The sky was already darkening; it had grown late with all the trekking through the jungle. Fortunately, we had finally reached the Amazon settlement, though things were far from simple.
I received many looks, from both women and men. Though, to be honest, I don't think it was just because I was male. As Niara had said, there were husbands and sons here, so more than one person probably thought I was some lost son of an Amazon returning home. No… the real reason they were watching me was my striking hair color, impossible to ignore even amidst all this diversity.
Niara led us toward a building on the outskirts of the central area, a sort of warehouse-style house with a fabric door.
"It is late already," she announced, lifting the curtain. "You will stay here tonight. I will come for you tomorrow morning."
Hannah and I exchanged glances and nodded. A rest wouldn't do us any harm, and exploring the settlement by daylight sounded more than prudent. I didn't plan on causing trouble… although I did send an invisible clone back to Castelobruxo to check on how things were over there. Caution above all else.
"The room on the left is for the girl," Niara clarified, then pointed to the other one with a hard gaze. "You will go to the right. Do not try to defile the land of the Amazons. We are watching you."
I rolled my eyes and nodded. The distrust bothered me a bit… though, honestly, considering my track record, it was probably the most logical reaction. I activated my Essential Perception and confirmed what I already sensed: several Amazons surrounded us, all possessing more than respectable strength and magic.
We entered the dwelling. It was an old house, abandoned but not neglected. It had surely belonged to someone who no longer lived here, and now they used it as a "makeshift hostel." The beds weren't much either, at least compared to those at Castelobruxo, but it was far from being a cell.
As night fell, the village gradually quieted down. Some areas remained active, but most were preparing for sleep.
I suggested to Hannah that we sleep in the same room, just to be safer. Not sharing a bed, of course—we would simply move hers to the wall opposite mine. Though she blushed at the possible implications, she ended up agreeing.
"Don't make that face," I told her jokingly. "I'm not going to turn into a beast at night and steal your purity."
"Are you sure…?" she asked in an amused tone, though the image wasn't so easy for her teenage mind to erase.
"You're pretty, yes, but I think if I tried anything, there are about two dozen Amazons who would be delighted to castrate me for it," I replied, falling onto the bed dramatically.
Hannah let out a laugh as she straightened her bed and lay down. There was quite a distance between the two beds; in theory, that should have been reassuring, though in an unknown place like this, she might have preferred having me a bit closer to feel protected.
A brief silence followed. Even though we lay down, Hannah couldn't sleep, and in reality, I didn't need much rest. So we started talking.
"So… have you thought about becoming an Amazon?" I asked playfully. "You'd look quite wild wearing animal skins and war paint."
"Don't be silly…" she laughed, half-sulky and half-embarrassed, imagining the scene and shaking her head. "Why would I join them?"
"I don't know… you're strong, capable, and you have a great love for nature. It's like a society made for you… oh, Flower Girl," I said, giving it a dramatic touch.
"And you, Bloodthirsty Demon… would you let me stay here, or would you dry up the rivers and burn the forest to bring me back to civilization?" she replied mockingly, surprising herself a bit. She even blushed. She didn't know she had that kind of attitude in her—perhaps it came out due to the stress of it all—but once said, keeping up the joke became easier.
"Look at who's starting to show the character of an Amazon… I should be careful or 'Wild Hannah' is going to attack me," I teased. It felt good to see her let loose a bit. "Besides, you might be right… if you stayed here, I think I'd only allow it if I stayed with you."
Hannah blushed even more. I hadn't said anything explicit, but the implications were clear: leaving everything behind to start a new life in this hidden community, surrounded by nature and beautiful landscapes… She couldn't help but imagine it for a few seconds before scolding herself.
"But keep in mind that if I stay here with you, we'd end up as a couple in Amazon society," I continued mockingly. "And that would mean you would have to be the provider: going out to hunt, work, fight, bringing bread to the table… while I stay behind taking care of the children and making clothes and bracelets so my woman looks pretty for the others."
The poor girl trembled a bit upon hearing it. She wanted to deny it, but we had both seen how this place worked. If we really stayed here… she would have to be that kind of woman.
"It doesn't seem so bad… it's a good life… taking care of children, talking with other men in the village, pleasing you in bed at night…" I said in a very suggestive tone.
"Red!" she shouted, completely embarrassed.
"But it's true! As a man, my only asset is my beauty, which only serves to satisfy your uncontrollable carnal desires… all you women are the same!" I exaggerated, making her blush even more and causing her to burst into more laughter.
