Chapter 20

Fast Ball

The grass was green again. Vibrant jade sprouts were starting to bud on the white birch trees. The snow that had blanketed the ground was finally gone. Birds were returning from their migration south and the sun seemed to stay out longer and longer into the day. It was spring and the frosty grip that winter had on the land was starting to slip away.

"STRIKE!" A large man wearing grey slacks, black pants and a wire caged mask shouted. He fired a finger outward and pointed to the dugout.

A teenage boy wearing tight slate pants and a crimson jersey smacked the head of his maple wood bat against a white pentagonal plate. Resting the bat against his hip, he spit into his black gloves, rubbed them together, re-gripped his light grain bat and took a sideways stance next to home plate. His chest heaved, causing the bear insignia over his chest to bob up and down as he stared down the pitcher sixty feet away.

A baseball with dirt tan leather and vivid crimson stitches whizzed past the plate and hit the catcher's mitt in a loud "thwap!"

The batter never stood a chance as he lost his balance mid swing and found himself falling over the plate.

"STRIKE THREE!" The umpire boomed. The veins in his neck pulsed and his face turned a beet red.

Students and parents stood to their feet and cheered before starting the chant, "Gryphs! Gryphs! Gryphs!" Quiet at first, the chant grew to a deafening level as their feet stomped the planks of aluminum that made up the floors of the bleachers.

"She's got him too," Theo yelled in an attempt to be heard over the crowd. He watched the batter from the Lewistown South High School Bears stand up, brush the dirt from his grey pants and stomp off towards the dugout.

"Another one bites the dust," Archie said.

"Literally," Timothee added.

"She's on fire right now. They might move her from closer to starter," Theo said.

"Closer to starter?" Timothee asked.

"I forget you don't know baseball," Theo replied, "Phillip Tolbey was today's starting pitcher. He pitched in the beginning of the game but as he got tired they called in a fresh pitcher to continue the game. With only a few innings left, they called in Abigail to close the game."

Timothee nodded, "Thanks."

"STRIIIIIIIKE!" The umpire bellowed to which the crowd clapped their hands three times in unison, fired a fist in the air, and chanted, "Gryphs!"

"She better be careful," Archie said.

"Why is that?" Theo wondered, "No one has even come close to hitting that cheese."

Archie pointed to a man wearing a blue and white collared shirt holding a coal black rectangular box with a gun handle, "That's a radar gun and it's measuring how fast she is pitching. Watch the numbers."

Another ball hissed through the air before hitting the catcher's glove in another "Thwap!" The catcher pulled out his hand from the glove and gave it a shake while looking into his palm.

Archie, Theo and Timothee watched as a series of red digital numbers popped up reading, "101mph."

"Wow! That's fast!" Theo gasped.

"Too fast! That's the second pitch she's broken over a hundred and most of her pitches are coming in at the mid to high nineties," Archie explained, "There are guys starting for the Yankees who don't even have heat that fast."

The scout hit the side of the radar gun with his palm and flicked the on switch a few times.

Theo shook his head, "Poor Tommy Helsen's palm must be taking a beating at those speeds. Glad I am not that guy."

Abigail lifted her hat from her head and dried her brow with her white and blue pinstripe shirt sleeve. Tucking her green lock of hair behind her left ear, she fixed her hat back to her head and brought her glove to cover the lower part of her face.

A man with peppered grey hair and a Gryphon's blue and gold polo shirt cupped his hands to his mouth, "Come on Abby!"

"You got it girl!" A woman said and followed with a long hoot.

Timothee turned and watched as the man put his arm around the woman and gave it a squeeze. They sat next to a honey yellow daffodil that was potted in a burnt orange terracotta pot. They had been cheering the loudest since Abigail took the mound and were the only ones to affectionately call her "Abby."

"Is that?" Timothee started.

"Mr. and Mrs. Sesami-Rossi," Archie said, "Oh look, they brought Ophelia with them. I wouldn't mind taking a look at her."

Theo turned his head back to watch the couple, "I wonder if Samuel could help Ophelia?"

"I don't think so. She was one of his students. I'd imagine he would have helped her by now if he could." Timothee answered.

"STRIIIIIKKEEE THREE!" The umpire called for one last time.

"That's game," Archie said, shaking his head, "103, ugh. I need to talk to that witch."

They got up from their bleacher row and trotted down towards the field with the rest of the parents and friends.

The Witchaven Gryphons varsity baseball team lined up and shook hands with the defeated Lewistown South High School Bears. Many of the Lewiston boys examined Abigail closely to see if the rumors were true that a girl had pitched a no hitter for three straight innings.

As the two coaches rounded out the end of their team's lines, the rest gathered in a giant circle where they shouted, "Gryphs!" before collecting their things in the dugout and greeting those that came to watch the game.

Abigail walked towards the section of chain link fence where her three friends had gathered to greet her. She had a long leather bag slung over her shoulder with three gripped bats pointing out of the top. Her pitching arm had a large bag of ice secured to it by layers upon layers of cellophane.

"Way to go Abigail!" Theo said as they high fived over the waist high fence.

"That was great!" Timothee cheered before his high five.

"You need to keep that under control," Archie scolded, killing the mood.

Abigail grinned and gave Archie a high five anyway, "I knew he was going to say that."

"How fast do you think you were pitching?" Archie persisted.

"I don't know? Seventy-seven maybe eighty-five tops," Abigail guessed.

"One-o-one," Archie said, "And that last pitch, the one to close the game, was one-o-three."

Abigail's face lit up, "Really? Neat."

Theo proceeded to give Abigail another high five.

Archie pointed back towards home plate where the Gryphon's head coach and the scout who had watched the games were talking. The scout continued to point to the rectangular radar gun and shake his head, "They are talking about your little performance today and maybe this time they can say the gun was malfunctioning but if they catch on to your little shenanigan, you could make national news."

"How is that a bad thing?" Theo asked.

"Right? Scouts equals scholarships, equals free college or even better the majors!" Abigail said.

"Or, Scouts equals national news, equals a ministry investigation, equals a one way ticket not to the majors but to Azkaban." Archie countered.

"Oh," Abigail replied.

"Oh is right," Archie said, "So let's take a little off the top next time before girl wonder gets us all locked up. I doubt anyone in high school will stop your slider or curveball."

Vance walked past them with a bat bag slung over his shoulders. His red hair was grown out longer than usual and he had eye black under his eyes.

"Nice game Abby," He said before walking over to his family. Reaching over the chain link fence, he picked up a little girl with long wavy red hair and freckles. Vance planted a kiss on her cheek and the small girl immediately wiped her face and cried, "Yuk!"

Abigail turned back to the others as they looked on in complete and utter disbelief.

"What?" She asked.

"Aren't you going to do anything?" Theo said.

Abigail shook her head, "Why?"

"Um, maybe it's because he called you Ab…," Archie started and stopped seeing the fire glow in her eyes, "He called you A-B-B-Y."

"Even I was expecting a punch to the arm," Timothee confessed.

"I don't know," Abigail replied, "It's different."

"Different how?" Theo pressed.

"We are teammates," Abigail uttered, "Or maybe he is just grateful for the Wolfsbane potion that Kevin was able to get him."

A group of players walked past the fence, shouting out, "Way to go Abigail!" and "Nice game Abigail!"

Tommy Helsen held up his open hand to show off the bruised circle in the middle of his palm, "Look what Abigail did!"

