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[JustJoe]

If the approaching babysitter had been watchful, she would have noticed the glum face of a twelve year old girl pressed up against the window of the attic room that faced over what the neighbours claimed was a mess of garden (it was actually supposed to be a wild garden) and the flagged paving like stepping stones between flowering stems of grass that approached the grey granite house.
The attic wasn’t the girl’s bedroom, she had a perfectly ordinary bedroom on the first floor which was in keeping with the rest of the perfectly ordinary house, excluding this room. She was up here because this room had an enchanted lock on the door, which meant she could sulk about her parents leaving without them making her feel guilty about it by doting over her.
Having watched the baby sitter reach the front door and sound the ‘ding dong’ of the doorbell, the girl briefly abandoned her post at the window and paced across the age stained floorboards to the rows of shelves along the wall. Row upon row of glass jars reflected the bright little window of midday light behind her. There were all sort of things in the jars. Dried things, salted things, sugared things, pickled things, preserved things, burnt things, powdered things, bits of things, all sorts of things. And yet curiously even this vast collection didn’t seem to be enough, the girl’s mother and father were traveling all the way to Mongolia to try and get a Yeti fang.
The importance of the trip had been explained to the girl, with all the materials her mother would be able to brew a potion that would fortify the heart of one of the town’s present sufferers of heart disease. The man was already said to be in some pain and if he wasn’t helped he would certainly die before he even got the chance to watch his children grow up.
It still didn’t seem fair though, of all the parents in the world why did hers have to be special? Why did they have to carry such responsibilities? It wasn’t even as if the townsfolk realised they have a benevolent magical family living amongst them, no one ever thank them when an illness miraculously disappeared, or a missing person was found, or family pet mysteriously managed to survive a fire.

Downstairs Sebastian Hawthorn and Susan Hawthorn had just answered the door to the teenaged girl who was going to be babysitting their only child, Hera, indefinitely over the Summer until they were able to get back home.
Mr Hawthorn was awkward but kindly looking man. He was the sort of tall skinny type with a pair of old fashioned circular rimmed spectacles perched upon the bridge of his beaklike noise that never looked out of place the faculty longue of school or university. He was even wearing a tweed jacket.
He had bushy eyebrows and some creases that stretched around his eyes than made him look wise but upon extending his hand to greet the babysitter he wore an easy going smile which came naturally to him.
“Welcome. Welcome, you must be Emma, you’re right on time. Thank you for coming.” His handshake was firm and enthusiastic, bouncing up and down a couple of times before he let go and reached an arm around his wife. “And this is Sue.” He said it with a doting sort of affection that suggested despite both adults being middle aged, they were very much still in love. “Hera is in the attic feeling rather cross with us I’m afraid but she’ll come down when she gets bored or hungry. Oh and Sibi you’ll probably meet later on as well.” Sibi had not been mentioned in the correspondence when Emma had been applying for the position. Mr Hawthorn seemed to that notice of her concern, “Don’t worry, he pretty much just looks after himself.”
Mrs Hawthorn also greeted the babysitter with a warm smile but she was gentle and only shook Emma’s hand once. “We’ve prepared a room for you upstairs. If you would like to follow us we can show you the way and let you put your things away.”
The room was beside Hera’s, it was quite small, it had just been a sort of home office but all the books, files and the computer had been moved up to a corner in the attic when it had been decided that Emma would come and live in the house for the duration of her role as Hera’s babysitter.
The room itself was furnished in very neutral tones, it made it a little boring and reminiscent of a hotel but it had been safe thinking. If the Emma was going to be living here for a while the Hawthorns hadn’t wanted to create a room she would absolutely hate living in.
Really she would be quite comfortable, it had all the creature comforts including a little TV and a stereo for entertainment.
“I’m afraid we need to get going if we’re going to catch the first of the flights.” Mr Hawthorn announced a little weary sounding just at the thought of all the time they would have the spend travelling to get half way around the world. “We’ll leave you to explore the rest of the house by yourself but I just want to go other a few things again before we leave you in peace. First of all there is an envelope on the kitchen table addressed to you, it contains some cash which you can consider a down payment of your first three weeks here, I insist you are to spend it on yourself, for household expenses we’ve set up a debit account for you to use, you’ll find the card in that same envelope. As for the house rules we’ve already gone over them with Hera so she doesn’t have an excuse to disobey them, however she probably will try and pester you into letting her go flying her broomstick, we sometimes take her out to the moorland about a mile away from the town to practice but obviously we wouldn’t permit her to go out there on her own and nor do we expect you to go out and watch her. We do allow Hera to practice minor magic inside the house or in the garden if the neighbours are away but she isn’t allowed to attempt any new spells without supervision. Otherwise she is generally quite a good girl, if you just use your common sense then you’ll be absolutely fine. Hopefully we’ll be back sooner than later but we’ll keep calling every now and again to let you know where to contact us just in case you do need to urgently ask us something.”

