Dinner that night was a delight.
For the Granger family, it was an exciting blend of wizarding and Muggle cuisine; many of the dishes and drinks were flavours they'd never experienced before.
Over dinner, everyone, including the three children, had a little wine.
Boba Tea wanted to get in on the wine too, trailing the scent all around the table until he gave up and settled for his bowl of water instead.
Just as Roy had promised, the wine was exceptionally smooth, and the most remarkable effect was the way it made everyone feel increasingly lighthearted as the night went on.
As Roy put it, "This here is a happy wine—pure joy in a glass!"
William, however, knew it was really the euphoria-inducing potion added to the wine that was responsible.
By the time dessert was served, everyone joined in an off-key yet spirited rendition of God Save the Queen (William sang "God Save the Elders!") and raised the night's atmosphere to a cheerful high.
While the adults stayed behind, reminiscing about their younger days over another round of drinks, William slipped away to the basement to resume his potion brewing.
Whether Hermione was that Hermione or not didn't weigh much on his mind.
Just another kid, he figured, and besides, he had his hands full running Akali's Secret Shop and its funding.
Between him and Annie's pooled allowance, along with the twins' earnings from last year and contributions from Cedric and Cho, they'd amassed a decent sum.
But they hadn't anticipated the flood of orders that came in. They were struggling to afford raw materials, and the funding was running tight. William was currently brewing some Felix Felicis to sell in Diagon Alley to drum up some quick cash.
A while later, a light knock came from the basement door.
William cracked it open, peeking out to find Annie looking up at him with an overly sweet smile.
There was a suspiciously innocent sparkle in her eyes.
And William knew better than to fall for her "Sweet Little Sister" act. It usually meant a silent "sorry" for whatever prank she'd just pulled.
She blinked her green eyes, tiptoed up, and cocked her head, saying softly, "Big brother, could you come upstairs with me for a moment?"
"What for?" William narrowed the door's crack, eyeing her suspiciously. "What did you do this time?"
"Nothing! Just come upstairs, and I'll show you. Hermione's waiting too."
"You two didn't raid my room and eat snacks on my bed again, did you?" William's eyes glinted dangerously.
He always locked his room, yet somehow, Annie still found her way in. Eventually, he discovered she'd secretly made a spare key for herself.
Though he couldn't use magic at home to lock the door, and changing the lock wasn't an option, he was still tempted to find some way to block her access entirely.
Annie shook her head vigorously.
"Nope, not at all!"
"You didn't mess with my spellbooks?"
"You're way off!"
"You didn't take any magical items?"
"No way! It was Hermione—it's all her fault!" Annie hurriedly said, deflecting all blame. "I put those funny dark-circle glasses on the table, and she just tried them on out of curiosity."
Her voice trailed off, quieter and quieter.
"I told you those glasses were still a work in progress; they're unfinished! Wait…didn't I lock those up—"
"Shush!" Annie tiptoed up, pressing a hand over his mouth and casting a quick glance toward the living room, where the adults were still chatting.
William gagged a bit. Her hands smelled suspiciously like cat litter.
He reassured himself that it was probably just from her trying Bertie Bott's "cat litter flavor" beans. Yeah, that had to be it.
He lowered his voice. "She's our guest, Annie. Why would you prank her like that?"
"I told you, it wasn't me," Annie replied, pouting. "I just left the glasses on the table; she put them on by herself!"
William sighed, shaking his head. This little sister of his was great in many ways but was a troublemaker through and through.
"Fine," he said, closing the basement door and following her upstairs.
Boba Tea sat on the table, curiously watching Hermione.
She stood in the center of the room, sporting a pair of large, dark circles around her eyes.
She was rubbing them furiously, trying to make the black rings disappear, but all it did was make her eyes redder.
She had been holding back until William came in, but the moment she saw him, her frustration boiled over, and she let out a tearful wail.
Perhaps it was the effects of the wine, but seeing her with big, panda-like circles under her eyes looked a bit too funny.
She turned her watery gaze on William, sniffling.
With the braces on her teeth, even her sobs sounded oddly rhythmic.
Annie started laughing, and William gave her a light chop to the head. She yelped, rubbing her head in pain.
Hermione, seeing this, let out a reluctant giggle herself but quickly forced her expression back to a frown when she remembered her blackened eyes.
"This potion will take care of those circles," William said, pulling out a small bottle from a pouch.
The bag looked small, yet it seemed bottomless.
Hermione remained still, arms crossed, clearly upset. The soft breeze in the room made her bushy hair flutter around her face, and her bangs shifted to reveal her high, smooth forehead.
After a moment, she relented and sat on Annie's bed, sulking.
William took a seat next to her, smiling as he teased, "Don't close your eyes, or the dark circles will never come off."
She clenched her fists but obediently kept her eyes wide open.
Dipping a cotton swab in the potion, he carefully dabbed around her eyes.
William's hands were steady from years of potion work, but Hermione's face twitched uncomfortably, though she kept her eyes wide open as he'd warned.
"It'll be gone soon. It's just a harmless prank. It won't leave a mark, don't worry," William said gently, thinking she was nervous.
Hermione's brows furrowed as she stared intensely at him with scrutiny far beyond her years.
After a long pause, she pressed her lips together, looking serious in a way that reminded him of Professor McGonagall.
William knew she was hiding her braces from him.
Honestly, Hermione's eyes were quite beautiful, with long lashes and a bright, intelligent spark behind them.
"Alright. You're all clear," William said, standing up and handing her a small mirror.
She checked her reflection in the mirror and beamed. "Wow, it's really gone!"
"I told you it'd work, Miss Bunny Rabbit," Annie chimed in, poking her head into view.
Hermione glared at Annie, unimpressed, and held out her hand. "Give me back my book."
It turned out Annie had stained the cover of Hermione's Encyclopedia Britannica with a special ink.
It was a trick ink the twins had invented, perfect for hiding unfinished homework by smudging the paper.
Annie shrugged. "How much could a book cost, anyway?"
William gave her a look. "Actually, Annie, this book is worth a bit more than you think."
"Based on your weekly allowance, if you saved up every penny and skipped all snacks, it'd only take about a hundred and twenty years to afford a full set."
Of course, he was exaggerating; a complete set of Encyclopedia Britannica was indeed pricey, but this was just a single volume.
Annie gawked.
Hermione, feeling triumphant, crossed her arms. "I want my book back as it was."
Annie scowled, stuck out her bottom lip, and dragged a box out from under the bed. Inside were her assorted magical items.
She pushed everything toward Hermione, including gifts from Dumbledore and a few things from William.
"Take them!"
"All of them!"
"I just want my book back to normal," Hermione said firmly, "Just my book."
She emphasized, "I just want the book."
Reluctantly, Annie gave William a sideways glance, silently pleading for help.
Hermione, with her hand still outstretched, stood her ground, saying, "Just the book."
Annie scooped up Boba Tea, pushing him into Hermione's arms. "Here! You can have this cat!"
Boba Tea blinked in confusion as Hermione hesitated, but eventually shook her head. "I just want my book."
By now, this was the fifth time she'd repeated it.
This was a battle of pure stubbornness.
Sitting nearby, William watched, thoroughly entertained.
Why must girls make things so difficult for each other?
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