Chapter 5
It wasn't long before Harry was changed back into a pair of regular clothes and he and his friends made their way through the mountains and to the witch's forest.
"Your teacher is weird. What does he mean that he couldn't help us?! Well, if we get put in an oven and served for dinner by a bunch of children loving witches, then it's all his fault!" Little My grumbled.
Sniff gulped, "D-Don't say that Little My! Who says such a thing anyway?!"
"Hey, I'm just telling it how it is!" Little My shrugged. Snorkmaiden turned a bit green, "Well, please stop!" She scolded.
"Wonder what they would cook us with? I bet I'd taste decent with carrots and rosemary." Snufkin replied in amusement.
Harry turned to his friends with a raised brow. "You all do realize that this witch is just a male version of me and Hobgoblin, right?... And Snufkin...You would taste awful. Do you even bathe?" Snufkin scoffed, "I bathe in the rain or river!" Harry made a face, "Gross."
"Ew, I've only ever heard of witches having warts and being really nasty and hateful!" Snorkmaiden said with a shiver.
"Yeah! What makes you think witches are like you, Harry?! They eat children, they're old and wrinkly, they cackle and ride brooms!" Moomin ranted as Harry gave him a serious stare.
"Moomin? Have you ever met a witch? Have any of you met a witch?"
"Well, no." Everyone else shrugged in agreement.
"Okay then...Can we please refrain from making derogatory talk about them?"
Little My smirked, "Well, someone's touchy."
Harry rolled his eyes, "No, I just know I'm going to have to try and convince some powerful witch to train me and hope she doesn't do what you all are claiming she might do if I annoy her!"
Everyone was silent a moment before Sniff spoke up, "Well jee, you do have a point." Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Okay! Then please, let's change the subject?"
The further they trecked through the mountains and to the forest, the colder it got. Snow still on the ground as bare trees twisted every which way.
"This is creepy!" Snorkmaiden complained, getting closer to Harry. Still new and shy in their young relationship, he hesitantly put an arm around her for comfort. Her furs green tint lightened a shade.
"It's okay if you want to turn back."
She looked at him in disbelief. "And leave my boyfriend to fend off a bunch of witches in the woods by himself?! No way!"
Moomin nudged Harry in the side, "Yeah, I'm not gonna let my brother fight some witches by himself!"
Little My in the others cheered as Harry clutched his head.
"Guys! No one is fighting anyone! Now can I trust you all will be on your best behavior or not?!"
Everyone looked at him oddly and nodded. Harry let go of Snorkmaiden and walked ahead of the group. She looked at him with worry as he distanced himself from the group.
Moomin whispered to Snufkin, "What is wrong with him?" Moomin had never seen his brother act so odd. He even noticed Harry had changed physically since Winter ended. He was taller and his voice kind of sounded funny.
Snufkin smiled to himself, "He's growing up, Moomin."
Moomin then looked at Snufkin oddly as well. He noticed a tiny patch of hair on his chin. Moomin looked on in contemplation.
Moomintrolls and Snorks aged slowly, gradually going into adulthood. Growing little by little every year.
But his brother, Little My, and Snufkin were different, they were growing suddenly and fast. For Harry, it was almost overnight..Maybe that's just how humans aged?… At least Sniff and Little My looked the same.
"Hello?" Harry suddenly called out ahead of the group. A long-haired girl sat on a rock, humming to herself. Everyone looked surprised at her, even Harry seemed taken aback.
She smiled at them and jumped off. Everyone stared at how pretty she was...And how much she resembled what Harry was...Human.
"Do you know where we can find the witch of the woods?" Harry asked to which the girl smiled. "Why yes, she's my Grandma!"
Moomin gaped at her, "You're Grandma's a witch?!" The girl nodded pleasantly. "Yes, and I shall be too someday." Moomin and the others looked astonished.
"B-but you're too pretty to be a witch…" Snorkmaiden mumbled.
The girl laughed, "There are all kinds of witches. You're pretty too!" Snorkmaiden bashfully smiled, "Well, thank you."
Hardy cleared his throat as he stepped forward, a bit of magic swirled in his hand at his command. "Hello, I'm Harry. I'm a wizard and I'm hoping to learn from your Grandmother."
The girl gasped in delight. "Oh wow! I've never met anyone else but my family that can do such a thing, especially a boy!" She got closer to Harry, eyeing him in wonder. Snorkmaiden wrapped an arm around Harry as her fur puffed a bit.
"Yes, my BOYFRIEND is a very talented magic wielder!" She stated as Harry raised a brow at her.
The girl seemed oblivious as she clapped her hands in excitement. "Oh, this is wonderful! I can't wait for my Grandmother to meet you all!"
