The Calm Before the Storm
It was an unusually quiet day at the bookstore. With only a few customers browsing among the shelves, Wanda and Loise took advantage of the rare lull to chat and get to know each other better. Soft laughter and whispered conversations filled the air with a warmth that sharply contrasted with what was about to come.
In the distance, Chelsea watched from behind the counter with a smug smile. Her eyes never left the door, as if she were expecting something... or someone.
The jingle of the bell announced the entrance of a group. The sound, innocent on its own, seemed to cut through the atmosphere like a blade. A group of well-dressed men and women stepped across the threshold, their very presence radiating power and ancient nobility. Behind them walked a stout man with a carefully trimmed mustache, wearing a bowler hat and a dark suit. His aged face didn't hide the disdain with which he regarded everything around him, as if the entire world were beneath him.
Loise frowned upon seeing him.
"Looks like trouble is coming…" she muttered, casting a quick glance at Chelsea, who smiled maliciously, as if she already knew what was about to happen.
Wanda felt a chill run down her spine as she recognized the man"it was Carl, the owner of the bookstore.
Loise stepped forward with professionalism and calm.
"Sir, what brings you here?"
Carl didn't respond right away. He first adjusted his bowler hat with unnecessary slowness, then spoke in a hoarse, authoritarian voice.
"I've received several complaints, Loise… about how you treat the employees. And particularly, about your constant mistreatment of our best worker: Miss Chelsea." He looked at her coldly. "Jealousy is no excuse for disorder."
Beside the group, an elderly man in dark robes stepped forward. His face was pale and gaunt, and his eyes… his eyes were completely white, with only two dark dots where his pupils should have been. Wanda recognized him immediately: a man consumed by dark magic. Despite his aura of power, she knew his end was near. Even if he didn't.
"Carl, I don't care. Fire those two ingrates. I don't understand why I have to be here for such idiocy. If my daughter isn't given the respect she deserves, I'll simply shut down this miserable bookstore," the old man said with disdain, not even bothering to look at Wanda or Loise.
Carl nodded, obedient.
"Of course, Mr. Flint. From now on, Chelsea will be in charge. You two may leave."
Wanda turned to Loise, who seemed ready to protest, but a new voice rang out in the room, cutting through the air like a lightning bolt.
"And since when does an arrogant brat get to control our bookstore? She came here to learn how to behave like a decent human being."
Everyone turned instantly. Flint already had his wand in hand, ready to strike the insolent speaker… until he saw her.
A woman of imposing beauty, with golden hair and a regal bearing, advanced with elegance. At her side, a girl of about six walked silently, holding her hand. The temperature in the room seemed to plummet.
"L-Lady Greengrass…" Carl stammered, instinctively stepping back, his voice tinged with fear.
"I remember very well why that young woman," Selene said in an icy tone, pointing at Chelsea, "was sent here. She hit my daughter for not getting the handbag she wanted. This was a punishment, wasn't it, Flint? A pathetic attempt at an apology from your family. Or was it all a lie?"
"Selene, this has nothing to do with"my daughter is being treated as if she were…"
"An employee?" she interrupted firmly. "Because that's what she is. What did you expect?"
Mr. Flint's face twisted in rage. Back in the days of Lord Voldemort's regime, his family"vassals of the feared Dark Lord"had been among the most powerful, even above the Greengrasses or the Blacks. But while the Greengrasses remained neutral and survived the Dark Lord's fall, many families like the Flints fell from their pedestals and were surpassed by houses like Longbottom, Greengrass, or Prewett.
"And you, Carl," Selene continued, not taking her eyes off the owner. "It's true you bear our name. But we only gave you that place out of pity. A man with no name or fortune, thrown into the darkest corner… but even that mercy seems wasted. You've sullied the Greengrass name by groveling before dark-leaning families. Something strictly forbidden by our blood."
"Watch your words, Selene…" Flint warned, trembling with fury, his wand vibrating in his clenched fist.
Wanda could see it clearly: the dark magic inside him was spilling out like a storm barely contained, spiraling out of control.
"We don't want your daughter anywhere near ours," Selene declared in a voice of steel. "You can take her. But let it be clear: if she ever crosses paths with anyone from the Greengrass family again, I will consider it a declaration of war. No one touches my daughter and walks away without paying the price."
Chelsea stepped back, pale, as Selene's icy gaze pierced her.
"Hmph. Then war it is!" Flint shouted madly, and without warning, raised his wand.
But his target wasn't Selene.
The green flash of a Killing Curse shot directly toward the little girl by her side.
No one saw it coming.
No one… except Wanda.
She had felt the shift. The magical corruption consuming the man could no longer be hidden. Flint had completely lost his mind.
Selene moved to shield her daughter immediately, her body twisting like a human shield. For a moment, everything seemed to move in slow motion. She knew she wouldn't have time to draw her wand. The spell was already heading for her chest. All she could do was open her arms and cover her daughter.
