Willow stared out her bedroom window, Achelous and Iris making a racket on the bed behind her. The wind blew in a cool summer morning breeze, gently rustling the leaves outside and making her curtains flutter as if on a slow-motion camera. She sighed inwardly. It was only the third day away from Hogwarts, and already she was feeling depressed and lost. The events leading up to the last week at Hogwarts didn't help. She kept having nightmares, which was no different than it had been before she went to Hogwarts, but this time, there were more horrors than just her mother waiting for her in dreams. Now there was Voldemort, Professor Quirrel, and the stricken faces of her friends as they were dying at their hands. She had refused to sleep for the past twenty-four hours, fearing the darkness that was awaiting her. It was taking its toll. Maybe if she was tired enough, the dreams would stay away...
"Willow, are you awake yet?" a voice said.
"I'm always awake at this time, Tío Cisco," Willow replied.
"Come on, then. There's no good holing yourself up in your room if the rest of your family is already up," he said.
"What do you- oh, I forgot, you guys all wake up early, too," Willow said. "Sorry, I'm used to my roommates needing to be dragged out of bed just to make it to breakfast. I'll be right out."
Willow quickly got dressed and made it down the stairs, not bothering to run. She was quite exhausted. Her family was working together to make breakfast, and it was only seven in the morning. Willow smiled to herself. She missed being surrounded by early risers. Her uncles were always pestering her dad about getting up late, even though he got up at the regular time of eight on the weekends. Willow's uncles, Cisco and Leonel, had come to visit. They weren't married- despite their dashing looks- and liked it that way. The two acted like twins even though they aren't, staying attached at the hip, finishing each other's sentences, traveling the world together, and even working the same job. They were both older than Carlos and loved to check in on him and Willow from time to time. No matter how much Willow's mother had torn her side of the family apart, the Guerrero side remained intact and would stay very tight with each other forever.
"You better be hungry, Willow, because we made a ton of eggs and bacon," Tío Leonel remarked, sauteing the eggs in a frying pan as he spoke. "And you know how Abeula is, always making sure you eat right. Best not to cross her."
"I'll try to summon an appetite," Willow yawned.
"Geez, sobrina, I thought you were a bundle of energy in the morning," Tío Cisco said. "Either I'm remembering wrong or you've gotten lazy because of Hogwarts."
"I think it's more the fact that she didn't sleep last night, isn't it, Willow?" Abuela asked, raising a suspicious eyebrow at her granddaughter. "Don't lie to me. The circles under your eyes are too obvious, nieta."
"Alright, alright, I promise I'll sleep later," Willow promised. A fresh wave of energy washed over her when she smelled bread being toasted and buttered. "How many pieces of toast am I allowed to have?"
"Is that even a question?" Carlos chuckled.
Willow helped pour everyone milk and set the table. Before long, Iris was chirping in agitation and Achelous was bouncing up and down, both demanding Willow's attention as she downed two pieces of toast in the same minute. Abuelo noticed.
"You have way too much of your father in you. I see that you spoil your pets frequently."
"Oh, just a scrap every now and then," Willow said.
"You're such a liar."
"Okay, maybe every week...or every day?"
"Hey, as long as Iris doesn't refuse to carry your mail anymore, it's all good," Tío Cisco said.
"Actually, I don't need her to contact all of my friends, just some of them," Willow said. "A few of my friends made me a name tag that actually serves as a face-to-face contacting system. I'll have to show you it sometime."
"It sounds like you made some very good friends, then," Tío Leonel observed. "Are they all in your House?"
"Mainly. I've made friends with five people outside Gryffindor- three in Ravenclaw, one in Hufflepuff, and one in Slytherin. Oh, and I have a few Gryffindor friends that are two years older than me. I can thank Ron for that."
"You've really made a Slytherin friend?" Abuela gasped. "I've heard nothing but awful tales about those witches and wizards. Nothing but deceit and treachery. Are there any decent folk that come out of Slytherin?"
"If you ask anyone else, no, but according to me, yes, there are actually a handful of good people in Slytherin," Willow said. She swallowed nervously, wondering if they wouldn't approve. "Do you know anyone from Slytherin?"
"Yes, and they're the only family we've met in person," Carlos said. "When we first moved here and went to the Ministry, actually. They're a nasty lot. I can't stand them and their pureblood mania...They're the Malfoys."
Willow nearly choked on her eggs. "Um...have you heard anything else about them, at all?"
"There's been talk of Lucius being a part of that gang of Death Eaters, but there's no solid proof," Tío Cisco said. "Pity. He's an absolutely insufferable git. I can't imagine what his poor son must go through on a daily basis."
"I'm sure he's fine, being treated to the best and filled with all that propaganda," Abuelo said bitterly. "He probably can't tell right from wrong at this point."
"He can," Willow burst out, then immediately regretted it. Her defensiveness earned her some odd stares from her family members. She wished she could become invisible, hating the uncomfortable situation. When would she learn to keep her mouth shut?
"What do you mean? Do you know this boy?" Tío Leonel asked.
"He is in Willow's year, last I checked," Carlos said.
"Hold on a second..." Abuela said, her brown eyes shifting like a kaleidoscope as her brain worked through the small details. "You said you were friends with a Slytherin...Please don't tell me Draco is the youngster you've befriended?"
Willow winced, but felt obliged to tell the truth. "Unfortunately, yes."
"But...how could you be friends- let alone acquaint yourself- with someone like Draco?" Tío Cisco questioned. "I thought you had high standards for your friends. How could he meet even the lowest bar?"
"I- I don't know, actually," Willow admitted. "My other friends have been asking me the same thing all year. They keep wondering why I allow him to make up with me after our fights and continue our friendship. I wonder myself, sometimes, but I've come to the conclusion that it's because I'm trying to help him."
"So it's a pity friendship? Thank God," Tío Leonel concluded.
"No, it's not quite that," Willow corrected.
"Then how are you helping this boy?" Abuelo inquired.
"Well..." she trailed off. "I think it's because I see the good in him, and almost exclusively that. He has such a beautiful personality hidden under all of that mania his parents bury him in. Draco is a good friend some of the time, and others he's a downright bully. But I think I've made some progress with him. We only had one big fight, really, and it was all over within the day-"
"What do you mean by 'big fight'?" Abuela asked, her eyes critical and piercing.
Willow cursed internally. "I mean that he started a fist fight with my friends, so I joined in because I was mad at him, and I hit him pretty hard after he gave me a nice bruise, but it's fine. We're past it now. I didn't sustain any major injuries throughout the course of the year because of Draco."
"As long as you're sure..."Tío Cisco said. "Just be wary of any Malfoy, Willow. He might only be friends with you because of your blood status. I don't want you to be let down again."
