The mirror stood taller than Morwenna did.
She balanced on the velvet-topped ottoman in her socks, studying the girl reflected in the glass. The girl wore pale blue denim shorts that ended just above her knees.
The fabric felt stiff and unfamiliar against her skin, unlike the soft silk and comfortable, worn wool she was used to. Her shirt was crisp white, with a small cartoon fox printed across the front. It was Cinder, right down to the tiny collar around his neck.
Her trainers were already on, their laces tied into double bows that had taken three careful attempts to get right.
She raised a hand to her hair. Her mother had brushed it until it lay smoothly over her shoulders, fine and white as spun glass. A green silk ribbon held it back, matching the little fox's collar on her shirt.
"You look cute," Jane said behind her.
Morwenna glanced at her mother's reflection. Jane wore neatly fitted dark gray trousers and a soft jumper the color of winter berries.
Her red hair fell loose around her shoulders, tucked behind her ears to reveal the delicate points that marked her Veela heritage. She looked nothing like the woman who usually wore flowing silk robes with silver combs threaded through her hair.
"What does cute mean?"
"It means you look nice. Pleasant to look at. Someone people like seeing."
Morwenna turned back to the mirror. She shifted to one side, studying how the denim sat against her legs and how the cotton shirt hung loosely over her small frame. She smoothed the front with both palms, then let her hands fall to her sides.
"Ready," she announced.
Cinder waited by the door, his ears pricked forward. His tail gave one sharp wag.
"Stay," she told him.
His ears immediately flattened.
"I will come back."
He sat down at once, though his amber eyes followed her every movement as she stepped off the ottoman.
Morwenna followed her mother downstairs. The entrance hall was already bright with gray morning light streaming through the tall windows. Sunlight caught the fountain's moving water, scattering shifting reflections across the marble floor.
Her trainers made different sounds against the stone. Instead of the light slap of bare feet or the quiet rustle of slippers, she heard a soft scuff with every step.
She heard Saoirse before she saw her, her voice carrying from near the great doors.
"We have packed enough for a small army. Tilly is offended that we didn't take more."
Jack answered, but his voice was too low for Morwenna to make out the words.
She reached the last step and paused.
Her father stood near the doors in dark gray trousers and a navy jumper. His hair was neatly arranged, and the silver at his temples caught the morning light.
Aldric and Seraphina stood beside him in their usual robes, deep green for him and dark gray for her. Saoirse leaned against the wall with her arms crossed, a long coat thrown over her clothes and its collar turned up against the draft.
"Look at you," Saoirse said, grinning. "All dressed for the outside world."
Morwenna stopped in front of her.
"You aren't coming?"
"I will come as far as the border. After that, I have got things to do."
Saoirse crouched and adjusted Morwenna's collar, even though Jane had already straightened it perfectly.
"Someone has to make sure you don't get lost before you have even left."
"I won't get lost."
"No, you won't."
Saoirse left a hand on her shoulder for a moment, warm and reassuring, before straightening up.
Aldric stepped forward. He looked over Morwenna's shirt, shorts, and carefully tied laces before kneeling to meet her at eye level.
"Today, you will see things you have only read about in books," he said. "The world is larger than this manor. It's larger than you have imagined."
Morwenna nodded, swallowing against the tightness in her throat.
"Remember what you are," Aldric continued. "But remember where you are, too. You are a visitor in that world. Be curious, and be careful."
"I will."
He kissed her forehead, his hand warm and rough against her cheek.
Seraphina approached next. She didn't kneel, but reached out to smooth Morwenna's hair away from her face.
"Your grandmother in France will want to hear everything," she said. "Every little detail. So pay attention."
Morwenna nodded again.
Seraphina lowered her hand and stepped back into the quiet shadows of the hall.
Saoirse pushed open the heavy door.
Cold air rushed inside, carrying the scents of damp earth and woodsmoke. The sky was still caught between night and morning, with the last stars fading above the dark silhouettes of the trees.
The carriage waited on the gravel drive. The thestrals stood motionless in front of it, their skeletal frames and folded wings barely visible in the dim light.
Jack lifted Morwenna into the carriage. The seat was covered in soft, dark leather, and the windows were tinted. Jane climbed in beside her, followed by Saoirse, who settled onto the opposite bench.
