The Fairy Expedition – Part 1
In a completely strange house, with a rather… peculiar construction. It was so unusual that anyone seeing it for the first time would wonder how it managed to stay standing at all. It rose tall and uneven, with several floors seemingly added one atop another, as if someone had built them without any architectural plan whatsoever. The walls were slightly crooked, and the whole structure looked as if it was held together more by stubbornness than by engineering.
Around it was a small garden with rows of vegetables and aromatic herbs, as well as a few chickens wandering freely across the grass, pecking at the ground with energy.
Wanda observed it all with a calm gaze, studying the structure from top to bottom. In front of her stood Astoria and Luna, both wearing light summer dresses and straw hats, their eyes gleaming with childlike curiosity and fascination.
That day, the two youngest of the group had asked Wanda to accompany them on a small outing. They needed an adult to go outside, and Harry—ever since he had started to grow up—spent more and more time on his own, leaving less for his mother. Wanda, however, was happy to join them, especially after dismissing the temptation to turn Harry back into a baby, knowing full well that such a thing would earn her a week of reproachful glares and stubborn silence.
Their first stop was the Burrow, where the girls planned to invite Ginny to come play.
The three approached the door, raising their hands to knock, but before they could, it swung open with force. A middle-aged woman of short height and sturdy build stepped out, her face twisted in anger. Her red hair swayed as she shouted into the house.
"I can't believe this! If you keep bothering your brother, I'll hang you by the ears as decorations for the fireplace! And give Percy's diary back before he returns, or you'll be in big trouble!" she yelled, holding a basket in one hand.
As she turned around, she found herself face-to-face with Wanda and the girls. Her anger vanished instantly. She froze on the spot, eyes wide as if they were about to pop out of her head.
At that moment, Ginny appeared behind her, holding a letter in her hands.
"Oh… you really came," she said with a sigh of both exasperation and acceptance, as though she had long since grown used to being dragged into all sorts of adventures by those two.
Ginny also noticed Wanda's presence and gave her a small nod. She still felt a little uneasy around her, but after running into Wanda several times while Luna and Astoria pulled her along to play, that discomfort had mostly faded. After all, Wanda always carried herself with serene composure, a calm smile, and an aura of quiet control—without ever needing to inspire fear. Her mere presence had a soothing effect on people, even those who didn't fully understand her.
"Hello. Nice to meet you, I'm Wanda Maximoff. We came for your daughter," Wanda said with a kind smile.
Those words alone were enough to make Molly react.
"What? No!" she exclaimed in alarm, immediately stepping in front of Ginny as if to shield her from danger.
The two girls looked at her, puzzled, not understanding the sudden panic.
Wanda remained silent, watching how the woman straightened up like a warrior ready to face a final boss to protect her child. She couldn't help but smile approvingly. Molly Weasley was, without a doubt, a true mother hen, and the scene was almost endearing. She remembered how even her own son and nephews used to fear her when she got angry—and out of sheer mischief, Wanda had once turned her son into a baby for a day, just as a small act of playful revenge.
As she continued to watch, Molly began trembling under her gaze. Wanda tilted her head slightly, and her eyes glowed faintly red. For a brief instant, Molly's eyes reflected the same crimson light.
The woman blinked, as if waking from a deep sleep, and rubbed her forehead. When she looked back at Wanda, the tension in her shoulders had eased considerably.
"I came along with these two little ones who wanted to invite their friend out to play. They said they were planning to look for fairies in the nearby forest," Wanda explained softly, her voice calm and almost hypnotic in its gentleness.
Molly, still somewhat disoriented, seemed to realize she had overreacted. She cleared her throat and tried to compose herself.
"I told you my friends were coming to pick me up, Mum," Ginny said in a calmer tone.
"Ah… yes, right. Sorry, I guess I was a little… confused," Molly replied, still looking somewhat embarrassed and bewildered.
"It was the Wrackspurts," said Luna serenely, her dreamy eyes steady. "But don't worry, Aunt Wanda already got rid of them."
Molly stared at her blankly for a few seconds before turning her attention back to Wanda. She studied her carefully, as if trying to place a distant memory. There was something about her—something familiar. A vague recollection of having seen her once in Diagon Alley, though she couldn't remember why that memory felt like it had just resurfaced.
"I know you… you're the woman…" Molly hesitated, examining Wanda's face, surprised by how young she looked. "The lady who adopted little Harry, right?"
"Yes," Wanda replied calmly. "I'm his mother. Lily Evans asked me to take care of him for her."
"Lily?" repeated Molly in astonishment, as if this were the first time she had heard the real reason Harry was under Wanda's care. "You… knew her?"
