VII:

Diana wakes up to the sound of her alarm, already dreading the day to come.

"Sundays," she complains, dragging herself out from her old but warm bed.

Shuffling to the bathroom, she turns the rusted faucet, and with a sputter, water pours down from the showerhead.

Twenty minutes later, Diana slips into a pair of jeans and a simple t-shirt. Yawning broadly, she steps into her kitchen and opens her ancient refrigerator, leaning closer to get a better look.

She squints at the ingredients inside before deciding she can last another week with them.

Pouring out a cup of water, she drinks heartily, her other hand outreached towards her bedroom. A few seconds later, her wand flies into the palm of her hand, fingers curling instinctively around the wood.

Immediately, a short burst of warmth travels through her arm.

"Yeah, yeah," she mumbles, a smile on her lips. "I got it, I got it."

Letting a wide, open yawn, Diana twirls her wand twice, counterclockwise, before sweeping it upwards. Almost abruptly, several cabinets spring open as a trail of ingredients float from the refrigerator.

Another flick and an old, weathered frying pan sets itself on a stove. Muttering under her breath, Diana shoots a small spark and soon enough, a tiny fire is brought to life.

She hums a familiar melody, as a few vegetables are chopped up on the side, while a couple eggs are beaten furiously by an over eager fork.

Diana frowns disapprovingly at the sight. "Hey! Not too hard - you're spilling on the side!"

Properly chastised, the fork droops slightly, before beating the eggs at a slower pace.

"Better," Diana says, a laugh bubbling in her throat.

Keeping an eye out on the charmed tools (she hasn't been able to fully trust these charms ever since that fiasco in her fifth year), she pours herself a cup of milk.

Eventually, the smell of fried eggs and vegetables wafts through the apartment. Diana drains her entire cup before tossing it into the sink - the porcelain cup floats gently down before the faucet turns on.

A half hour later, Diana looks down at the two packed lunches, a smile curled on her lips.

"Am I great friend or what?" she asks to the empty silence, hands on her hips. Her hands move to grab the lunches, only for a startling thud to hit the window in the kitchen.

"Bloody hell," Diana swears, nearly smacking the food to the side. She walks briskly to the window, a scowl on her face.

"Are you serious?" she asks rhetorically as she flings the window open, a hand rubbing at her face. "Didn't she say she'd train this out of you?"

A rather ruffled looking tawny owl steps through the window, his mottled brown feathers raised unnaturally high.

"!" Pigeon, Abby's infamous owl, shrieks, fluttering into Diana's apartment like a man on a mission.

Diana makes a face. "You just slammed your entire body into my kitchen window and now you want snacks?"

Pigeon hops onto the table, waving a leg impatiently.

"Ugh," Diana rolls her eyes, but obligingly digs into a nearby drawer and pulls out a bag of new (and perhaps a little stale) owl treats. "Abby spoils you rotten."

"You know," she continues, tearing open the bag before presenting it to His Royal Majesty. "You're the whole reason why I'm hesitant on getting a pet myself."

Pigeon leans forward, already disinterested in whatever is being said, to examine the offered treats. He huffs shortly a moment later.

Diana pauses from untying the letter attached to his leg. "What? It's not good enough for you?"

Pigeon trills, the sound appearing awfully disapproving.

"Well, I guess I'll just take this back then," Diana snaps, without heat, a hand already on the bag. Unsurprisingly, Pigeon scrambles, moving again to push her hand away.

Diana snorts, but leaves the owl alone to open the delivered letter, which turns out to be more like a note considering its dishevelled, crumpled state.

Unfolding the paper forces another smaller piece to fall out, the design looking much like a ticket.

Diana turns back to the letter, squinting at the neat but slanted words written hastily out on paper.

"An emergency appointment that I can't escape," she reads aloud, her voice rising continuously higher. "I know we made plans but I didn't want these tickets to go to waste - oh my god, I knew it."

And before you say I told you so - the letter continues - just know that it was completely out of my hands! I know how much you love the aquarium, so even if I can't go, I know you'll enjoy it anyways! But make sure you dress nicely~ I'll make it up to you, I promise!

Your one and only true love,

Abby

Diana looks down at the ticket still in her hand, only to double-take, before bringing it even closer to her line of sight.

There is a moment of silence.

"Pigeon," she then says, to the owl still gorging on the treats next to her. "How has your owner survived this long, living on only one brain cell?"

