Even after Amity and Luz had left, Odalia and Lilith had remained glaring at each other without saying a word for several minutes. Eda for her part had remained on the sidelines; even though she was ready to intervene and she too didn't like the witch's presence, that was a matter between Amity's mother and fairy godmother, not hers. She would intervene only if necessary... which, given the placidness, calmness and diplomacy that the two contenders were displaying, was not at all unlikely.

In the end it was Odalia who broke that staring contest; with a nod of her head she had signaled them to follow her and had taken them into the living room, where she had sat down on an armchair and started drinking a cup of tea, and had signaled them to do the same. The two fairies were not very at ease, especially because being able to understand what the woman was thinking had become difficult since she had completely shielded her heart preventing them from perceiving her feelings, and her expression was still that of a businesswoman who knew how not to let even the slightest emotion show. Albeit reluctantly, Eda and Lilith in turn drank the tea, although they did so only after silently casting a purification spell, which Odalia clearly noticed because she said: "You can rest assured, I didn't poison it"

"Oh well, now that you said it I feel much more confident" Eda commented in her usual sarcastic tone.

Odalia rolled her eyes. "I would never do something as sloppy and deceitful as poisoning a tea" she said, and then she added: "At most I would poison the handle of the cup, so the poison would end up on your hands, and as soon as you wiped your lips it would end up straight in your mouth without any you notice it... a bit like you just did"

Eda, who had very inelegantly picked up a napkin and was wiping her lips and who had clearly grazed her fingers over her mouth a couple of times, spat out the tea and immediately began casting every cleansing spell she knew on the his language. Lilith slapped her face, embarrassed by her sister's behavior. Come on, how did Eda not realize that Odalia was teasing her? "You shielded your heart" she told her to change the subject.

"Can you blame me? I don't like you reading my feelings" Odalia replied.

"Cough… if I may ask, why did you only do this now and not before?" Eda asked her as she finished cleaning herself after spitting out the tea. Even though she wanted to intervene as little as possible, she was still curious.

Odalia rolled her eyes in disappointment. "Because I'm not stupid, fairy. If I had a protection on me all the time, any magical creature nearby would know that I'm not like everyone else. Tell me, how would you two have reacted if you had even caught a glimpse of me, and noticed that you couldn't read me? It would be like putting a huge sign around my neck that says 'don't read here'. It's easier for me to not have any magic active, so there is less chance of me being discovered and taken by surprise. On the contrary, this way I am the one that have a better chance of detecting other magical creatures in disguise, since I can see if they seem to react as if I had said something different than what actually came out of my mouth. In your case, for example, I suspected about you when as soon as you looked at me you became hostile... but I had decided to believe that you simply disliked me since you hadn't given me any other clues. Understood, now?"

Eda had to admit that that reasoning made sense. "Well... congratulations on your strategic ability" she said, and then she went silent again; she had hoped that her intervention had dissipated the tension a little, but instead both Lilith and Odalia had not changed their expressions in the slightest.

The witch didn't say a word for a while, than she let out a sigh and looked Lilith in the eyes: "Let's get this straight right now. I don't like you. I didn't even like you before actually, but I let you be the private teacher of Amity because you were good in your job. And now, I'm allowing you to come back here, into my house, and interact with my daughter because she believes you love her and just want to help her. Tell me, are you a danger to her, or do you really just want to protect her?"

Lilith narrowed her eyes with some anger. "I love Amity and I will continue to help and protect her as I have done since the very first day I met her" she replied, and it took all of her self-control not to add 'unlike you'.

Odalia studied her carefully, clearly looking for any sign of a lie, then she closed her eyes and let out another deep breath. "Before being a witch I am a businesswoman, and above all I am a mother. I trust my daughter and all these years of dealing with merchants have made me very sensitive to understand what kind of people other people are. You are a fairy, and this, honestly, gives me stomach ache... but I have never allowed my personal prejudices to interfere with my judgment and I won't do so now either. So I believe you" she said, even though she seemed to use a lot of effort to pronounce those words. "Even though you chose to be my daughter's fairy godmother without my permission and your presence could have caused serious damage, I cannot deny that you ultimately did a good job. Therefore, I am willing to tolerate your presence despite the our... different nature"

Lilith couldn't stop herself this time: "Good job!? I certainly did a better job than you with that poor girl! Don't act superior, you made Amity's life a real hell!"

