The winter wind blew harshly against the enormous grounds and the castle of Hogwarts. One could tell snow was on its way soon.

But regardless of the cold weather, Professor Minerva McGonagall was hot with anger and annoyance, wondering what was so important that she had to leave her Transfiguration class with sixth years in the middle.

"Don't you think it is time, we find them and bring them back here? Where they belong?"

That was what Dumbledore had said. And the words had made her blink blankly as she stared at her old friend.

"What?"

"Don't you remember the Seer's words?" He asked. "Asteria is supposed to fulfill her destiny. And we know she cannot do that unless she comes back here."

She squinted her eyes. "Is it that your age is finally getting to your head, Albus?"

He only laughed. "Oh, you are funny, Minerva.." He shook his head. "But no.. I am only saying what needs to be done. We need to bring them back.. Asteria and Isabella."

"And you still trust that the Seer's intentions were right when she said those words?" She retorted. "Albus, maybe, she wasn't always like that, but don't forget what she turned into."

"I am not." He gave her a small smile. "But we cannot forget what Madam Lagarde was before she turned into the dreadful Seer everyone fears."

"I know, but—"

"I trust her words, Minerva."

She stared at him, not knowing what to say. "And what if you do? It wouldn't matter anyway! We don't know where Isabella and Asteria could be—"

"Don't we?" quipped Dumbledore. 

And surprise decorated her face. Surprise was an understatement, judging by her bulging eyes and pursed lips.

It took her some time to register the words that hung heavily in the air, while Dumbledore stood there with a small smile. His blue eyes behind his half-moon spectacles slightly glistened with an apologetic look. He knew well this was no playful matter.

"If you are joking—"

"I assure you I am not."

"How do you know where they are? And why do you know where they are?" She asked. "Albus, they went missing four years ago! Are you sure someone's not trying to fool us?"

And when Dumbledore told her the answer, she fought hard against the urge to drop her jaw in shock. "Thirty years?" She asked ridiculously, and he nodded. "That thought doesn't seem barbaric to you?"

"No." He defended. "I am quite sure that is where Isabella is.. in a world thirty years from now."

Minerva sighed regretfully. She knew she couldn't argue with him. Albus Dumbledore was annoyingly right most of the time. "Even if she is.. we know she won't come back. Not after everything that happened."

"Yes, but—" said Dumbledore, "that is why I am asking you to talk to her." McGonagall's eyebrows frowned. "If there is anyone that can reassure her, bring her back after what happened, it is you, Minerva."

He held out two familiar looking devices in front of her. McGonagall eyed them for a second or two before giving him a questioning look.

"You.. You don't mean—" She stared at him, exasperated. "Is this how she—? Who gave that to her?!" Minerva seemed quite furious now. "You don't think Lagarde played some trick on her before she.. she died.. do you?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "I have worked with Madam Lagarde long enough to know she wouldn't do such a thing."

There was a silence from her side, where she flipped through all the possibilities that formed in her head. It was risky. The renowned witch who had made these time-turners.. Lagarde.. she had never really been that trustworthy. Not to Minerva, at least, despite the fact that Dumbledore praised her all the time. 

But it was Isabella they were talking about..

She only sighed. "I am trusting you blindly on this one, Albus.." She said. "And why on earth do you have two of them with you?"

"No matter how wondrous and rare her inventions were, they had their limitations.." He sighed regretfully. "Her time-turners are meant to concentrate all their magic for a one-way trip over a long period of time. Hence, they all work only once, and turn to dust after that."

"And.." Minerva started doubtfully, "how many are left?"

"Well. There were only three made, which were stolen from her by a wizard that was once by her side." She understood who he referred to. Severus Snape. "Isabella used one of them, and the rest.." He answered, holding them up.

"What if she doesn't agree to come back?" She asked, her tone slightly anxious.

"The process of making these time-turners was never disclosed to anyone. Therefore, if she does not come with you, she'll never be able to come back here with her daughter."