Without waiting for an answer, Diana reaches for a nearby quill and, flipping the letter over, writes her response in big, wide letters:

AQUARIUM? THESE ARE TICKETS TO THE ZOO, YOU FOOL.

Sighing heavily, Diana runs a hand through her nearly dried hair. Tying the letter back on Pidgeon's leg, she mutters under her breath, "I'm going to make fun of her for this till the day we die."

"Alright, that's enough for you," she says in a louder voice, pulling the treats away despite the squawks of protest. "Get this back to her. Maybe eat some of her hair too while you're at it."

Pigeon sniffs, bumping his head once into her arm before flying to the window. He hops once, twice, and then disappears from sight.

"Dress nicely, she says," Diana shuffles into a pair of boots and pockets the ticket away. "It's the zoo."

(She grabs a cardigan from her closet anyways).

Pausing at the lunches, she blinks, and then proceeds to pack both into her backpack.

Maybe I'll get really hungry, she thinks, tucking her wand up her sleeve.

Locking the door behind her, Diana trudges down the stairs, still somewhat amazed at the turn of events and, more importantly, at how a single person could be so enthusiastic, yet so wrong at the same time.

-o-o-o-o-o-

The trip to the local zoo takes a little less than an hour by train, and by the time Diana arrives at the entrance, the place is already filled with visiting families from all over.

She raises a hand to cover her face from the sun and skips ahead to the gate, handing her pre purchased ticket to the guard.

"Alone?" he asks, appearing only mildly interested in her answer.

Diana shrugs. There's a comfort in doing things alone, at times.

She grabs a map from the information desk and begins walking to the right, towards the aviary. At one point, between weaving through tiny children and ducking under sweating older men, Diana eventually digs a hand through her bag to pull out a hat.

Halfway through her walk in the zoo, she gives in to temptation and buys a popsicle from a nearby ice cream stand.

This isn't too bad, she thinks, walking sedately on the paved roads and through towering trees. It's nice to not have to do anything for a while.

Biting into the strawberry popsicle, Diana heads into the next exhibit, an enclosed building with dim lights inside. The temperature drops down a few degrees - something she can appreciate with the rising heat outside.

A series of glass encased tanks line the walls, each holding a tropical habitat, lush with colorful plants and pools of murky water.

Diana peers into the closest one, where a tiny, bright blue frog basks on a wooden branch.

"How cute," she coos, before taking another bite of her ice cream. A pair of young boys race past her, running deeper into the building, but Diana remains still, relishing her own slow pace.

Eventually, after moving on from a larger tank filled with several bearded lizards, she reaches what is likely the final room, a rounded enclosure full of different types of snakes.

Diana smiles, lifting her half-eaten ice cream to the nearest exhibit in what is almost nostalgia. She moves slowly down the wall, the small number of visitors allowing her to take her time at each tank.

Her eyes move to the left, only to find a boy staring deeply into what is likely the largest exhibit in the room. Lips quirking upwards, Diana returns her attention to the glass screen in front of her.

Minutes later, there is a sudden scuffle, the sound of feet scraping across the tiled floor.

Tearing her eyes from the pair of snakes circling each other, Diana turns to see the same pair of boys rushing in. They head straight for the largest exhibit with such momentum, the larger one of them slams into the glass.

Ouch, Diana thinks, wincing at the loud thud that follows. She moves to take another bite of her ice cream, only to pause when the same pair push the boy from before down as well.

The boy falls down harshly, his elbows skinning the ground.

Diana frowns, already moving to reach the boy, until another course of action is decided for her when the glass screen in front of the exhibit suddenly decides to disappear.

What the fuck, she thinks, whipping her head around to see if she had missed anyone else because that certainly hadn't been her.

But no, the only people present in the room are herself and three children, what the hell -

She freezes when all too suddenly, an enormous boa constrictor slides out of the enclosure, which sends the pair of boys shrieking away in terror.

The boa constrictor pauses in front of the third boy, nodding once before slipping through the exit.

All too familiar with handling snakes, Diana only moves when the boa constrictor disappears completely from sight.

"Ohh," she says slowly, and takes another bite from her melting ice cream. She steps forward and crouches down to face the one most likely responsible for this incident. "That was you, wasn't it?"

