The Fairy Expedition – Part Final
"Aunt Wanda, look!" said Astoria with a hint of excitement as she saw small, furry balls hopping around a clearing, drinking water and playing with each other. They looked so fluffy and round that they were irresistibly adorable.
Astoria and Luna ran toward them with enthusiasm, followed by Ginny, who also couldn't resist the cuteness of those creatures.
Wanda approached calmly, watching the tiny furballs with interest.
"Wow… those are Puffskeins. I didn't think there were any so close to home," commented Molly with mild surprise as she looked at the charming animals.
Wanda smiled softly at her words but didn't say much else. Meanwhile, Molly began to notice something strange: she couldn't recall ever being in this part of the forest. In fact, she wasn't even sure this forest had existed before. Maybe it was her imagination… or she had simply never paid attention.
The three girls knelt down to pet the friendly Puffskeins, laughing as they felt their soft fur. They also noticed other creatures nearby. There were Diricawls—chubby, feathered birds that seemed incapable of flying—vanishing and reappearing a few meters away whenever someone stared at them too closely.
From small holes in the ground, other creatures with large eyes peeked out timidly to observe them before retreating back into hiding.
Molly grew increasingly amazed. The number of magical animals was astonishing; she was beginning to suspect they were no longer anywhere near the familiar woods she knew.
Meanwhile, Wanda was holding what looked like an orange, very fluffy cat with a flat face and a curious expression. The animal purred joyfully while she calmly stroked its back.
"That might be a half-Kneazle," said Molly, glancing around. Near the tree, there were more cats—some looked perfectly normal, while others resembled small lions, showing clear signs of magical ancestry.
Wanda smiled gently as the cat purred in her arms.
"Is that so?" she murmured tenderly. "Then I'll help you find a kind wizard to take care of you."
She raised her hand, and in an instant, the cat vanished without a trace.
Molly was left completely confused… and a bit frightened. Wanda, however, ignored her and walked calmly toward the girls, who looked half-buried under a mountain of Puffskeins.
"If we keep taking this long, it'll be night soon," said Wanda with a gentle smile.
"Right," replied Astoria as she got up, making the little furballs roll away to the sides.
Luna, however, was still lying on top of a pile of Puffskeins that rolled her from side to side as if rocking her to sleep, while Ginny, sitting on the ground, hugged one and stroked its fur with a peaceful smile.
"We almost let these adorable creatures stop us from completing our mission. We can't allow ourselves to get distracted," said Astoria, looking at the Puffskeins as if they were tiny enemies trying to sabotage their adventure.
Luna stood up, playing along, while Ginny simply rolled her eyes in resignation.
After a brief look around, Luna raised her hand and pointed toward a spot deeper in the forest.
"That way," she said before calmly walking forward. Astoria immediately followed, pulling Ginny by the wrist, who ended up being dragged along with a sigh of surrender.
Molly and Wanda followed soon after. Now that she had seen so many magical creatures, Molly walked more cautiously, ready in case something dangerous appeared. Wanda, in contrast, strolled peacefully, admiring the scenery with an almost ethereal calm.
…
As they continued their walk through the forest, they encountered even more fantastic creatures: silver-coated unicorns, towering Graphorns with curved horns, and Jobberknolls that left tiny blue feathers floating through the air as they flew by.
Molly murmured quietly to herself,
"I'll have to tell Arthur to investigate this place. We can't let the children find out there are so many magical creatures nearby… or they'll try to collect their materials for their silly experiments."
"There!" exclaimed Astoria with a smile, pointing toward a massive white tree in the distance. On its branches, faint glimmers could be seen—surely fairies fluttering around it.
Luna and Astoria each grabbed one of Ginny's hands and started running, dragging her along as they laughed. It already seemed like a habit: Ginny complained under her breath but didn't really resist.
As they got closer, all of them opened their eyes wide in astonishment. Before them stood a gigantic, white, majestic tree, its branches so broad that they seemed to shelter the entire clearing. Tiny holes in the trunk formed miniature homes—surely the fairies' dwellings.
But what truly caught their attention was the scene unfolding before them.
The fairies were under attack.
Tiny imps flew all around them, chasing them with malicious laughter. Some grabbed their wings and spun them in the air; others threw mud, laughing cruelly as the fairies cried when their tiny dresses were dirtied. The most wicked ones darted toward them at high speed, knocking them down and sending flashes of light across the clearing.
"No! You evil creatures!" shouted Astoria in horror at the sight of the suffering fairies.
Even Luna—normally serene in the presence of any magical being—showed a spark of anger on her face.
Ginny covered her mouth as she saw several imps lighting small torches and throwing them toward the tree—the fairies' home.
"Aunt Wanda…" said Astoria, her eyes filling with tears.
At that moment, the imps noticed the presence of the humans. They turned their tiny heads, grinning mockingly before swarming toward them.
Molly quickly drew her wand and raised her arm, ready to cast a spell.
Wanda moved her hand slightly, and instantly, all the imps froze midair. A second later, with a simple snap of her fingers, they vanished—just like the orange cat had before.