Odalia just raised an eyebrow. "We're both nervous, Lilith. Calm down and let's talk about this like civilized people"

"No, I won't calm down!" Lilith exclaimed, standing up abruptly. "Do you have any idea how bad that poor girl was!? You and your stupid and impossible standard of perfection have created huge problems for her! And I'm not just talking about her character, which fortunately has remained sweet despite certain bully attitudes she has had sometimes, but above all the fact that she had become almost incapable of expressing her feelings and that she panicked at the mere thought of having even a single hair out of place! You almost drove her to hurt herself! Don't you dare behave as if I needed your permission to take care of her, because if I had waited for such permission I don't know what state Amity would be in now!"

Odalia again didn't lose her calm and remained as still and expressionless as a marble statue. "I know. Amity confessed everything to me this morning, when she told me that she would bring you here and I asked her to tell me about you. I know that I made a mistake, Lilith, that I exaggerated. But I'm sure that Amity has already explained to you the reasons behind my actions, and above all that I have already explained to you how much his future is in the balance. You can think of me whatever you like, after all I too am thinking very unpleasant things about you... but if you really want the best for her, then I must ask you to keep certain thoughts to yourself and not try to antagonize her at least until the moment she awakens her magic"

Lilith's hand trembled slightly. She hated the woman's calm and collected demeanor. Even though she knew it wasn't true, she felt almost like Odalia didn't care about the topic of conversation... and considering that the topic of conversation was Amity, that was quite annoying. "Are you expecting me to play your game and make that girl fall under your control again? You can forget it"

"Lilith, Amity has to trust me, at least until that moment. Or do you want to be the one who will teach her how to control dark magic? Do you even know something about it?" Odalia answered her. "If Amity fails, she will become a dark witch"

"Yes, I know. She explained to me the whole issue of how to become a white witch, and how much concentration it takes. But that doesn't justify all the anxiety and pressure you put on her!" Lilith protested.

"I know, I already admitted that I went too far. But I would at least like you to understand that I didn't act maliciously, and that I was only trying to avoid a horrible fate for my daughter. Do you want to blame me because I was afraid for her?" Odalia answered her, then her eyebrows arched. "And by the way, don't act like you didn't make any mistakes. You didn't even try to warn me"

Lilith turned livid. Eda began to consider whether she should intervene and divert attention, but her sister didn't even give her time to speak: "Excuse me, what are you insinuating!?"

"You know it very well. You knew that Amity wasn't good, I didn't. You could have told me without revealing your nature as a fairy. You could have simply come here as her private teacher and told me that you saw her panic or that you noticed certain dangerous behavior, but you never did. You didn't tell me anything and just complained about my actions behind my back. If you had informed me, I would have talked to Amity long before yesterday, and I would have lowered the standards to which she was addressing. I went too far, I don't deny it, but you did nothing to stop me. You simply assumed that I didn't care about her feelings and continued to act on your own and left me ignorant of the problem" Odalia responded with some irritation in her voice, and then she adds in a more sibilant tone: "Or, who knows... maybe deep down you didn't want me to know. Maybe you wanted to have an enemy to fight instead of really trying to protect Amity by any means possible. After all, you fairies have always had a big hero complex"

CRASH!

The cup of tea had literally exploded in Lilith's hand; the fragments fell to the floor accompanied by several splashes of blood, and the sound rang throughout the Blight Manor. But the fairy completely ignored that she had cut herself and was bleeding and continued to look at Odalia with a murderous gaze. "Are you saying that I left Amity miserable because I wanted to? You filthy bitch..."

"Wow, Lilith, I didn't think you were capable of such words" Eda commented with some satisfaction, but she fell silent when her sister glared at her.

Odalia raised her eyebrows slightly. "Moderate your tone, fairy. You are in my house and you are my guest, don't forget it. If you allow me, my doubt is more than legitimate. Do you perhaps want to scold me because I am expressing a modest opinion? It doesn't seem like a good action to me". Her lips formed a mocking smile when they saw the fairy jump up and take a few steps towards her. "Be careful what you do, Lilith. We don't want you to start sprouting claws and fangs, don't we?"

