her.
âIt meant everything to them, the fact that Iâd got the gift like Great-Granny Mabel.â Poppy sighed again. âAnd then when I didnât want to do magic, well, they just couldnât accept it. I was such a disappointment to them.â
âOh, Mamma.â Cat clambered onto her motherâs knee. She was so tall now, her feet touched the floor, but Cat didnât care. She loved the warmth her mother gave off, as if she had just stepped out of the oven, and the way her long dark braid always smelled of cake batter. âItâs okay,â Cat said, staring out the window. After a moment she asked, âWhy didnât you get sent to Scrubs Prison? Isnât that where evil witches go? How come it ended up all right?â
âBecause of Auntie Charlie and Marie Claire,â Poppy said. âYou know Marie Claire has always been like a second mother to me, and I couldnât wish for a better friend than Charlie.â She gave a fond smile. âThey helped bring me back from the dark side. I had lost my passion for baking, you see. Without it I was bitter and sad. But as soon as I stopped being angry and starting baking, all the things I had turned to stone changed back again.â Poppy paused for a moment. âIt took your grandparents a little longer than everyone else to turn back. I think they werenât ready to accept me for who I was, but once they came around, the spell wore off, and theyâve been great ever since. Well, your grandmother still drives me up the wall sometimes, but no more than anyone elseâs mother.â
âDoes Dad know?â
âHe does,â Poppy said. âWe have no secrets from each other. Anyway, it all happened a long time ago, and I donât like thinking about it. Which is why this has taken me off guard, Cat.â Poppyâs voice grew serious. âI wasnât expecting you to get the gift, not after eleven years.â
âNor was I,â Cat agreed. âBut Iâm so happy, Mamma; youâve no idea!â
âSo what happened,â Poppy asked, âin the attic?â
Cat sensed her mother didnât really want to hear, and as Cat told her about the spider changing color, she could feel her motherâs body stiffen.
âYou should have told me yesterday, Cat. Honestly, I canât believe your grandparents let you take my old wand! What were they thinking?â
âMamma, donât blame Gran and Grandpa. It wasnât their fault. They didnât know I took it,â Cat said.
âWell, theyâll know soon enough from Maxine.â
âI wasnât trying to hide it from you, either,â Cat explained. âI just didnât want to make you mad. Plus,â Cat admitted, âI was scared of telling you because I thought you might not let me apply to Ruthersfield.â
Poppy shuddered. âI canât imagine having anything to do with Ruthersfield Academy ever again.â The force of her words shocked Cat, and she slid off her motherâs knee.
A knocking sound came from inside Catâs cupboard, and Poppy started, turning to look. âCat!â she gasped loudly, suddenly noticing the wall behind her. âââFlipping fish cakes!âââ she read. âWhat on earth?â Poppy stood up. âI canât believe you did this. Why in heavens would you write on the walls?â
âIt wasnât me,â Cat tried to explain, hoping her mother wouldnât look up, because âMamma is going to have a fitâ was still scrawled across the ceiling in loopy purple script.
âThen who exactly was it, Cat? Because I will be calling his parents right now.â
âNo, Mamma, you donât understand,â Cat said, sensing this wasnât going to end well. âI tried to make my pen write on its own last night, and it got a bit carried away.â
âYouâve been practicing magic up here?â
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