The door closed with a solid thud.
The carriage began to move.
Morwenna leaned close to the window, watching the manor recede behind them. Its gray stone walls and dark windows stood beneath the fading night, its towers cutting into the brightening sky.
She had seen the manor from outside before, from the gardens, the Quidditch pitch, and the edge of the lake. But this felt different. This time, the carriage was carrying her away from it.
Through the window, the manor grew smaller as the world beyond began to slide past.
The gravel drive narrowed into a forest track. Trees crowded both sides, their branches intertwining overhead. Thin strands of silver light slipped between the leaves, passing across the carriage windows as they traveled.
Morwenna watched the trees go by, one after another. There were too many to follow and far too many to count.
Then the carriage turned.
The trees began to thin, and the sky opened above them.
The gate lay ahead, still some distance away, a dark line against the pale horizon. She had seen it before from the creature meadow, where it stood at the edge of her view. She had never been this close.
As the carriage approached, the gate seemed to grow taller with every passing moment.
It was made of black iron, tall and imposing, with the Keith crest set at its center: a basilisk ouroboros encircling a phoenix, the same design she had traced countless times on her father's signet ring.
It was larger than she had imagined.
Larger than anything she had ever seen from afar.
The carriage slowed.
Now the gate stood directly before them, its black iron bars blocking the road. The serpent's eye caught the thin morning light, glinting faintly between the bars. On either side, stone pillars rose from the earth, worn smooth by age, with moss creeping around their bases.
The wards hummed.
The sound was so low that she felt it more than heard it, a faint vibration settling into her teeth. It was impossible to ignore.
Jack leaned forward.
"Morwenna."
She pulled her gaze away from the window.
"In the outside world, people will know you as Nimue. That's the name we use there, not Morwenna."
She repeated it quietly, testing the name in her mind.
"Nimue."
Jack smiled. "Yes."
Jane reached across and rested a hand on her knee.
"Only while we are out there. When we are home, you are Morwenna again."
She nodded and looked down at her hands. They were still her hands. They would look no different when people called her Nimue, and they would feel exactly the same. Nothing about her had changed.
She was still herself.
She was Nimue now.
The gate began to open.
It swung inward slowly, the heavy iron grinding with a long, low groan.
The carriage rolled forward. The gate slipped behind them, and when Nimue turned to look, it had already disappeared from sight.
Then the world changed.
She couldn't tell exactly when it happened. The road was still gravel, trees still lined its edges, and the sky remained a dull gray. Yet something beneath it all felt different.
The air seemed lighter. Sounds became clearer, separating into things she could distinguish one by one. She could hear birds calling in the distance, real birds, not the ones that lived in the manor's carefully crafted gardens.
She pressed her hand against the window. Cold seeped through the glass, sharp against her skin.
No frost spread across the pane.
No magic stirred in response.
"It's all right," Jane told her. "It's just different."
Nimue glanced at her mother before turning back to the window.
The carriage continued along the road. The trees grew thinner, the road widened, and the morning light grew stronger. The sun was rising. Through the branches, Nimue caught a glimpse of orange on the horizon, spreading slowly until gold began to wash across the gray sky.
She watched the world pass by.
Saoirse reached beneath the seat and pulled out a wooden box. Tilly had packed it carefully, tying the lid shut with string. Inside were fresh bread rolls, a small pot of butter, slices of cold meat, and a flask of tea. Steam rose from the tea as Jane poured it into cups.
Nimue spread butter over a bread roll and took a bite. She sipped her tea, keeping her eyes on the window.
"What are we doing today?" she asked.
Jane wiped a trace of butter from her fingers.
"We will visit the bookshop first, the one we told you about. Then we will see the pediatrician. After that, we will go to the park."
Nimue tilted her head.
"What is a pediatrician?"
Jane paused before giving her a small smile.
"Dr. Meadows is one. She is a doctor who looks after children. She checks that they are growing well and staying healthy."
Nimue rested a hand lightly against her ribs.
"I'm growing."
"She will check anyway. She will listen to your heart, check your breathing, and make sure everything is working as it should."
Nimue lowered her gaze to her hands.