"They call you Abigail," Archie observed.

A sly grin grew over Theo's face, "Wait a minute. You have a crush on him, don't you?"

Abigail's face turned flushed, "What! No I don't!"

"Oh yeah?" Timothee said.

They looked over as Vance looked their way. Making eye contact with Abigail he winked with his blue left eye before going back to his parents.

Theo smiled, "If I didn't know any better Arch, I would say he likes her too."

"Ooo!" Archie and Timothee taunted.

Abigail dropped her leather bag and began to reach for one of her bats. Archie and Timothee took a step back from the fence.

"Hi Boys," Mr. and Mrs. Sesami-Rossi greeted, grinning from ear to ear. Mrs. Sesami-Rossi was wearing a long brown paisley dress and carried the terracotta pot with Ophelia like one would hold an infant. Mr. Sesami-Rossi was dressed in a Witchaven High polo and wore khaki slacks.

"Hi Mr. and Mrs. Sesami-Rossi," The three teens called back.

Tom Sesami-Rossi turned to his daughter, "You played so well today. You're quite the closer like your old man. Here let me carry that bag for you."

"Thanks dad," Abigail said.

Mrs. Sesami-Rossi leaned over the fence and planted a large wet kiss on Abigail's cheek, leaving two maroon lipstick marks.

"Oh look what I've done," She said and started to rub her daughter's cheek.

Abigail pulled her face away and scrubbed her cheek with her sleeve, "Mom please."

"Abby you were so good today! I must admit, I was a little worried when you told me you would be playing with the boys," Mrs. Sesami-Rossi continued.

"Mom!" Abigail interjected.

"I know, I know," She apologized, "It's just that they are so big and scary looking with the black makeup on their face."

"It's not makeup. It's eye black mom. It blocks out the sun," Abigail explained.

"Eye black, well it looks scary and I don't want my little Abby Wabby getting hurt!"

Abigail turned bright red for a second time, "Ma please! Not in front of my friends."

Theo leaned over and whispered in Timothee's ear, "Abby Wabby huh?"

Abigail's father placed a hand on his wife's shoulder, "Margery, love, you are embarrassing her."

"Alright. Alright. My mistake. Look who we brought to watch you!" Mrs. Sesami-Rossi said, holding up the terracotta pot, "It's Ophelia!"

Archie took a step closer and adjusted his black framed glasses to get a better look at the yellow daffodil.

Abigail lowered her hat to cover her face and looked towards the sky, "Mom, why did you bring Ophelia?"

"We thought a little sun would do her well," Mrs. Sesami-Rossi explained, "Besides she wanted to watch you play."

"Mom, she's a daffodil, she can't watch anything. It's embarrassing! No one else's parents brought a potted plant to the game."

Mrs. Sesami-Rossi placed a hand in front of the daffodil as one would cover a young child's ears, "You don't mean that. It's not weird to your friends, they already know about m-a-g-i-c. Right boys?"

Theo and Timothee nodded in agreement while Archie moved his head in order to see around Mrs. Sesami-Rossi's hand.

"It's magic, you can say the word. Dad can you please?" Abigail pleaded.

Mr. Sesami-Rossi placed a hand on his wife's shoulder, leaned in and placed a kiss on her cheek, "Margery honey, maybe we can go pick up a cupcake at M's bakery to celebrate Abby's performance."

"Oh that would be lovely," Margery Sesami-Rossi said, "Boys, would you like to join us for dinner tonight?"

"Their busy," Abigail interjected before her friends could answer. She dreaded the thought of an entire dinner with her parents and her friends.

"Oh, well maybe another time then," Margery nodded as her husband shepherded her away. He turned back and winked at his daughter who mouthed the words, "Thanks."

"So Abby Wab…" Theo started but his words were cut short by a right cross to the arm, "Ouch!"

"And next time it's two!" Abigail threatened, "And that goes for you two as well."

Timothee and Archie nodded with their hands held up in surrender.

"So… is it time?" Abigail asked.

Timothee nodded his head, "Wi."

The white bark of the birch trees that surrounded the young wizards' forest hangout was stained and charred all different colors from purples, blues and reds to greens, oranges and pinks. One particular tree was nothing more than a jagged white poll sticking from the ground and another was stripped of all its' bark. A large pit had formed where the elm tree stump had been and was now filled with brown slushy mud.

Abigail pulled out her black skeleton key from her white and blue pinstripe jersey that had blue cursive diagonally along the front that read "Gryphons." She lifted the green ribbon over her head and wrapped the key and string around her hand. She turned her cap backwards and a few green strands fell down alongside her face.

Theo, a few paces away, rolled up his sleeves to his red and yellow plaid shirt. He pulled his pen from his pocket and raked his thumbnail along the invisible Thestral hair.

Archie held up both hands, "Okay, nice and easy this time, nonverbal casting only. Abigail, you will start with Expelliarmus and Theo, you will counter with Protego."

Theo raised his hand like he was in school.

"What is it?" Archie asked.

"Timothee said students don't learn nonverbal casting until sixth year. Technically we would only be fourth years," Theo contested.

Archie shook his head, "If we are going off of technicalities, then you were kicked out of Wizarding School and shouldn't be doing spells in the first place."

Theo puckered his lower lip, "Valid point."

Archie turned, "And Abigail, nothing other than Expelliarmus. That Curse of the Bogies you used last week was unfair and would have knocked Timothee out of school for a week if it wasn't for Samuel."

Abigail grinned, "No bogies. Got it. But I can't promise Theo won't be spitting slugs after this."

Theo clapped a hand over his mouth at the memory from last fall, his eyes wide with terror.

"Expelliarmus only!" Archie insisted.

"Oh fine," Abigail sighed.

Timothee pointed to the two of them, "Okay Abigail, on go. Three… two… one… go!"

Abigail swished her wand downward, ending in a small counter clockwise spiral to which Theo swung his hand like a backhand in tennis. Abigail in turn countered with the same movement and Theo in turn countered with his. They went back and forward, repeating their motions over and over like an invisible tennis match.

Timothee and Archie's heads went back and forward as if they were following an invisible Quaffle being passed back and forward.

Archie leaned over to Timothee and whispered, "Is this what nonverbal casting is supposed to look like?"

Timothee shook his head "no."

"Then what are they doing?" Archie said.

"Interpretative dance?" Timothee guessed.

"You know," Abigail huffed between spiraling hand movements, "This. Is. A lot. Harder. Than. It. Looks!"

"Well. Maybe. If. I. Actually. Had. Something. To. Block. I. Could. Cast. My. Charm! Abby! Wabby!" Theo hissed through gritted teeth as he back handed imaginary spells.

Abigail stopped casting, her eyes wild and wide.

Theo grinned, slowly nodded, and held his pen at his side like a holstered six shooter from the Wild West.

Abigail whipped her key around shouted, "Expelliarmus!"

"Non verbal only!" Archie yelled but it was too late, the red orb was bounding towards Theo when he back handed the spell with an audible, "Protego!"

The red orb hit an invisible wall that reverberated waves of blue like a stone dropped in a pond. The orb bounced off and hit a tall thin birch tree, snapping branches, and staining the birch bark rosy pink.

In one sweeping motion, Theo linked his shield charm to another spell by doubling back his hand movement in the form of a scythe and shouting, "Patrificus totalus!"

