Chapter 24

AN: Just a heads up, the character previously referred to as Mrs. Lestrange has now been changed to Mrs. Rappaport.

. . .

"Please, Miss Black, proceed," Samuel nodded, his hand invitingly gesturing for Jamie to speak.

"I'm sure most of you are aware that I recently moved here from England," Jamie began, her voice steady and composed. "By a fortunate twist of fate, I encountered Mr. Stark, who graciously introduced me to something of great significance—a necklace left behind by his mother. With his permission, I utilized a magical artifact bestowed upon me by a dear family friend to break the seal guarding the necklace. Through this act, I was able to bear witness the memories it held, alongside Mr. Stark himself. Mrs. Rappaport, do you find this explanation acceptable?"

As Jamie spoke, her gaze remained unwavering, fixed upon the formidable figure of Mrs. Rappaport. Notably absent from her account was any mention of her own illicit activities.

"And pray tell, how did a young girl such as yourself manage to open the seal that only an adult wizard should be capable of?" Rappaport sneered, her tone dripping with disdain.

"She can do it because her teacher is a great wizard, even if he exists only as a portrait now!" The heavy black door swung open with a resounding slam, revealing a figure who commanded attention. With his unruly black hair, round spectacles, and piercing green eyes ablaze, a wizard stepped into the room. His cloak billowed behind him, accentuating his determined stride.

"I can hardly fathom how the Congress could subject a recently returned wizard and an underage witch to interrogation in a courtroom, treating them as if they were common criminals! I demand an immediate explanation!" The newcomer's voice reverberated as he strode forward, positioning himself directly in front of Jamie. His anger echoed through the air, directed at the diverse group of wizards assembled before him.

Jamie's expression morphed into one of astonishment upon recognizing the familiar figure standing in front of her. It was someone she knew all too well. Her lips parted, but before she could utter a word, warm arms enveloped her, silencing her. "Shh, don't speak," the voice whispered. "Let Harry sort this out. Take your friend and come with me. We're leaving."

Jamie spun around, and found herself face-to-face with a woman sporting a tangle of bushy brown hair with a sly smirk playing upon her lips. The sight of Hermione, of all people, standing before her left Jamie utterly bewildered. The words tumbled out of her mouth, laden with disbelief, "Hermione? You here too?"

Hermione Weasley playfully winked at Jamie and advised her, "This isn't the appropriate place for our conversation. Now, follow me. Harry will handle everything here."

Caught between confusion and curiosity, Jamie exchanged a puzzled glance with Tony, both of them silently following Hermione's lead. The trio made their way toward the fireplace, and under Hermione's questioning gaze, Jamie hurriedly divulged her floo address.

Next, a burst of green flames engulfed them, transporting them back to the reception room on the second floor of The Enchantress. Jamie remained baffled, her expression blank as she tried to make sense of what had just occurred.

Seated on the couch, Jamie assumed a frigid posture and bluntly asked, "So, why have you come here?" Her words seemed to be forced out through clenched teeth.

Temporarily disregarding Jamie, Hermione turned to Tony with a smile and introduced herself, "Hello, I'm Jamie's aunt, Hermione Weasley. You can call me Hermione or Mrs. Weasley. I assume you're the person responsible for the explosion at Ollivander's store?"

Tony couldn't help but smile awkwardly, recalling his encounter at the old wandmaker's shop. "That would indeed be me. I'm Tony Stark, but you can just call me Tony."

Jamie's frustration peaked, and she abruptly rose from her seat, her glare fixed angrily on Hermione. "How did you guys find out about that? It must have been Ollivander. I explicitly told him not to inform any of you!"

Tony's eyebrow raised in surprise as he witnessed Jamie's unprecedented display of anger. Never had he witnessed such an outburst from her before. Until now, Jamie had always appeared more composed and mature, but her current behavior seemed more fitting for her age.

Hermione positioned herself beside Jamie, her arm enveloping her shoulder in a comforting gesture. "Alright, Jamie, if you still want to know what's truly going on, listen to me, okay?"

Jamie responded by crossing her arms and turning her head with an irritated huff. Hermione, amused by Jamie's reaction, couldn't help but chuckle at the scene before she began her tale.

As it turned out, right at the moment when Jamie and Tony broke the seal on the necklace, Seraphina already knew what was happening. After all, it was her and Maria who had cast the spell on the necklace. Learning that it was Jamie who broke the spell, she discreetly reached out to Harry Potter, Jamie's godfather, who happened to be in Britain at the time and informed him of the situation.

Upon learning of Jamie's whereabouts, Harry's immediate plan was to quickly travel to the United States and retrieve her. Seraphina, however, attempted to persuade him to let Jamie remain in the US. Despite her efforts, Harry remained resolute in his decision to bring Jamie back with him.

Seraphina, faced with no other option, revealed to Harry what Tony's mother had seen—a prophecy. Maria had foretold a future catastrophe, one that would not only impact ordinary people but also wizards. To survive this impending disaster, establishing a closer connection with the non-magical world was deemed necessary, and the key to achieving this lay in her own son, Tony Stark.

According to Maria's vision, Tony would be the one to lead the merging of the wizarding world and the non-magical world, ushering in a new era for humankind. However, there were individuals who clung to their old pride and vehemently opposed the idea of mingling with those who they considered beneath them, particularly those from the Rappaport family. Since the abolition of the Rappaport Law in 1965, their family's influence had dwindled, fueling their resentment toward anyone associated with non-magical people, such as Maria, who had married Howard Stark.

A mention was made of a black-haired girl born from Britain's oldest family line. There was little room for doubt that the one being referred to in the prophecy was none other than Jamie. It foretold her pivotal role as Tony's guide in bridging the gap between the two worlds.