Nicolas Flamel sat cross-armed in the living room, waiting discontentedly. A short while ago, he had stepped out of his workshop to have dinner, only to find the entire place completely deserted. Missy had informed him that the whole group had gone to a concert. Now, the great alchemist had been sitting in solitude for hours, waiting with annoyance for their return; he was thoroughly hurt that they had simply left him behind without a word!
Hearing the lock click and the front door swing open, Nicolas immediately rose from his chair and marched toward the hall.
— I will sustain it, I will sustain it, Ooh, yeah, it will be all right!.. — they sang in unison, their chorus echoing through the whole house, only to cut off mid-word when they ran into the utterly dark scowl of Nicolas Flamel.
Perenelle cast a quick glance at the wall clock and flushed deep red. She had completely forgotten about her husband! Nick spent entire days buried in his workshop, and Victor had hurried them along so fast that it had completely slipped her mind to warn him in person or at least ask Missy to leave him a message. Worse still, they had already grabbed dinner at a nearby café... Perenelle might have been the secret Empress of France and one of the most powerful witches in the world, but first and foremost, she was always a loving wife. Right now, she felt immensely ashamed of her behavior.
— I'm so sorry, Nick... You must be starving. I'll lay the table for you right away! — she said hurriedly.
Victor gently but firmly caught her by the hand:
— No need, Grandma. Missy is more than capable of setting the table herself. You go ahead with the girls and get some rest.
— But... — Perenelle tried to object, but Nicolas cut in affectionately.
— It's alright, darling. Victor is right. I can see you had a wonderful evening, — he stepped closer and kissed his wife tenderly on the cheek. — Go rest.
At first, Nicolas had indeed been quite angry. However, seeing his wife enter the house with such an unbelievably happy face alongside the rest, excitedly singing some strange song, and then immediately fluttering into a frantic panic over him, the alchemist cooled down instantly. So what if he had been momentarily forgotten? He wasn't a little child, after all! What mattered was that his beloved wife had finally enjoyed herself from the bottom of her heart.
Perenelle offered him a soft, deeply grateful smile. Taking Adele and Luna by the hand, she walked further into the house with Abigail.
Nicolas let out a heavy sigh as soon as they vanished from sight:
— I'm a terrible husband... I can't even remember the last time I saw her this happy.
Victor smiled understandingly and placed a hand on his shoulder:
— Well, don't beat yourself up. None of us are perfect. But it's good that you realized it. Seriously, stop living in your workshop! You have such a charming wife... If you only knew how many men tried to hit on Grandma tonight! My eyes are literally exhausted from using Legilimency!
Victor was exaggerating slightly, of course — he really was tired after the evening, but not just because of Perenelle. The main source of his headache had been Abigail: that striking girl was constantly drawing the eyes of every guy around.
— Start paying more attention to Grandma, — Victor continued offering advice as he followed the others inside. — Take her to a museum, to the opera, ask her out on a date... Come on, you two are young again! Take action! Who knows, maybe you'll make me a grandson... or a granddaughter.
Nicolas froze for a second at such a statement:
— A grandson?.. A granddaughter?.. But wouldn't that make them your uncle or aunt?.. — the alchemist mused aloud in confusion, then shook his head with a smile: — He does have a point, though. Missy!
The house-elf materialized beside him instantly.
— Set dinner for me... And one more thing: we need to discuss Perenelle's birthday in detail. If this is what she wants, we'll throw her the best party possible. We need to find good musicians, figure out how to decorate the house. And I absolutely must come up with a truly wonderful present for her!
Missy nodded joyfully and vanished with a quiet pop.
On the twenty-sixth of August, Hermione smoothed the folds of her party attire one last time, admiring her reflection with satisfaction. Daphne, meanwhile, was glaring at the clock in irritation.