Hera was at the window again, watching her mother and father carrying bags across to their car. Precariously she pushed her weight against the stiff old hinges until the window and she dropped the some Lamprocapnos spectabilis flowers she had taken from one of the jars out of her hand. They were heart shaped, and with a flick from her wand and quite incantation the floated down across Hera’s parents paths. It caught their attention and set down there bags for a moment to wave up towards their daughter, wishing her goodbye, before gesturing she should close the window.

[diapergirl666]

As I walked up to the house I would be spending my summer in I smiled. It was one of though big old houses, with that warm kinda homely feel you only get in old buildings. All of the houses in this area looked like this, which was quite odd as non magical folk don't normally keep their houses this nice and this was a mostly none magical area. I think the Hawthorn's are the only magic family on this street.That must kinda suck for their kid I know when I was her age I hated having to hide my magic but I didn't have to in my area because all my neighbors are magic. Sadly though they are also all rather dangerous and hate none magic folk my parents included.

I have never been much like my parents. They think that all none magic folk are scum and should be treated like animals. I guess that is why they don't like me much. You see I am rather smart and do very well in school and know all you can about spells I just can't do them to save myself. I have very little magical ability and mess up even the simplest of spells. It was kinda embarrassing that the kid I was babysitting was probably more skilled than me. Well anyway because I am so bad at magic my parents make my life hell, which is why as soon as I had the chance to stay somewhere all summer I took it even though I don't really know a thing about looking after kids. I was just going to try and stick to the rules her parents told me.

When I entered I greeted them and shock both of their hands. "You have a lovely home."I said polity.

"Well thank you dear."Mrs Hawthorn said. She was a rather tall woman with long dirty blond wavy hair, a slightly plump figure and green eyes. She was starting to age slightly in her face but still looked rather attractive, far more attractive than me anyway. I am rather small at only 5'5, have short messy brown hair which I can never control, very very pale skin and huge bags under my blue eyes. I was dressed in blue jeans and a dark green shirt. I was a little plump but still toned and had a kinda womanly shape but still looked very young.

When he said about Sibi I bit my lip shyly a bit nervous about that. I hopped I could do a good job of this I didn't want these nice people mad at me. I followed them to the room and smiled. "This is great "I said. It was much bigger than my own room. When they said about my payment I smiled. "Thank you so much"I siad. This would be my first time ever in my 17 year on Earth that I would have my own money.

I listened to all their instructions and nodded. "Ok I will take good care of your daughter. Good luck on your trip."I said. I knew they were off getting something to probably help someone else in the area. They were always doing that.

​As they left Sue looked rather sad and said to her husband. "I hate it when she doesn't come down to say good bye." She loved her daughter and hated it when she was mad at them. When they leaft the house and saw the hearts falling from the sky they looked up with a smile. Sue blew a kiss at her daughter. The kiss was magic and flew up and landed on her cheek and the words. "We love you baby girl be good." Could be heard by their daughter.

Once they were both gone I took a good look around the big house. I leaft my bag pack full of cloths for the summer in my room and headed down stairs. This place was fancy as hell . I went and got the money and put it in my purse along with the bank card. I then thought I better find Hera.

I headed upstairs and called for her. "Hera!" I called out into the house.

[JustJoe]

[Very good start. Let’s try and keep this quality up.]