Willow nodded, remembering how many Muggle children had pretended to be friends with her, only for her to figure out that they were using her smarts or her money to get what they wanted. "That thought has crossed my mind. I don't think he cares too much about that anymore, but that definitely helped start up our friendship."
"Who are we kidding, Willow can help herself," Abuelo said. "She's stood up to enough people to last a lifetime. I've never known her to back down or let people walk all over her. If she thinks she can handle a rocky friendship, so be it. Willow's young yet. She can figure this out for herself without our interfering."
Her grandfather winked at her. Willow smiled, thankful that at least one person seated around the table believed in her. The rest nodded in agreement, though stiffly, as if they were still not satisfied with Willow's answers. She was known for being extremely kind, after all. But they would get over it. Willow hoped she was correct in that assumption.
"Well, the day's young, yet," Carlos announced, swiftly changing the subject. "What do you want to do today? There's lots of parks and zoos nearby. I think there might even be a soccer game going on."
"Futbol, dear brother, futbol," Tío Leonel chortled. "You need to start saying it right, or Willow's never going to be understood."
"It's okay, I don't understand what I'm rambling on about half the time, either," Willow said.
"How about we visit the London Zoo?" Abuela suggested. "I haven't been there in at least a decade."
"London Zoo it is, then," Carlos decided. "Everyone in the car, we can't Apparate and scare the Muggles. Keep you wands hidden, and for Merlin's sake, Cisco, don't confuse the Muggles just to entertain Willow."
"Aw, man, please? Just one time?" Tío Cisco begged.
"No, and that's an order," Abuelo said. "We are not going back to the Ministry to explain why a fountain exploded in the middle of a popular tourist plaza only to have water horses chasing innocent Muggles!"
"You have to admit, that was a good one."
"No means no, hermano," Tío Leonel said, though he still wore a mischievous grin with a twinkle in his eye. "Let's get going, then, because I can't stand the traffic in London."
Less than an hour later, the Guerreros were walking to the front gates of the London Zoo, equipped with hats and water bottles. Their wands remained hidden from the hundreds of Muggles pouring into the zoo. After paying, the group made their way through the crowding walkways to the giraffe exhibit. The gentle creatures were slowly grazing in the already hot morning sun. Their beautiful brown-spotted patterns attracted Willow's eyes. She traced every single one of them, for some reason entranced with the animals' beauty. Their long, skinny legs were at least twice her size, but Willow knew better than to presume that they were slow. On the contrary, she had seen them run the last time she visited the zoo. A new vet was trying to catch one of the females for a yearly checkup. Willow and several others present had looked on while the giraffe sprinted away in fear, running circles around the enclosure for nearly a half hour. The same giraffe was present today. Whether it was because of her powers or because she recognized the markings, Willow didn't know.
"Come on, sobrina, you can't stare at the giraffes all day," Tío Cisco chortled, pulling his niece away from the exhibit. "There's plenty of other animals that should capture your interest."
Willow followed her uncle, as though in a trance, to the lion enclosure, then the zebra one, and finally to the rhinoceros. The heavy grey animals were attracting lots of attention. Willow and her family had to fight through a throng of onlookers to even reach the plaque describing the situation with rhinos in their natural habitat and the zoo's conservation research they'd done throughout the years. When she finally looked up again, her family had left her side and was standing directly in front of the viewing area.
"Ouch," Willow complained, rubbing her head. It was one of those weird electrical signals again.
"Ah, those powers of yours are getting quite strong, are they not?" Abuelo whispered to her. "You can sense that one of the rhinos is not like the others."
Willow glanced at her grandfather, then at the rhinos. All of a sudden, one of them caught her eye. Her eyes darted in that direction. Another flicker. Willow's mouth slightly dropped open when she realized that she was not looking at a rhino.
"Is that- what even is that thing?"
"Very good. That, Willow, is an erumpent," Carlos explained. "The London Zoo has a mix of magical people and Muggles working behind the scenes, so the Ministry has allowed some species to be kept here, disguised as similar Muggle animals, for conservation purposes. Only a trained eye can spot the difference. They put some powerful masking spells on them."
"Sometimes my powers scare me," Willow said, staring wide-eyed at the creature.
"Well, you better get used to it, because we're going to have a nice chat about saying things about them in public once we get home," Abuela said. She gave both of her sons a look that would have made Willow shrink in fear had it been aimed at her. "Let's get out of the public eye. I've got a special treat for us, and I think Willow will thoroughly enjoy it."
Abuela lead her family off the main path. They found a small sidewalk leading away from the crowded walkway and towards the heart of the zoo. Willow's ears relaxed as they got farther and farther away from the harsh racket of thousands of Muggles, naturally tuning into more minuscule sounds. Hundreds of city birds flocked to this inner part of the zoo, shielded by the thick canopy of trees that provided plenty of room for their nests. Willow had always marveled at how intelligent city birds were compared to the birds of the countryside. They always managed to recognize the food potential of places that had a high concentration of humans and gathered there, then charmed humans into feeding them instead of shying away like they usually did. Willow blinked as she realized that she had analyzed birds for no reason. She was probably the only person that did that.
Willow nearly bumped into Tío Cisco when the group suddenly stopped. She cursed at herself quietly for being such an idiot, then brushed away her thoughts to look up at a wooden gate. A single, simple design was painted on it. For a moment, Willow wondered why anyone would bother to paint a ratty old hat on a gate, then recognized it as the Sorting Hat.
"What the- " she started.
"Yes, Willow, that's the Sorting Hat," Abuelo explained. "This path that we're on is magically disguised so that Muggles can't see it. There's a lot more to this zoo than there seems."
"Shut up!" Abuela hissed. "I'm trying to remember the pattern. What was it...oh! I've got it."
Willow watched as Abuela knocked on the gate in a sort of rhythm. It immediately swung open to reveal an older man dressed in wizarding robes. Abuela smiled and embraced the man, who laughed as she did so.
"Anita, it's been so long," the man said. "Too long, actually. How has your family been?"
"We've been well, thanks," Abuela replied. "And how have you been? I've heard mixed reports about the well-being of those demiguises. Last I checked, you were in charge of them, but I could be mistaken."
"Oh, I still am, and they're doing wonderfully," the man assured. "We've actually got a few babies at the moment. Would you like to come and see?"
"I wouldn't miss the opportunity if someone offered me a million galleons."
Abuela and the man lead the way inside the gate and shut it behind them. At first, the sunlight was almost blinding, but the moment her eyes adjusted to it, Willow's jaw hit the floor.
