Amazon Forest, Unknown Location:
A woman dressed in long pants and boots, a short tank top, a pixie cut, a small bag hanging on her side, and holding a wand. She looked thin but fit, with only a necklace and an old, worn-out bracelet for jewelry.
She slowly walked through what looked like a ruin. Each of her steps was meticulous, looking at every detail around. She suddenly sensed something and waved her wand, manifesting an invisible shield that blocked more than ten arrows.
During the event, she was calm and composed, as if she had encountered such a situation too often to care. A green gas spewed toward her as she walked to the next room. Without hesitation, her wand fired an intense flame that burned the gas.
The woman instinctively smelled the air before frowning. She muttered something under her breath before the tip of her wand lit up green. Without hesitation, she took a purple leaf from her bag and placed it under her tongue.
A few minutes later, she exhaled deeply before continuing in a dark corner of the ruin. She found herself in a room full of engraving.
"Is this it?" she muttered before taking out a large parchment from her very small bag. She compared the writing on the wall with the translations in her hand before following directions. She pointed her wand in a different direction on the wall.
Click!
She was immediately on guard, as she knew the danger had not passed, and her actions soon proved to be correct. A colossal green flame creature emerged from the opened mechanism.
'A curse flame?' she immediately judged as this creature resembled how the Fiendfyre Cure manifested. Without hesitation, she took four stones from her bag. As the creature attacked her, she rolled on the ground to evade, leaving one of the stones behind.
She fired more spells to delay the creature while placing the stones in four directions, with the creature at the center. Finally, once she finished, she muttered a strange incantation under her breath.
The four stones released a white light that connected above, close to the ceiling, forming a cage. Under the control of her wand, the cage slowly closed, and the cursed flame rapidly decreased in size before dissipating.
She exhaled deeply before looking at the open door. Finally, a smile crept into her earnest face before disappearing.
'I should not put my hopes up so as not to be disappointed.' She had followed this lead for months and hoped her effort was not pointless like the others.
The woman did not immediately rush through the door. She took a five-minute break to drink water and a potion that recovered stamina. Finally, she marched through the door. However, before taking a few steps, her necklace began to glow. Her expression changed:
"Something happened to Zed?"
She did not hesitate before summoning her broom from her small bag, hopping on it, and flying out of this ruin. She soon found herself outside and lit up a campfire before taking out Floo Powder and using it. With a flash of flame, she disappeared from this place.
Little did she know, as soon as she left, two pairs of eyes opened up deep in the ruins, looking at where she disappeared before closing them. Afterward, this ruin disappeared from the world as if it never existed in the first place.
The woman appeared in the fireplace of a large mansion in Berkshire. She immediately Apparated inside the master bedroom upstairs and looked at Christian, who was sleeping peacefully. She checked and discovered he was indeed in deep sleep.
'The protective enchantment I placed on him would not activate unless he was in danger. So, what happened?'
She observed him closely but did not find anything. So, she took out her wand, and a white light emanating from it entered Christian's body.
Boom! A shockwave shot out from Christian's body, sending the woman flying and hitting the wall; it also destroyed many things in the room.
"Magical power?" she groaned excitedly as she slowly stood up from the floor. "Finally." A genuine smile was plastered on her face before she calmed down. She looked at the room and pointed at her wand: "Reparo."
The room swiftly returned to its original state. She approached Christian and saw he was still in a deep sleep, so she tucked him in before walking out. As she descended the stairs, she saw Eleanor, with a bat, slowly walking up.
"Tiara?"
"It's me."
"You scared me," said Eleanor. "I thought someone had broken in."
"I came to check on Zed."
"Check on him? Why all of a sudden?"
"My protective charm alerted me."
"Is he alright?"
"He's fine. It was probably because he awakened his magical powers."
"He did? I guess that's good news," nodded Eleanor. Then, she looked sternly at Tiara and asked, "Is this a short visit?"
"Why are you asking this?"
"If it is, don't let Christian see you. I don't want his mood to be affected so early in the school year."
"You're being unfair."
"Am I? You disappeared for weeks, sometimes months, appearing and leaving as you wish. You're not here to see how heartbroken he is whenever he watches you leave," Eleanor replied with a sneer. "And I still have not forgiven you for missing his birthday this year."
"I made it up for him this past summer."
"Do you think it's the same? A child needs stability."
Tiara was quiet for a few seconds. "You know why I have to leave."
"I know you miss my brother, and I do, too," Eleanor sighed deeply. "But you have to accept the fact he's gone."
"No, he's not," she denied fervently. She rummaged through her small bag before taking out a flask with a small white flame. "Years ago, after our wedding vow, I cast an ancient magic that connected our lives. It lets me know his status and share vitality with him when he's in danger."
"Are you telling the truth?"
"Why should I lie to you?" Tiara replied. "I've known he's alive somewhere out there, so I never stopped searching for him."
Eleanor looked at the flame. She missed her brother. Although she was a Squib and thus became distant from her family, her brother never treated her differently. As such, his disappearance also hurt her.
"Why have you never told me this?"
"I did not want to bring you any false hope."
"Did you find something?"
"You could say that," said Tiara, making Eleanor exhale deeply to calm down. "This has not changed much; it's not an excuse to continue hurting Christian."
"I know, and I promise I will do better."
"You've said these words before."
"It's true this time," added Tiara. "I will stay for at least a year."
Eleanor looked at her, "I hope you won't disappoint me again."
"I won't."
"Your room should still be clean, and you know the way."
"Hold on."
"What is it?"
"I need some quick cash to find someone."
"Take it out of your own account."
"It's urgent, and I need it to find someone in the next 12 hours."
"Hold on." Eleanor went back to her boudoir before returning. "I only have 850 pounds. Is that enough?"
"It should."
"Where exactly are you going?"
"Home."
'For what?"
"Looking for a Seer."
Eleanor asked no more questions and went to bed. Tiara took the money and put on a black cloak before using the fireplace to teleport to her childhood house in Haiti. She spent the majority of the night searching for an old man. After hours of searching, using the money to bribe people until she finally found him walking out of a gambling house while supporting himself on a cane.
"Papa Tounde," she yelled. The drunken old man paused as only a few people knew of this name. He concentrated his eyes to see correctly.
"Tia? Ou pa mouri? (You're not dead?)" His face showed a genuine shock that would baffle anyone.
"How rude."
"What date is today?"
"It's Sunday, the 23rd," she replied with a frown.
"You were supposed to be dead yesterday," Papa Tounde said directly. Then, he seemed to have thought of something: "Did your son awaken his magical powers?"
"That's why I'm here."
His eyes immediately lit up as the drunkenness faded away.