As the giant doors opened, Norman flinched away due to the burning he felt. He wanted to cling to Elizabeth for help, but she seemed to be in a similarly bad predicament. She was shaking, and her form started flickering; at last, she let out a painful groan and disappeared into thin air. Norman was about to panic and start looking for his sister, but that was when he heard her unmistakable voice in his head.
"Where am I? Norman, where are you?! How did I get here? Professor, Mrs. Weasley, help! Norman is gone!" As Elizabeth shouted, Norman received a pounding headache due to the intensity of her voice. He felt like his head was splitting in two; it was almost comparable to the pain he felt when Elizabeth kissed him to make their marriage official.
He couldn't take the burning in his chest and the pounding in his head, so he shouted out in pain: "Elizabeth, please stop, it hurts! I-I can't take it anymore!" With this exclamation, all his strength gave out, and he collapsed to his knees. He was delirious, not even noticing the ministrations and worried looks he got from the adults. He wanted to end this, he wanted to get out of here, he wanted to die. He felt a strong pull coming from the vault, so he tried to resist it, but he was getting weaker and weaker as the pain grew.
His final rational thought came to an end, and his consciousness gave out. He didn't know how long he was out or what exactly happened, but when he managed to get up, he found himself in a dark corridor. When he reached the end of it, he was greeted by a great hall; inside it were only some strange trinkets, but nothing too eye-catching in Norman's eyes. That was until he reached the center of the room, when all of a sudden all the light that was still present in the room was snuffed out, and its trace vanished into thin air.
Frightened, Norman didn't make a single move; he didn't even dare to make a sound. Finally, after what felt like ages to Norman, the dark room provided him with some comfort. First, his ring lit up in an ominous red light, but not long after, it went back to its dormant state. Next, the symbol from his family ring showed up in front of him, and below it, he could read a text that resonated with something deep in him:
"Neither Bound by Life Nor Held by Death."
As he read out the text, the symbol split into three parts: a triangle, a circle, and finally a simple line. Each of these symbols then flew towards different directions in the dark; one by one, they lit the path toward three doors, each with an identical carving on them. The first door, which lit up in a bright green light, was the one with the line above it. Next, the door with the circle lit up with the same ominous red glow as Norman's ring not too long ago, and finally, the door with the triangle lit up in a brilliant yellow glow.
Next to Norman, a pedestal rose from the ground and presented to him an old-looking book. On the front of it, there was the complete symbol once again. With great care and caution, Norman lifted the book from the pedestal; when he tried to open it, however, he felt the same burning pain as last time with the vault door, but thankfully now with much less intensity. When the pain stopped, the book shot out chains from itself, which wrapped around Norman's wrist.
He was startled, but since it didn't hurt him and he was too exhausted to care, he left it be after trying to pry the chains off once. When he finally managed to take a peek inside the book, he noticed that now he could fully open and close it as much as he wished. He got excited once again, thinking that maybe inside it, he might find answers to his current predicament. Sadly, he wasn't so lucky; inside the book's old pages, there was only an ominous title and description that gave him goosebumps.
'The Mortis Script: True Runes of Death.' Almost instantly, Norman closed the book, as he wasn't too keen on doing something that might backfire on him horribly. With no other choices, he decided to walk towards the doors. He first headed towards the least evil-looking door that was glowing yellow; when he arrived in front of it, he could read a yellow text that started appearing on it: 'True descendant of mine, if you think you are worthy to test your mind, then step forward; if not, turn back, or I will do it for you.'
Norman felt that he was out of options, so he pushed the door open. Inside, he saw nothing until suddenly he saw numerous yellow lights glowing in the room, and an indescribable voice was heard throughout the void. It was ethereal; it could only be described as something inhuman, like it was just a poor imitation of the human language. The voice only spoke a single word that Norman heard for the first time in his life, but nonetheless, it filled him with dread: "Imperio."
All the yellow lights intensified and shot towards him; Norman didn't even have the time to put up his hands in defense before they hit him. When it was over, he felt nothing but pure bliss and happiness; he felt like his only true purpose in this life was to walk out of this room and close the door. It might be simple, but to him, it was even more important than his own life. So, knowing he had to do this, he did so without a single complaint.
The strange thing was that when Norman left the room, he felt like he was coming out of a daze. He had no recollection of what happened to him when he was hit with the lights, but he knew that it did something to him. He knew that it had surely brainwashed him, and he was now truly desperate. 'How will I ever leave this place in one piece?' he thought to himself.
When he finished moping around, he gained a determined look on his face. "No way will I let this stupid place hold me here! I still have to find Elizabeth and the others. I have so many things that I want—no! I need to do! I can't be here feeling sorry for myself, not when some people depend on me!" He felt like he had gained a second wind; he could almost swear that he felt a pair of arms, just like Elizabeth's, wrap around him, but he quickly shook away that thought since he was quite sure she would have already told him if she was here or at least given him a sign.
Norman then decided to take a look at the green door since it seemed less threatening to him than the red one. When he arrived in front of it, similarly to the yellow door, he noticed a message on this door too: 'True descendant of mine, if you know you are worthy to test your existence, then step forward; if not, then turn back, or you will pay with your life.' Norman was about to step forward, ignoring the message, but just as he was about to open the door, a spectral arm came out of his body and held it shut.
"Elizabeth, is that you?! Why aren't you coming out? Why did you stop me?!" He got no answer even after countless tries. 'His' new arms just stayed limply at his sides, slowly losing their ethereal luster just like what happened to Elizabeth. The last thing they did before they vanished was quite painful for him, as they gave him a good slap on his cheeks.
"Fine, fine, I get it—don't go into that room! Geez, you could have taken a less violent or disturbing approach to tell me." Norman waited for an answer or something, but he received nothing. Frustrated, he just huffed to himself and headed toward the last door. "If you don't want to tell me, you can just say that! I fricking hate when I get the silent treatment!"
As Norman inched toward the last door, his nervousness returned, since he wasn't exactly fond of how the last two doors had gone. As expected, this door also had a message written on it. It wasn't quite as ominous as the last one, but he certainly wasn't happy or particularly on board with this one either. The message was worded similarly to the last two, balancing perfectly between the tone of the others. Its message was simply this: 'True descendant of mine, if you feel that you are worthy to test your emotions, then step forward; if not, then turn back or be consumed by anguish.'
Norman really hated pain, so he wasn't quite sure he was up for this challenge, but he realized he had no other choice. With a heavy breath, he stepped toward the door and tried opening it. He did it slowly, in case someone tried to stop him, but much to his secret disappointment, this didn't occur. Just like last time, inside the door, only darkness awaited him, but the lights this time were red.
Before Norman could back out, the door shut closed behind him with that ominous and inhuman voice speaking up just like last time. The lights started to glow more forcefully than before, and they shot their spells toward Norman as soon as the voice uttered a single word: "Crucio." Norman closed his eyes, waiting for something to happen, and oh boy, did something happen. At first, he felt like the same piercing and burning pain from before had returned; he truly felt like he was about to die. But that was when he noticed that the pain started to fade and turn into pleasure.
