Anaya opened the bedroom door and found Howard buttoning up his shirt, facing the door.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey?" Anaya replied.

"Bye," Howard said, disappearing down the hallway.

Inside, Thess seemed to be attempting to smother herself with a pillow.

"You don't waste any time, do you?" Anaya said, sitting on the foot of her friend's bed.

"Damn," Thess said, her voice muffled by the pillow, "you weren't supposed to see that."

"He's cute," Anaya said, yanking the pillow away and tossing it aside. "You could've told me he was your boyfriend."

"He's not my boyfriend," Thess said, rolling her eyes. "We're just friends."

"Really a privilege to be your friend," Anaya said, standing up again, but then she paused, a sudden thought crossing her mind.

"Wait," she said, placing her hands on Thess's shoulders. "Was that your first...?"

"No," Thess said, brushing her hands off, "of course not."

"Are you sure?" she asked, incredulous.

"I have experience," Thess said with a touch of arrogance.

"Experience? You? How? You spent the whole year at Hogwarts!" Anaya's eyes widened suddenly. "Don't tell me you were doing that at Hogwarts? People do that at Hogwarts? I never noticed. Merlin, I was so naïve."

"No," Thess said, "I never did anything like that at Hogwarts, but I have my suspicions about some people."

"So where?"

"Why do I have to tell you this?"

"Because I'm your dorm sister."

Thess sighed, defeated.

"Last year, I did a summer exchange at Castelobruxo and..."

"Okay," Anaya interrupted, covering her ears, "no need to say anything more."

"You're not going to tell your mom, right?"

"Of course not, because that would be extremely hypocritical on my part."

"Hypocritical? How?"

"Well," Anaya began, her smile turning mischievous, "I came in here specifically to ask you to stay out of the room for the next two hours."

"Are you serious? You?"

Anaya yanked Thess out of bed.

"What's the matter?" Anaya said, pushing her through the room. "You're not the only one who gets to have fun with friends."

"Who?" Thess asked, already outside the room.

"None of your business," Anaya said, already pulling the door shut.

"Please, tell me it's not James Potter."

Anaya stopped, holding the door, surprised.

"How do you... I mean, no, of course not."

"No..." Thess said, frantic, struggling with her friend to keep the door open. "Anaya, please, don't do this. This family's surrounding me from every angle, I swear..." But it was too late, she was already talking to herself in the hallway.

"Two hours? What are they going to do for two hours? I never took two hours. Am I doing it wrong? Or maybe James... better not think about that."

Thess walked toward the front door, wondering where she could spend the next two hours when she noticed a gift wrapped neatly on the mezzanine. An owl must have just delivered it, because it hadn't been there the last time she checked.

It was obviously a broom, and there was a letter addressed to her.

"That Rose has no shame," she muttered, pulling the letter out and tossing it into the drawer on the mezzanine. "I'm not in the mood to cry right now."

When Thess unwrapped it, she saw that it was an old Firebolt—or rather, a classic one.

"Hey, friend," she said to the broom, smiling. "How about a little ride?"

Thess returned to the pool, the day having been long and draining, and she had suffered from an overload of social interactions. She thought it would be a good idea to spend some time alone on one of the lounge chairs, but someone else had clearly had the same thought.

"Nice broom," Orion said as she approached, not lifting his eyes from his phone.

"Thanks," Thess replied. "It was a gift from Rose."

She lay down, leaving a chair's width between them, hoping he would understand that it meant she needed some space. He stretched out, reclined, set his phone aside, and remained silent for a blessed ten minutes.

"I didn't get the chance earlier," he finally said, breaking the silence, "but I wanted to wish you a happy birthday."

"Thanks," she murmured.

"I got you a present."

Thess turned her head, curiosity piqued, and saw him pull out a bottle of mandrake wine from under the lounge chair.

She stood up, surprised.

"Thanks," she said, accepting the bottle and sitting beside him.

"You're welcome."

"It's already been opened," she said, eyeing the bottle.

Orion raised his half-filled glass.

Thess couldn't help but smile.

"Here," he said, extending an empty glass to her. "This one's clean."

Thess took the glass and poured herself some wine. It was her first time trying it. It dried her mouth, and it was far less sweet than she'd imagined.

