Hello readers! This is my first W.I.T.C.H. story, so I hope I did it right. Review and tell me your ratings, please!
Disclaimer: I do own neither W.I.T.C.H. nor Harry Potter. So sad.
A Change of School
"Uh, Cornelia?" Will whispered to her friend next to her. It was History period now, and both Cornelia and Will were bored to tears by Mr. Collins' rambling about some boring, ancient history.
Cornelia cocked her head. "What is it, Will?"
"The Heart of Kandrakar. It's glowing." Will showed her the Heart that popped out of her palm. It was glowing brightly, even pulsing gently.
"I think the Oracle is summoning us," Will concluded.
"This time, I'm very pleased to leave." Cornelia yawned and elegantly placed a hand over her mouth while doing so.
"Vandom! Hale! What are you whispering about?" Mr. Collins yelled from the front of the class. Both girls jumped. They weren't alone. Most of the students had dozed off and now woke up, startled.
"Um, Cornelia wants to go to the washroom, and she, uh, asked me to accompany her. Yeah, that's it," Will stammered, forming a random story to get out of the classroom. Cornelia glared at her but nodded anyway.
"Every one wants to leave my class! Can't they just sit back and enjoy beautiful history?" he complained.
"But History is…interesting'! We just need to go to the washroom for a few minutes!" Will said. Beside her, Cornelia feigned vomiting on her table. Luckily for her, Mr. Collins did not notice.
"Fine, get out of my class. When you get back there'll be a quiz waiting for you concerning what we learned today." Mr. Collin grumbled.
Will and Cornelia dashed out of the room in a hurry. They could feel dozens of eyes following their every move as the rest of their classmates looked on with envy. Both girls sighed in relief when they rounded a corridor, safe from the glares of their friends.
Will started to walk down the corridor, which ended with the science laboratory. Will peered in. Sure enough, Irma, Hay Lin and Taranee were grouped together, doing an experiment.
"So now we must add a 200ml of milk into this experiment," Irma muttered, leaning on the table. "Boring."
"Just add it already!" Taranee snapped, too engrossed in the experiment to bother talking properly to her friends.
Will knocked timidly on the door of the lab. Miss Doris looked up and beckoned her to come in. Will walked in with Cornelia in tow.
"Uh, Miss Doris?" Will began.
The teacher raised an eyebrow. "What is it, ah, Will Vandom, am I right?"
Will nodded. "May I talk to Taranee, Hay Lin and Irma for a moment?"
Miss Doris pointed in the direction of the three friends. "Go ahead. They're right there."
Will thanked the teacher and hurried to meet them. "Uh, Hay Lin? Irma? Taranee?" Hay Lin and Irma looked at her, but Taranee remained focused on the experiment.
"What's up Will?" Hay Lin asked in her usually bubbly way.
"I think the Oracle's summoning us. Can you three find a way to get out of class to meet Cornelia and me in the washroom?"
Irma nodded. "Sure thing. As long as we can get out of this class! What about you, Taranee?" She elbowed Taranee, who dropped the measuring cylinder she was holding. Milk spilt all over the gray floor.
"Miss Taranee Cook!" Miss Doris shouted exasperatedly. "Can't you be more careful? Go to the storeroom and bring a mop to clean up this mess."
"Yes, Miss Doris," Taranee said meekly, glaring at Irma. "Can Irma and Hay Lin follow me? I'm afraid I don't know where the storeroom is because I've only been here for half a term."
"You have been here for half a term and you're telling me you don't know where the storeroom is?" the teacher asked incredulously. Taranee shook her head, her glare trained on the Water Guardian in front of her.
Miss Doris sighed; she had a lot to do. "All right. Lair, Lin, show Taranee to the storeroom. Vandom, Hale, are you done?"
"Yes teacher. We'll be going now. Thank you!" Will yelled over the noise of students. "Come on girls."
"You better have a good reason for this," Taranee growled.
"You hate cleaning?" Irma suggested. The latter opened her mouth to snap at her but was interrupted by Will.
