"Children of the Bloodline, Heirs to the Curse"
That day, curiously enough, they weren't gathered in the library as usual, but at Harry's house instead. And by "they," it meant Draco, Daphne, Hermione, Astoria, and Luna. Wanda, ever watchful, had left Liz and Gris to keep an eye on things from the shadows, like the trained house-elves they were—unseen, silent, and ready to act if necessary.
The atmosphere was calm. The children were sitting on the floor atop soft rugs, gathered around a small tea table, working on their homework with varying levels of enthusiasm.
Draco, Daphne, and Astoria were homeschooled by private tutors; Hermione and Harry attended a Muggle school. Luna, on the other hand, studied with her mother, and while she had no assignments of her own, she joined the group simply because she felt a bit lonely that afternoon.
In a corner of the room, far from the academic chatter, Luna and Astoria were playing with Red—tying bows onto the little dragon's head and debating whether he needed a proper princess dress. The tiny creature, though resigned, accepted his fate with a mixture of dignity and patience.
"So… have you thought about what house you'll be in at Hogwarts?" Daphne asked suddenly, letting her quill fall with a tired sigh.
"I don't have a favorite, but I'll most likely end up in Slytherin," Draco replied calmly, as if speaking of something long predetermined. "My parents, grandparents… they were all in that house. You too, Daphne—your family's been Slytherin for generations."
"True. Though I think Gryffindor could be fun… seems full of idiots," she added with a sarcastic smile. "What about you, Harry? Your parents were Gryffindor, right?"
"Yeah. But my mom—Wanda—never went to Hogwarts, so she doesn't have a house. Though she said she would've probably ended up in Slytherin… for reasons she never explained," Harry answered thoughtfully. "But if I had to choose between the reckless brave, the ambitious, the wise, or the loyal… I'm somewhere between Ravenclaw and Slytherin. I don't have anything against Gryffindor, but based on my godfather's stories… yeah, they're kind of a bunch of impulsive lunatics. I love my uncle, but he's the top example."
Daphne laughed. "And you, Hermione? Coming to Slytherin with us?"
"You're joking, obviously," Hermione replied with a playful but firm look. "While I'm sure you guys will be fine there, it's just not for me. I'd prefer Ravenclaw or Gryffindor. Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick seem wonderful. And while I haven't really spoken to Professor Sprout, she seems kind. But Snape… well, he's not exactly the warm and fuzzy type."
Their soft laughter was suddenly shattered.
"Astoria, are you okay!?" Luna cried out.
Everyone turned at once. Astoria was on the floor, clutching her chest tightly, gasping as if something invisible was crushing her. Her eyes were wide open, filled with pain.
"Astoria!" Daphne shouted, springing up so fast she knocked over her chair. She rushed to her sister without hesitation. "What's wrong? What hurts?"
"She grabbed her chest out of nowhere…" Luna whispered, pale and trembling. "She can't breathe..."
"Liz! Gris! Go get Mom and the others, now!" Harry ordered with a sharp, commanding voice that broke the tension like glass.
Two sharp cracks rang through the air, and the elves vanished instantly.
The rest of the group gathered around Astoria, trembling hands hovering, eyes fixed on her small body twisting in pain.
"I'll get my mom!" Hermione yelled, darting out the front door without another word.
Selene was the first to appear, brought by Liz. Her face was pale with terror when she saw her daughter on the floor. Without hesitation, she rushed over and gently lifted her.
"Astoria, sweetheart…" she whispered, voice breaking. "We have to take you to St. Mungo's."
Then, a flash of red lit up the room. Wanda appeared—ethereal and powerful—while Gris brought Edward along, who still had papers in hand that fell to the floor the moment he saw what was happening. He ran to them immediately.
Selene looked at Wanda, desperate. No words were needed. Wanda was already moving.
Her hands lit up with a deep red glow that enveloped Astoria's body. Slowly, the girl began to calm down. Wanda's expression darkened; she lifted one hand as if pulling something from thin air… and suddenly, a black orb emerged from Astoria's chest, floating in the air like solid venom.
Astoria's body trembled once more before going limp in her mother's arms.
Selene checked her breathing with trembling fingers—then let out a long, shaky breath of relief.
