The second day of November was tomorrow, and the match between Slytherin and Gryffindor was then. He knew Tifa wasn’t playing, but he wanted to see them.

He talked to them daily through system chat, and they only didn’t talk when they wanted to hide something from him. Now that Hermione could access guest features, she also talked to him when she could or wanted.

Because of all that, he had a pretty good idea of what was going on there even when Tifa and Aerith didn’t want him to—Like Umbridge, she had been inspecting the teachers and was unbearable as usual. The good news was that they found a room, Room of Requirement per se, and they had their meetings this month.

It was a good start, and since Aerith explained doing magic using words like swish, zoom, and bam, Harry and Tifa took the lead when teaching.

‘Still, The Ministry wouldn’t let go even if Tifa somehow held them back by the threat of reporting with proof. No, they must have done something to discredit her…she’s not telling me,’ Cloud stepped inside the room.

“They are like normal school clothes, but with the Wizard Robes and all,” Natasha curled her lips, “Cloud, is it too late for me to get into a Wizard School?”

“I don’t know. Do you want to?” Cloud asked, and Natasha bit her lip, looking at Yelena, “No. It’s ok.”

Cloud looked at her but didn’t say anything. He wasn’t sure if she could get in, so he didn’t want to get her hopes up. Maybe talking to a teacher about this would be a good idea, and he needed the time before Howard and Echo.

‘Echo. Can she gain access to magical powers?’

[User shouldn’t ask something they already know. That’s common courtesy.]

‘Not that. Any other way?’

[…]

“Cloud, are you listening?!” Yelena pulled on his arm, making him turn his attention to her, “Yeah?”

“Shopping! We want to go shopping!”

“Ok, do you want to shop where Wizards and Witches shop?”

Yelena parted her lips, gasping in amazement, “I want!”

Cloud cupped her cheek, letting out a soft smile, “Ok. Let’s do that. Let’s get you some Wizard robes for Hogwarts.”

Hogwarts, School of Magic,

“Something wrong? You look worried?”

Tifa swiped her red hair, the ones on her shoulder to the back, and nodded at George. She leaned forward since he was sitting on the other side of the table, asking, “George. Do you know anyone who got accepted after a month or two during the first year?”

“Late admission?” George gave her a funny look, “Tifa, this is not like those Muggle schools. You can’t apply for Hogwarts; it is Hogwarts that chooses you.”

“Hogwarts chooses? How?”

“It’s a book and quill; they are magical. When a child with Magical Powers is born, the book opens, and the quill writes their name if they haven’t gotten the letter on their eleventh birthday. Then no. They can’t get it.”

“Why do you even want someone to take admission at a time like this?” Jordan groaned, looking towards the staff table, “Even after you warned her, she hadn’t stopped creating chaos in our lives.”

“I just hope that Quidditch Match goes without a hitch,” Angelina curled her lips, tilting her head, “Right, is there anyone you want the letter sent to?”

“Cloud does,” Aerith patted Fred’s shoulder, making him shift and sit beside Tifa, “You heard too, right?”

“Mmhm,” Tifa pressed her lips, nodding, “I did. Though, it doesn’t seem possible.”

“I felt he seemed a bit adamant about it,” Aerith muttered, “And I think it’s a good idea. Yelena is fine…but Natasha? I think she’s too much for Cloud to handle.”

“Who’s Natasha?” Fred, George, Lee, Angelina, and a few others who surrounded them asked, hearing the dialogue between the two.

“She’s…well, a child that Cloud adopted. Smart, should be still about eleven, maybe twelve?”

“Cloud adopted a child,” Angelina parted her, covering her mouth so as not to shout. She rolled her eyes, “And you are telling me now? Wait, does he want to add to his harem?”

“No!” Tifa shot her a look, “She’s like…well, a child, and forever will be.”

“Hm,” Angelina eyed them suspiciously when Fred blinked, “If so, there might be one way. If you could get to the artifacts and charm the book and pen.”

