Chapter 31: Potion or Poison?

[AU: I am very excited to announce that after weeks of brooding over it, I have opened my Patreon page! If you like my story and want to read more than a week ahead of the regular release ( more than 10,000 words), then come check it out! Also, you can subscribe to it there to help support my writing.

www. patreOn.com/HypaxiaAnyway, I hope you have a nice day.]Annie stood above the cauldron with a flask in her hand.

She absentmindedly stared at the swirling glittery yellowish liquid for a second or two.

"You can pour the potion into the flask, you know."

Annie got back to reality after hearing the wand's words.

She shot the wand a look and whispered, "Shut up, I got it!"

Without waiting any further Annie swung her wand and the glittering yellowish liquid traveled via a golden streak from the cauldron and entered the mouth of the flask.

She kept her gaze on the potion as the last drop got into the flask and with a swirl of her wand, the top of the flask attached itself tightly.

Once done, Annie held the flask close to her face and stared at the potion for a few seconds until she realized, "Oh! There's a small turquoise-green glow."

"Where?", The wand asked flying close to the potion.

"There!", Annie pointed at the top of the flask and answered, "Look, it's on the surface of the potion. Although, it's very faint."

The wand also stared at the turquoise-green glow and mused, "Interesting!"

"Interesting?", Annie turned to the wand and asked with a hopeful look in her eyes, "Was that a positive interesting, or a negative one?"

The wand sighed in exhaustion and said, "There's no point in asking me what it is. You have to check it yourself."

"Argh! So damn useless!", Annie grumbled under her breath.

"Fine, fine.", The wand asked angrily, "Do YOU know why it is glowing?"

"Tch!", Annie clicked her tongue, annoyed by the wand's question, but she replied, "No, I do not. That's why I am asking you!"

"Do you have the memory of any wizard or a witch that ever had a potion or a concoction like yours or even had a strange characteristic such as yours?", The wand asked while raising its voice as it flew closer to her face.

Annie gulped and looked away from the wand and replied in a low voice, "N-No... I don't."

"Then, you have your answer.", The wand said and backed away.

Annie shook her head and thought, 'What a silly question I asked to the wand! I thought that maybe it, being a sentient being and all, would know something about or just close to what I have brewed but it doesn't have the slightest clue as to what it is.'

She glanced at the potion and thought, 'Just like me.'

"But...," A triumphant smile formed on her face and she shouted, "I did it! I brewed a potion! I have finally conjured a spell! I, Annie Cresta, have finally cast magic!"

"Hahaha!", Annie began laughing out loud as she put the potion in her pocket and twirled around happily.

"Woohoo!", She cheered and cried out, "I finally cast a spell! I DID IT! I DID IT!"

However, no matter how much she tried, she couldn't control her laughter and kept on laughing until tears formed at the corners of her eyes.

After a minute or two, her laughter died down and a smile was still present on her face.

She gazed at her hand and said to herself, "I can't believe it. I finally cast magic after so long. I knew there was a reason I was sent here. There was a reason I could do the unusual things that I could. It's not just a coincidence. It never was."

Sighing in contentment, Annie looked up at the wand and said, "I have to thank you for your help and also for listening to me even though you never once believed me. But, that's fine. I would have not believed myself if I were you."

She took in a deep breath and said with a grateful look in her eyes, "Thank you, Wand."

A moment of silence passed with neither of them talking but the wand broke the silence by saying, "Don't mention it. That's what I am here for."

Annie smiled and said, "I never thought I would come this far."

"If you did from the start, I would be seriously concerned about you.", the wand's voice took Annie out of her thoughts, "For a girl who lost all of her family and came into our world, you have come a long way. But let me remind you, girl, that your powers can only be used for good. I hope you never give in to any temptation to abuse those powers and use them to kill people. Otherwise, your soul will be lost to the darkness forever."

Annie nodded slowly at the wand, "I know that. The kind of people who are taking care of me are no ordinary people. Hopefully, I won't give them a reason to be disappointed in me."

"Good. Good for you, girl, and good for me. I won't have to wonder how to get away from you if that happens. God forbid.", the wand added quickly, "And besides, it's not like I had much to do other than to watch you fail."

"I am sure you would have been bored to death.", Annie said and chuckled.

"Yeah, I was.", The wand replied, "And I was also getting tired of watching you fail."

Annie raised her eyebrows and asked, "Well.. that's like you, I guess. It must be tiring to be emotionless."

"Not at all!", The wand replied hastily, "In fact, I wo-"

"Yeah, yeah.", Annie interrupted it and asked, "What to do now?"

"What do you mean by what to do now?", The wand asked.

"What do I do now? How do I test it? Should I taste it?", Annie said and quickly corrected herself, "No, no way! I am not tasting it! What if it is a poison?"

"It's not a poison.", The wand assured her.

"But how can you be sure?", Annie asked with an unconvinced look on her face.

"You'll know when you see its effect.", The wand answered, "If it were a poison, there would be no turquoise-green glow, nor would it look like that."

"Huh!", Annie snorted in reply and said, "Whatever! I still won't be tasting it. That's not how you test a potion. Moreover, if I remember correctly, someone tested the Wiggenweld potion in the book by placing a small drop on an injured Cenatur and it was cured instantly."

"But, I don't have any injured Centaurs here.", Annie said and sighed.

"Well, then find one.", The wand suggested.

"That's a great idea!", Annie exclaimed and added with a smirk, "But.. I have something much better than a Centaur."

Annie turned to look at the couch, where a small ball under the blanket the wand had given to Annie earlier, moved. A second later, Teddy's eyes showed from the top of the blanket.

SQUEAK

He was terrified. His eyes had widened and was looking at the flask in Annie's hand as if saying, "Whatever is in there isn't safe! I don't want it near me, get it out of this room!!!"

Annie smiled brightly which looked evil in Teddy's eyes.

Teddy was acting as if the potion was radioactive, when, ironically it had golden threads in it.

She moved her head, amused by his antics.

"I thought you were attracted to shiny things, you cute little dummie. What is up with you today?", she asked with a catchy tone.

Teddy kept on staring at the flask with those same terrified widened eyes at the flask, as if it was going to eat him up alive.

Annie smiled evilly at him, satisfied by Teddie's temporary distress. It wasn't common for him to get scared like this. Most of the time, it was Annie who was scared by Teddy's actions. Like that, one time when he was almost going get run up by a car, hadn't Newt swung his wand and put him back in her arms? And all of that, because he had seen something shiny…

"Hehehe!", She snickered, walked two steps in his direction, and stopped.

"What are you doing, you witch? Can't you see that I'm scared? Don't come near me with that thing!", Teddy squeaked as if his eyes were directly speaking out to her.

Annie wasn't going to give up. No, not so easily. She resumed walking until she was standing right in front of the couch. But, before she could touch Teddy, his body was out of the blanket and on the ground, running anywhere that was not next to Annie's feet.

Annie's eyes widened and she ran after him while shouting, "What is wrong with you?! It's just a potion, it is-"

She glanced at the potion and for a second, her brain stopped working. She stopped abruptly and murmured with a shocked expression,

"This can't be!"