Part 6: Witches Reunion
It was never going to be easy.
This is what Johanna thought as she sat in the car next to the library and remained still, clutching the wheel. It had been a long, long time since she had been here, a long, long time since she had faced the woman who had her best friend in a duel that shook the library's foundations. A long, long time since she had cut herself off from magic because of it and Harry's kidnapping.
Because Johanna hadn't been a run of the mill Witch, no. Her job outside of College had been none other than that of Trollberg's resident Librarian. And it was during that time that Kaisa had begun her training, a pale, spotty girl brought in by Johanna herself. After a fight with her best friend in the depths of the Library, Johanna had taken a break, always intended to be a temporary thing. For a couple of months, Kaisa would get some unique experience helping to manage the Library; a unique experience that had evolved into a full time job.
For Johanna, abandoning her old life had meant abandoning Kaisa as well. The girl had only been eighteen when everything had happened, and Johanna's guilt had doubled that morning when Hilda had told her all about who she called 'The coolest Witch ever!'. While it sounded like Kaisa had become incredibly skilled, it seemed like she was completely overworked too. Johanna also wondered if she had ever gotten past that roadblock of forgetting certain spells, as she pushed open the front doors.
The Library was mostly empty and Kaisa wasn't at her desk due to the fact it was an early Monday morning. The only people present were some parents and their toddlers, reading in the aisles quietly. Johanna walked around silently, taking the place in as she did. Kaisa had moved some things around, such as the Science Fiction section, her favourite genre, now being close to the secret room behind the shelves rather than down on the ground floor as Johanna had it. Walking around some more, Johanna noticed newer genres such as Westerns and Horror, where she saw a girl with blonde hair and some bad acne with a jacket that was too big for her browsing the books. There was even an area for movies and music, it seemed Kaisa was making an effort to bring younger people in, which had been an issue during Johanna's time.
Peering up to the upper levels, Johanna's eyes narrowed as they darted all around, looking for any sign of Kaisa, and after a few minutes finally caught sight of her, but Johanna almost couldn't believe it. The purple highlights she could understand, and the robe was something Kaisa always wore too, but that was it. There was no sign of the baggy jeans or purple jumper. Instead, her old protege was wearing the typical Librarian uniform, which she'd always complained was old fashioned and would never wear.
Naturally, Johanna's lingering gaze eventually made Kaisa start looking around. When her eyes settled on Johanna, Kaisa froze and the sound of the books she was carrying hitting the floor snapped Johanna out of her trace. Blinking, she noticed Kaisa had disappeared in seconds, but she knew immediately where her friend had gone. Racing up the stairs while the few people in the library were distracted by the sound of the books, she reached the secret door in time for it to snap shut, Kaisa having disappeared inside. Before she could reach for the book that opened it, Johanna heard a clunk from within.
Kaisa had locked the door.
Taking a step back, Johanna recalibrated. Kaisa obviously wanted nothing to do with her. Johanna took a moment, sitting down at a desk and massaging her temples, getting a hold of her guilt. There were ways into the room beside the entrance, she just had to remember them. The duel with her former best friend and Harry's subsequent kidnapping had caused her connection to magic to be suppressed; she couldn't even conjure a door. She shook a little, doing battle with her past.
Johanna put her fists on the table, pushing the negativity out. No, she still had those powers on her, she knew she could do it. Getting up, she headed to the bathroom to create the door in private, remembering what she would tell Hilda whenever her daughter struggled with maths homework. To crack on and get it done, right or wrong.
Well, actually, the door had to be right, otherwise she would fall into a bottomless void of no return.
And it didn't mean it wasn't difficult either. Each time she tried to dredge up her abilities, they were swamped by the memories of her failure. How she'd lost crucial time conjuring a door, when Tadgh had broken in. How she'd just barely missed him with a spell a few minutes later. The whole time, Harry's infant cries echoed around her head like an air-raid siren and Johanna found herself crying. It only made the situation worse, as magic couldn't be easily called on if the Witch was emotional.
Leaning against the stall door, Johanna closed her eyes and tried to get a hold of herself. She tried to go back over the good times; when she'd passed the trials to be a Librarian or helped to teach Kaisa in the little room she was now barred from. But all those memories were tainted now; by Sandra, by Tadgh, by her failure…
'MAMA! MAMA!'
Johanna just slumped against the door and let the tears fall. Hugging herself tightly amidst the maelstrom, she focused her thoughts on Hilda. She'd forgiven her despite having the truth kept from her for so long, and was certain that Kaisa would as well. The only reason her daughter wasn't here right now was because she wanted to catch up with David and Frida. But Johanna knew she was against the clock; if she took too long, Hilda would certainly come looking for her.
