Switch the Tracks

As Willow walked home from school that day — by way of the Owl House — she couldn't help but think on how she felt that day. She felt happy as she was walking home. And she hadn't felt like that in a really long time.

Everything seemed to be looking up for her. She'd outmaneuvered Amity's meanness for the day, she'd been officially transferred to the academic track that she loved most, and she'd made a new friend. A new friend … That in itself would have made this an amazing day.

Finally finishing the maze of streets that made up the main section of Bonesborough and up the stairs to the apartment that her parents owned, a quick magic circle unlocking and opening the door for her. "Mom, dad, I'm home!" she shouted, unable to conceal the joy in her voice as she set her knapsack down by the door. "And you won't believe what I have to tell … you …"

Her parents were waiting for her in the foyer, and they didn't look happy.

Her father, Alexander, was a tall, reedy man with large eyes and dark hair that he'd passed on to Willow, which he kept close-cropped for the laboratory environment. Her mother, Jenny, was a plump woman with fair hair and round cheeks with prominent dimples when she smiled.

But neither of them were smiling now.

"This something to tell us wouldn't happen to be about switching tracks at school, would it?" her father asked. He didn't yell, but his tone was heavy with disappointment. And that made it even worse.

"That's not the only thing," Willow said sadly, looking down in shame.

"Oh, honey," her mother said, drawing her close and placing a hand on her cheek, "we know you've been struggling. But the Abomination track is best in the long run." Willow sighed as she leaned into her mother's touch.

She knew that her parents hated their jobs. Alexander was a member of the Potion coven who worked as a "concoctor" for one of the town's medium-sized distributors — which largely meant he, with others, was responsible for the actual production of popular potions, such as medicines and beauty products. Jenny was a member of the Beastkeeper coven who worked as a pacifier on a farm outside of town. Her job was to keep animals calm — sometimes during storms, sometimes during wild animal attacks ... but mostly when they were being led to slaughter.

At home, her father was a visionary who wanted to do his own research, to create his own formulas and test them out, to push his ingenuity and sell his creations to the adoring public. Her mother loved animals as much as Willow loved plants, and hated to see, hear, and feel, them killed day in and day out.

Before she had been born, her parents had tried to open their own veterinary practice. Jenny would take care of the animals while Alexander would design and brew potions to fix them up. In theory, it had been a recipe for success. But in reality, nothing had gone according to plan.

Research was costly and without backing from a large business or one of the rich denizens of the Isles, such as the Bat Queen or the Blights, it had taken every cent they had to keep up. And an untried veterinarian just out of Hexside had a rough time gathering a substantial patron base. Within a matter of months, their savings were gone and they'd had to abandon the practice.

With their dream in ruins, the two of them had scrambled for new jobs. It was only by favors from friends that they had gotten the jobs they had. Jobs they hated and that barely paid enough for them to send Willow to Hexside as well.

"Get your coat, Willow," her father said, passing her mother's coat to her as he put on his own. "We're going back down to the school to get this all straightened out."

"Principal Bump?"

Hieronymus Bump, the principal of Hexside School, glanced up from his paperwork at the calling crystal attached to the corner of his desk from where his secretary's voice had come. He reached over and placed a single long fingernail on it, the color changing from orange to blue. "Yes, what is it?" he asked, a bit peeved at being disturbed.

"A Mr. and Mrs. Dawn are here to see you about their daughter Willow," she explained.

Bump lifted his eyebrows in surprise. "Send them in," he replied.

A moment later, the Dawn family entered, the mother and father on either side of Willow. The girl herself seemed to be trembling, her complexion pale and her lips drawn in a firm line. The parents seemed resigned, but determined.

"Mr. and Mrs. Dawn, how may I help you?" Bump asked.

"Principal Bump, I'm sorry to disturb you so late, but we're here to formally retract Willow's application to switch tracks," Mr. Dawn said.

Bump narrowed his eyes. "I'm afraid that will be rather difficult, Mr. Dawn," he informed.

The parents rocked back a bit at the news. "Why is that?" the mother asked. "Willow can't have put in any credits in just one day."

"It's not credits that are the problem," Bump explained. "It's the fact that there is no application to retract. I switched your daughter's track myself."