They had arrived at the wizarding section of the London Zoo. Exhibits stretched on either side of a single, wide, concrete walkway as far as Willow's eyes could see, and she had good eyesight. The gate at the opposite end was barely within her vision. Witches and wizards dressed in special robes ran here and there, Apparating out of thin air, carrying bags of food, hay bales, medicine, small magical creatures, and so much more that Willow hoped to learn about in the future. Winged creatures that ranged from the size of her palm to a Thunderbird took to the sky without restraint and enjoyed a flight in the mid day sun. One wizard was taking a break in a lawn chair, allowing a band of bowtruckles to lay across his stomach. Nearby, a team of witches struggled to lead a massive gray animal across the aisle to a medical station. It groaned and stubbornly pulled against them, apparently aware of the pokes and prods it was about to receive.
"Ah, don't worry about that Graphorn," the man said, seeing the look on Willow's face. "That big guy is named Albert. He's a stubborn old mule, but he's never attacked anyone. Today's his medicine day for the arthritis he's getting in his joints. As you can tell, he hates how it tastes."
Willow giggled. "He's amazing. This entire place is amazing. How did I not know it was right here all along?"
"Because our bullheaded brother wouldn't tell you for fear that you'd run off to live here," Tío Leonel said. "Honestly, he may have had a point. We might have to drag you out of here."
"You definitely will."
"Here we are," the man announced, stopping in front of a particularly large exhibit. "This is where my demiguises live. They're incredibly shy, mind you, especially with their young. It might be hard to spot them."
Willow focused her eyes on the enclosure. The jungle trees were well spaced to let plenty of light in, which meant there might be a shadow. But as hard as she looked, there were none. She gave up and let her life-detecting senses find them. When she stepped closer to the glass wall, her brain fired like it never had before. Willow rubbed her head.
"Here's one," she wheezed, putting her hand up against the glass.
Like she had undone an invisibility spell, a single hand appeared, and soon the rest of a demiguise. Its silky gray hair glowed with a sort of powerful curiosity that Willow could sense emanating from the enclosure. The demiguise's black eyes studied her with an intelligence she assumed to be nearly the same as her own. More of the creatures began appearing farther back in the exhibit and slowly crawled towards them. Willow had a feeling her presence was drawing them towards her.
"Well done, young one," the man said, patting her on the back. "You have good eyes. Demiguises are particularly tricky to spot, even here in captivity. They can come so close to being completely invisible that even Newt Scamander has one sneak up on him from time to time. Come on, they're interested now. They won't thank me later if I don't let you into their home."
Willow turned to the man with wide eyes. "You're going to let us in?"
"Of course," he said. "They're right friendly creatures. Completely harmless, especially the females. They're quite nurturing, actually." He opened a door to the right of the viewing glass. "Come along, right this way."
Willow walked through the door as if in a trance. The air immediately drenched her in heavy moisture, and the change in temperature was a shock. But she didn't notice any of that for once. Willow didn't stop with the rest of her family to take the habitat in, or even ask a question or two about how they fed the animals. She simply made her way into the middle of the enclosure. There was no need to make sure she was moving slow enough; she was so awestruck that she was surprised she could move at all. The demiguises shuffled towards her, surrounding her in a sort of arc. Her family and the caretaker fell silent. Willow could hear the buzzing of insects and the twitter of a few tropical birds, the running of a small stream deeper into the trees, and most of all, the hammering of her own heart. She stopped, slowly lowered herself to the ground, and waited for one of the silvery creatures to come to her.
The first one to come forward was the demiguise that had touched the glass. It inched cautiously forward, its black, merciful eyes nothing like Quirrel's. Willow could see the emotion, the brilliance, the tenderness in them. This was a creature with a soul much like her own. It stopped right in front of her, assessing her face, then reached out to touch her nose. Willow smiled and very nearly cried. The demiguise tried to beam back at her the best it could, as if imitating her. She giggled at its goofy face. Then, very gently, the demiguise wrapped its arms around her neck and hung there, staring into her eyes. Willow laughed when it offered her a banana.
"Don't look now, Willow, but you've made a lot of friends," Carlos called.
Glancing away from the demiguise hanging on her, Willow realized that all of the demiguises had crept closer and were now holding out bananas in her direction. She had an audience, apparently. Not knowing what else to do, she took a few of their banana offerings, wondering what she should do next, when a baby demiguise smashed one in her face. Willow froze, hoping that it wasn't a sign of aggression. She waited a single heartbeat. Nothing. Then another. Not a soul moved. All eyes were on her, as if anticipating her to react. Willow flicked a tiny bit of smashed banana back on the baby demiguise. As if that were a signal, an all-out food fight began.
The demiguises threw fruit at each other from across the jungle floor, seemingly laughing and smiling as they played. Babies tackled each other and flicked the peels at adults. Their silver fur was soon covered in a mushy yellow. Willow looked back at the caretaker and her family, raising an eyebrow in question.
"Go ahead, join in!" the man urged. "They love to do this with visitors!"
Willow didn't need to be told twice. She launched several bananas at the demiguises, causing them to pelt her with five more. Willow couldn't have cared less. She let the demiguises crawl all over her, getting a better vantage point. Every time she found a banana peel, she would place it over a baby's face, giggling uncontrollably as they tried to figure their way out of it. The adults were foreseeing the future and rapidly dodging blows Willow didn't even know were coming. They kept shifting between invisible and visible, too, making for an interesting game. By the time all of the bananas were gone, there wasn't a single demiguise that wasn't covered in yellow.
"Alright, Phoebe, that's enough," the caretaker chortled. "Wipe that piece of banana out of your eyes and lead everyone to wash off in the river. Yes, you heard me, go on! You're capable of washing yourself."
The demiguise that had touched the glass scowled at her caretaker, then flicked a bit of banana on him before climbing a tree. She hollered at the top of her lungs, as if announcing something, then dropped to the floor again and walked deeper into the exhibit. The entire community of demiguises followed her.
"Do they have a social hierarchy, sort of like chimpanzees?" Willow asked.
"Nah, they just have a leader, and everyone else below her is equal," the caretaker explained. "Demiguises don't usually have a leader in the wild, but in captivity, we need the smartest one to help herd the others as necessary. It happens that Phoebe is also the most curious of the group. Fitting, really, because she's too smart for her own good, always picking up on things that get her in trouble, like how to get out of the exhibit."
"She's amazing," Willow breathed. She wiped off a bit of banana that dripped in her eye. "How did you get all of these magical creatures? I've never seen this many in my life, and I've been to a lot of places."