At that point Eda also started to get angry. That witch was using their own weakness against them, acting slimy enough to make them angry but subtle enough not to justify any of their reactions, effectively risking turning them into rabid beasts if they tried to attack her. And it seemed she was hitting just the right spots. "Fucking bastard" she muttered to herself.

Lilith gritted her teeth, and then her body completely abandoned its human form; wings appeared behind her and feathers completely covered her body, her hair turned red again and her hands and feet turned into raven claws. "I don't care anymore!" she roared. "I won't stand by and tolerate your insults, witch! Not after I've helped Amity more than you in her entire life! To hell the good manners, let me tell you to your face: you're a terrible mother! And I don't care if you imposed that absurd standard of perfection on her to protect her from her witch nature, a real mother doesn't act like that! A real mother would have actively participated in her daughter's life and would have noticed that something was wrong! Don't try to turn the tables, she was in a bad state because of you! Try to insult me again and I assure you I will make you pay!"

Although she didn't lose her composure, Odalia still took on a defiant expression. "You don't really want to fight me, fairy" she growled. "You may have superior magic to me, but don't think that will discourage me. You are in my home now, in my lair, and I have had decades to prepare for any possible attack from another magical creature. Don't make the mistake of believing that I'm a pushover just because I didn't come to take your wings off at your house. The only reason you still have your head on your neck is because Amity loves you and I don't want to make her sad in this crucial moment, not because I'm afraid to face you"

Lilith brought her face even closer to hers. "I'm willing to see for myself. Assume your true form, witch, and let's see what you can do!"

In response, Odalia grabbed her chin and pushed her away with a strength she didn't seem to possess, and for a split second her eyes lit up. "You wouldn't like to see me in my true form, fairy. And you wouldn't like to fight me"

Lilith gritted her teeth. "Assume. Your. True. Form" she repeated with a growl.

Odalia narrowed her eyes, and they began to glow with a sinister light; for a moment she seemed to actually consider fighting, but fortunately any belligerent intent was curbed when Amity's voice rang throughout the living room: "STOP!"

The three women immediately turned towards the door, where a breathless Amity had just appeared followed by a rather worried Luz; between their legs there was also a white cat. "That's enough! You said you would just talk!" Amity exclaimed. "Mom, you promised me that you would try to speak civilly with Lilith! And you, Lilith, told me that you would try to get along with my mother!"

Lilith bit her lip, feeling a little guilty. Odalia, on the other hand, didn't bat an eyelid. "I tried to speak civilly with your fairy godmother, Amity, but apparently for her 'civil speech' doesn't include the fact that I may express doubts or personal opinions about her conduct"

"Calling them personal opinions is an understatement" Eda muttered, not having the courage to meet Luz's gaze since technically she had asked her to keep the two contenders at bay.

Lilith ruffled her feathers. "Amity, sorry, but I'm not going to let your mother keep insulting me!"

"Insulting? Me? And you, then?" Odalia now looked quite irritated. "Ever since you came in you have done nothing but repeat all my mistakes to me and accuse me of being a terrible mother, even though I have already admitted that I was wrong. On the contrary, I have only exposed a more than legitimate doubt towards you. Should I be the only one to put up with insults, while you can't accept criticism without trying to fight with me?"

Lilith opened her mouth to respond, but quickly closed it again. It was incredible: even when she was wrong, Odalia could seem right and silence her with just a little rhetoric! But just at that moment Luz commented: "Well, if we look at it this way, Lilith too, if she just accused you of being a terrible mother and reminded you of your mistakes, was just expressing an opinion... actually, technically she would have exposed an objective reality"

Everyone in the room froze at the puppet's words. Amity looked at Luz with wide eyes, as if she hoped she had heard wrong and that she hadn't said anything to her mother. Odalia, on the other hand, was completely speechless and had one eyelid that was noticeably trembling. Luz bit her tongue. "Uh... I said that out loud, didn't I?" she said, feeling a shiver run down her spine as Amity's mother's eyes were narrowing more and more and her eyebrows were arching dangerously. "Ehm… if I apologized on my knees, would you forgive me?"

Odalia opened her mouth wide and a high-pitched scream emerged from it that rang throughout the house, similar to the screech of a crocodile but amplified hundreds of times; green smoke issued from her lips, and the air around her exploded with such violence that the chairs and tables overturned. Lilith immediately jumped back and Eda became serious like few times in her life. "Damn, kiddo… sometimes it really seems that you like to end up in trouble" she muttered to herself, narrowing her eyes as she looked at the curtain of green smoke. "That motherfucker..."

