The afternoon arrived and sunlight streamed through the windows of the study at Gaunt Manor, illuminating the antique desk where Aurelian had left the grimoire recently sent by the Flamels.
It was a thick book with dark red leather covers, adorned with symbols and runes that glowed softly, as if the book were breathing.
Aurelian had barely managed to read the first chapter of the grimoire when the study door burst open.
"Aurelian!" Hestia exclaimed dramatically. "Why are you reading without us?"
"That's not fair," added Flora, frowning. "You said we'd read it together," she pouted.
Aurelian looked up with a calm smile.
"I was just checking... the table of contents, you don't have..."
But he didn't get to finish his sentence because the twins were already on either side of the desk, leaning over the book, looking at him with a mixture of curiosity and possessiveness.
Flora took the grimoire in her hands with exaggerated delicacy.
"Look, Hestia... this must be at least two hundred years old. The ink is literally 'alchemical,' it smells of ancient dust and dangerous recipes. I'm sure I can understand it," she said proudly.
Hestia quickly snatched the book from her.
"Please! You can't even pronounce 'gold transmutation' without stumbling. I'm the one who's going to learn faster."
Flora opened her eyes wide, offended.
"Oh yeah? Well, let's see if you can read that without getting confused," she said, pointing to a paragraph full of cryptic symbols.
Hestia leaned so close to the text that her nose almost touched the page.
"It says... 'flow the inner ether to purify the matrix.' See? That was easy."
Flora crossed her arms and took the grimoire.
"Liar! That clearly says 'channel the inner ether,' not 'flow,' and this symbol," she pointed to a tiny one in the corner of the paragraph, "means 'elemental womb,' not 'womb alone.' I have a better eye for detail than you."
"That's because you're so annoying!" Hestia snorted.
"And you're very impulsive!" Flora replied.
Aurelian watched everything with one hand on his forehead while Stinky watched from a corner, amused and concerned for the integrity of the grimoire.
"Girls..." he tried to say.
"Floraaaa!" Hestia jumped on her, trying to take the book away.
"If you break it, the old wizard will get angry... be careful!" warned Stinky, waving his hands.
"Girls... it's just a book," Aurelian said, trying to contain his laughter.
They both turned to him at the same time.
"It's a book that your... grandparents gave you!" said Hestia, still serious.
"And if they teach you alchemy, we want to learn too!" insisted Flora.
They looked at each other and, without warning, put the book back on the desk as if they were about to compete in some kind of duel.
"All right," said Hestia with a smile. "We'll start studying right now. The one who understands the first chapter the fastest... can sit on top of Aurelian."
"And the other one can only sit next to him on the sofa," added Flora in a dangerously sweet tone.
Aurelian blinked.
"Couldn't we... just read together?"
"No!" they said in unison.
Hestia opened the book with a bang. Flora took a pen and parchment, and the two began reading at top speed.
Every two minutes, one of them would mutter something to annoy the other and throw her off balance.
"'Aurum'... that means gold, Flora."
"I know, Hestia. Or do you think I'm stupid?"
"That symbol reads as pure spirit, not 'magical vapor.'"
"It was a metaphorical interpretation, okay!"
"Why did you underline that?"
"To remember."
"BUT IT'S MY BOOK TOO!"
Aurelian could no longer contain himself and burst out laughing. The twins stopped... turned to him and smiled dangerously.
"Are you laughing at us?" asked Hestia.
"Because that sounds like... some kind of challenge," added Flora.
Aurelian raised his hands in surrender.
"No way. I just... enjoy seeing you so passionate about learning."
Both blushed slightly. They exchanged glances to make a decision. Hestia approached and placed the book on Aurelian's lap, sitting down gently beside him. Flora did the same on the other side.
"All right, if we keep going like this, we won't learn anything..." Hestia whispered with a sigh.
"But with you, we're sure it will be different," Flora finished, smiling at him.
Aurelian smiled at them as he opened the grimoire and they both rested their heads on his shoulders.
"That's better... All right, where were we?"
The twins answered in unison.
"Let's start where I left off," said Hestia.
"Not where I was reading!" protested Flora.
Aurelian sighed, shaking his head, amused.
"Girls, if you keep this up... it's going to be harder for you to learn alchemy."
The two smiled... with their typical, identical smile, sweet and dangerous.
And so the afternoon began, full of silent struggles, little pushes, "innocent" caresses, and lots and lots of competition for his attention.
"Hestia, Flora," Aurelian said calmly but firmly, "You'll both have time with the book. Don't worry, it's not going anywhere."
"But we want to keep studying..." they both murmured at the same time, looking away.
Aurelian laughed softly.
"Wouldn't you like to do something more practical than reading?" he asked them.
They both looked at him, curious.
He snapped his fingers and placed a tray with jars, containers, water, and some herbs in front of them.
"Let's start with a very basic alchemical exercise. I want each of you to try to create a Solution. It's a mixture that reacts to the magical energy of its creator and can tell a lot about your natural affinity."
The twins lit up.
"And who will be your assistant, Aurelian?" Hestia asked with a big smile.
