Deus Fax Machina

One Wand A'Waving

Sophie's next few days at Hogwarts continued in a blur. There were classes she was up to speed in - the ones where wand work was minimal - and remedial classes with Professor Flitwick and Professor McGonagall. In those classes she worked through the most basic spells.

Sophie had managed to cast Wingardium Leviosa and a summoning spell with Flitwick and was ever so slowly learning how to transform objects into small animals with McGonagall. Less and less Sophie exploded things around her, and since McGonagall had taught her a simple way to extinguish fires, Aqua Eructo, Sophie's confidence was growing. It was in one of these classes on a Thursday morning with Professor McGonagall, that Sophie was trying with all her might to transform a hedgehog into a pin cushion, complete with pins.

'Relax your mind and your body, the more tense you are the harder it will be.' McGonagall was saying. McGonagall was patient but to say she was kind was a stretch.

Sophie stood with her wand arm outstretched, felt the familiar surge of energy within herself, and with a few deep breaths, she uttered the incantation. Sophie knew she'd put too much force behind what was meant to be a delicate flick of the wrist. The hedgehog exploded into a cloud of fluff and pins which showered over Sophie and McGonagall.

'Goddamit!' Sophie cried, throwing down her wand. Anger fired through her chest into her limbs. Sophie moved forward with her palms outstretched and summoned the pieces of what was once a hedgehog onto a desk. With a snap of her fingers Sophie had turned the mess back into a pink pincushion – what she had been trying for – and with another snap, she transformed it into a hedgehog. The hedgehog wiggled its nose at her then scurried out of sight into a pile of books. Sophie didn't blame it. She sat down at a desk and dropped her head into her hands.

'I'm sorry.' Sophie muttered as McGonagall collected her red wand.

'Here,' McGonagall handed back Sophie's wand. 'You need to take better care of this.' McGonagall walked to the front of the classroom, robes sweeping behind her.

'You will not master a wand if you allow your anger to control you.'

Sophie looked up, embarrassed at her outburst, it had been childish. McGonagall continued.

'But you also do not have to give up your own style of magic to use a wand.'

Sophie opened her mouth but McGonagall held up a hand.

'You were brought here to further your magical education, not to stop you doing the magic you already know. You can use Old Magic alongside New Magic, but again; you must control your anger to be able to control your magic.'

Sophie sat in silence; she could have both Old and New Magic? She had not thought it was a possibility. Her radiating anger began to subside.

'But, Professor, I'm the only one here with Old Magic. Not even Dumbledore...'

'Yes, but that doesn't mean it's wrong or less important. And that is the end of our lesson. You are dismissed.' McGonagall flicked her wand and the room rearranged itself for her next class.

Sophie slipped her wand into her robes and left the classroom. Her mind was a mess, thoughts crashed like waves inside her head.

***

As Sophie sat in the library with Lavender and Parvati that evening, she wished for the simplicity of maths homework. Reverting to writing with a biro instead of a quill, Sophie found she could get through her essays on giant wars and the properties of moonstones with speed.