Shape of Magic 24: Growth

<<<Taylor Rose>>>

Taylor stared at her reflection in thought, though in the back of her mind she kept expecting to see Khepri to scoff and convince her to just give up and everything. It was going to be her first public attempt to control another person since Golden Morning, but Aif and she had practiced in private for just this event.

And though she couldn’t really remember what happened, nothing more than fragments and night terrors, she wasn’t really looking forward to trying to relearn that control. But Aif was nothing if not convincing, so… There she was at a ball hosted by Aif’s family.

She was going to force a member of Aif’s family to dance. No big deal, apparently she’d even enjoy it. Just a part of summer solstice (they called it Midsummer) celebrations, thankfully the woman she was going to attempt to control already knew how to dance because Taylor sure as hell didn’t.

“Ready, Taylor?” Aif asked as she rested her hand on Taylor’s shoulder with a supportive smile.

“... No, but… I’ll do it anyway…” Taylor said. She was most certainly far from comfortable with it, and only got more so the more people she noticed had arrived. Like Hermione, Hera, Ron and his family… no pressure.

Taylor took a calming breath before focusing and… reaching out to the woman with her magic, how she controlled bugs was different yet disturbingly familiar. Only instead of assuming complete control, she decided to try an overwhelming desire to dance. She wasn’t entirely sure how successful her first attempt was though however.

“... I don’t think it worked…” Taylor said, annoyingly enough she felt bothered that it didn’t work.

“Of course it didn’t,” Aif said with a smile, “I told her to make you work for it.”

Taylor barely stopped herself from pouting, but it wasn’t that successful seeing as Aif just giggled and patted her head.

“You have to really, truely, want it,~” Aif purred, fingers running over her scalp, “Focus on how it will impress people, how you want to please me, how you want to protect people…”

Taylor sighed, eyes closing before she focused. She couldn’t let her own fears, her own desires, get in the way of helping her friends, protecting them. Her mind clamped down onto the sidhe’s and began forcing her to dance. The brief sensation of terror quickly subsumed by amusement as Taylor directed her to waltz on an empty table to invisible music before walking out herself, clearly directing things.

She didn’t need to wave her hand to direct the woman to move, but she did it anyway as part of the show. Alongside her, butterflies danced and fluttered.

“Grab more of them,~” Aif whispered, “It looks silly to just waltz by yourself…”

Her control faltered for a moment before reasserting itself. Taylor grabbed a few more, just three other fairies that didn’t try to resist, and set them to waltz as well.

Her adoptive mother giggled, leaning in and asking her to do one last thing for her before she finished. It made her frown but… curiosity was the primary emotion everyone was feeling. She had the power to satisfy that and it wouldn’t hurt them. It wasn’t like she was grabbing them for… that.

Taylor mentally, and metaphorically, grabbed every single sidhe and veela (which, according to Aif, were a cousin to the sidhe) before making them dance too. A few of them felt panic, but channeling soothing sensations to them seemed to help. For the humans there she only sent a questioning probe. Mr Weasley seemed to be interested for a moment before his wife smacked his arm.

Chuck, Charley, the twins, Bill, Hera, and Hermione of all people also allowed her to command them; though only Bill and Chuck knew how to waltz, it wasn’t a challenge for her to simply have them mimic other dancers… something that led her to realize that she, too, was learning how to dance as she did it.

Amy was watching with deep concern, having not been told about what Aif and she had been working on together, but… a smile and a wink from her calmed the girl that had become her sister. Mostly calmed. Also feeling concern was Sirius, though she felt that was more because of Voldemort having used mind control magics extensively than a fear of her. He still didn’t consent to being made to dance… even if he was Hera’s partner before Hermione took over.

Still, the dance had to end at some point so, with a bow, she released her control.

Aif just clapped her hands, both for the dancers and Taylor herself, “Wonderful, just wonderful!” She praised, “I knew you could do it, now that wasn’t too bad was it?” She asked.

“No…” Taylor mumbled even as she fought not to smile at the praise.

Amy’s eyebrow raised as she sat next to her. “So… this what you guys were doing in secret?” The question was only slightly pointed.

