Heart and Harmony (III) *BONUS*

Garling Residence.

It was almost noon. The sun was bright, and a cool breeze drifted in from the nearby coast. The trees swayed gently, their leaves rustling like a quiet song, adding a peaceful vibe around the two-story house.

Then, the air in front of the house began to ripple, and out of nowhere, a tear spread through space, stretching and widening until it formed a shadowy, dark frame.

Five people stepped through: two men, a woman, a young boy, and a girl. The boy clung to the girl's shoulder, his face pale and his legs unsteady—it was clear he had little choice.

"This is so much better than Apparition," Maverick muttered, his eyes wide with amazement.

"Well, don't get used to it," Sarah replied, throwing a half-smile at her student. "Only wizards at the boss's level can do thi—" She stopped, realizing she was talking to a total anomaly. "Uh… never mind."

The others exchanged knowing smiles, catching her drift and nodding in quiet agreement.

They headed to the door, with Edward leading the way. Before opening it, he glanced back at his daughter with a sheepish, slightly nervous grin. "Uh, just so you know, if your mother asks… little Rick here had a little... accident, during training."

"Hmph. Like you'd ever fool Mom," Isabella shot back, rolling her eyes.

Edward opened his mouth to protest but quickly shut it—she was right.

Finally, Edward opened the door and stepped aside for his daughter and his student.

Sure enough, it didn't take long before a yelp rang out. Silvia's voice called, "Maverick! What happened?"

"It was an acci—" Edward started, raising a finger to defend himself.

"Dad beat him up during training," Isabella interrupted smoothly, not missing a beat.

Silvia shot Edward a look that made it clear he was in trouble.

"I'm fine, Aunt Silvia. Nothing a little magic can't fix," Maverick added quickly, trying to score some points for his teacher—only to get the same stern look from her.

"Edward…" a man's voice called from the dining area as footsteps approached.

"Newt, my friend!" Edward said, relief washing over him as he turned to see a man in his fifties, with white hair and a well-trimmed beard, walking toward them alongside a woman.

"Uh… Tina, you're here too!" His tone wavered slightly.

"You asked my husband to come ready to treat an injured patient… I thought it might be an emergency, so I came along in case I could help," Tina replied, raising a knowing eyebrow while casting a pointed glance at Silvia.

Sure enough, Silvia's expression darkened even further.

"That… wife… I can explain… Besides, what kind of help can she give in an emergency that I couldn't handle?" Edward stammered, looking guilty.

"Fascinating. You must be young Maverick," Newt said, his gaze fixed on the boy even as he shook hands with Edward. He then stepped closer, examining Maverick's condition with genuine curiosity. "Edward mentioned that someone might need a bit of treatment."

Maverick stared at the middle-aged man, feeling even more awestruck than when he first saw the crack in space. This was his first encounter with a significant character from the wizarding world, and Newt Scamander was one of his favorites.

"Right... little Rick, this is my friend Newt Scamander," Edward said, gesturing toward Newt. "He's a magizoologist and a really talented healer and potioneer." He glanced at his student, noticing the dazed look on Maverick's face.

"Little Rick?" Edward repeated, raising an eyebrow, concern growing as he noticed Maverick's expression.

"Get him to lie down; he looks like he's in shock," Newt said urgently. Isabella quickly gestured to her friend, who had his arm slung over her shoulder for support, and gently tried to guide him toward the sofa.

"Ricky… you okay?" she asked, noticing that Maverick hadn't moved.

"Uh… yeah, I'm fine. Thanks…" Maverick stammered, finally shaking off the star-struck daze that had him speechless.

"Teacher, can we do the treatment in the room?" Maverick suggested, glancing at Edward.

"Are you sure? Let Newt take a quick look first…" Edward replied, concern mixed in his voice.

"Really, I'm fine. I was just… a little shocked to meet Mr. Scamander." He glanced at the man in question. "Mr. Scamander, I'm a huge fan! It's such a pleasure to meet you." He spoke with excitement, trying to raise his hand but wincing instead.

Edward raised an eyebrow at him. "Kid, why don't you ever show that kind of excitement around me?" he asked, crossing his arms with a playful challenge.

Maverick shot his teacher a look that clearly said, Why would I?

"Enough," Silvia called out, grabbing everyone's attention. She turned to her daughter and added, "Hurry up and take Maverick to his room!"

"Yes, Mom," Isabella replied, glancing at her clearly upset mother. She then helped Maverick up the stairs while the others followed behind.

...