"They're rescued, every single one of them," the man said. "Most of the time, when a magical creature's habitat is threatened, we're sent in to find all of the groups in the biggest danger. We try to rescue, rehabilitate, and release, but some just won't make it out there, and we need to keep them in the breeding program for conservation efforts. This particular group of demiguises was nearly dead by the time we got to them. We made it back here just in time to save the lot. The London Zoo is the only place in the wizarding world that keeps magical creatures in captivity, and we've got the best medical team this century's ever seen. There's a lot of devoted people here."
"We all worked here when we first moved to Britain," Tío Leonel said. "But after Mum and Dad retired, the Ministry had more openings for the Magical Creatures department, and all three of us boys went there. We've been regretting it ever since."
Willow's dad elbowed his brother in the stomach. "We're fine. The Ministry needs at least three people that look out for the creatures more than their pocketbooks in our department. Besides, it looks like you've already got many wonderful people here, Perry."
Perry beamed. "We do, but it's never too late to come back. Extra help is always appreciated."
"Especially with cleaning the exhibits, I see," Abuela joked. "It's a disaster zone! I say Willow comes here just to clean up after these guys."
"I say that I keep going to Hogwarts!" Willow protested. She flicked another banana peel off her head.
"You're an absolute mess!" Tío Cisco exclaimed. "But it was well worth it, wasn't it? You looked like you were having the time of your life out there."
"Here, I can wash you off with the hose," the caretaker offered. "I keep one on the off chance that someone food-fights with them, which isn't really an off chance at all, considering how often they do this."
"Thanks, Mr. Perry," Willow said. She sprayed the bananas off of her clothes. As she did so, the demiguises began returning from the stream, sopping wet but happy nevertheless. The babies scaled her legs the moment she put the hose away. A few fought for space on her head while the rest found spots on her shoulders and arms, causing a fit of laughter from her family.
"I love you guys, too," Willow chuckled.
The adult demiguises lumbered over to the group, pulling on hands, begging to be petted and given the utmost attention. Willow chortled as her dad was dragged every which way, bouncing from demiguise to demiguise like a pinball. Perry had at least ten demiguises picking through his hair for bugs and leaves, and the rest of her family simply became climbing gyms for the funny creatures. She sat down and let the adults comb her, too, while the babies playfully nibbled her fingers and tackled each other. Willow couldn't remember being happier in her life.
Their time was up too soon. The clock struck twelve, and with it the demiguises had to go for feeding time. They longingly glanced back as they departed, some trying to mimic the waving of the Guerreros. Phoebe was the last one to leave. She grabbed Willow's hand and flattened it out against hers, as if saying goodbye the same way she said hello, then scampered after her family into the trees. Willow wished she could go with them, but if she stayed any longer, she knew she wouldn't have the heart to leave. She dejectedly followed the rest of her family out of the enclosure and waited as Perry locked the door.
"Well, that was sure something," Tío Leonel remarked. "I've never seen demiguises that friendly."
"They've developed a love for humans after we rescued them," Perry said, shrugging. "I can't say I blame them. I would love anyone that rescues me from certain death, too."
"No argument there. Thank you so much, Perry," Abuela said, hugging the caretaker. "It was awesome to see you again- and your demiguises."
"I'd have to say the same."
"I'll see you another time, then. Good luck with the rest of your career! I'd better not hear any bad reports!"
"And to you, too, Anita! I'll treat them like family," Perry promised as they walked away.
Willow lingered a moment longer, staring into the viewing glass, hoping to see Phoebe again, but ended up tearing herself away. She had to leave. Maybe after Hogwarts, she could come work here. School comes first. Willow ran to catch up to her family.
"Where are we going now?" she asked as she caught up, trying to distract herself.
"We're going on a behind-the-scenes adventure for the Muggle part of the London zoo," Carlos explained. "Do you see the gates at the other end? When you go out those, you appear at the entryway to the tiger exhibit. Basically, every time you leave this way, you get a free pass to visit the tigers. It's really cool. The Muggle zookeepers don't have a clue."
"Awesome!"
The Guerreros made it to the gate. Another depiction of the Sorting Hat was painted on it. Abuela grabbed six passes out of a bin next to the gate, then opened it and let the rest of her family through.
Willow had to do a double take. One moment, she was staring at a pathway through the trees, the next, she was standing at the top of a flight of stairs. Glancing around, she found that the tiger exhibit was to her right, an in-ground pit with a wide open space on one side and a tree-covered area on the other. A throng of Muggles gathered in front of a glass viewing area, staring down at the animals. She had to hand it to whoever designed this enclosure- it allowed people to view the tigers while leaving them alone. The tigers appeared relaxed and unfazed by the crowd up above. A thin black net surrounded the top and sides like a dome, preventing birds and people from falling in. It was very well-designed.
"Ah, here's the next round," a voice echoed from below
Willow looked down to see a beaming man dressed in a zookeeper's uniform walking up the steps to greet them. Abuela beckoned for her and the rest of the family to meet him halfway. He stopped, took Abuela's tickets, and put them in his back pocket.
"Alright! Follow me down here, where we keep everything for the tigers."
Willow really did try her best to pay attention during the tour, but she couldn't. Her mind kept wandering back to Phoebe's longing gaze as she galloped away. The demiguise had already stolen her heart, and a piece of her was left behind at that enclosure. Willow knew she would go mental if she kept thinking about them, but she couldn't help it, like she was meant to care about them so much.
Suddenly, something broke Willow's train of thought. She noticed they were right behind the bar doors that lead into the tiger's exhibit. The view from down here was different, much more defined. She could see the tigers much closer from this position, trace every stripe with her eyes, even tell the color of theirs. But that wasn't what had her attention. It was something from above. Her eyes found it immediately, and when they did, Willow gasped.
A boy, around three years old, was climbing the netting. His innocent eyes were locked on a broken part of the covering. He was trying to get into the tiger pit! He could fall! Willow's heart rate spiked. She had to do something!
"Willow, what are you doing? Are you even paying attention?" Abuela asked. "There's this amazing method they have to feed them, you should really hear about it- "
"I'm really, really, sorry about this!" Willow apologized in advance.
"What- ?"
Before they could stop her, Willow lunged for the ring of keys on a hook next to the door. She scrambled to find the right one, then fit it in the keyhole and turned it. The handle finally obliged and let her swing the door open. She stepped into the tiger pit, her sight trained on the boy, who was just starting to make his way through the hole. Her entire family realized what she was about to do.
"Willow, no! Stop!" Carlos commanded.
"You're going to get killed!" Abuelo warned.
Willow didn't listen to them, filtering out their warnings. She sprinted past the zookeepers, who immediately screamed after her to stop, and towards the netting where the boy was dangling by a single leg. The tigers noticed her sudden movement and trotted after her in curiosity. She couldn't have cared less. The boy gasped when his foot came loose and he fell, plummeting towards the rocks below. Willow's eardrums shattered as the gathering crowd above screamed.