This made her more anxious. "Not to worry, Minerva. She still has much more to return to. She will not pass up such an opportunity." He assured her. 

Minerva was way closer to her than he would ever be. But he knew Isabella's character just as much as she did.. maybe even more.

And she nodded, raising her hand to take the time-turners from him.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" asked Dumbledore. He had to ask. He could not just risk her life.

Minerva didn't have to think. She cared about Isabella and Asteria, she truly did. And Dumbledore was right too. After the suspicious incidents at Hogwarts, there was no question that threats were on their way.

They needed them. The Wizarding world needed them.

McGonagall nodded, before taking the time-turners and putting one of them around her neck. "How is this going to work, then?" But before Dumbledore could answer her question. "Not the time-turner. I know how it works. In a world thirty years from now, where will I find them? And how? They could be anywhere!"

"You won't need to.." said Dumbledore. "You'd know." His answer took her by surprise, but she didn't show it on her face.

How would she know?

But then realisation dawned upon her. She looked at Dumbledore. "What is the exact difference between regular time-turners and those made by Lagarde?"

"Nothing, but the amount of time one can move past." He answered.

"So.. if a version of me is alive there.." She said, her words seeming unsure. "She has already been through this before."

Albus nodded. "She has also found them. And she already knows that a younger version of herself is arriving there today to find Isabella and Asteria."

Well, that made perfect sense. Minerva thought.

Though she couldn't get rid of the nagging feeling in the back of her head. She had always known Lagarde to be a gray person. She had her rights, but she also had her wrongs throughout her lifetime.

But Dumbledore was right. Even though she had been against them once upon a time, she also had been going head-to-head against You-Know-Who himself, challenging, almost taunting him about his weak moves and poor strategies like it was child's play.

And she was a Seer.. The most renowned, precise Seer at that one. Her words had to hold the truth.

Finally, her fingers gripped the small hourglass and spun it. She let the time-turner take hold of her subconscious, slowly feeling herself leave her time behind..

December 2021...

The December breeze blew harshly against the ground. Around seven on a fine Saturday morning, dew still stuck on the blades of grass like shining, small and smooth crystals.

Winter had come around quickly, but that didn't stop the thirteen eleven-year-old children from playing football in the cold weather, in the middle of a global pandemic. The boys started warming up for the game with their masks on.

But there, on a lone bench at the edge of the ground, sat a girl of their age. Eager for the match to start, she crossed her legs and watched as the boys made their teams.

She loved football. Her mother had taught her how to play it. Though she never played the game with those boys. And as to playing with girls from her school.. It was lockdown. And there weren't many girls of her age in the neighbourhood.

So she preferred staying inside, most of the time, watching movies. Superhero movies were her favourite, though. She also loved to listen to music. Any genre was fine with her as long as she liked the song.

"Hey! Our team has one less player, the game won't be fair!" One boy whined, which she recognised as Sean, her neighbour. The girl's ears perked up like a cat. She stood up rapidly. She had been waiting for that moment.

"Hey, Sean! Can I play for your team?" She asked eagerly. The boy looked at her and smiled, nodding his head. Her soft blue eyes lit up with happiness. She ran towards them, tying her long, dark brown waves into a bun.

Sean went to some boarding school all year, and hence, they rarely played together. But he was her friend and knew what she liked to play as. So, he tossed the goalkeeper's gloves towards her.

"But can you play, though?" asked a boy from the opposite team. "The girls in my class never played with us.." He said, his tone of slight confusion.

She shrugged. "Maybe you just haven't met the football girls yet." She answered. "We play with our school friends all the time."

"Sean.." Another boy whispered to him. "What if we lose?"

"Maybe if you learn how to whisper properly, I won't play poorly on purpose. How does that sound?" The girl whispered back loudly, making the others laugh.

"Trust me, Matt! We won't.." Sean smiled at her. "Ria's a great keeper... aren't you?" He asked.

Ria shrugged with a mischievous smile. "You'll have to see.." She replied and jogged towards the goalpost, stretching with everyone else.