The idea that she might stumble on the first step caused Johanna to start hyperventilating. If Hilda did come searching, and Kaisa still rejected her, what then? Hilda would react angrily. In the middle would be Frida, her friendship on one side and her future training on the other. Failure here..it would only result in more hurt, more suffering. And usually, those worries would just bury the magic deeper..but instead resulted in something miraculous.
Staring up at the ceiling, Johanna refused to fail Hilda a second time, and that raw, emotional determination pulled the magic from the depths of her tortured mind. Flicking her hands like she was flicking water from them, Johanna saw them become surrounded in a blue light. Everything felt..sharper and it was as if she had just been reunited with an old friend. Johanna savoured the feeling for a moment, before she reached out. Before the porcelain throne, a door appeared and from here it was easy; all Johanna had to do was imagine the room on the other end.
Shutting her eyes, she swung open the door and stepped through. The room was the same as Johanna remembered it, that familiar musty smell permeating her nostrils as she gazed up at the tall bookshelves before her eyes settled on the staircase. She still remembered coming down it, interrupting a training session between Kaisa and Tildy to tell the elderly witch that she was pregnant. She didn't dwell on it long though as Kaisa's voice, cold and bitter, brought her back to reality.
'So, you've actually bothered to come and face me after ten long years?,' Kaisa asked coldly, as Johanna turned around. Betrayal filled her protoge's violet eyes as her old mentor struggled for words, taking in her appearance. Those purple highlights remained, a rebellion against traditional appearances but Johanna saw immediately that she'd been forced into a uniform. Kaisa had always despised it, bashing it for being too formal and boring looking. But the Committee must have forced her to wear it..especially since Johanna hadn't been there to back her up anymore.
'No, I've..I've actually bothered to come and apologise..after..after who knows how long,' Johanna said slowly, dejected but managing to look Kaisa in the face. The younger Witch, predictably unmoved, scoffed and walked past her before she turned and fixed her with an icy stare.
'You abandoned me, Johanna. After you told me you'd always be there. After I told you that..that you were family to me! I..I thought I mattered to you!,' she exclaimed, closing the distance. Each sentence felt like a kick to head to her mentor, who looked away briefly before looking back as Kaisa's breath quickened in anger.
'I..I know..and I understand if-if it doesn't mean anything to you K-Kaisa but..but I'm sorry. So..So terribly sorry for-for leaving you alone..,' Johanna sniffed, pausing briefly, '..and I can explain everything, too. Y-You can see me off after but..but you deserve to k-know why, K-Kaisa..'
Kaisa just closed her eyes and stepped away, arms crossed and letting the words sink in. A minute ago, she had been committed to ordering Johanna back up the stairs. The fact that she'd let some "relationship trouble," as Tildy had put it, get to her head and make her abandon them had incensed Kaisa at the time. Especially after she'd been away for so long beforehand due to a separate incident that Kaisa still didn't know much about.
But yet some sentimental part of her clung on. Johanna had been much more than a mentor. She'd been a shoulder to cry on, someone to talk to about things both good and bad. Because Kaisa had grown up with little people to rely on, subject to bullying for her pale, spotty appearance and the older sister to twins who were the centre of attention the moment they were born.
The Library had been her safe-space, somewhere she could unwind and hide from the ignorant world outside. Her parents had never really cared what she got up to once her sisters were born, and Kaisa would let hours slip by in the Library, reading anything that interested her. It had been late one evening, as she wandered alone upstairs, that she had stumbled across the secret room. While addicted to sci-fi, the revelation of magic had Kaisa hooked from the beginning and soon her weekends were spent slipping into the room unseen and trying to wrap her head around it all…
…She jolted, the book she'd been reading slipping off her and landing with a loud thud on the ground. Eyes adjusting to the dimness of the room, she looked up and froze, seeing the Librarian standing over and gazing at her worriedly.
'I-I can explain..!,' she blurted out sheepishly, but the woman seemed to smile and wave her off, as the teenager glanced awkwardly at the books around them. The woman followed her look, smiling wistfully as she did before she looked back down at her.
'You don't have to explain anything. Where would any of us be if we weren't a little curious?,' she asked, laughing a little as the girl got up off the chair and stretched, pins and needles poking at different parts of her body as she yawned.
'S-Still..I probably s-shouldn't be down here r-right?,' she chattered, hands stuffed inside her pockets against the cold of the room. To her surprise, the Librarian shrugged, flicking on a light and brushing some brown hair out of her eyes.
