"Who goes there?" Curtis awoke with a start and started babbling questions. "Is it Father Winter?" He took his hammy fists and tried to rub the sleep from his eyes.
"I'm NOT dangerous if that's what you sort think," the voice behind the door bellowed and beat on it again and again. Uncle Vincent came careening into the main part of the lighthouse with a wild look and a shotgun. NOW Henry understood why he was being positively gleeful and careful with a certain one of the luggages in their company. Henry's heart began to beat fast. Would he mean to use it on the person behind that door who was for all intents and purposes have come to save Henry from this dreaded existence?
"I'm ARMED you heathen!" He cried into the darkness.
"I hope you are, sir. Two of them I'd suppose, right?" The deep voice called back.
There was a pause for Mr. Doofly to consider such a retort but-
BOOM! BANG! CRASH!
The door to the lighthouse was forcibly punched in. It's hinges couldn't even handle the sudden motion and they ripped clean off as the door they were holding crumpled into mere splinters at the vistor's feet. Admirably, the guest looked a bit embarrassed to have caused such a mess and scene.
Henry did not ever intentionally want to be rude in his life. However, from the dying embers of the fire Mrs. Doofly made, he could take in the sight of his savior. He...how could Henry put it…? His proportions were...way off. For starters, he was tall...two heads taller than Mr. Doofly who was 5 feet and 10 inches. What was the most curious part, was that despite his insane height, he was rather gaunt in stature. His hips were very high and narrow but his top half was very bulky and stocky. His shoulders were immensely broad, and his biceps were probably bigger than Henry's whole torso. His hands and feet were also big but his legs were long and nimbly. Didn't schoolyard boys call that "chicken legs?" His eyes were as dark as cold but shined with a light airy mirth that made Henry instantly recognize him as friend versus a foe.
Like a gazelle, the man leapt from his tattered mess of wood and metal hinges to part ways with the rain and nonsense behind him. Lithy, he landed both feet in the center of the room as Aunt Daisy was screaming her head off. How can a man jump that high and long? The distance was about twelve feet or so.
"Gee willickers, lady you want some ice with that...scream," he put his fat finger comically in his ear with one eye squinted as Mrs. Doofly continued. The man had a very soft, quick-paced pattern of speech. Though when he addressed Henry's screaming aunt and shaking Uncle, his voice was very commanding and deep. It was not to be reckoned with. "Now you listen to ME! There will be enough of all this drama and shouting and screaming and the lot!" He strode over cool and confident to Curtis who was frozen from shock. One foot on the ground, the guest put the other foot on the edge of the couch and Curtis had to scoot over to make room. The visitor then shifted his weight forward to lean on the bend and raised knee. Calmly, he appraised the room and an air of awkwardness fell upon the persons in the dingy lighthouse. That is, until his eyes met Henry's.
"There...he...IS!" The man's voice was back to the soft and low natural timber. He clapped big and loud at the last word and extended both arms out like you would if you were silently gesturing for someone to give you a hug. "Splendid! Amazing! You look so much older than last I saw you!" Curtis squealed and got up to run behind his father...who was cowering at the hip of his wife. The man's large hand went to his chin beard and stroked it all the way to the pointed ends.
As a matter of fact, everything in the stranger's face was pointy. He had a pointed chin (despite it being covered with a goatee, is that the right facial hair…? Henry didn't know much of that sort.) his nose was long and hooked downward into a point as well. His eyes were sharp and slanted upward and when he tipped his hat, as he was currently doing, even his ears were pointy.
"You look JUST like your mother...I do believe though instead you got your father's eyes, genetics are funny like that, eh? Take a look at ME! I'm half human half…"
"THAT WILL BE QUITE ENOUGH OUT OF YOU!" Uncle Vincent must have mustered some sort of courage. Maybe it was the mention of Henry's parents. With an accusing finger wagging in the stranger's direction, Uncle Vincent moved slow and crouched low, drawing nearer as he spoke menacingly. Henry could feel the color drain from his face as Uncle Vincent drew his weapon up and pointed right at the stranger's forehead.
