Stef opened it the best she could as Molly called over a bat, and with a wave of her wand she caused it to shrink until it was the size of a small coin. Stef looked on in horror as it flew into her mouth and down her throat, appearing a few seconds later gripping the stuck piece of cereal.
The rest of the girls cheered and Stef looked sheepish, annoyed with herself for causing drama again and bringing negative attention to herself.
'Are you okay?' Charlotte whispered to her and Stef nodded back.
Breakfast was by far the tastiest one that Charlotte had ever had. She'd never tasted fruit as delicious before and looked on in awe as the goblets continued to refill with pineapple juice.
When the meal was finished and the staff departed, Molly, whose hair was in a side braid, addressed the girls.
'I'd like all the new girls to stay behind please, so I can take you to get kitted out with wands and broomsticks.'
Each girl smiled excitedly at the mention of the equipment they'd all be receiving. They knew that once they were in possession of such magical items, they would be well on their way to becoming experienced witches.
Following Molly into a section of the castle that they hadn't previously seen, they passed classrooms where bubbling sounds and explosions came from within. All the doors were shut so the interior of each room was hidden, which only made them all the more curious.
'What's happening in there?' Margaret asked.
'I don't know, maybe someone messed up their potion or something. Standard class antics really,' Molly grinned.
They headed along a quiet corridor until Molly paused by a lone door and chanted some spells, while giving a wave of her wand. The door clicked open and she gestured for them all to follow her. On entry they found a dim-lit, low-ceilinged room, with grey stoned walls and row-upon-row of boxed up wands.
'You must pick the right wand for your potential powers. If the wrong one is sought it will ensure that you cannot claim it,' Molly explained.
Charlotte wondered how they were supposed to find the right wand when each one was packaged and out of sight, but Molly simply smirked at the girls bewildered expressions. Then, with a flick of her own wand, dozens of wands burst from their boxes and floated in the room around them.
'When you've found the right one it will light up in your hand.' Molly gestured for the girls to go ahead.
Each of the girls went wild, chuckling as they chased after a wand. Demi was the first to find hers and Molly gave her an impressed look that caused Margaret to scowl.
Stef was trying to catch a long black and gold trimmed wand but it kept shooting out of her reach. Gerty was trying to grasp for any wand that she could, giggling when each one shot away from her.
Charlotte did not attempt to take any of the wands; she concentrated on studying them, wondering which one would accept her. Her eyes then fell upon a plain oak wand that was floating alongside her. No else seemed interested in it but Charlotte stood on tiptoes and reached out for it, half expecting it to fly away. Instead, however, it remained in place. Her hand firmly gripped it and immediately it glowed. She studied it carefully, noticing that close up it had orange patterns intricately carved into the wood; it wasn't plain at all.
'Great, we have two more,' Molly said, as she looked from Charlotte to Margaret who was also holding a glowing wand.
Realizing that Charlotte had found hers at around the same time, Margaret gave her a stern look then walked over and stood next to Demi.
Gerty was the next to find her wand, followed by Stef. Last up was Alice who was still chasing an elegant looking silver wand even though it kept whizzing away from her.
'That wand clearly does not want you!' Margaret exclaimed, and Demi and a few of the other girls giggled.
'Alice, some wands just aren't right for the person, regardless of their appearance,' Molly continued.
Begrudgingly Alice stopped chasing the silver wand and reached out for the one that was closest, a straight mahogany one. It glowed as she touched it and her face lit with a huge smile.
'Right then, that's your wands sorted. It is of the greatest importance that you look after your wand. Never misplace it or put it in a situation where it may break. A wand is a witch's most important item and each of you must remember that. Also it should go without saying that you are not to use these to preform harmful or distressing spells on each other, unless you want to face your first warning or worse, be expelled.'
Charlotte looked down at the wand in her hand. It had stopped glowing and this made its intricate patterning appear more discreet. She found herself wondering how something so small could be so powerful. Her mom must have had a wand at some point and she wondered if she still had it, hidden away somewhere so that her dad would never find it.
'Next up are broomsticks,' Molly led them to the back of the room where there was an arched door. She waved her wand to unlock the door and the girls followed Molly inside. Like the other room, it had grey stoned walls but this one was slightly larger and its ceilings much higher. There were hundreds of broomsticks whizzing around and Stef only just ducked her head in time as one flew directly towards her.
'Broomsticks also have the power to reject you, so beware,' Molly said. As she gestured for them to find their broomstick.
Margaret instantly reached out and grabbed one but it wriggled free of her grip and slapped her in the face before flying over to Stef, who grinned at Margaret as she gripped hold of it. Margaret scowled before looking around for another one.
A pale oak broom with flecks of green on the handle flew over to Charlotte and floated in front of her until she grabbed hold of it. Smiling widely, she held tightly onto it, feeling more and more like a witch. The broomsticks were easier to find than the wands, as they were more willing to track their owner. A plain brown broomstick floated over to Alice and she took hold of it with a huge grin.