All the floors in the house rested upon a large timber frame, because of this the house could always be heard squeaking and creaking quietly whenever everything was silent and the curse warding charms hanging from the exposed rafters up here in the attic rattled and chimed from the pressure change as Hera heaved the window closed again as she had been bade. These were he sounds of loneliness, the signs of absence and the harbinger of the knowledge that she was all alone here and yet Hera found the peace somewhat comforting, like a respite before the distress of her parents absence would really set in when she started to miss them.
The girl was still sitting by the window, with her back to it, the long tresses of her auburn hair catching the light and appearing like a flame from outside. She was just watching the charms as the continued to chime, the bits of bone and gem stone and etched clay twirling on their strings. She found the fascinating, she found all sorts of magic’s fascinating and couldn’t wait until the day she old enough to go to one of the magical schools and study with other magical people. At least that was one thing she was looking forward to with the new ‘child-minder’ (as she preferred to term the babysitter), Emma was apparently a witch herself and would have gone to one of the schools, maybe she could teach her some cool things?

As she heard her name being called Hera hesitated, with her mother’s voice still fresh in her ears at first she thought it was her calling her, that perhaps by some lucky chance of fate her parents were no longer going to Mongolia and were calling her downstairs to give her the good news but she had heard the car crunching over the gravel driveway as they left, she hadn’t heard it returning.
Upon the second call Hera realised it must have been Emma calling her. Deciding that it might be good to make a good impression if she wanted a cordial relationship with her new child minder and a chance to learn more about the magical world, she left the magical room and met Emma on the landing just outside of her bedroom where it looked like the teenager had been about to enter in search of her.
Hera was glad she had caught Emma before she had opened the door, her bedroom was kind of on the girly side, she hadn’t really outgrown the love of dollies or pink and purple yet like some of the non-magical people she sometimes played with, so her room could be a subject of embarrassment when guests were invited over but fortunately her parents hadn’t yet expressed any voice that they wanted her to change it.

The child-minder herself kind of surprised Hera, she did look like some of the seventeen year olds Hera had seen hanging around the shopping centres with boys around their arms, but Emma thought those girls could look quite intimidating so this was welcome surprise, Emma did look quite friendly. Still, Hera was strictly speaking still a child and she had yet to master a sense of tact, tending to be very direct to the point of bluntness with her questions.
“Are you sure you’re seventeen?” the cute short girl dressed in pink sweatshirt and pair of white shorts asked her new guardian in an inquisitive tone. She was playing with her fingers as she spoke, a sign that she was nervous meeting the stranger for the first time.

[diapergirl666]

When the small girl showed up right in front of me I almost jumped. One problem with old houses as they could seem rather creepy at times. The way the house creeked and the fact that you could hear the wind going though it was almost like a ghost. I calmed down however when I realized it was just Hera. "Hi you must be Hera I'm Emma"I said thinking I should introduce myself since she had never met me.

Her question took me by surprised. Jeez kids are blunt I thought but notice the kinda nervous stance she had and figured it was just cureiousity so I tried (doesn't mean I succeed) to not be offended. I tried to reply in a kinda light hearted jokey manner but it came out rather sarcastically. "No I'm 71. Of course I am 17."I said.

I looked the girl over slightly and noticed she looked a little cutesy for her age. I was well aware that most magical children are rather like old fashioned non magical children and don't always grow out of the cute childish ways at an early age. However in resent years with none magical people and magical people integrating with each other so much magical children do often get a more grown up modern look. This is what you learn after years of your childhood being spent watching other children play with who they like and your parents only letting you play with the highest standered of little witch or wizard. This should have meant I was like Hera here and was very childish into my preteens but no because my parents were so hard on me I had to grow up early. I guess I was kinda jealous of kids like Hera because of that.

"He he cute outfit you look like a sweet little girl."I said in a kinda teasing way and ruffled her hair.I couldn't help but notice she was a very pretty child and her hair was like the cherry on top of the cake. I wish I had hair like hers.

[JustJoe]

