Chapter 3: Growing Pains
Upstairs in the bedroom, the three children get right down to the serious business of play- or, at least, the two guests do. Steven feels rather like a silent observer to it all; as though the games and stories they acted out are just cartoons he's watching on the TV, and he's just sitting on the couch, unable and unwilling to participate.
Half-an-hour ago, they'd been watching a witch brew a potion, and about to have the truth of the magical world explain to them. Now, it's like it had never even happened. How is he supposed to just… play along?
But then Angelica does something silly which makes her laugh so hard that she rolls on the floor giggling for a full five minutes, and Shab shoves a toy horse firmly into Steven's hand and orders him to actually start playing the game properly, with voices, and soon the boy finds himself caught up in the fun of it all after all, and it turns out that the playing part of 'playing along' isn't so tough, after all.
At least until it starts to grow dark outside, and the girls sit bolt upright, realising they have to rush home before it gets too late. Steven walks with them down the stairs, back to the living room-
-which is empty. There is no sign of Pearl. The cauldron and the potion are gone. The fire is out; the hearth has been tidied so there isn't even any charcoal or ashes left in it. Steven thinks that he can still smell traces of the potion's strange scent, and his mouth suddenly feels very dry.
But if the air does smell strange, Angelica and Shab don't notice. They just tell Steven they'll see him at school tomorrow, wave goodbye, and run off down the beach, leaving him alone with the empty fire-place.
oOoOoOo
He isn't alone for long, however. His Dad arrives home not long after his friends left, Garnet and Pearl in tow. The latter two don't apparate or floo in; they just walk through the front door behind Greg, which is unusual in of itself. Garnet looks as calm and unflustered as always, but Pearl is wringing her hands nervously.
They all sit down at the kitchen table for a Talk. Steven can definitely feel the capital T there, before they even begin. Pearl starts off by apologising once more for what she'd had to do to Steven's friends. She explains how there's a nasty illness going around Hogwarts and how she had been brewing the cure. Then they remind him about how muggles are forbidden from knowing about magic; explained how it's all based on an ancient law called the Statue of Secrecy, and how very hard witches and wizards around the world work to uphold it.
"It was best that I obliviated them then and there," says Pearl. "Or else they might have let something slip. Sooner or later, someone from the Ministry would have caught wind, and then-"
"Someone else would have done it anyway," Garnet finishes, firmly.
"That's just the way it has to be, Steve-o," Dad says with a sympathetic shrug.
Steven struggles to put his thoughts into words. "But I thought you were allowed to tell somebody. If you cared about them a lot," he protests. "Like how Mom told Dad! And Shab and Angelica are my friends! I want them to know about my magic! And my other friends, too!"
Pearl's lips are pressed into a thin line. Greg is looking down at the table, tracing patterns in the wood with a finger. "It needs to be a different kind of care," says Garnet, softly. "Wait until you're older."
"How much older?" presses Steven.
"Older."
He can tell there is to be no argument.
Magic is to be kept secret. That's just the way things were. They would all just have to work harder to prevent such incidents from happening in the future.
"Understand?" asks Pearl.
"Yeah," Steven mutters. But he still doesn't, not really.
oOoOoOo
Steven still brings friends over, after that, but they have to be much more tightly scheduled. Everyone in his family has to be informed of visits before-hand. No impromptu guests.
Even with the new system in place, there are still a few close calls. A preoccupied Pearl, who'd lost track of time, apparates into the living room when muggles are over; thankfully, they're all watching a movie, right in the middle of a scary chase scene, eyes glued to the screen, screaming in fear, so no-one notices. Another time, Amethyst simply forgets. She wanders into the house shaped like a cat. She has to spend almost an hour being stroked and cuddled as Steven's friends admire his 'new pet'. (Actually, Amethyst seemed to quite like the admiration, at least at first- but the novelty has definitely worn off by the time she finally manages to streak away). One time Garnet comes over at the same time as a couple of Steven's friends, almost managing a perfect muggle disguise… except for the fact that her hair is gently smoking. The only thing that saves them from probing/horrified questions from the guests is the fire-alarm going off, and everyone getting distracted during the desperate attempts to shut it off.
