Whispers over Hibiscus Wine and Starbright
They sat frozen in their seats, unsure what was more relevant, the trio needing ingredients, or their reactions at the news of dead boys found within the community of towns. They all Continued to listen to the three women as they moved to a table.
Hazel frowned as they sat far from their booth. She covertly slid her ebon wand across the surface of their table. She then focused on the three brightly dressed witches.
The three cups of hibiscus wine fizzed and popped and Evervine and Marcel both looked down at their cups curiously. They looked up to see Hazel pretending to drink with an ear cocked a if she were listening to something.
They followed suit and their eyes went wide. They could hear the three witches clearly in their drinks. They quickly focused on the conversation.
"I am telling you Broomhilda the boys were found in Evershade and it is being deemed as foul play."
"Agnes is right Broo, I heard it as well. One boy was from Hallowmere and one was from Mistwood. Their parents thought they had gone on some type of group outing."
"Exactly. I heard the same. They are now finding out that there was no group outing and there are more boys missing from these two towns. Things are in an uproar."
Broomhilda sipped her drink, blue smoke swirling around the rim of her cup. "This is horrid. And they feel it may be murder?"
Agnes shrugged. "Why else use a glamour? They cannot tell how they died, but they know that they both died in the same way."
"I heard they are going to call out two formations of battle mages to help protecr the towns."
"We, that will definitely cause a stir."
Hazel sipped her Hibiscus wine. The bubbles tickled her nose and the warmth of the brew spread throughout her body. Her eyes moved over to Rosa, Temperance, and Timothy.
Timothy was as stiff as a statue, Rosa's blankly sipped her tea, and Temperance sat calmly but Hazel saw her eyes continually slide back to the three informative witches.
She looked to Evervine and Marcel. They were both contemplative. Evervine spoke first.
"Hallowmere and Mistwood." Hazel shot her a glance and she jumped to Hazel's dreamscape link to communicate mentally.
'These two towns are a bit secretive." She looked to Marcel, as if wanting confirmation.
He nodded, "Hallowmere is nestled near a forest and rarely receives visitors, Mistwood is in a forest and as the name states it is generally always covered in mists. Magical sleepy mists to be exact. Only people who are claimed by the town itself are unaffected by the mists."
He finished his drink and rose to buy another round. Evervine looked to Hazel, her eyes never leaving Rosa's table.
"What do we do?"
"We understand this potion they are making. I have a feeling it is directly related to the dead boys and the strangers in your house." She paused and looked to her friend.
"Are all the strangers boys?"
Evervine frowned and began slowly nodding. "Yes they are."
Marcel returned to the table with three more glasses filled with fizzing hibiscus wine. Hazel and Evervine tool theirs and all three sipped simultaneously.
They all froze as Rose looked to Timothy and spoke, as if the three brightly dressed witches had never existed. "Where do we go to get these black market herbs and potion ingredients?"
He looked at her blankly, taking a moment to snap back to himself and speak coherently.
"We need to go to the Bleeding Chalice and speak with Sable, Sable Fenwick. She will meet us there at the Bleeding Chalice, if she deems your talisman worthy of what you're asking for and she trust you then she will invite you to her shop."
"Is her shop here in StarCrest?"
Temperance answered the question With a shrug and a nervous glance to the three gossiping witches. "it might as well be. It is in Old StarCrest at the end of the main road."
Rosa nodded. "Fine. We go to Blood Chalice later and speak with her. I am sure she will take one of my talismans. You two write down. What we need. If I have to give two talismans to get us stocked up I will." The twins nodded and began dictating to their Know – it – books, words flowed across the pages almost faster than they could actual speak them.
They had it on mind reading and intent mode.
Rosa sat in Silence. Her eyes slowly roaming over the small quaint pub. She never looked in Hazel and her friends' direction.
Evervine frowned then looked questioningly to Haze. Hazel shrugged.
"I am a more powerful diviner than her. My natural wards automatically repel her without her registering it. And she does not trust or use her intuition.
Evervine nodded, then sighed. "So do we hang around Bleeding Chalice the rest of the day waiting for them to show up?"
Hazel shook her head and pulled a blue balled up piece of paper from her robes. She gently pulled the paper apart and then whispered into it. The paper desiccated and crumbled to dust and, almost in the same moment Rosa sneezed and Hazel watched her aura change as the edges began to slightly glow with a faint blue light.
She looked calmly to Evervine.
"We just put a tracker on her and have it tell us when it is close to the Bleeding Chalice."
Evervine nodded. "It would seem that StarCrest is a bit more exciting than Marcel and I thought."
Hazel rolled her eyes and sipped her drink, then a small smile bloomed on her mouth.
"Let's go buy some sweets."
