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"Okay everyone..." Penny said, brraking the cozy atmosphere in the room.
"We've already made our choices, so now all that's left is to wait and see what happens."
After saying that, she looked directly at Sarah and Joshua again.
"And you two... if you truly intend to keep being part of this mess called the wizarding world, courage and determination alone won't be enough."
Then, under the attentive gazes of the other three, she calmly stood up from the sofa.
Taking her time, she began walking toward a large nearby bookshelf.
As she walked, she continued speaking:
"To deal with what's coming... all the difficult moments and possible dangers..."
She paused briefly and looked back at them over her shoulder.
A slightly mysterious smile slowly appeared on her lips.
"You're going to need to be properly prepared."
Joshua and Sarah blinked in confusion.
As Penny continued walking, neither of them could help but watch her curiously.
They had no idea what that gentle, yet brilliant and frighteningly dangerous, woman was planning.
But they were certain of one thing:
Whatever it was... it would probably be something very interesting.
After taking a few more steps, Penny finally stopped in front of an elegant built-in cabinet beside the bookshelf.
The moment she stood before it, her gaze immediately fell on a small door that looked slightly different from the others.
It was made of reinforced wood and had an iron lock that emitted a faint bluish glow.
Clearly, it had been protected with locking charms.
Taking out her wand, Penny murmured a quiet incantation before lightly touching the tip of it against the wood.
Instantly, golden runes flashed across the door and lock for a brief moment before disappearing.
Right after that, the lock began to slowly burn away, dissolving into blue-silver flames.
*Click!*
With that sound, the cabinet door opened.
As soon as Penny pulled it fully open, it revealed three small black iron boxes carefully arranged inside the compartment.
Even while closed, they emitted a faint magical aura.
'Finally,' the French witch thought, an excited glint appearing in her eyes.
'After all this time, I can finally give them these little masterpieces.'
Standing in front of the cabinet, Penny looked at the three boxes with a clearly proud expression.
Then, without hesitation, she carefully picked them up before walking back to the coffee table.
"Here."
She placed two of the boxes on the table, sliding them toward Joshua and Sarah.
Carefully picking them up, the two looked at the boxes in their hands with intrigued expressions.
"What is this?" Sarah asked, looking curiously at Penny.
"A little gift Nick and I prepared for you," she replied with a smile.
Then she gestured excitedly toward them.
"Go on. Open them already," she urged.
Hearing the anticipation in her voice, Sarah and Joshua became even more curious.
So, without wasting any more time, they opened the boxes.
The moment they did, their eyes widened slightly.
Inside were two extremely elegant necklaces.
They were made of silver and black iron, decorated with small obsidian stones and perfectly cut rubies.
The two accessories were very similar, but they had different details.
One had a more delicate and refined design.
The other looked sturdier and more robust.
Clearly, one had been made for Sarah and the other for Joshua.
"This one is for Cele," Penny then handed the third box to Sarah.
When she opened it, Sarah looked surprised.
Inside wasn't another necklace, but rather a small, delicate and elegant bracelet made from the same materials.
Unlike the necklaces, the bracelet had a softer and more childlike design.
It had clearly been made specifically for a child.
Looking back and forth between the necklace and bracelet, Sarah's expression immediately softened.
"They..." she carefully held the items while her eyes shone faintly, "They're beautiful!"
"Well, I'm glad you liked them," Penny nodded in satisfaction. "These are some of our best creations."
"Wait... you two made these?" Sarah blinked in surprise.
"Mhm," the immortal woman nodded proudly, lifting her chin slightly.
Hearing that confirmation, Sarah's gaze toward the accessories became even more admiring.
"Actually, Ethan was the one who asked us to make them," Penny explained a moment later with a small smile.
"Ethan?" Sarah looked surprised again. "He asked for this?"
"Oh..." Nick snorted amusingly, "He practically forced us."
His wife rolled her eyes.
"Stop being dramatic... I remember very clearly how excited you were while forging and enchanting them," she exposed him with an amused look.
"Well... okay, that's true," Nick admitted with a wry smile.
"Just don't let Ethan find that out. Merlin knows what kind of absurd thing that boy will want me to make next."
"Heh... it's not like you don't absolutely love that," Penny said teasingly.
Nick fell silent for a moment.
"...that's also true."
"There's still something I don't understand," Joshua muttered, interrupting the couple's teasing.