"Does it hurt?"
"No. She will look and listen. Sometimes she will use tools, but nothing should hurt."
Nimue thought about her great-grandmother's hands against her chest, feeling her pulse and pressing gently along her ribs. That had never hurt.
"Okay."
"Then we will go to the park," Jack said. "Saoirse has told you about the swings."
Nimue's fingers tightened slightly around her cup.
"The ones that go high?"
"Those ones."
The carriage began to slow, and Saoirse glanced out the window.
"We are almost there."
Nimue pressed her face close to the glass. The road had changed again. The gravel had given way to a smooth, dark surface marked with painted lines.
She had seen pictures of roads like this. She knew what it was.
A road for cars.
But there were no cars passing them. The road lay empty between wide fields of brown and gold. The sun had risen fully, and the sky had turned a pale, watery blue.
The carriage came to a stop.
Jack opened the door, and cold air rushed inside. It felt lighter than the heavy chill of the manor, carrying the scents of damp soil, crushed grass, and a faint thread of smoke from a distant chimney.
He stepped down, then turned and offered her his hand.
Nimue took it and climbed out. Her trainers met the ground, and the gravel crunched beneath her soles.
For a moment, she simply stood there, looking around.
There was nothing much to see. Only the road, the open fields, and the pale sky stretching above them.
Jack released her hand and walked to the front of the carriage, where the thestrals waited. Their breath misted in the cold air as he spoke to them in a low voice, using words too quiet for her to hear.
"This is where I leave you," Saoirse said.
She crouched in front of Nimue and rested both hands on her shoulders.
"You will be fine."
Nimue frowned.
"You aren't coming with us?"
"Not today. I will be here when you come back."
Saoirse pulled her into a brief, tight hug, holding her firmly before letting go. Then she stood and walked toward the front of the carriage, where the thestrals were already turning it around.
Nimue watched her go.
Jack returned to her side and held out his hand.
"Ready?"
She took it.
The world folded around her.
It wasn't like falling. Falling was something she understood. She had fallen from the garden wall once, feeling the air rush past her as the ground came up too quickly.
This was different.
Everything seemed to close in at once. Her chest tightened, her ears popped, and the ground vanished beneath her feet. Then it was there again, solid beneath her trainers, though her stomach felt as if it had been left somewhere behind.
She bent forward slightly, tightening her grip on Jack's hand.
She didn't let go.
"Breathe," Jane said.
Nimue drew in a breath. The air here felt different, smoother and warmer. She breathed again, and the spinning began to ease.
When she straightened, her stomach still felt loose and unsettled, as though the rest of her hadn't quite caught up with her body. She swallowed and waited.
The strange sensation lingered, but little by little, it faded.
"That was Apparition," Jack explained.
Nimue looked at him. His expression was calm, as though nothing had shifted inside him at all.
"I don't like it."
Jane's mouth curved slightly. "Nobody does."
They stood in a narrow alley paved with old stones, worn smooth by years of footsteps. At one end, dormant vines covered a wall. At the other, the alley opened onto a street where cars passed and people walked along the pavement.
Nimue stepped toward the street. Her trainers made louder sounds against the stones than she expected. Her stomach still felt unsettled, but her legs were steady enough to carry her.
Jane caught her hand.
"Not yet. This way."
The bookshop stood on a quieter street, tucked between a bakery and a secondhand clothing shop. A sign hung above the entrance, its words painted in bright red, blue, and yellow letters with rounded, welcoming shapes.
Little Readers.
A brass bell chimed when Jane pushed open the door.
Inside, the air smelled of paper. It wasn't like the dry, dusty scent of the Keith library. This place smelled fresh, as though the pages had only recently come off the printing press. Shelves lined every wall, reaching all the way to the ceiling. The lower ones were within Nimue's reach, while the higher shelves could only be accessed with a ladder.
A woman emerged from behind the counter. She had short gray hair, and her glasses hung from a fine silver chain. A welcoming smile spread across her face.
"You brought her," she said.
Jane rested a hand on Nimue's shoulder.
"This is Nimue."
The woman's gaze settled on the little girl, warm and attentive.
"Hello, Nimue."
"Hello."
"You are taller than your mother told me."