Astoria, Luna, and Ginny immediately ran to help the injured fairies.
Wanda followed them quietly, waving her hand with grace. All around her, the forest began to heal itself in a wondrous way. It wasn't the Reparo spell; it was as if time itself were reversing. The fire went out, the wounded tree began to mend, and the injured fairies regained their strength. Flowers reopened, broken petals rejoined, and the air filled with a crimson glow that pulsed with Wanda's aura.
The fairies watched in wonder as that crimson energy flowed around Wanda like a living river. Luna, Astoria, and Ginny let out a sigh of relief when they saw that everything was back to normal. In that instant, they understood that bringing Wanda along had been a brilliant idea; without her help, the fairies would have been badly hurt by the wicked imps.
The tiny winged creatures recognized the humans' help. They laughed and fluttered around them joyfully, bringing small, glowing grapes as an offering. Several approached Wanda, circling her with curiosity; the bravest ones even perched on her shoulders and head, laughing in their musical voices.
Wanda smiled as she saw them so happy, so adorable, only minutes after being in danger.
Then, the small serpent coiled around her wrist stirred. It lifted its head, eyes gleaming as it watched the playful fairies that approached. But before they could touch it, the snake fixed its gaze on them… and all of them froze midair, motionless for a brief moment, until the little creature slipped back into Wanda's sleeve.
Molly's eyes widened in surprise when she noticed the creature. Her breathing quickened; she placed a hand over her chest, trying to look away, but couldn't stop glancing at the serpent with a mix of fear and fascination.
Meanwhile, Luna and Astoria were struggling to pull a large crystal castle out of an enchanted bag whose rim stretched magically to let it through. It was a beautiful structure, taller than both of them together, though it floated slightly thanks to a levitation charm. They placed it near the white tree, where it shone like a jewel under the forest light.
"Good. Now they have a proper home," said Luna with satisfaction, nodding as she saw how perfectly the castle blended with the scenery. It looked like a tiny wonderland. The delighted fairies flew inside through the windows, and through the glass walls they could be seen flitting from room to room in pure joy.
"Mission accomplished," announced Astoria with a triumphant smile. Ginny, however, still didn't quite understand the point of this whole adventure, though she couldn't deny it had been fun watching the fairies happily fluttering around. Several of them even placed flower crowns on each of them as a token of gratitude.
Even Wanda received one—woven with red roses.
With a graceful flick of her hand, Wanda conjured a picnic blanket on the grass. They all sat together, playing with the fairies under the golden light of sunset before preparing to return home.
The way back was far easier than the trip there. Or rather, Molly noticed something unsettling: they were walking through the exact same spot where they had arrived, yet now there was no sign of the clearing or the magical creatures. They simply… exited the forest.
She looked around, bewildered, eyes wide open.
"That was fun. We should do this more often," said Astoria with a bright smile.
"Yes," added Luna calmly.
"I don't think we'll have time. We're starting Hogwarts next week," said Ginny in a practical tone.
Both girls looked at her as if they couldn't understand why that would be a problem. Ginny chose not to ask, afraid their answer might be one of Luna and Astoria's odd ideas.
Soon after, they said their goodbyes in front of the Weasley house.
"See you later!" said Astoria and Luna cheerfully, waving at Ginny and Molly. Wanda gave a polite nod before the three of them vanished in a soft red glow as they walked away.
Molly stood staring at the spot where they had disappeared, her expression thoughtful, her brow furrowed.
"She's dangerous… too dangerous," she murmured quietly, in a tone Ginny couldn't hear.
…
After dropping each girl off at her home, Wanda returned to her own. The house was calm and quiet. She looked toward the living room and smiled softly: Harry was asleep on the sofa, surrounded by scattered books of horror stories.
With a gentle motion of her hand, the books floated back to their shelves, neatly arranging themselves, and a blanket appeared over Harry to cover him carefully.
Then Wanda paused. Something had caught her attention. She raised her hand and looked at her sleeve, where her small basilisk usually rested.
From the fabric peeked a tiny, luminous head with two wings of crimson crystal that glimmered like rubies in the light.
"Oh… how did you get there without me noticing?" Wanda said, both surprised and amused.
The little fairy flew out cheerfully, spinning in the air and waving her tiny hands with excitement.
"Do you want to stay with me?" Wanda asked with a gentle smile. "All right then," she added tenderly.
The basilisk, clearly annoyed, slithered out of her sleeve and glared at the fairy threateningly. It tried to petrify her with its gaze, but the fairy stared right back… and nothing happened. She smirked mischievously and stuck out her tongue before landing on Wanda's shoulder, where she sat happily, swinging her little feet.
Wanda's expression turned serious—confused, and slightly worried. Her eyes moved slowly across the room, as if trying to locate something unseen.
"Is that… chaos magic?" she murmured softly. A second later, she vanished in a scarlet flash, following that strange presence.
It wasn't connected to her or to Harry… yet it felt terribly familiar.