"Yes," Wanda said softly, her voice filled with genuine warmth. "Without her, I would have never met my little one."
The affection in her tone was so sincere that Molly could feel it immediately.
"It's getting late," Astoria said with a small pout.
"Right. So, will you let her come with us or not?" Wanda asked patiently, turning to Molly.
Molly felt the combined stares of the three girls—and Wanda's—on her, all calm but expectant, carrying a mix of gentleness and authority.
"Eh… yes, but… would it be alright if I went with you?" Molly finally asked, still a bit wary.
"I don't mind," Wanda said calmly, glancing at the girls, who nodded happily. None of them seemed to care about having an extra companion; they were far too excited about their fairy hunt to worry about anything else.
…
Wanda had to wait a while as Molly went to change her clothes. During that time, the girls chatted enthusiastically about their plans for the day.
"Why do you want to look for fairies?" Ginny asked with genuine curiosity. She already knew from experience that Luna and Astoria's reasons for doing anything were never exactly ordinary.
"We built a dollhouse, and we want to ask if they'd like to live there," Astoria said proudly, a bright smile on her face.
"It's a very pretty house, made of glass," added Luna, nodding with the same casual tone one would use to talk about the weather.
Ginny watched them for a few seconds before simply nodding. She was already used to it. Even after knowing them for such a short time, she had learned that with these two, it was better not to be surprised.
"I'm ready," announced Molly as she stepped out of the house. She was wearing more comfortable clothes now, though they were clearly out of fashion. No one said anything about it. Astoria and Luna had already assumed the roles of expedition leaders and began marching ahead with determination.
The rest followed, forming a small, colorful procession that stood out against the quiet countryside around them.
"Maybe we could have invited Daphne and Hermione," Astoria said thoughtfully as they walked.
"Mmm… they're busy making something to scare Mr. Puppy," Luna replied with complete serenity. That was the nickname she had given Sirius.
Ginny blinked, a little confused, but didn't bother to ask. Apparently, the group of four was still in the middle of their revenge against Sirius after that haunted house incident—and it seemed they had turned the whole thing into a competition.
"Ginny, do you already know which Hogwarts house you want to be in?" Astoria suddenly asked.
Ginny sighed. She had long since gotten used to their conversations changing topics as if they had a mind of their own.
"Eh… no. Not yet," she admitted, lowering her voice a little. The truth was, she had no idea how the house selection really worked, and just thinking about it made her nervous. All her brothers had been Gryffindors, but none of them had ever told her what the process was actually like.
Fred and George had claimed she would have to fight a dragon or a chimera, depending on which she found first. Percy told her not to listen to them, but he didn't explain much either. Ron had tried to keep the joke going and said he'd fought a hundred red caps with a magic sword to earn his place in Gryffindor—but he had clearly exaggerated, mixing fantasy and heroics, so Ginny didn't believe a word of it and left him to his own storytelling.
Charlie and Bill, on the other hand, had only told her that she'd see it for herself when the time came, though they warned her that "the opening song is always a bit crazy." That only left her more confused, and the thought of not ending up in the same house as her brothers or parents filled her with anxiety.
"You don't know? You don't like any of the houses?" Astoria asked curiously.
"Eh, but they told me we can't choose," Ginny said, growing more lost by the minute.
"Mmm… Harry said we can. We just have to tell him," Luna said serenely.
"Tell who?" Ginny asked, already resigned to the nonsense.
"Him. He's the one who'll send us to the house we want," Luna answered calmly.
"Who's he?" Ginny insisted, now too tired to even try to follow.
Luna looked at her with that dreamy expression of hers, as if she lived in a world entirely her own. "Just tell him which house you want to go to, and he'll send you there. He doesn't sound like a bad person… though I'm not sure he's actually a person," she added, before continuing to walk as if nothing had happened—though she seemed to be pondering whether the mysterious "he" was indeed human or not.
Ginny turned to Astoria, hoping for a more logical answer, but the girl only smiled and said, "I'll choose Ravenclaw, with the others."
Ginny sighed. Even when she thought she was prepared for conversations with them, she always ended up overwhelmed. "I really need to find more friends," she muttered to herself for encouragement. "Friends who have normal conversations…"
Meanwhile, Wanda and Mrs. Weasley walked a few steps behind. Molly kept glancing sideways at Wanda from time to time, as if she still couldn't decide whether or not to trust her.
Wanda, on the other hand, simply smiled softly as she listened to the girls' chatter, enjoying the calm afternoon air and the little adventure that had just begun.