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🕑 Added 2025-04-07 21:37:27 +0000 UTCThe heat of summer has given way to cooler breezes in the Northern Hemisphere. The trip had been long and exhausting, but undeniably worth it. They gathered invaluable data on ancient magic, deepening their understanding of how different cultures approached enchantment and warding. Miranda seemed satisfied with the progress, though she didn’t say it outright. Selena looked more energized than tired, clearly enjoying the hands-on experience.
After bidding goodbye to Miranda and Selena at the airport, Harry touched the ring on his finger and appeared back at the Flamel Château. The breeze carried a familiar scent of lavender and rosemary—clean, grounding, home. Seemed like Petunia had kept herself busy while he was gone.
As he walked up to the front door, it swung open before he even touched the handle. Petunia stood there, wiping her hands on a garden towel, giving him a once-over before stepping aside to let him in.
"Back in one piece, then," she said, raising an eyebrow.
Harry smirked. "Surprised?"
"Not particularly. Just glad you didn’t get lost in some jungle or eaten by whatever creatures roam out there."
"Missed me that much?" Harry teased.
She scoffed, trying to hide a smirk. "Hardly. Just kept your room from growing cobwebs."
She then pulled him into a quick hug. "Come, tell me all about your travels."
Harry just smirked, letting her drag him to the garden, where the Flamels were already waiting. The sun was low, casting long shadows across the neatly kept flowerbeds. Nicholas sat on the wooden bench with a book in his hands, while Perenelle was busy pruning a few wayward branches from a rose bush. They both looked up at the sound of footsteps, and Nicholas gave him a pleased nod.
"Back at last," he said with a hint of a smile. "I trust your journey was worth the trouble?"
Harry shrugged, settling onto the bench opposite Nicholas. "More or less. Some places were just old stones with barely any magic left. Others... different story. Got a few good theories to dig into, at least."
Perenelle wiped her hands on a cloth and took a seat next to Nicholas, giving Harry an expectant look. "You’ve seen quite a bit for one summer. Anything particularly interesting?"
Harry considered it for a moment. "Chichen Itza still holds up—wards are a mess, but they're not completely dead. Machu Picchu was surprisingly intact, too. Feels like the place is still alive, in a way. The most interesting was probably Tiwanaku, though. Half the runes were too worn to make sense of, but the bits we could read were unusual. Miranda thinks it might have been a convergence point."
Nicholas hummed thoughtfully. "Tiwanaku, you say? That would fit the theories about pre-colonial leyline hubs. The place was known to be significant even before the Inca took over."
Harry gave a nod. "Yeah, but it’s hard to know for sure. Most of the runes are practically dust at this point. Selena tried making sense of one set, but it didn’t connect to any known system."
Petunia returned with a pitcher of lemonade and poured a glass for each of them. She leaned against the stone railing, listening without interrupting. Harry took a sip, appreciating the cold, tart flavor before continuing.
"One thing’s for sure," he added. "A lot of those places had similar warding patterns, even though the cultures were different. Machu Picchu and Chichen Itza both had solar alignment enchantments. Same basic idea, but the execution was miles apart."
Nicholas raised an eyebrow. "A common magical principle interpreted differently, then?"
"Seems like it," Harry replied. "Probably something to do with how each culture viewed their relationship with the sun. One used it for ritual amplification, the other to maintain stability. And Sacsayhuamán? That fortress was built to withstand earthquakes—magic woven into the stones to make them interlock perfectly."
"Fascinating," Nicholas mused. "Stabilization charms tend to degrade quickly, especially in harsh conditions. For it to still hold after so long... remarkable craftsmanship."
Harry just nodded. "Yeah. Miranda took a few samples to study back home. Said it might give insight into how to reinforce modern wards. Not like Hogwarts’ stonework, though—more direct, less layered. Still holds up well despite the centuries."
Perenelle gave a soft chuckle. "It sounds like you gained a great deal of practical knowledge on your journey."
They talked about everything—his trip, the ancient sites, and some of the more bizarre magical traditions he’d come across. When he asked about her time while he was gone, Petunia explained, spending more time in the garden than usual, helping the Flamels crossbreed a few magical plants with some hardy Muggle varieties. She’d brought over some ideas from her own greenhouse back in Privet Drive, and Perenelle admitted they’d worked better than expected. Apparently, even Nicholas was impressed with one of her hybrid night-blooming roses that could thrive without direct sunlight.
Perenelle smiled. “Your aunt has quite the green thumb. She’s been invaluable with the Moonlight Petunias—we’d almost given up on those before she suggested altering the soil composition.”
Petunia gave a modest smile, though Harry noticed the hint of pride in her expression. “It wasn’t much, really. Just needed better drainage and a bit of iron in the soil. Moonlight Petunias are sensitive to waterlogging.”
Nicholas nodded. “Simple solutions are often the most effective. Magical folk tend to overlook the basics sometimes, too eager to find a charm or potion to solve the problem.”
As the afternoon stretched on, they moved inside, and Petunia set out some sandwiches and tea. Harry continued talking about some of the messier parts of the trip—like how they’d gotten drenched in a downpour while hiking to Machu Picchu or how Selena had nearly cursed a thieving monkey that tried to make off with her quill. Petunia snorted at that one, shaking her head.
By the evening, they’d caught up with just about everything worth mentioning. Harry excused himself and headed to his room to unpack. Misty and Flamel House Elves had already made sure it was spotless—no dust, bed made, and his books stacked neatly on the shelves. A pile of newspapers sat on his desk, carefully stacked and organized. Petunia must have collected them while he was away, keeping him up to date on what had been happening in Britain. He picked up the top one and glanced over the headline.
DEATH EATERS RAIDED BRITAIN! SWIFT COUNTER FROM MINISTRY PREVENTED A MASSACRE!
Harry scanned the article, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. Avery’s been doing his job well, it seemed. Most of the raids lately had been intercepted before they could even get going, and Amelia Bones didn’t waste time making a show of it. Public morale was holding, and it wasn’t like anyone outside the Death Eater circle knew why the Ministry suddenly got so efficient at tracking them down.
Flipping through a few more papers, Harry skimmed the headlines.
BLOOD PURITY EXTREMISTS TARGET MUGGLEBORNS IN LEEDS – MINISTRY FORCES ON THE SCENE WITHIN MINUTES!
ATTACKS ON DIAGON ALLEY THWARTED – UNSPEAKABLES INVOLVED IN COUNTER-STRIKE!
The Ministry had been moving fast, almost too fast for the Death Eaters to react. If Avery kept leaking information, the old guard wouldn’t have the slightest clue why their operations kept failing. It wasn’t like they’d suspect one of their own—especially one as paranoid as Avery. He had always been good at surviving.
Harry folded the paper and leaned back, staring at the ceiling. He hadn’t been able to get the full picture from where he was, but between the occasional update from his friends and the messages from Avery, he had a decent idea of what was happening. At least for now, the chaos was contained. The British public was surprisingly quick to forget terror when it was handled efficiently.
