Punishment
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I feel like the previous chapter wasn't very fun, so I'll give you a more interesting one now.
...….
That day, Wanda didn't have much work to do, so she was sitting comfortably on the couch, reading quietly with the children. Next to her, Harry was flipping through a book titled From Troll to Potions Master, which he had taken from the family library. Hermione, on the other hand, was deeply focused on a rather thick volume about magical law—for reasons only she would understand.
Daphne lay sprawled on her back on a blanket spread across the floor, arms wide open and eyes fixed on the ceiling, visibly bored. She was unusually quiet, which caught Wanda's attention… but upon looking more closely, she noticed that the girl had simply fallen asleep.
It was an especially calm day. There weren't many customers, and the few who did come in were familiar faces, smiling warmly at the sight of the children.
The little ones had become a regular part of the atmosphere, to the point where some witches even brought snacks to share, charmed by how adorable they all were.
"Hello, Miss Wanda, how are you today?" greeted an older woman, dressed in an elegant emerald-green witch's robe with a matching hat. Her face was lined with age, but her eyes still held a stern yet kind expression.
"Professor McGonagall, good afternoon," Wanda replied with a serene smile, closing the book in her hands and standing up to assist her.
"I need your help finding these books, please," said the professor as she handed over a rather long list. "I must make sure the texts selected by the new Defense professor are suitable for young witches and wizards."
"Of course," Wanda said calmly, taking the list and scanning it quickly.
Meanwhile, McGonagall turned toward Harry, who was still reading intently. Noticing her gaze, the boy looked up and greeted her with a small nod.
"Hello," he said politely.
"Hello, Harry. It seems you're studying again today," McGonagall noted with a faint smile.
"Yes. Mom says that if I study a lot, I'll become really smart… and smart people are the strongest," Harry replied with a proud smile.
"And she's absolutely right," the professor nodded with genuine approval.
"Professor McGonagall… were you my parents' teacher?" Harry asked curiously, remembering something he'd wanted to know ever since he learned who she was.
"Indeed. James and Lily were my students. Your mother was one of my best: brilliant, diligent, always focused. And your father… well, he was… very cheerful," McGonagall said, smiling at the memory.
As they spoke, Wanda walked through the shop, gathering the books from the list. She could have summoned them all with magic in a second, but she preferred to do it by hand to give Harry and McGonagall a little more time to talk.
The peace was suddenly shattered by Sirius's entrance. The moment he stepped inside, he froze with a look of panic, then turned on his heel as if by pure instinct to leave.
"Hello, Mr. Black. It's been quite a while. Seems you've forgotten your manners," McGonagall called out sternly.
"Professor McGonagall! You have no idea how happy I am to see you again after all this time," Sirius said as he slowly turned back around, forcing a radiant smile.
"Hmm, yes, I'm sure," she replied, still stern. "It's good to know you're no longer… in that place," she added, with a faint hint of guilt in her voice.
"What can I say, Professor? Not even Azkaban could break me," Sirius responded quickly, trying to lighten the mood with a relaxed grin.
"I see Miss Wanda has my books ready, so I'll be taking my leave," said McGonagall, approaching the counter to pay. Once done, she picked up the books and headed toward the exit. But just before crossing the threshold, she stopped and looked back at Sirius seriously.
"I truly am glad you're free, Sirius. But please try not to be a bad influence on Lily's son."
"Do you really think I could be, with his mother nearby?" he answered with an unconcerned smile.
McGonagall gave one last glance at Harry and Hermione, then walked out with firm steps.
"Hello, godfather. What brings you here today?" asked Harry calmly, his tone and manners clearly shaped by his upbringing with Selene.
"Ugh… you sound so proper, Harry," Sirius muttered with a teasing grimace—only to receive a sharp look from Wanda in response.
"But hey, good manners are important. You don't have to be like me," he added quickly.
"That's exactly the idea, godfather," Harry replied in a calm, serious tone, leaving Sirius momentarily speechless.
"Hello to you too, Hermione," Sirius said to the girl, who barely glanced up from her book.
"Hello," she replied briefly before returning to her reading.
As Sirius began to lose hope in these "adorable kids," Daphne started to stir from her nap. She sat up like a sloppily-placed doll, rubbing her eyes as her wild hair stuck out in every direction. With a sleepy expression, she looked around until she spotted Sirius nearby… and grinned.
"Hey, Black! I was waiting for you," she announced, getting to her feet and crossing her arms with determination.
Everyone in the shop turned to look. It was quite a sight, considering she still had a drool mark on her cheek and her hair looked like a bird's nest.
"Selene's daughter, right?" Sirius asked, eyeing her with interest. "What's up?"
"I want you to teach me how to prank people," Daphne declared proudly, as if making an official request.
"Whaaat??" blurted Sirius, utterly confused, while Harry and Hermione stared at her like she'd lost her mind.
"Mom told me about the pranks you all did at Hogwarts. She said she doesn't want me learning those things, so I need to know exactly what they were… so I don't imitate them," Daphne explained, as if it were the most logical conclusion in the world.
