As Usual… But Not Quite
Like every week, Wanda gathered her children for their family day. She always set aside time just for them, a moment to sit together and talk about how their week had gone.
Even if they saw each other almost all the time at Hogwarts… this day was different.
This one was just for them.
And this week, like always, the four of them were gathered in Wanda's office. The table was covered with all kinds of snacks the family usually enjoyed, each one's favorites carefully prepared.
Normally, this was a lively moment. The four of them would talk, laugh, sometimes even play board games.
But this time… it felt different.
Wanda, Billy, and Tommy were sitting on the large red sofa in front of the small tea table, each holding a cookie, all three of them staring ahead with interest.
At Harry.
He was lying back on the opposite sofa, lost in his thoughts, holding a pendant up in front of his face. His expression carried a faint trace of sadness as he stared at it… before letting out what had to be his twentieth sigh since the meeting started.
"I don't think I've ever seen him like this," Tommy murmured quietly.
"I've been watching him all week. He keeps walking around with that pendant, like he's waiting for someone. At one point, it even looked like he was arguing with something invisible… but I guess he didn't find what he was looking for," Billy replied in an equally low voice.
Harry let out another sigh.
Wanda couldn't help the small smile that formed as she watched her eldest son like that.
"Harry, dear… did something happen?" she asked gently.
"No… nothing," Harry replied without looking up, falling into silence again.
The only sound that followed was the crunch of the cookie Tommy bit into.
"Why is she avoiding me? It's like she disappears every time she sees me. And I can see her… and she's terrible at making excuses," Harry suddenly said, sitting up abruptly, a trace of frustration on his face before dropping back down and running a hand through his hair.
That sudden shift made the three of them widen their eyes slightly.
"I'm sure I didn't do anything wrong this time. Well… I always do something wrong, but not enough for her to ignore me like that," he added, grabbing a cookie and biting into it with clear annoyance.
Billy and Tommy watched him with open interest.
Harry usually acted mature, especially around them. Sure, he could be a bit chaotic sometimes… but never like this.
Which made it far more entertaining to watch.
Wanda, however, let out a quiet sigh, noticing the change in her eldest son's mood. She watched him for a moment before speaking.
"You see, dear… women can be a bit more complicated than men. We tend to think things through. We imagine what could go wrong… all the possible outcomes of every action, until we start overthinking everything," she said calmly.
"I've been through it myself… when I met the love of my life," she continued, glancing toward the twins with a soft smile as she gently ran a hand through their hair.
"For a long time, I doubted my feelings for him. Not because I didn't love him… but because we were so different. Not just biologically… but in age… in the way we thought… even in what we were," Wanda said softly, her voice carrying a quiet sense of longing.
Harry, hearing his mother's words, finally looked at her properly, his attention fully there now.
"Luckily, he was always the one who took the first step. He would seek me out, take care of me, try to connect with me," she said, a truly warm smile forming on her face, as if those memories were still vivid.
"To the point where, before I even realized it… I had let the relationship grow so much that I couldn't live without him," she added.
For a brief moment, that smile faltered, replaced by a quiet sadness.
"And sometimes… it still feels that way."
Then she looked at her children.
And smiled again.
They were the reason she kept moving forward. Even after losing the love of her life… they were now the love she lived for.
Billy and Tommy also fell quiet for a moment, remembering their father as they listened.
"You just need to be yourself, Harry. You've always been charming with girls. That's why they always joke about you being a playboy," she said gently. "Even though you've always treated them with perfect manners… and honestly, that part makes me proud. It means I raised a proper gentleman."
Harry seemed a little embarrassed at that, so he avoided his mother's gaze, running a hand through his hair.
"Thanks… for the advice. I think I know what I should do now," he added with a small smile.
"Even so… you're all growing up so fast. Maybe it's time I talked to you about the birds and the bees," Wanda said, a faint smile forming as she looked at her sons.
Harry's eyes widened immediately, and he stood up in a rush. "What… no. I think I'm fine. That won't be necessary," he said quickly.
Billy also looked uncomfortable, shaking his head.
"Uh… bees?" Tommy asked, confused. Billy leaned closer and whispered something into his ear, which made Tommy's face turn red almost instantly.
"No. I think I'm fine too, Mom. That won't be necessary," Tommy said quickly, shaking his head like a maraca.
"I still think it would be best. It's good to be prepared," Wanda said with a small, amused smile as she watched her three sons.
They would've rather faced anything else than have that conversation with their mother.
"Knock, knock, knock."
Luckily for them, the office door sounded just before opening, and Sirius walked in with a slightly annoyed expression, holding what looked like a very old book. Just looking at it, you could almost feel the dark aura surrounding it.
"Sorry, Wanda. I know this is your day with your kids, but this is important. I could use your help," Sirius said, his face showing clear exhaustion, like he hadn't slept in days.
"I still have something to—"
Before Wanda could finish, the moment the door opened, her three troublemakers rushed out without looking back, throwing quick goodbyes behind them as they disappeared with surprising speed.
"Bye, Mom, I've got something to do. See you later," Harry said before turning into red mist and slipping past Sirius and out the door, who looked genuinely confused at his godson's sudden escape.
Tommy gave his mother a quick kiss on the cheek and vanished in a blur of speed.
Only Billy remained. He looked around for a moment, then stood up, gave his mother a quick farewell, and hurried out, clearly slower than his brothers.
Wanda watched them leave in embarrassment and couldn't help laughing softly before turning back to Sirius.
"So… what do you need help with?" she asked calmly.
Sirius glanced behind him, still a bit confused, before turning back to her and stepping closer, holding the book.
"Well… this is something complicated. Even for me. But it might be connected to Harry and… Voldemort," he said seriously. "Do you know what Horcruxes are?"
"Because if what I'm thinking is right… this is only going to get worse," he added, his tone colder now. And he clearly wasn't pleased at the idea of even more problems piling up.
…
Harry returned to his normal form after escaping what would have been a very awkward conversation with his mother if he had stayed.
Thankfully, his godfather had shown up at the perfect moment.
Though the book Sirius was carrying had caught his attention for a second… getting out of there had been the priority.
"But… overthinking things, huh…" Harry muttered, thinking about it more seriously now.
As if he was finally noticing a problem he might have been ignoring for too long…
but one that the "little villain" probably wasn't ignoring at all.
He stood there, bringing a hand up to his chin, deep in thought.
A small smile began to form on his face…
as if he had just come up with something rather interesting to try.