Not expecting such a fast counter, Abigail had no choice but to dive out of the way, getting a mud stain on one of the knees of her white and blue pinstriped baseball pants.

Abigail pointed to a branch over Theo's head and called "Confrigo!" Her aim was off by mere inches but it was enough for the spell to hit the trunk of the tree. Splinters flew in every direction and there was a menacing cracking sound as the upper half of the tree came crashing down on Theo's head.

"Reducto!" Theo countered with a zig and a zag of his pen and the tree rained down harmlessly as tan flecks of sawdust. Then drawing his fountain pen back like a whip he cracked it forward and hissed, "Ventus!"

The falling cloud of sawdust was blown towards Abigail in a spiraling funnel that whined like a hurricane. Abigail placed a hand over her stinging eyes as the winds continued to push her back. Still wearing her baseball cleats, she managed to keep her feet firmly planted to the ground.

Letting out a frustrated scream, she took her key, held it in front of her and shrieked, "Incendio!"

The blinding sand like chips of wood were incinerated by a wall of flame coming from Abigail's key. The combination of wind and fire roared loudly and the heat was so intense that Archie and Timothee had to cover their eyes. Smoke came billowing out in every direction like a grey fog.

After the smoke had cleared, Theo and Abigail stood across from each other breathing heavily with the look of unwavering determination strewn across their faces.

"Merlin's beard, that was totally rad!" Archie said, putting both his hands on his head in disbelief, "You guys duel like the wizards in my books!"

He walked between the two fuming teens and knelt down to pick up a pile of ash. The black soot was light as a feather and coated his hands like chalk, "I mean if you could just do it nonverbally we would really have something here. I think you guys should try it again."

Abigial exhaled like an angry bull. She whipped her key around her head and shouted, "Mimblewimble!"

Archie's words started to gum together as his tongue began to move like a giant wad of chewing gum in his mouth. His eyes widened with surprise as he put his fingers in his mouth and tried to free his gluey tongue.

"You want non verbal Arch?" Theo hissed venomously. Without a word and a quick flick of his wrist, Archie found his shoes tied together, hobbling unsteadily on the soft ground.

"Arch watch out!" Theo said but it was too late and Archie hopped to the edge of the pit where the elm tree stump had been. He fell backwards and a loud splash of brown water went flying into the air.

Both Abigail and Theo uttered their counter curse as they ran over to Archie's aid. Timothee stood at the edge and offered Archie a hand up.

"Ugh!" Archie said as he wiped the brown slop from his hands, "Now why did you guys have to go and do that?"

"Hey, I'm sorry Arch!" Theo said and offered a hand.

"Me too," Abigail added and extended hers.

Archie grabbed both extended hands to help him up and grinned through his mud speckled glasses.

"Archie don't you!" Abigail shouted. Archie pulled back hard on both extended hands and found himself with two more occupants in the mud pit.

Timothee stood at the top of the pit laughing but soon realized that he was the only clean one which made him the next target. He attempted to run but found that his legs were locked. With his arms waving frantically in the air, he too found himself in the large pit as well.

"Silent leg locker," Abigail grinned.

The four of them played in the mud like children, tossing globs at each other and throwing each other around until they were all good and covered.

"Here. Check this out," Archie said. He sat at the edge of the pit with the others watching and began to draw in the mud with his pointer finger. He drew an upward arching slash followed by a downward counter clockwise spiral.

"What's that Arch?" Theo asked.

Archie retraced his drawing in the mud, "Protego followed by Expelliarmus. Linking spells, it is a more efficient way to duel. Recognize this one?" Placing his finger a little further down, he continued to draw a sharp angled zigzag followed by a curved "S" shape.

"Reducto-Ventus," Timothee answered.

"Hey, that was what I did," Theo said, "I didn't even realize it."

Archie stood up and a glob of brown mud fell from his earlobe, "I know nonverbal spells are going to be hard, so in the mean time we can also work on linking spells. Build on what we know. I'm impressed at how quickly you guys are picking up these spells, you duel like sixth years!"

Theo nudged Abigail with his elbow, "You hear that, sixth years."

"Do you think third years would be this advanced at Pursang?" Archie asked.

Timothee hesitated, "It's different."

"How so?" Abigail said.

"Here, us three, we practice dueling constantly and because of that we have gotten really good at it. The way you turned that falling branch into dust was amazing Theo and Abigail, that fire wall you created was so hot I had to double check that I still had eyebrows. But Wizarding School is not all about casting spells or knowing how to duel. It's about learning magic. Does that make sense?"

"Uh, kind of?" Abigail said.

Timothee licked his lips and thought for a moment, "For instance, what are the two main ingredients to the Draught of Living Death?"

Theo and Abigail shared a glance, "I don't know."

"Archie?" Timothee asked.

"Oh shoot, I read this a few months ago," Archie humpfed.

"Wormwood and asphodel," Timothee explained, "Okay, why must you wear ear protection when potting mandrakes?"

"Don't know," Theo said.

"No clue," Abigail followed.

"Because the cry of a full grown mandrake is fatal," Theo said, "What is the key use of Bubotuber pus?"

"Bubo what?" Abigail said.

"Bubotuber pus," Timothee repeated.

"Ew, pus?" Abigail said.

Timothee nodded, "It's a thick yellow green liquid that smells like gas."

"Sounds kind of gross," Archie replied.

"It looks gross," Timothee said, "But it is great for getting rid of pimples."

"I see what you are getting at," Abigail said, "Magic isn't just dueling, it's an entire world."

Timothee pointed to Abigail and nodded, "In Wizarding school you learn about everything from transfiguration, defense against the dark arts, potions classes, herbology, history of magic, divination, there is even a class in first year where you learn to ride a broom. The magical world is just that, an entire world that you learn from and explore. Do things you never thought possible or see things that are incomprehensible."

Theo's face lit up, "Man, I sure do miss it."

"Did you know that there is a creature called the Thunderbird that can actually make it rain? Or that the Occamy can fill the space of anything that encapsulates it? I'm talking from the size of an entire house to the size of a tea kettle in the blink of the eye. So it is good that we are learning to protect ourselves but if we just focus on dueling we will forget the most important thing about magic?"

"What is that?" Archie said.

Timothee turned and grabbed a small smoldering wood chip and cupped it in his hand. Blowing onto the chip, a small corner of it turned bright red and held a flame. Timothee closed his eyes and whispered, "Avem Ignis" and a small miniature phoenix cried out as it flew out of his hands and soared over their heads. Timothee looked back at the others, "We will forget that magic is beautiful."

Chapter 21

Wizergen!

Timothee's eyelids weighed ten pounds as he fought to keep his eyes open to the droning voice of Mr. Applegate. His head was propped up by his hand and yet it still rolled from side to side. Shaking his head and giving himself a light slap against his cheek, Timothee sat straight up and scanned the classroom. He observed that he wasn't the only one struggling to stay awake and watched as Archie pinched himself in the arm. Behind Archie, Theo slept with his head rested on his desk.

A girl in his class, Kimberly Adams, tried to smother a yawn in the crook of her elbow and while she was able to conceal it, the entire class was soon a wave of yawning students. Even Mr. Applegate found himself holding a closed fist to his mouth trying to stifle his exhaustion. Turning around, he grabbed his coffee cup and gulped it down to the last drop.

Seeing the yawn take place, Archie took down another tick mark in his binder.