Nimue glanced up at Jane. Her mother's expression had softened.
"I'm four," Nimue explained.
The woman laughed, her voice gentle and genuine.
"That explains it."
Jane gave Nimue's shoulder a light squeeze.
"Her health is finally improving. We wanted to..." She paused, her hand still resting on her daughter's shoulder. "We wanted her to see the shop for herself."
The woman's expression softened further. She looked at Nimue again, her kindness unchanged. She didn't offer any words of pity or make a fuss over the little girl's condition. She simply smiled.
"Well, since you are here, you should have a look at our new books. We received some last week. There's one about a fox who gets lost in the city."
Nimue looked at her mother, who gave her a small nod.
She followed the woman to the lower shelves, where the book sat at the front. Its cover was bright orange, featuring a fox with large ears that reminded her of Cinder.
Nimue picked it up. The pages felt thick and smooth beneath her fingertips.
"Can I read it?" she asked.
"You can take it home," the woman replied. "That's what bookshops are for."
Nimue glanced at Jane again. Her mother was watching her, something bright in her eyes.
"Thank you," Nimue said.
"You are very welcome."
They bought the book. Jane paid with coins from her pocket, the kind Nimue had seen before, each stamped with the Queen's face. The woman wrapped the book in brown paper and tied it neatly with string.
Nimue held it close against her chest.
When they stepped outside, the street had grown busier. Cars passed in steady streams, their engines rumbling as sunlight glinted off their paintwork. A woman pushed a pram along the pavement. A man walked his dog, and a child ran past, his shoes tapping rapidly against the ground while his mother called after him.
Nimue watched everything.
Jane glanced at the small silver watch on her wrist.
"We have time. Let's find somewhere to sit."
A café stood two doors down. A woman was wiping the outdoor tables and folding away chairs in preparation for the afternoon. Jane ordered tea and a small cake with pink icing. They found a table beside the window, and Nimue watched the street as she ate.
The woman with the pram passed again. A man in a suit spoke into a small black rectangle. A girl sped past on a scooter, pushing hard with her legs as her hair streamed behind her.
Jane rose from her seat.
"I will be right back."
She crossed the café and spoke quietly to the woman behind the counter. The woman nodded and pointed toward a telephone mounted on the wall.
Jane lifted the receiver, its coiled cord stretching as she turned slightly away. She dialed the number, each button producing a small click, then waited.
"Hello, this is Jane Keith. I have an appointment for my daughter at three?"
She listened for a moment.
"Yes, we are in town now. We will be there."
Another brief pause followed.
"Thank you."
She returned the receiver to its cradle and walked back to the table, slipping her gloves on again as she sat down.
"Dr. Meadows can see us," she said. "At three."
Nimue finished the last of her cake. The icing was very sweet, so she drank her tea to wash it down.
. . .
They walked to the doctor's office. It had once been a house, and the brass sign beside the door and the small front garden were still there. Inside, the waiting room had chairs for adults and a basket of toys in one corner. Nimue sat between her parents, swinging her legs lightly above the floor.
A nurse called their names. She was young, with her hair tied back in a ponytail, and gave Nimue an easy smile as she led them inside.
The examination room contained a table covered in crinkled paper, a scale, and a measuring stick fixed to the wall. The nurse helped Nimue onto the scale, then asked her to stand straight against the measuring stick. She recorded the numbers in a folder.
"Twenty-two point three kilograms. One hundred and seven centimetres."
Nimue studied the figures. She knew she was tall for her age.
"You can sit on the table now," the nurse said.
Nimue climbed onto it.
Dr. Meadows entered a moment later, a stethoscope hanging around her neck. Her smile was a little tired but genuine.
"Hello, Nimue. Let's have a look at you."
The stethoscope felt cold against Nimue's chest. She held still while the doctor listened to her heart, then checked her back and lungs. After that, Dr. Meadows examined her ears, eyes, and mouth before gently pressing along her stomach, arms, and legs.
"Does this hurt?"
"No."
"And this?"
"No."
Dr. Meadows stepped back to make a note on her clipboard, then turned to Jane and Jack.
"She is in excellent health. Strong, too. Her growth is right where it should be. Her heart sounds good, and her lungs are clear. Whatever you have been doing, it's working."