As for the stranger, he just looked downright amused. Still in his comfortable position, he straightened his back until the barrel of the gun was just about to touch his white skin when-
ZIP! Quick as a wink the stranger took the gun in both hands, (remember Henry cannot be sure of such things since his eyes could barely believe what he saw), put it somewhere behind him, procured a black balloon from seemingly the same spot, blew it up to about 3 feet long in outstandingly one breath, tied and pinched it in a flurry of hand movements and gave Uncle Vincent the finished product...a finished balloon shotgun.
He was not done!
As almost to punctuate his amazing trick, the actual gun was then produced from it's mystical spot from behind his back and CRUNCH! Somehow the visitor was able to crunch the long and scary weapon into both hands. He then blew inside the contents and threw it haphazardly behind his back. The dying embers of the fire reignited with a WOOSH! And the fire was back to a roaring flame. Henry revelled in the serene warmth it gave off since the missing door posed quite a problem for the elements still raging outside.
Three jaws were dropped and Henry's was helping him chuckle with merriment. The stranger looked towards the gleeful Henry and gave him a goofy wink. In another mind-numbingly quick movement, the guest jumped five feet in the air, did a front flip, and landed right next to Henry. His arm came around the boy and pulled him close. Almost like a hug, but more like the guest was showing Henry off. When Uncle Vincent threw the balloon gun down (not as dramatic as he'd hoped since it sort of...fluttered to the floor), the guest stuck out an impossibly long finger and slowly waggled it in an, "ah, ah, ah...you must be silent now. I've had it with your games" way. He then turned to Henry.
"Henry Puffer! Happy BIRTHDAY to ya! I got this for you!" In a blink he was at Henry's other side, then behind him, then Henry felt a tap on his shoulder. Once the young boy was overcome with his giggles the guest seemingly pulled a baker's box from Henry's...ear…? "It's been through just as much as me...rain...wet...and rain...but I made it for ya and I think it'll taste great. My mom's recipe, you see," he opened the box.
Henry looked inside to the slightly damp and slightly caved in box. Inside, a round, deliciously sloppy cake awaited him with thick maroon frosting that looked sticky and runny. This was not a complaint in the slightest. Happy Birthday Henry was written in perfect spelling and handwriting and neon green icing. Henry's words of thanks and appreciation got muddled into wanting to know what this was all about and his brain fumbled and produced-
"Thanks for knowing...you…?"
This caused the unknown man to thrust the box into Henry's hands so he could bend hands on knees to guffaw in big, belly laughs. The genuine happiness and friendliness of his amusement put Henry at ease. He somehow knew that the man was not laughing at Henry but rather, with him.
"It is I who should be thanking YOU for knowing you," he exclaimed and lovingly patted Henry on his head with one hand and wiping a stray tear of laughter with the other. "Though you are right here," Henry cried out in shock when a fork was pulled right from under his nose, "dig in while I introduce myself! My name is Julius Hagish! I'm the saver of savings, I keep keys from time to time...and I do a lot on the grounds of Harnocks." Henry had a whole mouthful of cake, chewing happily. It was so good. As such, he couldn't very well answer or shake Mr. Hagish's hand. With a snap, Julius became privy to that and instead stuck out the point of his toe. Henry turned his head to the side in confusion but awkwardly stood on his own one foot to touch toes with the strange stranger.
"SIR! You need to LEAVE right now...Henry you're a FOOL! That cake could be POISONED! You'll be dead tomorrow, I'm sure!"
"Daddy! That means I get my room back!" Curtis began to clap very fast.
Julius's eyes narrowed and Henry stopped chewing.
"How...DARE you…," Mr. Hagish drew a shaky breath. "SQUANDER MY MOTHER'S CHOCOLATE CAKE RECIPE?!" Inhumanly fast, he jumped over the couch again, did three backflips into a sort of barrel roll dismount to be next to Curtis. "And YOU Piggly Wiggly!"
