Summer school 8/9

Jennifer Jane took the spell she was given and learned it thoroughly. The next morning she wandered round the classroom before the teacher came in. Trying hard not to be noticed, she twiddled a boundary spell in each corner, so that when she slowed down the class response everyone would be affected.

Eroin came into the class, smiling happily for the first time in days. Perhaps her spell wouldn’t be needed after all. Sure enough the first question asked after the teacher’s arrival, was so simple that she knew the answer at once. Also to her surprise, she was the first person to put up her hand.

Eroin and his friends smaned, then their nasty grins changed to shock and amazement as everyone in the classroom including themselves and the teacher, grew a large pair of donkey’s ears.

The teacher looked round the class with a big grin on her face. She waited a moment until the apprentices had got over their initial laughter at everyone else’s expense and then quietened down as they realised that each of them was affected as well.

She banged the table in front of her with a ruler. “Hee-haw,” she said in a very loud determined voice, then stopped as she realised what she’d said. The grin was replaced by a rather grim expression. She stood quietly for a moment and then did a quick twiddle. All the ears in the room reverted to their normal sizes and shapes.

“Who is responsible for this buffoonery?” she asked.

Jennifer Jane slowly put up her hand. “Please Ma’am, I made a boundary spell round the class before you came in, but I didn’t do anything else. You can check with the librarian if you like to see which spell I’d intended to use.”

“Very well, come with me at once. The rest of you will remain seated and perfectly quiet. When I return I will expect the donkey with a twisted sense of humour to own up!”

The librarian remembered the spell Jennifer Jane had obtained very well. “I think she’s been having trouble in class and wanted a fairer chance of being able to answer questions herself.”

“I had noticed,” replied the teacher sympathetically, “I also think I know who the culprit is, although how we go about proving it I don’t know.”

They returned to the classroom and Jennifer Jane went back to her seat.

“I don’t suppose the culprit is going to own up?” asked the teacher. “No I thought not. Well I take this breach of discipline very seriously and my colleagues and I will get to the bottom of it in one way or another, you may be sure!”