"The Oracle summoned us. We have to go now." Will was in total control mode. Reluctantly, Taranee bit back her comment and followed Will. So did Irma. She wasn't one to go against Will, not when she knows how angry she can be.
"Okay, ready girls? Hold hands and focus on our destination: Kandrakar!" Will ordered, standing in the middle of an empty washroom, the Heart resting on her palm. Their astral drops stood a distance away from them. Poor Astral Taranee, she had to clean up a mess she didn't make!
The four girls obeyed and clasped their hands. Taranee gripped Irma's hand, hard. Irma yelled and pulled her hand out of Taranee's grip.
"What is it?" Will asked grumpily. Irma pointed at the Fire Guardian.
"Ask her."
"I didn't do anything!" Taranee protested.
"Why you -" Irma yelled.
"STOP IT!" Will shouted, louder than Irma. "Irma, you change places with Cornelia. NOW!"
"Yes Will." Irma said meekly and changed positions with her enemy. Cornelia wore a smirk on her face. Irma stuck out her tongue and took her place next to Will.
"Now hold hands and focus on our destination and MAKE SURE YOU DO IT!" Will snarled. The four Guardians flinched. Will was seldom this mad. But she was not angry. She was only worried.
All five girls held hands, shut their eyes and thought hard about their destination: Kandrakar. The Heart hovered above them, glowing. In a flash of brilliant light, the five girls disappeared.
….
"Welcome, Guardians. I have been waiting for you." The Oracle's voice floated down to the pedestal where the five Guardians of the Veil now stood. They bowed in respect to him. The Oracle was very old, yet his features spoke otherwise, for he looked young, albeit a hairless head. He wore robes made out of iridescent cloth, woven so fine that the stitches could not be seen be the naked eye. Tibor, his advisor, trailed behind him, faithful as always. Unlike the Oracle, Tibor appeared old, with wrinkles on his face and a white beard that flowed nearly to the floor.
"We have been watching you, as you all know," the Oracle began. Will and her companions listened attentively.
"I have held a meeting with the Congregation, and we all agree that you cannot control your powers well yet. Some of you even abused this power I gave you." Here he looked meaningfully at a particular Water Guardian. Irma turned red and looked down to the floor.
"Therefore, we have decided to send you to a school of magic."
Gasps of surprise followed this statement. Will stepped forward to speak.
"But sir, I don't mean to be disrespectful," Will started. "but how can we go there? What about our lives on earth?" The four Guardians behind her nodded fervently.
"That has be taken care of," Tibor spoke beside the Oracle. "Your astral drops shall remain there while you train at Hogwarts."
"Hogwarts? Never heard of that thing. Is it some sort of a new disease?" Irma joked. Tibor glared at her. The Oracle simply looked at her witheringly.
"Hogwarts is a school of magic. You will go there to study and not to play, so I hope that the five of you know the difference between work and play. Since you all are thirteen to fourteen of age, you shall be placed, at our request, in the third year." Tibor said sternly.
"Yes sir. When will we be leaving?" Will asked politely.
"What about…right now? The term starts on the 1st of September, that is today." the Oracle suggested. More gasps followed.
"N-now sir? But can – can we see our parents? You know, we won't be seeing them for a year, so…." Will faltered.
The Oracle pondered his answer for a moment. "Alright, you may see them once before you leave." He said at last. "But I will erase their memories of you meeting them so as to avoid complications."
Will and the others were hurt but they had to comply. Either that or not see their parents at all. "Okay."
"Close your eyes…." The Oracle commanded. A bright flash of white light engulfed the Guardians. A moment later, they disappeared.
….
WILL
Will fumbled about with the keys to her house. "Hm…nope, locker key, room key, padlock key…where is that blasted key to the front door!" she grumbled in frustration. She hit the doorbell by accident.
"Doesn't matter. No one's at home anyway."
Imagine her shock when a woman with dark blue hair opened the door. "Will? What are you doing here?" Susan Vandom asked.