“Are you stupid? Even if they could, they’d surely get caught, and then they would be expelled,” Lee shook his head, “Anyway, go back to the part where you guys adopted children? Why?”

“It’s not adoption per se, they were without a family, and they got kidnapped. He saved them and many other girls that were being trafficked. Now, he takes care of them, but since Yelena was too young, or so he thought, he kept her with him. Her elder sister stayed too.”

Fred nodded, pressing his lips, “That’s my boy. Making his harem even now.”

“He’s not making a harem,” Aerith slapped his head, puffing her cheek, “Those are kids; they are like our children.”

“Eh, what about the other girls? You know, I want to see how Cloud lives every day,” Fred blinked at George, and the two lecherously grinned; when Aerith waved her wand, the two felt a finger flick on their forehead, and the two got pushed back, falling on the floor.

Tifa chuckled, “They deserved it.”

Even though she said that, she couldn’t help but think back, ‘How does Cloud live?’

‘Uh…he wakes up in the morning, and Dobby and Winky have the breakfast ready now that they have transfigured into humans. Dobby still looks a bit funny for a human,’ She funnily curled her lips, ‘Then, he has breakfast with Natasha and Yelena, both of who are adorable. Then, he goes to the New York office, where Shelke works as his secretary. And recently, he said that Murdock has started to bring a boy over, his son. And they have gotten a few more people around, which is good.’

She closed her eyes, ‘Wait…didn’t Genesis manage to come near Cloud without him being taken over as well? What is that about? I wonder how and when that changed?’

‘Echo…it’s not a harem, right?’

[No. Cloud genuinely thinks of them as their children if we talk about feelings. Unless the world’s morality changes, it’d never be what you think.]

Tifa breathed out in relief, covering her face in shame, ‘What am I thinking? It’s all Fred and George’s fault. Of course, he would never.’

While she wasn’t participating in the Quidditch match, she was excited about tomorrow while the match itself was the reason, but it was more because Cloud was coming back.

“Yesssss!!!!”

Tifa leaned forward to look at Hermione, who jumped on her feet, cheering excitedly, probably having heard the news only now.

“She’s so cute,” Aerith let out a short, one-syllable laugh, hugging Tifa’s hand, “I just saw him and am excited too.”

Tifa refocused her brain on breakfast, hoping that would somehow check her excitement as well. Though, it only left her with a sleepless night and a tiresome morning until she was in the stands with everyone else, looking to find Cloud since he wasn’t answering her call.

“Do you sense him anywhere?”

“No,” Aerith worriedly shook her head, “I can’t find him anymore either.”

“Find who?”

Aerith flicked her blonde hair back to look at the person who asked her the question. She blinked, seeing a young girl, probably in the first year, with blonde hair and blue eyes looking forward towards the field. She felt this little one was familiar when a girl with short red hair pulled her robe. She blinked again, “Natasha?”

Natasha excitedly grinned, holding a palm in her hand, and pulled Yelena through the crowd, grinning, “Aerith!”

“Aerith!” Yelena hugged Aerith, who looked at them in a daze and then at the eleven-year-old blonde girl, and her jaw dropped open.

“Is that…you?” Tifa asked since Aerith couldn’t, “Is that you?”

The little girl sloped her head to their side, giving them a look that only Cloud could, “I don’t know you.”

“Oh my god!!” Aerith covered her lips, squealing, grinning, “Why?”

Natasha looked towards the field, embarrassed and a little proud, “My idea. This way, everyone will think he’s one of the new kids this year. Sorry, she.”

Cloud covered his face, speechless to say anything when Aerith put her hand around his neck, grinning.

“Just watch the game,” Cloud gave in, closing his eyes, hoping no one finds out about the shame of his lifeline.

Tifa whispered in Aerith’s ear, “After a while, it’s my turn.”

“I hate…both of you,” Cloud muttered, and with that, the game started.