He felt great, he felt like he was floating. He wanted this to never end; it made him remember all the great times he spent with Elizabeth, all the times when his father was teaching him about engineering and how he made the animatronics. He decided to open his eyes, as he wasn't afraid of anything due to this great morale boost. What he saw next would remain with him for the rest of time. Around him, from the various lights, there was an intense red lightning. It looked like they wanted to consume him alive, but he felt nothing from them—just the same blissful feeling as before he opened his eyes.
Due to a sudden idea he got from deep within, he stretched out his small arms and tried to force the lightning to change for the better, to change the pain and torment into the bliss he felt at that moment. As he pushed his emotions through, more and more of the lightning turned into a deep purple. When all of the hate and suffering was purged from it, its color once again changed, this time into the most brilliant shade of blue that Norman had ever seen in his life.
After these changes, the lights on the walls went out one by one. At last, the voice in the void spoke once more: "You have passed the test, young heir Peverell. We wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors; best regards: Antioch, Cadmus, and Ignotus Peverell. May your light shine forever in the night. Neither Bound by Life Nor Held by Death." As the voice faded away for the last time, the room lit up with warm candlelight. Now, Norman could see a simple desk inside, next to large bookcases filled with ancient tomes.
The room, however, had a noticeably off-putting element to it, largely due to the half-complete mannequins lying about. All of them shared the same face of a beautiful woman; they were so lifelike that he almost believed they were real. Of course, as soon as he touched them, he realized they were cold, made of metal or wood. All of them had different carvings on them. He could feel that they were filled to the brim with magic, but they had no life in them.
When he reached the desk, he noticed two items still present on it. One was a book called Transmuturgy and the Art of Golemancy. The book was really old, and when he tried to touch it, he noticed that the previous book was still attached to his wrist. He wished that somehow the book would just get off him or disappear, and just like that, it did as he asked. Norman then tried to call it to him, and once again it just appeared in his hand as if it had always been there. Norman tried to put the book down on the table, but it jumped back into his hand once he let go of it.
His curiosity piqued, he decided to look more deeply into this special book. Once again, inside he could read the same text from before: The Mortis Script: True Runes of Death. He thought about it and tried different things to understand what was going on with it. First, he deduced that the book was connected to him on a deeper level, so he wished it to produce another book with a different title; it didn't work. Next, he tried to flip the book's pages using only his mind, and this did provide results—the pages started flipping rapidly. Lastly, he touched the book against the new book he found on the table, and it disappeared just as his own book could.
Then he thought about it for a while and called out to his book: "Peverell Library." The title of the book then changed; it now simply read The Book of Knowledge, and beneath the title, there was a name he wasn't familiar with: Owner: Iolanthe Peverell. As he watched, the original owner's name slowly faded away, and his own name took its place. Now it read: Owner: Norman Peverell.
Under that, there were only three titles stored in this Book of Knowledge. The first was an unnamed book simply referred to as a journal. Next, there was the title Norman had already seen, as it was the active book when he picked it up. Lastly, there was the new book he had found in the study at the bottom of the list. He chose the journal in case it held any important information, but it seemed empty, most likely just a tool for the book's owner to take notes. Next, he decided to vanish the book for now and look around the room for a way out.
Norman checked the bookshelves next and stored all the books connected to magic in his new grimoire. He mostly only found books about enchanting and alchemy, but they seemed a bit too advanced for his taste, so he just stored them away and kept looking. That was when he noticed that on the desk there was still an inconspicuous note that he had totally forgotten after his discovery. He picked it up and kept reading, searching for clues for a way out. Instead, however, he just found the tragic truth behind his ancestor.
"If you are reading this, it could only mean one thing; I have failed in bringing back my dear love Charlotte and have followed her into the grave. It's funny really, I hoped that the stone would help me bring her back, but I caused nothing but pain and suffering to her and our family. My sweet little girl, if you are reading this, I hope you are well. Just know I tried everything—I really tried. I guess I wasn't strong enough to do it. Tomorrow I will try my last experiment with the stone; if it doesn't work out, just know this, Abigail my dear: me and your mother will always be with you. I hope you will live a happier life than I did; best regards, my dear, your father: Cadmus Peverell."
Norman flipped the note to see a different message written on its other side. It was colder and more melancholic than the one before it: "In case you are not my daughter but a descendant of our family, I only ask you this: please bring this note to my grave and burn it there. It would mean the world to me. Since you were able to enter my room, you must be a direct descendant of my brothers or me, and you have conquered your emotions and completed my test. This most likely means that you are in possession of my resurrection stone. I can't order you around, but I would like to give you some advice: First, don't rely on the stone in any shape or form—it will only bring grief and sorrow to you. Second, don't try to overuse Crucio or any of its half-finished sisters; I developed it to lessen my pain, but it started affecting my mind after I used it for a while. Finally, I have one more request that I would really appreciate if you could do: keep the dolls, and don't leave them here to rot. You can use my bottomless chest to store them away for convenience, and you can even turn the chest into a weightless amulet. I made them to replicate my wife's visage. While they may not be alive like you and me, they are very close to it. I really hope they will find a good owner in you."
With that, Norman put the note in his pocket and began searching for the chest. Luckily, it was only hidden under the desk, and it was much easier to move around than he initially thought. The large chest was truly vast inside; when Norman peeked in, he couldn't see anything but a ladder attached to the chest's opening. Since Cadmus mentioned he could use the chest, Norman figured there must be some kind of cushioning at the bottom, as he couldn't carry the more then a dozen puppets down the ladder one by one. He picked up the chest and used it to scoop up the puppets. When he was finished, he took one last look around the room and turned towards the door he came in through. There were two lights above it: one red and the other curiously the same shade of blue he had produced earlier.
When he tried to open the door, he couldn't for some reason. He now understood what the message meant about overusing the so-called Crucio, as the lights seemed to respond to being hit with the spell he created. The only problem was that he had no idea how to produce it again. He might be able to use Crucio since he knew its name and supposed effect, but the transformation he made was an entirely different mystery. Norman had no knowledge of even simple spells or incantations, so how could he perform or recreate a completely different one he accidentally produced while under the influence of another spell?
A bit lost at first, Norman decided to focus on the Crucio spell, since he understood its effects better. He lifted his left arm and pointed his palm towards the red light, thinking back on the pain he felt during his trials that day—the burning sensation that had made him collapse. He saw the tips of his fingers begin sparking with red lightning, but it wasn't enough to produce the spell fully. So he delved deeper within himself and searched his memories. He recalled the torment his brother put him through, the loneliness he felt after his sister disappeared, the pain of thinking about his mother, whom he could barely remember now since he had been so young.
