The Lantern and the Oath
"Ta-dah!" Percy said with enthusiasm, raising high the special lantern the goblins had given him, which until now had found little use. His eyes sparkled with excitement, as if he had finally uncovered the secret of a lost treasure.
Harry, on the other hand, tilted his head seriously, folding his arms.
"Percy, Mr. Einjard said that's very expensive. If we break it, we'll have to buy another one," he reproached him with that older-brother look—even though they were the same age.
"You worry too much, Harry. I've been thinking for months about how to use it, and now I've just come up with a great idea. It could even work as training," Percy replied, convinced, using that same tone he always used when trying to drag Harry into one of his "brilliant ideas."
Harry watched him with suspicion, already doubting as he so often did. And yet, there was something undeniable: the curiosity of a child was stronger than any warning.
"After reading those books about dangerous creatures, many of which can turn invisible right before your eyes, I thought we should be prepared. Training, training," Percy insisted, repeating the word twice as if that gave it more weight.
Harry raised an eyebrow, still doubtful.
"I'll show you." Percy suddenly spun around and switched on the lantern. The beam of light swept across the yard, jumping from one corner to another, until it stopped at a single spot.
There stood Lia. Motionless, with a slightly confused expression, as if she had just been caught doing something forbidden. She often lingered near the children when she wasn't serving Mor a drink or helping Sally with the cleaning. In truth, no one asked her to; she had simply imposed the duty on herself, perhaps because she felt she wasn't very useful. Sally never treated her like a servant, only asking for help on rare occasions. Even Mor did almost everything by herself with her magic, leaving only minimal tasks for Lia, which only fed her feeling of being unnecessary.
Sally would always repeat that she could relax, that she didn't need to force herself to stay busy all the time. But the mindset of a house-elf was not something that changed easily.
Percy and Harry had tried many times to convince her to play with them. Yet she always refused, insisting that a house-elf should not become overly familiar with their masters. "It would be very bad manners," she would say, before disappearing and watching them from the shadows.
That had been the case… until Percy, while pestering the elder Potters for war stories, remembered the lantern forgotten atop the fireplace. It was so high up he rarely saw it, but the moment his eyes spotted it, he lost all interest in the story Fleamont was proudly recounting. He dashed off with the lantern in hand, leaving the old man mid-sentence.
Euphemia gave her husband a few consoling pats on the back, as he lowered his head in dismay at seeing the children so quickly lose interest. Well… after all, they were still children.
Back in the yard, Percy pointed the lantern at Lia, who was now completely visible. She looked down at her hands in shock, then at the lantern, realizing what was happening. Without a second thought, she bolted to escape the beam of light.
But Percy didn't let her. He turned the lantern eagerly, chasing her with it.
"Now we can play with Lia without her hiding too!" he shouted with a mischievous grin.
Harry, who just moments before had been doubtful, gave in instantly to the charm of the idea.
The two boys rushed after the house-elf, who tried in vain to get away. With every step, their childish laughter mingled with Lia's protests, until before long all three were running with wide smiles, caught in an improvised game of chase.
Meanwhile, Sally, seated beside Mor, watched them with tenderness. A smile spread across her face at the sight.
"Is it really okay?" she asked suddenly, as if the thought had slipped out on its own.
Mor slowly lowered her dark glasses and looked at her from the corner of her eye. She didn't reply—not directly. Instead, she asked a question that seemed to unsettle her.
"Why does it always seem like you're running against time? You push yourself too much, as if you're forcing yourself," she said, without taking her gaze off Sally.
The woman took a few seconds to answer. At last, she lowered her eyes, letting out a soft sigh.
"I don't know… maybe it's fear," she admitted quietly. "It was just the three of us until now. Percy's father disappeared without a trace, I never heard from him again. And Harry's grandmother… though she too disappeared, she was the one who helped us the most. You yourself came thanks to her."
Sally spoke calmly, but the weight of the years was clear in her eyes.
"I already knew Percy and Harry would be in danger simply for being special. I was worried all the time. When they came home saying they'd seen strange animals or people who tried to attack them… and then I discovered another hidden world. One that I'm sure isn't even the only one they have to watch out for. I have to be strong, to protect them… or at least strong enough to be by their side, supporting them when they need me."