The boy swallows, his dark hair swept in a ridiculously messy way. "I, sorry, I - "

"No harm done," Diana shrugs, swiftly finishing off her ice cream. The screams of other visitors (who have likely encountered the boa constrictor at this point) do poorly to support her words. "I get it."

And she really does. There had been some people in her year that couldn't control their accidental magic until fourth year - Abby had been a prime example.

"Sorry, what?" the boy repeats, blinking rapidly, only to pause when Diana offers a hand. It takes a moment before he hesitantly accepts it.

Diana pulls the boy up, a surprisingly easy feat, and smiles. "If you're surprised now, I guess you haven't found out yet?"

The boy gives no reaction to her words besides a wide-eyed look, which further confirms her guess.

"Well," Diana hums, giving a considering look at her remaining popsicle stick. Since vanished objects can only be unvanished by the castor, this is likely her only option. "It's not really my place to tell you, but I think it's common courtesy to help others when they need it."

And with that being said, she tosses the wooden stick onto the empty enclosure. Keeping her wand hidden in her sleeve, she circles it twice before jabbing it forward.

Immediately, the popsicle stick transforms into another, new glass screen, though slightly tainted with a pale yellow.

"Ugh," Diana grumbles. Mcgonagall would weep at the sight. "It's because it's wood, isn't it?"

"Whoa," the boy beside her whispers, green eyes almost as wide as the full moon.

Diana laughs at that. She glances back down at the boy and finds herself almost wishing to be in that same spot, experiencing magic for the very first time.

"We're not done yet," she tells him, before sending a simple cutting spell straight through the glass. Her arm covers the boy as the screen shatters into a million pieces.

Tiny pieces of glass bounce off her shield, but the sudden noise leaves the boy to jumping backward.

"What," he stammers, slowly rising from a flinch. "What was that?"

Diana surveys the ceiling above and sends a stunner to the two security cameras present. The magic forcing the devices to halt, and recircuiting the system at the same time.

"That, young one," Diana begins, tucking her wand deeper into her sleeve. "Is your cover."

"My cover?" the boy repeats dumbly.

At that exact moment, a staff member of the zoo rushes in, followed by the same pair of boys from before, along with what is probably their families.

"That's him!" the portly half of the pair hollers, jabbing a finger towards the boy beside Diana. "He made the glass disappear! He was talking to the snake!"

The tall woman beside him turns a sickening pale of white.

Diana, in the meantime, takes this all in stride. She lets her shoulders hunch over in relief and hurries forward, beckoning the boy to stay by her side.

"Oh, thank goodness you're finally here, sir," Diana says, placing a hand over her chest. "Everything happened so quickly, I just, I didn't know what to do!"

The zookeeper, a middle-aged man with a rather impressive mustache, raises his arms. "I understand your worries, miss. If you wouldn't mind, could you explain what exactly happened here?"

Diana nods firmly. "Of course. I was admiring the reptiles in here when I heard a fight breaking out behind me."

"I turned to find two boys slamming into the glass repeatedly," she continues, furrowing her eyebrows. Her head shakes back and forth. "I thought it seemed terribly rude, as it might disturb the resting animals, but before I could say anything, the screen completely shattered!"

"WHAT?" one of the pair roars, his screams so piercing it brings nearly everyone in the room present to flinch. "SHE'S LYING!"

"I was in complete shock," Diana then says, under the portly boy's enraged shouts. She brings a hand gently to her face. "But when the snake inside started crawling out, I rushed to help this young child here instead."

She gestures to the boy next to her, who, for his part, appears shocked enough to support her own story.

"We stayed together just in case," Diana finally says, shaking her head. "I just didn't know if it was safe enough yet to go out!"

"Now hold on a moment," another man interrupts, his large stature confirming his relation to the young, portly boy. His face colors an intense shade of red. "Are you calling my son a liar?"

Diana leans back, widening her eyes. "I don't think I ever did that, sir. I'm just trying to explain what happened."

The zookeeper raises his hands again to keep the peace. "Let's keep this civil, please. It seems what the young lady here is saying is true - the glass definitely seems broken enough."

The man's face turns a shade darker, his anger so palpable, Diana can almost hear the steam coming out of his ears.

"Unfortunately, children often do what they can to cover their mistakes," she then says, rather sympathetically. "Heaven knows I used to when I was a child."