From the smoke emerged a hand that didn't look human at all; the shape was that of a normal hand, but the skin had become thinner and the fingers had grown and become covered with green scales, and the nails had transformed into curved claws similar to those of a lizard. The hand hit a table in front of it and reduced it to crumbs with just the touch, before returning into the curtain of smoke, inside which two blue eyes appeared, emitting a sinister light. "You little piece of wood, how dare you talk to me like that!?"

The green smoke exploded and cleared, revealing a completely transformed Odalia. Her eyes had become bright blue and the pupils had become vertical like those of a reptile; her hair had completely loosened, freed itself from its bun, and was swirling in the air emitting an emerald green light, almost as if it were tentacles. The lips had retracted and the teeth had grown into fangs, and green scales had appeared on the cheeks, forehead and neck, while the ears had grown and taken the shape of a point, like those of fairies. Her entire body had become taller, thinner and paler, and patches of scales had appeared in numerous places; her arms and legs had elongated and were covered in sharp claws. "Do you think that just because you are friends with my daughter, you can come here to my house and said such things to me!?" Odalia roared in a voice that was hoarse and deeper than normal. "Do you think that just because I'm a white witch I wouldn't put a curse on you!? Do you want me to turn you back into an inanimate puppet!?"

Eda was about to intervene, intent on stopping Odalia before she could do anything, but then the unexpected happened: Amity acted on instinct and stepped in front of Luz, and just then Ghost jumped into her hand. An instant later the cat transformed and became a long white stick at the end of which there was a mass of blue straw; the entire object glowed with magical light and almost seemed to make Amity more threatening. "Stay away from MY Luz!" the girl screamed with extraordinary determination in her voice.

Luz hadn't moved for a single moment due to shock, and she had already cursed herself at least three times for having spoken before thinking again. She was pretty sure that if Willow, Gus, Hunter, or any of her other friends were there they would be scolding her until at least late into the evening. What had come to her mind? Talking to Amity's mother like that... in front of Amity, no less! Who knows what she would think of her now... but she hadn't had time to feel sorry for it because when she saw Odalia transform into her true witch form and come furious at her she had become totally incapable of thinking... and when Amity had placed in front of her, she had become even more so... and for some reason, the sight of her in that heroic pose, and the knowledge that she was protecting her, and the words she had said in that confident and determined way... they made her wooden heart leap, and her cheeks burned so hot that for a moment she touched them, fearing that she was on fire. "Luz, are you okay?" Amity exclaimed turning to her.

"Y-Yeah..." Luz murmured looking at her with wide eyes. What was happening to her? Why did she suddenly feel so... dazed? "T-Thank you..."

Odalia in turn remained frozen. She never expected that Amity would intervene to defend the puppet, and even turn against her. Now she didn't know what to do... but she had little time to think about it because Eda appeared among them and in turn took on her fairy form, opening her wings as if to protect the two girls. "You better calm down now, Odalia" she warned her.

The witch gritted her teeth so hard she made a screeching sound. "Look who wants to act like a great hero. Well... I don't think I need to repeat the old saying about a living coward and a dead hero" she said, and her tongue emerged from her mouth and let out a hiss, revealing of having become long, thin and forked like that of a snake. "Okay. I tried to be nice to you, but if you guys want to fight, so be it! You make the first move, you little..."

"THIS IS AWESOME!"

Odalia's speech was cut off halfway by Luz's scream, who had recovered from the initial shock (even though her wooden heart wasn't stopping beating very fast at the mere thought that Amity was there in front of her to protect her like a knight in shining armor) and was staring at the Blight matriarch with sparkling eyes. "Mrs. Blight, this is the most epic thing I've ever seen! You're so cool!"

Odalia remained completely petrified. Of all the ways she'd expected to be called, 'cool' wasn't one of them. "Are you kidding me?"

"Of course not! If I were lying my nose would grow! I really think you are amazing!" Luz replied with a smile. "Please tell me Amity can do it too!"

Amity looked at her in surprise. "Luz, would you really want to see me in that form?" she asked.