"You didn't actually buy this for me, did you?" she asked, a wry expression crossing her face after the initial grimace. The second sip went down easier; now she knew what to expect.

"No," Orion replied. "I stole it from the Count's private cellar."

"Isn't that going to cause trouble?"

Orion shrugged and poured a little more.

After the third sip, Thess was getting more used to the taste. She also felt warmer, and perhaps that gave her the courage to ask.

"I have something to ask you."

Orion turned to her, intrigued.

"I, uh, may have accidentally come across some of your letters."

"Oh, you saw them?" he said, settling back down again.

"All those letters... were they contract offers?"

"They were."

"I think all thirteen teams in the British and Irish League made offers to you."

"Almost all of them. The Harpies never called."

"And you say that so casually?"

Orion found her tone strange.

"What do you want to ask me?"

"I want to know what you're doing here."

"I'm playing Quidditch."

"You understood what I meant."

"No, I didn't."

"I want to know what your problem is."

"Why do you think I have a problem?"

Thess sighed in frustration and began ticking off her fingers.

Tariq is fat, Estela is crippled, Crash is a cheater, I'm a Death Eater, and Sean... okay, I don't know what Sean's problem is.

"Sean doesn't have a problem; he just isn't that good."

"Everyone here is just here because they have no other options, but you... why are you here?"

"I'm here because of Ginny."

"Fuck Ginny Potter," Thess exploded.

Orion looked confused by her reaction.

"Don't talk about her like that."

"Everyone I ask keeps saying, 'Ginny this,' 'Ginny that'... She can't be that good. Is she blackmailing you? Or is it because you're in love with her? Because if it's that, I have to say, you don't stand a chance against..."

"Enough!"

Orion was visibly holding back his anger, not letting it explode because he knew a confrontation with Thess could escalate quickly. Instead, he took a deep breath.

"No, she's not blackmailing me. Yes, I like her, but not because I'm in love with her. It's because she's the only good person I've ever met."

Thess noticed his eyes trembling as he spoke.

"I'm playing here because this is Ginny's team. If she ever moves to another team, I'll go with her, if she wants me, at least. There's no big secret behind it. This sport is full of assholes, and she's the only one I know I can trust."

"It can't just be that."

"Look here, "Thessaly Wyrmwood," he said, pointing at her face "I don't want you snooping around in my life, digging into my past, looking for some dark secret that brought me here. This is the truth, and it's the only answer you're going to get."

Orion wiped his eyes, emptied his glass, lay down again, and stared at the stars.

Thess stood there, awkwardly hugging her Firebolt, not knowing what to do. Every time they spoke, someone got hurt, and almost always, it was Orion.

"I'm—" she started.

"No," he interrupted.

He turned his face toward her again, and she felt that familiar déjà vu from their earlier conversation.

"You don't need to apologize."

"No?"

"We're even."

Thess sighed in relief.

"We are," she said at last.

Now it was Orion's turn to relax.

"So, are we teammates, then?" she asked, extending her hand to make amends. She thought of saying "friends," but that felt like too much.

"No," Orion said, shaking her hand. "We're more than that."

Thess felt nervous.

"We're Angels," he concluded.

Thess laughed.

"We are."

They drank a little more until Orion broke the silence again.

"You're right," he said, glancing at the bottle.

"What?" she asked.

"This isn't a real gift. I owe you one."

"You don't have to."

"No, I do, and I don't like owing anyone anything. So, you can ask for whatever you want."

Thess blushed, hearing her words out loud like that.

"Okay," she said, "since you insist, I know what I want."

Orion sat up, curious to hear what she would say.

"I want you to teach me how to play Mario Kart."

Orion jumped up with a huge grin and extended his hand to help her get up.

"I thought you'd never ask."

The training field had an incredible look at night after Orion switched on all the floodlights.

"I hope all this light doesn't wake anyone," Orion said.

"Definitely didn't wake Anaya," Thess replied.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Alright, let's fly."

Thess smiled at how things between her and Orion always ended up in midnight flights.

The two of them climbed to the height of the goals, and Orion signalled for her to stop near the house team's hoops.

"What do you know about visualization?"

