A Little Magic

Summary: *carried over from "Rogue Royals"* When Cedric mixes up punch with a potion, he mistakenly turns himself into a toddler this time, leaving Sofia to care for him. And unfortunately for her, Toddler Cedric is far more energetic and mischievous than Mr. Cedric!

Disclaimer: I do not own Sofia the First!

A/N: Well, MarionetteJ2X posed a question after the "Rogue Royals" story was posted… What would happen if Cedric ended up in the same predicament? And I thought, "Hmm…why not?!" Lol! So yes, here it is. I figured it would be good to go ahead and post a fun story since the next one will be a bit sad. So yes, here you have it! Enjoy!

PS: There are references to "Rogue Royals" and the ending of "Dream Team" in here, as well as obscure references to "Youthful" and "Forever Young." ;) Oh, and there IS fluff. You have been warned! ;)

*Story*

It was rather early one morning when the Royal Sorcerer and the princess decided to get their day started. Well, rather, Sofia had decided that. Cedric honestly could have done with another three hours of sleep, but he wasn't about to crush her hopes of practicing magic.

Cedric smiled thoughtfully as he watched his apprentice set up their necessary materials for the day. He blinked when she snickered. "What?"

"Are you all right?" she asked in mild humor. "You've just been watching me the last few minutes."

The sorcerer laughed bashfully. "My apologies, Sofia. I was just thinking… I'm relieved to see you're back to your normal self. I'm not entirely sure how people deal with toddlers on a daily basis." He sighed in exhaustion just thinking of the recent events while Sofia giggled.

"Aww, I don't think they're so bad."

He raised an eyebrow at her as they sat down to the table. "Need I remind you of the incident with Prince James a few years ago?"

"Well, you don't have to remind me." She grinned as he rolled his eyes and shook his head. "But okay, yeah, James was full of energy. James is always full of energy, so it wasn't so different from everyday life, I guess. Though he was really tiny. And needy…"

Cedric smirked at her. "At least he didn't confiscate my robe and go running around in it. Although, I must admit, I don't find too many things 'cute' per se, but I suppose that did qualify."

Sofia giggled with a flattered smile. "Well, thanks, Mr. Cedric." She started looking around at some of the items before her while pondering something that had been on her mind. "Mr. Cedric, how…?" She frowned and glanced up at him. "How did that guy get into the castle in the first place?" She saw him do a double take at her question. "I mean, yes, I know he's magical and everything, but surely the security should have seen him, right?"

The sorcerer shrugged. "I'm not sure, Sofia… There is magic where you can get by undetected, of course, so…I wouldn't necessarily be surprised."

"So…it's possible that some bad guys can get in here…" She glanced down at her right hand where her GuardoRing lay, the gradient pink and purple color seeming to reflect off the sunlight outside.

Cedric noticed her concerned features and placed one hand over hers, causing her to look up. "I made that ring to protect you, remember? And my sister gave you that Wand Ring to help enhance your wand and its powers. You're not helpless, Sofia, and even if there are infiltrators here, you are not going to go up against anyone alone. You've got me. You've got a lot of people on your side. We won't let anything happen to you, my dear."

Sofia smiled gratefully before nodding as he withdrew his hand and helped her continue setting up. "Thank you, Mr. Cedric."

"Any time." He returned her smile before gesturing toward their materials. "Now then, today's lesson was inspired by recent events. We will take a look at age reversal potions."

"Willingly?" the princess asked with a blink as her mentor nodded. "Mr. Cedric, I thought we were trying to stay away from de-aging spells or potions."

"Well, yes, of course. However, there are other uses for the age reversal potions. For example, one may wish to 'turn back the clock,' so to speak, of his or her life for a brief period of time just to experience younger years again." He pondered as he passed a vial to his apprentice, who accepted it. "I admit, sometimes even I have to wonder…"

She smiled lightly. "Haven't you already experienced those days, Mr. Cedric?"

He chuckled and nodded. "I suppose so. I guess I just miss being a child every now and again… The limitless fun, the imagination, the lack of worries…" He picked up a rose petal lying on his table and observed it absently. "…Knowing that even if you do something wrong, your mother will always be there to ease the fear and doubt."

Sofia laughed softly and took his hand, getting his attention as she took the rose petal from him. "Mrs. Winifred still does that," she reminded him.

