The sound of distant conversation echoes faintly through the stone halls — Godric, Helga, and Salazar are deep in discussion about recruitment. I can hear snippets through the open door of the library: "safe passage," "finding the gifted," "avoiding the Church."
Meanwhile, I'm exactly where I belong — buried in parchment and glowing diagrams, my wand scribbling glowing runes in midair as my shadow clones flit from one desk to another. Each clone hums softly with energy, copying my movements with uncanny precision.
"Clone number three," I say, not looking up, "check the stability of the adaptive barrier prototype. The last one nearly melted a wall."
"On it," my clone replies, already adjusting the spell matrix with surgical precision.
A soft laugh sounds behind me. "You know," comes Rowena's smooth voice, "the others are planning how to get students here… meanwhile, you're creating an army of yourself."
I glance over my shoulder. Rowena stands in the doorway, arms folded, her long hair falling gracefully over one shoulder, an amused smile playing on her lips.
"Apparently you can make clones now," she says, walking closer. "You really are the cutest little genius."
Before I can react, she reaches down and pinches my cheeks gently.
"R-Rowena!" I protest, my face heating up instantly. "I'm trying to conduct magical research, not—hey! Stop that!"
She laughs softly, her eyes bright with amusement. "Oh, come now, Seraphina. You've been locked in here for hours. Even geniuses need affection once in a while."
"I—I'm fine," I mumble, though my blush probably says otherwise. "And these clones make things way more efficient. Look!" I gesture proudly to the rows of shimmering magical notes pinned to the walls. "I've already finalized three new barrier prototypes, two levitation variants, and an upgraded Lumen charm!"
She looks around, clearly impressed. "You've accomplished all this in a day?"
"Technically," I correct, "me and six of me have accomplished this in a day."
Rowena chuckles and shakes her head. "Sometimes, I wonder if you're human or some sort of runaway divine experiment."
"Maybe both," I say lightly, grinning.
She smiles softly, that warm, sisterly expression she reserves only for me. "Still, don't forget that you're not alone, little genius. You don't have to build the world by yourself."
Her words linger, warm and comforting. I look up at her — my dearest friend, mentor, and maybe the person who grounds me most in this world — and I can't help but smile back.
"Yeah," I say quietly. "I know."
Then, of course, my nearest clone mutters from the corner, "Emotional moment detected. Should I record this for future motivational use?"
"Delete that memory!" I yell, face burning again, as Rowena bursts into laughter.