"He's going to break something!"
"My son!"
"Someone help him!"
"Willow, come back!" Tío Leonel called.
Willow pretended she didn't hear him. The boy was halfway down already. She wasn't going to make it in time! He rocketed towards the ground, every millisecond getting closer to impending doom. Willow wanted to cry as he was merely two meters above the ground while she was ten away.
All of a sudden, Willow's muscles pulsed. A familiar electrical energy flowed through her. Her heart seized in her throat when she realized what was happening.
No! No, no, NO! I can't shape-shift here! she screamed into her mind.
The voice lady didn't answer. Willow closed her eyes and prepared for the worst, accepting the damage that she was about to cause.
But it never happened.
Willow's muscles sprang forward of their own accord, pouncing with all the strength of a panther. She gasped when she felt herself hit something solid and tumble head-over-heels onto a hard surface. Her head scrambled, scattering all the wits she thought she had left. Then, she hit the wall and stopped rolling.
"Willow, get up!" Tío Cisco shrieked.
She groaned, releasing her grip on the shaking boy beneath her. He flopped onto the rocks, trembling in terror. When he opened his mouth, no sound came out, instead silently screaming.
"Willow, get up!" Abuelo shouted.
Dizzy and completely disoriented, Willow shakily rose to her feet, wobbling as she did so. She was met with cheers from the onlookers above. All that did was rattle her broken eardrums more, making it harder to concentrate. Her arm shot out on the wall to steady herself.
"The tigers, Willow, the tigers!" Carlos warned.
Somehow, through the thick fog clouding her head, the message got through. Willow glanced up to see four tigers slowly inching closer to her. But their eyes weren't on her. They were trained on their next meal- the boy.
Willow's mind was shocked into working order by a wave of adrenaline that slapped her across the face. The tigers were getting dangerously close now, within ten meters, and still getting closer. She tensed up, freezing under the weight of the situation. What was she to do? These were four very powerful, aggressive predators that would eat her as soon as use her for bait. How could she defend herself and the boy?
"Use them, Willow! You have no other choice!" Abuela shrilled.
Listen to your grandmother, you idiot! the voice lady scolded. Have you already forgotten about you abilities?
Right, sorry! On it!
Willow picked up the young boy in her arms. He tried to say something. All that came out was a strangled choking noise that reminded Willow of someone who was drowning- in this case, in fear. A hush fell over the scene as onlookers watched the situation unfold.
"Get back," Willow commanded, her eyes locked on the lead tiger. "You heard me. Get back."
The tigers froze, as if unsure how to respond. Willow took advantage of their indecision and gained a few paces towards the opening where the zookeepers were trying to get the tigers' attention. She gulped when one of the tigers licked their chops.
"I said get back," Willow repeated. "This is not food. He tastes bad."
The tigers didn't seem to think so. They stared hungrily at the shivering boy, as if he were a juicy piece of steak cooked just for them. Willow felt anger bubbling up in her when they got closer.
I said GET BACK!
But...
Willow would have slapped her hand over her mouth if she had a free one. Did she just...telepathically connect with a tiger? She didn't remember speaking inside her head...or did she?
So...hungry...
No! Get back! Human, not food! Willow shouted. She nearly jumped out of her skin when the tiger responded.
Smells like food though...
Willow kept inching away from the beasts, backing up towards the zookeepers. The tigers would always close the distance, though, and they wouldn't take their beady eyes off the little boy.
Go away!
Hungry...
Willow had enough by that point in time. She was sick and tired of the tigers not listening to her. How could they not listen and still target the boy? He wasn't anywhere close to meat!
Listen to me RIGHT NOW! Willow screamed at the tigers. They paused in the tracking. Back. Up. NOW.
The tigers lowered their heads, but, despite their agitated growling, took a few steps backwards. They still stared at the little boy in Willow's arms. It didn't do much to settle her fluttering stomach.
Sit down.
But-
NOW!
The tigers started chuffing, though it wasn't in a very friendly manner. Willow back peddled even faster now. Her pulse raced, the blood pounded in her ears, her heart hammered against her ribs. She was so close to her family. Only a few more meters and she would be there. Very carefully, Willow turned her back to hand the toddler to the zookeepers. The very moment she did, the tigers sprang at him, startling the zookeepers. Her heart stopped when she saw the boy get dropped amidst the chaos. There was only one solution that sprang into her mind.
"Dad, catch!" Willow shouted.
Before he could ask questions, she tossed the boy to her father, who stumbled into Cisco under the weight of the toddler. Willow felt the hot breath of the tigers on her heels as they tried to pass her and reach the boy.
They never got there.
Among gasps from the Muggle audience, Willow threw her entire body into the tigers' paths. They stumbled, fell, and tumbled into each other. Before they could get back up, she did something ridiculously stupid that Willow knew she would regret later. She took one gate in each hand and slammed them shut.
Locking her in with the tigers.
Willow turned and fled from the pile of tigers before they could change their menu to her. She scrambled on top of the nearest rock pile, narrowly avoiding a pile of poop. The tigers nipped at each other's heels for a second. Then, noticing her standing in the middle of their exhibit, they bounded over to where she was, surrounding her on all four sides.
"Willow! What are you doing?" Tío Leonel shouted.
"The boy is safe! Come back!" Abuelo called.
"I'm a bit preoccupied at the moment!" Willow croaked.
The tigers proceeded to pad towards her, enveloping her in a deadly circle. They got closer and closer each second. The crowd was now screaming, calling for help, hysterical with fear. Willow tried to steady her heartbeat. She shouldn't be afraid. These were animals, and with her powers, they wouldn't hurt her. But she couldn't shape-shift. Willow bit her lip, realizing that she would have to rely on her new telepathic abilities to talk them down.
Don't you dare touch me, Willow spat.
Powerful...aura...not food... the tigers thought.
What were they sensing? Did they know she had special powers? Maybe that was why they had gotten only a meter away and hadn't pounced yet. She hoped she was right.
If you touch me, I'll hurt you, Willow threatened.
Please, no, don't hurt us!
Willow blinked. They took her threat seriously. Maybe they would listen to her...
Stop where you are. Don't move.
Should we listen?
Is she the One?
She might hurt us if we don't listen!
Stay in place!
The tigers stopped, intently awaiting her further instructions. After waiting a few extra moments to make sure they were frozen in place, Willow breathed a sigh of relief. She took that as her cue to get a move on. Willow sprinted to the gate and knocked on the doors, glancing over her shoulder to make sure the tigers were staying put. They hadn't moved a muscle.