The zookeeper nods in agreement. "That seems to be the case. Vanishing glass, honestly! At least their imaginations are still running wild and free."

"THAT'S NOT TRUE," the portly boy shrieks, already on the floor and fiercely kicking around him. "I'M NOT A LIAR, I SAW IT, I SAW IT!"

"Oh dear," Diana says, shaking her head. The other family in the room turns to their own son.

"Is this true, Piers?"

"Uh," the other half of the pair says, looking down at his shoes. "Well, I guess we did hit the glass really hard."

The admission cinching the entire story, the zookeeper then turns to both sets of parents.

"I think we're done here for now," he says firmly, crossing his arms and looking severely at the two boys. "Let's have a talk with the director about compensation, shall we?""

Bringing himself further upward, the portly boy's father shakes a finger. "Now look here, I'm not going to compensate ANYONE based on a load of dirty lies - "

"Vernon, please," the wife interrupts, her face pale as more and more eyes turn their way. "Perhaps at a later time?"

Eventually, with much grumbling on one side, both parties begin to exit the building. Diana lingers toward the back as the dark-haired boy trails after the group.

"So," she says, tucking her hands into the pockets of her cardigan. "You here alone?"

The boy looks at her, eyes still incredibly wide and a measure of something flickering across his face. He hesitates.

"Sort of," he then says, nearly shrugging with those words. "It's not like I have any parents."

"Oh," Diana pauses, giving a side-eye glance down at the boy. "Same here."

The boy starts, head nearly turning back before he catches himself. He looks ahead and continues, "I'm, uh, here with my cousin. And his parents."

Diana hums, opening the door to the building and letting him go through first. "Don't tell me. That's your cousin?"

She gestures to the portly boy in front of them, still stubbornly on the floor and having to be dragged by his father.

The boy huffs out a laugh, crossing his arms. "Yeah, it is."

Godspeed, Diana thinks, patting the boy once lightly on the back.

At the split road ahead, Diana turns back to the boy, an easy smile on her lips.

"Here," she hands him her business card, marked with the store's name and address. "You're more than welcome to come find me, if you want. I'll even give you discount. Either way, I know what's it like to feel like a fish out of water."

The boy stares at the offered card before slowly reaching out and taking it. He squints through his thick glasses. "Twenty-four Nectar Alley?"

"Uh," Diana says, laughing slightly at how strange her address really sounds, once all the magic is removed. Before she can stop herself, she ruffles the boy's hair shortly.

"Hey," he says, without much heat.

"You'll figure it out eventually," she tells him, removing her hand and wondering, unable to stop wondering, if this boy would have been happier at the orphanage - living with her, living with Matron Hill, with Elizabeth, with -

Diana shakes her head once.

"It's Diana, by the way," she then says, outreaching her hand.

There is another long pause, until the boy takes it, his hand almost completely covered in hers.

"Nice to meet you," he says, staring at their hands with a strange expression.

A sudden, sharp shout runs through the air and the boy freezes, his head turning behind him.

"Go on then," Diana says, and it takes everything in her to not sound sympathetic. She gives a smile instead. "Maybe I'll see you later."

For perhaps the first time, the boy returns the smile. "Yeah. Maybe."

And then he turns around, running back to the remains of his family, leaving a tug inside Diana's gut.

She exhales heavily.

"Remember, Diana," she says under her breath, repeating the same warnings Matron Hill had given her years ago. A hand runs through her hair vigorously. "You can't kidnap every child you come across, you can't kidnap every child you come across - "

Continuing her mantra, Diana trudges down the path, ready to cut her visit short to take a much needed nap.

.

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notes!

- take three guesses to who our mystery boy is, and the first two don't count lol

- despite this scene being infamous in our fandom, Diana has had seventeen years focused on other things in her life - eventually, she'll come to realize just who exactly she was considering kidnapping, and will feel like an idiot.

- fun fact! abby's mistake happened because of several factors (the smallest being because of plot, haha), but most importantly because this has happened to me several times. the person who i base Abby off of has made similar mistakes (though none as severe), such as buying tickets for flights on the wrong dates, or mistaking one place for another, but it leaves room for hilarious stories afterwards.

- i'm so glad to hear that a lot of people are warming up to Diana! i hope these chapters show just what kind of person she is - please look forward to more!

Thank you to everyone who's enjoyed Diana's journey up till now!

- SE