Dear Harry,

It is so dumb that they still haven't figured out how to make cellphones work in magical places, we could have called to wish you a happy birthday and kept in touch more regularly for the past few days. But then again, we'd have needed to send an owl with your presents anyway, so I guess this works fine.

Happy birthday! We wish you were here at the Manor, we would have thrown you a huge party! Paris shall have to make up for it instead and we hope that you end up doing more than secluding yourself at the library of Le Loup Bleu, like you have for the past month.

We've been continuing to have a nice time at the manor. Our riding lessons have kept us pretty busy, so to answer your question from your last letter: no, we have no clue about the result of equation 6 in our Alchemy summer homework.

Anie has been telling us quite a bit about the Forbidden Forest, apparently last term's incident hasn't discouraged her from returning and befriending the centaurs. I (Joanne) am very jealous, I want to have conversations with centaurs on a regular basis as well.

Alan, Anie's friend from Gryffindor, came to visit this weekend. He is from New York City, yet he'd rather come to school all the way to Scotland. His older brothers go to Ilvermorny and Salem's Institute respectively though, and he has a lot of fun stories about them that we have to share with you once we see you again.

We're going to visit London this upcoming weekend and I (Joanne again) can't wait to see Diagon Alley! I'll tell you all about it and you can tell me how you remember it.

Did you manage to convince your dad to buy you a broom for your birthday? How is your mom doing with the wedding prep?

Tell them we said hi and reply back as soon as you're done reading our letter.

Happy birthday again, we miss you,

Joanne and Corvus

PS. Include a detailed list of your birthday presents.

Harry smiled as he noticed the Malfoy-Potter family owl had not moved from the breakfast table after his delivery. He appeared to be enjoying Lucia's attentions and the little bites of toast that Nico was feeding him absentmindedly while reading the paper, all while Piggy was eyeing the scene seemingly broken-hearted at being so easily ignored in favor of what he deemed to be a competitor.

"Don't worry, Piggster. You're still my favorite," Harry consoled him with a scratch under his beak. The little owl cooed in gratitude.

Upon opening his present from Corvus and Joanne, he was surprised to find an instant camera, with a note that said 'You can use this one anywhere, magic won't mess with it.'

"Oh, nice present," his father commented, "I don't think they make these anymore, it must have not been easy to find."

"I can't wait to use it at school, that way I can finally show you and mom everything," Harry smiled as he got up to get some paper and a pen to write a reply for his friends.

"I'll be looking forward to that," Nico beamed at his son.

Their relationship had drastically changed for the better in the past month. Lucia had dragged their family to Paris, refusing to spend a whole month apart from the two while she fulfilled her duties as the maid of honor for her friend's wedding. While she'd been busy helping with seating plans and flower arrangements, Harry and Nico had sought refuge in the small magical library within Le Loup Bleu.

Harry had worked on his homework and researched topics of interest, while his father had devoured books and accounts on magical businesses. As they worked together, they'd occasionally share bits that would catch their attention in particular, becoming increasingly more at ease and closer to each other.

Eventually, his father had decided he wanted to invest in businesses in the magical world, and Harry had contacted Ivone for guidance. They had decided to meet up with her that afternoon to celebrate Harry's birthday and finalize the paperwork for buying some shares of Baguettes et Amuletes.

And hopefully, Harry thought, get a broom for my birthday.

xxx

"Monsieur Borini, today you made a good investment," Ivone raised her glass of Pinot Grigio, as they sat around a small table in the courtyard of a restaurant that seemed to have tried fitting in every non-dangerous species of magical plants in existence. Harry sat between her and his mother, his father in front of them and Elise, who had accepted their invitation to a celebratory lunch, sat next to him.

"Baguettes et Amuletes is one of the oldest businesses in magical France and has never had an incident where a customer was unsatisfied. Having expanded our business to serve muggles for the past year has also tremendously increased profits," Elise added proudly.

Nico beamed as he clinked his glass with them, "Thank you, madame Bijoux and madame Elise, your support has been invaluable in making this move. It is only common sense to invest in the world my son is now a part of, especially considering unification seems to be in future plans."

Harry's heart made a flip at his father's words, he hadn't realized that the unity between wizards and muggles was something his father was hoping for possibly as much as he did. He found himself fondly thinking of Dumbledore, and how the headmaster would have felt witnessing the times he was currently living.