Unfortunately sarcasm didn’t run easily off Hera’s feathers, she took it to heart too easily not distinguishing between genuine meanness and what in this case was a light hearted icebreaker. Living in a community where she not only felt different but quintessentially was different by heritage meant Hera had felt her share of bullying, to the extent that it made her suspicious and sometimes introverted. Sometimes it was so bad that she wasn’t able to hear people talking or laughing without thinking that it must be at her expense. It was disappointing for her that she was now with someone of her own kind and yet she still couldn’t feel comfortable.
Hera shied away from the hair ruffling and retreated with a pout, it wasn’t that she was annoyed with Emma messing up the style, she only wore it loosely anyway unless they were going out and her mother offered to so something fancy with it, what annoyed Hera was being treated without respect. It was like Emma was trying to make a physical statement that she was the one in charge here. That combined with the sarcasm and Hera already felt like the teenager didn’t like her for some reason. That didn’t seem fair at all, how could her parents just leave her here with someone who was going to beastly towards her all Summer, they had promised Emma seemed like a nice girl.
Fortunately Hera was not a child to be easily deterred, she was still hopeful and optimistic about her child-minder being a magic user, perhaps if she could get Emma to teach her some things then it would even be a bonding experience and the teenager would learn to like her?
“So you’ve been to school and studied witchcraft? Mum and Dad say I could be a good witch, can you teach me some magic? Please. I’ve already practised some basic enchantments and incantations.” Hera’s big brown eyes were impeaching her enthusiasm bubbling; only her sense of timing was off. She didn’t know how long Emma had spent traveling to get here, the teenager probably just wanted to get set up in room and rest for a bit before making sure her young charge was entertained.

[diapergirl666]

As she pouted I rolled my eyes. Kids never happy. As she asked about magic I frowned. By the sounds of it she could probably do more spells than I can. This is why I wanted to watch a non magical child but if I did that my parents would most likely kill them because their nice like that. With a non magical child I wouldn't have to worry about them noticing how little magic I can do. I did not want to be teased by a child.I was also really tiered from my trip and needed a rest so I was rather annoyed by her request.

"Squirt I just got here I am too tiered to play with you just now. Why don't you go color or something while I get some shut eye."I said with a yawn. "Oh and while I'm here no magic. I am not fixing up your house if you blow it up"I said thinking it was a resonabel rule for a young witch not to be allowed to do magic while the home owners weren't here.This rule also meant she won't be demanding to see me do any spells.

I headed to my room and dumped my bag and unpacked some of my clothing and tolitries. I pulled off my shoes and took off the belt on my jeans so I could get comfy for a nap. I lay on the bed and sighed happily it was a nice big comfy bed, very soft but still furim enough to give support. I soon drifted off hugging one of the large pillows slightly.

[JustJoe]

[Just to let you know, I'm going to Dublin for the Weekend so won't hear from me.]

Two glittering circlets greeted Emma as awoke, the gentle weight of the cat unnoticed as the black coated feline had crept through the open window and pounced upon her bed in order to examine the newcomer. That was supposed to be his primary concern as the family familiar, protecting the family from all intruders. The tips of sharp little claws rested lightly on the skin just above the collar line of Emma’s top. Judging in his esteemed opinion that the teenager was not a threat and with all over evidence suggesting this was the new babysitter, the cat retracted his claws.
“Hello.” It purred, seating its bottom down on Emma’s stomach, so it could reach behind its ear with its hind leg to stretch a sudden itch. The other pointed ear twitched and cocked slightly more towards the door, hearing a certain somebody climbing the stairs before Emma could make out the hurried stomping. “Here come’s trouble.” The cat announced with a dry tone of certainty.

Just as he finished the door clicked and swung inwards, Hera entered with grass trailing off her white and pink trainers, bits of leaf and twig in her caught in her tangled hair, and a jar held out in her hands.
“I caught a fairy! I caught a fairly!” she announced excitedly, obviously extremely keen to show Emma the find. Hera then noticed the black cat holding Emma hostage. “Sibi! Behave!” She set down her jar on the bed said table and gathered the cat around its stretchy middle, lifting off and setting him of the floor. The cat promptly leapt up onto the bedside table to scrutinise the contents of the jar.
“It looks like an insect to me.” Sibi stated without doubt, “Omocestus viridulus, the common grasshopper. I suppose its wings are like that of a fairy.”

Hera looked crest fallen, pressing her face up against the glass to see for herself, springing against the sides was indeed a small green grasshopper.
“But I did catch a fairy! I did.”
Given how mean Emma had been to her on the landing earlier and how unfair the rule about her not being allowed to practice was, Hera had gone outside to play in the garden to try and cheer herself up and to be on her own. When she had seen the flash of the blurring wings as they caught the sun she had chased after the creature through the long grass which was as tall as she was and even climbed all the way up the first few boughs of a plum tree in pursuit. When she had finally examined her specimen she had seen the bipedal miniature humanoid body of a fairy, she was certain of that, she didn’t know how to explain what a common insect was doing in its place.
“It’s magic it must be disguising itself.” She insisted in a panic, aware of how stupid she would look if no one else believed her.
The cat shook its head, “Unlike yours my eyes see through all enchantments. I can assure you it is what you see before you.”
“When then… Then it magicked itself out of the jar and magicked the grasshopper inside instead to trick us… They can do that can’t they Emma? Fairies, can do that.” Hera was hoping Emma would be able to draw upon the vast knowledge of magical creatures she probably learnt at school, to support her theory. Even if her assumptions were entirely wrong it would have been nice just to have someone on her side.