"What is that?" Edward asked, his voice low and furious. The walls themselves seemed to vibrate faintly from the power in his tone. The whole house could feel his contained rage.
"A curse," Wanda said quietly, her red aura spreading through the room and calming the tremors.
At that moment, Susan burst in through the door, breathless, one hand over her heart. Seeing everyone gathered, she exhaled in relief.
"Is she okay?" Susan asked as she approached Selene.
"I'm taking her to St. Mungo's immediately," Selene said, her voice still trembling.
Wanda nodded. Edward was staring at the floating sphere with a cold fury so intense it seemed to make the furniture inch away from him.
"Can we know where that came from?" he asked—his tone more of a sentence than a question.
The children instinctively hid behind the nearest adult. They knew Edward would never hurt them… but the power radiating from him made their very souls tremble.
Wanda didn't respond right away. She examined the orb closely… until it began to disintegrate on its own.
"The one who cast it… has been dead for a long time," she finally said, shaking her head slightly. She didn't seem to have more answers.
"Thank you. I'm going with my wife," Edward said, his voice now calmer. He turned to Daphne. "Wait here for me, okay?"
Daphne nodded without protest, though worry still clouded her eyes.
Susan approached and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "She'll be fine. Wanda stabilized her. Now it's just a matter of time. Want something sweet while you wait?"
"No, thank you… I'd rather just sit," Daphne murmured, her gaze distant.
Harry sat in silence, thinking back to the conversation from earlier—about powerful houses, marked bloodlines… and how they were always targets. Now, he had seen it firsthand.
Sensing his worry, Red nudged Harry's side with his head.
Harry smiled softly and patted him. "Thanks, Red. She'll be okay. But if someone really sent that curse… I hope they're found."
The little dragon nodded. For just a moment, his eyes dimmed with a dangerous glow.
…
A few hours passed in silence, heavy with tension. During that time, a house-elf sent by Selene appeared briefly to bring news: Astoria was out of danger, though still undergoing thorough examinations at St. Mungo's.
Finally, the fireplace flared with green flames, and Selene stepped out of the floo network. Her clothes were wrinkled, her face exhausted, but her eyes showed relief.
Wanda was the first to approach.
"How is she?" she asked gently.
"She's okay… no visible damage. There's no trace of the curse in her body anymore," Selene replied, exhaling shakily. "But… it seems the curse was tied to the Greengrass family for generations. Wanda… could you check Daphne too? Please."
The pleading tone in her voice broke through her otherwise composed facade. Wanda nodded silently, and a soft red glow began to envelop Daphne, who stood perfectly still, not blinking.
After a few tense seconds, the glow faded.
"She's clean," Wanda said calmly. "There's no curse on her."
"Thank you…" Selene whispered, nearly collapsing onto the couch as the weight of the day finally pressed down on her.
Upon hearing that her sister was safe, Daphne quietly stood and hurried off to the kitchen to inform the others. Her steps were light and fast, as if she needed to put as much distance as possible between herself and the fear she'd just lived.
Wanda watched her go, then turned back to Selene.
"It's not that simple… is it?"
Selene let out a bitter, dry laugh.
"When is anything in this world ever simple?" she muttered. Then her sarcasm faded, replaced by a mixture of sorrow and tightly held anger. "The Greengrass family is old. Like many others, it's made enemies over the centuries. Edward's parents… even his grandfather… they all carried those damned pureblood ideologies."
She paused, as if the words were painful to speak.
"That curse… it only triggers when someone in the family is considered a 'blood traitor'. And Astoria… she's just a child. A child with friends. That was enough to set it off."
A knot of fury twisted in her throat. Her voice wavered.
"This world… it's rotten."
Wanda didn't speak. Not out of indifference, but out of respect. When Selene looked back at her, Wanda's eyes were filled with quiet sincerity.
"Thank you for saving her. For pulling that thing out of her… for protecting her when I couldn't. Truly… thank you."
Wanda offered one of her rarest smiles. Not a polite or practiced one—but something real.
"Astoria is Harry's friend. And you and I… we're friends too."
Selene slowly nodded. Her lips curled into a small, tired but honest smile.
"Yes… we are."