“She wanted me to keep it quiet to avoid spoiling the surprise?” Taylor answered, feeling a touch guilty. “And I didn’t want you to worry. She can be really, really convincing, you know?”

Amy just snorted at that. “Don’t I know it?” Then rolled her eyes. “But honestly this was the most ridiculous example of mass Mastering I’ve ever seen,” She added with a faint smile.

“It’s not much different from what I did last time,” Taylor pointed out, “Just no end of the world, golden super villain, or whatever.” Everyone was too busy talking to hear them and the two people closest, Chuck and Aif, already knew. “A coordinated action that requires a lot of participants, not all of whom were fully on board with it.”

At least, they’d started resisting, by the time it was over it had become quite clear that they’d gotten into the groove. Some of them were still dancing even.

“Though it’s not fair, you got it so fast.” Amy said with a huff, “I still have trouble making myself blonde…” 

Taylor gave her a dry look. “Blonde, huh?”

“Shut up,” Amy snipped with a blush.

“Anyway, you got those claws working a few days ago!” She pointed out, “And eye color! Honestly, I think you’re just really bad at improv. Maybe if you were touching someone who was blonde you’d figure it out easier? Touching that wolf helped you with claws, after all.”

“... Yeah, yeah I get it… I’m not creative with my power…” She grumbled, “Who knew spending most of your life as a Miracle Healer would stifle your creativity…”

“Hey, I never said that!” Taylor said, hands going up, “I said you were bad at improv! It’s not like you ever needed to think on your feet like I did!”

Aif leaned down and gave Taylor a hug. “I believe your sister is teasing you.” She commented with a smile.

Amy just looked grumpy before smirking a bit, “Only a little…” She admitted.

Taylor’s mouth snapped shut. “I knew that,” She grumbled, “On another topic! I can’t believe Hermione let me force her to dance!”

“It’s always the quiet ones,” Amy quipped, getting a laugh from Aif and a chuckle from Chuck.

“She isn’t wrong,” Aif commented with a smile, “Quite a few of my cousins can attest to that.”

She sighed, face in her hands, as she tried to figure out if murder was an acceptable response to endless teasing. To her regret, the answer was no. “I am going to go sit next to someone respectable, Sirius.” She was fully aware of the irony of that statement.

Amy just snorted while Aif just giggled even more, though Chuck shook his head.

“Black is many things, most of which I can’t say in polite company, but respectable certainly isn’t one of them,” Chuck said, “The stories I could tell you two…”

“Ah, but you see, he shan’t be teasing me,” Taylor said importantly as she stood, “He’ll be teasing his goddaughter with me. An important distinction.”

Amy Carlson

“God, why’d I mention the blonde thing? Taylor will never let that go…” Amy thought with a grown as she put her face in her hands.

Still, though she was having difficulty she had made great strides in making sense of the particular brand of bullshit that was fae biology. Was she confident in her ability to improve Queen Bee’s ability to produce honey? No, but she was getting there. And in all fairness there was very little she could actually improve, maybe she could tweak the quality instead?

Maybe find some way to enhance the richness of the honey? Not that it needed it, just the straight honey blew every other honey or syrup she’d ever hand in her life out of the water. 

Still, she might as well try and do the ‘social’ thing, and, seeing as Taylor was pouting (though she’d vehemently deny it), she figured maybe she should talk to Ron or Hermoine. 

“Could she always do that?” Ron asked, “Why’d she only start now? I’d have laughed my a-” his mother gave him a look, “butt off if she made Malfoy dance like that.”

Amy rolled her eyes but smiled, “Trauma related, Aif is trying to help her overcome it.” Best part being she wasn’t even lying, “And who knows? Maybe you’ll see it eventually next year,” She added with a faint snicker.

“All hail Taylor, the most terrifying slytherin of all time,” He snarked, “Her only weaknesses are teasing, dying, and gifts.”

“Yeah, that’s a pretty accurate assessment,” Amy deadpanned with a smile before looking at Hermione, “How about you? Taylor was pretty surprised when you went along with it.”

“Well,~” She started, eyes shining, “I trust Taylor and, even though it was really weird, I wanted to know what it felt like. It clearly wasn’t the imperius curse, I could think and feel things normally, so I’m really curious about how it works!”