"Quickly, where's the keys?" Abuela barked. A zookeeper handed her the key ring. The gate was unlocked in record time, and Willow slammed the bars shut behind her, sealing the tigers inside. Sinking to the floor, she panted hard, barely telling the tigers they were free to go. Everyone present stared at her with wide, shocked eyes.
"Just another day at the zoo," Willow wheezed, causing a few smiles to go around the room.
"My son! Where is my son?"
A frantic-looking father nearly crashed into Willow's dad as he skidded to a stop. He spotted the toddler in Carlos's arms and scooped him up. The boy began to cry tears of joy, burying his face into his dad's shoulder. A tear leaked out of his eye, too.
"Well, I suppose you deserve quite the thank you, Miss Guerrero," one of the zookeepers said. "Without your quick actions, we might have had to put down a few tigers tonight."
"Yes, thank you, thank you so much for saving my son!" the father exclaimed, shaking Willow's hand. "I don't know how to possibly repay you for this."
"The best way to repay me is by making sure your son is okay," Willow said. "He's had quite the traumatizing experience. Treat him to ice cream, maybe?"
"I will. Thank you, thank you, thank you!" the father cried, walking down the hall and back into the guest part of the zoo. The entire room turned to Willow.
"That was very grown up of you, Willow," Tío Cisco remarked. "Brother, you've raised a very wonderful young lady."
Carlos reddened a bit. "I can't take all the credit. Bravery in the spur of the moment is something you can't teach, it's something you learn. Willow is how she is today because of herself."
"Now I see where she gets all of her proverbial sayings," Tío Leonel commented.
"Well, I'd say that pretty well wraps up our behind-the-scenes experience for today," Abuela said, swiftly switching the focus. "Thanks, guys. This is a very well-run zoo, and I'd say the tigers are in top condition. We won't be giving any bad reviews."
"Thank you, but I don't think that's going to stop the others from reporting to the news," the second zookeeper sighed. "It's not for you to worry about, though. That's our burden to deal with and sort out."
"Very well. Good day to you, sirs," Abuelo said.
"Enjoy the rest of yours."
The Guerreros made their way up the back hallway and back onto the main path. Willow was in a slight daze, still trying to process what just happened. She had revealed yet another part of her powers. Telepathically talking to tigers was not what she thought the highlight of her zoo trip would be. Nonetheless, it was kind of cool. Willow fleetingly wondered how many animals she could have conversations with.
Her mind kept wandering back to the stricken father's face as he watched his son falling into the tiger pit, then the immediate and complete relief that washed over it when he carried his son away. She had done that. Somehow, in the depths of her crazy, backwards, unorganized mind, she realized that her stupidly brave reaction saved a life. The boy would have been mauled before hundreds of Muggles had she not jumped into action right away. Willow almost stopped short, feeling like she had received a sharp blow in the stomach, then covered it up by pretending to trip and running after her family, who was hurrying away into the crowd at a fast walk.
"Where are we going to fast?" she asked her uncle.
"If we don't hurry away from here, then your audience will swarm you," Tío Cisco explained, his eyes darting from side to side. "The Muggle press could get involved, and if this gets out, your powers could be dangerously close to being revealed."
Willow gulped. "I think it's too late."
Cisco glanced where his niece was pointing, saw the other four family members already being surrounded by a group of Muggles, gave Willow a certain look, and jumped in to create a path to his brother. He made a racket, unnecessarily saying loud things that had nothing to do with the rescue. At first, Willow took a few steps towards him, thinking that he wanted her to follow, then recognized the whole show as a diversion to take the attention away from her. The rest of her family caught on and followed suit, yelling things out at the top of their lungs and leading the curious crowd away from Willow, back towards the tiger pit. But it could only last so long. With a jolt, Willow stealthily crept along the edges of the pathway, towards the front of the park. She was almost out of view when a little girl shrilled, "There she is! That girl that jumped into the tiger pit!"
Willow froze, slowly turned, and started backing away when the crowd flooded towards her. She desperately tried to make eye contact with her family, but only caught a glimpse of their distraught faces before those of Muggles' covered them up. Willow's heart rate spiked to an unsafe level as she was suddenly faced with hundreds of Muggles screaming for her attention.
"How did you do it?"
"What made you decide to take action so quickly?"
"Are you experienced working with tigers?"
Willow very carefully began backing away from the crowd, overwhelmed by their onslaught of questions and demands for answers to them. She almost yelped when she heard someone calling the local news. If she didn't get out of there, and fast, it could be all over for her.
"Willow! We're over here!"
"Let us through! We're her family!"
"Dad! Abuela!" Willow called in their direction. She still couldn't see them. The Muggles were starting to invade her personal space now, faces excited and way too close. She wished she cold share their excitement about being in the spotlight, but with everything that was at risk, and the small (actually big) fact that she was shy, she was downright terrified. Willow back-peddled a little faster with each passing second.
"Were you scared?"
"What was the first thing the boy said to you?"
"What did his father have to say to you?"
Willow was in full-on panic mode. She could hear the blood roaring in her ears, her heart pumped too fast, and she started hyperventilating. Of course, when she was faced with four tigers, she was barely even scared, but now when she was faced with a huge crowd, she was shaking in her boots. Willow again tried to find her family but couldn't find them over the sea of humanity. The Muggles didn't seem to notice the fear written all over her face. They only continued to press her with questions and forced her to back up further and further. Willow's senses went into overdrive, acting up her powers. She could hear every little sound the animals in the nearby exhibit were making, smell the food they were eating, see their individual markings. If she took her focus off of the animals, she would certainly pass out. Willow made a final attempt to control her breathing.
Every last ounce of oxygen left her lungs in one big rush when she felt to wall against her back.
Willow gasped and nearly choked on her own air. She frantically glanced to her left and right, only to see that she was trapped against a wall that marked an edge of the zoo. The Muggles pressed closer and closer, determined to get information out of her. Willow lost the ability to control how fast she was breathing. Her chest was so tight and painful that she thought it would kill her. The last straw didn't come then, though. Of course not. The last straw was when Willow felt a small tendril wrapping itself around her leg. Her blood froze solid in her veins. There wouldn't even need to be any news reporters now. Her powers were revealing themselves.
The more scared she got, the higher the plant grew. A few Muggles started pointing and whispering among themselves. Willow hoped it was her imagination when she saw ivy tendrils snaking up the sides of the walls around her. They started to wrap themselves around unsuspecting Muggles' ankles. She was done for. All it would take is a single Muggle to photograph her powers at work and she was exposed to both worlds, a lab rat to test, naked under their burning gazes. She was finished.