"Don't you DARE touch my boy!" Aunt Daisy squealed but made no move to intervene.
Julius Hagish didn't listen and instead spun Curtis around what seemed like sixty times. Henry chewed his cake happily with hope that Hagish would do something to harm his cousin. Was that bad? But Mr. Hagish didn't do that. Once Curtis was well and dizzy, Julius patted his shoulders, patted his head, poked his nose, and then while Curtis opened his mouth to say something in protest, a GIANT hot dog fell out of his mouth instead!
"CURTY DON'T EAT THAT?" Mrs. Doofly shouted but Curtis was already three bites in. Mr. Hagish looked at Henry with another wink and Henry wondered if he could read his terrible, previous evil thought Henry had had on his cousin.
"Ya gotta kill em' with kindness, lad," he said, which confirmed Henry's suspicion.
"Mr. Hagish...this cake is wonderful...and thank you for...for-f-for coming all this way. I hope it wasn't too much trouble but…," Mr. Hagish interrupted good naturedly.
"Please, sir, do call me just Hagish. It's no problem, the cake really and it's even more of a no-er problem to come and get ya! As the keeper of keys, and grounds, and countless other green and slimy things I have the RIGHT to make sure we get you to Harnocks POST haste!" He paused for some sort of effect but when he saw Henry's blank stare, his own doofy grin fell just the slightest and his arms went limp in disappointment. "POST...haste…?" He tried again. Henry just shrugged. "The...post...the mail...you haven't returned the letters…?"
"OH! The letters that Uncle Vincent hasn't allowed me to read!" Henry was being completely innocent...but the way Hagish straightened to his full height and slinked like a shadow to end up right next to Uncle Vincent and Aunt Daisy made him wince. Was he not to have said anything? The Doofly's collapsed with their own brand of short cries. Curtis was too busy eating in the corner to care what was about to happen to his mom and dad. "I'm...I'm sorry…?" Henry didn't know what he was apologizing for. He just figured he ought to.
"NEVER apologize, laddie. It is THEM," he nearly got Uncle Vincent right in the eyeball, "that should be apologizing to YOU!? Denying your PLASMA right! HOW CRUEL! I had a feeling, too...so did 'Spatchy...I tell ya! Tell me you at LEAST know about Harnocks!" Hagish's anger was growing. The more it grew, the bigger he seemed. And the smaller the Dooflys looked.
"Who?" Henry said dumbly and that was enough to set Hagish right off.
"YOU DIDN'T TELL HIM ANYTHING DID YOU?!" Hagish yelled so loud his entire eyes (even the white parts) went black. His cheeks sunk in further and his teeth turned to points. His face completely changed! It was enough to draw Aunt Daisy's hair back. After his outburst, his features realigned and the previously thought to be gentle stranger seemed to be doing breathing exercises. "You shouldn't have seen that...you should not have seen that. Apologies...apologies...it's in my blood and...eh toss it," he turned from the absolute wrecked Dooflys to Henry. To salvage the bad impression Henry might have had on Hagish (which there was not a bad impression, for the record) Hagish walked at human pace and sat criss-cross next to where Henry was standing. Henry, with the quarter eaten cake, sat next to him in the same manner. This is when the two shook hands properly and Hagish moved his hand to rest on Henry's shoulder. His voice was calm, like a teacher teaching a primary school student how to read.
"Your naughty uncle and aunt have kept a very important thing from you, lad." He sighed like he was completely forlorn. Uncle Vincent thought better to make a move or say anything. About your world, the one that I live in...and the one your parents lived in.
"I'm pretty smart, Hagish," Henry was a tad offended. "I get good marks in school and I can handle whatever it is that needs to be told to me." Hagish chuckled in answer and patted Henry's head again.
"So you know you're mom, your dad...and their fame and…" Henry interrupted Hagish.