Amy just shook her head. “I don’t understand it myself but, from my best guess? I think she’s basically taking over your nervous system?” Amy rubbed her chin, “Though I’m not entirely sure if that really fits.”

“Terrifying,” One of the twins, George she thought, said before the rest of the statement was picked up by Fred, “but brilliant.”

“She actually used to harass gangs and thugs in the surrounding blocks around the orphanage,” Amy said with a faint smile, “Big Sis is a Hero! Some of the others would say, honestly she would sputter and try to deny it. She’s really weak to genuine praise and thanks. And yes Taylor, I’m sharing your weaknesses!” She added knowing that Taylor could hear her through her bugs.

A piece of bread bounced off her head.

“Well, I think that her magic could be really useful in curse breaking,” Bill said, “She still needs grades, of course, but we could always use more of those over in Egypt.”

Amy just smiled at that, “Perhaps, the trick would be getting her to hand any treasure over,” She said with an amused smile, “She’s kinda greedy and likes shiny things.”

Bugs appeared and accused her of being the greedy one, having participated in two vault robberies herself.

“I resent that accusation! Besides, the first time I was a victim and the second one happened in a dream and doesn’t count!” Amy protested.

Somehow, the bugs managed to seem smug before flying away to… somewhere.

“Damn, pain in the ass…” Amy grumbled.

“That’s just her being your sister,” Fred pointed out, “It’s in the sibling code, at least one of us has to be the pain.”

“... I hate that, that makes sense…” Amy grumbled before sighing, “So how has summer been for you all?”

“It’s been great!” Charley said with a grin, “We got a new dragon in, blame Quirrel, and she is a beauty. Aggressive, but wonderful to work with. Beautiful scales too, lots of people buying her molts.”

“Yeah, that sounds like a magical zoo.” Amy thought as she listened with a smile.

“She’s a Norwegian Ridgeback,” He explained, “Venomous, wonderfully green scales, and very viscous. Come to think of it, Hagrid and Pomona, Professor Sprout, mentioned that you could work with animals and plants in some way?”

Amy looked at the twins and her friends. “I need a volunteer,” She said with a playful smile.

“Not it!” The twins yelled as Hermione sighed and shook her head, seemingly about to volunteer but…

“I’ll do it,” Ron said, offering his hand, “Uh, you need to just touch right?”

Amy nodded and touched his hand, and with an amused smile Amy started to make his hair turn from red, to yellow, pink, purple, and all the colors of the rainbow before settling on his normal ginger color.

“... I was hoping you’d leave it as black,” Ron admitted with a grin, “But red’s fine.”

Charlie, on the other hand, seemed even more interested now. “Can you do that with anything?” He asked. “Any limits? If I had, say, a dragon egg on me, could you check what gender it was before it hatched?”

“The only limit I’m aware of is that it has to be organic and alive,” Amy said, “And if I was to make any large changes I’d have to use material from somewhere else. Like… if you had a failing liver I could fix it but you might lose some of your body fat and maybe muscle mass depending on the extent of the damage. Though magic biology is more… tricky but I’m improving,”

He smirked before taking out just such an egg from a bag filled with ice. “Arctic dragon,” He said, clearing up the confusion from his family, “We aren’t sure where they came from, the egg just showed up a few weeks ago, but knowing its sex might help us narrow it down.”

Amy nodded before touching the chilly egg, her eyes widening as the incubating dragon’s biology unfolded before her eyes.

It was complicated, even more than Aif’s or the flower she’d made, but it was only slightly magical. Most of it was normal biology ramped up to eleven with a few purely magical organs like its wings and something that, on most dragons she assumed, would breath fire. In this case it felt more… cold, for lack of a better term. It was all still in the yoke though, the creature only just starting to really grow.

Thankfully she was able to interpret what she was seeing, and though she was itching to study it more in depth she focused on identifying the dragon’s gender.

“... Female,” Amy said eventually as she removed her hand and started rubbing it against her shirt to warm it up.

“Thank you,” He replied, putting it back into its cooler, “Maybe you could be a dragon tamer when you graduate, ay?” He suggested with a grin, “It has thrills, a good health plan, good pay…”

Considering the amount of scars on the guy, it would have to have a good health plan. There wouldn’t be very many of them left if it didn’t.