[diapergirl666]

I woke up with a sudden pressure on my body. I groaned and opened my eyes and yelped to see a cat in my face. I love cats but this cat had me pinned down in a rather threatening way. When it talked my eyes widened. Yes I knew talking cats were possible but I had never seen one as they were very rare.

When Hera came charging in I sighed. I have to make a knocking rule. When she got the cat off me and I realized who the cat was I looked at it shyly and said "Um I'm Emma the baby sitter"I said kinda shyly.I then looked up at Hera and my eyes widened. She was covered in dirt and grass and she had ran it though the hole house.She was going on about a fairy. I looked in her jar and rolled my eyes. I know my stuff and I know fairies are next to impossible to catch, well with a jar anyway.

"Hera a fairy is not going to let it's self be caught by a silly little girl like you."I said sounding rather anonyed. "Particuarly a silly little girl who dragged dirt all though the house. Clean that and yourself up right now and there is a new rule. Knock before entering my room I was trying to sleep."I snapped.

[JustJoe]

As if a blindfold had just been unravelled Hera turned her head to see the strands of grass strewn between the carpet hairs from the open doorway to nest of stalks wrapped around her own pair of shoes. Her eyes didn’t lift from her feet for a moment, she hadn’t even thought about making a mess, she hadn’t intended to but now she knew she was in trouble and felt like the silly child Emma was calling her for not having given a second thought to taking off her shoes at the doorstep in all her excitement before entering the house.
The admonishment Hera was prepared to accept, it was Emma’s demeaning statement which cut into her pride. As she lifted her head to begin an apology she found the annoyance in Emma’s expression was unwavering and suddenly apology seemed ill afforded. Why apologise to someone who wouldn’t afford you the forgiveness? Instead Hera just felt frustration with the child minder she seemed destined to grate against and bitterly disappointed that neither of her responsible elders believed her just because she was child.
Her expression became like a darkening cloud before the rain breaks and falls to earth. You could see the change slowly spreading as he features changed. Her eyes grew resentful, her lips pulled tight and joyless, her brow set with a firm punctuation of hostility. Then her eyes began to water, her lips quivered and her brow crossed in angst.
“Fine. I’ll just leave you too your sleep then, since that seems to be the only thing you’re interested in and not looking out for me!” Hera declared angrily as she retreated towards the door, her frustrations venting. “Mum and Dad told me you were going to be NICE!” her voice broke on the last word as her tears finally spilled open remembrance her mum and dad were gone and she was supposed to try and live with this horrible girl somehow. She didn’t give Emma the luxury of seeing her cry, she slammed the door shut leaving the teenager with the peace she so outwardly desired.

Back behind the closed the door Sibi looked unimpressed by the theatrics but he made no move to apologise for Hera either. Instead he deftly jumped up onto the bedside table where Hera had abandoned the jar containing the captured grasshopper. His tail curled around the cylindrical glass and he sat, the black tip tapping it silently as his eyes fixed on Emma in consideration.
“Are you going to eat that?” he asked, concluding Emma came across as a bit of a spoilt type (like almost all humans in the cat’s opinion) the sort to turn up a perfectly good snacking opportunity with all the added bonus of not having to actually chase the insect.

[diapergirl666]

When the little girl frowned and seemed to get upset I sighed. She has been spoiled by her parents affection. I am not here to play her silly little games 24/7 I am here to make sure she doesn't burn the place down. As she ran off in a huff I rolled my eyes but can't lie I did feel a little bad when I heard her voice crack a little.

When the cat asked me if I was going to eat that I made a slightly discussed face and pushed it towards the cat. "Go nuts"I said and stood up and went to the bathroom. I got washed and dressed into some comfay jeans and a long sleves grey top. I sighed when I saw the mess. I was going to make her clean it but I felt a little bad so I cleaned it up by hand....as always not able to use any spells to help me.