Now the lightning was humming with power, ready to burst at his command. Suddenly, he had a flash of memory—his sister, but mangled and broken, decaying, dead. With this memory deeply ingrained in his mind, he shouted out in anguish, "Crucio!" The red lightning impacted the wall with a heavy thud and even began eating away at the very light it was supposed to activate. That was when familiar ghostly appendages reappeared, gently pushing against his arms, turning them away from the door and down to the floor. Next, he felt one of the hands clutch his own in support.
This was when he started remembering all the great times he spent with Elizabeth, the moments they shared together. He recalled the moment he finally saw her again after months of separation. With joy, he remembered an old memory he thought he had forgotten. It was of his mother, tucking him in and telling him about an old healer who could cure all ailments—a brave hero who had fought alongside Merlin against Morgana. Her name was forgotten, but her title, Sanare, remained in records through time.
Norman's confidence returned, buoyed by the happiness of hearing his mother's voice once again. He squeezed his sister's ghostly hand and let go of the pain, snuffing out the Crucio curse. With the help of these memories, he raised his right hand this time, smiling genuinely as he shouted, "Sanare!" The blue bolts from before shot out of his hand and into the light. The effect was similarly destructive, as he put too much power into it.
He achieved what he intended: the lights glowed brilliantly, and the door opened on its own. Norman checked to make sure the amulet was securely around his neck, then stepped out of the room and into the dark void that awaited him beyond the door. He walked through the darkness, occasionally shooting beams of red or blue light to practice his new spells. He realized he could reduce their power output depending on how many fingers he kept extended during casting; using only two fingers was the most optimal for control without weakening the spells too much.
Eventually, he reached a large door. Fortunately, he noticed it beforehand and didn't walk into it face-first. On the door was the family crest, and Norman saw that it matched the vault's main door perfectly. So, just as he had done with the vault, he pressed his ring against it, and, just like before, the door began lifting. Norman finally saw the dim lights of the safety lamps on the other side and spotted his aunt arguing with Ripjaw while the professor watched with concern.
The loud door caught everyone's attention, and they all rushed up to him as he stepped out of the vault, looking a bit battered from his experience. Even Ripjaw seemed relieved that nothing had happened to him.
"Hello, everyone… What did I miss?" Norman's aunt Molly was the first to reach him, her face showing tear marks. "I must have scared her to death by just disappearing," he thought.
"Oh, I'm so glad you're not hurt, my dear. When you got sucked in and the vault closed, I feared the worst." Norman hugged her back to reassure her that he was safe. When Molly finally let him go, Professor McGonagall checked him over more thoroughly with her wand. Other than some scratches and bruises, she found nothing wrong. Norman then gave a reassuring look to Ripjaw, who visibly sighed with relief.
"Mr. Peverell, could you tell us what exactly happened to you? You were gone for over an hour with no sign of your return. I was beginning to consider alerting the headmaster for assistance."
Norman gave a helpless smile and began telling his story. "Honestly, Professor, even I find it hard to believe what happened to me. At first, I felt like I was on fire, and then I was in some sort of dark place with no way out. I had to complete a trial to leave, but I managed to gather some useful treasures from the vault."
"Oh, and what would these treasures be, Mr. Peverell?" McGonagall asked, intrigued. Norman brought out the magical book he'd found on the pedestal. "This is the Book of Knowledge. It can store and recall any book I touch with it." McGonagall was impressed, recognizing its usefulness, as she had never encountered a book that could manifest in thin air while bearing such a complex enchantment.
"I also stored some books on alchemy and enchanting in it. The most important ones, though, are two specific books: one I just found called Transmuturgy and the Art of Golemancy, and another that was already in the Book of Knowledge when I found it. This one's more ominous—Mortis Script: True Runes of Death. Professor, do you have any idea what either of them might be about?"
McGonagall, initially delighted by the rediscovery of legendary magical branches, froze when she heard the last title. She knew little of it, but understood that ancient runes grew more powerful with age and secrecy. Her expression turned serious, and she assumed her full professor tone.
"Mr. Peverell, I can't say for certain about the second book, as I've never heard of it. But you must promise me not to meddle with it until you're older. Even at Hogwarts, we don't teach ancient runes until a student's third year. I only ask that you always have a responsible student or teacher with you if you attempt anything with it. Regarding the other book on Transfiguration, I can tell you that it is a legend in our field. It represents the highest forms of the subject and is an ancient, lost branch. Be careful only to share it with people you trust completely."
Norman nodded seriously, and McGonagall's expression softened. Just as she was about to suggest they continue shopping, Norman spoke up.
"Professor, may I ask about some spells I heard and learned inside the vault?" She looked skeptical that anyone could learn significant spells without a wand, but listened.
"So, there was a trial in the chamber, and I was hit with some spells that confused me quite a bit." McGonagall's face grew concerned; Norman hadn't mentioned this earlier.
"What kind of spells were they? Do you remember the incantations?"
"Yes! There were three doors, each in a different color: green, red, and yellow. The first one I went into was the yellow door, which had a message on it promising that it would make me turn back if I wasn't ready. When I stepped into the room, I heard a weird voice exclaim, 'Imperio.' The yellow lights hit me, and the next thing I knew, I was leaving the room." The grim look on the professor's face couldn't be described, but Mrs. Weasley's exclamation drove the point home enough. "YOU WERE HIT BY IMPERIO?!"
The uncomfortable expression on Ripjaw's face didn't really help Norman either, so he tried to downplay it a little.
"Oh, it was nothing too bad; I felt like I was in a dream. I was only weirded out about it after I left the room." McGonagall gripped Norman's shoulders a bit more forcefully than she probably meant to, as the pressure actually started to hurt him a little. "Norman, please tell me you didn't go into the other rooms!" Norman wrangled away her vice-like grip and tried to be reassuring.
"Well, I wanted to go into the green room next, but Elizabeth stopped me before I could. In hindsight, that could have turned out pretty badly, since the door did say that if I failed the test, I would die. But I didn't go in, so that counts as something, right?"
Norman's plan to alleviate the tension backfired on him. Everyone just looked mortified by this little "fun" fact. {Seriously, you can be such a dumbass sometimes. I don't know how you are this bad at reading the room.} Instead of the scolding he thought he'd receive from the professor, he heard a voice inside his own mind that he recognized instantly.
"Wait, Elizabeth, is that you? What are you doing? Why aren't you coming out?" Norman was getting worried looks from everyone, as he looked like he'd lost it after going through some truly traumatic events for a child.
{Keep it down, Norman! You look like you've lost your mind! I'm here inside you. I lost my form when we were cursed by the door. I've lost too much of my power to reform without damaging you, which is why I've only been able to manifest my arms for short periods. I wouldn't even be talking now if I didn't need to stop you from doing something really dumb and reckless. I don't have much time, so listen: don't tell them that you were hit by Crucio. You can say that you learned it or whatever, but don't mention being immune to its effects.}
When Elizabeth's voice cut out, he finally pieced together what really happened to them—and how little he actually knew about this new condition he and Elizabeth were in. Norman decided to follow her advice and lie about the last room, even thinking about how he could use it to explain her absence.