"Yes," Flora said, "All good alchemical preparation requires the best assistant."
Aurelian took a step back, recognizing the competitive gleam in their eyes.
"This time there will be no assistant. You will work separately."
"What!?" they both protested loudly.
"I don't plan on dying in some explosion caused by your... competitiveness," said Aurelian, laughing as he took a few steps back. "So each of you will make your own mixture, and I will supervise you."
Hestia and Flora exchanged cold glances, preparing for a deadly battle.
"I will win," whispered Hestia.
"In your dreams," replied Flora without losing her smile.
Both began to prepare their cauldrons, cutting the herbs with surgical precision while Aurelian crossed his arms, watching them with a mixture of amusement and a certain alarm.
The scene calmed down... more or less.
Amidst the chemical effervescence in the girls' cauldrons, a small, plump owl flew in through one of the windows, landing clumsily on the table.
Aurelian raised an eyebrow.
"It's the Weasleys' owl," he murmured.
The bird dropped a letter and flew away almost immediately, wanting to escape the aura and the stares of certain people in the room.
Aurelian opened the letter and read it.
"Aurelian!
You won't believe it! Dad won the Ministry's grand prize and we're going on vacation to Egypt.
Yes, Egypt! The land of curses, mummies, and ancient magic... very ancient, haha!
We'll send you photos (and maybe a souvenir or two, for sure).
Wish us luck!
Fred and George Weasley
P.S. You still have to show us how you charmed your wand to make it glow like that in class. We haven't forgotten!"
Aurelian smiled.
"Looks like the Weasleys are going to Egypt," he said amusedly.
Hestia looked up for a second.
"Egypt? What are they going to do there?"
Flora replied without stopping stirring her mixture.
"Probably cause chaos. They're experts at that."
Aurelian put the letter away, still smiling.
"I wonder what they'll find there..."
The twins continued working, now with an extra sparkle in their eyes: they not only wanted to win the title of "I'm better than you," but also to impress Aurelian even more.
He watched them from the center of the room as Hestia and Flora progressed in their "competition."
It was a simple task... in theory.
Create a basic catalyst of magical purity using common ingredients and their magical energy in a controlled manner.
Nothing explosive.
Nothing dangerous.
But with the Carrow twins... that was always relative.
Aurelian sighed.
"Remember, the point is not to do it faster, but to maintain the stability of the potion."
"Don't worry, Aurelian, I'm always stable," replied Hestia as she waved her wand with an elegant gesture but full of competitive intent.
"Not as stable as me," replied Flora with a sweet smile, although her eyes said, "I'm going to win this."
The green glow of the mixtures began to intensify. A luminous sphere slowly rotated above each cauldron, responding to the concentration of each girl on her cauldron.
Aurelian crossed his arms.
"If one of those spheres explodes, both of you will be disqualified."
"They won't explode!" they said in unison.
Silence fell. Only the soft bubbling of the mixtures flowing could be heard.
Finally, Flora's sphere emitted a sharp ping, stabilizing with a bright, perfect light. A second later, Hestia's did the same... although with a small burst of golden sparks that made her take half a step back.
Aurelian closed his eyes for a second.
"Hestia..."
She raised both hands very quickly.
"It was aesthetic! Totally intentional!"
Flora crossed her arms, victorious.
"That almost exploded, so it counts as a point in my favor."
"You're a cheater!" Hestia pointed out.
"Why? For winning?" Flora smiled slowly and cruelly.
"Well?" Flora asked, turning triumphantly toward Aurelian. "Who won?"
Aurelian examined both spheres.
He took Flora's and held it up to the light... it was flawless.
He took Hestia's... it was stable, powerful... but with a slight trace of overload.
Finally, he made a decision.
"You both did very well. BUT..." the girls leaned forward at the same time, waiting for his decision, "Flora's was the most stable."
Flora smiled with pride and satisfaction.
Hestia let out a small dramatic cry.
"Magical injustice! I demand a recount!"
Aurelian laughed, returning the catalysts to the table.
"Hestia, you didn't lose. Flora just had better control this time. If you want a rematch, I can prepare a new exercise for tomorrow."
Hestia immediately lit up.
"Yes, please! I want a rematch!"
Flora rolled her eyes.
"I'll only give you a rematch if Aurelian lets me be his assistant this week. I won, so it's my right."
"No way!" protested Hestia, pulling Aurelian's arm. "I want to help him too! How about half and half?"
Aurelian, caught between them, sighed as the twins fought with smiles that made it clear that although they were claiming their territory, they were doing so out of a love that usually ended up overflowing.
"Okay, stop fighting," he finally said. "You can both be my assistants. You'll alternate between days."
Hestia and Flora stopped, looked at each other, nodded, and finally hugged him at the same time.
"We accept! As long as the training comes with a reward!" they said in unison, smiling mischievously.
"Reward?" asked Aurelian, even though he already knew the answer.
The twins moved dangerously closer, smiling even wider.
"You know... we want kisses. Lots of kisses."
Aurelian blushed and looked away for a moment.
"All right..."
The room filled with laughter and the spheres glowed as if celebrating with them. The next few days would be truly... busy.
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