"Scarlet Witch, Crimson Mother"
"Huff, huff...! Apparition! APPARITION!! Why isn't it working?!" shouted Lucius Malfoy, panting as he ran through the smoldering ruins of Knockturn Alley. He waved his wand frantically, again and again, but nothing happened. Just useless sparks. Just silence. Just his own fear.
"Maybe if you wave it a little harder…" a voice suddenly whispered right behind him.
Lucius spun around instantly, reflexes honed by years of paranoia and power. He pointed and cast without hesitation.
"AVADA KEDAVRA!" he roared.
The green bolt struck the figure behind him square in the chest. The echo of the curse echoed down the ruined alley.
Wanda didn't move.
The emerald light faded slowly against her chest, as if she had absorbed it. Then she looked up. Not with hatred. Not with surprise.
With mockery.
"Ouch?" she murmured, tilting her head as if someone had thrown a pebble at her.
"You… you… what are you? What do you want? Why are you following me?! Why did you kill them?!" Lucius shouted, his voice trembling as he took a step back, his wand shaking between his fingers.
"Why...? Now that's a very good question. Every mother wants her child to grow up in a world free of the filth that poisons the ground we walk on. You're a father, aren't you? You should understand…" Wanda replied, slowly walking toward him as the air around her grew heavier. "Funny thing... I saw you today, strutting like a pompous clown, shouting your vile opinions about Muggles for all of us to hear. And now look at you… peddling illegal artifacts in the shadows like just another rat."
"I… I didn't know you were a pure-blood witch… My apologies if I offended you..." Lucius said, trying to mask his fear with courtesy.
"Pure-blood?" Wanda chuckled softly. "If we used your idiotic little categories, I suppose I might count. But no… I'm something else. Someone offered me a gift. A power older than your pathetic nobility. They call me the Scarlet Witch. But let's change the subject."
Her voice dropped to a whisper brimming with power as red energy began to lift her hair, as if she floated underwater.
"By the way…" she added suddenly, shifting topics like a dancer changing steps, "is your wife still alive?"
Lucius blinked, confused by the question.
"Narcissa...? Do you know her? Yes, yes, she's fine..."
He thought he had a chance. That his answer might save him.
"I don't know her. I just wanted to know who your son will be left with... when you're gone."
Wanda's smile vanished. The air froze.
Lucius tried to move, to flee, to cast something. But his body wouldn't respond. He was trapped in an invisible field, paralyzed by the same chaos crackling around Wanda like a demonic halo.
"Could you stop, please?" said a voice behind her.
Wanda didn't flinch. She had already sensed him.
"The old man from Hogwarts…" she murmured calmly, turning slowly. "What do you need, Dumbledore?"
The headmaster stepped forward, his gaze stern, his voice heavy with gravity.
"You may think you're doing the right thing. But killing like this, without trial, without mercy... it makes you no better than them. And if someone like Lucius Malfoy dies… the Ministry won't let it go. They'll come for you. And not just for you. You'll endanger Harry Potter as well."
Wanda looked at him. Her face was a mask of calm, but behind her eyes burned an uncontrollable fire.
"No better…?" she said in a serene voice that chilled even the headmaster. "This man murdered 129 people. More than half of them were children. Nearly all were Muggles. Are you saying… that by punishing him, I become the same as him?"
A deadly silence filled the alley.
"One could say"" Dumbledore began, but never finished.
A shadow rose behind Lucius. A monster of tentacles and a single eye tore through reality itself and seized the wizard before he could scream. Malfoy's body was shredded in seconds. Bones. Blood. Nothing recognizable remained.
The demon vanished.
It had happened so fast that even Dumbledore, with all his wisdom and power, couldn't react in time.
"Oh dear… looks like one of their pets got loose. You really should teach them to wear leashes," Wanda said, suddenly appearing behind him, a pale smile on her lips. "By the way, the day the Ministry comes knocking on my door… they better bring plenty of leashes. And lots of pet food."
Her voice faded like morning mist.
And Dumbledore… Dumbledore was left alone. Frozen. As a cold sweat"one he hadn't felt in decades"slid down his back.