When all the girls each had a broomstick, Molly beckoned them into the next room where a hat for every girl floated overhead.
'Uniforms must be worn for all classes but hats and capes are only for formal occasions. Please remain still as your hats will find you,' Molly looked up at the hats and then instructed them firmly. 'Find your owner.'
All the hats swirled around before swooping down and landing on each of the girl's heads. They all let out excited gasps and squeals as they reached up and felt their hats.
'Nearly there,' Molly grinned, before she clapped her hands and the bats flew through the window. Each one carried a black cape and placed it gently on the girl's shoulders.
'You all look like little witches now but remember that you haven't been properly trained yet, so no using your wands or broomsticks until you've been taught how.'
As they followed Molly out of the room, Charlotte and Gerty smiled at each other and then looked excitedly at the wands and broomsticks that each was carrying.
Margaret and Demi hung back and were the last ones out of the room.
'This is ridiculous, I don't need lessons. I've been using a wand and flying for as long as I can remember,' she whispered to Demi, before double-checking that Molly couldn't hear her. 'Those rules are clearly for the other girls, not for us,' she smirked.
Margaret flicked her hair behind her back and straightened her hat before she followed Molly and the others along the corridors. She briefly looked down at her wand and broomstick and gave a sly smile.
Chapter Nine
They all had enough time to go back to their rooms and put away their new capes, hats and broomsticks before their first lesson.
'Where do you think we should put them, they might become creased in our drawers?' Stef asked, as she held out her cape and hat and looked around the room.
The wardrobe doors flung open and all the girls immediately jumped back, worried that they'd be sucked into it.
'Who opened that?' Alice asked, as she stared at Stef.
'Don't look at me,' Stef said, 'I was nowhere near it. '
'Y
ou could have opened it with magic,' she gestured to the wand in Stef's hand.
'Well I didn't,' she stared at the wardrobe. 'Have you all noticed how it isn't trying to suck anything in?'
The wardrobe shook and all the girl's capes, hats and broomsticks flew up into the air, whizzing towards it. Gerty's hat whipped into the air, directly from her head and Stef tried to grab onto her cape as it flew forwards. Every item disappeared into the wardrobe and it slammed its doors shut.
'Was that meant to happen?' Charlotte asked.
'I hope so. If not, we're all in trouble,' Stef replied.
'How will I be in trouble, I didn't do anything? Alice said.
'Let's worry about it later,' Stef shrugged.
Charlotte nodded, although she found herself worrying that she may never see her hat and cape again and thought of the trouble she would be in if that were the case.
'Are you girl's ready for your first lesson?' Sonya asked, as she and Silvia appeared in the doorway. 'Quickly grab your wands out of the magical wardrobe.'
The girls hesitated, unsure of the wardrobe and its mysterious powers. Silvia laughed and told the girls not to worry. 'Just make sure you only put your magical gear inside that wardrobe, you don't want to insult it with things from the ordinary world.'
They all nodded and tentatively grabbed their wands before joining the other new girls who were waiting in the corridor. They followed Sonya and Silvia and waited as they collected the rest of the girls and then led them all to their lesson.
Charlotte thought about what the lesson would involve and what the teacher would be like. The fitness lesson had been both exciting and terrifying and Charlotte wondered if all the lessons would be like that one.
Sonya and Silvia stopped outside of a classroom, the words 'Brewing Room' written on the door in black font.
'This will be your first lesson with Miss Maker,' Sonya explained. 'Lunch will be after this. Remember, if any of you get lost, call for the bats.
The two prefects stood aside and gestured for the girls to step through the doorway. Margaret and Demi pushed past the others and barged into the room first. They sat in the back row and sniggered at the other girls as they headed towards the remaining seats.
'Hello girls, come in, come in and find a spot,' an attractive young woman in a black corset and cape said. Her dark hair was tinged purple and she wore her witch's hat slightly wonky on her head.
Charlotte followed Gerty and Stef over to free seats in one of the middle rows and Alice sat down next to her. There was a small, black cauldron placed down in front of each of the seats.
'Hello girls and welcome to your first brewing lesson. I am Miss Maker, the Mistress of Brewing. I always get excited when new girls start here, as I love teaching fresh minds who are so enthralled to be here,' she smiled, as she looked around at all the girls. 'I will tell you a bit about me, I have been working here at the Academy for the past seventy-five-years, teaching young witches like yourselves how to brew potions.'
'She doesn't look that old,' Gerty whispered to Charlotte.
Miss Maker's eyes fell upon Gerty and she smiled.
Gerty looked startled, not understanding how Miss Maker had heard her. She wanted to tell the others that she must have bionic hearing but she knew better than to say this?until they were out of the classroom.
'Beauty is skin deep, real beauty comes from within,' she said.