Someone is looking at you.. said the voice in her head, and she glanced around.

Her eyes caught an old woman walking gracefully across the street beside the ground, watching the children play. Her grey hair was in a tight bun, green and black robes covered her whole body. A pointed black hat covered her head. She looked quite fit and healthy for her age. Ria had seen that woman, and an outfit like that, for the first time.

"Excuse me, Ma'am?" She called out. Her eyes went wide, as if she had seen someone familiar, as if everything from the past years had come back rushing to her. Ria's brows furrowed in confusion at her expression.

"You really shouldn't be roaming around without a mask during these times. Please stay safe!" She requested, to which the woman nodded after some seconds.

"Yes, sure. Thank you for your concern." The woman said with a small smile, her heart almost melting at the small girl's sight. Ria smiled back and returned to the game.

The game had started. For Sean's relief and the opponent's concern, she wasn't letting the ball through any easily. She had only let in once and it was half time already.

Ria removed her mask to catch her breath, as Sean and the other players on her team came to high-five her. But little did she know, the woman was still watching her play from across the street, with the same heartwarming smile on her face.

"Nice game today, Ria! You coming tomorrow?" asked Sean, as the two walked the street towards their houses. Ria nodded with a bright smile. Their team had won the match today, and everyone was looking forward to more matches.

Both of them said their goodbyes and departed. As soon as she entered her house, her stomach grumbled dangerously.

"Mum! We played soccer today and our team won! I'm really hungry and— Is that an owl?!"

Isabella accidentally swore, and the dark brown owl fluttered its wing, soaring out of the window. Ria slapped her hand on her mouth, trying to hide her laughter at her mother's shocked face.

"Never say those words." Isabella warned, referring to the swear words while closing the window.

Ria nodded with a humorous smile. "Okay.."

"Good."

"Bloody bollocks."

"Ria!" Isabella bellowed.

"What? I said I'm hungry!" Ria justified herself. Isabella squinted her eyes at her. "Yeah. Okay, I'm sorry. But, what was an owl doing in our house?" She asked, sitting on the chair and untying her shoes.

"You have such a weird connection with animals.. I swear, sometimes I think you're an animal whisperer or something.. or like.. Snow white. You also had short hair in high school, right?" Ria confessed with a small chuckle, while Isabella chuckled nervously, walking towards the kitchen to make her daughter some sandwiches.

This was the first time the owl had been caught..

"Uh- Ria, honey?" She looked at her mother. "Why don't you ‌go take a bath until I make you something to eat?"

"Okay." She answered, and began climbing up the stairs to her room. But then the doorbell rang.

Ria spun in her place, preparing to go down again when Isabella said, "No worries.. I'll take it." And with a shrug, she continued going to her room.

And the next thing Isabella heard was a small thud, and the muffled sounds of a boombox playing one of Ria's many favourite bands. She chuckled, having memories of her school days.

The doorbell rang again. "Coming!" Isabella opened the door with a subtle smile on her face, but then it faded away.

"Minnie?"

Isabella placed a cup of tea in front of McGonagall, and took a seat in front of her. Her heartbeat was still racing. She still couldn't believe it..

She had never really met her, but she knew what the McGonagall in 2021 looked like, and this one looked way younger than her.. her face less stern, less wrinkly, her hair less grey.. and her eyes more haunted with the ghost of stress.

"Lord.. it's been so long." whispered Isabella, finally looking up at her again. "How— How have you been?"

"Perfectly well." She answered with a shrug. "How about you?"

"Good." She answered back, her tone of disbelief.

There was a small pause, and Minerva could see on her face that she wanted to talk about so many more things, but the only word that left her mouth was "..How?"

"The same way you did.." Minerva smiled, pulling her sleeve up to reveal a golden chain wrapped around her forearm.

Isabella looked down at the hourglass, and her heart dropped.

"I thought— I thought there was only one left—"

"Well, then, now we both know it was a lie."