"Fame?"
"This is an outrage," Hagish ruffled Henry's hair and appraised the Dooflys.
"Don't. You. DARE tell him a thing," Uncle Vincent rose on wobbling knees and Aunt Daisy followed. Hagish remained on the floor and looked calmer than ever.
"He doesn't even know who he is!" Hagish said to the ceiling.
"We forbid you...you...you crazy petty thief," Aunt Daisy tried to have a go at intimidation.
"Keep what from me" Henry was all sorts of eager now. The cake at his side.
"I TOLD YOU TO STOP!" Mr. Doofly shouted.
Aunt Daisy croaked in horror.
"I'd never hurt a fly, but may you lot be cursed with forever one-ply for this nonsense," Hagish said and like a rebellious teenager leaned right into Henry's space and said…
"You're a spellcaster. A wizard, Henry."
"I'm a what?!" Henry said with a gasp.
"A spellcaster! One who casts spells! Wizard, warlock, witch if you prefer. I don't judge nobody's label. In my day I kinda went through a phase where I liked being called a mage. Whatever suits, ya know?" With a shrug, Hagish stopped speaking while Henry's young mind sputtered and threatened to grind to a halt as he processed. "You just need to train. All spell casters do! It's what your mom did...it's what your dad did...and now it's what you need to do. And you need a place to do it!"
From under his chin beard Hagish procured that mysterious letter. At last! Henry took it politely but eagerly. Mr. Henry Puffer, Criss Cross on the Floor, Lighthouse, Brindleton Bay. Aunt Daisy was sobbing, Uncle Vincent was shouting he would punish Henry severely if he read it, and Curtis (with a full belly) mounted the couch on his knees to stare over the back to watch the scene.
HARNOCKS ACADEMY OF SPELL CASTING AND MAGICAL MATTERS
Headmaster: Iris Simbledore
(Order of Melmore, First in Show, Spellcaster Rank Six: Virtuoso, Warlock in Chief, Sage of Potions, Followers of the Way of the Light)
Dear Mr. Puffer,
We take the most pleasure in informing you that you have a place at Harnocks Academy of Spell Casting and Magical Matters. Please refer to the enclosed list of all important books, supplies, and equipment.
Term begins on the first of September. We eagerly wait for your owl by not later than the thirty first of July.
Sincerely yours,
Mono Garspatuon
Deputy Headmaster
Questions arose and then exploded behind Henry's eyes in a flash. Waves and waves of what's and how's and who's and where's and why's crashed and crashed louder than the actual waves outside. Of all of them...this is what made it past his teeth.
"How does an owl deliver mail?"
"Creanly Crons! That reminds me," exclaimed Hagish. His large hand met his forehead with a loud smack. From thin air he conjured an owl. An actual, breathing owl. It was ruffled and looked rather miffed to be bothered. "Hold like this please," he grunted and perched the owl on Henry's forearm. The talons did not hurt but Henry dared not a breath as Hagish pulled a long roll of parchment from under his cap and a feathered quill from the brim of said cap.
Dearest Simbledore,
Henry has gotten his letter! I will take him to get the supplies right away! Weather is downright nasty but we're fine here...everything is good. How are you, by the way? I hope all is well!
Hagish
Hagish folded the paper, rolled, and twisted it until it was long and thin. He then gave it to the owl, which used his beak to clamp it tightly. The creature jumped from Henry's forearm to Hagish's who unceremoniously thrust his arm upward which caused the animal to fly straight out of the broken door and into the night. It just seemed that now the Doofly were actually present too. Henry couldn't fix his face from seeing Hagish and his sort of supernatural ways. Because when Henry blinked, he was not only standing, but next to the Dooflys again.
Uncle Vincent was turning red. That vein was protruding.
"The boy is not going," Mr. Doofly spat. Henry's heart sank.
Hagish exhaled harshly through his nose with an air of sass.
"What are you going to do about it, Normie? Try and stop me," he simply said.
