AN: Hello everyone, welcome back for the second round of updates!
This chapter is actually probably one of my favorites and one I felt I wrote the best.
I hope you will like how 'she' appeared here.
Because that's what made me love writing this chapter.
So let me know what you think, okay?
Share your thoughts and comments!
Then please enjoy reading!
==========================
Non-Administrated World #97, Star Rail Universe…
Pandora's face drained of color the moment she saw the hooded, masked figures. Her knees weakened as screams erupted around her and explosions tore through nearby shops. The cheerful noise of Diagon Alley vanished in an instant, replaced by panic and breaking glass.
A curse slammed into the front of Quality Quidditch Supplies, shattering the enchanted display in a violent burst. Brooms shot from their stands and scattered across the street. A woman stumbled as she tried to drag her child away from the blast, only for a stranger to shove them both behind a stone column for cover.
One of the masked figures stepped into the center of the alley, lifted his wand, and fired a blasting curse without hesitation.
"Protego!" someone shouted.
A translucent shield appeared, then quickly shattered under the impact. Its caster was sent backward, crashing into a pile of overturned tables.
Smoke thickened quickly as more explosions were heard through the alley. Shop signs snapped from their chains and clattered to the ground. Enchanted displays meant to charm customers collapsed one by one. In seconds, the once-bright street turned into a battlefield.
"Inside! Get inside!"
The Aurors barked orders, waving civilians toward shelter. Strangely, the Death Eaters didn't chase the fleeing crowd. They let them run. Instead, they advanced at a slow pace. Unhurried, almost patient, trying to stretch the fear as long as they could. With every step forward, dread spread through the alley like a tightening grip around the heart.
One of them lifted his wand and aimed at a man trying to escape. Then a flash of green shot from the tip, crossing the distance in an instant, and then the man fell to the ground. There's no chance to scream or to plead. He simply fell.
Pandora's breathing hitched. She covered her mouth with her trembling hands as she realized what had just happened. At the table beside the crew, the boys had gone pale. This was supposed to be a carefree summer break, nothing more.
Around them, the rest of the crowd collapsed into full panic. None of them had expected this. Not in daylight. Not here. Not in the middle of Diagon Alley.
An eight-year-old boy stumbled over shattered wood from a fallen shop sign. He hit the ground hard, scraping his palms as he tried to push himself up.
"Mom!" he cried, terror cracking his voice.
"Noooo! Ed!"
His mother's scream was drowned by the chaos of the rushing crowd, dragging her away from him.
One of the Death Eaters noticed the child and let out a cruel smile under the mask.
"Well, well, well… look what we have here."
He walked toward the child at an easy pace, boots crunching over broken glass. He tilted his head slightly, studying the fear in the boy's eyes as if savoring it.
"Aww," the Death Eater said playfully. "Did you get separated from mommy?"
"Hiii!!!!!!!"
The child shrieked as the shadow appeared over him. His small body shook uncontrollably. The masked wizard crouched down, lowering himself to the boy's eye level.
"D-don't h-hurt me, p-please!!!"
"Hehehe… Oh? You're begging?" The Death Eater tilted his head as if genuinely curious. "Interesting. They always think that makes a difference."
He leaned closer. "Tell me… do you know what fear tastes like?"
The boy shook his head frantically, tears streaming down his cheeks. The Death Eater lazily twirled his wand between his fingers, as though choosing which spell would amuse him most.
"Perhaps I should educate you~."
"Expelliarmus!"
A red bolt shot toward him.
The Death Eater tilted sideways just enough for the spell to miss; the spell hit the signpost instead. His masked face turned slowly toward the caster.
The Potter descendant stood with his wand raised, jaw tight, and eyes burning with fury.
"James, don't!" the black-haired boy snapped, grabbing his shoulder. "You'll get yourself killed!"
Remus dragged the last boy in their group behind an overturned table. "Stay low!"
The Death Eater sneered at the Potter's descendant, James, as the black-haired boy had called him, before a low chuckle escaped his mask.
"What brave little lion."
He dismissed James with a glance and turned back to the child as if the interruption meant nothing.
"Watch closely," he said lightly. "This is what happens when people stand against us."
He raised his wand.
"Cruc—!"
