The Hated Hero

The Lost Wand

Out of a pocket of her backpack peeked out the one clay figurine of Gwillan's who had not joined with the large clay dragon.

"Hey there," Delphi said, taking it into her cupped hands again. "You fed me that potion-oh. You tried to save me from her, didn't you?"

The little clay dragon nodded.

"Thank you," she said. "I need your help. You and I both know that you can fly. You're tiny-you'll slip past the defense, won't you?"

The little dragon nodded again. Delphi set him down and plopped onto the ground, not caring if her robes got grass-stained again. She pulled out one of her notebooks and ripped out a bit and scribbled down at note with her pencil.

To whoever can help,

Ilvermorny is being attacked by a witch named Sibyl Pennykettle and we're surrounded with dragons. The staff and most of the students are in a deep slumber. Carren Starkiller is coming for the school at midnight. HELP!

-D. N. Lestrange

"Think you can get this to the president of the MACUSA?' Delphi asked.

The dragon chirped and nodded, an obvious yes.

"Thank you," she said, giving it to the little dragon. "Fly as fast as you can."

With that, the dragon took the paper and flew away. Delphi watched until he was out of sight. Her heart beat fast. Maybe, maybe if she could disarm or neutralize the old woman and her dragons. . .

"But I don't have a wand!" she cried to herself, and she kicked the tree root. She then heard a hissing in the wind, not quite distinguishable.

"Can you. . . Can you give me a wand?" Delphi asked, acting on an instinct. There was a hissing, and a green smoke filtered from the tree. The green light extended to Delphi, and in the middle was a long wand. Delphi picked it up, laying it in her hands. She tried to shoot some sparks from it-but couldn't. She heard the hissing again.

Desperate to understand the instructions to save her school, she closed her eyes to concentrate.

"You must awaken it with your tongue. . ."

Her eyes flashed open. She looked down to her wand.

"Awaken," she ordered. There was a glimmer in the wand, but nothing obvious. Delphi waved her new wand, and a streak of green light followed.

"Okay, I have a wand," she said to herself, pacing around the tree roots. "But what else do I need to do? I need spells. . . Spells that can defeat a dragon. . ."

Realizing her luck that she'd paid attention to her dreams, she looked into her backpack again, and the book radiated a chill. She flipped through the table of contents, looking for the best possible spells to do what she wanted it to do.

Finally, she found it.

"Isenfier."

She didn't wave her wand, but she knew what it meant. It was a spell of ice and fire-all in one ball of light. It would take out any sort of dragon like that, according to the spellbook. She could only hope that it worked.

Her heart thudded against her chest as she got ready to go up against the giant clay dragon. One. She put away her book. Two. She slung her backpack over her shoulder and began towards the hedge. Three. She entered the courtyard.

As the fire of the clay dragon was spat at her, she brandished the wand with an intent of protection-it read her and and created a bubble of ice around her. The fire burned through it, but it kept the fire from harming her.

"I don't want to hurt you, but I will if I have to!" Delphi shouted up. "Please, help me! Help me defeat Sibyl. I can tell that you're not bad. . . You're just confused. . . Right?"

The dragon roared threateningly.

"Isenfier!" A violet jet of light shot from Delphi's wand, hitting the dragon and causing it to writhe in pain. Delphi forced herself to close her eyes and repeat. It's trying to hurt me and my friends. . . I have to do this. "Isenfier!"

The dragon's whimpers were too much. Delphi had to open her eyes and lower her wand. She had to stop. Maybe I can negotiate?

"Look," she said gently. "I need to help my friends. My best friends are in there, asleep because of your mistress. If you could help get your friends to help me. . . Then I think we'd both benefit from it."

The dragon go back to its feet, looking as if it was considering her offer.

"I'm the daughter of a monster," she said, reaching her hand out to the clay muzzle. "I don't let it define me. You don't have to let it define you. I know you control the others. I know you can help me. Now will you?"

The clay dragon nodded. "Grockle."

"Grockle? Is that your name?" Delphi asked.

The dragon nodded.

"Let's go, then. Get your friends here-and follow my lead," Delphi ordered.

The dragon nodded, and flapped off. Delphi smiled with a newfound confidence. She raised her wand above her head and shot fireworks into the air. A clear come-and-get-me.

She didn't have to wait long. The old lady charged with surprising speed for someone her age.

"You are not going to ruin my chances!" Sibyl shouted, and she brought out a long wand. "Surrender to us, or prepare to die."

"I'd rather die! Brachiabindo!" Delphi shouted.

"Hexus Nox!" Sibyl fired back, her spell dissolving Delphi's.

"Isenfier!" Delphi didn't know what it would do to a human.

"Ventus Tria!" Sibyl brandished it with relish. Two strong gales came, throwing Delphi against a hedge. She fell to the ground painfully. The third wind blew Delphi's curse off-course into a bush. It was set on fire, and then froze over when the fire had consumed it.

Delphi got up again only to be knocked to the ground again. As Sibyl approached, Delphi kept trying to get to her feet, but she kept using a non-verbal spell to keep knocking Delphi back down. Finally, Delphi succumbed to her fate and lay there as Sibyl stood over her.

"So much potential, but so untrained," Sibyl tsked. "And now you will die regretting your choice. Crucio!"

Delphi screamed as she writhed on the ground, feeling as if a thousand needles were piercing her from the inside-out. The witch kept re-firing her spell, as if she wanted Delphi to repent, to beg for mercy. In fact, Sibyl appeared more frustrated at the lack of reaction other than screaming.

"GROCKLE!" Sibyl screeched.

Finally, all the dragons had appeared.

"Finish her," Sibyl ordered.

There was enough of a hesitation that Delphi feared that Grockle had turned on her. But then the dragons all blew their fire at her. The woman had put up a shield for her, but everyone knew the tides had changed.

Delphi managed to prop herself up on her elbows and at least raise her knees from the ground. She grabbed her wand, despite the aching all over.

"You're finished, Sibyl," Delphi snarled. "The MACUSA's been alerted of what's going on. They'll be here before Starkiller. The dragons will side with me. You don't have much left."

"You didn't," the woman whispered, but both females knew that Delphi was telling the truth. "I should kill you now-"

"Petrificus Totalus!" Sibyl barely missed the jet of light and got the hint. She Apparated without another word. Delphi forced herself to her feet.

"Thank you," she said to the dragons, Grockle in particular. She stumbled against the bush as figures appeared in the sky. The edges of her vision were going black. She fell to the ground, exhausted as the people on brooms landed.