Willow's panic had turned into hysteria already. The Muggles' faces were contorting themselves into Voldemort's, his red, gleaming eyes hungrily thirsting for her blood, his papery thin lips parting just to let out evil cackling at her fetal position. Then, they shifted into Quirrel's maniacal face, his animal-like, black-as-coal eyes showing no mercy, only wrath, purely evil as the snap of her wand being broken was replayed over and over in her mind, magnified to ten times what it should have been. The final form they took, worst of all, was the troll's bloody face, his eyes dull and menacing. Willow covered her mouth as the guilt flooded over her. She was no better than Quirrel. She was an animal. She was the one that should be in a cage.
As if there was a curtain drawn before her eyes, Willow was thrown into blackness, then only moments later, it was lifted, and light flooded in. She jumped to her feet. Fear was still driving a knife into her gut. Completely disoriented, she gave herself up to her instincts, which had only one idea in mind: flight, not fight. She sprinted away on jelly-like legs, not knowing where she was going, only wanting to get away from all the Muggles. Willow only made it a room away before she crashed into something very solid.
"Let me go! Get away from me!" she shrieked. "I won't answer your questions! Just leave me alone!"
"Woah, woah, sobrina, calm down, it's just me," a tenor voice soothed. "You're at home now. You're safe. The Muggles are all gone. You don't have to run away now."
Panting hard, Willow tried to focus her eyes on the figure that had restrained her in its big arms. After a few seconds, Tío Cisco's brilliant eyes came into view. She fought her mind not to allow them to change into Voldemort's or Quirrel's. They were a beautiful brown, not anything close to the other two's. It really was her uncle. He was here. She was safe in his arms, in her own house. When her brain finally managed to catch up on these recognitions, relief washed over her like a bucket full of water. Willow buried her face in Cisco's abdomen.
"I'm so, so, sorry," she sniffed. "I've ruined your day at the zoo. I'm sorry I get in the way of everything."
"Sobrina, you don't get in the way of anything," Cisco whispered in her ear. "You were cursed with these powers. It's not like you asked for them, and you can't exactly help it when they act up. All we can do as your family is help you with them."
"But you shouldn't have to. I'm a burden on all of you!"
"Try again. You're the one carrying the burden for a lot of people."
Willow looked up at her uncle with teary eyes. "I know I'm carrying the burden for a lot of people. That's my role. It always has been. The only purpose I can think of for me being here is to help and protect others at all costs, and that includes carrying their weight. I've been doing it for a long time. That's not the problem- I'm the problem. I just wish that I wasn't so much of one for you guys."
"Willow, you're not a problem," Abuela said, appearing behind her. "The only problem here is we need to help you a little more, and we can't do that unless you tell us everything you know."
Willow swallowed. "Do you promise to tell me everything you know?"
"Of course we will," Tío Leonel answered. "That's one of the main purposes for our visit."
"Let's go out on the patio," Carlos suggested. "Willow feels more comfortable around nature."
Cisco allowed Willow to walk herself out to the patio, still a little unsteady on her feet. After she chose a chair and sat down, her family encircled her and gave her their full attention. Willow cleared her throat and, with a great effort, shoved her emotional mess away.
"First, you need to tell me whatever you found out in the fall," Willow said, making eye contact with her dad.
"Alright, I will, but it's not much," Carlos sighed. "I was snooping around the Department of Mysteries and nearly got caught by the guard on duty. When I fled into one of their storage closets, I found myself in a room full of old records, and I mean old old. The earliest date I found was nearly two thousand years ago. I was looking around, reading the titles, and one in particular caught my attention. It wasn't actually a record, but a diary. I started reading it, and it spoke of a war between two of the biggest wizarding clans this world had ever seen. It was quite interesting. But there was something more to the ending of this war. Some witch lost a very important family member, and right before she died, she cast the most powerful curse ever known to be cast."
"What kind of curse?" Willow asked, a few of the details prodding her memory.
"It didn't have any more information, only that it would last forever," Carlos said solemnly.
Willow frowned, feeling like she had missed something. As it wasn't surfacing, she moved on, filing the information away for later.
"It's my turn, then," she announced. "I think I'll explain it half and half- the powers I can explain in words I will, and the others I'll demonstrate. Is that okay?"
"Sure."
"Well, I'm kind of confused by some of them," Willow began. "It's an odd arrangement of abilities that seems to be contained within the arena of life. I can sense emotions and the mood of people, sometimes even whether their thoughts are positive, negative, for good, or for bad. In addition, I can heal faster than most people, and speaking of healing, I seem to have healing abilities that come with some serious limitations. I've only been able to heal people halfway, and I can't heal myself instantly. It's been a nuisance to try and figure it out.
"Just today, I learned that I can talk to animals telepathically, at least. I can also transform into them, and for some reason I can sense where any life is at any given time. Any injuries I sustain while in a different form carry over to my human one. I think the only animals I can turn into are magical creatures, birds, and mammals. It's weird. I can manipulate plants and grow them at will. I'll show you most of that later.
"There's a few other abilities that I think come from different magical creatures, like seeing visions when I sleep or during the day, but they're always of the present or past, never of the future. I've also had one out-of-body experience. Yes, literally. My body got frozen in place while I physically appeared across a quidditch pitch. I was my normal self aside from the fact that I was invisible to everyone else."d
"The last thing is something I probably should have told you sooner. You see, there's this woman who I can telepathically talk with at any time. She's been coaching me on my powers and helping me out. At times, she just plain insults me, but she's very helpful. She said she'll tell me everything and reveal herself to me when I'm ready. Apparently I haven't discovered everything yet."
"That's quite the array there," Tío Leonel commented.
"This woman sounds like trouble," Abuelo said. "Are you sure you can trust her?"
"She's helped me out in a few life-or-death situations, so, yeah, I guess."
"As long as you're sure..." Abuela trailed off. "Let's see your power display, then. I'm kind of excited."
"Okay, here goes nothing. Don't panic or scream or anything, please."
Willow walked off the patio and into the yard. Her family gathered at the edge to watch her. Taking a deep breath, Willow pushed down the bubbling anticipation in her stomach and started simple. She pressed her hand on the ground, felt the warmth in it, then pulsed, feeling the familiar energy flowing from her hand into the ground. A plant began to poke out of the soil, then grew faster and faster. Willow backed up as it expanded, keeping her hand only inches away from it. She willed it to stop when it grew to twice her height and watched for her family's reaction. They simply stared at the tree in admiration.
"Can you undo growing plants?" Tío Cisco asked.
"Um, I've never done that before, but I can try," Willow said.
Imagining the plant going back into the ground, she placed her hand on the tree and willed it to shrink. The energy was sucked back into her faintly glowing hands. Willow giggled. It actually tickled, probably because so much was being absorbed back into her, she guessed. The tree became a sapling again, then a shoot, and it was gone. There was no trace of it ever existing. Willow blinked slowly in amazement.