"Daphne, I don't think that's how it works," Hermione said with a critical look.
Harry just shook his head and sighed.
"Then how are we supposed to avoid them if we don't know what they were?" Daphne replied seriously.
That was enough to leave both Harry and Hermione silent. She had a point.
"Hahahaha, of course!" Sirius burst out laughing, thoroughly enjoying Daphne's logic.
Meanwhile, Wanda rubbed her temple slowly. Outwardly, she remained calm and composed, but inside, she was seriously beginning to think it was time to alert Selene. Something told her that this combination of Sirius and Daphne was not good for anyone's mental health.
But before she could make a decision, the bookstore door burst open with a thunderous BAM!, making everyone turn toward the entrance.
"How are my adorable fans?!" Lockhart exclaimed, entering as if stepping onto a red carpet, wearing the most dazzling smile his face could muster.
The scene fell into complete silence. Everyone stared at him motionless: Wanda, Sirius, Harry, Hermione… even Daphne, who had just fully woken up. They looked at him like one would stare at an unexpected clown crashing a serious opera.
"Ahem… I thought it'd be more crowded today," Lockhart murmured, slightly lowering his voice and winking—an action that failed to elicit any reaction.
"Mr. Lockhart, what brings you here this time?" Wanda asked in her usual calm tone, walking toward him with elegance. She wanted to get rid of him as quickly as possible… but the moment her eyes met his, something changed.
Wanda stopped in her tracks.
Her serene expression vanished, replaced by a cold, piercing gaze. An imperceptible aura—just a pressure in the air—began to float around her, as if something within had awakened.
Lockhart blinked, uneasy.
"Do I… have something on my face?" he asked, trying to maintain his dazzling smile.
"Did you really think something so cheap and clumsy would work on me?" Wanda whispered, never breaking eye contact.
"Huh? What are you talking about? I have no idea what you mean," he replied, but a nervous tremor betrayed his voice. A second later, his eyes widened in surprise and fear. "You… you used Legilimency! That's illegal!"
Wanda didn't reply. She didn't need to. Her silence was colder than any word.
Trying to regain composure, Lockhart shook his head with feigned indignation. "I'll have to report this to the Aurors. I'm sorry, Wanda, but if someone breaks the law… the magical world has rules, dear."
"Will you also tell them about the cursed object in the left pocket of your robes?" Wanda replied softly, but each word echoed like thunder in the air. A faint scarlet glow began to emanate from her fingers.
Lockhart took a step back, glancing around as if looking for an escape. The door behind him slammed shut with a bang, sealed by an invisible force.
"T-this! This is a cursed relic I found on one of my adventures! I was going to take it to Gringotts to have it neutralized!" he babbled, increasingly nervous.
"Tell the truth," Wanda ordered in a firm voice.
And then it happened. Lockhart suddenly stood stiff, like a statue, his expression drained of emotion.
"My plan was simple. I was going to place the cursed object in the boy's pocket… so that he would develop episodes of aggression and rejection toward the person he spent the most time with. That way, he would become emotionally distant from her and it would be easier to convince him to live with his godfather. Without that constant emotional bond… I thought it would be easier to get closer to you, Wanda."
Silence fell.
Harry stared at Lockhart in confusion. Hermione gripped her book tightly. Daphne frowned like she was witnessing something filthy.
Sirius stood with a serious expression, one hand near his wand, but Wanda had already taken control.
Lockhart rose into the air at once, floating half a meter off the ground, completely immobilized.
"Wait, wait! I wasn't going to hurt the boy! It was just a temporary effect!" Lockhart shouted, struggling in vain. "Just a couple of days!"
"You think making a child hate his mother, even for a day, is something that can be forgiven so easily?" Wanda said with chilling calm. Her tone wasn't angry—it was the voice of a final verdict. "The only reason I tolerated you was because Harry laughed watching you make a fool of yourself. To him, you were like a clown pretending to be a real wizard. I didn't think you were a threat. But I was wrong."
As she spoke, a memory rose in her mind—a magical tale she once told Harry when he was four years old… about a prince so narcissistic that he was cursed to see beauty in everyone but never in himself.
"Your greatest sin is your narcissism. Your punishment will match it: you will become a mirror that reflects truth and beauty… but never your own."
A wave of scarlet energy wrapped around Lockhart. His body twisted, fragmented, and in a final flash, his form was replaced by a full-length mirror, with golden edges and a radiant surface that shimmered with living magic.
Wanda extended a hand and floated the mirror over to Sirius.
"Do what you want with him," she said with an impassive gaze.
Sirius crossed his arms and laughed. "Perfect. I think the Black family needed a new mirror for the men's bathhouse."
Daphne raised her hand with a serious expression. "I don't want Sirius to teach me anymore. I want Wanda to be my master!"
Hermione nodded slowly.
Harry, for his part, just smiled proudly.
"Mom's the coolest of them all," he whispered quietly.