"Norman, are you feeling well? We can take you to St. Mungo's Hospital if you're unwell!" Mrs. Weasley was still obviously worrying about him, so he just laughed it off to once again show that he was perfectly fine.
"No need to worry, Aunt Molly; as I said, I am perfectly A-Okay. The last room was the only risky one, but when the so-called Crucio spell was about to hit me, Elizabeth jumped in my way and took the hits for me. I managed to turn it off, but Elizabeth lost too much energy to keep herself together, so she is currently resting in me." Norman could feel that Elizabeth was not happy about the way he'd thrown her under the bus, but she did manifest a single arm to prove it. Due to her lack of strength, she could only wave a little before she fell apart again.
"Well, yeah, that is basically what happened to me. As I said, I found some books and this amulet; it can turn into a chest with a really large compartment. There were some other things I took, but nothing too important for now. Can we leave now? We spent so much time here and basically didn't do any of the shopping!" McGonagall was clearly not too happy that Norman wanted to skim over most of the important details, but she had to agree with him about running out of time. Mrs. Weasley was still shaken by everything that had happened to Norman, but she fell silent when she learned about Elizabeth's current condition.
Ripjaw led the group back to the cart, and they headed for the lobby, leaving behind a discovery that no one could have expected. During the ride, everyone was more or less quiet. Molly obviously wanted to ask about Elizabeth's condition but didn't know how to approach the topic without being insensitive. McGonagall was worried about Norman's well-being and suspected that he hadn't told everything about his little adventure, but she honestly didn't want any more surprises today. Also, though she would never admit it out loud, she was dying to get even a single peek at the legendary book Norman had apparently rediscovered.
"Gringotts Lobby," Ripjaw announced with a tired voice. 'This day has taken a lot out of him, huh?' Norman silently wondered to himself. He felt a great deal of respect toward Ripjaw; even if he was cranky at times, he wasn't overly rude or unhelpful, unlike what Norman had heard from the professor. As they slowly went on their way, Norman started conversing with Elizabeth inside his head.
{So, Lizzie, do you have any idea when you'll come back out?} He heard a chipper but mocking laugh coming from her. {Why would I even want to do that? I mean, it's comfortable here. I can still see and feel everything you do, and I can even binge your memories if I'm bored.} Norman was more offended than actually surprised by his sister's antics. {It's not about what you want; it's about what I want! I don't feel comfortable with the knowledge that you're capable of all that.}
{Ha-ha-ha! Oh, Norm, you're saying this as if you have a choice! Besides, I don't think I could even sustain my body far from you in the outside world without sucking you dry of all your magic.} Norman, getting more and more fed up by her teasing, snapped at her. {Cut it out now, Elizabeth! I don't care; just stick with me or possess a doll or something. Just stop leeching off of me!}
{How dare you! Do you think I want to do this?! Do you think I want to be dead?! Like it or not, this is my body as well from now on, so no, I won't stop 'leeching' off you! This is my body just as much as it is yours! The only reason you have full control is because you have a whole soul, while I don't. But know this—I can do whatever I want with the extra appendages, so don't test me!}
Norman had never heard Elizabeth so furious before, but he didn't want to back down just yet. {All right, can we agree that you'll separate from me at least when I'm in the bathroom, if I have a private talk with someone, or if I'm changing? Also, I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't go through my memories unless I allow you to do it. Do we have a deal?} A deep sigh arrived from inside his mind with no clear answer, but he understood that he'd won the argument this time.
"Mr. Peverell, we have arrived at the first shop on our list, Flourish and Blotts. Here you can find all the books you will need for your school years and beyond. They have a great reputation and a really wide catalog of books for all your possible needs." This was how the little group went around and collected everything needed for Norman. He even purchased an identical student robe for his sister Elizabeth after she kept bugging him about it. They managed to finish everything in record time, thanks to the help of Mrs. Weasley, who was quite experienced with shopping due to her numerous children.
"This will be our last stop, dearie—Ollivanders. The most accomplished and famous wandmakers in the British Isles. Most of the best-known wizards got their wands from here." Mrs. Weasley was really enthusiastic; obviously, she wanted to see just what kind of wand Norman would get. McGonagall was simply relieved that her duties were coming to an end soon.
Norman was the first to step inside the almost abandoned-looking building. He couldn't see anyone inside, and the lack of lights made him think that perhaps they came at the wrong time. He wanted to ask Professor McGonagall, but a sudden exclamation startled him. "Ah, 9½ inches long. Stiff. Made of fir wood—a truly perfect wand for transfiguration. And 11¾ inches long. Springy. Made of alder wood—a really loyal, but stubborn, wand for its owner." Norman saw an old man step out from the shadows behind one of the large shelves.
"It's nice to see you, Mr. Ollivander. We are here to get Mr. Peverell's first wand." The man stepped closer to Norman, as if to examine him thoroughly. "Interesting, I don't remember selling any of my wands to a Peverell before. I must say it is a great honor to meet someone who belongs to the family that inspired many generations of wandmakers." Norman shook his head rapidly to deny any kind of recognition he got due to his family.
"It's truly nothing, Mr. Ollivander. I can't take the praise since I didn't even know I was part of this family originally. I was just lucky it fell into my lap, but I don't think anyone deserves recognition purely based on their family." McGonagall and Molly just looked at Norman with obvious pride, and Ollivander himself seemed pleased. "That is a great outlook on life, my boy. Your kind of thinking is awfully rare these days, especially among children your age." After he said his praises, Ollivander began looking around the shelves.
"Now, your wand—since you obviously didn't just come here to chat. First of all, try this: 13 inches, hornbeam wood. Slightly springy, and it has a unicorn hair core. Let's see if it fits, young man. Go ahead, try it out—just swing it around a bit!" Norman picked up the wand, and before he could even do anything, it shot out a bolt of light that singed part of the shop's floor. As Norman put the wand down on the counter, Ollivander looked around for another wand, seemingly unfazed by the damage.
Norman deduced after a couple more tries that accidents like this were fairly common, as neither Mrs. Weasley, the professor, nor Ollivander had any problems with the mess Norman had already made inside the shop. "Curious... could this be... 12 inches. Reasonably supple. Made of ebony wood, with a phoenix feather core." Norman reached out this time, expecting more chaos, but to his surprise, nothing happened. He felt like the wand fit in his hand perfectly, as if it was a part of him—but there was still a problem. He felt incomplete.
"Curious, very curious. I would have never imagined that this wand could ever find a worthy wizard as its master. Its core is very special—the phoenix who gave its feather was never sighted again, so this wand has no pair in the world. It is entirely alone, yet it found you, Mr. Peverell. But if my eyes don't deceive me, it's still not enough, right? It's a perfect match, but something else is needed." Norman had an idea and signaled to Elizabeth to materialize her hands if she could.