"What's that now?" Henry asked.
"A Normie," Hagish explained, "it's what we magically incline folk call non-magical folk like your aunt, uncle, and cousin here." He gave another comical wink after he said, "But there's worse things to call em'." With a glare, Hagish appraised Henry's aunt and uncle again. "You just so happened to live your life with the normie-iest normies I have ever had the displeasure of coming across!" His slender nose was wrinkled in discontempt.
"We...we swore when we agreed to keep him we'd stamp out all of that rubbish," said Uncle Vincent weakly. "It'd be like it was never a truth!"
"YOU KNEW?" Henry's temper flared. "You knew all this time I'm a wizard...is...is that why you've treated me so poorly all these years?"
"KNEW? Of course we knew. We prayed and hoped genetics would win and you'd be just fine like me but...with what my sister was...it passed to you and...and...HEY! We did not treat you poorly! DUH rule states we gave you all you needed!
"Bare minimums, it looks to me," Hagish mumbled under his breath.
"She got that letter JUST like you...would disappear off to that...institution...and would come home for holidays with gross and non-proper things and learnings. I knew she was a freak. Unnatural! Against all that is good and true. But mom and dad relished her for what she was. They not only supported her ways as a-a-a-...witch," the latter which was said no louder than a whisper," but they...it was all about Lena and I fell by the wayside. I did, I truly did!"
Aunt Daisy drew a breath and continued to rant and vent and it occurred to Henry that this is probably what she has been keeping for ten years and shoved up her…
"Then she met Robert! Left. Got married. We attended the wedding with utter resentment. Mom and dad made us. Vin and I were true and properly married in the church under the Watcher's grace," she squeezed Uncle Vincent's hand and it seemed loving and good...if she wasn't uttering such hate. "The ceremony was ghastly and completely improper and had no shred of dignity or tradition. Your uncle and I swore right to their faces we wanted nothing to do of this life and we wanted out of theirs. Maybe it serves them right to go off and get blown to smithereens…"
"NOW YOU LISTEN HERE!" Hagish shouted.
"I thought it was a fire…?" Henry said at the exact same time. The two speakers looked at each other, then back at Mrs. Doofly who had the sense to look a bit chagrined for her repulsive admittance.
"A FIRE?" Hagish bellowed. "That was your lie?" The Dooflys crumpled back on their haunches yet again as the over seven-foot man towered over the cowaring couple. "THEIR sacrifice! THEIR courage! NO child should be denied his or her backstory! And Henry has been living the VERY lie you've spun. I'm...I think I may be SICK! And you best bet if I fall ill it will be all over YOU lot because you are WORSE and my puddle of VOMIT is more worthy than you ghastly, nasty folk!"
"But...wait...so what HAPPENED! Please don't throw up on my aunt and uncle, Hagish I...I'm a sympathy puker," Henry doesn't know why he had to mention that. The anger fell from Hagish's face. There was a calmness in his voice.
"There are kids back in our realm, Henry. They know your name...know your story...and it pains me that YOU don't even know. I'm downright out of my league right now. When Simbledore said it may not be easy I didn't expect this."
He gave the Dooflys a wicked glare.
"I can tell you all that I know eh...some's a mystery an' you are still a boy so eh...I have to censor maybe parts and bits but…" He walked human pace to Henry and extended a hand, pulling Henry to his feet. "I don't want to say it but...a wizard went bad, Henry. Worse than any magical spell-casting person can. Darker than dark. Untamed. Wild, he was. His name…
"Was?" Henry prodded.
"We weren't allowed to even say it for a time, lad! People were downright scared. He murdered hundreds, Henry, you see. It made us lot sick to even utter…"
"THIS IS NOT APPROPRIATE!" Aunt Daisy suddenly shouted. Hagish ignored her.
