Side quest

Chapter Five

Andrea was plagued by sleepless nights, but not as a result of fear or discomfort. Not initially. Since their trip to Hogsmeade and Cecil's surprise, Andrea had been infected by childlike excitement that kept her up for hours each night. She felt like a little kid again, eagerly anticipating her first day at a new school and all the adventures it awaited. However, as the day drew closer, the details that once fueled her excitement began to contribute to her anxiety. The thought of the other students, professors, and curriculum weighed heavily on her mind. The knowledge she carried would only carry her so far, and she doubted her ability to catch up and keep up.

Andrea's anxieties only became more overwhelming when Officer Peaks' owl finally arrived. The documents it carried and the information it requested from her was extensive and detailed, and she had left many blank spaces before sending it on its way back to the Ministry of Magic. She hoped she wouldn't be in trouble for it. According to her quick math, Andrea's new birthday was now July 19th, 1879 and the majority of her family were either dead, missing or simply unaccounted for. As an inside joke, however, she added "Severus Snape" to her list of known great-grandparents.

...Why did she choose Arbuckle instead of Snape?

"You're not going to make any progress with that technique," Cecil told Andrea for what must have been the dozenth time.

A week ago, Cecil had made the decision to start Andrea's private lessons using a wand that she could only assume to have once belonged to their son, Jamison. Although she could manage simpler charms with some clumsiness, all other magic eluded her. Her wrist was either too stiff or too lax, and she struggled to balance her focus between the wand and the target in front of her. Although she understood she was primarily to blame for her magical shortcomings, she also wondered to what extent the wand could be held responsible since it was not her own. At least her pronunciations weren't being criticized as much as her "technique."

"I swear to god..." Andrea muttered to herself as she prepared to defend against Cecil's oncoming basic offensive spell. With a swing of her arm, she cast "protego!" but winced as the spell passed through her non-existent barrier and zapped her in the stomach. She took a moment to cap her frustration.

"You alright?" Cecil inquired.

"I don't think it likes me," she stated finally, gesturing towards the wand as she prepared to assume her position again.

"Blackthorn can be difficult to manage," He stated. His own wand spun between his fingers. "Jamison had his fair share of trouble." Although she refrained from asking about their son, Andrea couldn't help her curiosity toward the circumstances surrounding his death. Especially since his family's possession of his wand suggested his death was not caused by another wizard. Probably an unfortunate accident.

"I don't think he struggled this much," Andrea assumed, "I mean, the wand did choose him."

Cecil chuckled and stooped to sift through the straw and dirt, eventually retrieving a stone. "Not quite," he said, "That wand belonged to my father. I inherited it after he passed away and gave it to Jamison when he started his first year. Protect yourself—" He threw the stone towards Andrea. She abandoned her attempts to use protego and instead flicked her wand at the oncoming rock, tapping it back with the same simple spell Cecil had used earlier.

"Not quite what I meant," Cecil admitted.

"Different method, same result," Andrea quoted with a curtsey. At least she wasn't totally incompetent with a wand, but she was close.

"Perhaps, but a basic cast offers very limited protection," he commented, before swiftly drawing out his wand and yelling, "Incend—"

Panic-stricken, Andrea swung her arm out in front of her and quickly shouted, "Protego!" Then stumbled back, fearing the worst. However to her relief, there was no fiery ball of death hurtling towards her when she opened her eyes. Instead, she found herself momentarily enclosed by a translucent, shimmering barrier that emitted a purple glow. It would appear Cecil's false cast of incendio was all the motivation she needed. Bastard, she thought. Once the barrier fell, she snagged several rocks from the ground and began to throw.