Her gaze softened as it fell on the children, who had already caught Lia and were now trying to convince her to play hide-and-seek with them.
Her gaze softened as she watched the children, who had already caught Lia and were now trying to convince her to play hide-and-seek with them.
Mor also looked at them in silence, though her thoughts were elsewhere. She knew something of Percy's destiny—a path even more tangled than Harry's. The son of one of the Three Greats. The prophecy spoke of such a child, one who would decide the destruction… or the salvation of Olympus.
She had spoken with the goddesses of the Underworld and knew what Zeus had done: kill the woman Hades loved, fearing his descendants. Hades, in response, hid his children in secret.
Mor herself was free thanks to that very god, who had turned a blind eye when two goddesses allowed her release. Nothing in his realm moved without his consent, and it would be naïve to think otherwise.
Yet Mor was not certain of Hades' true intention. Had he let her go so Zeus would not do to her what he had done to his brother Poseidon? Or simply so she might watch over Percy and become a thorn in Zeus' side?
"You're a good mother, Sally," Mor said with a smile of approval she rarely revealed. "Much better than me." She added those words before slipping her dark glasses back on, as if that ended the conversation. "Go enjoy yourself with your knight. Leave the children in my care," she added with a hint of teasing in her tone.
Sally looked at her with a smile and shook her head. After so many months living under the same roof, she knew her "aunt" all too well.
Mor could hurl sharp words and turn into a merciless demon against enemies, but with her own she was the most protective of all. At times she seemed to revel in mischief, like a mischievous child who enjoyed watching the world burn. Other times, she only wanted to sit in peace, watching the children run around the yard.
Sally regarded her for a moment before letting out the words she had kept buried in her heart for so long.
"Would you like to be the children's godmother?" she asked, calm words that contrasted with the depth of the request.
Mor spun toward her so fast her glasses nearly slid down her nose. Her eyes widened; even her mouth fell slightly open, unable to mask her surprise.
Sally burst into soft laughter at seeing, for the first time, Morgana's face without its usual absolute control.
"Ahem…" Mor quickly recovered, clearing her throat as if nothing had happened. "You really are crazy," she said incredulously. "Choosing me as their godmother…" She shook her head. Not even in her wildest dreams would she have imagined someone asking her such a thing.
"You don't want to?" Sally pressed, still calm.
Mor stared at her, serious. "Are you sure? You don't even know my past."
"But I know your present," Sally replied firmly.
The answer made Mor let out a crooked smile. "You're definitely crazy," she muttered, before laughing softly.
Morgana's laughter caught Harry and Percy's attention; they looked up from nearby. At that moment, Morgana rose to her feet. With a flash of magic, her bikini vanished, replaced by the dark sorceress robes she had worn the first time she appeared.
"From this moment on, you will be my godchildren," she declared solemnly. "Of Morgana le Fay. Ancient queen and protector of Avalon, the lost magical kingdom. Dark sorceress who has lived among mortals for more than a thousand years. Sworn enemy of the wizard Merlin and King Arthur Pendragon. Blessed by the goddesses of magic and the Underworld. They called me witch. They called me monster. They call me legend. But from today, I will be nothing more than your godmother."
Harry and Percy glanced at each other, confused at first. But once they understood the last part, both broke into enthusiastic smiles.
What for Morgana was a solemn declaration echoed in magic as a sacred oath. No one could predict what consequences it might have in the future.
"Ha! I knew Aunt Mor was an old witch," Percy blurted naturally, shattering the solemn air of the moment.
Harry's eyes widened, and he quickly stepped back, fully aware of what was coming.
Percy also realized too late what he had said. The protective warmth in Mor's gaze froze instantly, transforming into a dangerous aura.
"Crap!" Percy shouted before turning to run. But an invisible spell caught him in the air, leaving him suspended without escape. Morgana advanced slowly, snapping her fingers before pinching his cheeks with merciless precision.
"Ow! Ow, ow! Sorry, sorry!" Percy squealed, flailing his arms and legs like a fish out of water.
Harry doubled over laughing, barely able to stay upright.
Sally watched the scene, shaking her head, both amused and resigned. Then she turned her eyes back to Morgana, murmuring quietly, as if all the suspicions in her mind had finally been confirmed:
"I knew it…"