"Mor...Mormobius," Hagish said in a whisper. "For years he gained a cult following, lad. Some by powers, some by force, and some by just being weak and afraid," he made a move to look towards the Dooflys. "He was taken over! Some stood up to him. They were killed. Horribly and without mercy. Harnocks seemed like the only safe haven left. Simbledore was the only one the Unmentionable Brute was scared of."
Henry nodded. He was completely invested.
"Now you see, your dad and mom were good spellcasters. I mean that both ways. Good as in talent and power...and good as in kind of heart and strong-willed. Lead Boy and Girl at Harnocks. It's a marvel the Unmentionable Idiot never tried to recruit them but...probably too friendly with Simbledore...and yet," Hagish was getting lost in his own thoughts but reined it back in.
"His business was dastardly nevertheless when he showed up in Midnight Hallow where you all lived as a family. On Spooky Day ten years ago. You were a babe...and...and…
To Henry's shock, thick, silver tears started to pour from Hagish's eyes.
"Apologies," he quipped. "It's just very sad. I knew your mom and dad. You couldn't find nicer people." Again, he shot a glare at the Dooflys. He took a deep breath and then erupted in grief.
"Unmentionable Donkey killed them. And he tried you too! THIS is the interesting part! Wanted to make a clean kill. And a baby is not too hard to axe, no offense." Henry nodded his head in agreement even though his stomach was swirling with nausea at the thought he was almost murdered as a baby. "You know your scar? That's not an ordinary scar! That is a dark mark left when a powerful curse is set upon someone. But you didn't die, lad! That same curse has done out many. MANY powerful wizards. But YOU, lad! A mere babe. Didn't suffer so much as a scratch and a scar AND live to tell the tale!"
Henry wished he could remember...but maybe it was better he couldn't.
"Twas' me that plucked ya from the rubble. Oh there was fire, yes." Again, he glared at the Dooflys. "But it was wreckage. It was ugly. It was murder. On Simbledore's orders I brought you to...to…" a finger jabbed accusingly to the Dooflys. "Them."
"UTTER BOLLOCKS!" Uncle Vincent cried and Henry jumped with a start. There was no reason why Mr. Doofly should have this much courage, and yet here he was on his feet again to try and match the height of one, Mr. Julius Hagish. The notion is funny if not pitiful. His fists were clenched, his nostrils were flared, and his eyes were narrow.
"You are a strange boy, Henry. I should have taken more care to beat it outta ya sooner. As for your parents, why, they were freaks of all that is proper in nature, as Daisy said. If the world is even a sliver of a better place without them in it then I'm all for it! They got when they got mixed up in it all. Lesson learned. Case closed. Consider us doing you a favor not to have-"
By this time, Hagish had cartwheeled, spun on his heel, and brandished Uncle Vincent by the collar of his nightshirt in his right hand and a long, thin piece of wood in the other. The tip of the dark wood was pressed so hard into Mr. Doofly's nose that the tip was turning white from the pressure.
"I dare you to say one more evil, nasty word, Doofly," Hagish rasped low and slow.
Uncle Vincent's courage died and he backed up, leading Aunt Daisy to do the same. They were now pressed against the wall and when Aunt Daisy barked for Curtis to join him, her son just stuck his tongue out. He was happy to stay on the couch and watch this all unfold.
"That's more like it," said Hagish. He was breathing heavily and Henry wondered if it took great lengths not to reveal his hidden facial visage in anger again. What was Hagish? But there were better questions to be asked.
"What happened to Mor-excuse me-I mean, The Unmentionable Donkey?" Hagish began to guffaw and joined Henry again where he stood, ruffling his hair again.
"Most just call him the Unmentionable One. I, myself, like to add a bit of color," and then he gave a classic Hagish wink. "That's a good question though, mate. Vanished is all one can say. Disappeared, maybe? Same night as he was to have killed you. Makes your fame even more palpable. That's the mystery! He was at the height of power...failed to kill you and...gone," Hagish snapped to punctuate his point.