'Only if you think so, who am I to stop you reading books?,' she asked. A little annoyed at her whimsical words, the teenager shrugged, picking at a spot as she looked out the open door and saw the black sky out one of the windows, snow flying past. It had been snowing all day, and it only seemed to have intensified.
'..It's g-getting late though, I-I should probably h-head home..,' she murmured, ambling towards the stairs and hoping her tiredness wasn't mistaken for being anti-social.
'How so?,' The Librarian asked, 'That blizzard has the buses and trams blocked off!'
'Oh, I'll just walk'
'What!? Don't be absurd! You'll get a cold or worse trying to get back in that weather!'
'I've walked here earlier,' she shrugged, 'It was fine'
'I wasn't a teenager that long ago, y'know!' the woman grinned wryly, resting against the wall, 'There's no shame in calling someone if you need help!'
She gripped the bannister with one hand. Her parents were busy at her sister's dance recital, and she felt that the only thing that would get them to leave would be if a bomb went somewhere, if even. She turned and tried to flash the woman a reassuring smile.
'Oh, my parents are busy. I'll be fine, really, you don't have to worry about me!,' she tried, but the woman's eyes narrowed and she shook her head, ushering her up the stairs and back out to the Library proper, devoid of anyone except for the two of them.
'I'm not some lunatic who only cares about books! I care about the people who take them out just as much..and that they return them on time as well..,' she explained, causing the teenager to chuckle, as she tried at the same time to make her way towards the main stairs. The Librarian noticed, and for a moment she paused out of guilt, before breaking into a run.
'Sorry! I'll be fine!'
'No, you won't!,' The Librarian called after her, leaning over the bannisters.
She ignored her, heading towards the front door and yanking it open. Immediately though, she was stopped by the storm outside, snow hitting the side of her face as she felt her lips turn blue from the cold outside. For a minute though, she pushed on, arms covering her face against the blizzard. Eventually though, she was forced back, the snow finding its way through the holes in her jeans. The Librarian was waiting inside, opening the door for her as she stumbled back inside, shivering.
'O-Ok..i-i-it's a-a l-little c-cold..,' she chattered, hugging herself tightly. The woman smiled and rolled her eyes, jerking her head towards the front desk. There, she prepped two cups of tea for them using a kettle she had stored in a drawer, and the peppermint liquid warmed her up instantly. She remained quiet as she drank, and when she still shivered the woman kindly pushed her own cup over to her.
'Oh..thank you..,' she murmured, used to everything being split amongst her sisters.
'Were you worried I'd ask what you were up to down there?,' she asked, leaning back in her chair. The girl choked on her tea a little and stared back as she wiped the tea from her mouth.
'..Yeah, maybe..the stuff in those books it..it talks about-'
'-Magic. I know it probably seemed frightening at first, but Witches mean no harm, they only seek to study and learn..kind of like you!,' the woman explained, giving her a wink as she soaked up the information.
'You knew, didn't you?,' the girl asked, and the Librarian nodded casually.
'I know everything that happens in here,' she mused, before she looked at her, 'Do you want to try and call your parents?,' she asked and the teenager half-laughed at the idea, setting the now empty cup down.
'They're at my sister's dance recital, no chance they're coming out here to pick me up,' she explained glumly. The woman's expression hardened at that, but it softened as she scooted her chair back, putting some distance between them.
'Well, only one thing for it. Where do you live exactly?,' she asked.
'Queens Park..near the Argus Ahlberg bridge..,' she replied slowly, before she watched in amazement as the Librarian shut her eyes and held out her hands. A door appeared, and with a push the Librarian revealed her road waiting for her.
'That's..Could I do that?,' she asked, and the Librarian grinned and nodded, as if she had been waiting for her to ask this whole time.
'Of course you can, someone who reads five whole books a month like you should catch on pretty quickly! Now..it will take time, but I assume..?'
'I don't get up to much..,' the girl muttered, '..My name's Kaisa, by the way, what's yours?,' she asked, feeling a little guilty, but again the woman just gave her that warm, comforting smile.
'Johanna. You don't see a name tag on me because..well, sometimes my friends and I like to get up to mischief!,' she chuckled, showing how young she was. She could be late twenties, but that was a push.
'Maybe I could join next time!,' the teenager laughed, hopping through the doorway, 'T-Thanks for taking the s-shortcut..I..I'll talk t-to you s-soon!'