A soft pop was heard; the Death Eater barely registered it before a fist drove straight into his masked face.
CRACK!
The sound snapped across the alley. His body lifted from the ground and flew several meters before slamming into a nearby wall. Dust rained down from the shaken bricks.
The child's eyes went wide in shock, unable to understand what had just happened. When he looked up, Noah was behind him. His fist was still extended from the punch he had just delivered, while his coat swayed slightly as his feet touched the ground.
A moment later, his features softened. He lowered his arm and crouched, looking directly into the child's eyes.
"…It's okay now," Noah said gently, resting a hand on the boy's head. "You're safe."
The child took in a deep, shaky breath before bursting into loud, trembling sobs.
"Shhh…" Noah pulled the boy into his chest, turning his body so his back faced the open alley. One arm shielded the child while the other moved in slow circles along his trembling back.
"It must have been scary, isn't it?"
The boy held Noah's coat tightly like a lifeline.
"I-I thought—" he tried through broken sobs. "I thought I was going to—"
"That won't happen," Noah said, firmly and certain. "I… WE won't let that happen."
The chaos around them may have halted for a moment after Noah's sudden attack, but he paid no attention to the stunned stares from civilians or the hatred burning in the other Death Eaters' eyes. Right now, only the child mattered.
A clap was heard.
"Well," a Death Eater sneered as he walked towards them. "How touching."
There was no attempt to hide the venom in his voice as he leveled his wand at Noah.
"Avada—"
CRACK!
Before the curse could fully form, a figure flashed beside the Death Eater. Without any warning, Caelus mercilessly swung his bat with full force, not even attempting to hold back his tremendous strength.
The impact rang out brutally. Bone met steel with a nauseating crack. The masked wizard's body bent wrong around the blow before being launched across the alley. He flew for several meters before slamming into a broken storefront.
Caelus rolled his shoulder once and placed the bat casually against it.
"…You were saying?"
March 7th blinked once, then again. She rubbed her eyes just to be sure. Caelus and Noah had been standing right beside her a second ago.
So why were they suddenly over there?
And more importantly… did both of them send two grown men flying across Diagon Alley?
Her brain finally caught up with reality.
"CAELUUUUUSSSSSS!!! NOOOAAAAAHHHH!!!!"
She screamed at full volume. Himeko, Pandora, the boys beside them, and even a few nearby civilians instinctively covered their ears.
"Just what the heck are the two of you doing?!"
Noah winced slightly at the sheer volume of her voice.
"…Stopping the masked guy?" Caelus glanced at her over his shoulder, utterly calm.
"That is not what I meant!" March stomped her feet in frustration.
"He was about to cast a spell at Noah and the kid," Caelus replied, brows drawing together as if that alone explained everything.
March threw both hands up. "You don't stop someone by turning them like a folded chair! That guy bent in a way people aren't supposed to bend!"
Caelus looked at the unconscious Death Eater. Then back at her.
"…He should stretch more."
That did not help.
"…You and Noah are truly grandfather and grandson!!!" March grits her teeth and points at him accusingly.
Noah, still kneeling with the child in his arms, gave her a confused look.
Caelus lifted one brow, the corner of his mouth tilting upward.
"I'll take that as a compliment."
March's eye twitched. "That is NOT the point!"
But just as she was about to continue scolding Caelus… a streak of green light flew past her head.
"March!!!"
"Miss March!!"
Himeko and Pandora shouted at the same time. March froze. The curse had missed her by just a few millimeters.
More Death Eaters lifted their wands.
"Kill them!" one snarled.
Caelus saw how close it had been for March. Something in him snapped. His face lost all humor as his grip tightened around his bat. Imaginary energy from the Path of Destruction wrapped around it like a violent storm.
Noah's expression darkened. The warmth in his eyes disappeared. He gently gave the trembling child into Himeko's arms, never looking away from the masked figures.
"Stay behind her," he told the boy before stepping forward.
Caelus was already moving, dragging his bat on the ground as he advanced.
March finally let out a deep exhale. She turned toward the Death Eaters, the air around her growing colder with every second.
"…Okay," she said softly. Her smile sharpened, and her pink–blue eyes slowly turned red.
"Now I'm mad."
—-------
"You bastards actually tried to kill March right in front of me," Caelus said. He didn't bother hiding the anger in his voice.