This seemed to surprise the parents even more. "What?! For what reason?!" the father demanded, tightening his hold on his daughter's shoulder.

"The most influential reason of all, in my opinion," Bump said. "Outstanding aptitude." This seemed to take the parents back, as well. Bump tapped his finger against his chin and gestured for them all to sit. "Perhaps I should explain what happened during the school day," he offered.

With that, Principal Bump explained the truly bizarre events that had unfolded mere hours ago. Everything from Willow sneaking in a human to pose as her Abomination, to Miss Blight's informing him of the deception, to Willow and the human girl's escape … and her exceptional display of plant magic.

"It has honestly been some time since I've seen someone with such a strong aptitude for the Plants track," Bump explained. "And after taking a look at your daughter's grades, I realized that this talent was not just being wasted, she was slotted into a track that she has no talent in and clearly no passion for. Her grades, if you'll forgive me, were terrible. But given Willow's clear aptitude for plants, I have no doubt that she will excel and thrive in her new courses."

"But, I-" The father seemed to be tripping over his words, too many emotions playing over his face for him to decide on what to say.

"Principal Bump, we're aware of Willow's penchant for plants," the mother admitted. "But you must please reconsider."

"For what reason?" Bump asked, though he had an idea on what they would say.

"The Abomination track is one of the most respected of the curriculum," the father said, finally past his stumbling. "There are so many opportunities for the subject. If Willow could graduate from it, she'd have job offers right out of the gate."

Bump sighed and squeezed the bridge of his nose. These parents clearly cared for their daughter's well-being, but they were severely misguided and misinformed. "Mr. and Mrs. Dawn, the first flaw in that plan is that Willow will have to graduate from the program, and I find that all but impossible." He looked to Willow, who was hiding in her uniform's hood, her cheeks burning. "That is nothing to be ashamed of, Willow," he assured. "All of us have different strengths."

"My second point of concern is your apparent belief that the Plant track has no job applications, which I can assure you all is as far from the truth as you can get." Bump held up a closed hand. "Much demand comes from agriculture, specifically crop farming and lumber. The population of the Isles has been on the rise for the last few years and soon we will need more talented croppers on the farms to keep everyone fed.

"And the Construction coven by itself is always in need of more lumber. There are witches who can make quite the living using their magic to quickly and uniformly grow massive trees for infrastructure. Not just for new buildings, either, but to repair the damages from the occasional boiling rains and gorenado.

"And that's not even getting into the magical stimulation of cash crops such as tea, coffee, cotton, and flax. Mr. and Mrs. Dawn, your daughter's talent is very much in demand, and will continue to be so for the foreseeable future. If job security is your worry, then rest assured that is not an issue in the slightest."

Mr. and Mrs. Dawn looked to each other for several long moments, seemingly having a conversation with just their gazes as Bump has seen many times throughout his teaching career. Then they looked away from each other and to him.

"Thank you for your advice, Principal Bump, but-" The mother trailed off. "What about … her health?"

Bump raised an eyebrow in question, glancing up and down at Willow. "Your daughter seems perfectly healthy to me, Mrs. Dawn," he said.

"Not that," Mr. Dawn said. "It wasn't just her career that attracted us to the Abomination track. It was the self-defense aspect."

"Aha," Bump said, everything clicking into place. He would be the first to admit that the Boiling Isles were not the safest place in the cosmos. Many devious and malicious individuals — whether witch, monster, demon, or other — preyed upon the weak and helpless. Oh sure, the Emperor's coven, of which he was an inactive member, worked tirelessly to enforce order, but they could not be everywhere at once. And tragedy could strike out of nowhere.

"Well, if your daughter's display today was any indication, she can take care of herself quite well as it is. She was able to restrain me of all people, and I can tell you that this is no small feat for a graduated witch. Given training and experience, I believe Willow could grow to be a formidable magical combatant."

By this time, Willow was no longer hiding in her hood. Quite the contrary, she was blushing very sweetly at the praise.

"Mr. and Mrs. Dawn, I made the decision to switch Willow's track because I believe it is best for her education and her future. Now, if you are still adamant about her continuing on the Abomination track, I can reverse the decision. But I would strongly advise otherwise."

