An Unusual Day in Diagon Alley
Today was a particularly extraordinary day in Diagon Alley.
Crowds bustled back and forth, and housewives with radiant faces hurried in one specific direction: the Flourish & Blotts bookstore.
The reason was an unusual one. To everyone's surprise, the great Gilderoy Lockhart wasn't just signing books"he had set up a sort of improvised play right in front of the entrance. It was an uncommon move, especially for him, as he claimed he wasn't promoting his latest publication, but rather just wanted to "share an intimate moment with his fans."
"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming to this modest improvised performance!" Lockhart exclaimed with a dazzling smile. "I hope you're as excited as I am to be here with you. As you probably know, I don't have a professional cast ready, so I thought I'd pick someone from the audience at random!"
Excited screams broke out. Women"and not a few men"raised their hands and chanted:
"Pick me, Gilderoy! Me!"
"How about we do a romantic scene?" Lockhart added, winking gallantly.
The squeals intensified. Some women nearly fainted from the excitement.
In the crowd, four children were watching the scene with a mix of amusement and curiosity. Beside them stood Wanda, Daphne, and Astoria"along with their ever-loyal bodyguards hidden among the people.
Wanda smiled as she saw the kids so interested in the show, although she quickly noticed the look of discomfort on Harry's face. Not only did he dislike Lockhart, but he also found the romance completely unnecessary.
Suddenly, Lockhart's voice called everyone's attention again:
"What do you say, the beautiful red-haired lady in the back"would you join me?"
The crowd fell silent for a moment. All eyes turned to Wanda.
She lifted her gaze slowly and, with a small smile that didn't reach her eyes, replied firmly:
"No."
The silence that followed was almost theatrical. Some women looked at her as if she had committed a crime.
"How dare you…?" one managed to say, lips pursed in anger, before her voice abruptly cut off.
"Wha"!" tried another, but she couldn't finish either.
"What's going on?" asked a man, staring at the woman beside him, who was covering her face in horror. Her mouth… had vanished.
In a matter of seconds, the noise completely died down. Everyone turned to Lockhart, waiting for an explanation.
The wizard stood still for a moment, unsure of what to say. But he quickly regained his composure and flashed his most charming smile.
"Oh, well… It's not appropriate to speak rudely in front of children! Though my fans are passionate, we must keep things elegant," he declared, as if he had cast the magic that silenced the women. "Now then, let's find another lady!"
Inside, however, Lockhart knew perfectly well it hadn't been him. And as he glanced sideways at Wanda, he understood the truth. Obviously, it had been her.
He wouldn't give up, of course, but he did decide to keep a safe distance for now.
The play continued with another randomly chosen volunteer"a woman who took her role far too seriously and tried to kiss Lockhart during the climax of the romantic scene. The show ended with cheers and applause.
As Lockhart walked away, the children shared their impressions.
"That was boring," Harry said, arms crossed.
"I liked it. It was like a fairy tale," said Daphne with a dreamy smile.
"I like puppets," added Astoria, the youngest, who clearly hadn't understood a thing.
"What did you think, Hermione?" asked Daphne.
"It wasn't so bad," Hermione replied calmly.
"Wanda was silly not to accept being the co-star. She could have won Lockhart's heart!" Daphne said playfully.
"No," Harry snapped, with a hint of annoyance. "That guy is… annoying."
"Oh! Are you jealous because you don't want anyone stealing your mummy?" Daphne teased, circling him like a shark.
"Shut up!" Harry said, quickly walking away.
But Daphne followed with a mischievous grin, and Astoria joined in the chase, laughing without fully understanding what was happening.
⋯⋯⋯
From that day on, Lockhart began appearing regularly around Flourish & Blotts. Whether to stage another improvised play, sing romantic ballads, or"ironically"buy his own books.
On one of those occasions, Wanda was at the register when Lockhart approached with a stack of copies. As she scanned one of the books, she glanced at the cover: the author was smiling arrogantly… exactly like the man standing in front of her.
"Did you know I earn 40% per book?" Lockhart commented proudly. "It's the best contract ever signed with this publisher. After all, I'm a bestseller. Royalties from adaptations? 25%. Merch like posters and autographed quills? 15%. Not bad, eh? I can modestly say I'm one of the richest wizards in all of England."
"Do you really earn that much just for using your name?" Wanda asked, raising an eyebrow with apparent interest.
Lockhart's eyes lit up. For a moment, he thought he was finally making progress with her.