"Want me to meet who, child?" A croaking voice called from the woods. Everyone jumped but Snufkin and the girl.
"Oh, Grandma! You won't believe it, I found a male witch!"
An old wrinkled crone wandered out of the forest, fire-red hair tied up. "A male witch? There is no such thing."
The girl pulled Harry from Snorkmaiden and dragged him to her Grandmother. Snorkmaiden's tail swished in irritation.
"Go on, show her!" The girl urged. Harry took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Soon, his magic swirled around his hand, rising higher and higher into the air around them.
Everyone watched in awe.
"Well I'll be...I haven't seen a Wizard around here since…" The old woman's eyes narrowed. "Since that wandering rat, Hobgoblin."
Harry opened his eyes, his magic slowly fading away. "Yes...He's my teacher." He admitted. The witches mouth twisted. "Oh yeah? And what does his little child want with me?"
Harry blinked his eyes in surprise before shaking his head furiously. "Wait...No, no, no! My dad is Moominpappa!"
Harry glared over his shoulders at his friends giggling at the mistake. The witch tilted her head as Harry elaborated. "Well...The Moomin's adopted me. Hobgoblin found me and gave me to them, but as far as I know, Hobgoblin and I are not related!...I've come here to learn from you."
"Ah, I see…"
Harry felt relieved until she retorted again, "What difference does that make?! I don't teach anyone but my Granddaughter. Least of all a Moomin Valley liver that's been taught by that scoundrel."
Harry clasped in front of him. "Please, Ma'me! You have to teach me!" The girl chimed in, "Come on, Grandma! I might learn more efficiently with another student!"
The old witch turned on her heels and beckoned her granddaughter to follow her. "The answers no!"
"Welp, we got our answer, let's go!" Sniff muttered as he went to leave only for Little My to grab his tail and yank him back.
"Please witch! It would mean the world to my brother!" Moomin called after her as she kept walking with her reluctant Granddaughter in tow.
Harry chased after them in determination. "I have to learn from you! Hobgoblin himself said so!"
Harry gasped as he felt himself levitate off the ground, the witch turned around with her cane pointing at him. "Grandma!" The girl chided as the old woman simply smirked.
"Oh no you don't!" Moomin growled as he ran to help Harry, the rest of the kids following suit before they all let out cries and gasps, levitating as well.
"Heh, so Hobgoblin wants me to teach you?...Why?..."
Harry tried to find balance as he floated, "Because he says you would help me train the most!"
The woman huffed, "Not good enough." She wickedly started spinning the kids upside down. They all let out worried gasps and yells.
Suddenly, the kids fell from the ground while the witch looked shocked, her cane still aimed at them.
"Way to go, Harry, you broke her spell!" Snufkin praised as he crawled toward the boy. Harry shook his head in confusion. "But I didn't?…"
A pair of boots descended to the ground, a cape wiping around the figure as he landed. Hobgoblin glared down at the witch.
"Really? Was that necessary?" He scolded. She let out a witchy cackle as she addressed him. "Absolutely. Now, what brings you to dare set foot in my forest?"
"As the boy stated. He needs another teacher."
The witch smirked, "Oh? How long were you waiting above the trees and eavesdropping?"
Hobgoblin's brow twitched in annoyance. "I care not for any witty banter with you. Harry needs you as a teacher."
The witch eyed him thoughtfully, "Aw, you lost your sense of fun over the few decades, Hobgoblin. Why should I?"
"Because I can not teach the boy nature-based magic the way your family can! You know this!"
The witch crossed her arms stubbornly. She glared at him, not convinced.
Hobgoblin grumbled to himself before a hint of a blush crossed his face. He scowled and averted his eyes. "...Please."
The witch cackled again as Hobgoblin looked disgruntled.
"Fine, since you asked so nicely, I will give the boy a few lessons." She teased, the wrinkles creaseing her eyes mischievously.
"Do not try anything to harm the boy or his friends, witch." He warned. She eyed him in amusement.
"Hobgoblin, if I were younger I'd take that as a challenge. But...I suppose I'll spare you the failure of losing to me, for the children's sake."
Hobgoblin turned on his heels, grumbling under his breath. He turned to Harry a final time, "Do not mess this up." Harry nodded, not ever seeing his mentor so irritated. "No, Sir! I won't!"
With that, Hobgoblin disappeared in a shimmer of magic and whirl of his cape. The witch chuckled to herself before addressing the kids.
"Well, I'm not teaching all of you!"
Harry spoke up, "No...They just wanted to come for moral support...And to see a witch's house."