Jane let out a long breath. Jack reached for her hand where it rested on the edge of the table.
"We wanted to ask you something," Jack said. "We are planning to travel this year. For her, to show her more of the world. Her health has been complicated, but she is stable now, and we thought..."
"We want to take her places," Jane added quietly. "Let her see things. She has been..." She paused and exhaled. "She has been inside for a long time."
Dr. Meadows nodded.
"Travel would be good for her. She is healthy enough. New environments, different experiences, and more physical activity are all things she needs."
She turned to Nimue.
"You have been very patient."
Nimue didn't answer. She had been patient because there had been nothing else to do.
Instead, she looked at her mother. Jane's cheeks were faintly flushed, and her eyes shone with a quiet hope.
"You are going to have a wonderful year," Dr. Meadows told her.
"Yes," Nimue replied. "I am."
Jane began gathering her bag.
"Thank you for seeing us."
Dr. Meadows walked them to the door. She rested her hand on the handle, then paused.
"Mrs. Keith, when is her next treatment?"
Jane's hand tightened slightly on Nimue's shoulder.
"Next spring."
Dr. Meadows nodded, her gaze returning to Nimue. Something unreadable passed through her expression.
"I will want to see her before then for a check-up."
"We will make an appointment."
They stepped outside into the afternoon sunshine. The park was only a few streets away.
Nimue saw the trees first. Their branches were still bare, and patches of winter grass showed through the uneven ground. But as they drew closer, the park opened up before her, much larger than she had imagined. Green grass stretched toward a line of trees, with winding paths running through it.
People strolled along the paths while children ran about nearby. At the center stood a colorful playground filled with bright reds, yellows, and blues. A tall silver slide rose above the ground, and a long row of swings hung from metal frames. Nearby, a round platform spun as children clung to its bars, their hair flying behind them.
Nimue stopped at the gate, still holding Jack's hand, and stared.
She had seen children in books and pictures, but never like this. These children were running, laughing, and playing right in front of her. They were real.
She tugged on Jack's hand.
"Swings."
Jack smiled but didn't let go.
"Wait a moment."
She waited, though her legs were already itching to move. Her whole body seemed ready to run.
Jack crouched beside her.
"Remember the rules. You stay where we can see you. If you want to go somewhere else, tell us first. And if someone you don't know talks to you, come and find us."
She nodded. Her mother had explained the rules to her many times.
"And don't forget to have fun," Jane added.
That was all Nimue needed.
She took off running.
Her trainers thudded against the grass, and the warm air brushed her face as she hurried toward the swings. The ground felt soft beneath her feet.
One of the swings was empty.
She climbed onto it herself. The seat felt firm beneath her, and the chains were rough against her hands. She pushed once, then twice. The swing began to move, rising a little higher each time as she remembered Saoirse's advice.
She pumped her legs.
The swing climbed higher.
Her stomach dropped.
Nimue laughed.
The sound burst out of her, bright and loud, before she could stop it. The older girl swinging beside her turned at the sound and laughed, too. Soon, they were swinging together, going higher and higher as the chains creaked and the wind rushed past their ears.
For a moment, the world seemed to tilt. The ground dropped away beneath her while the sky swept closer.
Nimue laughed again.
She didn't know how long she stayed on the swing. Long enough for her hands to ache and her legs to grow tired. Eventually, she slowed herself down, letting the swing move gently back and forth until she could jump off safely.
She landed with a soft thud and headed straight for the slide.
It was taller than she had expected. She climbed carefully, gripping the rails and placing her feet on each narrow step. When she reached the top, she paused to look down. The ground seemed far away, and the children below looked much smaller from up here.
She sat down and pushed off.
The wind rushed against her face as she slid down, fast and smooth. Her stomach seemed to lag behind her body, and she reached the bottom with her heart pounding.
She climbed up again.
And again.
On her third climb, a boy joined her on the ladder. He was taller than her, with brown hair sticking up in every direction. He glanced at her.
"You are fast."
Nimue looked at him.
"I'm four."
"I'm five." He pointed toward the slide. "Race?"
She wasn't entirely sure what he meant, but she followed him to the top anyway.