Cedric smirked. "Indeed, she does." He grabbed a mortar and pestle and set it in front of the princess. "Now then, let's begin, shall we?" He pointed at the petal she was holding. "Starting with that."

She blinked before dropping the rose petal into the mortar and crushing it.

"A few drops of honey and liquid smoke." He used a pipette to absorb each item and drop the desired amount into the mortar. "Cookie crumbs." He used his wand to open a drawer from higher up in his tower before making it float to his awaiting hands. He sprinkled half a handful into the bowl.

Sofia giggled as she continued grinding the ingredients. "Cookie crumbs?"

"They serve their purpose—believe me." He shrugged and tied off the bag before reaching for a few more items. "Baby's breath." He shucked a few tiny blossoms from the plant. "Leaf of a lily." He added that into the mix before grabbing a tiny corked vial of clear liquid. "And last but not least, pure rainwater." He poured the tiniest amount into the mixture before nodding to Sofia. "While I get these stored away, go ahead and finish mixing that together." He stood up to gather the ingredients.

Sofia started the work as requested and stared in wonder as the mixture began turning into a light pink paste. Even better, it smelled pretty amazing to her—like the way something that evokes a sense of nostalgia does. Perhaps it was similar to a perfume or something, though she wasn't entirely sure.

"Right then." Cedric returned promptly and sat down across from her once again. "How is it coming?"

"It looks…kind of gooey?"

"It's supposed to. Magic takes care of the rest. You've done it right." He gently pried the pestle from her hand and used his wand next. "Liquefy," he commanded, levitating the paste into the air and changing it to a liquid form before carefully lowering it into an awaiting bottle. He smiled as Sofia gasped at the sight. "You act as though you've never seen magic before, Sofia," he teased.

She laughed. "Not magic like that. I guess I appreciate the simpler things."

"Of course. Shall we take a minor break?"

"Yeah. Oh, I've been working on a recipe for a punch for Wassailia, and I wanted to test it out on you and see what you think."

Cedric rolled his eyes. "What am I, your guinea pig?"

"You're more of an ostrich," she responded airily as she collected ingredients to create her new punch.

"An ostrich?" the sorcerer repeated with a displeased expression. "Why on earth would you compare me with that awkward bird?" He paused before giving his apprentice a pointed stare as she giggled. "Oh, very funny."

"I don't know, Mr. Cedric. You just…I guess you and ostriches just mesh well together." She used her wand to mix the ingredients together and poured the pale pink punch into a few leftover jars. "I made it strawberry flavored, because I know most people like that." She placed the jar in front of him. "And sorry it's pink. I've been trying to get it to be red or something more Wassailia-ish."

He chuckled. "Why not do a color altering spell on it? It will solve that problem in an instant." He then stood and walked over toward one of his cabinets, withdrawing a tin of cookies and carrying them back to the table to share. "As long as we're snacking, we might as well make it worth it, yes?"

"Yes!" She removed the lid and happily took one of the sugar cookies as he did as well. "And a color spell sounds easy enough. Maybe I'll try it." She sipped some of her punch and wrinkled her nose. "It's still not right… See what you think."

Cedric nodded and grabbed the container of pink liquid, drinking it nearly dry. He paused with the glass still against his lips when he tasted some rather strange ingredients for a punch. Honey? Cookie crumbs? Petals? Oh, no… His eyes widened as he slammed the bottle back to the table before coughing.

"Mr. Cedric, are you okay?" Sofia blinked when she realized the drink she'd made him was still directly in front of him. She gasped when she realized what had just happened. "Mr. Cedric, did you drink that potion? Are you okay? Should I call a doctor?"

The sorcerer whimpered as he felt a strange sensation pulse in his brain. "I feel…fuzzy…" He shook his head. "Sofia, I…" In an instant, he'd practically disappeared.

"Mr. Cedric!" She gaped at the spot where her mentor had just been sitting. Now, in his place, was a much smaller version of himself, his large brown eyes staring at her in shock. "Oh, my goodness…"

The small form of Cedric, perhaps a two-year-old child now, took one look at himself before immediately expressing his discontent. "WHAAAAH!"