"Marvelous! This is the problem, my boy. You are indeed special; your soul is unlike any other. You need a different wand for your other half! I think I might know what could fit you as your other wand." Norman almost stumbled forward as Elizabeth's wild gestures made him lose his balance, but thankfully, McGonagall managed to grab onto the back of his clothes. "Man, I am never going to get used to four arms. Elizabeth, you good?" She gave him a thumbs up and confirmed it verbally in his head.
"Mr. Norman, are you all right?" Norman gave the professor a reassuring smile. "Of course, professor! I'm just not used to all this." He gestured over his own body. "I... see. Please, do tell me if either of you need anything. I may not be familiar with your... peculiar condition, but I know many extraordinary witches and wizards who might help."
"I appreciate it, professor, but for now we are fine. Elizabeth should be fully recovered by the end of the day." Norman turned towards his anxious aunt and tried to reassure her. "Please don't worry, Aunt Molly. We are okay. I promise I will tell you what happened to us later, but for now, I don't think it's the best idea—especially since Professor McGonagall's reaction was not the most comforting." The teacher in question turned away from the questioning gaze of the surprisingly stubborn housewife.
The silence continued until Ollivander returned with two new wand boxes. "Here they are, Mr. Peverell. I think one of them should be perfect for you." The first one he picked up felt really strange to Norman, as he didn't get any reaction from the wand—not even a little twinkle. It felt exactly like an ordinary stick in his hand. "So, not that one. A shame, but it's the wand who chooses the wizard. Please try the other one now."
Just like with his own wand, this one seemed to resonate with him in the exact same way. He finally felt complete when he held both wands in his hands. "Wonderful! I knew it! This is one of the two most extreme wands of mine. It was made using yew wood, with a dragon heartstring core taken from a dying Hungarian Horntail mother. It is 14 inches long and unyielding. This wand is especially volatile and unruly—I doubt it would even allow anyone other than its true master to touch it."
As Norman and Elizabeth looked over their wands, a problem quickly made itself known. "Professor, Mr. Ollivander, sorry if I sound ignorant, but is there a way for us to store the wands? I don't think it's too safe if we just put them in our pocket." Ollivander looked at the deputy headmistress, giving her a searching look. "It's fine, Mr. Ollivander. The current situation requires a less than ordinary solution. This time, I will look the other way."
"Thank you, professor. I'll be right back with 'it'." Ollivander then took off toward the back of the shop again. "Professor, may I ask what you were talking about with Mr. Ollivander?" Norman inquired. "You will see it for yourself soon, Mr. Peverell, but please promise me you won't flaunt this around. The Ministry is not keen about someone possessing things like this—especially if they're underage—so you could get into a lot of trouble if you get caught."
Not long after McGonagall's cryptic explanation, Ollivander returned with a thin holster made of leather and metal. "This is a vanishing wand holster. Its main purpose is to allow someone to carry more than one wand without it being obvious. The Ministry highly regulates their use since there were instances where someone armed managed to get through guarded checkpoints undetected. Quickdraw wand holsters are even more restricted since they make someone unpredictable and dangerous, so only Aurors are allowed to use them."
Norman strapped the holster on like he'd seen cops do in old detective films. Elizabeth even complimented him, thinking it made him look cooler. Norman, however, didn't agree that he should put gel in his hair to "bring the look together," as she suggested.
"This will be all, Mr. Ollivander. Thank you for your help," McGonagall said. "Yes, thank you, sir. I don't think I would have managed to get wands that fit me so well anywhere else. Also, I am extra grateful you took the risk with the holster for me. I can't imagine the Ministry would be too happy with you selling it to me, so once again, thank you." Ollivander just good-naturedly waved off the thanks and said goodbye to the group as they left his shop.
"Well, Mr. Norman, today was certainly eye-opening, but our time together has come to an end. We will meet again soon, and I hope you get sorted into my house, Gryffindor. It would certainly suit you as reckless as you are." Norman sweat-dropped at the sudden jab from the professor. He could tell she meant no harm, so he just laughed it off and waved her goodbye as she left him and his aunt alone.
"Now, dearie, we should quickly go and tell your father about you staying over until school starts. Could you tell me the location of your house so we could apparate back, or even your fireplace's Floo network designation?" Norman, not too keen on going through the same nausea as last time, just offered another idea. "I don't really know what the Floo network even is, or want to experience apparition again, but I have a much easier solution. Please follow me!"
Norman led Molly back out through the pub he'd originally come in from and onto the Muggle side of the town, where he went into one of the public telephone boxes to make a call. Molly was a bit confused since she didn't really understand the proper usage of these Muggle boxes. She only knew that some were magically enchanted to transport people into the Ministry of Magic. She also had the misfortune of owning one, due to her husband's obsession with Muggle items.
Molly watched as Norman put some Muggle coins into the black phone and started twisting the dial around seemingly at random. She was startled when a voice came out of the machine after a bit of waiting. "Hello, this is William Afton speaking; how may I help you?" The voice was clear and crisp, and Molly didn't understand what just happened. If she didn't know better, she would have assumed that somehow the machine was enchanted. "Hi Dad, it's me, Norman. I just wanted to ask if it's okay for me to stay over at a relative's house? I know it sounds weird, but the professor introduced me to her—she's your cousin, Molly Weasley, the one you mentioned to me. She invited me over to meet her kids and husband."
"Whoa-whoa, slow down, kiddo—I don't have super hearing, so calm down a bit. Nevertheless, I don't have a problem with it, but I want to talk to her first. You'll still need to pick up your regular clothes and other stuff for school from home. While you sort out the specifics, I'll pack up your things. So, see you soon!" As the phone line cut out, Norman slumped down in defeat, realizing he couldn't avoid having to apparate back.
"Well, is this all right with you, Aunt Molly? We go back to my house, pick up my things, and then go to your home?" Molly, still awestruck by the marvels of Muggle innovations, just nodded, trying to comprehend what had happened. "My home is in Brittle's Hollow, Surrey. It's a small town not too far from Little Whinging." Molly grabbed tightly onto Norman's hand and went over the information in her head. When she visualized the general location of the town, she began the apparition.
Not even a second later, the pair appeared near the playground of Brittle's Hollow with a loud crack. Thankfully, it was empty, so no one saw them. "Ugh~ I'll never get used to this." Norman, once again feeling like the world was spinning around him, at least managed to stay on his feet this time. "Good, it looks like we're not too far from my house—it's a quick 10-minute walk that way." He pointed towards one of the park exits and led Molly through the streets.
