"Polyjuice and Secrets in Diagon Alley"
"We're back!" said Percy and Harry cheerfully as they rushed out of the fireplace, running straight toward the back of the Leaky Cauldron, ignoring everyone in their way.
"Well, it's been a while," Tom said with a smile as he looked at Sally and the little ones. He also noticed Mor with slight confusion, since he had never seen her before. It was impossible not to notice her: a beautiful woman with red hair who drew attention instantly. Of course, Tom put on a polite smile and greeted her courteously.
"Hello, Tom, it's been a while," said Sally, greeting him with proper manners. Mor, however, didn't bother to speak or even look at anyone in the place, even though many people were sneaking excited glances at such beauty.
Noticing how eager her children were, Sally quickly excused herself and followed them into Diagon Alley.
As soon as the entrance opened, Percy and Harry hurried inside happily. Mor, on the other hand, observed everything with interest.
"My, it has changed quite a lot after all this time… though some things still seem the same," she commented, pausing to look at some of the oldest shops, such as Ollivander's, which wasn't far away.
"So, what are you going to buy, Aunt Mor?" Harry asked with interest.
"Of course, some ingredients to make skin-care products. A woman always needs to keep her skin soft and smooth, without wrinkles," she replied with a smile.
Harry tilted his head, not understanding, and asked:
"Why?"
Before Mor could answer, Percy cut in proudly:
"Of course, because they don't want to look old, Harry. How silly!"
But he instantly realized what he had said.
"So… Aunt Mor, how old are you that you don't want wrinkles?"
Mor didn't reply. She gave him a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes and grabbed him by the ear.
"If you ever ask me my age again, I'll turn you into a guinea pig and make you run in a wheel forever," she threatened calmly.
Percy froze at once, while Harry covered his mouth, trying to hold back a mischievous laugh at his brother. Percy nodded quickly until his ear was released.
They continued walking behind Mor, who looked around with genuine interest, especially at the modern novelties and new items.
"It's amazing… some things have changed and others haven't. It's so strange, even after so many years," Mor murmured.
Percy, still offended by her threat, whispered into Harry's ear:
"Did you hear that? She's really just an old lady in disguise."
Mor sent him a narrowed look that made Percy's skin prickle like goosebumps, and he immediately covered his mouth.
Once inside a shop, Mor frowned, clearly annoyed by something.
"What's wrong, Aunt Mor? Don't you have any money?" Harry asked innocently.
"That's right. I just remembered the money I had hidden was stolen," she said with a trace of irritation.
"Stolen?" Harry asked, worried. "The bad guys have it? Are you going to get it back?"
"No. I can't harm anyone unless they attack me first, and I can't cause an uproar. Besides, I already left a curse on every one of their descendants. There shouldn't be a single one left alive… well, one remains, but I wouldn't call that living," she said simply, waving her hand as if it were nothing important.
She then touched her chin thoughtfully as they stopped in front of the potion ingredients shop, where one could also rent sections to brew. Many beginning wizards used them, since ingredients were too expensive and some couldn't even afford a cauldron of their own. They tried making potions to sell, but it was a risky business: if they failed, they lost everything; if the quality wasn't good enough, it was nearly impossible to sell. And some potions took so long to brew that, if they failed in the end, all they could do was cry.
"Sally, lend me some money. I'll pay you back in a few minutes," Mor asked suddenly.
"Eh… of course," Sally replied without thinking much, pulling out her pouch of galleons.
Mor reached in and pulled out nearly a hundred without hesitation. Sally was a bit surprised, but didn't complain.
A hundred galleons in the wizarding world could be a fortune for some families, nearly half a year's salary at the Ministry. Sally didn't usually spend that money lightly, since it came from the gold she had sold to Einjard, and she kept it as an economic safeguard for her children. Even so, she chose to trust Mor.
Everyone watched as the woman bought ingredients in several shops along the alley. She sniffed, touched, and inspected them with a critical eye, sometimes haggling with the sellers, before finally returning to the cauldron shop, where she rented one.
Percy and Harry watched with fascination as Mor mixed the ingredients with professional ease. A wooden spoon stirred the brew without being touched, while she chopped everything with a knife as if she were cooking, tossing each ingredient into the cauldron in a single motion.
Some wizards nearby watched the scene with surprise and a hint of mockery, convinced she was just playing around and waiting to see her fail spectacularly.
The potion boiled over the fire when Mor, noticing she had been left unattended, snapped her fingers and placed her hand on the cauldron.
The container shuddered, and suddenly the mixture began changing colors in a matter of seconds. The liquid turned thick, muddy, and hardly appetizing.
"Done," said Mor with a smile.
The surrounding wizards, hearing her, turned instantly toward the cauldron. Their eyes widened in shock as they recognized the potion bubbling inside. Some froze, unable to believe she had actually managed to brew it.
No one asked how she had done it. After all, potion masters were very protective of their secrets. Still, a few whispered skeptically, convincing themselves that Mor must have switched the cauldron when no one was looking.
Percy and Harry began helping to bottle the potion. Percy, looking disgusted, held up one vial carefully.
"Aunt Mor, what is this stuff?" he asked with clear distaste.
"Polyjuice Potion," she replied simply.
Sally, who had read about it in theory books, immediately remembered.
"It's the potion that lets you take on someone else's appearance, right?"
"That's right," Mor answered with a calm smile. "They're easy to make and can be sold for quite a lot."
After a while of steady work, they had filled around fifty vials. The sheer number drew the attention of everyone present—many of them potion masters who refused to accept what they were seeing. To them, such a result was simply impossible.
"Wait for me a bit in front of the ice cream stand. I'll sell this and be right back," Mor announced, leaving decisively.
"Sure!" Harry and Percy answered at once, their eyes shining with excitement.
Sally smiled at them, already knowing she'd have to buy them ice creams now that they would be waiting there.
Mor, meanwhile, slipped into a dark alley.
…
A few minutes later, Percy and Harry were eating their ice creams while sitting on a bench, swinging their little legs happily. Sally stood nearby, watching them with a gentle smile.
Mor finally returned, this time with an even wider smile and a jingling bag in her hand.
"I'm back. Here, this is yours," she said, handing the bag to Sally.
Sally opened it and her eyes widened in shock at the sight of much more than what Mor had borrowed. She was about to refuse it, but Mor spoke first:
"I used your money to make the potions, so technically they're yours. Besides, it didn't cost me anything. I live in your house, eat your food… just accept it."
"But it's too much," protested Sally. "It doesn't matter that you live with us, after all you're our teacher. We should be paying you."
Mor waved her hand dismissively.
"I don't need money, I can always get more. Though that old man was stingy—he only had four thousand galleons. I could've sold it for at least five thousand, but it would be hard to find another buyer."
With her usual natural air, she added:
"Today you can pay for me."
Then she took the children by the hand and smiled.
"Let's have some fun."
"Yes!!" exclaimed Percy and Harry at the same time, their faces glowing with joy.
…
Meanwhile, a few men dressed in dark, flashy clothes stepped out of the same alley Mor had come from. They glanced at her for a moment, then turned their eyes toward Sally and the children.
One of them went back into the alley, while the other remained behind, watching with an eager smile.
But he failed to notice that Mor had already seen him. She simply gave a mocking smile, as if she had discovered him long before he thought she had.