene, seeing her daughter laugh like she hadn't in years, gave permission for her to keep visiting the bookstore to have fun. Of course, with a hidden bodyguard between the bookshelves, just in case… especially now that the Greengrass and Flint families were in the middle of a trade war. It hadn't come to spellfire yet, but… it was getting close.
"What is that?" Harry asked with genuine curiosity, closing the book he was holding.
"This is Polyjuice Potion," announced Daphne with a mischievous smile. "I asked Laki to buy me a few."
Laki was one of the house-elves in charge of looking after Daphne and Astoria. And by "looking after," we mean "making sure they don't blow up the house with an accidental explosion potion."
"I read about that! Wait!" exclaimed Hermione, dashing toward one of the shelves like it was a life-or-death emergency.
She returned with an open book in her hands.
"It says here you have to add a hair of the person you want to turn into. The transformation lasts from a few minutes to a couple of hours, depending on the strength of the potion."
"And who do you want to turn into?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow.
"What if we turn it into a game?" Daphne suggested, eyes shining with excitement. "We transform and see if the others can guess who's who!"
"I want to try it!" Harry said immediately. He was already picturing himself showing up in front of Wanda to see if she could recognize him.
"What about you, Hermione?" Daphne asked with contagious enthusiasm.
"Is... is it safe?" Hermione asked, eyeing the vials with some caution.
"Of course! Laki would never bring me anything dangerous," Daphne assured her with a smile that said, "Trust me, I've totally thought this through."
"Well..." Hermione agreed, swept up by the moment's excitement.
The three of them gathered around a little table. Each pulled out a hair and dropped it into a different vial.
"What if we mix the vials and let fate decide?" Harry suggested, eyes gleaming.
"What if we end up turning into ourselves again?" Hermione asked thoughtfully.
"Would that be bad luck… or good luck?" Harry paused, processing his own question.
"Doesn't matter, it'll be fun!" Daphne declared, already mixing the vials and handing one to each.
"On the count of three! One… two… three!"
They all drank the potion in one go.
"Ewwww!" they exclaimed in unison, making faces like they'd just tasted old sock juice.
Within seconds, their bodies began to shift. Their faces, hands"even their voices changed. Magical tingles raced across their skin.
When it all stopped… surprise! Harry was Daphne, Hermione was Harry, and Daphne was Hermione. They looked at each other and burst out laughing.
"Wait! The clothes!" exclaimed Hermione (now with Harry's face).
"Laki!" called Daphne (in Hermione's body).
The elf appeared in a blink, looked them over calmly, glanced at the empty vials on the table, and nodded as if it were just another Tuesday.
"Who is my mistress?" she asked in her high-pitched voice.
"I am," said Daphne (in Hermione's body). "Could you change our clothes?"
"With pleasure, Mistress Daphne," said Laki, and with a snap, all three were dressed according to their new appearances.
"Thanks, Laki! If I need anything, I'll call," Daphne said with an improvised curtsey.
"I shall be waiting," the elf replied before vanishing with another snap.
Hermione, still with Harry's face, watched her in fascination. She'd have plenty of questions for her later.
"Time to see if they can guess who we are! Let's start with Loise," said Daphne, taking the lead as usual.
"Let's go!" said the other two, running after her.
But before they could even make their dramatic entrance, Loise spoke from her desk without turning around.
"I saw you take the potion when I walked by. I'm busy. I can't play right now," she said in a neutral tone.
It was almost a ritual: as soon as Daphne showed up, everyone knew the mischief was about to start. Oddly enough, Harry was the calmest when Wanda was around, and Hermione usually chased the adults to ask questions. But with Daphne… they all became little chaos bombs.
It was pretty funny, considering Daphne was the daughter of the most serious man in all of Britain.
"Boo!" complained Daphne (with Hermione's face), as the three of them sneaked through the shop to where Wanda was smiling at a customer.
The shop was quiet. Only Wanda and Loise were working the morning shift, and there were no classes that day. It was the perfect atmosphere for a good dose of magic… and controlled disorder.
The three children, in swapped bodies, approached slowly, ready for their next victim.
"Thank you, sweetheart. When I can, I'll introduce you to my son," the woman said before leaving.
Wanda just smiled kindly… until she looked down and saw the three troublemakers standing frozen like statues. They were so stiff they almost looked like they were trying to pass for mannequins.
"Oh no..." said Wanda suddenly, in a serious tone like a mom catching someone red-handed. "All the clothes I bought you are for boys, so we'll have to return them and get you some dresses… if you like them," she added, looking directly at Harry (Daphne), with a smile as sweet as it was teasing.
Harry blinked, confused, then looked down… and saw the dress. Daphne's dress! He honestly hadn't even noticed. His brain had probably blocked out that detail to protect his pride. But now that Wanda was looking at him like that"he couldn't hide his embarrassment!
"Gaaah! She figured it out so fast!" said Daphne (Hermione), laughing as Harry hid behind Hermione, covering his face with both hands.
Wanda let out an amused giggle and, with a small flick of her wand, Harry's clothes changed to a more unisex outfit. He let out a sigh of relief, though he was still a little red.
"How about you try the ice cream man next? I bet he won't even notice," Wanda suggested with a big smile as she handed them several sickles.
"Awesome!" said Harry, fully hyped again.
Without wasting a second, the three of them ran out of the bookstore, laughing like they were about to embark on the best secret mission of their lives.
Meanwhile, Wanda watched them go with a mix of fondness and resignation. Then she cast a quick glance at the wizard hidden in the shadows"the personal guard discreetly protecting Daphne"and returned to helping the next customer.