"Absolutely! Even if someone mentions my name in their book, they have to pay me royalties," he added enthusiastically.
Wanda slowly nodded as she handed him his change.
"I see. Then I guess I'll have to get a lawyer for Harry. After all, the entire wizarding world is using his name without permission."
With that, she pocketed the money and walked away indifferently, leaving him talking to himself.
Lockhart's smile faltered, cracking for the first time.
"She's… hard to win over," he muttered, turning away.
…
"Where are we going, Mom?" asked Harry as he walked hand in hand with Wanda. Beside them, Hermione accompanied them more out of curiosity than anything else.
"To the Ministry of Magic," Wanda replied, immediately sparking Harry's interest… and even more so, Hermione's.
The three of them stepped into the fireplace just before a green flame engulfed them and transported them away. Upon arrival, they found themselves surrounded by a crowd of witches and wizards rushing back and forth. The place was packed. The fireplaces flared on and off nonstop, one after another. On both sides of the lobby, two long rows of fireplaces seemed endless, their green flames never ceasing.
Wanda led the children toward a guard who was calmly sitting and reading a magazine.
"Leave your wands for inspection," the guard said without even looking up.
Wanda placed her red wand on the table casually.
The guard set his magazine aside and, without looking directly at them, reached out to take the wand. However, the closer his hand got to it, the more a deep sense of fear began to rise in his chest. Just a centimeter from touching it, he was already drenched in sweat, his mind flooded with alarms he didn't even understand.
He swallowed hard.
"You may pass… doesn't seem to have anything strange," he said with a forced smile, his face soaked in sweat.
"Good," Wanda replied calmly before taking her wand and continuing on with the children.
The guard, meanwhile, quickly wiped away his sweat and muttered prayers to Merlin… and even to gods from all over the world, begging that the woman hadn't come to attack the Ministry.
After that, Wanda took them directly to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, to the Office of Spell and Magical Creations Registry.
There, the clerk, upon recognizing Harry Potter, greeted Wanda with a smile and helped her fill out the forms.
Basically, they registered Harry's name and image as intellectual property and, at the same time, filed a unified claim before the Wizengamot demanding royalties from anyone who had used his likeness.
"Actually, that was easier than I thought," Wanda said as she signed.
"It's not as well-regulated as in the Muggle world, but wizards should also protect their inventions," the clerk commented kindly " a middle-aged man named Edward Ted Tonks. "For example, the Potter family got rich decades ago by selling the patent for a hair potion. If I'm not mistaken, young Mr. Potter should be receiving money every year, since it's still quite popular in the wizarding world."
"So the people using Harry's name were doing it illegally?" asked Hermione, her eyes sparkling with interest.
"Technically, yes. They didn't get express permission from Harry or his guardian to…"
Ted paused, frowning as he examined a document that had just arrived on his desk.
"What's wrong?" Wanda asked, noticing his expression.
"This is strange… It says here that Harry's magical guardian gave permission to use his name." Ted showed them the paper, looking slightly confused.
Wanda recognized the signature instantly. Even Ted did, and that's why he didn't know how to go on.
"Where are the royalties going?" Wanda asked seriously.
"To Hogwarts," Ted replied, clearly uncomfortable.
"I see. Change that. They should go to Harry's vault," Wanda ordered calmly.
"That… yes, that's easy to do. But… would you also like to file a formal complaint against Hogwarts?" Ted asked timidly. After all, it was the school where he had trained, and his daughter was currently studying there. Still, if something illegal had been done, he was willing to help.
"No. Don't worry. I'll recover the money that belongs to Harry," Wanda said in a low, calm voice.
Ted felt a chill run down his spine but didn't ask anything else.
"Then you just need to sign here, and everything will be ready," he said as he placed the document in front of Wanda and Harry.
Both of them signed without hesitation, stood up, and said goodbye.
"It was a pleasure meeting you," said Ted with a smile, watching the beautiful woman and the children walk away. Though deep down, he couldn't stop wondering what exactly Wanda meant by "recover what belongs to him."
A few days later, as he was having breakfast, he read the newspaper and froze at the headline on the front page:
"Robbery at Gringotts: The Biggest Heist in History and the First Ever Documented. Apparently, someone broke into a private vault and took everything " including ancient magical books, gold, and family relics. The owner? None other than Albus Dumbledore, who claimed to be completely shocked."
Ted stared at the newspaper, feeling a strange connection… but quickly shook his head.
"No. I didn't hear anything about that. Of course not," he muttered before throwing the paper away.