…But in an instant"barely a microsecond"a tile beneath Wanda's foot rose with a red aura, intercepting the curse just in time.
Wanda had raised her hand at the last second, instinctively protecting the mother and daughter.
With the tile still floating in the air, she pointed toward Mr. Flint. A powerful blast launched him several meters back, slamming into his chest and sending him crashing to the ground.
The wizards accompanying him reacted instantly, drawing their wands"but Wanda moved her hand again. All three were completely immobilized, though more than paralyzed, it felt as if something invisible and crushing was pinning them down violently.
With another movement of her free hand, the wands of Mr. Flint, the three men, and even Chelsea"who had tried to react"flew into the air and landed before Wanda.
She calmly closed her hand.
The wands snapped in midair before they could touch the ground, reduced to splinters.
Meanwhile, the trapped men began to let out choked cries. Their bones fractured slowly under the magical pressure until, finally, they were released and fell to the ground, writhing in pain.
Everyone present fell silent, staring at Wanda in astonishment.
She hadn't used a wand.
She hadn't spoken a single word.
She had only moved her hands… and it was all over in seconds.
Selene looked at her with wide eyes, vaguely recognizing her as the kind woman from the ice cream shop"but that didn't matter right now. She immediately turned to check on her daughter.
"Daphne, are you okay? Did something happen to you?" she asked urgently, scanning the girl from head to toe.
"I'm fine, Mom," Daphne replied with a trembling smile, still shaken by what she had just witnessed.
"Phew… That's good," Selene murmured in relief"before fury overtook her the moment she laid eyes on Mr. Flint.
Without hesitation, she drew her wand and shouted,
"Expecto Patronum! Edward, come here right now! Mr. Flint just tried to attack Daphne!"
A silver swan burst from her wand and soared swiftly toward Diagon Alley.
The Greengrass family had gone out to enjoy a peaceful day together, but had separated slightly when Selene heard a commotion coming from the bookstore.
The men lying on the ground paled as they heard that the Greengrass patriarch was on his way.
There was one thing everyone knew about the neutral families: they hadn't survived the war with Voldemort just because they were purebloods. No. The real reason was the power they kept hidden. Neutral families were ancient, traditional, full of secret spells and lost incantations that protected their bloodlines.
And the face of the neutrals… was the Greengrass family.
Edward, their patriarch, wasn't just a powerful wizard"he was also Selene's husband.
Only a few seconds passed before the bookstore's fireplace burst into green flames.
From it emerged an elegant man with an imposing presence, snow-white hair, and ice-blue eyes. In his arms he carried a small blonde girl of about four, her curious gaze paired with an innocent smile.
When Edward arrived, the temperature seemed to drop instantly.
He scanned the room with his eyes. The first thing he confirmed was that his wife and daughter were safe. Then he walked toward them and handed the little girl into Selene's arms.
Afterward, he turned toward Flint, still lying on the floor.
"Renervate," he said firmly. He didn't use a wand. The spell simply flowed from him, instantly reviving the old man.
Mr. Flint's eyes flew open, and he sat up quickly, reaching for his wand… but the moment he saw Edward standing before him, he froze.
"Edward," he muttered with disdain.
"I accept your war," Edward declared coldly. "Tell your family. Or better yet, let them come deliver you themselves… for trying to attack my wife and daughter."
Flint's face twisted with fury, but before he could respond, the three men accompanying him"still in pain"stepped in front of him.
"Sir… we should return and inform the patriarch," one of them whispered urgently.
"Do you think the Flint family fears the Greengrasses?" Flint spat as he turned to leave.
"They do," Edward whispered, watching him go with ice in his eyes.
Meanwhile, Selene approached Wanda.
"Thank you so much… really, thank you. If you hadn't been here, I don't know what would have happened to me or to Daphne," she said with heartfelt gratitude.
"It's alright. I don't like seeing a mother attacked in front of her child," Wanda replied calmly.
"Allow me to thank you on behalf of the Greengrass family as well," added Edward, stepping closer upon hearing his wife's words. His expression remained completely serious and unshakable.
"I'm fine," Wanda answered lightly, brushing it off.
At that moment, the fireplace lit up with green fire again. Everyone turned immediately, still tense after Flint's recent departure.
But what came out was no enemy.
It was a boy with messy hair and a lightning-shaped scar on his forehead. Beside him appeared a girl with bushy brown hair.
Sometimes, Wanda wondered if their hair looked like that because they were magical children…
"Mom! We came to find you!" Harry said cheerfully as he walked up to her, followed by Hermione.
Wanda had connected the fireplace to the Floo Network so Harry could visit her whenever he felt bored. It also made trips to Diagon Alley much easier.
Harry looked around, noticing everyone's gazes. He felt a bit self-conscious, but when he recognized Selene"the kind woman who had once bought them ice cream"he relaxed.
"Hi," he greeted politely, and Hermione gave a small curtsy beside him.
Daphne, who was now standing safely behind her parents, looked curiously at the two children who had just arrived…