"Of course I want it! Amity, imagine how cool you would be!" Luz told her. "You would be an amazing witch with your lavender hair that glows purple and twirls in the air, all while your golden eyes would flash like a cat's, and you would have fangs and claws… I can't say really appreciate the scales, but those would have their charm too! Maybe they'll be purple to match your hair! You'd be wonderful..." and her voice became strangely very shrill as she imagined Amity in that form, and her wooden insides they seemed to be in the throes of a fire.

Amity turned so red she looked like a ripe tomato. When she saw her mother in her true witch form she didn't think she was ugly; she actually found her quite endearing. But she also knew that other people might think differently, especially since not many people liked reptiles... but apparently Luz was loving it, and that was enough to make her happy.

The puppet turned to Odalia: "Mrs. Blight, sorry if I made you angry, it wasn't my intention... but I don't regret it because I was able to see you like this! Why don't you always stay in this form? You would be so badass!"

The Blight matriarch seemed to have become unable to think. "Um… well… thank you" she murmured, don't know what else to say. "But I actually can't go around in this form... you know, I mustn't reveal to others that I'm a witch..."

"Oh, right, I almost forgot! Yes, that would actually be a problem... well, then I ask you to please focus on teaching Amity to control herself well, so I can see her in that amazing form too!" Luz said. "I mean, it's not that I don't trust your abilities, but... do your best, okay? Amity is the most important thing here, so protect her as best you can!"

Odalia thought there was something strange about that request. "Are you trying to tell me something, wooden girl?"

Luz scratched her head. "Gotcha" she admitted, then her tone became serious: "What I mean, Mrs. Blight, is that you need to think about Amity's future. All of you. After all, even if you have nothing in common, in fact you literally belonged to species that are they hate each other, both you and Lilith care a lot about Amity and only want the best for her, right? So settle the conflicts at least for now. I'm not asking you to work together, just accept that Amity will listen to both of you from now on. After all, Mrs. Blight, even if you don't approve of Lilith, Amity is the only one who can decide whether to trust her again or not, and I know for a fact that she will never stop doing so, not after everything Lilith has done for her. So... please, don't argue! I care a lot about Amity and I want her to become a white witch, so that she doesn't have to play the villain in a story; and even though I'm completely ignorant on the subject, I don't think seeing her mother and her fairy godmother fighting will be good for her mood and her concentration skills!"

Odalia didn't expect that puppet to bring her such solid arguments, and in fact she was stunned. She couldn't help but compliment her a little from the bottom of her heart: using Amity as a means to bring the two contending parties together had been quite a smart move. She looked at her daughter, who was staring at her very intently. "Amity..."

"Mom, I'm ready to listen to any teaching you have to give me" Amity interrupted her with a serious voice. "But I will also listen to Lilith. She is my fairy godmother and she loves me. You wanted me to bring her here to make sure she is not a danger, so now I'll tell you: she is not dangerous to me. She will never do anything that could harm me. So... please respect my decision and accept the fact that I have a fairy godmother"

Odalia remained silent, with an indecipherable expression on her face. She continued to stare into her daughter's eyes, but she found only determination and resolution in them, not even a hint of fear. That exchange of glances lasted almost half a minute, then Odalia closed her eyes and her body changed again, the claws and fangs disappeared, the hair fell on her back and stopped emitting an emerald green glow, and the scales melted with the skin and became invisible. "You've become strong, Mittens... much stronger than I expected" she said with some resentment and uncertainty, but also a note of pride in her voice. "Okay. You're right, I can't decide for you. If you want to continue having a fairy godmother… you're free to do so". Then she added with some disgust: "But don't expect me to approve this"

Despite the last sentence, Amity still smiled. Even if her mother didn't appreciate Lilith's presence, it seemed that she was at least willing to tolerate her. Which, given how the conversation between the two of them had gone, was almost a miracle. She looked at Luz with a heart full of gratitude, but her eyes widened when she realized that the puppet was less than two centimeters away from her. Luz also seemed to realize that detail only at that moment and her eyes widened in turn. The two girls turned in opposite directions and avoided eye contact, both with red faces and hearts that were dancing tango.

Odalia turned to Lilith. The two women glared at each other once more, then the witch said: "I am about to remove the magical shielding, so look into my heart while I say what I am about to tell you" and after those words she removed the spells that were blocking the fairy's perception. "Amity is the most important thing to me right now. Everything I've done I've done for her future. You're free to believe whatever you want about me, but don't accuse me of being a mother who doesn't care about her own daughter. I want the best for her as much as you do". And having finished saying that she immediately reactivated the shielding; she clearly didn't like the fairy peeking into her heart too much.