About an hour later, Maverick lay on the bed with his upper body bare, his left hand and chest covered in bandages. He looked more relaxed now and was in less pain. Surrounding his bed were Newt, his wife, Edward, Silvia, and Isabella.

Now that their student's condition was stable, Sarah and Simon had left through the Floo after exchanging a few reassuring words with Maverick.

"Nothing serious. His bones are healed; he just needs to take the potions, and he should be up and about in a day or two," Newt explained to the room.

"Thanks a lot, Mr. Scamander. I really feel a lot better now," Maverick said, his gratitude clear and relief washing over him. Newt's healing skills were impressive—something you'd never find mentioned in J.K. Rowling's books.

"Alright, Edward Garling, can you explain why he's in this state?" Silvia asked, arms crossed and a pointed look on her face.

Edward sighed and decided to come clean. "The duel was a final test for Maverick..." he explained, watering down the details and keeping it vague.

"You call this a little hard time?" Silvia exclaimed, gesturing at Maverick, who watched the drama unfold with amusement. It would be a rare sight to see the Golden Lion being pressed like this.

"Hmph. I'll tell Ariel and Michael that you beat up their son," Silvia said, crossing her arms as the tip of her right shoe tapped rithemicaly on the floor.

Edward was speechless, unsure of how to respond to his wife.

"Uh, Aunt, can you please not? I really don't want them to worry, and this is no big deal. I'll be healed in no time," Maverick jumped in quickly.

The last thing he needed was for his parents to freak out—they'd never seen him injured like this before.

"Hmph… you two are so alike," Silvia muttered, inwardly agreeing with him.

"Well, now that it's all done," Newt said, looking from Maverick to Edward, "I need to have a word with you."

"Right, let's give little Rick some time to rest," Edward replied, starting to head for the door along with everyone else.

But Maverick spoke up before they could leave. "Mr. Scamander, is that the suitcase where you keep all your... animal friends?"

Newt raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Yes, young man. How did you know?"

"Uh... I read a lot of books," Maverick answered. It was true; he had come across Newt's name and his magical suitcase in several history books.

"I didn't know you were such a fan of magical animals," Newt said, glancing at Maverick and then at Edward, who looked just as clueless. "I can show you the world inside, after you're healed."

"Uh, sir… can I touch it, please?" Maverick asked, his eyes pleading. Everyone in the room gave him strange looks.

He coughed, brushing off the momentary embarrassment.

He just wanted to check out the suitcase's Extraordinary-Characteristic and its rating—he didn't care about anything else. If it got an excellent grade or higher, he could replicate the Characteristic for himself. After all, he still had an unused point just sitting there.

Newt hesitated at first; he had never received such a... peculiar request. But he trusted Edward, so he brushed off his worries and placed the suitcase next to Maverick.

Maverick's excitement was clear as he eagerly patted the suitcase. The others stared at him, exchanging puzzled glances, wondering if he might be one of those people with a strange fetish.

"Thank you, sir! Can I ask for your autographs and Madam Tina's on my copy of your book?" Maverick asked, doing his best trying to mask his unusual behavior.

Newt nodded, while Tina gave him a curious look.

"Oh... why me, little guy?" Tina asked, raising an eyebrow, clearly amused by his request.

"Uh... well, when I read the books, I figured Mr. Scamander's success had a lot to do with your support," he added, trying to sweeten the comment with a compliment.

Tina burst into laughter, her eyes sparkling with delight. "Hahaha... I like this little guy!" she exclaimed, clearly charmed by his flattery.

Everyone gradually left the room until only Isabella was left, standing hesitantly at the door.

Maverick, feeling a bit confused, said, "I'm fine, Bella. Just a bit tired from all the potions."

Isabella paused for a moment before responding. "I know... Just get some rest, and I'll bring lunch in a little while."

"Uh... I can go downstairs. It's not like I'm seriously injured—"

"No! Don't even think about getting out of bed," she replied firmly, then turned to leave, cutting off any chance for him to argue.

Maverick couldn't help but think, 'Uh... does she have a weird teenage crush on me or something?' He shook his head and pondered further.

'She's really beautiful... and an incredible witch. I've known her since we were kids... Crap. Hold up. Calm down, Maverick. She's barely 16...' He quickly reminded himself, trying to push aside the weird, lingering thoughts.

It wasn't entirely his fault. He was biologically 18, and teenage hormones didn't just skip over him because he was a transmigrator.

But he wasn't having any inappropriate thoughts; he simply appreciated his longtime friend as potential future wife material.

*Cough.*

Only time would tell.

Once Isabella left and the door clicked shut, Maverick finally turned his attention to the system.