The three children ran through Diagon Alley with such contagious energy that they brought smiles to the faces of the witches and wizards strolling nearby. Amid laughter and playful shoves, they weaved between stalls and shop windows as if nothing in the world could stop them.
"Hello, Mr. Ice Cream Man. Would you be so kind as to give us three ice creams, please?" asked Daphne with Hermione's face, trying to speak with exaggerated, almost theatrical elegance, while Harry and Hermione watched her, barely holding back their laughter.
The ice cream man looked at them for a second, as if sensing something odd... but he simply shook his head and smiled.
"What flavor would you like, little one?" he asked, as if everything were completely normal.
"Caramel," replied Daphne (Hermione), lifting her chin like a proper little lady.
"Chocolate," said Harry (Daphne), already salivating.
"Green apple," added Hermione (Harry), with a proud smile.
"I see your tastes have changed today," the man said, amused.
"Yes!" the three of them said in unison, with mischievous giggles, as they settled in to wait for their ice creams.
But as they chatted cheerfully, unaware, the shadows were already moving.
Four hooded figures emerged from a nearby alley, advancing silently. Their wands were already raised, eyes locked on Harry"inside Daphne's body"and without a word, they cast several stunning spells with deadly precision.
Daphne's bodyguard, Cil, leapt from the shadows with lightning-fast reflexes, his wand ready to intercept the spells.
But he didn't need to.
Before he could make a single move, the bodies of Daphne (Harry) and Hermione (Harry) glowed with a brilliant red light. A magical shield burst from them like a protective heartbeat, stopping the spells midair… and in an instant, two crimson beams shot out from their bodies like spears of pure magical energy.
The four attackers had no chance to react.
The beams struck them in the chest with brutal force, sending them flying through the air. Their bodies were flung several meters before crashing into a brick wall with a sickening thud. A bone-cracking sound followed, along with a choked scream. Then"silence… The men fell to the ground, unconscious, coughing up blood.
From the rooftop of a nearby building, a figure who had been watching the scene took a step back, cursing under his breath. Then, with a crack of Apparition, he vanished.
Cil, wand still in hand, lowered his guard slightly but kept his eyes on the children. They were still unaware of what had happened, laughing among themselves… until the sound of bodies hitting the wall caught their attention.
They turned and saw Cil standing there with his wand at the ready.
"Aaah! Uncle Cil is fighting again!" said Daphne (Hermione), pointing at him without the slightest hint of fear. To her, every time she saw him, the man was fighting someone. She didn't quite understand that he was her bodyguard and that he did it to protect her. Or maybe she did… but just enjoyed teasing him.
"Harry, Hermione, don't hang out with Uncle Cil… he's a thug," she added with a mocking smile before taking her ice cream and walking past him like nothing had happened, glancing at him with a conspiratorial look.
Cil simply sighed and shook his head. Then he walked over to the unconscious attackers, checking them carefully before the Aurors arrived.
"Finally... the Flint family made their move," he muttered gravely.
In the distance, the three children were happily heading back toward the bookstore, unaware of how close they had come to danger. Wanda came out just in time to see them; her expression turned serious when she noticed Cil and the bodies behind him.
The peace of an ordinary day in Diagon Alley… had just begun to crack.
…
Meanwhile, in a remote corner of the wizarding world, the man who had been watching from the rooftop moments ago Apparated with a burst of magic in front of an old house, protected by dark enchantments. Without wasting a second, he ran to the door and burst in, panting, until he reached a room where a man was waiting, sitting with a calm"almost arrogant"air, smoking a black pipe.
"Sir… the kidnapping attempt failed," the newcomer said, immediately dropping to his knees in trembling respect. "The Greengrass girl is protected by powerful magic… and so is the boy from the bookstore."
Arthurus Flint, the man in the armchair, let out a dry, bitter laugh, as a shadow of hatred crossed his face, twisted by resentment.