Sofia blinked before going into action, springing to her feet and hurrying over to the tiny crying sorcerer. "Mr. Cedric, it's all right! I'm going to help you." She reached out to his face, calming him instantly as she dried his tears with her thumbs and offered him a gentle smile. "Now… Just tell me how to fix this."

"No fix," he lamented with a sniffle. "Potion wear off…in one day."

A day? A day?! "Mr. Cedric! How am I supposed to explain this to Dad?!"

"WHY YOU YELL AT ME?!" Cedric whined with renewed tears and sniffled.

"I—right, right, I'm sorry." She considered the situation before sighing. "Sorry if this is awkward or anything, but…" She reached out and picked up her friend, gently rocking him to calm him down. "I didn't mean to snap at you, Mr. Cedric. And don't worry. I'll take care of you."

Little Cedric sniffled a few more times before smiling up at the princess. "We change places, Sofia."

The girl laughed as he playfully patted her cheek. She grasped his hand and grinned. "Yeah, I guess we did…" She had to consider this carefully. Taking care of her brother in his toddler form was one thing. But how on earth would it go taking care of her mentor in the same situation? She wasn't sure how he'd be as a toddler, and though his adult form was rather calm albeit nervous sometimes, she knew well enough that he didn't seem that way when he had been her age based on what she saw in the Looking Back Glass. So…she assumed only time would tell. "One day, huh?"

Cedric nodded. "Wormy no be happy."

"What Wormwood doesn't know won't hurt him." She grabbed their wands and quickly carried him out of the workshop.

The sorcerer stared at his apprentice in shock. She was being secretive? Sneaky? Unpredictable? …It was official. Obviously his influence had subconsciously rubbed off on her somehow. And while he shouldn't be proud necessarily… He grinned. "You sneaky," he whispered dramatically as the princess smiled and winked.

"You don't know the half of it."

All day, Sofia had somehow managed to dodge everyone in the castle well enough that she didn't have to stop and explain the pint-sized sorcerer to anyone. They'd collected herbs in the garden, played games outside, avoided Rex a few times, and many other things. However, she realized Cedric was getting restless, so she decided that maybe it was time to head back inside.

Glancing back and forth a few times, she bolted back into the castle toward her bedroom and quickly opened the door, entered, and shut it behind her. "Phew," she breathed as she leaned against the door.

"Sofia okay?" Cedric asked in concern as his friend caught her breath.

She smiled tiredly and nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine." She walked over to her bed and placed him onto the soft covers. "Now wait here. I'll be right back." She put the wands into her bedside table drawer before leaving the room and shutting Cedric inside.

"Hmm…" Cedric glanced around the girl's room. It definitely fit the bill for a princess: canopy bed, vanity set, large seat window… Granted, he'd been briefly inside a few times before to either bid her goodnight or whatever, but now he got to see it in its full context…and it was rather huge! And the mattress? Oh, don't get him started on the mattress.

"So soft," he sighed happily as he gently patted it before grinning and standing to his full height—which wasn't that tall, but he digressed. "Me always want do this." He giggled and started bouncing on the bed, squealing as the covers soon became scattered and the pillows fell off the sides of the bed.

"Where are you going with all that food, Sofia?" Miranda asked her daughter as she noticed her carrying a tray of several different types of goodies out of the kitchen.

"Oh, um… I was going to be doing a lot of reading, so I needed a snack or two." It wasn't necessarily a lie. She did have a book in mind that she figured Cedric would enjoy. Plus he needed to eat…

"Or seven," James remarked with a smirk, causing his sister to shoot him a glare. "Just saying, Sof."

"Wouldn't you rather have vegetables and fruits instead of all those sweets though?" the queen inquired.

"I had a lot last night." She wasn't lying about that. "I figured tonight could be more of a treat-ish night."

The brunette smiled and shook her head. "Whatever you want, Sofia. Just don't get a sugar rush, okay?"

"Okay, Mom! Goodnight!" She quickly hurried back toward her room so she wouldn't have to encounter anyone else. Once arriving at her door, she glanced around and noticed she hadn't been followed. Sighing in relief, she used her free hand to open the door and enter, pulling it shut behind her and placing the tray onto her vanity stool.