'Meet me this day next week and we'll get you started! Really, Kaisa, I think you have a great potential in you,' Johanna said admirably, waving the girl off as she hurried down her lane, feeling the happiest she'd felt in a long, long time…
…Back in the present, Kaisa knew that she couldn't turn her back on the woman who rescued her from the cold when her family had left her behind, who had opened the door to a world beyond her imagination. But yet, a part of Kaisa still clung on to her old grudge. Johanna had done the same thing; abandoned her and left her in the cold. The Committee certainly would have thrown her out had Tildy not intervened. She still wanted answers, and didn't want to forgive Johanna until she had them.
'Alright..take a seat,' she breathed, pulling up another chair from nowhere along with some tea and biscuits. Johanna held off on complimenting her, as Kaisa made a point of sitting down in the chair closest to the stairs. As Johanna settled into the old armchair, she sat in silence for a moment as Kaisa poured them both a cup with a wave of her finger. She wasn't sure if Kaisa wanted to ask first, but a cool look from her old protege told her otherwise.
'..Where would you like to start?,' Johanna asked. Kaisa pondered briefly.
'This clash down in the Committee chamber..there were countless rumours but-but only I knew that you were there. Tildy told me a week after it happened but..but nothing more. I..I missed you..I just wanted to know if..if you were ok!,' Kaisa then sniffed, letting out a little more than intended. Johanna nodded and wiped away some loose tears, not hearing herself begin to explain as she descended down into the depths of her mind, all the way to the first of her trials, all those years ago…
…The sprint she had been in since entering the LIbrary had her breathless and fatigued as she stumbled into the bottom of the Tower, where the Committee of Three would have their meetings and by the looks of it, where they would take their last breaths. Looking around in horror, she saw them scattered around the room, unmoving, their bodies contorted and bones clearly broken. A cruel, corrupted laugh brought her attention to the centre of the room, where the Keeper of The Void was hunched over before a figure in a purple cloak. The man coughed up some blood, gripping his instrument tightly as the figure raised a hand..
'SANDRA!'
The figure turned and looked up at her lazily. Sandra's eyes were tainted completely purple with a malicious smirk on her face as she raised the Void Keeper up in a choke hold, the man kicking and gasping as she looked on in disbelief. How did it come to this?
'Oh..I thought I had stopped anyone from getting word out..whatever..it doesn't matter,' her old friend murmured, a sinister echo in her voice behind every word she said as the portal fizzled out behind her. Knowing there was probably no negotiating with her, she took her wand and stance. Sandra laughed, tossing the Void Keeper behind her, where he crumpled against the Stone Monolith the Committee usually stood at.
'You intend to stop me, Johanna? You don't have to, you know..I stand on the cusp of power not seen in millenia. You can join me! People will worship us, answer our every whim! We could solve every problem the World has ever known or will know! We could be GODS!'
'I'd rather stay being Johanna, you miserable old spirit!' she spat, addressing not Sandra but the entity cohabiting her body with her. Her old friend scowled at the insult, as they began to walk in a circle, not taking their eyes off of each other.
'You would be wise not to insult the Phantom Queen..'
'You would have been wise to not trust her at all!'
'You don't have to do this, Johanna..think of your children..'
'I will not raise my children in a World of Darkness and chaos!'
'Chaos will be your peace and Darkness your Light! If you will not kneel then I will make you!'
'Try me!' she shot back, as the room momentarily trembled and books flew from the shelves, some of which began to fall from their loose placements. Feeling the adrenaline, she held her wand close, knowing that this would be to do or die..
While Johanna and Kaisa slowly reconciled, Hilda was in David's house and crying into a cup of tea of her own, with a comforting blanket around her shoulders. Up in his room, she had been slowly but painfully telling them everything she'd learned yesterday. It hadn't been remotely easy; Hilda was exhausted, having been up half the night still processing everything and so far she'd taken what felt like a hundred breaks to cry her eyes out. She wasn't even halfway through either, and it was this fact that finally forced her friends to act.
'Hilda..,' David interjected as the girl shakily set her tea down and tried to get back on track, 'I..I think you need some more time to absorb this, ya get me?,' he continued gently while Frida nodded wordlessly beside him, stunned by what she'd heard. Hilda's bottom lip trembled as she held her head, shaking it quickly.
'I don't want it in here..,' she mumbled, '..all I can think about is-is how he just didn't care!,' she exclaimed tearfully, pounding the floor with her fists. The liquid in the cup bounced, though it thankfully remained stable as Frida moved closer and pulled her friend into a hug. Hilda opened an arm for David to join in and they all remained like that for a moment. Twig nosed his way in as well, dutifully trying to lick away Hilda's tears. The trio pulled apart to avoid his antlers, Hilda giggling softly as she moved the cup out of harm's way.