After that I made myself a bite to eat and sighed. Has the kid eaten yet? I headed up to her room. "Hay kid?"I called as I headed there. "Have you eaten yet?" I called out knowing i was my responsibility to make her food.

[JustJoe]

Hera had been moping in her room. She lay on her front across the Disney princess’s bedspread, elbows pressing into the comfortable mattress as she propped up her chin in her hands. She was chanting quietly, barely above a whisper, the same incantation over and over again. Meanwhile at the little writing desk nearby where she sat to do her homework, a pencil was levitating above pad of blank paper, the graphite point slowly dragging across the top page.
It was an exercise in concentration, something which always helped Hera to calm down.
She had to focus on an image in her mind and provided she was able to uphold her concentration the spell would see it drawn out on the paper for her. Her attempt was nothing special, just another cartoonish rendition of a black cat like Sibi.
Emma’s sudden shout up the stairs caused Hera to cease chanting, her features drawing into an annoyed scowl.
“I’m not hungry.” She called back, not waiting for Emma to come barging into the sanctity of her own bedroom so she could say it to her face. Hera had given up in trying to be polite or respectful, Emma had just called her ‘Kid’ after all. Had she already forgotten her name or something?
Rolling off the bed Hera went and took a look at her drawing. It would have been a good attempt, the lines were a little wonky but you would have been able to tell what it was, except now thanks to Emma it was incomplete and had a stray line scored through it. Hera had to pick her pencil off the floor, it’s point broken off.

[diapergirl666]

I rolled my eyes and headed up to her room when she said she wasn't hungry. I barged in and had to hold back a laugh at what I saw. The room looked like something a 5 year old girl would have not a girl of Hera's age. It was all pink and very childish. I chuckled a bit and said.

"Did you have breakfast cause if not I got to make you something your parents will will be if I let there.... apparently baby girl starve"I said with a chuckle as I looked at all the childish stuff in her room. She must be such a spoiled little thing I'm probably lucky that she is even potty trained.

I never remember having a room like this. I once again found myself feeling jealous of her. I would kill to have a child hood like hers with parents who love me.

[JustJoe]

“I said I’m not hungry!” Hera called again urgently as she listened to the footsteps beyond the door and realised Emma was still coming towards her room.
Hera’s the tips of Hera’s ears turned pink with embarrassment as she saw the bemused and condescending expression that dawned on Emma’s face as she looked around the room and they went even redder when Emma called her a baby. She wasn’t baby, what was wrong with liking dollies and teddies and ponies and things? It was Emma who was the baby, she was the one who liked to sleep all day and was grouchy all the time. Hera sensed it probably wasn’t a good idea to say this out loud though.

“Yes, I’ve had breakfast. I already told you I’m not hungry.” Hera answered with frustrated insistence, having said it once ought to have been enough. It also bothered her that Emma didn’t actually seem to care about her or her wellbeing, only so far as in doing her job as a child-minder. Hera was feeling tempted call her parents already and ask for someone else to watch her but her parents were probably on a plane already and there was only so much they would be able to do over the phone. They should have just never left in the first place.

As Emma lingered in the room and Hera noticed she continued to look over all the childish girly things with an apparently vested interest rather than disdainful observance Hera acted on an inclination, hopeful she was right and could maybe make something better of the confrontational situation.
“Would you like to play teddy bear’s tea party?” she asked in a kindly encouraging tone, extending the metaphorical olive branch in the form of a snowy white rabbit toy she had taken off the bed.

[diapergirl666]

I rolled my eyes at her frustrated tone but giggled at her blush at me calling her a baby. "Fine then I just had to make sure."I said wandering around her room as I spoke looking everything over a look of curiosity and longing on my face.

When the little girl asked me if I wanted to have a tea party with her bears almost every inch of me was screaming yes. I really wanted to cuddle with the teddies and play but because of the strengh of my desier it made my insecurities stronger and I snapped. "I don't play with toys I am a woman infact I never had toys."I said but the hurt at that curle fact shown though.

[JustJoe]

Hera recoiled shyly at the tone as if struck by a bullet, her rabbit held up in front of her like a shield but she slowly lowered it, her sense of empathy overcoming her sense of fear.
“You didn’t have any toys?” she picked up on pityingly, “You can have Snowy if you like?” she pushed the conventionally named white rabbit forward towards the child minder.