"I'll make you pay for that."
It wasn't a threat, it wasn't a warning either… but a promise.
Noah stepped up beside him.
"I don't know who you are, nor do I care. But the second you tried to hurt my family…" His eyes hardened. "You made this personal."
The Death Eaters burst into harsh laughter.
"Look at them. Children playing hero," one mocked.
Another tilted his head. "You don't even carry proper wands."
"And you think you can stand against us?" a third sneered.
Wands aimed towards them.
"Avada Kedavra!"
"Confringo!"
"Crucio!"
"Expulso!"
Curses tore through the air in a chaotic barrage. Green death-light. Blazing red explosions. Warped magic that twisted the space it passed through. A killing curse shot straight for Noah's direction. A blasting spell followed close behind, meant to wipe out everything around him. Another caster sent a torture curse to Caelus.
But Noah unhurriedly raised his hand with palm outward, and the next second... every spell stopped.
They hung in front of him and Caelus, suspended mid-flight as if someone pressed the pause button. Next, he waved his hand, transfiguring every curse and spell fired at them into dozens of butterflies made of light.
When everyone in the alley, civilians, Aurors, ministry officials, even the Death Eaters, saw Noah use magic without a wand or a single incantation, a collective gasp rippled through the street.
"…What…?"
"How was that possible—"
"No way…"
Noah then pointed one finger toward the Death Eaters.
"…Fire."
The butterflies shot forward in streaks of light.
Some of the Death Eaters reacted in time, diving aside or throwing up shields, conjuring objects to block the incoming barrage. Sharp impacts cracked through the alley as the glowing butterflies slammed into their defenses.
Others weren't as fortunate.
The light hit them head-on, hurling their bodies backward with the same force they had meant to unleash. One crashed through a storefront window. Another struck the ground hard enough to crack the stone lying beside him.
Their own spells had come back to them.
"W-what kind of magic is this?!" one shouted, scrambling away.
"That's not how magic worked—!" another snapped, his voice breaking.
"Don't just stand there! Regroup!" a third barked desperately, trying to pull the chaos back under control.
"Rules are made to be broken!!!"
They barely had time to react before a wave of Destruction's imaginary energy crashed over them.
Caelus launched himself into the air, his baseball bat glowing with violent energy. Power roared all over his bat as he brought it down with everything he had, slamming it straight into the center of the Death Eaters' formation.
The shockwave exploded outward. The ground burst apart like an explosion.
Several bodies were thrown in every direction. Some smashed into walls. Others crashed through shop windows. A few collided midair before tumbling across the streets like a sack.
Their pained screams were heard through the alley as destructive energy ripped through their bodies, twisting their limbs, snapping bones, scattering them like unwanted trash. Others were fortunate enough to lose consciousness instantly, sparing them the agonizing pain.
On the civilian side, no one moved. Their eyes and mouths were wide open. In just two moves. TWO MOVES. The Death Eaters who had spread terror moments ago were reduced to a broken pile across the street.
"…What just happened…?"
"That… that isn't any spell I know…"
"…Did they just wipe them out?"
But before the fight could escalate further, the warmth of summer vanished. A biting coldness crept along the skin, unnoticeable at first, but before long, it felt like winter had arrived. Ice spreads across the streets, crawling outward, wrapping everything in its way.
"This feels… familiar?" Noah blinked as he watched it unfold; a strange sense of déjà vu washed over him.
"Gaah!!!"
"W-what?!"
"H-help…!"
Several Death Eaters cried out in shock as ice locked around their feet. Freezing their bodies as it wrapped them in an instant, racing from their feet to their shoulders before sealing over their faces, preserving them like figures trapped in glass.
The alley fell silent after that. No one dared to move or even breathe.
"Fufufu… now isn't that rather rude~ ♭." A lovely, melodic voice broke the silence that descended to the alley.
March stepped toward the middle of the alley, her hair swaying gently as thin trails of snowflakes drifted from its ends. The trademark cheerfulness she always had was gone, replaced by a biting cold that made even the bravest hero hesitate.
Noah felt the color drain from his face. "…Oh no."
That tone, that gentle, smiling voice that carried absolute authority. It dug up memories he had buried deep in his mind.
"…M-March…?"