"I know what I learned in spellcasting class. Visualization is literally the first thing you learn to cast a spell."

"Right. So, give me the definition of visualization."

"Visualization is when you imagine the result of an action before you execute that action; it's like a projection."

"Exactly. So, when you're going to cast a spell..."

"You visualize the result before making any gestures or saying any incantation."

"Very good, but visualization isn't just for magic; it's useful for everything, especially in sports. Before you shoot the ball at the goal, you visualize the goal. This applies to everything—Quidditch, football, basketball, volleyball..."

"Okay, but where does Super Mario come into all this?"

Orion laughed and positioned himself behind her, between her and the goal.

"I want you to visualize a route between here and the opposite goal."

Thess stared at the enemy goal, and the route formed in her mind.

"Got it?"

"Yes."

"What does it look like?"

"A tunnel."

"No, I want you to visualize a road."

"A road?"

"Yes."

Thess imagined the road, and with Super Mario Kart still on her mind, the road ended up manifesting as a rainbow-colored path.

Thess laughed, and Orion did too, as he guessed her thoughts.

"Alright, now I don't want that road to be straight. I want it to be like in the game—with curves, hills and valleys, jumps, and at least one loop. Can you visualize that?"

"I can," she said, and indeed, the rainbow road was clear before her eyes, vivid and tangible.

"Then what are you waiting for?"

Thess sped down the Rainbow Road. It was so clear it almost felt tangible. She put into practice some manoeuvres she had learned from Estela. At the top of one of the imagined ramps, she jumped and executed a 180-degree turn, driving part of the track backward until the next curve, where she used the momentum to return to the normal position. Estela had also taught her that drifting around corners made her go even faster. Even after pulling off such a complex series of moves, she was surprised by how quickly she reached her destination.

Orion clapped.

"That was perfect," he said.

"That was awesome!" she said.

"Can you understand the practical purpose of what you just did?"

"Not exactly, but I'm sure it has something to do with aerodynamics."

"Very well, you got it. It's all about aerodynamics."

"Flying in a straight line is bad; spiralling is faster."

"Yes, but the field is too short and chaotic for you to dive and spiral all the time, so that's where the Rainbow Road comes in. It gives you alternative paths to cross the field, dodging other players, making your moves unpredictable, and taking advantage of your manoeuvrability."

"Did you invent that?"

"Sort of, I just pieced together several concepts that were already being explored."

"You're really such a nerd."

Orion laughed.

"Want to try again?"

"I do."

And they continued for a while longer, until the other Angels and their guests began arriving to see what they were up to. In the end, they ended up playing a new friendly match, this time with mixed teams, and Rose managed to claim her victory. Thess couldn't remember ever having had a birthday quite like that one.

Dear Thessaly,

Happy Birthday!

I hope this letter finds you well.

I know how you must be feeling. For much of my life, I too didn't have many opportunities to celebrate my birthday, and because of that, it was a day that caused me more pain than joy. Well, that changed when I made friends, and I believe it's changed for you now as well.

I wanted you to know that I remember you. The day we met was a turning point in my life, and it always comes back to my mind, bringing with it a strong feeling of guilt that never passed.

Since I discovered who you were, I've wanted to talk to you, but Ginny told me it wasn't a good idea. She's always been smarter than I am, so I decided to respect her advice. I know you must hate me, and I would too if I were in your place.

My parents, my happiness, and my childhood were also taken from me by someone I hated deeply. But in my case, that person was very easy to hate because everyone around me supported my hatred. I think that's the main difference between us.

That day, I was convinced that I was making things right, and it was a huge surprise when I realized that I had become what I hated most. If I had the chance to go back, I wouldn't know what to do. So, all I can do now is say that I'm truly sorry.

As for the gift, this old Firebolt was given to me by someone very dear. It carries with it that sentiment, and because of that, I'd like you to accept it. You probably won't use it for playing, since it's a bit outdated, but I have won many games and even defeated a dragon with it, so I can vouch for its reliability, and it's very well taken care of. I hope you have fun with it.

That's all. I'm very grateful that you accepted Ginny's invitation, despite our past. Consider this letter an open channel, should you ever wish to speak with me.

Sincerely,
HP