...…
One week later, the long-awaited first day of preschool arrived for Harry and Hermione. Both mothers, Susan and Wanda, were riding in Susan's car with the little ones, sharing smiles, nerves, and that strange mix of joy and anxiety that comes with every first day.
The preschool wasn't far from Wanda's house. She had chosen that neighborhood carefully: a nearby hospital, a police station just a few blocks away, and a school with excellent references. Safety, health, and education… everything a mother needs to sleep soundly. And since money wasn't a problem, she didn't hesitate to buy a house there the moment the opportunity came.
Meanwhile, in the back seat of Susan's car, Harry and Hermione laughed while playing a child-friendly version of Exploding Snap. The cards didn't burst into flames, of course"just small flashes that changed the loser's hair color for a few seconds. At that moment, both had streaks of blue and orange as they giggled at each other.
"Kids, remember not to show those toys or talk about the magical world at school, okay?" said Susan, looking at them through the rearview mirror with a serious but affectionate expression.
"Yesss," they both replied in unison, quickly putting the cards away.
"We don't want anyone ending up with their brain erased," added Wanda from the passenger seat with a sideways smile.
Harry and Hermione looked down, embarrassed.
"It was Harry's fault I got scared!" Hermione quickly defended herself. "He got confused!"
"But you still cried!" Harry replied with an adorable pout.
"It was your fault!"
"All right, all right," Wanda interrupted, laughing softly. "It was a funny scene to watch. But the important thing is that today you begin a great adventure. I hope you have fun at preschool and make lots of friends."
The two children smiled with barely contained excitement.
"Wanda, will you be outside when I come out?" Harry asked suddenly, as if the answer was crucial to his emotional safety.
"Of course, Harry. I'll be right here," she said, reaching out to gently stroke his hair.
"Then it's okay," he replied, calmer now, with a tender smile.
When they arrived at the preschool, the place was buzzing with families: parents kissing their children, kids running around with backpacks bigger than themselves, laughter, shouts, and nerves fluttering in the air.
"Remember to take care of each other, okay?" said Susan as she crouched down to hug them tightly.
Wanda, meanwhile, was gently fixing the collar of Harry's sweater, giving him one last caress before letting go.
"I'll take care of Hermione," Harry suddenly declared, with the solemnity of a knight's oath. The two mothers burst out laughing.
"And I'll take care of Harry. He's a bit silly sometimes," Hermione said with a mischievous smile.
"No, I'm not!"
"You stared at a ball for hours trying to move it with your mind!"
"That... that was because I'm a super wizard… hup!" Harry immediately covered his mouth, as if he had let slip a state secret. His eyes darted nervously around, looking for any curious Muggles.
Wanda and Susan couldn't hold back their laughter.
"See? You're going to make the whole preschool lose their memories," Hermione scolded him.
"No, I'm not!"
Without another word, the two of them ran toward the entrance, still arguing, chasing each other amid laughter. They looked so small, so full of life and energy, that for a moment, the world seemed to pause for Wanda and Susan.
"So… I'm heading home. What about you, Wanda?" asked Susan, still watching the children disappear through the classroom door.
"I'll stay around here. I'll wait for Harry to come out," Wanda replied calmly.
"Are you sure? It's about four hours…"
"Don't worry. I don't have much to do today. Besides, I like being close, just in case."
Susan smiled, though slightly regretful.
"I'd love to stay with you, but I've got too many patients today…"
"Go ahead, Susan. I'll be fine," Wanda responded with a warmth that reassured her friend.
With a small gesture of her hand, she conjured a comfortable folding chair with a red cushion. Susan flinched and looked around, nervous in case any Muggle had seen the magical act, but everyone seemed too busy with their own children.
Of course, Susan thought. Wanda is too powerful. Her magic hides itself...
"Well… I'm off then. See you later," said Susan, waving goodbye before walking away.
Wanda sat gracefully in the magical chair and pulled out an old book"one of many on sorcery from this world. Her chaos magic could rewrite reality with a single thought, but these structured spells, with their measured enchantments and wands, had a certain charm… and were incredibly easy to learn. They were a relaxing pastime for her, and also a way to teach Harry one day, when he was older.
While the children's laughter still echoed in the distance, Wanda remained there, like a watchful and loving shadow… a mother, a witch, a guardian of the future.