Amelia Merlin

Part Ten: Lesson with Jeremy

"Alright Mia, I want you to close your eyes," Jeremy said in a gentle tone. She did what he said, trusting him. They were standing in the backyard, barefoot in the grass, "Okay, we are going to try something you don't learn at Hogwarts. We are going to tap into your Druid side and combine it with your wizard side. This way you can use nature to channel your magic rather than the wand,"

"I'm not going to use my wand?" Amelia gasped. She didn't understand how that was even possible.

"I think the wand is part of your problem," Amelia was immediately offended, she loved her wand. 13 inches of arbutus wood with unicorn hair. "It's controlling you, you need a better channel," he lit up a cigarette and took a long drag.

"So...." She didn't understand what Jeremy was saying at all.

"So focus on the nature around you, try to feel it within you, breathe with it," his voice calmed her. Amelia inhaled deeply. She tried to think of the grass between her toes, the air around her, the flowers in the corner of the backyard, and the stream she could hear babbling along the edge.

"Now repeat after me," her brothers voice broke through. "aperire animo,"

"aperire animo, aperire animo," she whispered. It happened slowly, Amelia felt the grass twitch between her little toes. She felt the wind whip her hair and she felt the flowers grow in the corner. The stream in the corner flowed through her veins and she felt alive.

Amelia opened her eyes and something felt different, she felt in control. A small laugh escaped her lips. She raised her arms and the water in the stream rose with them, it danced through the air like a ribbon, encircling her. The water formed something similar to a bird cage, protecting her. Amelia laughed again, louder this time, she looked over to see Jeremy, he looked serious. Almost afraid actually, but the face disappeared when he saw her looking at him. He brightened and his smile lit up the garden.

"Well done Amelia! How does that feel?" His lopsided grin widened and the cigarette hung precariously between his lips.

"Amazing!" The moment the word left her lips, the water crashed down around her, she got soaking wet.

"Well with more practice, you may be able to talk and do magic at the same time!" He put a comforting hand to her shoulder and Amelia beamed.

"Thanks Jeremy! God I don't know what I'd do without you," she breathed. Her pulse was racing like a horse. For the first time in months Amelia knew she had a chance at being safe, at keeping others safe. And nothing made her happier.

They spent the rest of Christmas break practicing. And Amelia got quite good, she was especially capable with anything natural, and she was getting better at performing actual spells without a wand. Christmas Day itself was quite boring and she was forced to spend it in the uncomfortable living room with her mother, fortunately Jeremy was there too. She tried changing the faces of the paintings just by looking at it, and she actually managed it a few times.

Amelia couldn't wait to go back to Hogwarts and show everyone what she could do. She missed her friends and the atmosphere of the place she had grown to call home. She especially missed Fred and George. On the last night of her break, she sat with Jeremy in her room.

"Jeremy?" She asked cautiously

"Yes?" He replied.

"Did you ever have these problems that I do?"

"Don't you know the story?" She shook her head and he sighed. "Alright I guess you better know, though I am surprised mother didn't tell you."

Jeremy, with a casual flick of his wand, summoned a book from god knows where. It was old and bound in a dark red cloth. The peeling silver letters on the cover read: Merlin. Jeremy opened the tattered pages and began to read the story.

The men of the Merlin house were proud, and rightly so. They had magic beyond anything the world had ever seen. They were all drunk with the power their ancestor had bestowed upon them. They were the strongest men in all the land and nothing could touch them. They say it was their hubris that was their downfall. The women of the family tried to contain the men but it was no use. They were too headstrong. The Merlin Men caused wars and strife wherever they went, always looking for a fight.

They say the women were fed up with the childish behaviour of the men. So they went to the Druid people for help. They asked the Druids to contain the power of the men. The Druids agreed to help, they didn't like the chaos the men were creating. So the Druids changed the nature of the Merlin family, the power would be bestowed upon the women of the house. The men would still be warlocks, but their magic would be mediocre at best. The Druids told the women to use their power to bring peace and balance to the world,  or else the magic would turn against them, and be their undoing.

The men were infuriated with what the women had done, but there was nothing they could do to change it. So they started being kinder to the women, respecting them more and more.

The women of the Merlin family maintained the balance and with their exceptional magic, brought peace to the kingdom. From this time and forever to come, the Merlin women had great powers bestowed upon them in the hopes they would continue their work.

The end.

Jeremy shut the book and looked up at Amelia. "So there you have it! The women are entrusted with this wonderful gift,"

"And you got nothing?" She felt a pang in her chest for her brother.

"Exactly," he sounded a little too bitter for Amelia's liking.

"I'm sorry, that must suck," she awkwardly mumbled. Jeremy nodded and looked her dead in the eye.

"Yeah but I'm dealing with it," he smiled at her and she felt her mind go slightly more at ease. "Promise me something Amelia?"

"Anything!"

"You can't tell anyone about what I taught you. It's a little unorthodox and people don't understand it so they're afraid of it. So just keep it between us," Amelia nodded and said,

"Well I better sleep, I have school tomorrow!" Jeremy kissed her on the top of the head and left the room.

Amelia fell asleep and dreamed of red books that bled words, and water made into a beautiful bridge, and lizards.