“Something to consider, probably after I get the hang of healing myself though.” Amy said with a faint smile, she would’ve offered to heal some of his scars but withheld.

Some guys, from her understanding, were rather prickly about that. Badges of Honor or something.

Still, at least she could claim she learned something interesting during this whole ball thing.

<<<Harriet ‘Hera’ Potter>>>

Her first real birthday party. She never thought it would happen, but she was having a party with a group of friends. Some of whom were so scary that even without magic she was pretty sure that Dudley wouldn’t be able to run them away.

“Am I a bad person for wishing he’d try?” She wondered for a second before dismissing it entirely.

Still, with how Taylor was glaring at the large boy… it almost seemed like she was wondering how many spiders he could feed before dismissing the thought.

“I think he’d give them diabetes,” Taylor said, as though reading her mind, “So what was the plan again? We go watch a movie, then an arcade, ice cream, then presents, right?”

It took her a moment to process the question, she was still a bit overwhelmed. “Umm, yeah! Yeah. Not sure what movie we’re watching though?”

“Well, there are two movies they’re replaying that I think you girls, and Ron, will enjoy,” Chuck said, having been the one to suggest the plan. “There’s Spiderman and Star Wars Episode Two: Attack of the Clones.” He paused for a moment before continuing with, “The first is a superhero movie and the second is a scifi one,” He explained for the magicals in the group.

Said group including Fred, George, Ginny, Ron, and their parents.

Hera rubbed her chin. “Spiderman sounds fun,” She said, “Does he control spiders?” She grinned at Taylor for a moment.

“No, he was bitten by a radioactive one and got all the strength of a spider and web shooting,” Taylor clarified, “I saw the trailer.”

“Superhero?” Arthur asked, curiosity in his voice.

“Think of them as… Aurorers, only without the legal authority to make any arrests,” Chuck said after some thought.

“Vigilanties then,” He replied with a nod, “And because muggles don’t have magic, people with powers that seem magic are put into the roles of villains and heroes?”

Hera blinked, she hadn’t expected him to realize that.

“Yep,” Taylor agreed.

“That does explain why these ‘superhero’ things show up on my desk so often,” He confided, “Wizards claiming to be able to give a muggle powers when really they’re cursing the poor things.”

“And that explains that.” Honestly why wizards and witches would do that just boggles her mind.

[hr][/hr]

The movie was pretty good! And Hera was still shocked that Mr. Weasley didn’t ask questions during the entire thing! Though she supposed Ron made up for it, thank goodness for magic otherwise they probably would’ve been kicked out of the theater for talking too much.

Of course, now that they were in the car and nearly to the arcade Taylor and Amy were mocking the hell out of it. “I’d have just put my thumb in Ben’s gunshot wound,” Taylor said, “I can confirm that it does work!”

Hera filed that away for later reference. When she’d have ever needed to learn it, she didn’t know but… every critique and joke they said just told her one thing.

There was more to her two friends than they let on. By a lot.

“You two concern me, sometimes,” Hermione eventually said to the mocking sisters, giving them a flat look of annoyance.

“Inconsistencies, stupidity, and plotholes demand mockery, Athena and I will not deny it.” Taylor retorted with her head held high.

“Besides, if she doesn’t get it out she’ll express it through the bugs and that’ll get a lot of attention,” Amy added dryly.

“Would not!” Taylor retorted with a grin, “I’d express it through you! Much easier to hide!”

Hera shook her head and tried to tune out the chaos.

“Are those two always this lively?” Mrs. Weasley asked genuinely curious.

“Sometimes,” Hera answered, “It just depends on how playful Taylor’s feeling at the moment.”

“She means usually,” Ron said with a grin, “Almost all the time.”

“Pretty much,” Hera said, “She’s a drama queen.”

“Am not!” Taylor whined before slumping, “All of you are traitors.”

“There, there. It’ll be fine, Dark Lady Skitter,” Amy deadpanned as she patted her sister’s shoulder.

Hera giggled before the car came to a stop, it was time for the arcade! She’d never really been to one, so she was looking forward to trying out the games. All she’d done before was have some cold pizza.