"To unity," Harry said as he raised his own glass.

His mother squeezed his arm affectionately as she joined the toast.

"Ah, let us not forget our birthday boy," Ivone exclaimed, "after all, you are the main reason I flooed from Lille to Paris today," she winked at him.

"I am so happy I got to see you before school starts, Ivone. Thank you for coming."

"And thank you for all you've done for my son this past year," Lucia smiled warmly, "he has told me how good you've been to him and his friends, I am so glad he can count you amongst them."

"Nonsense," Ivone shook her head, "I am the one who is forever grateful. I don't know how last year would have been without the bunch of them, I truly lucked out."

She reached into her bag and retrieved two packages, "Now, back to the birthday celebrations, these are from Christine and I. She really wanted to come, but her father is quite strict. I received her owl this morning, she was worried it wouldn't make it in time if she sent it to you directly."

He eagerly unwrapped the two books, finding a recent publication on wandmaking from Christine, and a copy of Beyond the Veil: Theories on the Journey to the Afterlife from Ivone.

He looked up at her with sparkling eyes, "Wicked! Merci beaucoup!"

"Let me know if it brings new clarity to your circumstances," she winked again.

"Those are quite the topics, Harry. I wouldn't mind getting those books myself, not exactly a light read for a 12 year old boy, though," Elise commented with a curious look.

"I have something for you as well," she continued, "Although I didn't know it was your birthday until earlier, so you have to forgive that it's unwrapped on account of the short notice."

"Oh, thank you, Elise. You didn't have to," he said politely as he took a small wooden box that fit in his palm. He opened it and found what appeared to be a small red crystal within.

"It's a blood quartz," she explained, "It's no Felix Felicis, but it does attract good luck to where if things could go slightly better while carrying it, they do."

"Thank you, that's quite a useful property, and it looks very beautiful too," Harry picked the stone and placed it on his palm, examining it with interest.

"We also got you something," his father added, "Now, your mother was rightfully concerned about the danger involved in this, so you have to promise you will not use it while unsupervised when at school," he said as he signaled a server to approach their table.

The young man sprinted in their direction, while expertly avoiding the stalks of the tickling plant that was reaching out for him. As soon as he got to their table, he pulled what appeared to be at first glance a small toothpick out of his pocket.

"Joyeux Anniversaire," he said as he waved his wand to restore the object to its original size.

"Oh sweet Merlin, you really got me the broom! Thank you thank you thank you," Harry was vobrating with excitement as he got up from his seat to hug his parents.

"Remember, you have to be supervised while you ride."

"Yes, ma. I promise! Thank you! This has been the best birthday ever!"

"Better not let that slip to Joanne," Lucia chuckled, "I have a feeling she'd be quite crossed to hear your favorite birthday is the one she missed for the first time in years."

xxx

Beauxbatons was dreamy in the fall, in Harry's modest opinion. Even though the changing of the seasons did not truly affect the flora of the surrounding gardens or the nearby Enchanted Forest, the way the natural light fell softly on the rooftops and came through the colored-glass tall windows added to the aura of magic by coloring everything in warm, gentle tones. The school appeared like a picture out of a fairytale book, and at times like this, Harry almost didn't miss Hogwarts. He breathed in the fresh morning air and turned his broomstick around to check on Joanne's progress.

"You can't possibly hope to learn how to do this properly if you don't keep your eyes open," Corvus was trying to reason with her, as he rode behind her, keeping control of their broom.

Joanne whimpered, "I don't think I should. If I open my eyes, I'm going to fall."

"You had no problem riding an Abraxan this summer. This is the same. Easier, in fact!"

"No, it is completely different. When I'm riding, I'm putting my trust in a creature that is loyal and made for flying. This is a stick of wood that people used to clean floors with before roombas were invented."

"A flying broom is no mere stick of wood," Harry interfered, "they have a level of self-consciousness, you know. Not quite like wands or amulets, but close enough."

"I should have known this is not for me, especially after last year's disastrous results in flying class," Joanne complained, eyes still shut tight.

"Perhaps if you try to actually see, you'll feel more in control," Corvus continued encouraging her.