Sofia's blue eyes widened at the absolute mess of a state her room was in. Her comforter was all but strewn on the floor. The pillows were in disarray (one even on top of her canopy, which she wasn't about to question). Some of the dresses from her closet were scattered across the room. (Seriously, how had he managed that from his position, and with no wand? Hand magic?) And there, in the center of her bed, sat the guiltiest-looking tiny sorcerer she'd ever seen.

Sofia frowned and put her hands on her hips. "Mr. Cedric."

Cedric blinked, his large brown eyes shining in mirth. Oh, he knew he was in trouble, but he couldn't find it in himself to feign remorse. "Yes, Sofia?" he asked sweetly, a large smile on his face.

"Did you do this?"

"Maybe."

She scoffed as she picked up some of her dresses. "Do I go into your workshop and throw your robes on the floor? Or toss your bedding and pillows off the bed?"

"You should! It fun!"

The girl sighed in aggravation after putting the dresses back into her closet. "That's it. You're in time out."

"You can't time out Cedric the Sensational!"

The princess smirked as she walked toward the bed, resting her hands on the mattress and lowering her forehead to his. "I can, and I just did." She narrowed her eyes as she saw her tiny mentor gulp in surprise. She huffed as she backed away and gestured toward the tray of goodies. "And to think! I'd brought you a snack! And I'd even remembered a great book you'd enjoy."

"What book?" Cedric wondered curiously, despite the situation.

"Oh, just Merlin's Magical Mysteries," she responded with a shrug as Cedric whined, visibly upset.

"Mummy read me that! My favorite!" He pouted. "You no fair, Sofia."

"You wrecked my room, you little mischievous sorcerer."

"Me fix!" He pointed at the drawer with the wands. "Me fix, and you read. Okay? Oh, and food. Food good."

Sofia folded her arms. "It doesn't change the fact that you did this all in the first place, does it?" She gave him a reproachful look as he lowered his head dramatically. "How do I know you won't do it again?"

"I sorry! Please, Sofia?" His lip trembled as he realized the princess was giving in. He smiled as she sighed heavily and relented, grabbing the wand and passing it to him. "Thank you!"

"Hmm." She stood back as Cedric raised the wand proudly.

"Spickspanidio!" he called, giggling as the items restored themselves to their proper place, the princess's bed comforter spanning out underneath him in the process. He grinned toward her. "Told ya!"

"You think you're cute, don't you?" she asked, though she couldn't hide the smile that was forming on her lips.

"I adorable. Mummy said so." He grinned as Sofia laughed and grabbed the tray of snacks before setting it on the bed with him. "We read now?"

"Sure." She blinked when her friend sneezed once before shivering. "Are you cold?" She frowned as he nodded. "Mr. Cedric, why didn't you tell me?"

He shrugged as the princess opened her trunk and withdrew a large plush purple (naturally) blanket. He smiled happily as she draped the fabric around his shoulders. "Thank you, Sofia!" He curled into the fabric and snuggled down, warm and toasty now.

Sofia giggled. She had to admit. Little Cedric was growing on her, but she definitely missed her normal Mr. Cedric. She sat down and pulled the tray over closer to them before grabbing the necessary book from the bedside table drawer. She considered the situation at hand before asking, "Are you going to eat?"

"Me cold," Cedric responded, his teeth chattering together as his arms remained tucked in the blanket.

"How are you going to eat then?"

The little boy pondered her question before smiling sweetly at her.

Sofia frowned, catching on. "I am not feeding you, Mr. Cedric."

Cedric's lip quivered as he gazed at her with shimmering eyes.

"Oh, fine." She picked up a strawberry tart and held it up to him. "Here you g—hey!" She gaped at her friend when she realized he'd pretty well eaten the entire thing in one gulp. "You almost bit me!"

"Sorry!" he giggled, his face now slightly messy with strawberry filling. "Me hungry!"

"No kidding…" She took a little donut and held it up before giving him a pointed look. "No biting." She shook her head as he nodded, and then she smiled as he ate the donut a little more civilly…as civilly as a sorcerer-turned-toddler-in-a-blanket can eat, of course. "Better. Now, ready for our story?"

"Yes!" he responded happily before yawning.

Sofia smiled and rolled her eyes as she reached for a cloth napkin and wiped his face off. "First, let's clean you up. I can't have you getting my blanket dirty." She then put the tray of goodies on the floor before leaning up against her pillows. "Okay, Merlin's Magical Mysteries. Chapter One."

