Tiago informed us that we no longer had time to sit down for a meal as he had planned. We had to leave immediately for the meeting point with the Castelobruxo staff. The only thing he could do was buy something quick for us to snack on during the trip.
And, at least for a while, it was pleasant. The food helped calm my companions. They were a magical version of pão de queijo, but with random flavors and temperatures. Fortunately, not as unpredictable or risky as Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans. Here, the variety was limited to types of cheese: salty, spicy, tangy… nothing that made you question existence.
"Mmm… tasty…" I commented, taking one directly from the bag Hannah was holding. "I missed these… though I knew them by another name."
"Red…" Hannah said in a low voice. "Won't the wands get you in trouble? Shouldn't we try to return them?" she asked, clearly worried. "They said they've already killed many of their previous owners…"
She was shaken. After everything we had just gone through, the thought of losing me worried her more than she wanted to admit. She had started to understand that nothing could harm her when I was around, and that sense of security had become almost addictive. She knew it was hard to get rid of me through normal means, but she didn't know if I could rid myself of the wands.
"They said they're dark… that they'll control you…" she added, her puppy eyes filled with concern. Not quite as effective as Susan's, but close.
"Relax," I told her with a calm smile. "I can control them better than anyone."
I leaned in and whispered in her ear:
"Don't you remember what my Animagus form is?"
"The leti…" Hannah's eyes widened in surprise at the memory.
"From the very beginning, the wands couldn't harm me. They don't affect dark creatures… I can completely dominate them because of that. No risk," I said with confidence. Though honestly, it was more of an act to calm her—the real reason was something else.
"Really?" she asked, as if she couldn't imagine me lying to her.
I nodded with a quiet smile, putting a finger to my lips as a sign of secrecy. That seemed to ease Hannah's mind… and she went back to eating with more appetite.
As for me, while I chewed, I mentally reviewed everything I had experienced so far with the wands.
They were good. More than good—amazing, though still not perfect. Even better than my first wand had been when I first got it, before it lost compatibility over time.
I had never held the Elder Wand to make a direct comparison, but I knew enough to draw some parallels. Were they more powerful than that one? I didn't have a clear answer. The problem with these wands wasn't their power… it was their instability. Unlike the Elder Wand—which only obeyed the one who defeated its previous owner but greatly enhanced their magic—these wands worked on whim. Sometimes, they were incredibly powerful. Sometimes, weaker than an ordinary wand.
During the earlier fight, I had to use more magic than usual just to maintain the strength of some spells. It was clear they'd been telling the truth when they said the intensity of their power fluctuated based on their "emotional state."
However, there was something in my favor: they were exceptionally compatible with my blood magic. No other wand had ever responded that way to that kind of magic. In that… they were unique.
...
We had another kombi ride, this time from São Paulo to an unknown destination. The two sentinels escorting us didn't speak English as well as Tiago, which made conversation harder… though Hannah found it amusing.
The downside was that Tiago, who could have kept the mood light, wasn't in the best spirits.
This had undoubtedly been his most complicated mission. It wasn't that he had never faced trouble before, but this time everything was different: a mysterious group, cursed objects in the hands of a child… and a Ministry that, far from intervening, seemed eager to look the other way. In fact, they had ordered him to stay silent about the wands—even with me. He was to say nothing. They wanted me to carry that burden… and take it far away. It wasn't a good day for Tiago.
The trip was long, but bearable. And it was during that ride that Neville finally broke the silence.
"Please… teach me," he said, lowering his head.
Hannah and I looked at each other, surprised by his sudden plea.
"I don't want to freeze up again when things get bad," he continued, struggling with frustration and unable to stop thinking about his parents. "I want to be able to do something… not just stand there. If something happens again, I want to help my friends. I'll do whatever it takes. I can even pay you, if you want."
"Don't worry, Neville. We'll help you," said Hannah firmly, not waiting for my opinion. Just seeing Neville's red eyes had been enough for her.
"Yeah… I guess we can give you a hand," I added with a shrug. "This trip might help you find your courage… after all, your wand says you're a protector. Maybe it's time to prove it."
Neville nodded, deeply grateful. During the rest of the ride, we gave him advice—some practical, others more emotional. Honestly, he was a nice guy. A bit too shy maybe, but with such a non-confrontational personality that he was easy to accept.
At some point we left civilization behind, driving down a dirt road surrounded by vegetation. It was hard to believe we'd stay in that kombi all the way to the heart of the Amazon. If that really was the case, after everything we told him on the way, Neville would step off that van looking like Conan the Barbarian.
The speed of the vehicle slowed as we spotted a group of people in the distance. As we got closer, we saw both adults and youths of varying ages. When we finally parked, we were able to step out and stretch our legs. Our arrival drew everyone's attention, especially due to the presence of the two sentinels, whose robes and emblems immediately gave them away.