"Mom, Dad," Willow pleaded. "I love plant magic. And I'm really good at it. Please let me stay on this track." Her throat was hoarse from unshed tears as she looked up at her parents with an impressive pair of puppy eyes (and given his profession, Bump was a fair judge on that matter).

The Dawns had another silent conversation before pulling their daughter into a group hug. "Alright, she can stay," Mr. Dawn relented.

"Very well," Bump said. "Now that the matter is settled, please leave. I have the rest of this paperwork to finish before I go home for the day."

The Dawns all blushed and left with vehement apologies that he waved off. After a few moments he lifted the blinds to his window and watched the small family leave with a faint smile.

"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you for letting me stay on the Plants track!" Willow said, gripping her parents in a tight hug as they walked home.

"Well, your principal made some valid points," Alexander pointed out.

"And we wouldn't want you to be on a miserable career path if you didn't have to be," Jenny added, quietly, her eyes filled with unshed tears. Both of them looked at each other with pain and faint horror in their eyes. Had they really been so blinded by fear for their daughter's future that they had ignored her misery in the present? Had they almost confined her to a school experience and eventual job that she hated?

"Hey," Willow said, tugging on their sleeves, "please don't beat yourselves up over it. You were just trying to look out for me," she smiled. "Besides, I should have tried harder to change your minds." Her expression wilted. "I should have known some of that stuff Principal Bump said, but I was too timid to say anything."

Alexander fought down a quick flash of indignant anger. He knew very well the source of his little girl's low self-esteem, and it made him angry enough to chew nails.

"Well, it's in the past now," Jenny said brightly, brushing her tears away with the back of her hand. "But we'd better be seeing your grades improving, young lady."

"You will, Mom. I promise."

The family walked on for a few minutes of silence before something occurred to Jenny. "Oh, I just remembered. What else did you want to tell us?"

Willow's eyes widened as she flashed back to the rest of the incredible day. "Well, Principal Bump told you a lot of it, but he left out the most important part."

As the family continued on, Willow told the tale of her encounter with Amity outside the school, her incident with plant magic, and her meeting the kind human girl who had become such a dear friend in such a short time.

"A human on the Boiling Isles?!" Alexander exclaimed. "This is astounding! How did she get here? What is she doing here? Is she really learning magic from the Owl Lady of all people?"

Willow giggled at her father's curiosity. "I'm not sure. But I'll ask again when I see her next."

Jenny wrapped her arm around Willow's shoulders in a tight hug. The story about Amity had saddened her to hear. She and Willow had been inseparable as children. But high school had a way of turning everyone against each other, and Willow was a victim of that fact.

As the sun set and the family finally reached their home, life seemed bright for the Dawn family. For the first time in quite a while.

Hi everyone! I've been swept up into the fandom of Disney's "The Owl House" and I'm loving it! The setting is awesome, the characters are fun, and they've dropped just enough hints at a darker overall plot to keep me invested. If you haven't seen the show, give it a try! Though I'm not sure why you would be here reading this if you haven't...

This story popped into my head after some thinking about the show. What opportunities does the Abomination track supposedly offer? Why is it favored over the Plants track? What even is the purpose or niche of abominations and their makers in the society of the Boiling Isles? I really hope we get answers to these questions as the show goes on. Given that were only up to episode 8 at the moment, there's plenty of time.

Anyway, I couldn't get this concept out of my head, so I wrote it out. Let me know what you think! Did I do Willow and Bump justice? How do you like my take on her parents? I was originally going to have them be Potions and Illusion coven (yellow + blue = green), but with Gus and Amity's siblings, we have enough Illusion. So I made the mom a Beastkeeper, kind of a counterpart to her daughter's love of plants.

The jobs were my original ideas. We haven't really seen any job opportunities in the Boiling Isles beyond school administration and storekeepers. So I got a little creative. I hope it seems reasonable. And Bump reflects my own thoughts: a person who can super-size and mass-produce crops and lumber would make a dozen fortunes!

Anyway, let me know if you liked it! This fandom is still in its relative infancy, so I'm really looking forward to some good stories about it. May your muse never waver!