Caelus wasn't any different either. His body stiffened instinctively, shoulders locking as if reacting on pure muscle memory. The bat in his hand suddenly didn't feel nearly as impressive.
"Just when I was in the middle of giving my foolish raccoon husband a piece of my mind for setting a bad example for our grandson…"
March bent down and picked up the umbrella rolled near her feet. She brushed off a bit of dust, then opened it with a soft flick before resting it lightly on her shoulder. A gentle smile curved on her lips.
"…how bold of you to actually dare attack me~ ♭?"
The surviving Death Eaters forced their pained bodies to take a step back. Then another. Their earlier confidence was gone, overwhelmed by a fear stronger than their fanatical devotion to the Dark Lord.
"How about I teach you some manners first…" She stepped forward once. Ice follows her steps.
"…before I return to scold Caelus and Noah~ ♭?"
—-----
"A-avada Kedavra!"
One of the remaining Death Eaters, trembling despite himself, raised his wand with a shaking hand and fired the killing curse at March.
"Ara~ How brave ♭," March smiled lightly as an ice shape jellyfish came between her and the spell.
The jellyfish… ate the spell before spitting it out, then dissolving into tiny flakes as it hit the ground.
The Death Eater's eyes widened. He tried to Apparate away, but his feet were already frozen solid. The others who reached for their Portkeys discovered the same thing.
But it was already too late.
Ice crept through their bodies from the inside out, swallowing them whole before they could scream. Their mouths remained open; their terror was clearly shown.
"…Running away during a lesson?" March sighed, looking disappointed. "That's not very polite~ ♭."
She twirled the umbrella once on her shoulder.
"N-no… wait…!" one stammered, voice shaking in fear.
"We surrender!" another cried. "We didn't know—!"
"Please! Mercy—!"
"We'll leave! We won't come back!"
Their voices overlapped, frantic, stripped of every trace of earlier arrogance.
March tilted her head slightly as if listening carefully. For a moment, it almost looked as though she were considering it.
"Fufufu," she laughed softly. "You didn't know ♭?"
Her eyes narrowed just a little. "What a shallow excuse~ ♭."
The temperature dropped further.
"After all," she continued, tilting her head, "it's common sense that every action carries consequences ♭."
"N-noo…!!!"
"P-ple-please!!!!"
"Hel—!"
The ice closed over them without mercy.
Noah was already on his knees. From experience, he knew that once March entered Evernight mode… no one could escape her. Arguing will only make it worse. So he just accepted his fate and waited for her to finish with the Death Eaters.
Beside him, Caelus felt a bead of sweat slide down his temple. This wasn't the sweet March 7th he knew. It might have been the same face, the same voice, and the same figure… But the presence she was giving out? It was entirely different.
"…This feels like trouble," he muttered.
"…Oh?" March paused mid-step and glanced at him.
"…What do you mean by that, I wonder ♭?"
That made Caelus snap straight.
"No, I mean—" he corrected quickly. "They're in trouble."
March smiled at him, the familiar curve of her lips returning… though it still had the chill that is so unlike the usual March.
"Good answer~ ♭." She turned her attention back to the last remaining Death Eater.
"I-I—!"
He never got the chance to finish the ice sealed over him.
—--------
"Now that is done, shall we have our overdue family lecture, my dear Caelus? Noah? ♭" March turned her back on the frozen Death Eaters and gave her full attention to the two of them.
"Yes, Granny," Noah answered obediently.
Caelus stared at him.
'Hey, hey, hey! Why are you already on your knees?! You're surrendering just like that?!'
Noah caught the silent message from his stare, so he gave him a flat one in return.
'…I grew up facing this. Trust me, there is no winning against Granny.'
"…Waah…" Caelus's cheek twitched.
"Ara~ is something the matter, my dear Caelus?" March called sweetly. "You're making a very strange face right now~ ♭."
For reasons he didn't fully understand, Caelus just dropped to his knees beside Noah.
"It's nothing, my lovely March. I was just… uh…" He shot Noah a desperate glance for help.
"…appreciating," Noah murmured.
"Appreciating!" Caelus seized the word instantly, pointing at the frozen statues around them. "Yes! I was appreciating your beautiful work of art."
