"Behind the Tree"
While Harry continued working on his alchemy project—this time separately from Hermione—both of them aimed to create their own robots and then make them fight. It was during this that a flying letter suddenly arrived, smacking him straight in the face.
Harry was startled and blinked several times before frowning, clearly annoyed at the letter. Even so, he took it in his hands and walked toward Wanda, who had felt the magic of the envelope all the way from the living room. She watched him with interest, not intervening since the letter didn't seem hostile. Her smile widened at the sight of her son's grumpy face as he approached with the letter in hand.
"Mom, this came for you," said Harry, handing it to her.
The letter was black, with no visible sender, but sealed with wax that displayed a crest bearing the name "Potter" at the top.
The crest had a classic English shield shape, with silver and black ornamental edges that gave it a noble and mysterious air. It was divided into four quarters by a silver cross:
In the first, a coiled mandrake and a branch of asphodel crossed in an X shape.
In the second, an ancient smoking flask and an alchemist's furnace.
The third displayed a silver triangle with a circle and a vertical line inside: the symbol of the Deathly Hallows.
And in the fourth, a silver wand and an old book crossed.
Beneath the crest, on a black ribbon with silver letters, the family motto could be read:
"Custos Magica et Sanitas"
(Guardians of Magic and Health).
Wanda examined the crest briefly before opening the letter. The moment she touched the wax, she felt a magical pulse that seemed to scan her blood… and then the letter opened without resistance.
She paused for a moment. She remembered using Harry's blood—or more accurately, Lily's part of it—on the first day she brought him with her, creating a blood bond between them. And Lily, after marrying James, had officially become part of the Potter family. Maybe that's why the letter had accepted her as a valid recipient.
Inside, the message was written in what looked like charcoal, in a clumsy handwriting, as if by a child or someone who didn't know how to write properly. The address was in Ottery St. Catchpole, and the message read, with many spelling mistakes:
-
For the master. you gotta know this.
I don't write good but this is what it is.
If you wanna find the place, follow the path where the birds don't sing. And if you see the black stone with cuts on its face, don't touch it. Just look quick and keep walking.
Don't look back if you feel something's following you. It's a lie. Or not. I don't know.
When the air feels weird and the forest seems quieter than normal, look for the light that doesn't exist. If you see grey smoke, wait. If you don't see anything… better go back where you came from.
Don't say I didn't warn you.
Behind the tree. Just one drop of blood.
-
Wanda read the letter with one eyebrow raised, not hiding her confusion. Harry leaned in to read with her, his expression even more puzzled. He could read, but everything was so badly written.
Still, he understood something: this was an adventure.
His eyes lit up with excitement.
"Are we going to go?" he asked enthusiastically.
Wanda looked at his hopeful little face. She couldn't say no. Especially not when the seal on the letter bore the name Potter.
…
The two of them walked through the forest. Although Wanda could easily find the place, she didn't want to spoil the adventure for Harry, who was reading the letter like a treasure map, clumsily trying to follow its instructions.
"Could this be the stone with a man's face?" Harry asked, stopping in front of a black rock with two holes and a line underneath. It was completely black and covered in claw marks.
"Guag!" the stone made a strange sound as the line opened like a mouth, trying to bite Harry.
Harry jumped back quickly, startled.
"Yeah… looks like it," said Wanda with a smile.
"Then this way!" Harry declared with excitement as he started walking toward the side of the clearing. Behind them, the trees moved, shaking their branches as if they were alive, making the place feel eerie to anyone unfamiliar with magic.
That place was known as the Enchanted Forest, north of the village. That's why not many dared to go near.
After a while, they reached an area where the trees were so dense they blocked out the sunlight. A gloomy mist covered the ground, moving slowly as if it were breathing.
But Harry, far from being afraid, looked more and more excited. He felt like he was getting close.
Then, a strange light caught his attention. It floated in the air, spinning slowly before approaching him. It circled around him a few times, then darted off in the direction they had come from.
"Come on, Mom! Run!" Harry shouted as he chased after the light, heading deeper into the dark forest.
However, at one point, they lost sight of it. In front of them stood a gigantic tree—the biggest Harry had ever seen in his life.
"This is it, Mom," he said excitedly.
"You did it. You're quite the treasure hunter," Wanda replied, praising him as he smiled proudly.
Harry approached the tree, trying to figure out how to open it. He remembered the message said "one drop of blood," but didn't know exactly what to do with that.
As he ran his hand along the tree bark, a splinter pricked his finger. Instinctively, he brought it to his mouth, but a single drop of blood fell onto the wood… and then it began to glow.
The massive tree split open down the middle. As if it had always been two trees fused together, it slowly parted while the ground rumbled with a faint growl.
Harry moved closer to Wanda, watching in fascination. Between the two trunks appeared a translucent membrane that shimmered for a moment… and then revealed an ancient and imposing mansion.
Harry peeked around the tree, but saw only more forest. The mansion was only visible from the exact space between the two trunks.
As they watched, Wanda sensed something rushing toward them at great speed—like a missile. Harry, still looking through the trees, was suddenly tackled by the creature and knocked to the ground, though Wanda softened his fall with a protective spell.
When he looked down, he saw something clinging tightly to him, sobbing.
It was a strange creature with long ears. It stood just over a meter tall, thin and frail, though it had run incredibly fast. Its head was disproportionately large compared to its body, and it had huge, glowing blue eyes full of emotion. Its clothes were made of old, poorly sewn patches.
"Liz knew Master Potter would come someday!" it squealed joyfully through tears and snot. "Liz was sure!"
Wanda watched it with interest when she sensed another presence approaching—this one with calmer steps and a more controlled energy.
"Liz! Compose yourself like a proper house-elf of the Potter family! You can't go running around like some common elf!" scolded the new figure—another elf, very similar to Liz but with a more serious and proud face. He moved with elegance, and his vocabulary was clearly more refined.
"Gris, look! The young master has arrived! Finally! We've waited so many years!" Liz exclaimed, completely ignoring the scolding.
"Indeed, the young master has arrived," said Gris firmly, though clearly moved. "But that does not excuse—"
He noticed Liz wasn't paying attention at all, and his brow furrowed in frustration.
"I'm talking to you! Put the young master down at once!" he ordered as he reprimanded her, while helping lift Harry's robe. Despite his stern tone, his eyes also shone with barely restrained emotion.
Wanda watched them with interest while Harry wore a completely confused expression. Seeing this, she decided to step in to help him.
CLAP!
Wanda clapped her hands loudly to get the elves' attention.
"Wouldn't it be better to explain what's going on? You're only making Harry more confused," she said calmly, looking at both of them gently.
"Ah! Right! Silly Liz!" Liz exclaimed. "Come, young master, let's go inside the Potter Manor!" she said quickly, taking Harry's hand and leading him toward the entrance.
"And you are…?" asked Gris, giving Wanda a serious look.
"His mother," she replied with her usual calm.
"My! My sincerest apologies, madam. Please, follow us. This place is crawling with insects," Gris said with a respectful and courteous expression.
And so, Wanda and Harry were led toward the grand mansion, which, despite its age, was surprisingly well maintained. Although some details were rather crude: the lawn looked like it had been cut with scissors, the trees were roughly trimmed, the walls were clean but marked with brush strokes, and in one corner, there was a ladder propped up next to several buckets of water and scrubbing brushes.
Everything clearly showed that the elves had been the ones taking care of the place all this time.