"Perhaps he was well and good dead but...that's what humans do and I doubt there was much of that left in his blood." Hagish seemed to greatly consider the options. "Perhaps just weakened. Something you unknowingly did weakened the piss out of him." At the swear, Aunt Daisy faintly whined.
So much warmth, pride, and respect was swimming in Hagish's eyes for Henry it was outstanding. No one has ever looked at him like that before. It made Henry think this was all just a dream. There was no way he could perceive this sort of reputation. He was just gangly, shrimpy Henry Puffer. No good to anybody and certainly not a famous wizard with the ability to kill an overlord murderer. He had been prodded, bullied, picked on, and abused. If he was really a spell caster, why wasn't he able to do something about it? Turn them into something gross and ugly just like they were on the inside? If he would take on a dark wizard, why did he have to literally fall right into Curtis' punches and pushes?
"This is all a mistake, Hagish," Henry finally whispered and one could see the surpressed glee in Aunt Daisy and Uncle Vincent's eyes but they kept quiet.
Unsurprisingly, Hagish chuckled with warmth.
"Let me ask you, laddie," a glimmer of mirth was swimming on Hagish's features. "Any strange goings of on come upon you when you get really angry. Or really sad?"
Henry found himself looking straight ahead at nothing, his vision losing focus as he recalled his life. Now that he thought about it...there were some things here and there…
The make-up, the cafeteria transporting...the minnows and bass at the lake?
"You are a spellcaster, Henry. You just need some fine tuning! Like a beautiful violin that has been abused and put in not ideal situations," this particular brand of glare towards the Dooflys made them squeal.
"YOU," he addressed the squirming couple, "will not stop him from going. Lena and Robert's son! You're daft, dumb, and moronic. His name's been down ever since he was born. The seven years of terms and he will become one of the greats. He'll be with his own kind. He'll change! For the BETTER! Iris Simbledore will…"
"I AM NOT PAYING A CENT OF MY HARD EARNED CASH TO SEND HIM TO INSANE ASYLUM WITH DRUGGED OUT LUNATICS TO TEACH HIM CARD TRICKS AND PULLING RABBITS OUT OF HATS!" Uncle Vincent became so unhinged Curtis even ducked to the floor.
In a flash, the terrifying visage of Hagish's face morphed again to look like a giant ghoul and he brandished the thin, black wood.
"How. DARE. You insult Iris Simbledore, Harnocks, and all that is good and right. How DARE you deny this child of a happy life?" With a wave of the stick, showers of purple and pinks exploded from the tip and landed right in Uncle Vincent's face. Aunt Daisy screamed and Curtis began running around shouting for police.
It looked like nothing happened...until slowly Uncle Vincent's teeth grew three sizes bigger, his nose extended and rounded off, his nostrils grew, his ears climbed up his head and grew brown fur, and a rip from Mr. Doofly's backside revealed a tail that punctured through his night pants.
"Bologna! I was supposed to turn him into a donkey...but he's already one inside and now...outside," Hagish's face returned to normal and Daisy fainted. Curtis ran smack into the wall and fell too. Just Mr. Doofly was left, knees completely shaking and ready to buckle.
"HEE HAW?!" He shouted.
"You shouldn't have seen that...you should not have seen that," Hagish murmured. We're not supposed to do magic outside of Harnocks, Henry. Me least of all!
"W-why?" Henry could not take his eyes off the half human half donkey Uncle Vincent.
"Never mind that now, never mind that now. Take this," Behind his back with one hand he produced a velvet plum duvet. With the other hand he produced a feather pillow. "Your uncle will change back when he has learned a lesson. So please, get some sleep because we have a LOT to do tomorrow. Please don't eh...say what I did not...uh...I'll see you tomorrow, okay lad?"
"Hagish I...thank you...I...I'm looking forward to it," Henry said with an air of unsureness.
"Every great adventure begins with a little bit of unknown! Sleep! Dream! G'night!" And with that he did six back handsprings and twisted away into the night.