Wand Maker

Chapter 12

Previously on Wand Maker:

"No, don't touch that, Heather! It was made by a person who willingly serves niggers!" she yelled. "In the state we are in, you should know better."

Emiliea's welcoming face turned cold and stony. "I don't believe that the work of one should effect millions of others. Now, out!" ... "You will never be welcome back here. You are banned from this store, and frankly, should be banned from this shopping center! Don't ever come back!"

She went inside and slammed the door. A twirl of the wand, a shimmer over the door, and she was pacing back and forth, muttering under her breath.

"Emiliea? What was that all about? What did she mean by 'In the state we are in'?"

Emiliea looked at me and whispered "Alnnari."

"Alnnari?" I asked.

"Gesundheit." Joseph joked.

"Let's go in the back." Emiliea lead us away. We sat down on the ground while she paced around the room. I wanted to ask her what she meant, but she looked traumatized and hurt, so I decided to hold off.

Finally, she conjured up three chairs. We sat in them tentatively.

She drew in a shaky breath. "What do you already know about Alnnari?"

"Nothing." was my immediate answer.

"I know something about him." Joseph said. "He's a wizard terrorist from Africa. Destroyed thousands of homes in Houston: the No-Majs have labeled it as Hurricane Harvey. They say that he was the reason that Trump was elected- whoever he is- and that he's influencing more people everyday to think little of minorities."

"That's exactly right. And in true American style, wizards have taken to calling every black witch or wizard there is a terrorist. It's worse than it's ever been- they seriously considered withdrawing all black witches and wizards at Ilvermorny, the government is having all black administrators go through a background check and be kept on a virtual leash, and everyone is now suspicious of thy neighbor." Emiliea sighed. "Alnnari is known for his mind control techniques- Occlumency, the Imperius curse, and spells said to be developed by the man himself. He rarely ever appears at his target sites- other people are brainwashed into doing it for him. Under that theory, all government officials should be put through the same thing, but they aren't."

"Why?" Joseph asked.

"Because we're in America, that's why," I found myself saying. "Equal rights aren't equal, no matter what they say about it."

Emiliea made eye contact with me. She understood. She understood everything.

"I-I have a wand." He said. I looked at him carefully. "I think it's one of Alnnari's."

She rounded on him. "How do you have that in your possession?"

"My-my dad works for the government. He brought that home once- was investigating it, and I took it from his lab." He lied.

"Let's try this again." Emiliea got really close to him. "How. Did. You. Get. That. Wand." With every carefully enunciated word, she got closer to him until she was inches away from his face. "And remember, I can tell when you're lying."

He sighed. "There was a terrorist attack in Missouri a few weeks ago. Dad- who really does work for the government, by the way- was nearby, on vacation with us. He had to go smooth things out with the No-Majs. I tagged along with him, I piggybacked on his Apperation, slipped into an alleyway before he could find me, and found the wand. I practically stepped on it." He mumbled. I found no lies. Neither did Emiliea, by the look on her face.

She peered into his eyes, then into mine. "You are lucky to be alive. A wand of his... I don't even want to imagine such a wand. It would be so full of power, so ridiculously charged, that only one of a pure soul could possibly handle it without a soul shatter. One as evil and ambitious as Alnnari would not only go insane, but would permanently taint the wand. Tainting wands is never good." She spoke directly to Joseph now. "Do you have it with you?"

He shook his head. "I left it at home. I never want to touch it or see it or hear of it ever again."

She snorted. "Smart, but not wise. Just leaving it there? How is it that anyone else hasn't found it yet? A family as big as yours, you'd think that someone would've stumbled across it by now."

He brightened. "It's in a protected drawer. Dad originally charmed it that way, but I managed to worm my way through the protective barriers enough to open it. I sealed it back up, don't worry." he added after seeing the looks on our faces. "That's my specialty, you know. I go through what other people have already enchanted and I break it or make a hole in it. Like a magical hacker."

"I don't believe you." I retorted. He didn't seem to be lying, but I really wanted to see him in action.

"Fine." He moved over to a section of wall. Long fingers hovered right over the wood, dancing and fingertips skimming it. Little threads became noticeable, and he tugged on them. Suddenly, it was like an entire tapestry had been pulled out of water, its glimmering knots and shining threads fully visible. His fingers grabbed at a thread. It broke, and a tear became visible in the fabric of the spell. His hands moved clumsily through it, snapping threads like his fingers were scissors. Soon, all that remained was a ragged outline, a clear hole in what was once a spell. I blinked and it was like a curtain had been pulled away. The door was there, plain and simple, standing like a normal one should.

"Inefficient and crude," Emiliea spoke up, "But good."

Joseph blushed. "Thank you."

Emiliea turned to me. "Now, about those books..."

HeeellllllLLLLLOOOOOOOO EVERYONE!!

I am so extremely sorry for the long wait- if you haven't heard by know, I am trying to get back in the groove of school and writing at the same time, so I had to take a break for a bit as I figured it out. Remember those guidelines I posted for myself? Yeah, I can barely get the homework in on the "guidelines" my teachers set for me, let alone figure out how to post for two books at once during the same time.

Anyways, how did you like my slightly-longer-than-needed chapter? I figured you guys deserved it, after this long of a wait. Plus, I needed to get Joseph's abilities out there for you to ponder over. Magical hacker? At eleven? Yeah, he's got talent. It'll be important later, so just keep it in mind.

What else...

Um...

I think that's it...

Oh yeah! Song!

This song is from a musical called Dear Evan Hanson. But before you scroll right past and pretend you never saw it, please keep in mind that this is a modern musical, meaning that it resembles pop culture music more than it does actual musical music. You don't need to know much plot about this song in particular (it's near the beginning of the musical, so not a whole lot of plot stuff yet) other than the fact that Evan has social anxiety.

"Waving Through A Window", Dear Evan Hanson.

Umm... oh yeah!

Thank you for helping me reach 100+ reads! I know, I know, not a lot, but I do appreciate it (especially to those of you who stuck through my temper tantrum that I deleted around chapter 10. It was wayyyyyy unprofessional and completely unfair. I am sorry).

I think that's all, folks! If not, I'll think of something to edit back in later.

Bye!

-Nymph

(P.S. 9-26-17- it's come to my attention that I accidentally published this without the song... oops. Oh well- you get it now)