"How many?" Timothee mouthed.

Archie showed two sets of ten with both hands.

The exhaustion was getting worst by the minute as no one was immune to its oppressive weight. Timothee thought to himself, "Wizergen! I need to get to my locker and get more Wizergen."

The bell rang over the loud speaker and the students in the class sleepily rose to their feet and collected their belongings.

"Was that as bad as I thought it was?" Archie asked, nearly shaking his glasses off his face.

"Worst," Theo mumbled, "I'm just glad Mr. Applegate didn't catch me sleeping in his class. I would have had detention until I was a senior."

"Hey guys!" Abigail called out. She darted through the horde of students that trudged along like zombies.

Timothee noticed the distress in her face, "What's wrong?"

"My Wizergen!" Abigail huffed, "It's all gone! I was trying to stay awake in Latin and so I asked if I could use the bathroom. When I checked my locker all my vials were gone!"

"Don't worry. I still have some left in my locker," Timothee said as he spun the dial on his lock clockwise and then counter clockwise.

"Hey, can you grab one for me?" Archie requested.

"Me too!" Theo added.

Pulling down on the metal combination lock there was a loud "click," before Timothee jimmied it open and lifted the metal slide. Swinging open the door, he reached for the top shelf of his locker.

"What is it?" Abigail asked.

"They're gone," Timothee answered, "He pulled down the empty vial box, "This is impossible. I had half a box left yesterday."

"Quick let's go to my locker," Archie said, "I had the most Wizergen left out of all of us."

Archie swung his locker open and to his dismay, his box was empty as well.

"It's gone… all of it!" Archie yelled, pulling out his vial box and throwing it in the trash.

Archie turned to the others, "Okay, when was the last time you guys took your Wizergen?"

Abigail kept shaking her head in order to fight off her exhaustion, "Yesterday or the day before? No Yesterday. I can't think straight!"

"Before lunch yesterday," Theo said.

"Same for me," Timothee yawned. The others followed suit.

"Wizergen lasts up to twenty four hours which means we need to take another dose soon!"

There was a loud thrum in the air and every single human being in the school froze like a sculpture with their eyes closed.

"It's happening again!" Abigail said.

Entering the nearest classroom, the four teens weaved between the statuesque classmates. Some were packing their book bags while others were midstride down the rows of desks. Mr. Burnside stood in the front of the classroom holding up a beaker filled with a green glowing liquid. He made short staccato snores as his chest bobbed up and down.

Archie ran to the nearest window and pointed to the sky as waves of green and red danced in the heavens, "Aurora Borealis during the day time!"

"The curse is activated!" Timothee yelled.

"Where is our nearest supply of Wizergen?" Theo asked.

"Kevin?" Abigail suggested.

Archie turned and ran towards the classroom door, "Let's go!"

Abigail, Archie, Theo and Timothee, ran as fast as they could down the main street passing townsfolk who had all fallen asleep in the midst of their normal lives. A woman walking her dog fell asleep next to her furry friend while a portly police officer who was directing traffic had fallen asleep in the middle of the road. He still had his traffic whistle in his mouth and let out loud whistling snores as he slept.

Timothee fought with everything in his body to stay awake but he found himself slowly slipping away. His foot caught on the crack of an uneven sidewalk and he was sent tumbling into the air.

Theo ran over and hooked an arm under Timothee's armpit and hauled him to his feet.

"Just let me rest here a bit" Timothee sighed mid yawn.

"Come on Tim!" Theo ordered, "We are almost there! Don't fall asleep on me now!"

Timothee bit down hard on his tongue and the pain sent a jolt through his entire body as he tasted blood. He got to his feet with the help of Theo and ran to keep up with the others.

The mayor of Witchaven stood mid stride as he entered the tall colonial white town hall building. It seemed like nothing was immune to the curse as the young spring purple tulips that surrounded the cherub bronze statue sagged and wilted.

"It's just down here!" Archie said. He dodged a red and white checkered table in front of Casa Della Nonna.

Abigail, with her athletic prowess, hurdled a crate of books that were being wheeled into Jo's Nook before planting a heel into the ground to stop. She swung the door open and darted into Precious Boutiques with the others close behind her.

Timothee pointed to a box with small half filled vials of blue liquid and yelled, "On the counter!"

Theo bumped a red and white porcelain vase with his shoulder which rocked from side to side before taking a spill off the shelf. Abigail caught the vase out of mid air before resting it on the ground.

Theo pulled out the vials on the counter and tossed them to the others, "Here! Everyone take one!"

They stood in a circle and upended their Wizergen vials and sucked them dry. The cool liquid ran down their throats and into their stomachs.

Timothee looked to Archie who was licking his lips over and over.

"Whaw is wiss?" Theo asked, holding up the vial and examining it.

"Hey, My Wips are Wumb!" Abigail shouted, putting a hand to her mouth.

Timothee leaned over the counter where he saw Kevin laying on his back with an empty vial by his head, "Kevin drank this stuff and he isn't awake…"

Timothee felt his head swim and the room began to spin in dizzying circles. He dropped to one knee and planted both hands on the ground in an attempt to steady himself.

Archie grabbed his stomach and winced, "What did we dwink?"

It was at that moment an all too familiar whiny voice called out in the Precious Boutique, a voice they had not heard in months.

"Draught of the Living Death Thistle!"

"Just a drop Thorne! We don't want them to sleep too long!"

Abigail fell back and wrapped an arm over the countertop, "You poisoned us!"

Thorne shook his head, "Not poisoned silly girl!"

"Just sleepy!" Said Thistle, "Very sleepy!"

Timothee felt his arms go numb as he rolled onto his back and watched the room continue to spin. His vision started to turn black while the gleeful high pitched cheers of Thistle and Thorne slowly floated away.

"Master will be so pleased!"

"So pleased indeed!"

Chapter 22

The Dolomites

"It's a ninety-nine! Top in the class! No, no, you're right. Next time I will make sure I get a hundred."

"Psst, Hey Arch, wake up!" Theo said quietly. He grabbed Archie's shoulder and gave it a light nudge.

Archie opened his eyes to the darkness, "Wait, what's going on? Where am I?"

Adjusting the black thick framed glasses on his face, it was hard for him to see in the dimly lit cell. The walls were made of large slate stone blocks and bits of moldy hay were strewn along the floor. Tall rusted bars ran from the ceiling to the floor where a pathway bisected two rows of cells on either side. A single barred window faced out into night air which let in a bone chilling breeze.

High pitched squeaks of rats echoed throughout the dark dungeon unseen as they scampered about in the nooks and crannies.

Archie sat up and felt his head spin. He was breathing heavily and still struggled to fully catch his breath, "Where are we?"

"I don't know," A girl's voice called in the dark.

"Abigail? Is that you?" Archie said.

"Right here," She answered, placing a hand on his leg.

"What is this place?" He asked.

"A dungeon," Theo answered. Theo had to steady himself with a hand on the wall as he got to his feet. He walked to the square barred window and peered outside, "A dungeon somewhere high in the mountains from what I can see."

Archie joined Theo at the cell window and saw towering snow capped mountains span in every direction in white waves of snow. A full moon was high overhead and it illuminated the ivory crests giving them an iridescent glow in the night.

"Either we are in the Rockies or," Archie started.

"Or what?" Abigail asked, peering over their shoulders at the view.

"Or we are in a different country all together," Archie answered.