'I say talk it over with your Mum again, I'm sure it'll do you both good!,' Frida encouraged softly, but Hilda shook her head mournfully at this.
'No, she's..she's already talked about it enough,' she murmured in stark contrast to yesterday, 'But..But maybe you're right, David..it's just..,' Hilda began, before trailing off. David had an idea of what she meant, pausing at pulling something out from under his bed.
'Yeah, it hurts. I'd be hurt too if I had a Dad like that-'
'No,' Hilda cut-in, anger etched across her pale face, though her eyes were mournful, 'I don't have a Dad, not after yesterday. He took Harry and ruined Mum's life! He-He ruined my life!,' she spat angrily before she retreated to the comfort of Frida's oncoming embrace. Harry being taken stunned both of them, but David and Frida kept their questions down for the time being. In the meantime, David retrieved what turned out to be a box of chocolates from under his bed. Hilda looked out at it, eyes narrowed before they went wide.
'You..You guys got that many posters up!?,' she asked in disbelief, before she put a hand to her head. She'd, understandably, forgotten about what they'd done in Sparrow Scouts yesterday and with that memory she also remembered Trevor. Remembered how for the first time in her life, she'd lashed out at someone in anger.
'You feel bad?,' David asked, surprised as he opened the tin, 'He got all personal cause you got a good jab in at him! He insulted your Mum too!,' he added but Hilda remained silent, studying her fist. There was a slight mark from where one of her knuckles had hit Trevor's teeth. She sighed, taking a couple of strawberry delights from what she now saw was a tin of Quality Street.
'Violence solves nothing. If anything I've just painted a target on our backs..,' she muttered and while Frida nodded in agreement, she also flashed her a smile.
'Maybe, but at the same time his group will probably avoid us for the time being. I think you could do with some peace!,' she grinned as she took a green triangle. Hilda's brow furrowed in response, chewing her chocolate. Frida's words had brought up her conversation with her Mum this morning. She'd talked about "making peace" with more of her past. With a snap of her fingers, Hilda looked to Frida eagerly, who was both surprised and glad that she had something to be happy about.
'I was going to save this till the end but..but Mum's a Witch!,' Hilda gleed, beckoning David in closer so she could whisper. She laughed at her friends' astonishment and Frida actually lurched back in surprise, blinking several times while David just sat there, amazed yet somehow feeling..distant? He wasn't quite sure how to describe it, as Frida breathed a massive sigh of relief.
'That..That makes my life a whole lot easier!,' she grinned, 'Especially since you're my familiar! My parents finding out would be..well it'd be bad..but I still wouldn't have lost you from it! Have..Have you told her about me?,' she asked as Hilda quickly looked at her from David. He seemed..uncomfortable with this new reality, and she had a slight feeling as to why but decided to confront him privately when she had the chance.
'I did..it was kind of by accident 'cause, well, a lot of stuff could've been avoided if she'd just told me!,' Hilda explained, still sore at how her Mum had kept such a big secret from her, before she relaxed, '..Anyway, turns out she was the old Librarian, before Kaisa,' she revealed. Frida ah'd at that. Kaisa had always had questions about her predecessor; Frida had always assumed she had gotten into some sort of trouble. As it turned out, she may have been right..
'I'll try to tell you guys more in a bit, but right now we need to get to Tildy. Mum's talking to Kaisa right now, and I want to start trying to track down Harry!,' Hilda explained eagerly, getting to her feet. Frida joined her and her excitement carried her out of the bedroom like a light, which gave Hilda enough time to talk to David.
'Is something up?,' she asked as he put the box of chocolates into a bag to bring with them. David paused as he zipped it closed, which only added to Hilda's concern as he stood up and casually swung it over his shoulder. He gave her a smile, one she thought was a little forced.
'Nothing really..I suppose it's just kinda a lot to take in,' he shrugged. Hilda wanted to pin him on it, because she knew this had to be about herself and Frida being more than ordinary, while in the end David was still..David. Braver, more confident but at the end of the day, still the same as anyone. However, Hilda stopped herself. This wasn't the time, especially as Frida's voice called up after them. After all, he really could just be shaken up, goodness knows she was as well as they hurried downstairs.
'Can't you make us a backway in?' David asked as they said their goodbyes and thank yous to his parents. However, Frida shook her head as they made their way towards the bus stop outside his building.