She opened one eye and quickly closed it back up, "I should have known my limits and stayed with Christine."

"She did invite you to, but you called her a nerd and said you'd rather spend your Sunday morning in the sky than in the library," Harry reminded her.

Ivone amusedly watched them bicker, while she flew a few feet below the three as a precautionary measure. Noticing they had been heading towards the center of the gardens, she called out, "Hey, did any of you get to see the golden fountain last year?"

As Harry started looking around the grounds to catch a glimpse of what she was talking about, Corvus answered, "I tried to once. I wanted to paint it, but I got lost and somehow ended up at the east entrance."

The gardens were as confusing as they were breathtaking. There were so many hedges, flowers, statues, gazebos, and water sources, that it was quite easy to lose track of where one was going. It was not an uncommon occurance for younger students to get lost, which was why they were all given a charmed ball of yarn their first night, to help them find their way back towards the main building.

"Well, it's much easier to reach by flight, so you can come back and paint it. Let me show you where it is," Ivone motioned for them to follow her as she gradually lowered her broom closer to the tops of the higher hedges.

They followed her as she landed in an area that was separated by the rest of the garden by big yellow rose bushes, surrounding what indeed seemed to be a small fountain made of pure gold. As they got nearer, they noticed that the water itself had some sort of a golden sheen to it as well.

"Neat," Corvus commented, "Is this fountain magical?"

"That is up for debate, really," Ivone shrugged, "There are some students that swear up and down that if you look upon the reflection on the water on a night of a full moon, you will see the face of your one true love. However, I've checked, and all I saw reflected in it was the moon. Perhaps it means that there is something that goes deeper than the simple 'true love' explanation."

"Wouldn't that be a bore, though," Joanne considered, "If you see the face of your true love, doesn't that take away from the spontaneity and excitement of falling in love?"

Harry was not anticipating to hear her say those words.

"I thought you'd be all over this, considering how eager you've been to have a vision of the future again."

"True, but I would want to have visions about dangers I can prevent from happening, or maybe answers to our end of the year exams. I wouldn't want to have visions of spoilers on my life, I would rather be surprised," she explained.

"Good point," Harry said, although he didn't sound very convinced.

"I agree with Joanne," Corvus said thoughtfully, "I wouldn't look either."

"Regardless of one's choice in the matter, it either only works for some people, or only sometimes, or it's meant to show something else completely, so I wouldn't hold it as a reliable source of divination," Ivone peaked at the waters skeptically.

"I'm hungry and looking forward to putting an end to this flying excursion," Joanne complained, "Shall we head back?"

As they all mounted their brooms and took off, Harry's gaze lingered towards the golden fountain for a few seconds, then he shook his head and followed his friends towards the sky.

xxx

Harry and Christine had been conducting a two hour long debate on the what they deemed to be the existential topic of if and how wand woods may differ when collected from younger vs. older trees. Corvus had tried his best to keep up, then he'd given up and turned his attention on homework, then had given up on that as well and was slowly dozzing off, as he tried to guess how long it would be before that particular conversation would be exhausted or a catastrophe would strike the Beauxbatons library.

Joanne had gone off to attend her divination tutoring, and that usually lasted a good bit. Corvus was sleepily wondering if she would be able to sense his despair and boredom as they steadily reached new heights.

Unexpectantly, his salvation came in the form of their older friend, as she heavily let herself fall on the chair next to him with a sigh.

"All good?" Corvus inquired.

"I guess," Ivone shrugged.

"Something happen with your date?"

"Oh, no. That was ok. Had a nice chatt, established what we each are looking for out of it, business as usual," she shrugged.

Taking notice of her odd mood, Harry and Christine stopped their conversation, bringing Corvus to inner tears of joy.

"You are usually more detailed when talking about your dates. Is something going on?" Christine's brows furrowed as she studied the other girl's face.

"I just have the nagging feeling that I'm forgetting something, then as soon as I get closer to figuring out what, poof, it's gone. It's quite annoying, and slightly concerning, because as I'm telling you guys about it, I'm realizing it's been happening for a few weeks. That could be an indicator of a confundus or a similar spell."

"Do you know when the feeling started? Having a timeline could help with figuring it out and possibly reversing it," Harry suggested warily.