"How do you know that?" Theo asked.

Archie pointed through the bars at the mountains, "Those mountains are too big to be from New York or anywhere on the east coast. I'd bet anything that those peaks are over ten thousand feet if not more."

"That lot there are the Italian Dolomites mate," A raspy sullen voice called in the shadows.

The three teens spun around in the dark, facing the cell across from them.

"Who's there?" Abigail called.

Two hands came forward through the rusted bars of the opposite cell and rested on a cross bar. A head slowly emerged into the low light. Dark long brown hair dangled over his face and his shaggy 5 o'clock shadow had grown into the early stages of a beard.

"Mr. Spoon?" Archie called out.

The corner of the wizard's mouth cocked up slightly. His face looked gaunt and starved with large dark bags under his red eyes. The panic of being a captive had faded and a hopelessness had settled in as if he was reverting to a state he was familiar with.

Theo walked to the cell bars, "What are you doing here? What are any of us doing here in Italy?"

Abigail looked around the tiny cell, "Hey guys, where is Timothee?"

"He's with her," Daniel whispered.

Chapter 23

The Mind Unlocked

"Imperio!" Timothee shouted in the Parisian summer air with his ebony wand outstretched in his hand. A grey wisp spewed from the tip of his wand and danced along the cool starry night.

Elawin let out a delicate gasp. She looked like a ballet dancer coming to rest as her extended hands gracefully lowered to her side and her head tilted in a peaceful calm. Nine hundred feet below the Eiffel Tower the buildings looked like toy models while the yellow traveling dots of headlights traveled up and down the streets.

"Now come down from the ledge," Timothee ordered, his outstretched hand trembling violently.

Elawin lifted one foot away from the railing back towards the platform. It was halted by a strong gust of wind that hit her from behind. Her black silk dress pushed forward outlining the curves of her body and her jet black hair covered her face. She didn't fight for balance, she didn't let out a scream, she only turned as she fell, her sapphire eyes locking with Timothee's as she disappeared over the ledge.

"NO!" Timothee screamed. Dropping his wand and sprinting to the ledge. He watched her vanish into the darkness. Moments later a crowd gathered around a spot far below the like ants around a breadcrumb.

Timothee couldn't move, he couldn't think, he didn't know if he was breathing or not. His hands gripped the railing so tight they cramped and trembled. His knees were weak as if he could collapse at any moment and it felt as if something inside of him had been broken. He did not know what it was and he did not know if it would ever be the same again.

"Why?" He whispered into the night, "Why?"

"Because I needed you," Elawin called from over his shoulder.

Timothee turned around. To his disbelief, to his shock he was staring at the very woman who he had just witnessed fall to her peril. Her cool glacial blue eyes locked with his and her pale skin soaked up the moon light.

"I saw you fall," Timothee muttered.

"You did," Elawin answered.

"You died," Timothee said.

Elawin shook her head, "No."

Timothee felt a sudden pull in the pit of his stomach as his surroundings suddenly pulled away from him. His body rocked back as if he had been hit by a bull. His head snapped up against the back of a chair and he felt a pain run down his spine. Opening his eyes he saw an old tarnished chandelier suspended on a high buttressed ceiling. Just next to the golden framework was a large hole in the ceiling where a large full moon slowly crept into view.

Clouds of breathe plumed from his mouth and his heart raced in his chest. He wheezed for air and winced when the pangs of a headache hit him. Rolling his head forward, he tried to rub his eyes but his hand did not come. Looking over, he saw frayed ropes wrapped endlessly around his wrists, binding him to the arms of a wooden chair.

He shook his bound arms and legs causing the chair to groan and creek but it did not free him from their grasp.

"Child," A woman's voice called in the dark.

Timothee looked around the dimly lit surroundings. The room was immense with high stone walls that were falling apart with snowdrifts creeping in. The floors had rotted planks of wood and the wind howled as it rushed in and out of the empty room. There was an elevated stage where a throne sat next to a crushed pile of wood and velvet.

"Who's there?" Timothee called as a black figure slowly approached him in the shadows. "Who are you?"

"Who am I?" The voice said as soft as snow, "But you know who I am."

The black figure slowly entered the moonlight that streamed in from the hole in the ceiling, her eyes were blue like the Caribbean ocean, her skin the color of the high moon and her hair was black like earthen oil. She wore a black dress that was long and flowing, covered in an ornate lattice as if it were some sort of grim wedding dress.

"Elawin?" Timothee said.

"It is I," She answered.

"But you…you fell! I saw it, I saw your body. You were dead!" Timothee shouted, jerking his body to fight the restraints.

Elawin stood from her throne, "It is hard to kill what cannot die."

In a blur she was standing in front of him, her two long finger nails danced over the top of his hand. Timothee watched as goose bumps rippled over his flesh. Her touch was frigid like the night air and felt like ice against the back of his hand.

Elawin grinned revealing two long pearlescent fangs.

"You're a vampire!" Timothee realized a loud.

Elawin nodded her head ever so slowly. Her head swayed from side to side as if the empty hall was still filled with melodic tunes of days gone by. She was so graceful with no move appearing impulsive or clumsy. She reminded Timothee of a feather falling from the sky.

Timothee locked his brown and green eyes with hers, "But what do you want with me?"

Elawin eyes shined, "Let me show you."

She leaned forward, her white fangs glowing in the night. Timothee leaned back and hunched his shoulders to protect his neck but his guard faded.

Her hands blurred and Timothee found himself with his head forced up towards the ceiling with Elawin's thumbs pressing into his forehead. There was a sudden falling feeling as the ceiling above pulled away. Everything began to fade to black before a new room rushed up towards him.

The walls of this new room were painted with beautiful Roman frescos of magical creatures, legendary items and famous wizards. Spidery cracks ran throughout the entire room like shattered glass. Timothee was standing and no longer bound to the chair. He took a step and water sloshed under his feet. Everything in the room was soaked with water damage streak marks.

House elves worked tirelessly within the room as they restored damaged paintings and squeezed water logged rags into buckets.

Timothee's attention was drawn to a man sitting behind a desk with his hands folded before him. He was wearing an expensive midnight three piece suit with the most intense red and gold tie that was looped into a complex Merovingian knot. His hair was jet black and slicked back while his face was shaved impeccably clean. His features were sharp and angular with an olive skin tone. It looked as if a single hair was to fall out of place, his entire appearance would be shattered.

"Is it in there?" The man asked. His Italian accent stressed and strained his English words.

"It is Venetian," Elawin answered, standing in front of the desk.

"Bene," The Venetian said, "Then I will get it. A weapon so powerful it will change the world."

Elawin whispered, "Oh but it is so much more."

A house elf approached the side of the desk and bowed, "Master, you have guests."

The Venetian waved the elf away. He turned back to Elawin, "The book will confirm your conviction."

Elawin bowed, touched a large ring on her finger and vanished. Just then the door behind Timothee opened. He turned to see Samuel and a wizard walk through the door being lead by a house elf.

"Dad?" He whispered.

The room began to spin around Timothee faster and faster until everything became unrecognizable. Becoming nauseatingly dizzy, Timothee fell back and landed in a wooden chair as a tune began to play. The room began to slow and objects became recognizable again.

Jazz music played from a ten foot mural with a nameplate that read, "Miles Duke and the Brass Whizbees." Their brass trumpets squealed while another man in the painting leaned far back with a saxophone and belted out an energetic solo.