As they walked, Norman pointed out different interesting or noteworthy places in the town like the library, his father's pizzeria, and the house of his and Elizabeth's friend Charlie. When they arrived at Norman's house, he walked up and opened the door for Molly to go in first. Next to the entrance, there was a large duffle bag full of clothes, prepared for Norman's departure. "Dad, Michael, I'm back!" There was no answer, but Norman heard one of the doors in the house slam shut. 'Probably Michael.'
William was the one who stepped in from the kitchen to greet them, but there was also someone Norman didn't expect to see there today. "Hey kid, glad you're here. Look who popped in not too long ago to see you." It was Charlie, who followed behind William. Norman had a really weird reaction to her presence—he felt really elated to see her, even more than usual. For some reason, he felt jealous, though he didn't know why. He suspected it had to do with Elizabeth, who was unusually quiet.
"It's good to see you, Norman. I just wanted to check on you, but your dad said you were out shopping for school supplies. I was just about to leave when you called." Charlie was none the wiser to the complicated emotional struggle Norman was going through. That's when William started pushing both of them toward Norman's room. "Now, I need to have a talk with Mrs. Weasley here. Why don't you two hang out in your room for the time being? You could also look around for things I may have missed packing up for you."
"That was strange... Anyway, would you like to play a round of UNO or something? I'm afraid we don't have enough time for Monopoly or other board games." Charlie seemed a little downtrodden, and the reason became clear when she spoke. "Why do you need to pack your things? Are you leaving as well… won't you come back with me to school?" Norman felt like he was kicking a puppy, even though he hadn't done anything wrong. The younger girl looked miserable, and he didn't know what to do.
That's when Elizabeth's arms suddenly materialized on him once again and embraced Charlie in a warm hug. Norman, petrified, couldn't properly react, so he clung to Charlie by reflex. The poor girl stared wide-eyed into Norman's chest, not understanding what had happened, but the embrace evoked deep feelings of familiarity. She couldn't believe it herself, but her body and memory were certain—these arms belonged to Elizabeth, the only person who hugged her just like this whenever she felt down.
"Ho-how are you, Elizabeth? Just what is going on?" The questions came out muffled and quiet, shock evident in her voice. On Norman's left cheek, a mouth appeared and started talking right next to Charlie's ear. "It's all right, Charlie; don't be afraid. This is weird for us too, but we'll explain everything. First of all, do you remember last year when we were playing tag? You suddenly appeared atop a tree, and Norman had to get Uncle Henry to get you down." Charlie just nodded, not really understanding where she was going with this.
"That was accidental magic you did back there. You are magical just like me and Norman." As Charlie began to calm down, Elizabeth and Norman started telling her the tale of today—from the letter to Diagon Alley, through Gringotts, and finally how Norman now had his wand and Elizabeth kind of had her own. "So you're going to wizard school? Can I come with you, since you said I'm magical as well?" Norman didn't know the answer, since technically Elizabeth was coming with him and she wasn't eleven like she was supposed to be, but before he could confirm it to her, Elizabeth shot her down.
"No, I'm sorry. You're just not old enough. Don't worry; even if you can't go now, that doesn't mean you can't ever go. You just have to wait two years until you're eleven. We can still see each other during holidays and summer vacation. I'm pretty sure we can even send letters to stay in touch." Norman didn't really understand why Elizabeth knew so much more than he did, but he rolled with it and just backed Elizabeth up in front of Charlie.
The trio messed around a bit, mainly playing around with the different appendages Elizabeth could make appear on Norman's body. Norman almost threw up when she accidentally pushed her tongue down his throat while she was laughing hard at one of Charlie's jokes. There were obvious problems with a shared body—the lack of coordination and weird biological clashes being one. Elizabeth even managed to separate fully once, but just like the first time, it seemed that she needed a large amount of continuous magical energy to keep herself corporeal.
In the end, they even showed Charlie the magical chest they got from the vault. She was amazed and wanted to go in, but they stopped her since they didn't know how much time they had or how long it would take to look around inside. Norman had an idea and started packing all of his items that were too large or not important enough for his father to pack up. He shoved in his old Walkman with a pair of headphones, his old and trusty keytar that he liked so much, and Charlie put in some drawing supplies for him. Elizabeth suggested taking the board games and other fun things along as well.
In the end, Norman's room looked almost barren—only the posters, some old plush toys, and his purple telephone toy remained. Norman was finally done with everything when he placed the Bear and Mask he got for his birthday into the chest. Just as it was supposed to, the moment the lid of the chest closed, Norman pressed a button, and the whole thing turned into his necklace once again. They all could hear the adults coming due to the reverberating footsteps, so, for the last time in a while, Elizabeth manifested her arms to hug Charlie and say goodbye.
The door on the side of the room creaked open and William peaked in. "Oh good you two are here! I managed to talk about everything I wanted with Molly so if you are ready to go say goodbye to Charlie than you can leave." They all walked out to the ante-room and said their goodbyes. William ruffled Normans hair and Charlie gave him a hug this time without Elizabeth's limbs. Molly and Norman walked out of the house and started walking towards a secluded place where they could apparate from.
When they found a good alley, Norman grabbed onto Molly's hand first than he prepared himself for the uncomfortable feeling. The next moment they disappeared with a loud crack and appeared near a large multi-storey house. It looked like it was on the brink of falling over, there was loud laughing coming form behind the house. Molly took Norman's duffle bag full of clothes and shoed him towards the noise saying that she had to start preparing for dinner.
While Norman was walking he could see the beautiful trees and hills around the home. Norman especially loved the little river running next to the house. The whole scene made him feel so peaceful. He walked through a thin treeline and arrived in a large meadow where he could see 4 people laughing and flying around on brooms at highspeed. They were throwing around a ball and two of them even had bats with them. He could see how one of them who seemed not too much older than he is was riding a much faster broom and was currently doing dangerous looking manoeuvres. Norman really admired him since he didn't look afraid of heights as he was.
Norman decided to not bother them in their game, so he sat down on the grass and took out his wand and switched his personal grimoire to the first year transfiguration book in order to practice before he will go to Hogwarts. He spent most of his time understanding the basics of transfiguration and he tested the theories on the blades of grass he had in front of him. He concentrated on the image of a metal toothpick in his mind. He imagined its texture, smell, and even sound then he cast the spell on the blades of grass and tried to change them. His first couple of tries were unsuccessful only managing to change some aspects of the grass, but after a while he managed to get into the right mindset and succeeded.
Suddenly he heard the loud whistle of something zooming towards him. He looked up and saw that one of the guys with the bats hit the ball towards him. He didn't have time to react so he closed his eyes waiting for the impact. Thankfully it never came, the ball landed near him, but it was clear that the aim of it wasn't to hurt him, it was only to get his attention. Soon the 4 boys landed near him, they were on guard due to Norman being a stranger. The twins with the bats were the one who approached him first.
"Hello-"; "-there!"; "Who are you-"; "and how did you get here?" The two of them were switching around who were talking to him, but they both seem to understand what the other wanted to say. "Hello, I am Norman, I was brought here by my aunt. She invited me to stay over for today, she wanted to introduce me to the other members of her family." The three redhaired boys looked towards each other in understanding and nodded together. "That sounds like something mom would do." All three of them said the same time.
