The faculty lounge was bathed in the warm light of the setting sun streaming through the large windows at the far end of the room. Albus Dumbledore, standing at the head of the long table, looked out at his staff with a grateful smile.
"I would like to extend my most sincere congratulations to all of you," Albus began, clasping his hands together. "It has been a great school year. I am well aware that we have faced unprecedented difficulties and challenges in recent months, but each of you performed your duties flawlessly. You kept our students safe and guided their minds in an exceptional manner."
The teachers present nodded silently, accepting the headmaster's recognition after a truly exhausting year.
Albus took a seat and looked at them curiously.
"Tell me, how do you feel about the departure of the seventh-year students who are now leaving Hogwarts?"
Pomona Sprout was the first to speak. The Head of Hufflepuff flashed a sweet smile, though a touch of melancholy was evident in her gaze.
"I'll miss them all, without a doubt. It makes me so nostalgic when I think back to their first year, walking through the hallways—so small and timid… and to see the great wizards and witches they've become." Pomona sighed softly. "And of course, with Cedric's departure, my team will not only lose an excellent captain, but the best Seeker we've had in years. It'll be hard to replace him."
Horace Slughorn burst out laughing from the other end of the table, patting his ample belly.
"Oh, they'll definitely be missed! Especially the brilliant talents in my Slug Club. But hey, that's life—young people have to spread their wings and leave the nest."
Albus nodded in agreement with his old friend before turning his gaze toward the magizoologist sitting in one of the side chairs.
"I also want to give you a special thank you, Newt, for helping me fill the position of Professor of Care of Magical Creatures this year. Your support was truly invaluable."
Newt Scamander, feeling a bit uncomfortable being the center of attention, nodded and adjusted the collar of his coat.
"It was a lot of fun to go back to school and teach, Albus—it really was. But I've been away for a long time now, and… I want to go back to my family." The magizoologist looked down and sighed, muttering to himself in a whisper that more than half the table heard: "Besides, Tina keeps pestering me with more and more letters demanding that I come home."
A couple of soft laughs rippled around the table as everyone understood their colleague's situation. However, Albus quickly noticed that the witch sitting to his right wasn't in the same mood as the others.
"Minerva," Dumbledore called to her gently, "You seem very quiet. Is something on your mind?"
Professor McGonagall's lips were pressed into a thin line. She looked up, looking genuinely frustrated.
"It's about the Carrow sisters," the deputy headmistress admitted, shaking her head. "I just can't wrap my head around it, Albus. How is it possible that two witches as powerful, intelligent, and dedicated as they are have no other ambitions? It's inconceivable that they think of nothing but Mr. Gaunt twenty-four hours a day."
From his chair in the darkest corner of the table, Severus Snape let out a snort laced with disdain.
"There's absolutely nothing to think about or analyze here, Minerva," Snape snapped in a drawling voice. "Those two girls are crazy. End of story. I suggest you don't try to understand them, because you'll only give yourself a headache."
Minerva turned her face toward him and glared at him, offended by the Slytherin Head's lack of tact. Snape returned her gaze with equal coldness, but seeing that the Scottish witch wasn't going to back down, he let out a heavy sigh of resignation.
"I, too, kept a close eye on them when they first arrived at my house, you know?" Snape confessed, leaning forward slightly. "And I assure you that their behavior isn't anything new—everyone at that table has noticed it over the years. Even in those first few months of their first year, when neither the Carrow twins nor Aurelian had even formally met or spent time together… those two were already watching him from afar. They'd follow him down the hallways.
The sudden revelation caught the attention of everyone at the table. The other professors fell silent, giving their full attention to the chilling revelation.
Argus Filch, the former caretaker and now a professor, nodded from his seat to confirm the Potions master's story.
"It's true," Argus added in a raspy voice. "I remember once, when I was cleaning the trophy case in the late afternoon, I heard them hiding in a hallway. They were whispering and hatching a plan to stage a chance encounter so that, as they put it, Aurelian would come to their rescue and approach them. It seemed creepy to me at the time, but I suppose it worked out well for them."
An uncomfortable chill settled over the teachers' lounge at the confirmation that the young couple's "romance" had been, at least in its early stages, the result of a meticulously planned "hunt" by two eleven-year-old girls.
Sensing that the conversation was taking a turn that was far too dark for a farewell gathering, Dumbledore cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention.
"Well… I think it's best for all of us to let this matter drop," Albus declared, adopting a conciliatory tone. "Misses Carrow and Mr. Gaunt have proven to be extremely happy together, and at the end of the day, that's what really matters."
The other professors nodded quickly, more than willing to put the unsettling topic of the Slytherin twins behind them, and began discussing preparations for the school's closing ceremony.
Everyone put the matter behind them… except Minerva.
The vice principal stared silently at her cup of tea. Despite Snape's warnings and Argus's strange anecdotes, McGonagall couldn't help but feel deep pity and frustration for her students. As twisted as their minds might be, Hestia and Flora Carrow possessed overwhelming magical talent. Deep down in her heart, Minerva still believed that those two witches had enough potential to be so much more than mere, complacent housewives for the Gaunt family.