Witches and wizards all sat in the high class restaurant listening to the jazz as they ate their candle lit dinners. Timothee overheard a wizard at the table behind him say something in French.

House elves darted this way and that with large platters held over their head. Their short stature made it look as if the silver platters were floating around the restaurant delivering fresh breads and fine meats.

Timothee felt the entire restaurant shutter as everyone leaned to one side. He looked out a window and watched as farmland passed by at an astonishing rate.

"We aren't in a building," Timothee realized, "We are in a train car in France!"

"Un Hemotini!" A house elf said. A small hand with a blue ring grabbed a large wide mouthed glass and slid it onto the table in front of Timothee.

He looked down at the thick crimson drink with the unmistakable look of blood.

A slender hand wrapped around the crystal stem and pulled the drink away.

"Elawin," Timothee said, looking over at the woman sitting next to him.

There was a loud crack, on the far end of the room as a group of wizards not wearing the fine dress of those in the restaurant suddenly appeared.

"Is that," Timothee whispered, his heart quickening, "Dad? And Vert… and Samuel?"

They were accompanied by a girl he had seen pictures of in Samuel's house. He watched as they pointed to the far end of the train car and began to make their way over.

"Dad!" Timothee shouted. He stood from his chair and ran towards them, cutting off their path.

"Dad it's me! You're son Timothee!" He yelled, but the group walked through him like a ghost passing through the world of the living. They continued on their way to the other side of the train car.

Timothee watched them as they exchanged words with a finely dressed man sitting in a booth. It was the Venetian again.

"Why are you showing me this?" Timothee realized.

Timothee's body was jerked back, pulled from the memory and back into the chair in the broken down castle. The sudden rush was overwhelming and Timothee found himself breathing heavily to stave his queasiness.

"What does it all mean?" Timothee heaved.

A fire lit in Elawin's eyes, "You're father made a bargain! To deliver something of great importance and you know what he did? He kept it for himself!"

"Never!" Timothee contested.

Elawin turned her back to Timothee, "He did and now I will retrieve it from you if you don't tell me where it is?"

"How can I help you find what you are looking for if I don't even know what it is?"

"The stone Partée," Elawin growled.

"What stone?" Timothee asked.

"Don't play dumb with me boy!" Elawin barked, "You're father made a bargain with the Venetian. Three objects for his brother's freedom. The Bracer of Hercules, a time turner and the Stone of Morgana. He delivered the first two but the last never made it."

"I don't know what you are talking about!"

"The Stone of Morgana!"

"I've never seen it before," Timothee pleaded.

Elawin's body became a blur of motion and Timothee found his head held in the vice grip of Elawin's hands as she looked into his eyes, "Witchaven will sleep for a hundred years if you do not give me what I ask. They will be nothing but bones and dust and I will take everything you love and tear your world to the ground!"

"You already did that when you tricked me into saving you!" Timothee fired back.

"It was nothing more than simple allure you stupid boy," Elawin snarled.

Her eyes began to glow and her pupils dilated as she growled, "Legilimens!"

Chapter 24

The Green Flash

"Abigail?" Archie asked.

Abigail patted herself down and shook her head "no."

Archie turned his head, "Theo?"

Theo plunged his hands into his pockets and turned them inside out creating two white bunny ears at his hips.

"Well that's just great. They took the key and the pen," Archie sighed, "I don't think we will be much help getting out of this place Mr. Spoon."

Daniel closed his eyes and rested his forehead against a rusted bar, "Don't worry, they took my spoon as well. Pesky half beasts are clever little gits."

"Half beasts?" Archie asked.

"The two goblins that brought me here," Daniel explained.

Theo approached the bars of his cell, "They didn't happen to be Troblins by any chance? Half goblin and half troll?"

"You could say that," Daniel said, he leaned away from the bars and scratched his gruffy beard.

"They got us too," Abigail added, "They swapped our Wizergen with sleeping potion. How did you end up in here?"

Daniel shook his head and turned away, "It wasn't the Troblins that got me. It was the Dark Phoenix, the death made eternal."

"Who is this Dark Phoenix?" Theo asked, "You said she has Timothee?"

Daniel sighed and turned around, "She is a ruthless vampire with her beauty only surpassed by her magical prowess. I always thought she was more of a bogeyman than an actual being. It wasn't until she came for us that I realized she was real.

My brother Oliver and I were trying to fence a few Occamy egg shells to a collector from Persia when she arrived. She turned the Merchant into a beetle, turned one of the Persian's bodyguards into a pile of ash and as for the other bodyguard, he was dinner to put it lightly."

Daniel closed his eyes as a look of incomprehensible pain erupted on his face, "She…" He started but paused to swallow, "She asked which one of us was Oliver and before I could answer my big brother stepped forward claiming to be Daniel. I didn't understand why he answered as me until she hit him with the green flash. It was as simple as one would use a lifting charm. You see Oliver knew what was coming and it was the only way he could save me one last time."

A tear ran down Daniel's gaunt cheek leaving a clean straight line through the soot and dirt on his face, "It was only after combing through my mind did she realize that I was Daniel and that she had killed my brother Oliver. To this day I don't know why she let me live. Maybe to let me exist in my misery or maybe I am too broken for her to even waste the energy?"

Abigail stepped closer to the bars, "If you don't mind me asking, what is the green flash?"

"It's the Avada," Daniel whispered lowering his head, "The killing curse."

"Oh," Abigail consoled, "I'm sorry."

Daniel gripped the bars in front of him, his hands turning white and trembling. His jaw clenched and a vein began to pulse in his forehead, "I swear by Merlin and every witch and wizard under the Sun, the Moon and the Stars that she will pay for what she did! She will bleed every last drop of blood she has stolen from this world and I will be there when all her long days come to an end!" Looking up his brown eyes had a new life in them as he said with gritted teeth, "I swear."

"Keep it down!" A high pitched squeal called from the top of the stairs leading out the dungeon.

"Yeah, before we have to go down there and give you punishment!" said another high pitched voice.

"That's right Thistle! We give the punishment now!"

Archie turned to the others, "Thorne and Thistle?"

Daniel pressed his face to the bars, "Agh! You Twits come down here and I have half a mind to show you both what punishment really looks like!"

There were two sudden puffs of smoke and the two Troblins were standing in the walk way between the two cells.

Thorne's half ear bobbed up and down as he cocked his head to one side and grinned, "Oh really?"

"Come on then!" Daniel yelled, "Give me my spoon and let's have us a proper duel!"

Thistle's black beady eyes became enraged as he reached into his black vest and whipped out his Pine wand, "Crucio!"

Daniel's body straightened as if he had been struck by a bolt of lightning. He fell to the ground writhing in pain.

"Hey! Stop that!" Abigail yelled, "You're hurting him!"

"Stop!" Theo shouted.

"Please!" Archie begged, "No more!"

Thorne turned with a toothy grin, "I should give you punishment as well!" Reaching into his vest pocket he pulled out his Hawthorne wand and pointed it at the teenagers.

Archie, Abigail, and Theo took a step away from the bars.

"That's better," Thorne hissed.

Thistle released the curse and Daniel lay on the ground panting unable to move.

"Pain," Thistle whispered through his gritted sharp rows of teeth.

Daniel placed a hand on the stone ground and attempted to lift himself up. His arm trembled as he put his weight on it and he wheezed for air as he got himself to one knee.