[diapergirl666]

When she moved back in fear I sighed frustrated at myself for showing such stress over this. When she looked at me like she felt sorry for me however I blushed. She made me feel like the kids. I didn't like this.

When she offered me the bunny I almost reached out for it. In fact I did. I took it and looked at it for a second being filled with an overwelming need to hug it but I reilized that she could see me and relutantly flung the soft bunny to the floor. "No I don't need toys"I blurted out and ran off feeling tears welling up behind my eyes.

I went to my room and lay down hiding my face in my pillow hugging it close.

[JustJoe]

Hera gasped in an alarm as she watched her animal toy being forcefully hurled to the floor, she didn’t wish to see one of her possessions damaged. It was a very ungrateful reaction from Emma which spoke nothing of the supposed maturity the teenager tried to lord over Hera but the girl suspected there was really a lot more hidden beneath it all and that perhaps her child minder wasn’t everything she had assumed she was upon first impressions. She was left feeling sorry for Emma. Had she really never had any toys? She couldn’t imagine what that must have been like.
Unsure of whether or not it was wise to go after Emma or not, Hera decided to stay in her room until such a time as it appeared Emma had calmed down. She busied herself with a teddy bear’s tea party like she had intended to play with Emma. She arranged some of her animal toys on the carpet in a circle and quietly crept down to the kitchen, having thought it would be a good idea to use some of her mother’s real plates and cups and a china teapot, rather than the plastic play ones she had had since she was a toddler. If Emma decided to come back she probably would have been more impressed with that.
Hera fetched her wand from its decorative case on her bedside table, the wand had been her present on Hera’s tenth birthday, it was very important to her, so despite being made from sturdy rowan wood, she didn’t usually like to carry it about on her person.
With it she cast a spell that brought her animals to life… figuratively speaking… it was a very rudimentary locomotive charm combined with a automaton one. It meant her teddies each preformed a specific motion such as turning their heads as if gossiping to one another, or reaching towards the teacups. It was enough to make the experience more fun, but it would have been nicer if Emma had wanted to play with her. The one thing Hera couldn’t yet do was any sort of charm that would give actual voices to the teddies, she had to do that all with her own voice, which meant the conversation was rather predictable.

In the guest bedroom Sibi was curled up beside the empty chair on Emma’s bedside table. He had been napping, but one bright green eye sparked upon as he heard the girl enter the room and then the other as he raised his head and stretched out.
“I will never understand why adolescent girls get upset so easily.” He announced with more an air of amusement rather than irritation, “Yes I suppose there a chemical imbalance due to hormones but you are a witch aren’t you? You could just balance them out again with a potion and you’ll be more like the adult people your age strive to be.” Sibi thought his observant comment was actually rather a sensible and helpful one.

They were both disturbed by the sudden and distinctive sound of breaking china.

[diapergirl666]

When the cat started talking to me I blushed and wipped my eyes. "Shut up fur ball"I snapped blushing bright red not wanting to admit how bad I was at magic.When we heard the smash I jumped. I ran to where I heard the smash. Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck. If something happenes I am so dead.

I got into her room and saw the smashed plate. It was one of her mothers fine plats. "What the Hell Hear!"I said annoyed. "You can't play with your mothers plates!"I yelled. I was angy, eomtional and scared about what her parents would do.

"Right your in trouble!"I snapped. I thought about how my parents punished me and I knew a spanking would be a bad idea for something like this. "Into the coner now"I said taking her by the shoulder and making her face the coner nose right in it. I gave her a small swat on the bum but not really a full spank.

[JustJoe]

Hera had been trying to extend the parameters of her spell. She wanted to see if she could make it so that her teddies could appear as if actually lifted the cups and saucers. They had no fingers or thumbs so in theory it wasn’t worth trying to enchant them to perform a gripping motion but she had an alternative idea. She would have the items levitate in sync with the movements of her toys. She was certain that would work, what she wasn’t certain of was how to cast a precise levitation spell on an inanimate object. She tried it first with one of the saucers. A smile dawned on her face as it floated a little ways above the floor but then unexpectedly it suddenly leapt towards the ceiling. In a panic Hera lost concentration and the plate came crashing back down again, smashing on the floor not far from her crossed legs. The girl was white face with shock as Emma came furiously charging in.