With every incident, Steven brings his muggle friends over less and less. It's too risky, he thinks.
He can still remember that bright jet of green light shooting from Pearl's wand; Angelica and Shab falling backwards, their faces suddenly slack, their eyes empty and distant. It leaves him unsure and shivering.
He never wants to see that happen to anyone every again.
oOoOoOo
Steven still hangs out with his non-magical friends at school, though, or at the park, or over at their houses. When he does, all the secrets and lies seem to face away.
After all, he isn't a witch, or wizard. Not really. He's just a kid, like them.
oOoOoOo
At least, until the magic inside of him finally decides to flare up.
He's nine years old, nearly ten- and so far, he still hasn't performed the tiniest tick of magic. (Or, if he has, it's the subtle, quiet kind of magic that nobody notices, not even its caster).
This is anything but subtle.
It happens during lunchtime at school. Usually Steven has packed lunches, but every Friday he buys his meals at the cafeteria. They're good school lunches, as far as these things go; they're warm, and tasty, and relatively healthy. But more importantly, there's this shared kind of community that comes from chatter in the queue, trays in hand, that Steven really likes about it all.
That day it's Mac'n'Cheese, with breadcrumbs on top, and carrot sticks on the side, with a little carton of milk to drink. And for desert, his favourite treat in the whole wide world, Cookie Cat.
"No Cookie Cats," the lunch lady informs him. "Not today, and not ever again."
Steven stares. "What?" he says. Above him, the lights flicker slightly.
Behind the counter, the lunch-lady shrugs. "They stopped making 'em. Sorry, kiddo. But we've got some nice biscuits for dessert, instead."
The flickering of the lights becomes stronger. Then, Steven starts to yell.
His little 'no' begins quietly enough, then grows louder and louder, past the boundaries of the Indoor Voice into a full out scream, before reaching a full-throated wail of despair.
Once the grief-scream reached its crescendo, Steven probably would have been told off by the nearest teacher. This doesn't happened, because, at that precise moment, the flickering lights go off completely, and the cafeteria is plunged into darkness.
Some children scream and panic, while others laugh with glee at the exciting turn of events. A couple kids even attempt to start an impromptu food fight, though it doesn't get far, since they can't see their targets. Teachers try to restore order- keeping students in their seats, reassuring them everything's alright, trying to get the lights back on. They are fairly successful at the first two, but the lights remained dark, no matter what they try.
In the ensuing chaos and confusion, Steven stands there with his tray, mouth open in silent surprise, and an uncomfortable feeling in his gut that he caused it all.
oOoOoOoOo
In the end, they never do manage to get the lights working. They ring up the school's mechanic, who mutters about a blown fuse, but when he goes to investigate the wiring, that doesn't seem to be the problem. Nothing seems to be the problem actually. The wiring, the circuitry, the bulbs themselves- everything- all appears to be in perfect working condition. Except, of course, for the obvious fact that it's not working.
It takes a long time to get through lunch. It's one of those typical, gloomy, rainy English days outside, so the cafeteria windows offer very little in the way of light. Even after managing to scrounge up some torches, it's difficult to see, which makes it pretty tough getting the food handed out. It's not just the lights, either, but all the electrical devices in the cafeteria, from the ovens to the refrigerators. By the time everyone's gotten something to eat, most of the food is cold. Kitchen staff are desperately trying to salvage what food they can from the freezers before everything thaws out or goes bad. A lot of it will have to be thrown away, they say.
Steven watches his friends poke at their cold pasta, the cheese having congealed. He knows that for some of them, school lunch is the best meal they'll get all day.
He doesn't feel hungry anymore.
Greg's the one to pick Steven up, though he comes later than usual, due to an unexpectedly busy day at the car wash. He ushers a surprisingly sheepish son into his van, wondering if he should ask what's wrong, or give Steven some space.
