Between the Ordinary and the Magical
Sally woke up the next day feeling much better. She was still a little tired, but her body no longer felt as heavy as it had the night before. The first thing she heard were Percy and Harry's little voices whispering behind the door.
"Should we go in?" Harry asked in a low voice.
"We need to see if Mom is feeling better," Percy replied with a seriousness far beyond his age.
"Yes, but if she's still sick, we'll be bothering her," Harry insisted.
"Then we just have to be really quiet," Percy concluded, determined.
Sally glanced at the clock on her nightstand and raised her eyebrows. It was still far too early for her little ones to be awake. Tenderness overflowed in her chest. She smiled, picturing the two of them arguing like miniature adults.
The door opened just a crack, and two pairs of curious little eyes peeked in cautiously. The moment they saw Sally sitting up in bed, smiling with an affectionate gesture telling them to come in, they couldn't hold back any longer.
They ran toward her with stifled giggles, and Sally welcomed them with open arms. She pulled them close, hugging them tightly against her chest, and even tickled them a little, drawing bursts of laughter that filled the room. For an instant, all the worries vanished. All that remained was the warmth of a true, loving morning.
…
The three of them stayed curled up together on the bed for a while. Percy, his face still serious, was the first to speak.
"Mom, can we skip school today? After all, you were sick, and we were really worried," he said, as if he had just come up with a brilliant idea.
"No," Sally answered immediately, though with a playful smile.
"Ugh… well, I tried," Percy muttered, while Harry laughed.
"All right, let's go have breakfast," Sally announced, slowly getting up. The two boys followed her right away, sticking close behind her like ducklings trailing after their mother, overflowing with joy.
After breakfast, Sally walked them to school. She watched them go with their little backpacks, chatting together, and couldn't help but sigh tenderly. Then she returned home.
When she stepped into her office, she was surprised to see all the books neatly arranged. Although several were crooked, some sticking out too far, and others hidden awkwardly behind the larger volumes, she immediately recognized the clumsy handiwork of Percy and Harry. Shaking her head with a tired smile, she began to straighten the books one by one, calmly, as if putting her thoughts in order at the same time.
After several minutes she finished and clapped her hands together. At last, she could rest a little. Still recovering from her fever, she knew she had to take care of herself. Yet as her gaze wandered slowly around the office, it stopped at the desk. There, in the center, rested a black book.
She frowned. She didn't remember seeing it before, though in the past few weeks she had bought so many books in Diagon Alley that it was possible one had slipped in unnoticed. She approached it slowly, studying the cover. In the center was an engraved torch, and for a moment she thought she saw a golden glow shine from it, as if it were calling her.
Her breathing grew slower. She thought of the texts she had read about cursed objects, warnings about things that looked harmless but hid dangers. And yet… there was something different about this book, something almost familiar, as if it wasn't a threat but rather a bridge extended toward her.
She reached out cautiously. The instant her fingers brushed the cover, a shiver ran through her. Suddenly, the same mental clarity she had felt when standing in front of the Leaky Cauldron washed over her: the fog that always seemed to cloud her perception vanished all at once, and the world became sharp and transparent.
From that day on, Sally could see things that had been hidden before: subtle details, creatures, and magical traces that only Harry and Percy had noticed until then—like the golden fish at the zoo's aquarium. It was comforting. As if the book wasn't a danger, but a gift.
Without further hesitation, she opened it. She flipped through the pages quickly, her eyes fixed and serious, absorbing every word. Until, all of a sudden, she stopped. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she squeezed her eyes shut, smiling at the same time. She lifted her gaze toward the ceiling—or rather, toward nothing—and whispered with gratitude straight from her soul:
"Thank you… thank you for letting me protect my children."
A warm calm wrapped around her. And then she thought with resolve: maybe the time had come. She could no longer keep the truth from them.
…
"In the end, maybe we're not special," Percy suddenly said as the two of them sat on a bench in the schoolyard.
Harry looked at him, puzzled. "Why do you say that?"
"We don't have superpowers like the superheroes in comics," Percy replied with annoyance, folding his arms.
For weeks they had been trying to find out if they had any special abilities. Jumping from high places, risky games… until they almost threw themselves off the roof. That time Sally had caught them just in time, and for the first time ever, she had yelled at them so loudly that both boys were frightened by her fury. Since then, they had stopped attempting dangerous stunts.
"That's too bad," Harry murmured, lowering his head. "So what do we do now?"
"Maybe we should just accept it and be obedient, quiet kids. Mom got sick from working so hard to take care of us. It's like the Dursleys say: being a single mother must be hard," Percy said, though with obvious disgust at giving that family any credit.
"Do you think they're right, and we're just… freaks?" Harry asked sadly. They were only six years old, but in their hearts they would rather be special than be seen as freaks.
Percy looked at his brother in silence and noticed his sadness. Then he stood up with determination. "Who cares? Even if we're not special and even if they call us freaks, we have each other. And we have Mom. That's what matters."
Harry looked at him and smiled softly. "Yeah… it doesn't matter if we're not special," he said, and for the first time that day, the sadness faded from his eyes.