“Ow.” Hera whined as she was roughly handled and shoved into the corner. It was humiliating, this was the punishment they gave her at the non-magical primary school she attended if she was naughty. A few shameful memories came back to her as she stared into the paint on the wall, but mostly she was just annoyed she was being treated like this, it had been an accident after all, didn’t she get the chance to plead her case?
Then unexpectedly came a swat to her bottom. She only ever got a smack from her parents if she was really really naughty and she felt it was wrong for Emma to be giving her one. She began to sob quietly, not because she had been hurt but because her emotions were high. She knew her mother would be disappointed when she found out about the plate but also just being humiliated and treated like a child by a stuck up teenager who so obviously wanted to be child again herself was just beyond frustrating.

Hera had been left alone in the corner without any indication of how long she was supposed to stay there but she had no intention of waiting for Emma to come back and have the luxury of telling here the punishment was over. As soon as Hera was certain she had hear Emma go down the stairs she pushed herself out of the corner, snatched up her wand from the carpet and ran as fast as she could to the attic room.
She was panting and almost shaking with adrenalin as she closed the door behind her but she could relax up here. She was safe. The door had a magical lock which only a skilled enchantment and ward breaker would be able to deactivate.
Up here in the attic Hera felt comforted by the familiar surroundings and uplifted by the enjoyment the mystery of all the magical artefacts gave her. If only she knew a spell that would repair the plate or there was something in one of the jars that would sweeten Emma’s sour attitude? Then again, maybe all she really had to do was look?

There were a quite a few spell books on the shelves up here, some fairly standard, some a little more exotic brought back from abroad on her parents travels but like most magical families they had at least one book that was special, unique, and therefore powerful as it gifted magical knowledge other wizards might not know.
The book of Magnus stood apart from the rest of the collection on a pedestal. Hera wasn’t entirely certain who Magnus was. He was either a wizard who had been an ancestor of hers or a wizard whom one of her ancestors had defeated and thus claimed his book. She liked to think the later was true, from what she had secretively read of the tome so far, some of the spells had distinctively dark magic flare. Not something her parents would have wanted her practicing but unfortutantly for them there was no way of placing an enchantment on the book itself in order to keep its pages closed, being a source of magical energy itself in nullified any magics cast upon it. Hera had just been issued with a verbal warning that she wasn’t allowed to read from that book, a warning with lingered with her as she lifted it from the pedestal, but one she felt the circumstances rebuked.
She didn’t know how long she had spent looking through the book for a spell she felt was appropriate, but when she did find one she almost couldn’t believe how utterly perfect it was for dealing with the Emma situation.
If she understood correctly, she couldn’t read a number of the parts that were written in mystic runes, it was regression curse… spell. The spell was gradually revert Emma mentally back to a more childlike state of mind. It was brilliant, it would make Emma a lot more receptive to her own way of looking at things and it might even allow Emma to unwind enough to have some of the childhood experiences she felt like she had missed out on.
Hera draw a rune circle out on the floorboards, gathered what ingredients and artefacts she needed, then began casting the spell.

When she finished there wasn’t much to go on for assessing whether or not she had cast successfully other than a smouldering silver dish of herb ashes. It was certainly the most powerful spell she had ever cast though, she was left feeling utterly drained. After placing the spell book back she just crept down to her room without even thinking to go and check on Emma, falling into the soft embrace of her bed and sinking straight into sleep.

[diapergirl666]

I rolled my eyes as she cried in the coner. That didn't even hurt what was she crying for!? I tided up the plate and headed down stairs to cool off. Ah this was shit.....but still better than home. Just dealing with little Hera was harder than I thought. I tided up down stairs for about 40 mineuts when I started to feel odd.

I was just putting away a glass when a shiver went though my body. I put down the glass and sat on the floor worried I was going to faint. After a while the feeling passed but I still felt rather off and slightly worried. I kinda didn't want to be alone in this strange house so I went upstairs to let Hera out of her punishment.

When I got upstairs she wasn't in the coner but on her bed. I would have normaly been angry at her but I did kinda feel bad for her.....she must miss her parents. I remember back when I was too young to realize my parents didn't love me I would always cry when I was away from them. As I though on this I felt rather sad. I looked around the room and saw the bunny and couldn't help but take it in my arms and burry my head in its soft fur.