Starbright Sweet Shop is one of StarCrest's most beloved stops, its glowing windows always haloed with soft golden light, even in the darkest hours. A bell above the door chimes in musical tones — different each time, as if the shop picks its own welcome. Inside, shelves curve like constellations around the room, stacked with sweets both traditional and strange. Some fizz, some sparkle, some hover just out of reach until coaxed down. The air is thick with warm sugar, roasted nuts, and the faint zing of enchanted spices. Behind the counter stands Madam Celestina Brightwick, a plump, sharp-eyed witch with silver-streaked hair who always seems to know exactly which sweet someone needs most.
And this is where three friends find themselves. In between danger and intrigue we sometimes need unique moments to ourselves.
Hazel paused in front of the glowing window of Starbright Sweet Shop, her breath catching faintly as the scent of roasted almonds and caramel drifted through the glass. The painted sign above the door showed a swirling trail of stars curving into a bright golden sweet, and the letters twinkled as though real starlight had been caught in the wood.
Evervine, at her side, folded her arms. "So this really is your plan? I was thinking it was all a joke until we actually got here."
"Don't pretend you're not curious," Hazel said with a small grin. Her voice softened as she added, "Besides, I promised myself I'd bring something back from here. Something different. Something… ours."
She didn't explain further, but her thoughts drifted quickly to Hogwarts — to Harry, Hermione, and Ron. Honeydukes had its charms, of course, but it felt important somehow to carry back a taste of StarCrest, a reminder of where her journey had taken her.
The bell chimed musically when she pushed the door open, and Hazel blinked as a sound like chiming crystal filled the air. Inside, the shop glowed. Shelves bent in graceful arcs, stacked high with jars and boxes, their labels hand-lettered in silver ink. Sweets floated gently over display tables, bobbing like balloons before settling into trays again. The air sparkled faintly, and Hazel had the sense that laughter lingered here — not just from students but from the shop itself.
Marcel was already drifting toward a shelf lined with golden boxes. "Merlin's beard… they've enchanted the packaging. Each one hums until you open it."
Evervine rolled her eyes, but her lips quirked despite herself.
Hazel wandered toward a glass case near the counter, where a tray of Nebula Nougat shimmered in slow, starry swirls. She leaned closer, enchanted by the way the colors shifted with her own flickering excitement. "Mood sweets," she whispered. "Brilliant."
Behind the counter, Madam Celestina Brightwick gave a knowing smile. "They tell the truth, dear. Even when you'd rather they didn't."
Hazel's cheeks warmed. She quickly turned her attention to another shelf, where silver-wrapped Moonpetal Toffee gleamed faintly. She picked one up, holding it carefully between her fingers. 'These,' she thought. 'Mother would love these. She always said moonpetals were meant for quiet moments.'
She added several to a small basket the shopkeeper had offered, then hesitated, considering. Something for Harry. He'd likely laugh at the Comet Crunch Bars, their sparks crackling between his teeth. Hermione… she would prefer something more unusual, maybe the Eclipse Drops—something that altered perspective, even briefly. And Ron—he'd probably demolish the Starlit Sugar Quills in one sitting, no matter that they glowed.
Hazel smiled faintly as she chose them, each selection careful, almost ritualistic. These weren't just sweets. They were threads connecting her life here and her life there, proof that the two worlds she straddled didn't have to be so separate.
By the time she returned to the counter, her basket was full. Madam Brightwick raised an eyebrow. "A thoughtful selection," she said. "You've a diviner's touch for matching gift to person."
Hazel froze for a heartbeat, startled by the accuracy. Then she managed a smile. "Maybe I do."
She was even more surprised when the plump kindly woman showed her the latest sweet.
"These are Starlight Hearts. When you eat them with the one you love, if the love is pure and true mind you, both hearts will warm and a small tie will form. The bond can be broken easily enough, so it is truly about the experience."
She smiled and placed four of the sparkling red hearts into a box and then into a bag with her other purchases.
"These are on the house dear" She winked to Hazel just as Haze thought about George.
Coins exchanged hands, and the purchases were carefully packed in a starlit paper bag that seemed far stronger than it looked. As Hazel turned back to her friends, Evervine's expression softened just slightly, the sharpness easing.
"Interesting."
Hazel shrugged, trying to make light of it. "Someone has to bring the dimensions together."
The three of them stepped back out into the lane. The bell chimed again — a different note this time, brighter, almost triumphant. Hazel glanced at the glowing windows one last time before they moved on, the bag tucked safely against her chest.
And though the streets of StarCrest were already darkening, Hazel felt a warmth spread through her. Whatever shadows awaited in alleys, in taverns like the Bleeding Chalice, or in abandoned towns like Old Starcrest, she had this moment stored away — a pocket of sweetness she could carry with her.