Both girls looked breathtaking. Hermione wore an elegant dress of deep emerald streaming silk that perfectly highlighted her toned figure and slender waist. Her usually unruly curls were styled into an extraordinarily graceful, noble updo that revealed her delicate neck. Daphne, on the other hand, had saved a stunning evening gown of dark blue velvet with bare shoulders and a neat neckline for this occasion. The outfit fit her like a glove, giving the stately Slytherin a truly royal and untouchable air, while her perfect curls fell over her shoulders in glossy waves.
— Oh, hurry up! What are you dawdling for? — Daphne snapped, losing her patience.
Hermione merely rolled her eyes:
— I've been ready for a long time; we're just waiting for someone. And besides, I have every right to admire myself — I don't dress up like this every day!
Daphne appreciated just how good Hermione actually looked, then narrowed her eyes thoughtfully, walked up to the mirror, and stood right in front of her without ceremony:
— Move over then. You've looked enough!
— Hey! — Hermione knitted her brows in displeasure at being nudged aside, but let out a sigh and stepped to the side anyway.
Daphne smiled at her dazzling reflection and asked:
— What did you say that place was called again? The one with all those wizards we went to see today?
Hermione smirked:
— They weren't wizards, they were Muggles. And we went to a beauty salon.
Today, for the first time in her life, Daphne had experienced the full charm of Muggle beauty services: a hairstylist, manicurist, pedicurist, makeup artist, lash technician... On top of that, the local administrator had been so persuasive that Daphne had already booked an appointment with an esthetician for next year! Of course, people in the magical world knew how to work magic on hair and nails too, but what she had experienced today felt like true magic. She was especially captivated by her nails: Daphne had firmly decided that from this day on, she would never trim them down to the root again, as the Muggles had given her such a refined, delicate manicure that she was utterly delighted with it.
— Hermione, we're here! Oh, Daphne, hi! — Astrid's clear voice rang out as she entered Hermione's office with her mother.
— Oh, you're right on time! Missy should be here soon to pick us up, — Hermione nodded, taking in their groomed and festive appearance.
Maeve asked, slightly embarrassed:
— Are you sure we should really be going?
Two days ago, Hermione had handed her a substantial sum of Muggle money and practically ordered her to go to a salon and get properly dolled up alongside her daughter.
Hermione nodded with confidence:
— Absolutely! There will be plenty of people at this party who could prove extremely useful to our cause, and you'll need to establish good contact with them. Abigail has already gathered detailed information on the guests and will explain later who you should approach first.
At that exact moment, Missy materialized in the middle of the office with a quiet pop. The house-elf had also transformed for the festive occasion, wearing a cute, neatly tailored party dress.
— Miss Granger, Miss Daphne, are you ready? — she squeaked.
— Yes, Missy, let's go!
With Missy's help, they Apparated straight to their destination. Waiting until Maeve and Astrid recovered a little from their very first Apparition, they took a step forward, expecting to find themselves in the familiar, cozy living room. Instead, a vast ballroom decorated with staggering opulence opened before their eyes. Numerous guests had already gathered, pleasant live music played softly, and long buffet tables lined the walls, overflowing with exquisite appetizers.
— Hermione, Daphne, hi! — a familiar, bright voice called out nearby.
Luna approached them, holding tightly onto the hand of an unbelievably adorable girl they didn't know. Adele walked unhurriedly beside them.
All three girls looked enchanting! Adele wore a lavish, delicate pink dress that made her resemble a young princess out of a fairy tale. Luna was dressed in a light, airy sky-blue dress sprinkled with a fine scatter of sparkling rhinestones that shimmered in the light like little stars. Her companion wore a delicate snow-white dress with neat bows on the shoulders, perfectly accentuating her silvery-blonde hair.
— Hi, Luna! Adele, you both look wonderful! — Hermione smiled, then shifted her gaze with curiosity: — And who is this sweet little girl?
— Oh, this is Gabrielle Delacour! — Luna introduced her happily.
— Hello! — Gabrielle waved her little hand cheerfully and smiled openly.
