Witch Me?(Witch or Shadowhunter?Book 2)

Spells in the Library

As I follow Ms. Know-it-all through corridor after corridor, I commit every turn, every staircase, to memory. I think back over some of the spells I want to try and pull my wand out curiously. "So how does a wand do magic?" I ask, examining each inch of the wood. She ponders for a moment, "It more acts as a guide then creates magic itself. It has to do with the core being from a magical creature. The magic from you travels through the core and out the wand." My brows crinkle as I think about this, "so the core, unicorn hair for example, just conducts your magic into the spell? So basically, you could cast magic without a wand, if it came to that?" "Theoretically, yes. But unfortunately after witches and wizards have finish training, it takes greater concentration than most of full developed witches can muster." Her eyes light up as she prepares to launch into an explanation. Rolling my eyes, I ask a different question, "is the library far?" She heads down a TURNING staircase, "nope, just a little further." Smirking, I jog towards the staircase and jump, landing lightly beside her. "When Hogwarts: A History said the staircases moved, I didn't think it was true," I comment. She laughed lightly, "So did I, until Percy warned us on the way to the dormitorys." She heads through a massive doorway and stops once through. I follow behind her and giggle with joy at the size of the library. She smiles at me then grabs a random book and sits down to read at a table.

While Ms. Know-it-all reads, I carefully place Tinea, glamoured, on the table beside her. Checking to make sure I still had plenty of weapons in my belt, I step into an open space. My mind flickers back to when I was reading The Standard Book of Spells: Grade 1. Deciding to try transfiguring something first, I cast about for something small. Failing to find anything, I pull one of my daggers from my belt and study it. Not the toothpick that's suggested to start with, but I'll manage. "Hermione? Could you hold this for me?" I ask, twirling the dagger. She looks up and stares at my dagger, "that's the one you threatened me with, isn't it?" I laugh at her expression, "no! That one got melted, I think. Or maybe it was thrown out my window, I can't be sure. You saw what happened on the train, I never go anywhere without a weapon." She reaches out slowly, "maybe I should take a leaf out of your book, what with those things following me and all." She picks up the dagger and studies it. "Just hold it out, I'll make sure your safe. At least while we're at school," I reply. She holds it firmly by the handle out in front of her and waits for me to make my move. Smiling, I lift my wand and focus on the image of a vampire doll I had when I was 5. With a small flick and a mumbled word, it changes into the doll, leaving the sharp point as the fangs. She nods her head approvingly then her eyes dart behind me and they grow wide with fear. She drops the doll and scurries under her table. I turn around and sigh, following Ms. Know-it-all back to the table quickly. Instead of joining her under the table, though, I grab Tinea from her sheath. Turning back towards the window with a demon crawling through, I sprint across the library. Before the idiot demon sees me, I reach out with Tinea and cut off a limb, though I don't know which. It screeches and jumps at me, clawing my right arm badly. I grimace and thrust my left arm forward, impailing the filthy creature. With a final cry, it disappears, leaving me with my bleeding arm.

Ms. Know-it-all crawls out from under and seeing my arm says "You are bleeding, you should get to the hospital wing, madam Pomfry should be able to fix that easily." She starts to head out of the library. "It'll be fine, it's just a scratch. Are you prone to having demons come to you or something?" I say, applying a quick but neat iratze to my arm while she wasn't looking. She looks around and seeing no one else says "I don't know why, but like I said before it's as if they follow me, always trying to get me." She lowers her right sleeve from her shoulder to reveal a long fading scar. "One gave me this about a week before I got my Hogwarts letter." My eyes widen, but I hide my surprise and fear quickly. "I'll have to inform the Clave," I mutter, slipping my beloved short sword back into her sheath carefully. Out loud I say, "how did the demon give you that scar?" She takes a deep breath, "It's claws were really long and it cut so deep I had to come up with a story so I didn't end up in a mental institution. I told my mom I fell on a piece of metal under the tree in our backyard, but I don't think she believed me." She winces as she relives the memory. "By the Angel, let me take a look at it, will you?" I ask carefully. She hesitates, "um, sure. But not here." My eyes close halfway as I try to decide how important it was, "fine, where and when?" She pauses to think, then decides "after we get back to our dormitories." She pulls her sleeve back up realizing it's been down the entire time. I nod and walk back towards the open space and pull my wand out. "You can keep the doll, by the way," I tell her.