The witch smiled. "You'll see more than a witches house, children. You'll see her cauldron, her firewood, her spoon, and her knife!" She cackled and started walking deeper into the forest.
All the kids paled and Snorkmaiden turned green at the witch's words. The witches Granddaughter laughed cheerfully. "You'll all love my Grandma's cooking!" She looped her arm with Harry's and walked with him.
"C-c-cooking?" Moomin muttered as he looked around at his friends. Sniff was visibly trembling and Snorkmaiden seemed frozen in place. Little My shook herself out of it first, following the witch along with Snufkin.
Moomin turned to Snorkmaiden. "We have to go. For Harry."
She watched the girl walk with Harry, she saw red as she glared."FOR HARRY." She snapped as she marched behind the rest of her friends.
An hour later
"Chop those carrots up smaller!" The old woman griped as Sniff diced vegetables. Little My peeled potatoes on the counter. "Woo, I thought she wanted to eat us! Instead, she invited us for dinner!" Sniff exclaimed while Little My growled, "More like child labor."
Snorkmaiden and Moomin came in with fresh herbs and water buckets.
"Ah, good! I see you got the Thyme and Basil. No Rosemary?" The crone asked.
Snorkmsiden nodded, "Yes Ma'me, I thought they'd taste the best." The witch nodded approvingly. "Smart girl. At least one of you knows the difference between a tree leaf and an herb."
Snufkin angled the wood under the Cauldron as Harry and the girl, Alicia, brought more wood in.
"...Still, think Rosemary would taste better…" Snufkin whispered to himself. He let out a loud yelp as a nearby wooden spoon swatted his rear. The old woman brandishing the spoon scolded him, "I won't tolerate no whispering. You got something to say then say it! Now, what was that about my stew?!"
"Nothing Ma'me!" He squeaked. The witch gave a firm nod, "That's what I thought."
Harry and Alicia held in giggles as Snufkin scowled at them. Meanwhile, Snorkmaiden looked on at the two magic wielders with an annoyed glare.
"Hey, I thought you couldn't hurt us!" Little My challenged. The witch raised a brow. "I like you, you got spunk." Little My grinned as the witch continued, "I won't seriously harm you but I don't think Hobgoblin would know about a swat or two...Will he?" She asked the room. Everyone shook their heads. She let out a cackle, going to her cauldron where Moomin poured the water.
"Ah, good. Alicia and Harry, since you both finished your chores, perhaps my Granddaughter can teach you a thing or two outside?"
Alicia giggled, "Grandma, don't embarrass me! I doubt I'm at Harry's level yet."
"Tsk. Nonsense! Now go outside while we finish up dinner."
Snorkmaiden looked alarmed as the two nodded and headed outside together. Alone.
"I-I'm done with mine too!" Snorkmaiden stammered. The witch shook her head. "No, you are not, child. I need someone to help me season my brew. Since you seem to have a good pallet, you'll do just fine."
Snorkmaiden sadly deflated, "Oh..Of course, Ma'me."
Harry and Alicia laughed and frolicked outside while Snorkmaiden watched from the window. She saw Harry create a breathtaking spectacle of lights as Alicia watched in wonder. Snorkmaiden huffed, "He doesn't create light shows for me." She grumbled under her breath.
Her eyes narrowed and her fur bristled when she saw Alicia create a weak heart to Harry with what little magic she knew.
"Argh!" She let out a tight-lipped growl. She jumped as she heard footsteps approaching.
"He's good. But his magic is all show and razzle-dazzle, there is no brute force behind it...We'll fix that. He's actually more advanced than my Alicia... I refuse to let anyone know that." The witch said as she came towards the window.
Snorkmaiden raised a brow, "Then why tell me?"
The witch smirked, "I like you. You look trustworthy enough." She tilted her head at the young Snork. "My, you're looking a bit puffy their child...And red. I've heard Snorks changed color but it's much more interesting to see it up close than through stories." The witch commented as she stood beside her at the window.
Sniff, Snufkin and Little My were busy baking bread while Moomin stirred the cauldron. Snorkmaiden lowered her head shamefully, "I'm sorry. I should be helping more."
The witch ignored her comment and watched the pre-teens play outside. "Is he your sweetheart?"
Snorkmaiden lightly nodded, "Yeah...He's supposed to be." Her tail swished as Harry helped Alicia up after a fall, holding her hand longer than Snorkmaiden liked.
The witch chuckled to herself. "I swear, they remind me of Hobgoblin and I. Though, we were much older and MUCH better at magic."
Snorkmaiden wiped her head to stare at her with wide eyes. "You and him?!" The witch giggled to herself, "Yes, believe it or not, I dated that old fool."