"I guess I can."
"That was incredible!" Carlos exclaimed. "Show us what else you can do!"
Willow smiled. They were taking it well. Thank God. She swayed the trees along the perimeter of her backyard, made the leaves rustle, and even made them lean a different way. Her family was very impressed at that point.
"You're very powerful, Willow!" Abuelo said. "It's amazing!"
"Wait until you see this," Willow said. "I've been working on transforming into bigger animals, and I think I've got one of them down. It won't be perfect, of course, because it's so big, but I think I can get to half the actual size."
"Go ahead!" Tío Cisco urged.
Willow inhaled deeply, the puffed it all out. She imagined how she would look when she was finished, then commanded herself to transform. The tingling sensation ran across her body much quicker than it had before she practiced. Her skin burned as scales covered it, a tail sprouted from her lower back, wings appeared, and claws lined her fingers. Willow flapped her wings, launching herself into the sky, then pounced back onto the ground, shaking the patio, and let out a roar, embellishing it with spreading her wings and everything. Her relatives' jaws had dropped to the floor, unable to believe what just happened.
"Y- You're a Chinese Fireball," Tío Leonel stuttered. "You just shape-shifted into a dragon."
"This is unbelievable!" Abuela shouted. "Look how flawless she is, Carlos! She's only half the size of a real one, but look at her! I've never seen a dragon's beauty up close before!"
"Can you understand us while in a different form?" Abuelo asked. Willow nodded. "Can you speak to us?" Willow shook her head no. She breathed sparks at him, playfully swiping her tail in his direction. Willow pushed off from the ground again, hovering just above the lawn, enjoying the amazing rush flying gave her. She was so powerful, so in control of herself, could do anything her heart desired. It was a great moment. Then, realizing that her strength could fade at any second, she clumsily changed back into herself. Because she had been practicing, transforming back into her usual self only took the blink of an eye. Willow fell out of the sky as a human. She stumbled to her feet while her family rushed over to her, steadying her.
"You are absolutely amazing, Willow," Tío Cisco chuckled, beside himself with amazement.
"We need to get you a place where you can practice your powers in private," Abuelo said. "You obviously have a lot of it contained in there. They must be bursting at the seams."
"They are, and quite honestly, it's annoying," Willow said. "I hate it when they act up in front of people. They're a hassle to keep from exposing themselves. I have to use them every day now, or they get uncontrollable."
"Don't worry, we'll come up with something," Abuela promised. "For now, we better get dinner going. The sun's already beginning to set!"
"Wait, one more thing before we head inside," Willow said, a thought occurring to her. "What happened after I was cornered? How did I get here? I didn't black out, did I?"
"Oh, no, Leonel here pulled a dangerous stunt that might get him in trouble with the Ministry again," Abuelo explained, though Willow wasn't sure whether he was happy or disappointed with his son. "He caused an explosion that threw black powder in the air as a diversion for us to Apparate you here. Cisco apparated directly here while the rest of us took the car. I can only imagine how much trouble we caused the London Zoo today."
"Can you really imagine a life where I'm not getting into trouble, though?" Willow asked.
"Nope," Tío Cisco said. "Now let's get dinner going. I'm starving!"
The sun had sunk fully below the horizon when the Guerreros finished dinner together. Willow was unusually quiet for the whole thing, her head spinning like a top with too many thoughts and questions jumbling together and tormenting her. When her family began to clean up, she didn't say a word before slipping away to the library, wanting to be alone.
The temperature had dropped. It was a little chilly to the average person, but to Willow, it was perfect, almost comfortable sleeping weather. The stars overhead were peeking in and out of the clouds that drifted across the purple night sky. They reminded Willow of diamonds sparkling against their black velvet displays in jewelry stores. She felt her mum's necklace weighing down her heck, almost forgotten in the chaos of the day. Willow took it off and placed it in the palm of her hand and stared at it. The jewels were still as clean as the day they had been wrought, the golden chain didn't have a single chip in it, and the photo brought back memories ever-present in her scrambled mind. She wished she weren't so attached to the locket. The memories were sometimes so powerful that they swallowed her whole for entire nights. Yet she still cleaned it to perfection every week, taking extra care to get into every nook and cranny, and smiled warmly back at her mother, the memory of who she used to be preserved in perfect stillness. Willow was secretly glad that the photo wasn't charmed to move like most wizarding world photos. This one made her mum feel more solid, more real. It gave her an anchor when she explored the good memories they had made together so she didn't get lost. Willow could always go back to her mum's face for support, just like she had when she was little.
Out of the blue, a pair of arms wrapped themselves around Willow's waist. She stifled a gasp when she recognized her uncle.
"The great Willow Guerrero isn't crying alone in a library, is she?" Tío Leonel whispered.
Willow wiped her eyes, hoping that she wasn't. They were barely watering. "No."
"You're such a liar, sobrina, but I'll let you have this one."
Willow smiled. "What are you doing in here? I thought everyone was helping clean up dinner."
"Everyone except you," Tío Leonel pointed out. "I saw you sneak away. With six people in this house, it's kind of hard to get away with anything. I did an awful job on washing a pot to get away from Abuela, if you're wondering."
"Thanks," Willow said. She was about to put her locket back on when Tío Leonel caught her arm.
"What's this?" he asked, looking at it with curiosity. "A locket? Since when did you wear any sort of jewelry? And especially jewelry that has a lot of expensive gems on it!"
Willow reddened. "Um...well, you see- " She sighed. Might as well be out with it. "My mum gave it to me at Christmas."
"She what?"
"Um...yeah, she wrapped it up and sent it with an owl to me for Christmas while I was at Hogwarts, to put it simply," Willow said. "I have no clue why she would pass on a family heirloom to me of all people, with how crazy she is now, but I think it's because she was having a very good day."
"You don't say!" Tío Leonel said, astonished as he turned the locket over in his hand. "And she made her picture still, like Muggle pictures. Why would she do that? Did she forget the charm?"
"I have never known her to forget a spell, so I have no idea."
Tío Leonel handed the locket back to Willow. "Whatever it is, this is big news. I don't think you realize just how much weight this heirloom holds in that wretched family. This is huge."
"Tell me about it another day," she sighed. "I'm too tired to think about outsmarting my mother for the second time."
Tío Leonel laughed. "Do you want me to take you to bed, then?"
Willow yawned and nodded. Tío Leonel picked her up and carried her out of the library, the smell of old books following her out. She felt herself being placed in bed and tucked in. Tío Leonel kissed her on the forehead, then shut her bedroom door. Willow smiled, the locket warming her heart as she fell asleep.