'So does that mean that if we are beautiful witches inside, then we will grow up to look as pretty as you?' Alice chimed in.
Miss Maker let out a gentle laugh as she looked over at Alice.
The ordinaries have their ways but of course, they aren't as effective as ours. They have their creams and lotions and their Botox and surgeries. As a witch we don't need these painful youth makers, we can simply brew potion.'
Gerty exchanged an impressed look with the others. The thought of being as beautiful as Miss Maker for her whole life was an exciting one and she couldn't wait until she was older and had mastered the youth spell.
'So you're saying that we'll be able to stay beautiful for hundreds of years?' Demi asked.
'Well Demi, remember that I said beauty comes from within to begin with. The potion will retain your appearance?BUT if goodness is absent from your soul and heart then there is no potion that is strong enough to save you from ageing into an old hag. Perhaps you need to carefully consider this,' she gave Demi a gentle smile.
Demi looked shocked and diverted her gaze down at her table. All the girls smirked including Margaret, who didn't even try to hide this from her friend.
'Some witchcraft is bad and you should never practice it, not ever. We don't teach those spells at the Academy, they are banned and for good reason. You are here to become strong, independent and capable witches and I am here to teach you how to use your powers for good.'
When you are in your senior year, I will teach you about some of these dark spells, not so you can carry them out, but so that you can try to stop them and reverse them. They are too powerful for you girls to know about. This is why you must NEVER go into the restricted area in the library, at least not until your senior year, and only then with the Mistress of the Books assisting you.'
'Miss, my mother attended this school and she told me about the door at the end of library with the dragon handle,' Margaret quipped.
'You are prohibited from going anywhere near that door, it is totally off limits and protected by a strong spell,' she glared at Margaret, her tone suddenly very icy.
'What is behind that door, Miss?' Alice asked the question they were all thinking but than none of the others dared to ask.
'I am often asked this question by new girls,' she sighed, a concerned look on her face. 'I understand your curiosity but I shall tell you this only once. Hundreds of years ago, when the Academy first started, a witch called Dragina lived here. She was beautiful with long white hair and skin like silk. Dragina was obsessed with dragons, they were all she liked to talk about and her free time involved ongoing research. She travelled the world looking for dragon eggs, eventually finding some and bringing them back to the Academy.' Miss Maker held onto the table in front of her, a fearful expression on her face.
'It is a long story and not one that I want to go into but the dragons grew very large and caused mayhem. Miss Moffat, being the powerful witch that she is, thankfully brought the situation under control. The secrets to this terrible time are forever locked away in that room and that is why you must NEVER go near it.'
The girls exchanged shocked glances between each other. Charlotte wondered about the mysterious door, and was curious to know what lay beyond it.
Miss Maker shook her head and instantly the dark mood that had covered the room dispelled.
'Today we are going to brew a potion to make you stronger,' she smiled, as she leaned in closer to them. 'Now, you must pay careful attention to my demonstration as you don't want to be too strong,' she chuckled.
'Right, let's begin. You'll find all the ingredients you need laid out in front of you and I shall guide you through what to do.'
Charlotte looked down at the neatly laid out items, not knowing what half of them were. She was overwhelmed and hoped that she wouldn't mess it up.
'Firstly take a pinch of agarwood,' she picked up a small glass bowl that had what looked like shredded wood in it and she took out a pinch and added it to her cauldron. 'Two bay leaves, three hawthorn berries, which I agree are delicious but are also a very useful ingredient for potions.'
Charlotte looked from Miss Maker to Stef and then Gerty to check that she was doing it right, before she dropped the berries into her cauldron.'
'Half a long pepper and lastly a teaspoon of troll fat.'
'Yuck,' Stef said, as she looked down at the small bowl of fat.
'Yes, it is a bit gross but it's very effective,' Miss Maker said, as she walked over to the front row and paused by a cauldron that belonged to a girl with red hair. 'That looks fantastic, Patrici
a.'
'How does she know all our names?' Gerty whispered to Charlotte, forgetting that Miss Maker could hear them.
'Gerty, Charlotte, how are you getting on?' she smiled over at them.
'Erm, okay,' Gerty muttered quietly.
Yeah, okay I think,' Charlotte added.
'Great!' Miss Maker walked back to the front of the room. 'Now take your spoons and place them into the cauldron, careful not to splash any of the potion. Turn it in a clockwise direction twenty times, like this,' she began to turn her spoon, counting the turns aloud. 'When you've done that, carefully remove your spoon.'
'Now take your wand out and say 'strength potion make me strong,' then add one cup of cranberry juice and stir another ten times in a clockwise direction. Pour a glass and drink up girls. This spell will only last for three hours and then your body's strength will return to normal.'
Stef was the first to drink her potion, followed by Margaret and then Demi. Charlotte and Gerty exchanged looks before they picked up their glasses and drank the liquid.
Books for Girls - Witch School - Book 1 Page 6