…
"Where are we going, Mom?" Harry asked as the car moved slowly forward. Both boys were sitting in the back with their seatbelts fastened tight, swinging their legs restlessly.
Sally's car wasn't luxurious: it was a used one she had bought with the first paycheck from her writing. But it was comfortable, safe, and—above all—perfect for taking her children everywhere without worrying too much.
Sally glanced at them through the rearview mirror with a brief smile before pressing a button on her door. A metallic click echoed from the four doors. The real reason she had chosen that car was right there.
Percy noticed immediately. His face stiffened and his eyes darted to the locks, wide with alarm.
"Oh no… Harry, we've been tricked," he shouted suddenly, twisting in his seatbelt as if trapped.
Harry stared at him in shock, then turned toward his mother, and finally began trembling too, struggling against his seatbelt.
It all made sense: a safe car, locked doors, and a mother with a suspiciously calm expression.
"She's taking us to the hospital!" Percy exclaimed in terror.
"Aaaah!" Harry cried, pressing his forehead against the closed window as if trying to escape.
Sally sighed. She knew this drama all too well. It wasn't the first time: the same thing had happened with the dentist, and before that when Percy had swallowed a crayon.
"Sit still. After the vaccines, I'll buy each of you a giant ice cream," she said firmly.
"Well…" they both answered at the same time, immediately sitting down obediently like little angels. The transition was so abrupt that Sally couldn't help but smile. They were consummate little actors. She always thought that not even the oldest goblins at Gringotts acted as well as her sons.
The car drove on for almost an hour. Harry and Percy gazed out the windows, entertained by the streets and buildings of London. Finally, Sally parked and got out with them. She took both their hands, and they walked at her side with their usual curiosity until they stopped in front of an abandoned shop called Purge & Dowse Ltd.
There wasn't the slightest sign of a hospital. Only a dusty display window with mannequins dressed in outdated clothes.
Harry and Percy looked at each other in confusion.
"Want to see some magic?" Sally asked with a knowing smile.
Still puzzled, both boys nodded.
"Then close your eyes."
They did so immediately, and Sally guided them by the hand.
"All right, you can open them now."
When the children opened their eyes, they were left speechless. They were no longer in the street but inside an enormous hospital, with white walls and high ceilings.
Their heads turned rapidly from side to side, trying to take in what they were seeing.
"How…?" Harry murmured, his mouth open.
Percy, incredulous, walked up to the nearest wall and started slapping it with his palms, as if expecting to uncover an illusion.
Sally watched them with a mix of tenderness and mischief. She loved seeing their astonished little faces.
"Come on," she said calmly, motioning for them to follow. She didn't plan to explain just yet; she wanted them to see more for themselves.
The hallway was full of surprises. A man with a head as large as a beach ball walked past them. The boys froze, mouths wide open.
"It's rude to stare so much," the man grumbled, noticing their fixed eyes.
"S-sorry," Harry said quickly, pulling Percy along to catch up with their mother.
They kept walking and saw a woman floating like a balloon, a man with a lizard's tail, and even a pair of legs running on their own with a wizard's hat perched on top. Several nurses were rushing after it.
"Mom… this is a circus, right? Not a hospital," Percy said suspiciously, spinning around so he wouldn't miss a thing.
Harry, meanwhile, had noticed something else: the clothing. Many of them wore robes and witch hats.
"Maybe," Sally replied, amused, as she approached a counter where a blonde nurse sat absentmindedly writing in a huge book.
"Hello, I have an appointment today under the name of Percy Jackson and… Harry Potter." She spoke the last name softly.
The nurse, who had looked bored, snapped her head up at once. Her eyes widened in shock and fixed on the bespectacled boy.
"What…? By Merlin's beard…"
Before she could say more, Sally leaned forward and gently covered her mouth. But several people had already turned to look. With quick reflexes, she pulled out a hat she had brought just in case and placed it on Harry's head, at the same time removing his glasses.
Harry blinked in confusion. Without them, everything was blurry.
"What are you doing, Mom?" he asked, bewildered.
"I'm sorry, sweetheart. Just wait a little," Sally said gently, squeezing his hand.
"S-sorry," the nurse stammered, regaining her composure. "Please, follow me. Quickly."
They hurried after her. Sally kept a firm hold on Harry's hand, while Percy, delighted, continued to stare at every oddity as if they were circus attractions.
In a small office, Sally handed Harry his glasses back and apologized again. She knew she had to be more careful: in that world, Harry was far too famous. They recognized him not only by the scar, but also by the glasses and… by details she still didn't understand how they knew.
Shortly after, the door opened and a man in a white coat entered with a calm, almost jovial look.
"Oh, so here we have our hero," he said, looking at Harry.
The boy frowned, confused. Sally, on the other hand, shot the doctor a severe look.
The man coughed quickly to correct himself. "Ahem… I mean, all children who come bravely to get their vaccines are heroes."
He smiled warmly at Percy and Harry.
The two boys looked back at him with distrust, still more confused than ever.