From that day on, Maggie and I began to see each other more often.
Maggie would often stop by after work; we would walk through the village, gather mushrooms in the forest, and help each other with chores. Her family also accepted me — at first they were cautious, but eventually they grew used to my presence.
"She's a good girl," Mrs. Thompson said once, watching me help Maggie around their house. "It's just a shame she's so skinny."
"Mom!" Maggie protested. "You can't say that!"
"What's wrong with it?" her mother muttered. "It's true. She needs to be fed properly."
And so, in Maggie's house, they began fattening me up…
Pies, buns, cakes, bread with butter — all of this appeared before me every time I came to their house. I couldn't refuse because Mrs. Thompson would look at me as if I were starving to death right in front of her.
"Eat, eat," she would say. "You're as thin as a reed!"
I ate, and little by little I really did start gaining weight. My bones no longer protruded as sharply, my skin was no longer gray, and even a blush appeared on my cheeks. I looked at myself in the mirror and saw a completely different girl — healthy, and perhaps even a little bit pretty.
"You've improved," Mrs. Cole noticed soon after. "You'll see, boys will soon be chasing after you in droves!"
"Let them run," I waved her off. "I don't care about them."
"That's right," the woman finally agreed. "First, stand on your own feet, then you'll think about your personal life."
And I wasn't thinking about boys. I was only thinking about how to save money so that someday I could leave for the city. Though I like living in Mrs. Cole's house, deep down I knew I couldn't stay here forever.
In my life in this world, I wanted to see and try many things, not stay confined to a single small Muggle village.
But for now… all these thoughts and plans were only about the distant future.
For now, I had work, a roof over my head, and a friend. That was enough for me.
My life in Little Hangleton was fairly peaceful and quiet. Incidents happened very rarely. And yet…
Even in my calm everyday life, sometimes troubles occurred.
Just like that time.
One day, Maggie and I were walking in the forest on the weekend, gathering mushrooms. It had been a fruitful autumn for mushrooms, and our baskets were full. It was already getting dark, and it was time to head home.
But…
"Do you hear that?" Maggie suddenly asked.
I listened. Somewhere in the thicket, voices were indeed carrying. Male, rough, drunken voices.
"It's them," whispered Maggie. "The Bagshot brothers. Let's leave quickly."
I nodded, as I really didn't want to run into trouble with them.
We started walking faster, but it was too late. They had already noticed us.
"Hey, girls!" called the red-haired one, the same one who had grabbed me last time. "Where are you rushing off to?"
Three boys stepped out from behind the trees. They were drunk, swaying, and grinning.
"Go your own way," I said firmly, shielding Maggie with my body.
"And we're going our own way too," the redhead stepped closer. "But there's only one road. And we're bored. Cheer us up, pretty girls."
Maggie clutched my hand. I felt her trembling.
"Step back," I said to the redhead. "I'm telling you for the last time!"
"Oh, so brave," he laughed. "A witch, right? We know. Come on, show us your magic!"
I clenched my fists. Something stirred inside me, as if it were boiling up.
"Don't," Maggie whispered immediately. "Let's just run?"
But I sighed heavily.
"We won't make it."
At that moment, the redhead reached out to grab my shoulder.
And then…
The space around us suddenly shone.
I didn't know exactly what had happened. Suddenly, light flared around me — bright and blinding. The redhead flew backward and crashed into a tree. His brothers froze, staring at me with wide eyes.
"A witch!" one of them shouted. "A witch!"
They immediately ran away.
I stood there, breathing heavily. The light around me faded just as suddenly as it had flared. Only the darkness and silence of the forest remained.
"Merope…" Maggie whispered cautiously. "What was that?"
I turned to her. My friend had seen it too. Her face was as white as chalk.
"…I don't know," I said honestly. "But please, don't tell anyone."
Maggie looked at me for a long, long time. Then she nodded.
"I won't. You're my friend."
We took our baskets and walked home. We remained silent the whole way. But I couldn't help noticing that Maggie had been deep in thought the entire walk.
Already at Mrs. Cole's gate, Maggie suddenly stopped.
"Merope," she said. "Are you really a witch?"
I looked at her, anxious.
Was there any point in denying it when she had seen it with her own eyes?
In the end, I decided to give her a vague answer.
"…I don't know. Maybe."
The girl just nodded.
"Alright." And then she smiled. "I understand. Good night then."
"W-wait…!" I stammered. "You really don't want to ask me anything else?"
"I do," she couldn't deny. "But I won't."
"And why not…?"
"Even if I ask, you wouldn't tell me anyway, right?" she smiled slightly.
I couldn't deny that and just remained silent.
Nevertheless, I was really surprised at how easily Maggie had accepted it. She didn't even look particularly scared.
"Maggie, and you…," I cautiously started, swallowing, "if I really am a witch, aren't you afraid of me?"
My friend just smiled and shook her head. She lightly touched my hand.
"No, I'm not afraid. I know what a good person you are."
I stayed silent and just looked at her.
"And even if you are a witch… you're surely a good witch."
I swallowed. I really was astonished by the outcome of our conversation. In the end, in that situation, I had no other words except one:
"…Thank you. Really, thank you."
The girl in front of me continued to smile radiantly.
"Thank you. I'm so glad you're my friend, Merope. Well, I have to go now. My mom will worry. Good night!"
"Good night, Maggie."
I entered the house and closed the door behind me.
I took a deep breath, leaning my back against the doorframe.
Honestly, I couldn't have imagined that I would feel such relief from this situation. Now at least one person in this world knew my secret.
And, most importantly, she hadn't turned away from me.
I smiled slightly.
I was truly lucky that in this life I had met such good people as Mrs. Cole, Uncle Thomas, and Maggie. With them, I no longer felt as lonely as before.
And it seemed that, to my happiness, my life was really beginning to settle.
Deep down, I only hoped that these peaceful days would last as long as possible.