Grown Enchantress (Book #2, Young Witch Series)

Chapter 9

Later that day, Jessamine found Madeline sitting under a rose bush in the garden, not minding her dress. "Did you finish the frosting already?"

"Yes, it was already half made, all I had to do was attach the pieces and actually ice the cake Took me half an hour." Madeline said, looking at the small book in her hands.

"What's that?" Jessamine asked, sitting down next to her on the path, "Writing down recipes?"

"Amongst other things." Madeline said, making a note. "Mum suggested that I write down the lessons you teach me, so if I have a child with magic, I can teach them. And it was helpful with learning potions. I only write down what herbs I use, and you said each person uses different herbs and I figured there was no harm in writing mine down. It then means I can send people out to get specific measurements if I'm busy." She lifted her shoulder as if she was going to shrug, then remembered that princesses didn't do that. "I have another for princess things too. Helps me keep it all straight."

"May I?" Jessamine asked, and Madeline handed over the book.

1. Servants can teach you many things. Look and learn.

2. Magic needs willpower and concentration. I just need to focus.

3. Magic requires practice. Lots and lots of practice.

4. Potions can be plain water, and a spell. (Finally, something I'm good at!)

5. Herbs make potions taste better. (Remember to look at the book of herbs.)

6. All magic has a price, and a limit. Over doing it hurts. (Don't change the colours of walls again until you know how.)

7. Words have power, use them wisely. (Hard lesson.) Jessamine smiled at that, remembering the uses of some of those words. Madeline had been remarkably quick to pick this up, and had tried to turn it on several of the other children. She had been punished to sweeping the whole mansion, without magic, and then dust it the following week.

8. Someone can always undo your spell. No magic is permanent.

9. Looking at something sideways can help solve your problem.

10. Flying, takes guts.

Jessamine handed her back the book, not bothering to look at the herb section. She had her own book of herb portions for potions, and seeing someone else's wasn't going to help hers. "That's very good."

"It helps me keep track of things."

"Are you going to keep adding to it?" Jessamine wanted to know.

"Sure, until I leave." Madeline stood, "It's starting to get cold. Do you want to go in?"

"That's why I came to find you." Jessamine said, "It's time to get changed for the party."

Later that year, Madeline had another addition to make to her book as Jessamine gave her that years lesson; Magic can't do everything. You have to earn friendship and loyalty yourself.

Madeline sulked around for a while after this lesson, since she had been caught trying to spell one of her tutors into liking her enough not to give her any homework, and was punished by being made to do it all, by hand, without the use of magic.

Madeline had given up on handwriting herself years ago, trusting magic to write things for her. It took her twice as long to finish, and the result was messier by far than what she remembered her writing looking like. She then had to spend weeks getting her hand writing back to scratch, as her magic now reflected her blotchy handwriting. She suspected that was also another lesson, and then realised it was simply something she had been taught years ago; You can't do things with magic unless you can first do them without magic. She added that to her book as well.