Archie leaned over to Theo, "Did you see it?"

"See what?" He asked.

"When Thorne was reaching for his wand I saw Timothee's rings under his vest."

"Do you think they have the others?" Theo whispered back.

"I don't know."

Theo turned to Abigail who was already winding up like a pitcher. Her fist fired forward and all the dust, dirt, debris and moldy hay were sent in a tsunami of energy hitting the troblins in the back and slamming them into the metal bars.

Something metal "clinked!" against the stone floor and skid into Daniel's cell.

Reaching down he grabbed a black tarnished skeleton key and held it up.

"Quick, throw it here!" Abigail urged.

Thorne and Thistle remained in a heap against the metal cell door as the ornate skeleton key flew over head and landed in Abigail's outstretched hands.

Daniel limped over to the unconscious troblins and dove his hands into their pockets pulling out a pen, an old silver spoon, and two gold rings on a chain.

Abigail scrambled to the cell door and felt around for the key hole on the other side. Grabbing her key with the other hand she maneuvered it into place.

"Abigail what are you doing?" Archie said.

Abigail closed her eyes and the key slid right into the cell door key hole. Whispering, "Open Sesami" she turned the key and the cell door "clunked!" before swinging open.

"Yes!" Theo whispered as he followed Abigail out of the cell door.

Abigail opened Daniel's cell using the same opening charm. She lifted the key into the moonlight, "It's a family heirloom passed down for generations."

"Why didn't you ever tell us before?" Archie said mystified.

Abigail inspected the Veela hair around her key, "It's kind of a family secret. Otherwise everyone would be after it."

"I thought your parents were muggles?" Theo asked.

"They are," Abigail answered, "But my grandmother was a witch."

"Ready to go get your friend?" Daniel asked.

"Let's go!" Theo replied.

"Wait, one thing!" Archie said running over to the two unconscious troblins. He grabbed their wands and cracked them over his knee, "This way they can't hurt anyone else."

"Good thinking! Now let's go get Timothee!" Abigail said.

Chapter 25

Escape

Timothee sat on a broom high above the Pursang quidditch pitch waving his fingers about like a conductor as his classmates sung in the stands below:

"Haut sur une montagne vierge.

Nous surplombons la vallée verdoyante.

École des licornes d'argent.

Chère, chère Pursang, nous vous aimons!"

Camille Pétain flew over on her broom, the baby blue quidditch robes fluttering behind her as she pulled up next to Timothee with a grin from ear to ear. Her hair was platinum and she had thick brown eyebrows that contrasted her complexion. On her robes the silver crest of a unicorn glistened in the sun. She held up a leather gloved hand and tossed the golden snitch to Timothee.

Timothee snatched the snitch from the air and held it in his open palm with the willow like wings flapping ever so gracefully. The golden orb seemed to coo in his hands like a small bird.

Timothee looked up from the snitch, "I've never seen a game end so quickly."

"I just got lucky I guess," Camille said.

"That's the second match that you've ended in under a minute. The scoreboards were still zero. I didn't get a chance to knock any of those Beau-brats off their brooms."

Camille chuckled, "Then you play chaser and we can have a five day match."

"Hey!" Timothee laughed, "I'm not that bad at chaser."

Camille hunched her shoulders, "If you say."

A light breeze kicked up and Timothee looked around the cheering stadium as all his classmates waved banners and jumped up and down in celebration. They sang the school's anthem proudly as they watched the defeated Beauxbatons in their gold robes fly off the pitch.

"It feels so good to be back at Pursang," he thought. Looking back down at the snitch he was surprised to see a large blue opal stone resting in his palm. Inside the stone were iridescent glimmers of cobalt, black and violet of innumerable shades and intensities. It was absolutely breathtaking how many colors could be contained in just one stone.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Elawin's voice asked.

Timothee looked up from stone just as Elawin came rushing towards him. Putting up his hands to protect himself he fell from his broom and into a freefall before landing back in the chair in the throne room.

Timothee shook his head, "Why do you keep doing this?"

"It's in there," Elawin replied, "I just need to find it."

"I swear I have never seen that stone in my life!" Timothee answered, "Please just let me go."

"Not until I have what is owed!" Elawin said before placing her hands back on Timothee's head and pressing her thumbs into his forehead, "I must go deeper!"

She locked eyes with him and casted, "Legilimuns!"

Timothee felt himself fall deeper and deeper as the world around him faded to black. When he opened his eyes he was surrounded by painted white wooden bars in every direction. A crib mobile spun in small circles overhead with plush shooting stars making small concentric orbits silently in the darkness.

"I've seen this room before?" He thought, "This is my room back in Paris. This is my grandmother's house."

Rolling over, he was face to face with the plush bear he had befriended his entire life, newer than he had looked in over a decade.

"Ursa you look new? How old am I?" He wondered, sitting up and examining his tiny pink hands.

There was a soft puff at the edge of the crib and two green eyes stared down at him.

Timothee felt a sudden wave of fear and began to whimper.

"Shhh," A familiar voice hushed and walked over, placing a small hand on Timothee's shoulder. His floppy ears were tucked under his bowler hat and he wore a blue auror's robe with a gold flur-de-lis on the chest. The smell of burnt wood and smoke was overly saturated in his clothes and ash dirtied the house elf's clothing.

"Vert?" Timothee said between light sobs.

"There there now. Don't be frightened," Vert whispered. He grabbed two rings from his pocket and pulled them out. Handing the rings to the small infant he said, "Édouard and Christiane. They are gone."

Timothee held the rings in his tiny child sized hands and tapped them together.

"They also wanted you to have this," Vert said, holding up a large blue iridescent opal.

"The stone," A voice echoed distantly in hushed excitement.

Vert held up the Stone of Morgana, "They loved you more than you will ever imagine. Everything they did was for family and because we are family, I will never leave your side."

Timothee felt himself jerk violently from the memory and into the grand hall of the crumbling castle. The warmth he had felt in the crib vanished and was now replaced by a cold howling wind. The smell of smoke still lingered even if it was only just a memory.

"The elf!" Elawin shrieked, "It was always with the elf!"

"Hey, you!" A voice called from over Timothee's shoulder.

Elawin's piercing blue eyes looked up as a bright red blast hit her in the chest and sent her flying into the throne twenty feet back. There was a loud crash as the wooden throne crumpled into cinders.

Footsteps rushed closer from behind him. He turned his head but locked in the chair he could not see.

"Timothee!" Abigail called out.

"Abigail?" he yelled back. He tried frantically to free himself from the chair but it would not break.

Abigail, Archie and Theo all ran to his side.

Timothee smiled close to tears as he blurted out, "Oh am I happy to see you guys!"

"No time for a reunion chaps! We need to get out of here!" Daniel said.

The pile of wood exploded as Elawin cam rocketing out of it towards them, her blue eyes burned bright as a gnarled white wand was pointed at them like a spear of charging cavalry.

"Lumos Maxima!" Daniel casted from the top of his lungs.

Light filled every corner of the room and Timothee's vision when white. There was a screaming hiss from Elawin that flew over head and continued on behind him.

"Quick!" Daniel ordered, "Everyone grab Timothee!"

Timothee felt hands grab his forearms and a hand rest against his shoulder. There was a sudden feeling of spinning, flipping and shrinking before a loud crack boomed in his ears.