He counted down, and they pushed off together.
Nimue reached the bottom first.
The boy laughed.
"Again!"
They raced four times, and she won every race. On the fifth, she let him win. It didn't really matter who came first.
After that, she moved on to the spinning platform.
It turned slowly at first, then picked up speed as the children pushed against the ground. Nimue grabbed one of the metal bars and held on tightly. Grass, sky, and trees blurred together as the world spun around her. Her stomach flipped, but it felt different from magic. This was lighter, and somehow more fun.
When she finally let go, she dropped onto the grass. The ground seemed to keep turning even after she stopped moving.
She stayed there for a while, waiting for the world to settle.
When she looked up, Jane was standing over her with one hand extended.
"Tired?"
Nimue took her hand and stood. Her legs felt heavy, her face was hot, and her hair had slipped loose from its ribbon.
"No," she said.
Jane smiled.
"There's a restaurant nearby. We can get something to eat."
Nimue glanced back at the playground. The swings were full now, and a line had formed at the slide. Children ran past her, shouting and laughing.
"All right," she agreed.
The restaurant had outdoor tables beneath an awning. Sunlight slanted through the gaps in the fabric, casting patches of gold across the tables. They sat near the edge, where Nimue could watch the street and the people passing by.
She ordered pasta, which arrived in a bowl covered in sauce. She ate slowly, her hands still aching from gripping the swing chains and her legs heavy from running and climbing.
"Did you have fun?" Jack asked.
Nimue looked at him. He was watching her, his hands wrapped around a glass of water.
"Yes."
"What did you like best?"
She thought about the swing rising into the sky, the slide rushing beneath her, and the spinning platform that had made the whole world turn.
"All of it," she answered.
Jane laughed, a real laugh that made her lean back in her chair. Her face brightened, and for a moment, she looked completely at ease.
"Good."
The sun had sunk lower by the time they left. Golden light stretched across the street, and long shadows fell over the pavement. Jane asked for the bill, Jack paid, and they headed back toward the alley where they had arrived.
It was empty now, and the street beyond it had grown quieter.
Jack held out his hand.
"Ready?"
Nimue took it. Her stomach tightened at the thought of Apparition, and she closed her eyes.
The world folded.
It wasn't like falling. She understood falling. Once, she had fallen from the garden wall, feeling the air rush past as the ground came up far too quickly to meet her.
This was different.
She straightened as the world settled around her.
The carriage was waiting, with the thestrals standing patiently in front of it. Beyond them, the sun was setting behind the trees, painting the sky in shades of orange and red.
Jane lifted Nimue into the carriage. She settled against the leather seat, stretching out her legs while Jane sat across from her. Jack climbed in beside her and closed the door.
The carriage began to move.
Nimue watched through the window as the road, fields, and fading sunlight slipped past. Her eyelids felt heavy, and her whole body seemed to weigh more than usual. The carriage rocked gently as its wheels rolled along the road, carrying them toward the manor while the world outside grew darker.
She leaned against her mother's side.
Jane slipped an arm around her, resting a warm hand on her shoulder.
"Mama," Nimue murmured.
"Yes, darling?"
"I'm tired."
"I know."
The carriage continued along the road. The window had grown dark, reflecting only Nimue's face and Jane's beside it.
She tried to keep her eyes open, watching the trees pass and the first stars appear in the darkening sky. But her body was exhausted, and the day had been too big for her to take in all at once.
At last, her head slipped onto Jane's shoulder.
The carriage rocked gently beneath her.
Her eyes closed.
She didn't feel the carriage slow at the gate or pass through the wards as they recognized her blood. She didn't feel Jane smooth her hair back from her face.
She slept.
===
There's image below
---
So… it's been less than a day, maybe just a few hours since my last note, and that irritability is already gone. My mood definitely brightened after I listened to one of those "Short story" videos in Youtube (not sure if it was actually written by AI, but the plot was kinda interesting).
Plus, I ate some spicy noodles and had some jeruk hangat (warm orange drink), and then boom, my mood got way better.
Anyway, I already went back and "fixed" the previous chapter. I think this version is a little better than the one before. You can re-read it if you want! Maybe I was just too burned out after thinking about changing my narration style and other stuff 😅