Asteria walked out of the bathroom in her pyjamas, feeling more lively than ever, when she saw the same owl perched up on the guitar in her room. "Oi!"

The owl, which seemed to be inspecting the guitar, flew out of the room once the girl came running towards it. Ria hurriedly brushed its head and the tuning keys, where the owl had been sitting. She sighed, looking at the worn-out instrument. The guitar was her father's.

It just sat there, in the corner of the room. Ria would clean it once in a while, but she never played it. Not that she didn't know how to, she had learned from her Dad, and a proper teacher too.

It was not tuned properly for a while.

And.. It reminded her of him.

She missed him.. she really did.

Her parents were separated, and soon after the divorce, her father had returned to his homeland, Romania. She hadn't seen him, or heard from him in four years.

Ria's stomach grumbled loudly again. And like always, she left her thoughts in the room with the guitar and skipped downstairs. But as she reached the living room, she froze in her place. The old woman from before was sitting on the couch, conversing with her mother.

She stared at the woman, horror in her eyes that she unsuccessfully tried to mask it. She slowly walked towards them, standing behind Isabella.

"Mum.." She whispered. "I have a feeling that she followed me to our house.." Isabella looked back at her to explain. "Wait— you're crying? Did she say something to you?" Ria whispered, glaring at the woman.

"No— No, honey.." Isabella chuckled, wiping her tears away. "I just met her after a long time, and got emotional. By the way.. Meet Minnie." She smiled cheekily, but Minerva gave her a tired look.

Ria looked back at McGonagall, a little relieved. "Oh.. Hello, Minnie. I'm Asteria."

"So I've been told, Asteria." It made sense that she didn't remember her, after all, she was merely a year-old when they had met. "It's Professor Minerva McGonagall. I was your parents' teacher.. And soon to be yours too."

Ria looked at her mother with confusion. "Wait- I'm changing schools?" She asked. "You didn't tell me anything about that!"

At that, McGonagall raised an eyebrow, looking at Isabella. She just answered back with a helpless look.

"Ria.." Bella muttered, "I think you should help yourself with some fruits and go to your room. Minnie and I have something to talk about."

The girl exchanged doubtful looks between the pair. "Okay.." She said, walking towards the kitchen.

"She doesn't go to Hogwarts?" asked Minerva as soon as the thud of Ria's door was heard. "I thought she was here for the Christmas holidays!"

"It's— It's not my fault, Minnie!" Bella whispered cautiously. "Her name was written in the Book of Admittance the moment she used magic for the first time, when she was a baby." she said. "I don't think the Professors at Hogwarts would admit an eleven-year old girl whose name was written almost forty years ago." She explained, looking nervously at her.

Minerva pursed her lips. "Yes. I know. I was the one who told you that." She said. "But you could've gone to the Minerva of this time! Surely, she would've understood.. I know I would have!"

"Yeah.." Isabella nodded timidly. "Yeah.. I believe you would have.."

"Then why did you not—" It was a moment of realisation for McGonagall, where she gave Isabella a look she gave her students. And for a moment, it took Isabella back to her days at Hogwarts. She looked down at the plate of crackers with great interest.

"Does she even know that she is a witch?" The woman asked slowly. And Isabella gripped the plate.

"I'll— I'll bring some more—" she stood up from her seat.

"Isabella Jemima Diggory!" At her strict call, she sat back down, leaving the plate on the table.

"How dare you do such a thing?! Hiding your daughter's true identity from her?" Minerva's voice thundered, and she cowered, eyes threatening to tear up.

"When? When were you going to tell her? Were you ever planning to?" She asked.

"I was gonna tell—"

"Because how bad did it hurt when that happened to you?!"

"That's enough!" Isabella fired back, tears racing down her face.

"That's enough.." She said again, her tone not of anger, but defeat as she looked at McGonagall. The fog of wrath in her mind cleared, and the images of Isabella's past flashed in front of her eyes. Her shoulders slumped with guilt. She had gone too far.

"Ria!" The girl sprung up from her bed and ran downstairs as soon as she heard her mother's call.