She appeared to reflect on it for a moment, then shrugged again, "Sometime this past summer."

"Was it before or after my birthday?"

She was about to answer, when suddently, her expression went blank. She looked at the empty space in front of her, then slowly shook her head, "Um... sorry, were you asking something?"

Christine grabbed Harry's arm in worry.

Corvus straightened up in his chair, "Ivone, tell us about Harry's birthday this past summer."

"Oh, it was really nice! His mother was just as sweet as him, and his father such a distinguished gentleman. We had lunch right after the signing of Mr. Borini's business deal, so Elise joined us," she cheerfully narrated, before coming to a stop, "Hm... I feel like I'm forgetting something. Actually, I think I have been feeling that for a few weeks. You guys think someone might have cast a confundus on me?"

The second years looked at each other in worry.

"If I had to guess," Corvus said thoughtfully, "I'd say that whatever has been influencing her thoughts is related to Harry's birthday lunch, and it seems to be no mere confundus."

"The lunch? No, I think it has something to do with names. I can't remember someone's name, but I don't know whose name..." Ivone mumbled, as her expression slowly blanked again.

Shaking her head in confusion, she looked at them questioningly, "Um... sorry. What were we talking about? I must have gotten distracted."

"Ok, that's it," Christine shakily grabed her wrist as she got up, dragging the other girl along, "to the nurse we go."

xxx

The four of them were still within the infirmary when Joanne joined them. The nurses had concluded that whatever magic was influencing Ivone could be traced within all of them, with Corvus being the only exception.

"It doesn't appear to be active in any of them, other than madame Bijoux," the younger nurse was explaining to the headmistress, who had joined them shortly after Joanne's appearance, after receiving a message from the infirmary.

"This signifies that the madame's thoughts have been veering close to what the spell originally aims to conceal."

"Is it a memory spell?" the headmistress inquired.

"Not really. It seems more closely related to a notice-me-not spell, but directed to a specific line of thought, rather than a visual stimulus," the nurse explained.

"It has something to do with my birthday and the lunch we had in Le Loup Bleu this past summer," Harry intervened, "but Ivone seems to be the only one who gets confused when thinking about it. Also, it doesn't explain why we are all affected, other than Corvus, when he and the other girls were not attending."

"There is something about the lunch that madame Bijoux is considering, while you are not. That does not signify, however, that the magic was cast upon you at that time. It is quite hard to have an estimate of the casting, especially when the spell seems to be fully active in only one of you," the nurse went on, while her collegue was busy casting a variety of identifying and diagnostic charms on all of them, except for Corvus.

"As far as you can tell, does the spell appear to be malignous in nature?" the headmistress asked worriedly.

"It is hard to say," the nurse replied as she gently brushed a stray curl from Ivone's worried brow, "The madame does suffer some degree of confusion each time she comes close to the line of thought, but other than that, there seem to be no additional consequences."

The headmistress sighed, "I will owl their families tonight, let them know what is going on. Then I shall ask for a mind healer to be sent from Paris. Is there anything else you would suggest?"

"I would suggest avoiding this lign of conversation with madame Bijoux, when possible. At least until the mind healer gets to see her. It seems to be quite taxing on her," the nurse noted.

"Perhaps we could send someone to check on my parents, see if they are affected as well?" Harry asked in concern, "And perhaps notify Elise as well?"

"Ah, there was something I was meaning to ask," Ivone intervened, before her face went blank once again, "I mean... wait, why are we at the infirmary?"

Christine burried her face in her palms just as her expression became even more tearful. Harry gently touched her shoulder, as he mirrored his concern towards the older Ombrelune.

"Don't worry, Ivone. We'll figure it out, whatever it is."

xxx

Notes

Thank you for reading!

We are finally getting a glimpse of what is basically the beginning to the beginning of the main plot. From here onward, the story will be progressing by 2-3 chapters per school year, unless I receive different feedback. If you'd rather see a slower or faster pacing as a reader, please do let me know at any point.

Reviews are majorly appreciated, especially when providing constructive criticism.

If you have an idea on who is behind the spell that seems to be affecting the gang and why they are doing it, take a guess! if you get close to it, I shall bestow upon you *naming privileges*. So basically you get to name a future character. The more detailed and imaginative the guess, the major the character you get to name!