"What don't you understand?" Penny asked, tilting her head.
"Why would Ethan want to give us necklaces and bracelets?" he frowned in confusion. "And why would he specifically ask you two to make them?"
"That's because they're not ordinary accessories," Sarah answered before the alchemists could.
Then she looked back at Nick and Penny, raising an eyebrow.
"Aren't they?"
"You're right," Penny nodded. "These necklaces and bracelet are actually Protection Amulets."
"Protection Amulets?" Joshua repeated, his eyes widening slightly.
"Yes," she confirmed. "They're enchanted artifacts specially made by Nick and me."
"We spent quite a long time forging, refining, and enchanting them with some of the best protection and security spells we know," she explained calmly.
"Exactly," Nick agreed before continuing, "We added defensive barriers, mental protection, poison and harmful potion detection, protection against most Dark Magic, and even two Portkeys connected to safe locations."
"And they also possess a few passive enhancement effects," Penny added. "Increased endurance, focus, mental resilience, night vision... along with some physical reinforcement."
"And of course," the old alchemist smiled, a mysterious glint appearing in his eyes, "we also included a few... little extra surprises."
"Wow... that many enchantments...?" Joshua muttered in shock.
He and Sarah once again looked down at the necklaces, now even more impressed.
"Just as a precaution, you know," Penny shrugged casually.
"And Ethan asked for all of this... to protect us?" Sarah asked quietly while holding the necklace against her chest.
The emotion in her voice was impossible to hide.
Penny nodded softly.
"That boy's first concern has always been you," she said affectionately.
"He asked us to start making these amulets the same week we first met."
"We only took so long to give them to you because finishing them was anything but easy," Nick explained. "We wanted them to be perfect... and to have absolutely everything necessary to keep you safe."
"So we ended up working on them far more than we originally planned."
"Of course, that's also kind of Ethan's fault," he added a moment later with an amused look.
"That boy kept insisting we add more and more layers of protection to those amulets."
"More than half of the enchantments they have were suggestions from Ethan himself... and some of them were even personally added by Ethan himself."
"And unfortunately, I have to admit..." Nick smiled wryly as he lightly shook his head. "When it comes to magic, not even I can say I'm as creative as he is."
Despite the exasperation in his voice, there was an unmistakable trace of pride hidden beneath his words.
"Anyway," Penny steered the conversation back on track, "these amulets will protect you against practically any danger or threat you might encounter."
"And now, knowing that you'll be safe, the two of us can rest a lot easier."
"Besides, Ethan will feel more relieved too. He won't have to constantly worry about your safety anymore, which will allow him to focus on his studies... and on himself as well."
Joshua and Sarah lowered their eyes to the amulets they were still holding in their hands.
For a moment, the two remained silent.
Not because they didn't know what to say.
But because, once again, they were reminded of just how much Ethan cared about them.
Even while living in a dangerous world full of prejudice. Even while constantly throwing himself into absurdly dangerous situations.
His first concern had always been his family's safety.
"That boy..." Joshua smiled as he lightly shook his head.
"Sometimes I honestly forget that he's still only fourteen years old."
"Me too," Sarah gently stroked the bracelet meant for Cele. "Most of the time, it feels like he's the one looking after us."
"Well..." Nick shrugged. "Considering the amount of trouble that boy attracts, I'd say it's a survival necessity."
"Nick!" Penny immediately scolded him.
"What? I'm just telling the truth."
"I know, but you didn't have to put it like that," she grumbled, crossing her arms. "Besides, it's not like all those problems are his fault."
"True..." Nick nodded. "Only about ninety percent of them."
"Nicolas!"
"Okay, okay, I'm joking," he raised his hands in surrender.
Unfortunately for him, that wasn't enough to stop Penny from continuing to give him a disapproving pout.
Watching the exchange between the two French alchemists, Joshua and Sarah felt the corners of their lips begin to rise.
The two turned toward each other and met each other's gaze for a few seconds.
Then Sarah was the first to laugh.
Joshua quickly followed after her.
Their laughter ended up being contagious, and even Nick and Penny couldn't hold back their own smiles.
With that lighthearted atmosphere, the last traces of tension lingering in the room finally melted away.
And so, the afternoon of the four adults continued in a much warmer, calmer, and more pleasant atmosphere.
End.
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