"Where did your Professor go?" She asked.

Isabella shrugged. "She left. And yeah, call her Minnie. She might show she doesn't like it, but she does.. I asked her to stay, but she said it was better if we had some time alone." She answered, appearing much calmer than before.

Asteria stared at her mother doubtfully. "Okay..?" She said, now sitting where 'Minnie' had been sitting a while ago.

"We.. We need to talk."

Ria nodded. "Uh— sure. We do! Why didn't you tell me I was changing schools?"

Isabella sighed before rubbing her temples. She never thought this time would come. How was she going to put it out?

"Asteria Marlene Edwards." Ria straightened a bit at the use of her full name. Okay, this was important. "You are going to listen to me, very carefully. And don't you dare, take my words as a joke. You understand?" She asked, to which Ria nodded.

Isabella braced herself, taking a deep breath.

Alright, here goes nothing.

"I am a witch."

Ria blinked at her blankly, before relaxing in her seat and faking a laugh.

She had thought it was something serious...

"Haha, nice one Mum," Ria mumbled sarcastically, while Isabella rolled her eyes. She knew her daughter wasn't going to believe her.

"Okay.. I know you like pranks and everything, and you fool me good every year on April 1st.." Ria continued, while her mother got up from her seat to fetch a brass goblet.

"But this was a little too much, okay? Like, the idea was good, but less believable. You know what? I could have almost believed you if you had said you were the 'Golden witch' or something— you know like the Scarlet witch?"

Isabella placed the goblet down and took her wand out of her pocket, ignoring her daughter's rant. "'Cause you have really vibrant, amber eyes. And they look golden in sunlight so it would've been believable. Also! I dreamed about that once! Cool, right? The room was creepy and dark, and you were angry and you started firing hexes— oh, a twig? That's a—"

Ria's eyes almost bulged out of her sockets when the brass goblet transformed into a crow.

That apple wasn't defective, was it? She thought, placing her hand on her stomach.

She hesitantly reached out to see if it was true, and the crow would've almost bit her finger if her mother hadn't whistled to take its attention off her.

Isabella waved her wand again and the crow turned into the goblet again. Asteria stared at the goblet for a good while before looking at her mother again.

She sighed. "As I said, I'm a witch—"

"WHAT?!"

Ria's mouth fell wide open, as she registered every word her mother had said in the past hour.

Holy crap, who would've thought?

"So, let me get this straight..." She started, her tone of disbelief. "You're telling me, you were born in 1960. You learned witchcraft and wizardry from a school named Hogwash—"

"Hogwarts." Isabella corrected.

"That means I wasn't born in 2010. I was born in 1980." Isabella nodded. Ria rested her hand against her chest. I should be forty-one, technically. And my mother should be sixty.

"Then, during an experiment in 1987 with a bloody time-machine—"

"—time turner"

"You and I accidentally got stuck in 2017 and couldn't go back?!" asked Ria, her face contorted with terror. Isabella nodded slowly. Ria blinked slowly.

"Where— Where is that— time-turner thingy now?" She asked.

"It's with Minnie. It was broken." Her mother lied to save up the complicated explanation. "And she's getting it fixed."

"And what if it's not fixed?"

"It will be. I'm positive, because—" She said, before her child could spiral into another existential crisis, "—because.. the Minnie of this time actually helped our Minnie to find us."

Asteria stared at her for another while. "I am so confused right now."

"I am going to explain— but calm down, please, I'm already stressed." Ria nodded hesitantly.

"So.. You see.." Isabella started. "The Minnie of this time has already gone through the process of taking us back to 1991, 30 years ago. That was how she told our Minnie where we were. And that's how our Minnie found us. All of this has already happened."

Isabella sighed at her confused face. "Okay.. Those who travel with time-turners; people like us, we're stuck in a time loop."

"So.. Imagine an older.. forty-one-year-old version of you is roaming in this present time. That means you have successfully gone back to your original time and grown over the years."