Lilith frowned. When she spoke, Odalia's soul showed no mixed feelings, a sign that she truly believed what she was saying. Although reluctantly, she abandoned her fairy form and returned to her human form. Eda also did the same. "Okay" Lilith said, even though those words seemed to cost her a lot of effort. "I want to trust you, Odalia. But let's be clear, if your teaching methods ever affect Amity's well-being again, I will make you pay"

"Fell free to try. Know that if you ever cross the walls of this mansion again, I will not hold back with you" Odalia replied, but before they could start arguing again she turned and looked back at Amity, and in particular the staff she was holding in hand. "You managed to summon a flying broom even though you haven't yet unlocked your powers... this demonstrates an extraordinary magical affinity"

"Flying broom?" Amity repeated, then her eyes lit up. "Wait… is Ghost actually a witch's flying broom, like the ones in the stories?"

"Yes, exactly" Odalia replied, opening her hand, and immediately the flying broom flew into her palm. "With it we witches can fly, but also use other spells. It's a bit like fairies' magic wands, with the difference that they don't use them to fly since they already have wings"

"So he really is like a Palisman!" Luz exclaimed.

"Yes, they are both made of Palistrom wood. The only difference is that flying brooms are made of wood obtained from a dead tree, and therefore they don't contain life magic but death magic" Odalia replied as Ghost turned back into a cat in her hands and would jump over her shoulder and snuggle around her neck. "I created Ghost when I was twenty. Unfortunately I never got to use it much, but every now and then we had some nice flights together"

"Wow... will I get a flying broom too?" Amity asked with a lot of excitement in her voice. She was really starting to appreciate being a witch.

"When you're older you can go find a piece of dead Palistrom wood and make your own broom. In the meantime, I'll let you use Ghost to practice" Odalia replied, and the cat jumped back into Amity's arms. "But let me be clear, you will only use it when I or your… fairy godmother… will be present"

Amity could understand that limitation: even though she wouldn't have minded training alone, she didn't want to risk crashing to the ground and getting a head injury. "Don't worry, mom, I'll be careful" she assured her.

"Good" Odalia said, then she looked at Luz, "Wooden girl, I have to thank you for allowing me to see some things better. About the rest... I'll pretend I didn't hear you"

Luz just smiled and scratched her head in embarrassment. She seriously needed to start thinking before speaking. "Thank you, Mrs. Blight"

Odalia rolled her eyes. "Of course, of course. And now get out of my house!". And within a minute everyone had already left Blight Manor, including Amity who had offered to accompany them home.

Left alone, Odalia gritted her teeth and for a moment her claws emerged from her fingers again. "Things are getting complicated... but they're still manageable. Those two fairies won't be a problem as long as they don't interfere" she muttered to herself as she clenched a fist. "Two months… stay obedient just two more months, Mittens… and we can finally fulfill our destiny"

Yes, witches are half reptiles. I needed a form that could contrast quite well with the true form of the fairies (which, let's remember, is the harpy one from canon) and at the same time reflect the classic folklore quite well (which sees witches as pale, stunted, and covered in sores), and so here it is. If we want to see it with symbolism, while fairies are half birds and therefore closer to the sky (metaphorically, to God), witches are half reptiles and therefore crawling creatures closer to the ground (metaphorically, to Satan). And then... well, Luz, as we saw in canon, loved reptiles (she literally has a Palisman in the shape of a snake), so she would have been happy to see Amity in this witch version. After all, in the canon Amity already has fangs and pointed ears and pale skin and a skinny body, so in fact the only difference would be bright eyes and hair and some scales appeared on the body, as well as obviously the claws, and I'm sure Luz would be crazy about it. And yes, Ghost here is not a magic stick or a magic wand, but a magic broom, the classic flying brooms of witches, and therefore despite being a Palisman he is different from Flapjack or Owlbert or Mike Socks and he possesses death magic, not life magic (again, perfectly contrasted).

Sooner or later I'll figure out how to post images on this site, and I'll publish some fanarts of the characters (I hope!); in the meantime, use your imagination to picture this new form in your minds.