Will stared at her blankly for a moment. "Mom? Why are you home this early?"
"There was no work at the office, so I came home."
"Oh."
Will stood at the doorstep awkwardly.
"Why are you standing there like a statue? Come in," Susan said, breaking the silence. Will obeyed and fell onto the couch.
"Mom, I have to tell you something."
"What is it, dear?" Susan asked, sipping a cup of tea.
"I'll be going away soon, so I have some things to tell you. Could I hug you first?" Will asked tentatively. Susan was surprised at the request but pulled her daughter closer to her anyway. Both mother and daughter hugged each other tightly for a few moments. Tears started to drop from Will's brown eyes.
"Mom…I'll miss you."
What is Will talking about? Is Sheffield thinking of a transfer? Susan thought, ruffling her daughter's flaming-red head of hair.
Will pulled away from Susan, a little reluctantly. "Now for the second thing: I am going away to study magic. The cause? This." She held out her palm in front of her. Before her mother's astonished eyes, a pendant appeared. It seemed to spring out of Will's hand. It was beautiful, with swirling pink on the inside of the sphere, encased in glass, with a clasp to hold it in place.
Will exhaled to prepare for her mother's shock. "Here goes. Guardians Unite!"
"But Will. What -"
….
IRMA
Irma rang the doorbell of her house, too lazy to pull out her keys. Mrs. Lair opened the door. "Irma! You're back early! But why didn't you use your keys?" Irma's mother asked, puzzled.
Irma shrugged. "Too lazy. Mom, I need to talk to you and dad. Is he home?" She peered hopefully inside, looking into the living room.
Anna nodded. "He got off early today, not unlike you. Come on in."
Irma went in after kicking her shoes off. Most surprisingly, she didn't slam the door shut behind her like she used to. She actually turned around to shut it gently! Anna stared.
"What has got into you? You used to slam it, deafening me."
"Nothing. Can you sit beside Dad? I need to tell you some things."
Anna agreed and sat down beside Mr. Lair.
"What's all this about?" he asked gruffly. He didn't like to be interrupted while he was watching his favourite show, especially since his free time came only once in a blue moon.
"You daughter needs to tell us something," Anna explained. "Go on, Irma."
Irma took a deep breath. "Okay. One, I'm going to study somewhere else. Two, I'm going there because I'm magic. You might think of me as a magical pixie who rushes around to save the world," she tried to joke lamely. Both her parents were dumbfounded.
"Then – huh?" Irma gasped. A blue teardrop had appeared in front of her. She nodded grimly. The teardrop swooped forwards and into Irma. With joy, Irma felt her muscles lengthening, her face changing. Eyes that made her feel that she was filled with wisdom. Best of all, a pair of beautiful wings appeared on her back. Not to a mention totally cool outfit that seemed to be made just for her.
Completing her transformation, she turned to face her parents. Their mouths opened and closed, like a fish out of water. No words came out.
"But how -" Mr. Lair started.
"Third: I'm going to miss you." Irma said and launched herself into her parent's arms. The three of them hugged each other tightly.
….
CORNELIA
"You are a what?" Mrs. Hale snapped.
They're not taking it well. Whoopee. Cornelia thought. Her father stood beside his wife, pretending to read a novel, which was upside down.
"I am magical, mom."
"I don't believe it." Mrs. Hale countered.
Cornelia was about to retort. "So what?" but was interrupted by the appearance of a green swirling drop. It hovered before her for a second.
"I'll prove it."
The green teardrop blended into her. She transformed, her limbs lengthening, muscles toughening, becoming dazzlingly beautiful. Her hair grew longer and silkier, partly obscuring the pair of wings that sprouted from her back.
"Do you believe it now?" she asked her dumfounded parents.
"You-you're joking. This is unreal!" Mrs. Hale gasped, holding onto an armchair to steady herself. Even her father had stopped pretending to read and now looked at her as if she were crazy.
"It is real, Mom, Dad." Cornelia said sadly. Her had hoped that her parents would understand, support her. Her hope was shattered.