"And.. As you eventually grow into the true 2021.. there will be a mini, eleven-year old version of you that has accidentally time-travelled with her mother. And then that cycle will continue."

"Woah.." Ria blinked in awe. "That's so cool."

There was a brief pause as Asteria took all the information in. She didn't know what was more intriguing; the fact that her mother was a witch, or that the two had time-travelled.

"I know this isn't what you expected when—"

"No, I didn't.." She answered.

An awkward silence consumed the two.

Well.. she did explain witches and wizards weren't like they were portrayed by normal people.

Ria thought, looking at her mother. She tried to unnoticeably squint her eyes as she inspected her. She then shook her head. 

Nah... This woman can't be evil..

"Stop looking at me like I'm a criminal.." Isabella slowly muttered, making Ria look down immediately. She fiddled with her fingers before sighing. Ria looked at her mother anxiously, before blurting out the question that was bothering her since her mother had revealed her true-self.

"Okay.. So you're a witch.." At her words, Isabella slowly nodded in response. "How does this work.. I mean, is it genetic? Or based on skills.."

"I know what you're going to ask, but I need you to say it out loud anyway."

Asteria gave her a mean stare, before hesitantly asking. "Am I? You know... a witch too?"

She had to be.. it made sense.

She had a voice in her head that she trusted. Not an instinct, a clear voice that sounded like her own. It had helped her many times.

Maybe that was a result of her magic. Maybe it was because she was a witch.

But.. just maybe..

Isabella nodded. "Yes. You magically opened a window when you were one."

Ria looked at her, unsure of the explanation. More like— she didn't believe that was the first demonstration of her magic. It should've been something cooler.

"Fine. We'll test you."

Isabella left her seat and came back some seconds later, with a quite fancy-looking broom. Ria almost snorted. Yeah.. witches were not at all like how humans portrayed them.. Sure.

"Come here." She followed, while Isabella placed the broom on the floor and extended her daughter's hand over it. "Now, say 'up'. Command it." She instructed.

Ria shrugged. "Up." The broom flew up, colliding with her hand hard and leaving her awestruck. Her mouth went wide open and she flapped her hands like a bird.

"Oh my— I'm a witch too!"

Ria sat on the bed as she watched her mother write a letter to Minnie. The dark brown owl from before (named Jude) was now perched up on her forearm as she petted him. Isabella had already told her about the letter system of the Wizarding World.

"And they just go wherever you want them to?" asked Ria, surprised. Isabella nodded with a smile. "That's impressive!"

"Does that mean I can write to Dad?" She asked.

"Yeah, sure, hun." Isabella answered nonchalantly. "But— uh— it'll take some time since he lives in a whole nother country." Ria nodded in understanding.

"Did he name him?" She asked, out of the blue.

Isabella chuckled. "Yes. How did you know?"

The girl shrugged. "His name's Jude. The Beatles have a song named 'Hey Jude'. Dad's a Beatles fanatic. Just put two and two together."

"Wow.." Isabella chuckled again. "That took me ages to figure out. Actually, I never figured that out, Daniel had to tell me that."

"Are you calling yourself stupid?" asked Ria, and her mother gave her a look. She chuckled. "Sorry."

Isabella handed the letter to him. The owl held it in his beak. "You know where to take it, right?" Jude flew out of the window.

"So, is this why we don't have relatives here?" Ria asked, trying to help her mother as they packed their bags. She nodded, continuing to empty the closets manually. "Can't you just.. magic it?"

Isabella paused her work for a good second, then began taking her wand out. "Jeez, why do I forget about it every time?" she muttered under her breath, making her daughter snigger.

She let Ria be happy for the while, because after all the clothes were packed, she was going to drop the bomb on her.

Asteria walked alongside her mother, cheeks puffy but hidden under a mask. "Mum.. There's still an opportunity to back away." She croaked out silently.

Isabella sighed guiltily as she continued to walk with the box in her hands. "I'm sorry, honey. I.. I know you love them.. But we just can't take them with us."

"Why?"