"Of course they protect that witch's son. After what she did to me…" he spat with disgust. "If they're so well protected, we just need to change tactics. An Avada Kedavra doesn't stop for shields. We just have to make sure there are no witnesses. Kill the boy."
His eyes, lit by insane fury, gleamed with a sickly glow.
"And regarding the daughter of that bastard… figure out how to capture her. We'll make that arrogant couple kneel before the Flint family. Daphne will become Marcus's wife, and the Greengrass family will return the power that rightfully belongs to us," a low, deranged laugh rumbled from his throat.
"And what if the patriarch learns of the attack?" asked the servant in a trembling voice.
"That's why Marcus will be the one to claim her. The patriarch has always had a soft spot for his son. I only want revenge… and humiliation," Arthurus replied, casting a greedy glance. "Hire assassins. I want that brat killed in front of his mother… and then…" his voice grew lower and more twisted, "we'll turn the witch into our servant. Let's see if the 'great Wanda' can endure that."
"Yes, sir," said the servant, vanishing immediately.
…
Hours later, at the Greengrass residence, after Daphne returned smiling from what had seemed like a peaceful morning, Cil walked with firm steps toward the patriarch's office.
He knocked on the door.
"Come in," came Edward's deep voice from within.
Cil entered and gently closed the door behind him, offering a slight bow.
"Sir, I've come to deliver my report," he said with a firm, controlled tone. "This morning, Lady Daphne used Polyjuice Potion to transform into the girl from the bookstore. Together with Potter and Granger, they wandered around Diagon Alley. During their walk, four individuals emerged from an alley and cast stunning spells intending to capture the children, specifically the one they believed to be Daphne and Potter."
Edward raised an eyebrow, saying nothing yet. Cil continued.
"I was hidden and prepared. I moved to intercept the spells, but before I could act, the bodies of Potter and Granger"who appeared to be Daphne and the other girl"glowed with an intense scarlet light. A magical barrier protected them, and immediately after, an automatic counterattack was launched, violently knocking out the assailants. All four were rendered unconscious with multiple fractures before I could even cast a single spell. I ensured they were fully neutralized before the Aurors arrived."
"And the children?" Edward asked, his voice devoid of emotion, but his finger drumming insistently on the desk.
"They are unharmed. None were injured. The attack was an attempted kidnapping, not an assassination," Cil replied. "But sir… those children. The defenses they carried were stronger than anything I've seen… even beyond what Lady Daphne possesses. I can't help but think there's something more behind them."
Edward remained silent for a moment, as if evaluating every word.
"No. It's not at all suspicious that a mother more powerful than you imagine would protect her child with all the power she has," Edward said, his gaze cutting like ice. He was someone who could see beyond the obvious. Someone used to gauging the worth of others"yet he couldn't read Wanda. Her power was unfathomable to him. Only Dumbledore had ever given him a similar impression.
"So… should we trust them?"
"As long as they are friends of Daphne, they deserve our respect. My daughter has lived in solitude for far too long. Her only previous bond was with the Malfoy boy… but his father, that arrogant fool, tried to use that friendship for an arranged marriage. When I rejected the idea, he forced his son to cut ties. And although he's now dead, the boy still carries too much of his father. His mother will have to reshape him… or he'll grow up to be another imbecile like Lucius."
"It doesn't matter if they're not pure-bloods. That was never a requirement for the Greengrass family. We're one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, but we don't care about that. Many of our ancestors married common wizards"even Muggles. Even the Blacks, with their 'Always Pure' motto, married half-bloods. They just had a ritual to 'purify' the blood. That's why they think they're still pure. We don't need that. At least I don't. I can't speak for my father or grandfather. And they're gone now," he added, closing the topic.
"Yes, sir," Cil responded.
"But it seems Flint is more insane than we thought. Looks like it's time for our counterattack to start causing real damage," said Edward, turning his gaze back to the business documents on his desk.