The first two months since Aurelian had officially graduated from Hogwarts had been, surprisingly, quite calm.
For the young man, the transition from student to an undisputed leader in the adult world had been quite smooth. He attended the occasional Gauntcorp board meeting, overseeing the company's expansion and ensuring that his business empire's monopoly continued to grow unhindered. However, on the home front, the tranquility was short-lived.
As the weeks went by, Hestia and Flora grew increasingly impatient. Without the distractions of classes, exams, or school rules, the girls' minds were focused on a single goal. Their questions about when the wedding would take place grew more and more insistent, progressing from subtle hints over breakfast to cornering him against the walls of the mansion and demanding dates, preparations, and colors for the decorations. Aurelian, drawing on all his charm and tact, managed to calm them with kisses and promises, but deep down he knew he couldn't drag this out much longer without someone getting hurt.
Seeking a respite from the wedding pressure, he found himself far from the mansion today.
Aurelian was standing in front of a huge, empty storefront, located on one of the best and busiest corners of Diagon Alley. At his side, Fred and George Weasley gazed at the facade with ear-to-ear grins, their eyes sparkling with excitement and the potential chaos they would unleash on the world.
They went inside, rolled up their sleeves, and set to work creating and remodeling the prank shop. Throughout the process, Aurelian stayed out of the design decisions, offering only the occasional suggestion about the layout and helping exclusively with the expansion charms and the more complex spells. He didn't want to meddle too much in the creative vision for the business; after all, this was his friends' dream, not his own.
After fifteen hours of uninterrupted work, sweat, and the occasional spark still flying through the air, everything was finally ready.
The result was a breathtaking visual spectacle, worthy of a movie. The interior of the space had been transformed into a three-story-high venue, with majestic, twisted curved staircases connecting all the levels. The walls were painted in a garish and vibrant combination of orange, purple, and red. Intricate mechanisms hung from the ceiling—some rails and floating shelves that seemed to dart ceaselessly throughout the space. The exterior facade featured a mechanical version of a Weasley wearing a hat, and every inch of the venue exuded the energy and rebellious spirit so characteristic of the twins.
All that was left was the most important part: filling the colorful shelves with their fun merchandise.
Exhausted but happy, the three young men collapsed onto the floor on the first level. They were drinking ice-cold butter beers, leaning against a wall as they silently enjoyed the fruits of their labor.
Fred took a sip from his bottle and looked down. A gentle smile tinged with deep nostalgia spread across his face as he surveyed the vastness of the space, recalling all the times his mother had told them that their pranks would get them nowhere.
George noticed it right away. With a little chuckle, he gave his brother a friendly nudge on the shoulder to snap him out of his moment of sentimentality.
Aurelian rested his arms on his knees and looked at them both with a smile.
"This is just the beginning, guys," Aurelian assured them, his voice echoing through the vast, empty space. "I promise you, first we'll take over Diagon Alley, and then… we'll spread out across the whole damn world. Open a joke shop in every country in the world, haha."
The three of them raised their glass bottles and drank with jubilation.
However, after setting down his bottle, George narrowed his eyes. He wiped the smile off his face and tilted his head, scrutinizing his snake-like friend.
"All right, spill it," George said, pointing the neck of the bottle at him. "What's up, Aurelian? You've been working like a machine all day, but your mind was somewhere else. You've been distracted, as if you were running away from something."
Fred nodded in support of his twin.
"You can tell us, partner. That's what we're here for. Trouble in paradise?" he laughed.
Aurelian let out a long sigh, setting his bottle on the floor. He ran his fingers through his black hair and surrendered to the Gryffindors' insight.
"It's Hestia and Flora," Aurelian confessed, dragging out his words. "They're being very, very pushy about the wedding. If I don't give them a specific date in the next few days, I'm sure they'll kidnap me, force a tuxedo on me, and drag me down the aisle."
Fred burst out laughing, throwing his head back.
"To be completely honest with you, mate, I thought you'd already be married. That intensity from the Carrows isn't something to be taken lightly."
George nodded solemnly, agreeing with his brother.
"It's true. In fact, Fred and I made a bet. I said they'd force you to get married the very day you graduated from Hogwarts—literally as soon as you stepped off the train. Fred bet they'd have the decency to wait until the day after graduation."
Fred and George exchanged glances for a second.
"But, seeing as you're still a free man two months later," said Fred.
"It looks like neither of us won any extra galleons," concluded George.
The red-haired twins shrugged, downplaying the lost bet. They looked back at Aurelian, this time with a very serious and demanding expression.
"Whatever happens, and whenever it happens," Fred declared.
"You'd better invite us to that wedding, Gaunt," they both warned in unison.
Feeling some of the weight and stress lift from his shoulders thanks to his friends' camaraderie, Aurelian laughed heartily.
"Of course you're invited," Aurelian agreed, raising his bottle again. "And you'd better bring the best fireworks you've got. We're going to need them."
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