"Because they didn't exist in the 90's." She answered as they finally entered the thrift store. "Don't worry, we'll take out the ones that do exist.."

And Ria watched with horror as Isabella began sorting out all the music albums they owned. The ones that didn't exist in the 90's.. that meant Ria was going to lose Marina, One Direction, their solos, Little Mix, 5 Seconds of Summer, Imagine Dragons, Taylor Swift.. all at once.

Lord, this was depressing.

"At least, we have the big three, eh?" Isabella tried to lighten the mood, referring to ABBA, Queen and The Beatles. Ria nodded, trying to appear delighted since her mother was trying her best. Yes, you could call her a people pleaser at times, just like her mother.

Many of Isabella's values had influenced Ria, as she was the only parent figure she had for years. She talked in a tone that resembled her mother's, she carried herself like her, and she was also the reason Ria was so competitive.

A cloud of gloom set over her as she saw 'Fine Line' leaving the box. "Can I at least keep this? It's vinyl.. And it's signed."

"Honey.. Harry wouldn't be born yet." Isabella whispered to her. "And I don't want to upset you, but I have no choice. We can't meddle with the timeline." She explained. Ria nodded again.

Isabella frowned, continuing to sort them. But then, Ria interfered. "Take 'Voyage' out. Don't think I didn't notice. ABBA released it this year." Isabella quickly did as said by her daughter.

"Yes, yes, of course." She said quickly. "Just— Just slipped out of my mind." Damn, I thought she didn't notice..

"Ria.." Bella called out. "Didn't you have a.. a list for the books that you wanted to read," Ria's frown slowly faded away, "but I didn't allow them because they weren't suitable for your age?"

Ria nodded, eagerly but hopefully. "Well— um— why don't you go and see if you can find some of them—" Her sentence was cut off when Ria leapt towards her for a hug.

"Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you, Mum!"

Isabella grinned, hugging her daughter back. "Hey.. But I need you to promise me something." Ria let go of her and nodded, excited. "Promise me, that you won't lend them to anyone else and you'll only read the books when you reach the proper age recommended—"

"Yeah, yeah, I promise!" Ria said, barely able to contain her excitement. Isabella nodded, and Ria took off to find the books section. "I'll see you in some minutes!" 

Her mother chuckled, slowly shaking her head. Isabella was never the one to believe in fairy tales. She thought they were a distraction from reality. But if they were what made Ria happy, then she wouldn't try to take them away from her.

It had been around ten minutes since Ria had been roaming in the books section of the thrift store. She had hardly found three or four books of her choice.

She really, really wanted all those books, but she also knew that she couldn't ask her mother to take her to an actual book store. They had many other things to do, and they didn't have time before they left.

Ria finally had made up her mind to try to stay content in those four books. She placed the books on the counter.

"Oh! You're done?" Isabella asked, surprised. She had thought it was going to take her daughter another hour to return.

Ria just nodded. "Yeah! That's enough for the time being.. I think I can wait for the other one's.." She answered with a heavy heart.

Yeah.. wait.. for another twenty or thirty years..

Her mother furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "You sure, hun?" The girl nodded again.

"..Okay.." Isabella turned to the man behind the counter. "I'm guessing this is all—"

"Pardon me, Ma'am." An employee said, rushing behind the counter, taking the man with surprise. "But— uh— you've just won!"

The three stared at the lady in confusion. "You and your daughter are our seven hundred and seventy-seventh customer! Congratulations for winning our grand thrift pack!"

The man gave her a look of disbelief, but before he could open his mouth, the lady stepped on his foot, making him bend down in pain.

"Are you—" Isabella tried to ask him if he was okay, but the lady interrupted her again.

"You have won this.. for free.." She trailed away as she walked towards a shelf and brought back a big cardboard box. And as she opened it, Asteria's mouth fell open in awe. She shuffled through the box, heart racing with joy.

"What— These— Mum!" She exclaimed, taking two books in her hands. "This is literally my wish list!"

