Children Beneath the Lantern Light
Harry slowly opened his eyes while still lying on the sofa. He blinked a few times, disoriented, and noticed the blanket covering him and the neatly stacked books on the table. He had been studying so much, preparing something to scare his godfather, that he hadn't realized how late it had gotten.
"Mum?" he murmured sleepily, glancing around in search of Wanda's figure. He knew, almost for certain, that she was the one who had covered him before going to bed.
However, when he stood up from the sofa and looked around, he realized she wasn't anywhere to be seen. Maybe she had returned from her trip with Luna and Astoria… and then gone out again.
Harry walked to the kitchen, poured himself a glass of water, and ran a hand through his already messy hair as if that could help him wake up faster. That was when he noticed some lights flickering beyond the front window.
Normally, he ignored everything happening outside the house. In fact, he hadn't spent much time in the Muggle world for quite a while. He only came home to sleep, since most of his days were spent either at Potter Manor or at his friends' homes. Wanda was the same. They both returned there only because it was the place where Harry had grown up. Even she, however, spent most of her time in the Potter library or managing family affairs.
Wanda never complained, although Harry suspected she preferred her old life, back when she worked in the bookstore. Still, she was taking care of everything to leave the legacy to him someday. Of course, that didn't stop her from being stubborn. Even if he asked her to slow down and not worry so much about "restoring the family's glory," she would simply ignore him. Deep down, Harry knew he had inherited some of that same stubbornness.
He approached the window and looked outside. The lights came from two children, about ten years old, walking down the street with a flashlight in hand.
Harry frowned slightly. Their faces seemed vaguely familiar, though he couldn't recall from where. They looked like they were searching for something.
Driven by curiosity—something rare for him lately—he opened the door. It was already nighttime, and it wasn't normal for two children that young to be wandering alone at such an hour.
As soon as they heard the door, both stopped and turned toward him. One stared at him intently, while the other studied him closely, as if trying to recognize him.
"Hi. Are you looking for something—or someone? Do you need help?" Harry asked in a friendly tone.
The more talkative one watched him for a moment before saying, "Hey… you look familiar. Is your dad a deer, by any chance?"
Harry blinked, confused. "What?" he asked, baffled, touching his face instinctively. "A deer?" he thought, trying to make sense of the strange question.
"Wait," he said more seriously, narrowing his eyes at the boy. "Why would you ask that?"
"Your hair," the boy replied, pointing at Harry's messy hair, which stuck out so wildly it almost resembled antlers.
Harry sighed, half disappointed and half resigned, as he tried to smooth it down. "I see. Anyway, do you need help or not?" he asked more calmly, trying to keep his composure.
"We're looking for a black owl with big eyes… kind of dumb, actually," explained the boy, scratching his head. "It brought us a letter, but we don't know how to reply to it, so we went out to find it."
Harry raised an eyebrow. "An owl? Can I see the letter?" he asked, stepping closer.
"Sure," the boy said, handing it to him.
Harry opened it and read through it. It was exactly what he expected—a Hogwarts letter. It included the list of school supplies and the confirmation that both boys were to be first-year students. He also noticed the address: a nearby orphanage. Curiously, though, he had never seen these two kids around before.
"So, you're wizards too," Harry said calmly.
"Too?" repeated the boy with a grin. "So you're one as well. Cool! We thought it was a joke, but I convinced my brother to try anyway. I mean, a magic school sounds awesome."
The quieter boy simply nodded, now looking a bit less defensive, seeing that Harry genuinely wanted to help them.
"I'll help you," Harry said, turning back toward the house. "Hedwig!" he called.
A white owl immediately flew out and landed on his shoulder. Before Harry could say anything, she started pecking at his ear angrily.
"Ouch! Wait, Hedwig—ouch…" he complained, trying to calm her down. "I'm sorry, I won't call you like a house-elf again," he added with a sigh, understanding his dignified companion's protest.
The two boys watched in fascination as the owl glared back at them with a regal air, as if she perfectly understood her own importance.
After a few moments of negotiation with his "winged queen," Harry finally managed to convince Hedwig to take the boys' letter.
"Thank you," both boys said, excited and full of curiosity about the magical world they had just discovered.
"We have to go back, it's really late," said the more talkative one, his expression a mix of excitement and frustration at not being able to keep asking questions.
"The letter said a professor would come to explain everything. Let's not bother him any further," the other added calmly.
"Then we'll see you at Hogwarts—that's what it was called, right?" said the first boy with a bright smile.
"Yes. It's the safest school in the world," said Harry, though he knew the two boys wouldn't catch the joke.
The second nodded toward Harry in farewell, and both of them walked away under the faint glow of the lantern, slowly disappearing into the shadows of the night.
Harry watched them go, feeling a strange unease he couldn't quite define. Especially because of the boy who hadn't stopped staring at him the entire time. There was something about him… something difficult to explain. A faint but unmistakable sensation, like a spark of hidden energy beneath the surface.
"Gris," he said suddenly, not taking his eyes off the two small figures walking down the street under the flickering lamplight. Even though the road wasn't completely dark, it was still far too late for two children to be walking alone.
"At your service, master," answered a respectful voice behind him. In the blink of an eye, a house-elf with pointed ears appeared, bowing formally.
"Follow them and make sure they get home safe," ordered Harry in a calm tone.
"Gris will fulfill his duty," replied the elf before vanishing with a soft snap. Harry felt a slight breeze as the elf began to trail the boys invisibly.
Just as he turned to go back inside, a red flash illuminated the hallway behind him. He immediately turned around and saw his mother appear. Wanda looked at him with a mix of confusion and caution, while a tiny light hovered near her shoulder—a fairy, its translucent wings shimmering gently in the air.
"Mom, looks like your trip to the land of the fairies was… interesting," Harry said with a small smile.
Wanda gave a distracted gesture, her gaze still lost in something only she could perceive. "Maybe… perhaps I imagined it," she finally said, shaking her head before stepping closer to her son. Her expression softened as she reached out to fix his completely messy hair.
"Always the same," she murmured with a soft sigh and a half-smile.
Harry met her eyes calmly, though something in her demeanor left him thoughtful. It wasn't like her to seem so distracted.
…
Several streets away, the two boys walked in silence. The one who had been more talkative finally broke it, his grin widening little by little.
"So that was the son of that man," he said in an amused, almost mocking tone.
"Be quiet. We're being followed," warned the other, without turning around. His voice was serious, though the faint curve of his lips betrayed a hint of excitement.
Even so, they continued walking calmly, showing no sign of fear. The lantern in their hands swayed with each step, casting long shadows that danced across the alley walls.
Both knew perfectly well that something—or someone—was watching them from the darkness. But instead of feeling uneasy, that invisible presence only seemed to feed their anticipation.
"Harry Potter…" murmured the quieter boy, barely audible, his eyes glinting with challenge. "Let's see if you're truly worthy. I hope you don't disappoint us."
And with those words, the two continued on their way, guided by the faint light of the lantern and by a destiny that would bind them far more than they could yet imagine.