“Alright kids, stay together and don’t cause any trouble,” Mrs. Weasely said looking specifically at the twins.

“Come on mum, would we do that?” George asked with a smile.

“Yes, yes you would,” Their mother retorted flatly.

[hr][/hr]

The pizza, admittedly, had not improved from the last time she’d ‘gone with’ Dudley… but the games were really fun to play! Admittedly, Taylor had won… all of the high scores, something about having experience there or something, while Amy had routinely gotten second or third place.

Hermione did the best of everyone that weren’t freakishly good though.

Bonus: they had enough tickets to get all of the best prizes, which doubled as extra birthday presents.

But the day was getting close to the end, and despite how she wished it’d never end the Weasleys had to go home.

“So, wanna have a sleepover with us?” Taylor asked over ice cream, “You’re invited as well, Athena,” She added.

“Sure!” Hermione said with a smile, “Sounds fun.” They’d already opened presents, though Taylor and Amy were keeping theirs hidden still. She was inordinately pleased with what she’d gotten from everyone, even if the Weasley’s gave her a single collective gift it was still more than she’d ever gotten before.

Hedwig and the Hogwarts letter were still better overall, but that was apples and oranges.

“I’d love to,” Hera said as Hermione went to tell her own parents that she’d be staying over with the second pair of trouble makers she’d met. “How will we get there? Magic?” She always loved seeing new magic.

“Car sadly,” Taylor said, “Portkeys don’t really work on estate grounds, and well… teleporting in fae land is just a bad idea in general.”

“Well I wouldn’t say no magic is used,” Aif said, smirking from Chuck’s right side, “We’ll be taking a Trod, a passageway that flits in and out of my ancestor’s lands and the mortal world. It’s just that our physical transport will, yes, be a car.”

“She hasn’t yet explained how they work to me…” Chuck said, rubbing his face, “She acts mysterious, but I think the truth is that she doesn’t actually know.”

His wife pouted at him, a look that tugged on her heart strings like only one other thing ever had (Hedwig had evil puppy dog eyes), as he laughed and kissed her on the nose. If Hera didn’t know any better, she’d have assumed Taylor and Amy were actually their biological children.

“That sounds neat!” Hera said with a smile, “Is there anything we aren’t supposed to do there? I know that we aren’t supposed to take gifts…”

“True, but your gifts are coming from Taylor and Amy, not myself,” Aif said, hand going to her chest, “And thus I will gain no power over you. Until you eat breakfast, but at that point you’ll already owe me slightly for staying in my house. The price is simple… clean up after yourself.” Hera blinked at that, she’d been prepared for much worse. “It seems fair, no?”

More than fair really, and she said as much before pausing. Taylor and Amy had both pulled out gifts for her.

Taylor’s came first, a small silver ball that looked like a Golden Snitch, but instead of insect wings it had angel wings. “It does some things that a Golden Snitch can’t do,” Taylor explained, “But it’s a bit slower. It also doesn’t become easier to catch for the person that touched it first, so it’s good for practice. Instructions are in the box.”

She hadn’t expected to be given something Quidditch related from her, but that made it a bit more special.

“Next, is some jewelry we… stole from our vault?” Amy shook her head, “The whole thing is confusing. Just think of it as a vision quest, but here,” She said as she offered Hera a box.

“Oh, these are really pretty,” She said with a smile, the small earrings reminding her heavily of the two girls.

“Oh and since you like quidditch, I got you some books on it,” Taylor said, passing her another larger and rather hefty box.

“Books? Did Hermoine talk you into getting them?” Hera teased, making her bookish friend huff and Amy snicker.

“... They were going to be curse books but Chuck said no?” Taylor said with a pout.

“Not until you’re in your fifth year, and even then they’ll have to be checked by me,” Chuck said, “Not Aif. I love her so, but her idea of a good spell to learn is more than a little suspect.”

The fairy continued to pout.

Hera hugged the two and Hermione, when she had gotten close enough to be dragged into it anyway.

The day had easily become her best birthday ever… aside from the year before, but that didn’t really count. And school was going to start up again soon! She really hoped it wasn’t as… crazy as the year before, but that was probably too much to wish for.