"Oh God! They're hardcovers! And they look new? They're maintained!" Ria exclaimed, finding it hard to contain her excitement.

Isabella slowly blinked. Okay, that sounds too good to be true.

"I'm sorry, but, I— I didn't see any.. any board.. about this free gift." She inquired.

"Oh.. It was kept pretty secret, to be honest, Ma'am. This was supposed to be a surprise gift, after all" The lady answered, and then she took a note out of her pocket. "This note was what the owners left for us."

'The people who left these books here, us, we aren't the owners. These books belonged to our lovely, lovely, friend.. Someone really close to us..

They didn't have enough time to finish all of their favourites, and all they wished was for someone to find these books. Someone who likes getting lost, someone who loves to escape in daydreams.. Someone like them.

And we would be grateful if these were gifted to someone, rather than just sold. Just like they wanted. So please, if you could, respect their last wishes.

We hope the person who finds these books loves them with all their heart, just like our songbird did.'

"Songbird?" Ria questioned.

"A bird that sings." The lady employee answered. "Although it also represents Siddhartha who was stuck in his cage-like life and he sang, more like mourned, for his freedom." She chuckled, while the three stared at her in confusion.

The guy employee sighed. "I apologise on her behalf." He said. "She's been reading some book of Indian Poems recently, and keeps referencing it."

"Oh, alright. Nevermind. Did they.. leave a name?" Isabella asked, shrugging the entire 'songbird' part off. The lady shook her head. "Anything else.. A number, address—"

"I'm so sorry Ma'am. Nothing of such sort, and I can't disclose their names. Store policy. But we assure you, we have checked the box thoroughly. Nothing in there seems even slightly harmful.. if you aren't counting emotional damage."

She slid the box and the other items purchased in front of them. "Thank you for visiting."

"Can you believe it?" Ria chirped happily as she sipped from her juice box. "Around thirty new books? For free? Just because we are some seven hundred and seventy-seventh customer?"

Isabella huffed under the burden of the box as they walked home. "Yeah.. Insane." She muttered. Ria then lifted her juice box up towards her mother, and she took a small sip from it.

"Anyway.. I am still a little confused." said Ria. "What about the animal whisperer thing?"

"Oh, yeah! I forgot to tell you what I am.." said Isabella, her tone of realisation. "I'm a Magizoologist." Ria raised a questioning eyebrow. 

"A zoologist.. but of Magical Creatures." Her mother answered, making her daughter's eyes go wide in surprise.

"Magical Creatures?" Ria chuckled. "You mean dragons and unicorns?"

Her mother rolled her eyes. "Yes.. But hey! There's much more to Magical creatures than just dragons and unicorns. We studied many of them in school too."

"At Hogwarts?" asked Ria, still surprised when she should've been used to it. As she was learning about this new world, she was quite liking the idea of going to Hogwarts.

"You're going to be delighted when I tell you more. They teach Astronomy too." She quietly added. Ria stopped in her tracks and looked at her mother, wide-eyed. Isabella chuckled.

"Really?" She asked in utter delight, while Isabella nodded. There were no words to express how much Ria loved the stars. She knew more stars and constellations at the age of eleven than her mother did. If not for the witch revelation, she had even planned to pursue Physics and study celestial bodies. She was absolutely fascinated by their beauty.

"Oh, I'm going to love this school.." She muttered, continuing to walk.

"Hogwarts is not just a school, honey. You get attached to that place.." Isabella said, sweet memories flooding through her head as she thought about Hogwarts.

Ria stared at her mother, intrigued. "It looks like you had one heck of an experience there."

Isabella scoffed. "Ah, trust me when I say this, dear. It's either going to be the shi—" She faked a cough, drowning the profanity into it, "It's either going to be the worst experience ever.. or the best time you've ever had. There's no in between."

She sighed. "Either way.. can't talk bad about home, after all."

The mother-daughter stared at one another for a moment before Ria playfully rolled her eyes with a sly smile on her face. "Ugh.. Cheesy."

"I know, right?"

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