Chapter 26

We need to go back!

Timothee eyes opened to an old brown wooden buttressed ceiling where dozens of cages hung from stilted struts. He closed his eyes and took a few more deep breathes before opening them again. His head hurt and his body felt exhausted as if he had sprinted for miles.

"He's up," Theo said and walked over.

"Where," Timothee began but his mind was too foggy to produce a clear thought. Turning his head to the side, he watched the pink and orange colors of a new day, "Or was it the end of a day?" He couldn't tell.

"Hey there Tim," Theo said, taking a seat at the foot of the bed that Timothee rested on, "How are you feeling? Daniel said you might be a little out of it."

"We," Timothee whispered but the ability to put a complete sentence together or to generate a whole thought eluded him. He closed his eyes and tried to focus through the murkiness that clouded his mind, "We… need…" He took a few more breathes, "We need to get back," and attempted to sit up.

"Easy there," Abigail hushed. She placed a hand on his shoulder and he collapsed back onto the bed completely exhausted.

Timothee saw Abigail and Theo but there was no sign of the others, "Where?"

"Archie and Daniel?" Abigail interpreted.

Timothee nodded.

"Getting Wizergen," Theo answered, "We can't go back to Witchaven without it."

"What," Timothee started but he couldn't complete his thought. He knew what he wanted to say but the words to convey his thoughts were hard to find. Pressing his eyes shut he grit his teeth and exhaled, "What… about… the ministry?"

"The ministry of Magic?" Theo repeated, making sure he had heard correctly.

Timothee bobbed his head.

Theo grabbed a large brown clay mug filled with water from a nightstand and held it to Timothee's lips to drink, "Daniel said it is a risk if we go to them because we aren't supposed to be practicing magic. They could very well lock us up. He knows a few witches and wizards that could help but he would need more time if we were to ask them."

The cool water felt good going down Timothee's throat. He thirstily slurped down the entire brown mug and the haze that loomed over his head began to lift.

Theo unwrapped a small chocolate snitch and handed it to Timothee, "Daniel said this would help."

The milk chocolate was sweet and tasty as it warmed in his mouth and became more malleable. Energy began to course through his veins and so Timothee pressed his hands into the enormous bed and began to sit up.

"Hey, easy," Abigail persisted.

"ca va," Timothee whispered, "really, it's okay."

"Here let me help then," Abigail nodded and hooked an arm under Timothee to help him up. Abigail supported his weight with her arm and Timothee noticed that he was in a small one hexagonal cottage. Gourds hung from the ceiling and there was a fireplace next to the bed where a black tea kettle hissed over a fire. Random items were scattered about and in the center was a wooden table that was rather tall. In fact the bed he was laying in was large enough to fit someone three if not four times his size. Discovering this repeating pattern Timothee felt as if he was in the home of a giant.

Timothee peered outside a square window were he saw a small garden of enormous pumpkins and high up on a green hill was a large stone castle. There were tall rounded keeps with tall cone shaped roofs, "Where are we?"

"It's a hideout," Theo explained, "A grounds keeper smuggled us in. You should have seen him!"

"Who?" Timothee asked.

"The grounds keeper. He must have been eight feet tall with a great big beard. He was the only one who could free you from those ropes that bound you to the chair."

Abigail reached into her pocket and pulled out two gold bands strung on a silver chain, "These are yours."

Timothee took the rings and held them in his palm. He spent a long time staring at the ring with the red ruby.

Theo placed a hand on Timothee's shoulder, "Daniel said the Dark Phoenix would have dug in your mind? He called it Legilimency I think."

Timothee closed his hand around the rings, "Her name is Elawin and she was looking into my memories."

"What did you see?" Abigail asked.

"She showed me these memories. I don't know if they were real or not but I think my dad may not have been the person I thought he was…"

"Look," Theo interjected, "The Dark Phoenix wanted you to see those things to hurt you. To break you down. What was she after?"

"It's a stone," Timothee answered, "She is looking for the Stone of Morgana. Have you guys heard of it?"

Abigail and Theo shook their head no.

"I think it is some kind of weapon and she wants it. My dad was supposed to deliver it to some wizard named the Venetian. I think it is the reason why my parents died. I don't know, everything is scrambled together."

The entrance to the cottage opened and Archie and Daniel walked in.

"The sleeping prince awakes," Daniel said. He walked over to the tall wooden dining table and placed a bag onto it, "Wizergen from Diagon Alley and a few odds and sods for Archie boy."

"What kind of things?" Abigail asked.

"Peruvian Instant Darkness powder," Archie said holding up a black rock, "A long with a few other items."

"Daniel we need to get back," Timothee insisted.

"In good time," Daniel assured.

"We don't have time. Elawin told me she was going to make everyone in Witchaven sleep for a hundred years!" Timothee said.

"That's quite the nap," Daniel noted, "Wait is her name actually Elawin?"

Timothee shook his head, "She says they will be nothing but bones if we don't give her the stone."

"Stone of Morgana," Daniel said.

"You've heard of it?" Timothee asked.

"No," Daniel answered, "She was tearing through my head looking for the same thing."

Abigail stood from the bed, "Guys, hold on, even if we get to Witchaven we still have no idea how to undo the curse."

Archie placed the darkness powder in his pocket, "Mr. Spoon and I were talking earlier."

"Daniel," the older wizard corrected.

"Sorry," Archie said, "Mr. Daniel was telling me of an enchanted harp that could put you to sleep."

"So we need to find a harp?" Theo asked.

"It could be," Archie added, "All I know is that it is probably an enchanted object, maybe something music related."

Abigail raised her hand, "How do we find it?"

"Well I was thinking that we could split up and search the town. Abigail and I could search the school music room while Theo and Timothee could search town hall steeple. There are bells up there that play every day."

"And what should I do?" Daniel asked.

"Keep a lookout for the Dark Phoenix," Archie said, "If she comes for either of us, we will send up sparks."

Daniel nodded, "Got it."

"Wait, wait, wait," Theo insisted, "What do we do if we actually find this thing and how is that going to help us defeat this Dark Phoenix?"

"Elawin, her name is Elawin," Timothee said.

"Okay. How does this help us stop Elawin?"

Daniel started to hand out two vials of Wizergen, "She has kept off the ministry's radar for decades now. I bet if a bunch of muggles see a vampire and the ministry catches wind of it that might not be the kind of attention she is looking for. I think you undo that sleeping spell and she high tails it out of there."

"And so if we find this enchanted object what then?" Theo asked.

"Destroy it," Archie answered.

Theo hunched his shoulders, "But how?"

"Reducto," Timothee cut in, "It should breakdown anything of size."

"Incendio could do the trick," Daniel added, "Fire and enchanted objects don't mix well. You just need to be careful if you are in a school though."

"Or not," Abigail smirked.

"Careful," Archie stressed.

Abigail shook her head innocently, "I was just kidding."

Daniel slapped his thighs, "Well chaps, sounds like we have a plan. Let's get out of here."

"Should we come together to apparate?" Theo asked.

"Won't work," Daniel said.

"Why not?" Theo wondered.

"Can't apparate out of school grounds, that's why I brought us here. Hagrid and I go way back, that's why he let us stay. If we want to apparate then we need to go into the Dark Forest."

"School grounds? Where are we?" Timothee asked.

Daniel pointed to the tall castle on top of the hill, "That there is Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."