Rose and Albus, textbooks and parchment spread around them. Rose was tapping her quill impatiently on the desk, her brows furrowed over a half-written essay titled "The Uses and Properties of Mandrakes in Potion-Making."
James peered over her shoulder. "Okay, so first thing — your introduction needs to hook the reader. Mandrakes are powerful magical plants, sure, but start with why they matter in practical magic."
James was multitasking like a man possessed — scribbling out his Transfiguration notes with one hand while attempting to guide Albus and Rose through their Mandrake essay with the other.
"Remind me again why I'm the one helping you two with your OWLs when I have NEWTs to worry about?" he huffed, not looking up from his parchment.
"Because you're older and allegedly wiser," Rose said sweetly, flipping through One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi.
Albus smirked. "And because someone got an 'Outstanding' on their Herbology OWL. We're just tapping into your genius."
James rolled his eyes. "Merlin's beard, I haven't even looked at half my Transfiguration material. But nooo, here I am writing about Mandrakes instead of studying for the exams that decide the rest of my life."
Rose calmly ignored him. "Alright, so Mandrake roots are used in restorative draughts, especially for reversing petrification. That's our first paragraph sorted."
James leaned over and pointed at her parchment. "Good start, but don't forget how dangerous their cries are. That's why they make us wear those ridiculous earmuffs in Greenhouse Three." He said, rubbing his eyes, which had bags under them, showing he didn't get proper sleep in days.
Albus mumbled, "I wish I had earmuffs right now. You two are louder than a teenage Mandrake."
James flicked him on the head. "You're welcome for the free tutoring."
Rose tapped her quill against her lips. "Should we mention how their maturity is marked by them moving into separate pots?"
"Yes," James replied, exasperated. "Write: 'Once Mandrakes reach maturity, they are repotted individually, as their cries become more potent and potentially lethal.' And for the love of Merlin, spell petrification right this time, Al."
"I did!" Al protested.
"You spelled it 'pet-roof-i-kation,'" James deadpanned. "That's not even a word."
Albus turned red. "Whatever, just keep talking, Professor Potter."
James sighed dramatically. "NEWTs, I swear... I'm going to fail and end up working at the Leaky Cauldron, all because of you two and your deadly plant essays."
At that moment, the girls' dormitory door creaked open and Lily's sleepy voice called down, "Do you lot have to yell about Mandrakes at eleven o'clock? Some of us are trying to sleep!"
From behind the boys' dormitory, Hugo appeared, too, rubbing his eyes. "Seriously, it sounds like a Herbology lesson out here."
James looked up innocently. "Eleven isn't that late. Technically, it's still early bedtime for Hogwarts standards."
Lily narrowed her eyes. "Says the one who fell asleep in his cauldron last week."
"That was an energy nap, alright," James said coolly.
"Shut up, both of you," Rose said.
"Honestly, with all this noise, it's a miracle none of you have been expelled yet. James, you're supposed to be studying for your NEWTs, not babysitting these two. Rose, maybe focus on your essays instead of bossing everyone around. And Albus, try not to get distracted by your jokes for once." She smirked. "If I had to listen to this racket every night, I'd have turned into a Mandrake by now."
James raised an eyebrow. "Well, if you're so eager for silence, why don't you come join us? I'm sure we could use some of that famous Lily Evans stubbornness."
Rose laughed. "Yeah, Lily, we might need your voice to drown out Hugo's cryptic warnings soon enough."
"Hey, you know I'm right here, right?" Hugo asked
"Yeah, we do, now go sleep or tomorrow you're gonna blame us that you have missed your first class," Al said, "Now that we know what to write, let's start writing." He said to Rose while Lily and Hugo went back to their dormitory.
The dim glow of candles flickered against the walls of Hermione's office as she and Ron sat buried beneath piles of dusty files and reports. Papers covered every surface, their edges curling from years of storage.
"Look at this," Hermione said, tapping a brittle parchment. "Both Minerva and Daisy's names appear repeatedly in these reports—always connected to this strange magical signature, but there's no obvious link between them yet."
Ron sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair. "We've gone through every report twice already. It feels like we're missing something crucial — like trying to solve a puzzle with half the pieces hidden."
Hermione frowned, eyes narrowing in concentration. "If only we had more recent information— every day lost could be critical. The trail's gone cold in the last few weeks, and that's exactly when things started to get dangerous."
Suddenly, the door creaked open, and Harry stepped quietly inside. His eyes immediately flicked to the scattered papers and the serious looks on Hermione and Ron's faces.
"This doesn't look like your usual Ministry work," Harry remarked with a curious smile.
Hermione's expression tightened. "Harry, it's best you don't get involved in this one. Just Ministry paperwork." Her voice was firm but calm.
"It's just about ti.... Ouch, Bloody hell Hermione," Ron screamed when he was going to say something, but was abruptly silenced as Hermione jabbed him sharply in the ribs. "Ron! Not a word."
Ron winced and nodded, glancing apologetically at Harry.
Harry raised an eyebrow but caught the warning. "Alright, I'll leave you to it then. If you need me, just say the word."
Before he went out, he hesitated, but trusting his friends, he let out a sigh and exited. Hermione closed the door quietly behind him and exhaled deeply.
Meanwhile, Fred and Angelina moved swiftly through the backstreets and marketplaces, questioning anyone who might remember seeing the two missing girls.
Angelina's gaze was sharp and determined. "No one has seen or heard anything new for days. It's like they vanished into thin air."
Fred scowled, clenching his fists. "There has to be a clue somewhere—something we haven't thought of yet."
Angelina shook her head slightly, her voice steady but laced with urgency. "We've chased every lead, asked every shopkeeper and street vendor. If they're out there, someone would've noticed."
Fred's jaw tightened. "The longer this goes on, the harder it's going to be to find them. We can't let this drag on."
"We need to do something, we need at least a slight hint," sighed Angelina.
"Come on, we can't lose hope. If we do, then what will happen to the kids?" Fred said, gathering courage.
Angelina gave a short nod, eyes fierce. "We'll keep at it. No matter what."
George nodded,
"I promise to be with you till the end, we will do this together, it's okay," she said in a comforting tone, due to which George collapsed into a hug.
Back at the Ministry, Bill and Fleur were busy laying protective wards around key locations, especially Hogwarts.
Bill muttered under his breath as he strengthened a shimmering barrier. "This is more than just magic—there's a sense of something darker out there. We're not just protecting walls; we're protecting lives."
Fleur's voice was calm but resolute. "Every ward must be flawless. One slip, and everything could unravel."
Bill glanced at her, then looked toward the window, watching the sky darken. "They don't know what's coming, but we will be ready."
Fleur's eyes narrowed with determination. "We owe it to them to be ready. No matter the cost."
"We need to make sure that the others don't need to know. If they do, it means the past is uncovering at a very fast pace," Bill said.
"At least for our children, for James and Rose, we need to do this," Fleur said fiercely.
Everyone was exhausted, but they were determined to work to save James and Rose.
Only a handful of trusted Aurors were aware of the full gravity of the situation, working silently in the shadows alongside Hermione, Ron, Fred, Angelina, Bill, and Fleur. The weight of secrecy pressed down on them all.
Though no one dared say it aloud, the danger lurking just out of sight was growing, and the window to stop it was closing fast.