'No, Tildy's back garden is protected by all sorts of charms. Even if I could get through, we'd have to put up with all her plants..and probably have to play her Gardener in a game of chess as well..' she explained.
'David's good at chess!,' Hilda grinned but David simply laughed and waved her off as they stuck their thumbs out for the oncoming bus. Twig went limp in Hilda's arm, a scheme where he would pretend to be a soft toy until they were out of the driver's sight.
'Nah, you're so bad you make me look good!,' he gibed, 'Besides, still leaves us dealing with whatever crazy stuff she has in her garden..,' he muttered as they tagged on. Hilda huffed at his initial remark as they made their way upstairs. It was a little late for her next idea as they pulled away, but she was curious as they sat down at the back together.
'I know what the front of her house looks like though, could you make a door based on my memory?' she asked, whispering so as to not alert the few passengers sitting nearby. David nodded in agreement, but Frida chuckled softly and perhaps went a little pink as well.
'Guys..I know I'm talented but I'm not that talented. One of the best parts about learning to be a Witch is how relaxed it is. I get to spend time perfecting things, instead of having someone move me along from one task to the next all the time..'
There was an awkward pause and David and Hilda glanced at each other briefly. Frida coughed, before she placed her hand on top of Hilda's and gave her another smile.
'Anyway..I'm not at that stage yet. Do you want to try to tell me and David about your Mum?,' She asked and Hilda nodded, feeling David take her other hand in comfort. This part ought to be a little easier, she hoped, as the bus trundled on towards Tildy's road.
-10 Minutes Later-
Tildy adjusted her glasses as she peered closely at her cauldron, bubbling away softly. She had woken up that day with the feeling that everything would change, but for the better. Curious, she'd plucked some ingredients from her garden and spent the early afternoon preparing a Foresight Potion. Incredibly advanced magic, it gave Witches a brief, albeit foggy, view of the future. Still, Tildy was unsurprised by what she saw at first. Hilda appeared, running through the streets and appearing excited, though worried as well. Next, Tildy saw the face of Johanna and her smile broadened. Her old student was crying, yet they were tears of joy. Tildy couldn't make out where she was, perhaps somewhere in the Wilderness given the trees swaying softly behind her.
Tildy had tried time and again to track Johanna down since Harry had been kidnapped, but with little success. Whatever had happened, it had been enough for her to cut herself off from magic completely. All Tildy had been able to divine at the time was that she was no longer in Trollberg. That had obviously changed, since Hilda had started showing up at the Library. When Frida started training to be a Witch, Tildy had hoped for news, any news, before Kaisa had bluntly shut her down.
'No. Hildy didn't mention her at all. It wouldn't surprise me if she didn't know'
It was that idea that had stopped Tildy from asking Hilda about her Mum, in case she inadvertently revealed some hidden truth. She didn't want to be responsible for Johanna suddenly having to deal with her daughter coming home and angrily demanding why she had kept this secret from her. That being said, it was clear something was about to change. The Potion only showed you people and events from the near-future, and Tildy knew that the only way she'd ever see Johanna again was if she revealed her past first.
Closing her eyes in thought as the vision disappeared, Tildy glided across the room and looked out towards the City. All her windows were bewitched so you could only see out of them on the inside, not so much in case her neighbours saw her making potions but because she liked gliding around her home.
Closing her eyes again, Tildy sought out Frida first. She'd been doing this all morning, in case whatever was going to happen, happened, and she could react quickly. The girl was approaching rapidly, probably on a bus and she was in a mix of joy and shock. Tildy switched focus to Kaisa and she frowned. Her old pupil was a mix of countless emotions, sitting alone in the Library, at least that's how it seemed at first. Instead, Tildy felt something..something familiar. There was someone else there, with a faint trace of magic but Tildy felt there was more, far more, then what she could make out. With a breath, she re-opened her eyes again, staring out onto the road.
Johanna.
Before she could linger on it for long though, there came a knock on the door. On her sofa, Cornelius looked up curiously before he roused himself and floated out into the hall. Tildy followed, landing on the floor and taking him from the air. Sensing Frida's presence, she opened the door to reveal her latest student, alongside her Familiar and a boy she hadn't met before. However, Tildy reasoned that it was probably David; Frida always spoke very highly of him when relaying the trio's adventures.
'You're welcome, you're welcome!,' she said warmly, though her mood faltered when she sensed Hilda as she passed; the girl was full of hurt and sadness. Guiding them into the living room, Tildy settled down in an armrest while the Trio squashed themselves together on her small sofa. She could see the hurt bubble on Hilda's face, as her Deerfox looked up at her worriedly. Deciding not to put her through explaining things, the Elder Witch took the initiative.