"Alright, I don't think I could handle all that responsibility," she finally said, catching her breath. "And while it wouldn't be a bad life… it's not the one I want. At least not carrying the burden of supporting the whole family alone… it would be too much pressure. Our life back home is better…"
"So you prefer to be the one who satisfies me in bed and takes care of the children." I smiled wickedly.
"Yes…" she replied automatically, and then it hit her. "I mean NO! RED! Don't play with me!" she threw her pillow at me, but immediately regretted it because now she had nothing to cover her bright red face.
We kept talking and laughing. I took the opportunity to make Hannah blush several times. She reminded me of Hermione in the past—so innocent. It's not that Hermione is completely immune now, but she's much more resistant to my jokes. In the end, Hannah took courage and was able to speak more openly about these topics. She even asked if I would really leave everything behind in England—all my girlfriends—to stay with her.
"Could I not have both?" I replied, and she frowned. She wasn't satisfied. Even though she knew she shouldn't care, she wanted to hear me say I'd leave it all for her.
At some point, the talk slowed down and sleep overcame us. Hannah fell asleep, while I stayed awake thinking for a while. I sent my clones to do certain tasks and lay down to rest, though not fully sleeping: it wasn't my territory, so I preferred to stay alert in case something happened.
...
We woke up to Niara's call early in the morning. The sun was already peeking out and everything was quite bright. We changed into our Castelobruxo uniforms, pulling a couple of changes of clothes from my Inventory. At this point, Hannah wasn't even surprised that I had women's clothes in there; in fact, she was starting to believe that my inventory contained practically anything she could imagine.
The Amazon didn't much like finding us in the same room, especially after what she had said the previous day, but she said nothing. At the very least, she seemed relieved to see that nothing "strange" had happened between us.
The Amazons brought us some breakfast, a typical meal of the region. It wasn't bad. As always, Hannah waited for me to try it first, and only after seeing that I didn't die of poisoning or vomit did she begin to eat. After that, we followed Niara.
Apparently, the Great Seer who had made that prophecy couldn't see us yet: it was too early and she wasn't awake. Besides being a powerful seer, she was very elderly, so they couldn't demand too much of her. Despite her age, she remained the primary seer of the Amazons, and her visions were almost always accurate. That was the reason why everyone here had taken my presence so seriously, not doubting for a moment that I could do what the prophecy announced… while at the same time avoiding provoking me without cause.
We left the house and walked with Niara through the village, admiring what mornings were like in that place. Although I noticed something strange… not in the village, but in Niara. She was looking at me differently. I don't know if it was respect, but she was certainly less aggressive and cold than before. In fact, many Amazons who previously looked at me like they wanted to rip my head off now seemed to have… expectations?
I, of course, didn't know that after leaving us at the house the night before, the head Amazons—along with the seers—had held a meeting to discuss very important matters. Among them, Hannah… and me.
We reached a place near the center of the village, and Niara stopped.
"There is another Englishwoman in the settlement currently. I thought perhaps you would like to speak with someone from your homeland," she said, pointing to an elevated area.
There, on a platform reinforced with logs, stood a massive building. The walls seemed made of plant fibers that could be slid or removed at will, revealing the interior in some sections. Above them was a very high triangular roof. It was one of the largest buildings in the village, and we saw several people entering and leaving: wounded, sick… a type of tribal hospital.
Hannah and I, curious, went inside. We walked to the back, where the walls were open, allowing fresh air to circulate.
There, in front of a table where a boy was sitting, a witch was moving her wand, healing his wounds with a smile.
She was a very young woman, no more than twenty years old. She had silver hair tied in a ponytail, blue eyes, and fair skin. She was beautiful, and she wore clothes adapted to the local climate, which revealed a fair amount of skin… though in this Amazon village, that wasn't exactly striking.
We waited for her to finish with her patients before approaching. She had already seen us but decided to tend to the wounded first. When she was free, she approached, smiling.
"Hello. They told me there were other compatriots here, but I didn't expect you to be Hogwarts juniors. And a boy among you… I'm surprised you made it this far; it's quite an achievement," she said in a warm, trustworthy tone. "Let me introduce myself: I'm Chiara Lobosca. I was also a student at Hogwarts, like you."
She extended her hand to greet us, but I stood there staring at her, caught by her appearance and, above all, the name. I couldn't help but recognize her.
"Hannah Abbott."
"Red Weasley," I said finally.
"Weasley? You must be Charlie's brother! The dragon boy. I think he once talked about a brother… redder than usual," she commented casually with a smile. "I was his classmate, although I was a few years older and in Hufflepuff and he was in Gryffindor."
"You're a Hufflepuff too!?" Hannah said, excited.
"Of course," Chiara replied. "Nothing better than hard work."