Spellbound
Summary: Cedric mistakenly says the wrong words when conducting a spell, and Wormwood in effect becomes infatuated with the first one he sees: Sofia.
Disclaimer: I do not own the show! :)
A/N: So there have been a few of these types of stories floating around for years, but I think this one is going to be a bit different, so I hope you all enjoy it. :D Besides, I think we've all wanted to see Wormwood lose his calm and composed demeanor (for the most part). Ha! :) AquaTurquoise
A/N 2: I sincerely want to thank everyone for all the recent reviews, especially on "Just for a Moment." I'm touched that it meant so much to so many, and I greatly appreciate the comments and reviews for that story. It means a lot! :)
*Story*
Sofia was relaxing outside on the steps to the castle with Cedric and Wormwood. Together, they were working on a top secret plan that involved Grimtrix and the chaos he'd started, but they made certain not to say anything to anyone else. The last thing they wanted to do was to pull others into their plans.
"Do you think there is a way destroy all those Medusa Stones?" Sofia asked curiously as she observed their notes. "I mean, breaking yours was easy, but all of the others? That's going to take some coordination."
"Well, certainly," Cedric agreed with her analysis. "It's surely going to take some careful preparation, but I believe we could actually help them. Especially…"
Sofia frowned when she saw her mentor sigh and become distracted. Even though he wouldn't admit it, she knew he was concerned for Greylock: someone who was supposed to be his friend. It had been a shock to see him on the other side of the table, so to speak…at least for her. For Cedric? "I guess it was difficult to see Mr. Greylock choosing a path of evil, huh?"
"Well…it was surprising…and on the other hand, it sort of wasn't." Seeing her confused face, he shrugged. "Greylock and I both have this 'other' side to us… Really, everyone has one. There's a bit of good and bad in all of us, though most are able to control and operate one side in particular. However, everyone also has a breaking point. So, it was difficult to watch, but I won't say I was entirely surprised."
"I'm just happy to see you've changed, Mr. Cedric," Sofia enthused with a smile.
"Hmm." He flipped through a few pages of his spell book in his lap and then paused, glancing back at his apprentice. "Sofia?"
"Yes?"
"Did you, um…? Oh, how shall I ask this?"
Wormwood, settled on Cedric's shoulder, rolled his eyes. "Did you ever have a clue about our plans?" he asked in his master's place.
"Well…" She shrugged and tucked some hair behind her ear. "I think maybe I had an idea. I mean, you did volunteer to fix my amulet a lot, even if nothing was wrong with it." She giggled when the sorcerer blinked in surprise. "But for the most part, you did a pretty good job of hiding your intentions."
"Yes, well… Wormy made sure of that."
Wormwood scoffed. "Don't pin all the blame on me." He yawned as Cedric went back to his book. "What are you even looking for?"
"The spell to alter one's perspective… Perhaps it could help Greylock."
The princess smiled. She was thrilled to see her friend was trying his best to help his fellow sorcerer. She scooted closer to him and leaned over the book, peering at its contents.
A few minutes later, Cedric sat up straighter as he stumbled across something useful. "Ah, here we are. This could be good."
Sofia observed the spell written and nodded. "It's worth a try!"
"Oh, and here's a spell for 'turning the mad to the glad.' Hey, Wormy, it's a spell for you!"
The raven gave his master a sarcastic glance. "Don't even think about it."
"Oh, nonsense." He lowered the bird to the step beside him and wielded his wand. "Now sit still!"
"Cedric, what are you-?"
"Converte accidiam amorem!" He blinked when the spell washed over Wormwood, the effects of the magic altering his usual look of scorn to one of…interest? He was staring straight at his apprentice, too. "Um, Wormy?"
"Oh, Princess Sofia, you are a vision of royalty!" he gushed with a goofy grin.
"Uh, thanks, Wormwood," she giggled.
"I just truly appreciate your new blend of purple and pink. It suits you well! Oh, and I adore your sense of nobility and loyalty. It sure does make Cedric feel appreciated, along with your family members and even myself."
Cedric seemed utterly befuddled as to his companion's ramblings, but he noticed Sofia seemed appreciative of the bird's words. "It seems he's suddenly infatuated with you, Sofia."
The princess laughed as Wormwood just sat and stared at her with a look of adoration. "Yeah… Wormwood, are you okay?"
"I've never been better! Why, in fact, you alone have brightened my day!"
Cedric folded his arms. "So what are you saying? I don't brighten your day? I feed you, for Merlin's sake."
The raven gave his master a small smirk. "Really, Cedric? Don't be ridiculous."
"Um, I'm going to get us some snacks, Mr. Cedric." Sofia stood and dusted off her dress. "I'll be right back." She made it up a few steps before she felt Wormwood practically plow into her, his talons snug against her shoulder and his head affectionately nuzzling her cheek. "Wormwood? What are you doing?"
"You know, ravens are magnificent birds," Wormwood responded randomly, a dreamy look on his visage. "We're intuitive, creative—"
"—and obviously unaware of personal space," Cedric concluded as he pried his companion from his apprentice. "You are making the princess uncomfortable, Wormy. Behave yourself."
Sofia giggled and left to do her chore.
"Hurry back, fair princess!" Wormwood bellowed with a dramatic sigh. "Oh, it's never a happy moment when we two are parted! For shame!" He lowered his head.
Cedric made a face at the bird's commentary before quickly dropping to his step again, grabbing his spell book. "That's it. We're undoing this spell. I can't take this buffoonery anymore."
"Do you ever think the buffoons are offended by that noun?" the raven quipped with his head raised again. "And why do I always imagine baboons instead? Oh, language is quite fascinating, Cedric…though not as fascinating as Sofia! She's quite special, wouldn't you agree?"
"Of course, Wormy. Now hold still." He placed his wand to his feathered friend's head and muttered the anti-spell to get the bird back to normal.
"I, uh, oh…" Wormwood blinked a few moments later, trying to clear his foggy mind. "…What happened?"
"I evidently said the wrong spell," Cedric admitted to a baffled raven.
"Well, that's not necessarily surprising."
"And you became rather fixated on the princess."
Wormwood gave his friend a dubious look. "Princess Sofia? Preposterous."
Cedric gave the bird a pointed stare. "You called her a 'vision of royalty,' gushed over her new dress, and even bragged about yourself to appeal to her."
The bird frowned. "Strange. This leads me to one conclusion…" He flapped his wings and hovered above Cedric. "Stop using me as a spell tester!"
"Argh! Calm down, Wormy! I get it! No more using you as a guinea pig…"
"I'm back!" Sofia announced as she appeared behind them. "I got some vegetables from Clover's and my garden, along with a few sweets." She placed the tray of food on the steps beside them. "Help yourselves."
"Princess Sofia," Wormwood began formally, "I apologize for any strangeness on my part earlier. However, I think it only fair to say that it was Cedric's fault."
"Wormy!"
Sofia giggled. "It's fine, Wormwood." She smirked mischievously. "After all, I know you consider me a 'vision of royalty' either way, so no harm done."
The bird pouted. "You two are going to hold that over my head for a while, aren't you?"
Cedric and Sofia exchanged glances before breaking into snickers.
Wormwood rolled his eyes skyward and huffed. "Fantastic…"
The end