The smallest red head spoke up. "Wait I didn't know we had any more cousins we haven't met!" The twins bowed down in a dramatic manner and reached out their palms for a handshake. "I am Fred-"; "and I am George. It's nice to meet you Norman." Norman just good naturedly shook their hands, but in order to get back at them he asked Elizabeth if she could make her hands mimic his in order to freak them out, she gladly obliged without any complaints.
The twins were all smiles at first, but their eyes bulged out in surprise when suddenly a second pair of hands grabbed them. "Holy cricket, that is awesome!" The twins seemed to get a good laugh out of it after they got out of their shock. The only one who didn't seem to appreciate the joke was the twins brother who shrieked when he saw the multiple pairs of arms. The raven haired boy seemed taken back, but he appreciated the joke as well after the twins started laughing.
Norman asked Elizabeth to take her arms back when he saw that, he was really freaking out. He liked a good joke as much as the next guy, but he understood how it felt to be at the butt of the joke. "Hey, ugh... sorry? I didn't want to freak you out. I took back my arms, so there is nothing to fear." The boy stopped covering in fear and looked up in trepidation. He fully calmed down when he noticed that Norman wasn't lying to him. "Sigh~ Man that was not funny. You looked like a proper spider."
"Our little brother Ron here is deathly afraid of spiders you see. Every time he sees one somewhere, he will avoid that place like the black plaque." Fred or George, Norman couldn't tell explained mockingly. The now reddening Ron shouted back with full force at them: "AND WHAT DO YOU THING, WHO'S FAULT IS THAT!!!" Ron then just grabbed his broom and started marching back towards the house.
The raven haired boy seemed to want to go after him, but didn't want to upset Norman. "It's fine, I will be here for a while. Go after him." He gave a grateful nod and rushed after his friend. Norman and the twins stayed for a while and just joked around, they seemed to like the different tricks Norman could do with the help of Elizabeth and Norman enjoyed their tales of mischief over the years.
Eventually when they noticed that the sun was starting to set, they headed into the house as well. The inside of the house was very messy, but it gave of a homey feeling that Norman dearly missed. The twins headed up the staircase to put away their brooms. Norman not knowing what to do just decided to look around. He saw many strange things, items flying around, a broom sweeping the floor without anyone using it. He even noticed a strange clock that had the pictures and names of the family members pointing in specific directions that were strangely labeled.
Just then suddenly the clock changed, and the person called Arthur who Norman imagined was the husband of his aunt switched from work to home. Just then he heard the opening of a side door not far from the kitchen if the noises were any indication. He decided to check it out, since he didn't have anything better to do. There he found that inside the kitchen Molly was waving her wand around and a bunch of pots and pans were moving around as she was making their dinner in a truly magical way.
The dinner table was already set up. There was also a girl about his age who was sitting there while writing inside a black diary. In front of her was the man from the picture Arthur, he was conversing with his wife about his day. Norman didn't want to disrupt them, so he wanted to leave, but he was noticed.
"Oh? Who might you be young man? Are you one of Ron's friends? Sorry, but I can't recall." Norman just awkwardly shuffled into the room and sat down next to the girl who stopped her writing and now looked at him with intrigue. "H-Hi, it's nice to meet you. I am Norman apparently I am like a lost branch of aunt Molly's family. She and my father are cousins, she invited me over till school starts in order for me to meet the family."
"Wonderful! I am glad that after the war there are still remnants of families who were hunted. You can't imagine how painful it is to hear the news inside the ministry from time to time that another family was destroyed completely." Before the mood could plummet, Mr Weasley gave Norman's shoulder a joking slap and exclaimed. "Now-now it's all in the past thanks to Harry. Please tell me more about you and your family. I can't imagine you staying in the wizarding world without anyone noticing, so how did you handle the strange world of the muggles?"
Norman could hear an audible groan coming from the girl next to him. "Dear please don't start your muggle mania again." Mrs Weasley scolded. Norman who wanted to be helpful came to the defense of Mr Weasley. "It's fine, I have no problem answering any questions!" This seemed to give Arthur a second wind as he eagerly took out a note book and listened. "My father is the co-founder of a company called Fazbear Entertainment. It's a chain of dinners which provide entertainment and food for children mostly. We are pretty successful, so we are getting by without any mayor problems."
"Very good! Now I have a specific problem that I made my life long goal to understand. How do planes stay in the air without any magic?" Norman a bit taken aback by the strange question answered non the less to the best of his capabilities. "Well I don't know the specifics to well, since I never had any need to learn it, but it has to do with the specific shape of it, mainly the wings." Mr Weasley's eyes were practically glowing with glee and interest so Norman decided to give a tip to him. "If you want to know the specifics I would advice you to pick up a book on aerodynamics and plane designs. I think most libraries should have relevant information on it."
"Splendid, thank you Norman this is great news to me, but may I ask how you knew these things?" Norman just shrugged and started explaining. "Well as I said I am nowhere near as knowledgeable about this subject as someone who actually studied it, but I know a lot about machines in general so I made an educated guess." This time the girl perked up and asked first. "Oh? And why exactly did you learn about muggle machines so much? It seems pretty advanced and complicated for our age. Harry never mention learning anything like it either."
Norman held up his hands in defense and started fidgeting around with his pendant and explained. "Well as I said before my father is the co-founder of our company. Our restaurants are special, they have mechanical entertainers inside them that can do numerous things. He is the main designer and lead engineer behind them, so he taught us on how to read blueprints, assemble machinery and come up with our own designs." There was an impressed look on both of her and her father faces. "Wait just a moment I will show you in a bit." Norman then proceeded to take out his chest in order to show some of the pictures he brought with himself.
Norman climbed down a ladder that was right under the latch of the chest. It took Norman much more time to reach the bottom than he originally thought. At first he feared that he might have broken some of his stuff due to the fall, but much to his relief everything was in perfect shape and laid out at the bottom in an orderly fashion. Norman looked around after he grabbed the pictures to find out what exactly this space is, but he couldn't really see anything. It wasn't just dark he could see perfectly fine without any light sources somehow, no the problem was that just after the last item on the ground he could not see anything only the void. He was a bit tempted to try chucking something at it, but evidently it wasn't the best time to do so.
When he peeked his head out of the chest, he saw that the girl was prodding it with her book but keeping as much distance as possible. She took a step back when he emerged to give him space. "Norman, my boy, where did you get a chest with an extension charm? They are highly regulated by the Ministry. Normally, I'd have to ask you to hand it over, but what the Ministry doesn't know won't hurt it. Just make sure not to let anyone see you with that." Norman was scared at first but took his words to heart and gave a simple thanks once he understood he wasn't in trouble.