Catching that genuine smile, Hermione, Daphne, Maeve, and Astrid froze on the spot for a second. In that simple gesture, the natural magic of Veela beauty shone through unmistakably! Even though Gabrielle wasn't a full-blooded Veela, her charm fascinated and drew people in from the very first second.
Daphne was the first to pull herself together, quickly shifting her gaze to Adele and asking:
— Where's Victor?
Adele shrugged:
— Don't know. Missy just whispered something in his ear, and he immediately left somewhere with Abigail.
Daphne nodded and turned her gaze toward the center of the hall. There, beaming with happiness, stood Perenelle, gorgeously dressed and surrounded by numerous guests. Even though most of the attendees had initially come for Nicolas Flamel himself, the great alchemist avoided any business inquiries, smilingly declaring that he had no intention of talking work tonight. He stood continuously by his wife's side, holding her hand affectionately and hinting that this entire evening belonged completely to her alone.
Somewhere deep within the Flamel mansion...
— Where the hell could this Philosophical Stone be?!
— Quiet! Don't make so much noise!
A man and a girl, appearing to be in their early twenties, were greedily rummaging through belongings in one of the house's remote studies.
— It's all because of that old hag! Why couldn't she just kick the bucket along with Flamel?! We had such a golden chance to snag at least a piece of their unbelievable inheritance! Can you imagine how we'd be living right now?! But no, damn it! She found some ragamuffin, took him in as a grandson, and decided to live a little longer! Old bitch...
Suddenly, the girl spewing curses felt someone forcefully poke her in the shoulder.
— Leave me alone! — she jerked her shoulder in irritation, not breaking away from ransacking another drawer.
— What? — her partner asked, turning toward her and freezing dead in his tracks.
It finally hit the girl: if her partner was standing right in front of her, then who had just poked her in the shoulder?!
Turning around slowly, her eyes met those of Perenelle's "new grandson" and the incredibly attractive girl who constantly followed him around.
Victor smiled gently:
— Over more than six hundred years, Grandma has accumulated so many distant relatives that they don't even know most of them by face... That's precisely why I don't think the sudden disappearance of a couple of them will upset her much.
— What?.. Khkh... Aah!.. — that was all the female thief managed to rasp out as a hand of unhuman strength clamped around her neck in a death grip, cutting off her air supply.
The guy didn't even attempt to help his accomplice and bolted for the door in terror. However, Abigail blocked his path instantly: her lightning-fast, brutal strike to the solar plexus doubled the thief over. Blood spattered from his mouth, broken ribs flared with agonized pain, and he collapsed heavily onto the parquet floor.
Victor held the girl with one hand, lifting her off the ground. The memory of how she had just insulted Perenelle caused his Sharingan to blaze with a bloody glow. He ruthlessly slammed the thief onto the floor — right next to her partner.
— It's not what you think! We were just looking for the restroom and got lost... — the guy babbled, clutching his stomach, while the girl coughed with a groan, trying to catch her breath.
Victor smirked:
— No need to say anything. Whether you were looking for the bathroom or the Philosophical Stone — I don't give a damn, — his face turned ice-cold, and a heavy, suffocating killing intent hung in the air. — I won't allow anyone to insult my beloved grandmother. Abigail, I don't think you've ever used the Cruciatus Curse before, have you?
Abigail smiled, shaking her head:
— No, I don't even remember which runes need to be activated for that spell.
In that very second, hundreds of runes gleaming with golden light began to surface on her body.
Victor nodded with a smile:
— Let me show you.
Victor and Abigail left the dark room twenty minutes later. Both looked immaculate, glowing with carefree smiles.
Victor offered his elbow:
— Well then, my dear, shall we go have some fun?
Abigail nodded with a soft, velvety chuckle and gracefully took his arm. Together, they unhurriedly headed back toward the glittering ballroom.
As for those two wizards, no one ever saw them again — they vanished from this world permanently, without a trace.