Our Story

Magic Returns; Althea’s Concern (pt.1)





Althea sat in her portrait, combing her hair and looking out at her sleeping girls. She glanced at Andromeda and couldn’t even begin to imagine what was going on in her head. She could only imagine that it was not pleasant. She had to tell her everything that really transpired that night and who was responsible. She couldn’t let her suffer like that. She would do it first thing in the morning, as soon as they both woke up.



She watched as Andromeda’s breath hitched in her sleep. She put down her brush and stepped close to the portraits edge to watch Andromeda a little more closely. She felt as if she could feel the nervousness run throughout her body for the girl lying in bed, as she was now tossing and turning roughly. She could hear Andromeda begin to whimper in her sleep and soon she had her hands pressed against the outside of her portrait. She could feel her heart jump into her though when she saw Andromeda begin to cry. “No, Andromeda, wake up dear!” She tried to yell in a hushed manner as not to wake Alison up.



“No! Ted! No! Please stop. Please tell me it can’t be true.” Andromeda began to cry out in her sleep. “You promised you would never hurt me. I loved you. Why?” Tears continued to steam down her cheeks, turning them red.



Althea couldn’t bear to see and hear the girl she thought of as her own in so much pain. She began to try yelling from her portrait for either of the girls to wake up. She stood there with her wand in her hand, out of habit, and couldn’t help a feeling of helplessness wash over her. She now turned her focus on Alison and trying to wake her up. She cried out to her with no avail. Her portrait was too far away from her.



Andromeda was now sobbing violently into her pillow and looked to be caught in her our nightmare and unable to hear Althea. Her heart was hurting so for the girl that she almost mistook the vibrations coming from her wand for her hand shaking. She looked at her wand and recognized that vibrations from when she was alive. She wondered if it could possibly be her magic returning to her. She had to take a chance, there was nothing to lose. She aimed her wand at a brush that sat on the vanity and said, “Wingardium Leviosa!” The brush rose up and thought ‘How is this even possible?’ She was shaken out of her state of shock by another of Andromeda’s louder sobs. Althea had an idea.



She set the brush down and looked over to Alison’s bedside table and located a stuffed bear that sat there. She took aim again and levitated the bear and moved it to hover over Alison’s head. She removed the incantation and let the bear fall onto Alison.



Alison woke with a start as she felt something strike her in the head. “Huh? What in the world…” She began when she heard Althea’s panicked voice and Andromeda’s sobs.



“There is no time, dear.” Althea said pointing towards Andromeda’s bed. “I’ll explain later, but please hurry and wake Andromeda.” She wanted Andromeda out of that nightmare so badly.



Alison heard another cry come louder from Andromeda’s bed. She rushed over to her friend’s bed and began to shake her slightly. “Andromeda, Wake up!” When she saw her friend begin to stir she let out a sigh of relief. “You were crying and having a nightmare. Are you okay?” she was scared for her friend when she saw the look of despair in her friend’s eyes.



“I am so sorry for that. The whole scene was replaying in my nightmare. I didn’t mean to wake you.” Andromeda said as she hugged Alison.



“Actually…” Alison started, sheepishly, as she thought of the bear that hit her. “You didn’t wake me.” She turned towards Althea’s frame and Andromeda followed her gaze. “Did you throw that bear at me?” She asked Althea, very confused.



“Well not exactly. I dropped it on you, no throwing.” She said, wringing her hands, as both girls stared dumbfounded at her. She took her wand and pointed it at the book sitting on Andromeda’s night table, “Wingardium Leviosa.” The book levitated and floated up and down.



“How is this possible?” Andromeda asked, swishing her hand through the air beneath the book before Althea let the book float back down and land on the night table.



“I am not entirely quiet sure. You can bet I will be going to have a talk with the headmaster to find out just what is happening. I wanted to make sure you were ok though. I couldn’t bear to see you suffering, trapped in that nightmare of yours, dear.” She said and felt a tear rolled down her cheek.



“Thank you so much for watching out for us. What would we do without you?” Andromeda was touched that Althea cared for her as her own.



“Don’t worry. I’ll always find away to be around you, both of my girls.” She beamed motherly at both of them. “But there is something I need to talk to you about. I saw Balthus this evening, and he was helping a very dazed Ted back to his dorms.” She said cautiously.



“What!?!” Alison said and she stood up suddenly with her fist balled at her sides in anger.



“Ali please calm down.” Althea interrupted. “There is more to the story. He stayed up in the owlery long after the both of you left. He saw what really was happening and who was behind it. He told me everything. We have so much to talk about.” She sat down on her chaise and began to tell them the whole story and leaving nothing out. She wanted her girls to know the whole truth about this. She knew that Ted was someone extremely important to Andromeda and didn’t want her missing out on her true love.