'I already know about your Mother, Hilda,' she explained calmly, 'I've been able to sense her across town with Kaisa,' she furthered to their shocked expressions. But Hilda still looked nervous, shifting awkwardly while David placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
'..You're not angry at her?,' Hilda murmured, looking at Tildy. Pushing her glasses up her nose, the woman shook her head, much to the relief of her guests.
'How can I be angry at Johanna for something that wasn't her fault in the slightest?,' Tildy replied mournfully. Hilda went wide eyed and for a brief second anger flashed across her face as she sat up straight, staring Tildy down.
'You..knew?'
'Whenever there's an incident with magic involved,' Tildy began, unphased by Hilda's mood, 'Safety Patrol calls us in. That way, we get to handle it and they get to stop people from panicking about Witches. I answered the call to your Mother's apartment..but by the time I arrived there was no sign of her..,' Tildy explained with a sigh. Hilda nodded slowly, relaxing in the chair again. Silence fell, before Tildy looked towards the window and rose from her seat, gliding over.
'They're gone..,' she mused, talking to herself.
'..Mum and Kaisa?,' Hilda asked, turning to look at her as David picked up on a sound outside and stood up to go check. Looking down the hall, he saw two people leap from a door that appeared in midair. One landed gracefully, while another stumbled slightly and looked red in the face from the experience. David knew immediately that it was Johanna and Kaisa, but became nervous when a giant of molten rock stepped in front of the window. Before he could turn to tell the others though, Hilda rushed past with Twig, with Tildy following after her.
'That's Tildy's Gardener, don't worry!,' Frida assured him, passing him by. David oh'd and nodded quickly, before he hurried to follow her while trying to keep his insecurities in check…
-10 minutes earlier-
Back in the Library, Kaisa had listened quietly the whole way, the odd gasp of shock escaping whenever Johanna revealed the particularly harrowing details, such as the affair and the methods Tadgh used to kidnap Harry. Their cups of tea lay neglected amongst the conversation, their heat unneeded to melt the years of ice Kaisa had built up towards her former friend and mentor. For Johanna, the re-telling had been far more therapeutic than she had thought initially. She still became emotional at times, but was able to keep it under control and didn't drift off at times either. And once she was finally done, it all paid off when Kaisa got up and pulled her back up into a hug, something Johanna completely melted at.
'K-Kaisa..you d-don't have to! I..I still a-abandoned you!,' Johanna wept, returning the hug regardless. Kaisa's embrace only tightened, and when she finally pulled away she took a moment tor dry her eyes with her cloak, before smiling at Johanna tearfully.
'`Hanna, without you I..I don't know what I would've done! You started me on the path to being a Witch, and even though you did leave me, it was only because you had lost everything first! And you came back! Meanwhile I haven't heard from my family in who knows how long!,' Kaisa exclaimed, and her smile broadened when Johanna's eyes lit up in shock about her family.
'You care about me, `Hanna, m-maybe the only person back then who cared about me..who would I be to turn my back on you, especially when you're searching for your son?,' Kaisa continued, thinking she'd guessed why Johanna had come back, but instead her old mentor looked horrified.
'Goodness, Kaisa, of course not! If I was that selfish I..I would've gone straight to Tildy! I knew that I had to set the record straight with you first, especially because of-!'
'-Hildy and her friends..I suppose you being a Witch is news to her as well?,' Kaisa asked and Johanna nodded as her young protege opened the door down towards the Witches Tower and beckoned for her to follow.
'..Yes, it came up a little prematurely though, but that's for another time,' she explained, looking about at corridors that up until now she had only ever seen in her nightmares, '..May I ask where we're headed?'
'Tildy's of course'
'Yes but..but isn't this the wrong way?,' Johanna asked with a nervous smile, not at all eager to be derailed by running into some of her old colleagues. Seemingly realising this, Kaisa paused and shook her head, retrieving a wand from her cloak. With a flick, she summoned up the door to Tildy's maze, and looked back at Johanna, who recognised it instantly; Tildy had made her and Sandra run gauntlets through it as part of their training. Still, she was nervous; she had only tapped back into magic half an hour ago.
