Epilogue
Sydney smelled like spring sunshine and eucalyptus, which Magda decided was the universe’s way of rewarding her for surviving the emotional roller coaster now known as Potion-gate.
Sebastian stood beside her at the rail of the ferry, watching the Opera House drift past like a gleaming seashell. His hand brushed hers, tentative at first, like he was asking permission. She laced their fingers together.
“You’re allowed comfort,” she said. “But you’re not allowed to feel guilty.”
A little exhale escaped him, half-relief, half-disbelief. “I still can’t believe your friends shoved us onto a plane with two hours’ notice.”
“Chad lied beautifully to the police, Joell bullied the airline into moving us up the standby list, and Wally gave a threatening look to an airport security officer.”
Her wallaby familiar, currently disguised as a “service animal”, popped up from the canvas tote at her feet and chirped proudly.
Sebastian laughed. The sound was still a little shaky after everything. “Your life is chaos.”
“Mm-hmm. And you signed up for it.” She nudged him. “Willingly.”
He leaned his forearms on the rail, eyes on the water. “Magda, you know what scared me the most about all of this?”
“Exploding potions? Suspicious police? Wally’s teeth?”
“No.” He turned to her. “Losing you.”
Her breath caught. She stepped closer, sliding a hand up his arm. “You’re not losing me. The league just wanted us out of the blast radius while Chad handled… the wording.”
Sebastian huffed a laugh. “Right. The wording. Which probably involved many delicate metaphors.”
“Not at all. He can do what needs to be done with one word. That’s why he’s the ‘word-warrior.’ You should hear his voice deepen and echo.”
“I’m not even surprised.”
They fell quiet, watching the harbor shimmer gold in the late-afternoon light. Magda felt something ease inside her… tension she didn’t know she’d been carrying until now.
“I could live here,” he said, glancing around at the coastal scenery.
Magda blinked. “You’d move to Australia?”
“I’d move anywhere, if it’s with you.”
Warmth flooded her chest. Not potion-induced. Definitely real. “Well, then,” she whispered. “Let’s start with Sydney. A week of sun, sleep, and no exploding experiments.”
“Sleep?” he said, feigning horror.
She laughed. “Not all sleep.” Then she kissed him—soft, slow, and grounding. Wally made celebratory purring noises, then stole a French fry from a nearby tourist.
When they finally pulled apart, Sebastian rested his forehead against hers. “Magda, I love you.”
She smiled. “Good. Because I love you too. And when this week is over, we can go back to New York and plan our future. Together.”
Wally thumped his tail in agreement.
The ferry cut across the harbor, wind cool against their heated skin. The future was bright and wide open. Exactly the kind of potion-less love Magda finally believed she could have.