Snorkmaiden lost all anger, too momentarily shocked as all the ideas popped in her head. The witch continued, "I may or may not be a bit older than you think. I was a young woman, I looked a bit like my granddaughter, just a bit older. We bonded over our use of magic. He use to be so fun! We had a blast pranking anyone we could!"
Snorkmaiden looked concerned at hearing the story. "What happened between you two?"
The witch shrugged, "We got older. I changed and he did too...He was constantly gone, became obsessed with those blasted rubies. He claimed I became too indifferent and I claimed he became too distant. I soon moved to the forest, got with someone else and had my daughter and he ran away from his problems like he always did."
Snorkmaiden whined in her throat to hold back from crying. The story hit home more than she liked. "That's so sad!" The witch shrugged nonchalantly, "Eh. Time changes people and feelings. You'll find out someday." The witch patted her shoulder before returning to the stew. Snorkmaiden's ears drooped as she watched Harry and Alicia.
'...What if that happens to us?'
Soon the stew was done, each person got a bowl and a roll of bread. However, Snorkmaiden sighed and barely touched her meal. Harry noticed it and Snufkin nudged him, mouthing 'Talk to her' while Moomin gave a thumbs up.
"Snorkmaiden, the fire is getting low. Care to join me in getting some wood?" Harry used the excuse. Snorkmaiden looked up in surprise as she nodded, "Okay."
They excused themselves from the table and made their way outside. It was cold out, being early Spring and all. Harry ignored the cold as he turned to Snorkmaiden.
"Are you okay? You seem down...Are you sick?"
Snorkmaiden averted her eyes and swished her tail. "Down? Sick? I don't know what you are talking about." She snubbed her nose in the air, walking past him to ignore him. He followed after her, "Snorkmaiden, you can tell me if something's wrong."
She huffed to herself. "Nothing's wrong! Why don't you go back to flinging your magic around with Alicia!"
Harry froze before a slow smirk spread on his face. "Are you jealous?" Snorkmaiden rounded on him with a feminine growl. "NO!" She spat.
They stood there a moment before she withered, looking down shamefully. "I… I don't mean to be...Especially since Alicia seems so nice."
Harry giggled a bit, "Me and Alicia? Snorkmaiden, I've only known her for one evening!"
"And? The Princess Solaria feel in love with her Knight Kayden the moment she saw him!"
Harry blinked at her, "...What?"
Snorkmaiden rolled her eyes, "It's from one of the books me and Moomin read last Summer. Keep up, Harry!"
Harry shook his head in amusement as he came closer to her. He tentatively took her hand in his own.
"Snorkmaiden, the only reason I've spent the whole evening with Alicia is that I finally found someone my age that can do magic."
"That's how it starts… Next thing you know, you'll be bonding over your magic over a candlelight dinner! Soon, we'll be like Hobgoblin and that old woman in there, lovers scorned!" She pitifully cried as Harry rapidly blinked his eyes.
"What?... Do you mean-"
Snorkmaiden interrupted him, "I can't do magic, Harry! I'm not human either!... How can we possibly be together?"
Harry smiled at her, "Because I care about you. Because we bond over adventures and nature and stargazing and all kinds of other stuff."
Snorkmaiden had tears in her brown eyes. "W-well...Why don't you do magic for me like you do Alicia? You gave me that magic flower one time and I've seen nothing since!"
"Because I thought you'd be weirded out! Or at least feel like you weren't good enough because you couldn't do the things I was doing. I didn't want to show off…"
"Arg! Harry, I would never think that! I want to see your beautiful magic and be awestruck you dummy!" She stomped her foot as she yelled, tears running down her face.
Harry pulled her into a hug. "I'm sorry. From now on, I'll give you bunches of magic flowers and light shows! Promise."
She hugged him back. "You mean it, Harry? You really care about me?"
"Snorkmaiden, I had a crush on you a whole year or more before I asked you to date me last Summer...You're the prettiest girl I've ever seen. I really really like you…" He bashfully admitted, still a shy pre-teen in their relationship. So was she as her fur turned a bright pink under the moonlight, her tail curling as the butterfly's tickled in her belly.
"Even if I'm a Snork? Not your kind?" She sniffled. Harry smiled and hugged her a bit tighter, "Yes, especially if you're not human. Alicia is pretty and sweet...But that doesn't mean you aren't too."
They parted. Snorkmaiden wiped her eyes with a smile and Harry smiled back. They both looked up to see tiny flurries of snow.
"Snow? This late in the season?" She commented. Harry admired the white flakes falling down. "I guess anything's possible when you're in the witches forest...Come on, I bet our stews getting cold." Snorkmaiden smiled as she followed him back inside.