"Me can't see!"

"Then scoot over here." She blinked in slight surprise as he untucked himself from the blanket and instead spread it over to her as well before snuggling against some pillows beside her. "Comfy?"

"Mm-hmm! Sofia?" He smiled as he saw he had her attention. "You take good care of me. Thank you." He held his arms out, initiating a hug for once, to her surprise.

Sofia blinked and giggled at the action, hugging the tiny sorcerer. "You're welcome, Mr. Cedric…" She released him as he snuggled beside her once more, his eyes glued to the book. "Okay, here we go then. You may call me Merlin, for that's what the world knows me by. I'm a wizard by trade and a problem-solver by birth."

It took a good thirty minutes of reading before Sofia finally realized Cedric was asleep, his thumb in his mouth and his head resting on her arm. She laughed softly. "No wonder my arm fell asleep," she murmured before carefully shuffling the little sorcerer against a set of pillows instead. She watched him sleeping for a while, her heart melting at the sight. For once, Cedric actually looked innocent and oblivious to the world. She leaned over and kissed his forehead. "Good night, Mr. Cedric." She snapped the blanket out once, allowing the thick fabric to drape over both of them and the expanse of her bed, before dousing the light and turning over, going to sleep.

The next morning, Cedric blinked open his eyes, the annoying light of the sun attacking his eyelids in a most unpleasant manner. He squeezed his eyes shut again and pulled the blanket closer to himself, attempting to snuggle deeper into the fabric before realizing it was useless. He frowned and opened his eyes again, gasping as he sat up.

Okay, this wasn't his room. He glanced down and realized he'd changed back to normal at some point. Based on the potion he'd drunk yesterday, it couldn't have been too long ago…it had a day time limit. He looked down to his side and realized Sofia was still fast asleep.

He smiled thoughtfully and shuffled the blanket from himself and around her instead, causing her to sigh contentedly in her sleep. He gently placed one gloved hand on her head. "Thank you, my dear," he whispered before standing up. "Now, to get out of here without being seen…"

"Princess Sofia!" Knock, knock, knock.

"Baileywick!" Cedric whisper-gasped before rushing around the side of Sofia's bed and grabbing his wand out of her bedside table. "Oh, what was that new spell?"

"Princess?" Another knock fell upon the door.

The sorcerer whined before snapping his fingers. "Ad officinam!" In a blink, Cedric disappeared.

Sofia awoke not a moment later and sat up. "Come in, Baileywick," she called tiredly before yawning. She then blinked when she realized the toddler version of Cedric was no longer in her room. "Where did he go?" she wondered curiously as she looked under the blankets.

"I just got here, Sofia," the steward chuckled as he entered with a few new items of clothing.

"Oh, not you, Baileywick. I meant…" She couldn't exactly tell him about Cedric's turning into a toddler. The sorcerer would never hear the end of it. "Um…my stuffed animal."

"Oh, um. Well, here, perhaps we can find it together." He draped the clothing over the vanity stool before tilting his head at the tray of goodies still lying on her floor. He raised an eyebrow at her. "Get hungry last night?"

She laughed nervously. "Eh-heh… Something like that." She then proceeded to help her friend search for the non-existent lost stuffed animal.

Cedric collapsed into his chair in his workshop and sighed. That was a close call. He didn't really feel like explaining the whole toddler debacle to anyone—especially Baileywick. Or King Roland for that matter. He smiled thoughtfully as he remembered his friend reading to him last night—a favorite book from his childhood. In fact, he was sure he had a copy somewhere.

After searching a few minutes, he located the glittery blue book and settled down into his chair again. After all, Sofia had begun reading it to him, but he didn't stay awake to hear the completion. Maybe it was a childish thing to want to relive his childhood favorite book, and maybe it was silly to avoid work for a period of time to wax nostalgic.

But maybe that was exactly what he needed. Nostalgia. Relaxation. A method of escape from everyday duties for a change.

He smiled as Wormwood fluttered down onto his shoulder and began silently reading along with him as he gently stroked the raven's feathers. Yep, this was certainly a nice change of pace.

Cedric glanced up when he heard the familiar knock on his door and Sofia calling his name. He smiled and shut the book, setting it aside for now. Nostalgia could wait. Right now, his apprentice came first.

The end