Chapter 26: I Can't Give Up!

"Hmm...", Annie frowned in her sleep. Something was brushing against her fingers. Something cold. Something that made her feel cold.

Still sleepy, she brought her hand over to her fingers where she felt uncomfortable. She groggily opened her eyes and saw a pair of mischievous brown eyes staring back at her.

"What do you want, Teddy?", Annie asked half-asleep.

Teddy gazed at her with innocent eyes and shamelessly squeaked as if to say, "Get up, lazy girl! Go and take care of your work! And also, do something about that god-awful smell!"

Looking at him with her half-open eyes, Annie pleaded, "Just give me a few more minutes, please! Teddy!"

Teddy squeaked at her as if to say, "No! You have to get up now!"

"Please! I promise to wake up after a few more minutes, I swear!", Annie pleaded.

However, the niffler didn't let her off the hook and only squeaked at her in annoyance.

"Ughhh! Fine!" Annie groaned in frustration and rubbed her eyes while saying, "Why do you have to be like this? If you can tell me why you have to do this every single time, I would be very grateful."

Teddy just kept on staring back at her with not even a simple glimpse of remorse in his eyes.

Annie blinked at him and shook her head, saying, "Fine!"

She removed the blanket on top of her and sat up on the couch tiredly. Her eyes fell on the wand lying on the juicing table of the potions station.

Instantly, she felt angry at the wand and raised her voice at it, "Oi, wandy! You should've woken up a long time ago. I feel as if I've been asleep for centuries."

Now, after sleeping her mind had become even more sensitive than it would've been, hadn't she slept. She had no idea for how long she was gone, but it felt like a long, long time.

Therefore, since she didn't want to blame herself, the only one in her line of sight who knew how to conjure spells or whatever magic, got the full brunt of the force of her anger.

Because even though she was a bit sleepy, she still remembered her failures.

"Do not talk to me like that, girl! Don't take your frustration and dissatisfaction out on me!", the wand replied angrily. This was the first time she had heard what could only be called anger in its voice.

Usually, it was calm, stoic, and monotone. And to think that a wand of all things could get mad made Annie believe a bit more in humanization, and at the same time understand just how far sentient beings could go.

Instead of taking the blame, the wand pointed its wooden body toward her and furiously said, "I offered to help you, but that does not make me your servant. I am not bound to do everything however you please… well, because, guess what, I am a wand! I have a special connection with you, but you are not my master."

Annie bowed her head and thought while pouting, 'It was my fault in the first place. I should not have taken it out on the wand. Damn! I screwed this up just like I screw up everything.'

"Sorry...", Annie said weakly, ashamed of herself for trying to blame the wand. Now regretting it, she sighed and thought about what it said to her. The wand was right for more than one thing now. It was not its fault the potion had turned out the way that it did.

"I'm sorry!", She apologized to the wand sincerely, "That wasn't right of me. I'm just... frustrated."

"Like many other things.", the wand whispered. " But I forgive you. You're human, after all. "

Annie nodded in appreciation. Seeing the wand let it go like that made her feel much better.

She knew she had no choice but to try again. Maybe this time, she would succeed.

"Thank you. Let's try again."

…

This time, the wand also helped Annie with unpacking and checking the ingredients and the making of the potion had gone more smoothly than the first time. They had done everything and Annie was waiting again for the final result, now sitting again on the couch.

'What if it turns out the same way again? Will I get the same headache? Or will it feel worse? Can the pain be worse than the first time? What would I do if that happened?', Annie became skeptical and scared at the thought and decided, 'I will try not to think too much about that right now. I should focus on waiting to see if I succeed or not.'

It wasn't that easy though. Her thoughts would flood her mind now and then. And the need to know would keep pushing her mind toward it. Like a needle pulled towards a magnet, and no matter how much she tried not to think about it, her thoughts always kept her wondering if she was going to succeed the second time.

After what felt like hours, suddenly...

BOOM

PFFT

That same sound and smell filled the room. Annie didn't have to ask for the wand. She knew the answer.

Clenching her fists, she rested her head on the couch. As she gazed at the beautiful blue skies, the black smoke from the cauldron filled her vision.

The wand hovered in front of her and gently said, "Annie... Please."

Annie weakly moved her hands and tried to move the wand away from her face.

"Please... Leave me alone."

Facing Annie's weak and gloomy expression, it only sighed and flew away from her.

Annie sighed while clenching her fists and got up from the couch.

With an expressionless face, she resolutely decided, "I won't rest until I make this potion!"

ANOTHER FAILED POTION LATER

Annie was looking anywhere but in the direction of the cauldron. She wanted to brew the potion again but didn't have the will in her to keep on doing it any longer. Also, she was fed up. Fed up by all of this. Fed up by the failures.

She had to think. She had to do something else. Change something. Anything. Maybe then, the outcome would change too and she won't have another failure.

She came back to the base of her knowledge, all of the books, the movies she had spent years of her life alone, just watching, when…

A particular scene from the Harry Potter and The Half-blood Prince movie popped up in her head. When everybody was trying to brew the perfect potion for Slughorn….

Annie's eyes went wide and she shouted ecstatically, "YESSS!!!!"

Teddy, being on the couch in between the blanket and Annie, got a horrible fright. He began squeaking as if to scream out in fear, "Why did you have to scare me like that?! What the hell?!"

Laughing loudly, Annie waved her hands around excitedly as she explained, "I have found the answer!"

Looking at Teddy and the wand, Annie excitedly said, "I think I know what we need to do."