HANNAH BAKER AND THE HEDGE WITCH

It was three years ago that I found out my family were Wiccans and that I had to train to be one.
It began on my thirteenth birthday. My mum presented me with the Book Of Shadows, a book full of the most powerful spells. She then sat me down and informed me that she and my grandma were White Witches. And now it was time for me to train to be a Wiccan. In case you don't know, Wicca is the religion that us witches follow. We don't have black cats or ride broomsticks, and we're not in contact with the Devil. Being White Witches, my mum and grandma use their powers to help others. When I asked if anyone else in our family were Wiccans, Grandma darkly told me that, yes, there was. Her sister, Fairuza, but I was not to talk about her, ever. A long time ago, Fairuza had sold her soul to the Devil, and became a Black Witch. Using her powers for evil.
It wasn't until I was sixteen that the first time I used magic properly happened.

I'd used magic many times before, but only under the supervision of Mum or Grandma. From thirteen, they'd taught me Meditating lessons, which meant I was taught how to concentrate on certain spells. It wasn't until I was sixteen that I learnt about Binding.
I'd heard of it before, but I was never allowed to take part, because it was too dangerous. Binding is when you have to stop Black Witches from creating evil. Being White Witches, my mum and grandma did it all the time. But I was never allowed, until...

"Hannah!" Mum came rushing into my room. I was on my bed, reading "Harry Potter". Ever since I started Wicca training, I've been reading a lot of "Harry Potter", and feeling happy that there were dangerous witches around, but nobody as dangerous as Lord Voldemort.
"What is it, Mum?"
"Your grandma and I have to go out."
"Oh, okay, are you out Binding again?"
"Yes, you know that people's cats and dogs have been going missing, and their milk's been curdled?"
"Yes." This was something everyone knew about. It had been in the newspapers for weeks. Police were baffled about the mystery.
"Well, Grandma and the rest of the Coven have found ouit that there is a Black Witch moved in quite close by. She's a Hedge Witch, and we're all going to Bind her."
"Can't I come?"
Mum looked at me, a little shocked. "What?"
"Well, I am sixteen."
"It isn't that, Hannah, it's just that you haven't had any proper Binding lessons, not really..."
She shut my door after she left, and a little after that, I heard the front door slam shut. I went back to reading "Goblet Of Fire" feeling upset. I'd never performed proper Magic before, only in the lessons Mum and Grandma had given me. Why shouldn't I have a go at Binding? Suddenly, I felt like Harry Potter, but without Ron or Hermione. I grabbed my coat, ran down the stairs, and out the door.
I had no idea where I was going, I just walked aimlessly around. Then I saw a car parked outside a house. What was so fascinating about the car was that it was Mum's car. Wondering if that's where she and her Coven were, I went up to the front door, and rang the doorbell.
Getting no answer, I pushed it open and went inside.
I looked all about m, feeling more and more like Harry. I noticed the door to a room was shut, and there was a green glow coming from the bottom of it. Cautiously, I opened the door a little, and peeked inside.
I nearly fell in fright. Mum, Grandma, and the Coven they practised magic with - there must have been six of them - were all pointing their wands at an old woman. There were green sparks coming from their wands, and the sparks were holding the woman aloft. I recognised this spell from my Meditating lessons. It was Levicorpus, a spell used to blackmail. It was illegal for White Witches to use on other White Witches. They were only supposed to use the spell on Black Witches.
"Okay, girls, let her down!" My mum called out. The Coven lowered their wands. The Black Witch lowered with them. My grandma stepped forward.
"Now, Fairusa," she said. "Do you promise to leave and never come back."
'Fairusa?" I thought to myself. 'Haven't I heard that name before somewhere?"
"Never!" The Black Witch named Fairusa scereamed out. "I came for what is mine, oh darling sister!"
And then I remembered. Fairusa was Grandma's sister, who had joined the Dark Side, and was never to be spoken of.
Fairusa really was scary looking. She looked a lot like Grandma, but her face was packed with warts, and her long, hooked nose had dark hair all over it. A warty face and a hairy nose were the sure signs, a witch was a Black Witch, Grandma once told me.
Fairusa stood up, and looked around at the Coven surrounding her. Then he looked at the doorway, and for one terrifying moment, our eyes locked. She had bright yellow eyes that bore into my blue ones, and they were slitted like cat's eyes. Then she pointed at me, and gave a hideous cackle.
"There she is?" She screamed. The Coven looked at me as well.
"Hannah Baker!" Yelled Mum. "What are you doing here?"
Fairusa let out an ear-splitting yelp and ran towards me, her arms outstretched.
I panicked. Not really sure what I was doing, I pointed my finger towards her, and yelled out: " PUFFIUS MAXIMIS!"
I disn't really expect it to actually do anything, the spell was one I'd heard on some old movie I'd once watched about a Coven of witches, but one minute, Fairusa was running towards me, and the next, she was gone, leaving behind, only a trail of golden sparks.
When the sparks had subsided, I looked around at the Coven. There was dead silence, and then they all started clappinmg. Mum and Grandma came running towards me.
"Well done, Hannah!" Mum positively beamed. "You knew you wasn't supposed to come here, but I'm glad you did. Thanks!"
"How did you know the spell to destroy a Black Witch?" Asked Grandma. "White Witches have been trying to work that one out for centuries!"
"Well, I heard it on an old movie a long time ago," I said. "I didn't really expect it to work. I panicked, and said the first thing I thought of, really!"
"Well, we're so glad you did," said Adriana, a member of the Coven. "Thank you, Hannah."
"Yes, thank you, Hannah," parroted the rest of the Coven.
"You are a Hedge Witch, Hannah," said Mum.
"What is a Hedge Witch?" I asked.
"It means you can perform spells on your own. Not like me and Grandma. We're Coven Witches, we can only perform spells with other witches."
I turned to Grandma. "Was that your sister, Fairusa?"
"Yes, it was."
"And what did she mean by she came for what she needs? And why did she run towards me?"
Mum sighed. "I knew this day was eventually going to come. Well, Hannah, it started a long time ago. I'll let your grandma tell you the story."
"Fairusa and I are twins," Grandma carried on. "As you know, Wicca's been in this family for centuries. There once was a prophecy stated that one day there will be Wiccan twins born. Twins are rare among Wiccans," Grandma said, seeing my face of confusion. "It was said that one twin was going to be a White Witch, whereas the other shall be a Black Witch who will eventually use her evil power to take over the world. And it was also said that the evil twin would use a relation of hers be her assistant. This wouldn't be any old relation, but a Gifted relation. The relation would one day figure out an impoertant spell which would be useful to the Black Witch twin."
"Grandma, what happened when you and Fairusa were born?"
"Well, at the time, my family were Hedge Witches, and they lived in solitary confinement. They kept both of us and nobody found out we were twins. They only ever saw one or the other of us. Both my parents were White Witches, and they hoped both me and Fairusa were as well. Until the fateful day that Fairusa sold her soul to the Devil."
"What happened?"
"Well, he tempted her, knowing she was a rare Wiccan twin. My sister was always easily tempted into anything. And you know something else?"
I shook my head.
"The prophecy came true! Fairusa became a Black Witch whereas I stayed White. And Fairusa chose a relation for her assistant. A relation who found out an important spell. That's you, my dear. You found out the spell for destroying a Black Witch. Fairusa foresaw you were going to, and she hoped to reversethe spell to destroy White Witches. Except you used it on her before she could get to you."
Grandma finished her story, beaming down at me. I felt something truly magic had happened. Not the fact I was a Wiccan, but that I was going to change the world...

The End by Charlene Samm