Funnily enough, as soon as the van leaves the parking lot, the cafeteria electricity comes back on. None of the faculty notice the cause-and-effect. They just scratch their heads, throw up their hands, and call it a day. Some things just can't be explained.
oOoOoOoOo
Steven explains what happened to his dad on the ride back, shame-faced. Greg gives his son a smile, says that it's alright, and floos Hogwarts as soon as they got home.
The witches' reaction to Steven's first display of accidental magic are nothing like the boy's own. They rush over as soon as they can.
"Way to go!" Amethyst says as she ruffles Steven's hair.
"We are so proud," gushes Pearl.
"Nice job," Garnet agrees, giving a thumbs up.
"But," protests Steven. "I ruined lunch! Everyone was scared! A whole bunch of food's gonna go bad 'cause of me-"
"Pff," says Amethyst. "Who cares about some food? You can just make more. And scaring kids is like, the best."
Pearl frowns. "Amethyst, you're supposed to be a teacher, remember?"
Amethyst shrugs. "Your point?"
That gets a grin out of Steven.
Garnet squats down so she's eye level with him, and places a warm hand on the boy's shoulder. "Steven," she says, " a child's magic is wild and unrestrained. It responds to someone's desires and needs- but not always in ways that the bearer would choose. You're not to blame for the power outage at school."
"And anyway," Greg adds, "Nobody got hurt or anything."
"Yeah, man," says Amethyst. "You just chased a little chaos. That's like, all my magic did when I was a kid. Once, I got everybody panicking so bad that I was rushed to hospital and quarantined in my own special room, it was great.
Pearl scowls. "Not all childhood magic is like that. For example," she says, turning back to Steven as Garnet straightened. "When I first met your mother, she was bringing dying flowers back to life."
"Woah," Steven breathes, trying to imagine it. That's the kind of magic he'd like to be able to do.
"You performed your first magical working, Steven," Garnet says. "And that deserves a gift."
Steven perks up, and looks around the room, suddenly bubbling with excitement. "Woah? A gift? Where!"
The adults are all smiling. "It's in the freezer," says Greg.
The boy runs off to the kitchen immediately, his family following, grinning at his total mood-reversal. He grabs a chair so he can reach the freezer, flinging the door open- and what he sees makes his eyes fill with stars. "COOKIE CATS!"
An entire freezer, just filled with Cookie Cats. And since it's bigger on the inside, that is saying a lot. "Where- where did you even get these?" he asks. "I thought they stopped making them!"
Pearl laughs, twirling a hand in the air. "Yes, well, we heard that too, and since they're your favourite-"
"We went out and stole a bunch!" Amethyst cries.
"You didn't," says Greg.
"I went back and paid for them," Pearl explains, glaring. "With real money, too, not Leprechaun gold-"
"The whole plan was my idea," says Garnet.
"It was everyone's idea," says Amethyst, leaning against a counter.
"Not really."
Greg sighs.
Steven barely seems to notice the bickering. He brakes out into an impromptu performance of the Cookie Cat jingle, practically yelling the verses with an infectious enthusiasm; once he finishes, he rips one of the packages open, and shoves the ice-cream sandwich right into his mouth.
"So good," he says, through a mouth filled with ice-cream. "Thanks so much, you guys are the greatest-"
He's smiling so brightly that he seems to glow with sheer.
No- he is actually glowing, everyone in the room realizes. His entire body is shining with a faint pink light, one that's growing steadier and stronger by the second. Everyone gasps, grins. Steven stares down at his hands, his eyes wide. Pink motes of light hang in the air around him. "More magic!"
He's wrapped in a five-way hug, which makes it kind of difficult to finish his ice-cream, but he doesn't mind.
oOoOoOoOo
Author's Note: Finally, an update! Hopefully the next one won't take so long. When you do get it, though, Steven will finally be getting his Hogwarts letter, and taking a trip to Diagon Alley.