"Hehehe~ aren't you a charming one, my dear Raccoon~ ♭" March placed a hand against her blushing cheeks.
"But that won't save you from the lecture~ ♭."
"Ehh..?" Caelus's jaw dropped.
Noah closed his eyes and let out a small sigh. "…As expected."
"First of all," March asked lightly, "what exactly were the two of you thinking, rushing ahead like that~ ♭?"
Noah kept his head slightly lowered. "…We were protecting the civilians."
"And escalating the situation," March replied at once. Her voice remained soft, but the firmness under it was clear. "Did you consider what would happen if one of those spells slipped through~ ♭?"
"…No," Noah admitted with a small pout.
"I thought as much~ ♭," March switched her attention to Caelus.
"And you, my dear Raccoon?"
Caelus straightened instinctively. "I—uh—backed him up?"
"By launching people across the street ♭?"
"…They were hostile?" Caelus tried weakly.
March's smile sharpened just a little, her brows twitching.
"Fufufufufu... this is going to be a looong day ♭."
Meanwhile, the rest of the alley had begun to move again. Soft murmurs spread among the civilians, hesitant at first, then growing louder as people finally processed what they had just witnessed.
"…Did you see that…?"
"They stopped Killing Curses… like it was nothing…"
"No wand… they didn't even use a wand…"
"Is that even possible?"
"Those people… who are they…?"
Some glanced at the frozen Death Eaters while others stared at Noah and Caelus… being lectured.
"…Are they Aurors?"
"…No… Aurors can't do that…"
"…Then what are they?"
Even the actual Aurors were whispering among themselves, their earlier authority replaced with uncertainty.
"They didn't cast… anything standard…"
"I've never seen magic like that…"
"…Was that Ancient Magic?"
"…Or something else entirely…?"
Pandora swallowed. Her eyes moved from the frozen Death Eaters… to March… Then, to Noah and Caelus being lectured in the middle of all this, the contrast made her head spin.
Realizing the attention gathering around them, she quickly stepped closer and gently tugged on Himeko's coat.
"…Miss Himeko," Pandora whispered urgently. "People are starting to notice."
Himeko's eyes swept across the alley. The civilians. The Aurors. The Ministry officials. Every eye was fixed on them.
She gave Pandora a small, reassuring smile. "I'll handle it."
Then she walked toward the trio.
"Ehem, March," she called gently. "Perhaps we should stop here for now."
"Mooom!!!" Caelus cried, looking at Himeko like she had personally descended to save him.
Even Noah turned his head toward her, the same gratefulness in his eyes. Himeko couldn't stop the faint curve appearing on her lips.
"We're drawing far too much attention," she continued, glancing at the frozen Death Eaters, the devastated alley, and then back at March.
"This isn't the best place for a family discussion."
March tilted her head.
"…Hmm, how unfortunate~ ♭," she hummed, a trace of reluctance slipping through. "I haven't even reached the most important part of the lecture yet~ ♭."
Himeko smiled wryly. "You can continue once we relocate somewhere less public."
Caelus visibly paled. Noah winced.
March's eyes narrowed as she took in the crowd, the civilians, officials, and Aurors alike watching them with a mixture of fear and awe.
"…I suppose you're right ♭," she said lightly.
The coldness gradually stopped, the ice halted spreading, then burst into tiny particles with a snap of her fingers. Only the frozen statues of the Death Eaters remained, standing as silent proof of what had just happened.
March closed her umbrella with a soft click and gently tapped it on the ground, then turned back toward Noah and Caelus.
"We'll continue this later ♭."
That single sentence made both of them flinch.
"…Yes, Granny," Noah replied at once.
Caelus nodded just as quickly. "Yeah. Later is good. Veeeery good."
March gave a small nod. Her red eyes turned back to their usual pink-blue, and the warmth in her smile returned as if nothing had happened.
"Shall we head back?" she asked, her tone bright once more.
No one argued.
Around them, the murmurs slowly began to rise again—soft at first, then growing as people found their voices. Questions remained, but none dared to ask them out loud.
Himeko let out a sigh, her eyes went over the ruined alley one last time before guiding the group away. Pandora followed close behind, still trying to process everything she had just witnessed.
As they left, the frozen Death Eaters remained where they were, a definite proof of what happens when the wrong people are pushed too far.
======