'Don't worry,' Kaisa said confidently, 'I've been practising and..and I want to show you how far I've come too!,' she grinned and for a moment Johanna saw the girl she'd brought in from the snow, always eager to show her whatever spell or potion she'd learned that day. So with a smile and a nod, Johanna took Kaisa's hand and hopped through the door…
…and was a total wreck once they emerged out into Tildy's Garden. Johanna stumbled on her landing, and quickly fell to one knee, but yet she was laughing. Red in face from all the running about and one or two near-death experiences, but laughing regardless. And she couldn't be more proud of Kaisa, pulling her old friend into a hug as she helped pull her up. Her joy was interrupted by the large footsteps of Eldrid behind her, turning to see the large fire giant towering over them, before he reached behind his back and dropped a table before them, the chess pieces miraculously remaining upright.
'..Eldrid, um..I know we usually play but this is important!,' Kaisa explained, walking past Johanna, 'You remember who Johanna is, right?,' she asked, gesturing to her friend who waved at Eldrid awkwardly. The giant's glowing eyes narrowed at her, before a smile appeared in recognition. However, he sat down before them and pointed at the board; there would be no exceptions.
'We might be here for a while..,' Johanna murmured, joining Kaisa, 'I haven't played chess in ages..my skills are more in Dragon Panik these days..'
But just as Kaisa sat down opposite Eldrid, a door opened somewhere and Hilda came charging out, overjoyed and arms open for a hug that Johanna scooped her up into, spinning her around. Kaisa stood aside, giving them a moment and to avoid getting hit by Hilda's boots as the others came running out to join them. Johanna set Hilda down to greet her old teacher, tears already falling down her cheeks. Tildy calmly reached up to wipe them from her face, before she held her hands.
'M-Miss Pilqvist..I..I'm s-so sorry..!,' Johanna began, pausing as Tildy shook her head gently. The children couldn't tell, but Kaisa knew the old Witch was on the verge of tears herself.
'It's alright, my dear..to tell the truth, I put together what happened to you a long time ago..,' she explained, looking over towards Hilda briefly, 'I never saw Hilda with her brother..and I never heard much about her Father..'
'I-I'm a failure..,' Johanna hiccupped, as Kaisa guided the children away, 'I..I'm still failing him..w-who knows what he's been put through..wh-while I sat here doing nothing!,' she exclaimed angrily, staring hard at the ground. Tildy shook her head and gently moved her back to face her, wiping away some more tears as she did.
'Johanna..I've seen you come so far. You failed your Librarian trials twice. You and Sandra accidentally transported a whole Woff pack right into the Tower. You once put together a potion so volatile the recipe is still locked behind closed doors!'
'Don't tell Hilda that last one..,' Johanna muttered, glancing over to see her daughter and her friends watching, just out of earshot. Tildy smiled and continued.
'The Committee used to tell me that you wouldn't succeed, that you couldn't succeed even if you put your head down, but Johanna, they were wrong, weren't they? You passed your trials with flying colours the third time around. You stood alone, if briefly, against the most dangerous entity we've faced in centuries! Johanna..you are not a failure, you're one of the most inspiring people I've had the pleasure of knowing!,' Tildy beamed, taking off and wiping her glasses as she did.
Johanna had been reduced to tears once again. Tildy's words had only made a dent in how she felt, but the fact it was a dent made it seriously impressive. After a moment, her elder rested a hand on her cheek, a proud smile going from ear to ear.
'You are here, Johanna, and that alone means you haven't failed your son'
'I know,' Johanna whispered, 'But I don't know how to get him back..'
'We don't know,' Tildy corrected, 'Remember, a Witch's greatest strength is companionship!,' she grinned, waving towards Kaisa and the Trio. Johanna saw Frida and Hilda, Witch and Familiar, hand in hand, while David watched on with hands in his pockets. All of this probably had him feeling very left out; Johanna made a point to tell Hilda, if her daughter hadn't already realised that was.
The clap of Tildy's hands drew her attention, and a large picnic mat accompanied by vast assortments of food and drink appeared. Tildy took her by the hand, motioning for the others to come over and join them.
'Yes, we don't know how to get your Harry back yet, but I'm sure by the end of this we'll have some idea..and plenty of food in our bellies!,' Tildy laughed as they sat down. Johanna couldn't help but join in, an arm around Hilda as she sat down next to her. David retrieved the Quality Street from inside, much to everyone's delight, which visibly perked up the boy's self-esteem.
But even for this happy moment, back with amongst her old friends in the Coven, Johanna never once let the thought of Harry slip her mind. Even as Hilda and Frida relayed their first adventure in the Witches Tower, she found her concentration slipping. Every moment spent was a moment without Harry, adrift somewhere in the World. What Johanna couldn't have realised though, was what sort of World, what sort of Otherworld, that Harry would wake up in just a few hours later…