"Big sister?" Lillian called from the top of the stairs. She ran down the stairs. Suddenly, she tripped. "Whoaaaah!" she screamed.
"Lillian!" Cornelia yelled. She beckoned the magic within her. A green stream of magic escaped from her finger. The stairs immediately straightened itself, becoming a flat plane. Lillian slid down safely.
"Whew," Lillian sighed in relief. Mr. and Mrs. Hale exhaled; they had been holding their breath.
"Thanks sis!" Lillian yelled and tackled Cornelia, hugging her legs, for that was the highest she could reach. Cornelia patted her head, her vision obscured by the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes.
"Goodbye Lillian. I'll miss you." she whispered as she hugged her sister. Her parents came over and hugged both of them, forming a family hug.
….
HAY LIN
"What?" Joan Lin stared at her daughter. Hay Lin donned a fancy outfit, with wings sprouting from her back. She also looked wiser.
"Yes, your daughter is a Guardian, like I once was." Yan Lin's voice sounded from the passage. A strong smell of jasmine oil announced her arrival. "The Air Guardian, to be precise." She smiled at Hay Lin. Her granddaughter smiled in return.
"A-Air Guardian?" Joan Lin asked faintly. Her husband looked dubious.
"Yes." Yan Lin repeated. "I'll explain it to you. Hay Lin, go and pack unless you have any unfinished things you would like to do."
"There is one." Hay Lin said tearfully. She flew into her grandmother's open arms. Yan Lin beckoned imperiously to Hay Lin's parents. They came hesitantly and placed their arms around the two. "I'll miss you all…." Hay Lin cried.
….
TARANEE
"Taranee! Why are you wearing that outfit?" Theresa Cook called from the hall. Taranee had appeared at the top of the stairs, already in Guardian form.
"Because this is what I look like." Taranee replied. Peter whistled.
"Do you always look like this, sis?"
Taranee shook her head. "No, only when I transform to fight against evil."
Theresa scoffed. "As if I would believe a cock-and-bull story like that."
I knew she wouldn't believe it. She's always about facts, proof….Taranee sighed inwardly.
"I'll show you."
Taranee pointed at the grate, where a fire was burning merrily. A stream of orange magic, Taranee's magic, appeared from the tip of her index finger. It swirled around the fire in the grate. She beckoned. The fire floated over from the grate and danced about in the air.
"What are you doing! You could get hurt! Put that fire down at once!" Theresa barked. Taranee shook her head. The fire changed its shape, writing the words 'Theresa Cook' in the air.
"Now do you believe me?" Taranee asked. Theresa nodded. So did her cool surfer dude of a brother.
"Sis, I'll support you. Don't worry. Mom will accept it." Peter said seriously. Taranee shed some tears and hugged her brother tightly. She disappeared in a flash of light. At the same time, the Oracle erased the memories of the witnesses.
….
"Are you ready, Guardians?" the Oracle asked. All the Guardians had returned, a little sad. Will and Cornelia were still sniffing. Nevertheless, they nodded.
"There is a vault for each of you in the Gringotts Bank, just to inform you, is run by goblins. Goblins," he confirmed, seeing the Guardian's baffled looks. "Never try to deceive them. Anyway, here are your vault keys."
Five silver keys appeared in the air in front of each respective guardian. Will reached out to grasp the key. The others did likewise.
"Now, since this news was told to you so suddenly, the Congregation knows that you will not have the time to shop for your things in Diagon Alley. Therefore, we have requested that you five can buy your things tomorrow." Tibor said. The Guardians cheered.
"I hope there will be lots of funky stuff there!" Hay Lin said hopefully.
"It is time." The Oracle announced. "Goodbye, and do not reveal your identities, whatever you do."
"Yes, sir." Will's faint voice was heard as she and the rest of the group disappeared in a flash of white light.
"Are you sure you did the right thing, Oracle?" Tibor asked.
"No one knows. Time will tell," the Oracle said serenely as he floated off to rest.
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