"Right, thank you, sir, I'll keep it in mind." He then started showing them the pictures he'd brought. "These two are the first models my dad made. Their names are Fredbear and Bonbunny. Recently, they got a redesign I didn't really like because of the popularity of the TV show." Mr. Weasley took the picture and showed it to his wife, who looked a bit unnerved by the robots. "And kids like these... beasts? They seem unnatural and dangerous," she asked.
"I think they look neat!" The youngest Weasley seemed to really love the designs if her expression was anything to go by. "Well, I guess you have your answer. Some parents did have the same concern, so the designs in the TV show were made purposefully exaggerated." Molly wasn't exactly pleased by her daughter's reaction, but she let it go for now. "These four are the newer models: Freddy, Chica, Bonnie, and Foxy. They were made for the TV show, but because of their popularity, Dad and Uncle Henry decided to open a new restaurant just for them. It's still under construction, but it should be open in a few months."
The four of them chatted until Molly finished making dinner and called everyone together to eat. Norman introduced himself to the last Weasley he hadn't met yet, Percy. Apparently, Percy was the oldest sibling currently in the house, though they told Norman they had two other older brothers who'd already graduated from Hogwarts. Percy mentioned he was a prefect, so Norman could turn to him if he needed help. After mentioning this, the twins teased Percy for the rest of the dinner.
He managed to talk to Harry Potter, the so-called hero of the magical world who'd vanquished the Dark Lady when he was just a baby. "Wait, you live in Shirley? Brittle Hollow is only like a half-hour bus ride from Little Whinging!" Norman exclaimed excitedly. "That's great! We could meet up over the summer! I think you'd really like my friend Charlotte; she's a lot like you." "That would be nice, but I don't think my aunt and uncle would let me have guests over," Harry said, visibly upset. "What a bummer. I'd invite you to come to us, but, you know, that isn't really an option…" "Yeah, even in Little Whinging, there's still an orange alert. I can't imagine what's going on in Brittle Hollow."
The Weasleys didn't quite understand what the two boys were talking about. "It's back to black now. I was so relieved when it went down to red, but last month…" Norman remembered how he felt when his sister was gone.
"Another one, huh? That makes it 22, right? I can't believe they still haven't found any clues." Harry looked upset, knowing too well how it felt to lose family. At this point, Ron, who'd stopped stuffing his face, elbowed Harry in the side. "Oi, mate, what are you two on about? The rest of us aren't caught up on muggle stuff." When Norman and Harry looked around, they saw that everyone was silently listening. Harry looked guilty, as if he'd done something wrong, but Norman gestured that it was fine. Neither of them wanted to retell the tragic story of that town.
Norman took a deep breath and started explaining. "Aunt Molly, do you remember how there was no one at the park when we arrived today?" She nodded, looking confused. "It's strange, isn't it? The last days of summer, the sun still up, yet no one was there." Thinking about it, it did seem odd, but she still didn't see the full issue. Seeing they still hadn't caught on, he continued, "The warning colors—they're posted when there's danger in an area. Green means everything's safe, yellow means there are unknowns, orange is possible danger, red is an active threat, and black means there's an active crisis that's not under control. Brittle Hollow has been under red and black warnings for over three years now."
"Merlin's beard! How could that be? Everything seemed just fine when we were there!" Molly didn't like hearing that her nephew might be in danger at home, and she didn't understand how Harry and Norman could speak so casually about such a thing. "Well, there's no natural threat like a flood, that's true, but there's a serious problem. Every few months, children go missing. Like I told Harry, the last one was a month ago, making the official count 22."
Mr. Weasley slammed the table angrily, rattling everyone's food, which was now long forgotten. "Preposterous! How can the muggle Aurors stand by and not do anything?" Molly felt dread inside her, though she couldn't say why. Norman let out a weak, self-deprecating chuckle. "Ha! They've certainly tried. They're always one step behind… always late…" He took out the ribbon Elizabeth always fashioned into a bow for her hair. Now Molly was crying, still not fully understanding why. "The police officers—or muggle Aurors, as you called them—only ever find the children's remains. Even that's rare; most of the time, they just find some clothes or accessories."
He couldn't stop his hand from shaking as he held the ribbon, even with Elizabeth's calming words in his mind. "Or… in my sister's case, just her ribbon." That was the breaking point. Molly suddenly realized what McGonagall and Norman had been hiding, and it all fell into place. She felt just like she did when she heard the news that her two brothers had fallen to Death Eaters—devastated and helpless.
The twins went over to console their little sister, while Ron did the same for Harry, who seemed lost in painful memories. Percy sat with his head in his hands, trying to hide. Arthur rushed to comfort his inconsolable wife, watching Norman with great pity. Norman began feeling awkward, like he'd made a mistake by telling the Weasleys his story, and he hated feeling pitied, as if it undermined everything his family had endured.
Elizabeth, too, seemed fed up. "OH, WILL YOU ALL STOP MOPING AND SHUT UP! Just because I'm dead doesn't mean I'm not here! I can hear everything, so move on! It happened in the past, and I already have my work cut out with just Norman—I don't need eight more people to baby around." Elizabeth manifested her head and torso from Norman, which knocked him onto his back. Everyone was stunned into silence, simply staring at the strange duo now sprawled on the floor. Molly, recognizing Elizabeth, was the first to act, running over to embrace the girl.
"Hey-hey, what's the big idea!? Just because I don't need to breathe doesn't mean I like being choked!… I think…" Molly released her, laughing in relief and feeling foolish for forgetting about her. Elizabeth, still unable to fully separate from Norman due to the curse, repositioned herself to keep them both balanced. They made for a strange sight, not even like conjoined twins, but more like a glitch from an old arcade game.
The rest of the evening went quickly. The family reheated dinner, and the main topic of conversation became Norman and Elizabeth's unique situation. Arthur even promised to ask the Unspeakables about it discreetly. Norman wanted to thank him somehow, but he didn't know how, so he asked. Arthur, half-jokingly, said they could help with the family car and other gadgets. His wife didn't appreciate the joke and smacked him on the head.
As the night went on, the mood lifted. The Weasleys shared stories about the Wizarding World, customs, the Ministry's role, and some advice. Harry and Ron described recent Hogwarts events, and the twins managed to recruit Norman to help with some pranks at school. Gradually, each family member left for bed, leaving Norman alone in the kitchen with Mrs. Weasley, who was tidying up with magic. Not wanting to bring her sadness back, he planned to leave, but he wasn't sure where he'd be sleeping. Elizabeth, who had regained enough power to separate fully, helped tidy up, too. When they finished, Molly, knowing what was on Norman's mind, led them to a bedroom labeled "Bill and Charlie." She explained that since the two didn't stay at the house often, the room was mostly empty.
And so, Norman and Elizabeth, who couldn't be persuaded by Molly to stay with Ginny, found their own room for the foreseeable future. Neither suspected that their lives would never be the same after this year.