"We made it just in time," Tiago sighed, checking his watch.
Just seconds later, a strong breeze swept through the area and, as if summoned by the wind, a long enchanted bus appeared, with the Brazilian flag painted on its front. It stopped to the side with the creak of its doors and the silent hum of a recently stilled engine.
From the vehicle stepped a woman with bronze skin and chestnut hair with reddish highlights. She wore her wand on her belt and held a notepad in hand. With a cheerful, sincere smile, she greeted us in Portuguese before beginning roll call. She called out the students starting from the final year, one by one, as they boarded the bus.
We gathered our things and, now that we were in a magical environment, I resumed my usual appearance—the natural color of my hair and eyes. The change had only been necessary while passing through Muggle zones. I'd done it out of curiosity, but it was Hannah's comment that convinced me to undo it. She'd said I looked "weird"… And I guess, to her, Red always had to look like Red.
"This is where we part ways," said Tiago, shaking each of our hands. When he got to me, he paused a little longer, looking at me with a mixture of concern, resignation, and affection. "Be careful with those wands… Even though I'd be fired if they found out I'm telling you this, if you can… get rid of them."
I nodded just to ease his mind, though I had no real intention of doing so. At most, I planned to sell them to the merchant if things got too complicated.
We said our goodbyes and approached the woman from the bus, who introduced herself as Professor Silvia.
"It's a pleasure to have you. I'm sure you'll enjoy this trip very much," the professor smiled as she wrote our names on the list, though it wasn't really necessary. "I don't know if I'll be your teacher, but I do hope to get to know you better."
With that warm welcome, we climbed aboard the bus along with her. From the outside, it looked small, but inside it was surprisingly spacious. Like any good magical transport, the bus was much larger than it appeared from the outside.
Though it looked old—with rusty areas, chipped paint, and worn-out details—its interior was clearly enhanced with all kinds of enchantments. Since we were the foreign students, we were seated near the front, close to other new students and some second-years. There weren't assigned seats, but it was clear that the older students preferred the seats toward the back.
Katleburn also managed to get a seat near Professor Silvia, with whom he immediately began enthusiastically exchanging knowledge.
I managed to sit next to Hannah, to Neville's misfortune, who had to sit with strangers. Luckily, the boys he was seated with were friendly, though the main issue was the language barrier. Hannah and Neville barely understood Portuguese, and many of the conversations sparked by the curiosity we generated as outsiders became almost one-sided. I was the only one who could respond and translate, but it was exhausting. At one point, I pretended to struggle with understanding too, just to take a break.
The bus started moving at a speed that would be considered illegal in the Muggle world, though it was nothing compared to the madness of the Knight Bus. What was impressive wasn't the speed, but the magical capabilities: sometimes it lifted off the ground as if flying, other times it vanished and reappeared on a different road or even in another region. Despite those magical jumps, the interior was enchanted so that passengers barely noticed the transitions. A true masterpiece of alchemy and applied transport magic.
We stopped at various points throughout the country to pick up more students. Given Brazil's size, it wasn't unusual to have so many stops. For many young wizards born to Muggles or from rural areas with few resources, this was the only way to reach Castelobruxo.
As time passed and conversations with us became harder to sustain, we stopped being the center of attention. Each group returned to chatting amongst themselves. The area between teachers and students was magically soundproofed, but among students everything could be heard clearly. That's how we picked up on the chatter around us.
Many talked about their vacations—what they did, what they endured, or what they expected from the new year. Some comments were quite striking, like the one a girl a few rows back blurted out:
"Good thing that dried-up old hag finally retired!"
Obviously, I didn't translate that exactly for Hannah. I told her something more "refined," though I couldn't help but smile. I'd love to know what kind of nicknames they'd have here for someone like Snape.
The journey was long, but it allowed us to see several magical corners of the country. As we passed through Rio de Janeiro, for example, we heard stories about magical enclaves in the city. Brazil, it seemed, had several major magical centers beyond the Passage of Arches or the Sorcerers' Fair, though they were smaller and not well known outside their regions.
Hannah stared at the Christ the Redeemer statue through the window, almost hypnotized. I, on the other hand, admired the golden beaches far below.
"We should see if we can sneak away here someday," I whispered conspiratorially.
"That would be wrong," she replied, blushing slightly with an expression that tried to look disapproving, though she couldn't hide her excitement. Brazil was so different it was clear she wanted to explore it all.
"I see. So… without anyone finding out," I winked. "You'd better start thinking about a good swimsuit."
Hannah blushed again, this time for another reason, though she wouldn't deny that with the heat around here, the idea of wearing a swimsuit was quite appealing. Luckily, despite its aged appearance, the bus was air-conditioned on the inside, offering Hannah and Neville a welcome break from the local climate.
At some point, the pickup route ended, and the real journey to Castelobruxo began. Well… almost.
There was one final stop left.