Anna Grayson and The Order of Merlin
Family Feud

That night, Anna was back inher room getting ready for dinner with her family. She had never been so happy.It seemed everything around her was working to just her benefit. Even thethings that would normally upset Anna seemed small compared to the joy she feltat this moment. This included Tencha conjuring a leg-iron curse on her when shewas returning from the beach and walking through the kitchen, looking for aquick snack. There was a loud POP, and Anna’s ankles immediately sprang togetherin mid-stride. She abruptly fell flat on her front with a dull thud.

Tencha was standing over herlaughing. “Hey little squib — whatcha’ doing on the floor? Forget how to walk?”she teased, with a mixed giggle. Her smile quickly turned to a frown as shelooked down at the target of her curse lying on the floor in front of her.Anna’s body was shaking violently and twitching in random spasms side to side.Tencha reached down and pushed Anna over onto her back, and was shocked to replaceher sister laughing hysterically. Anna was guffawing so hard she had to rollback to her side to breathe. Tencha was stunned. Surely, this wasn’t theresponse she had been seeking. She stared at the end of her wand with a scowl,thinking it had somehow malfunctioned.

“What are you laughing about?”Tencha asked, sternly. “That was supposed to be a leg-iron curse, not atickling spell.” But Anna continued to giggle unabated. Tencha scowled again,and then pulled out a small pocket-sized black book with yellow colored edges.She flipped through the pages still standing over Anna with her wand grippedbetween her front teeth. She stopped at one of the pages and began to read outloud.

LocomotorMortis(lo-co-MO-tor MOR-tis)

"Leg-Locker Curse" , "loco" L. from a place + "motionem" L. motion+ "mortis" L. death.

Locks a victim’s legstogether, making him or her unable to walk.

Tencha looked down again atAnna who was still laughing. “Definitely the right one,” she said, in anexasperated tone. “Anna, what’s the matter with you?”

Anna rolled over again, stillsnickering. “Oh, Tencha — even you can’t screw up this wonderful day,” shesaid, peering up at her sister, her eyes wet with amusement.

“I think you’ve gone batty,”Tencha replied, as she waved her wand over Anna to release her legs.

Still in her room, Anna smiledas she continued brushing her hair in her mirror. It was ironic the best wayshe found to stop her sisters’ torments was to somehow make them think sheenjoyed it. She wondered longingly when her brother Eric would be home. Annareally wanted to speak to him about the strange things that happened to her onthe grounds and in the ocean earlier that evening.

And then, while still burieddeep in her private thoughts, Anna looked up and noticed something very odd inthe mirror before her. Her body looked strangely rigid, as if frozen in place.She could see her eyes moving, but she was still, her brush stopped inmid-stroke. And then, as if suddenly remembering something she had forgotten,Anna understood what was wrong. She could sense something strange creeping intoher consciousness; it was as if her body had realized something was wrong evenbefore her mind had picked up on it, and a cold chill began tapping at thesmallest hairs on the back of Anna’s neck. She set the brush down, and slowlysat in the chair behind her. She placed her hands on the table and looked ather image now sitting before her in the mirror.

The feeling was eerie, cold,and now spreading from the back of her neck and up to the area behind her ears.Anna caught herself frowning in the mirror, and she closed her eyes to listenmore guardedly. Something was definitely there — very near to her. Sheconcentrated hard, which allowed the coldness of the strange sensation topenetrate deeper into her core. She instinctively tried to reach out, like shehad done earlier that day in the woods, but for some reason it didn’t seem towork this time. The feeling was now increasing at an alarming rate when, all atonce, Anna suddenly realized what it was. Her eyes suddenly opened, and shequickly stood and turned to face the room behind her.

“Who’s there?” she said, in afrightened voice. She had become conscious of the fact that something had beenwatching her. Anna stared into the room; there was something unseen somewherevery close. She leaned back and reached for the table behind her for balance,accidentally knocking over two glass bottles. She slowly rested her weightagainst the edge and tried to relax.

“Is somebody there?” Anna askedagain, this time adding an intentional tone of forced goodwill, but still,there was no reply. The coldness she felt was getting worse and Anna began toshiver as she wrapped her arms in front of her. The room was quiet, except fora light rattling noise from her balcony window; she could hear the wind pickingup outside. There was a feathery tinkling sound above her head, and Annanoticed the crystal adornments on her bedroom fixture beginning to tremble andshake.

BANG!

Anna jumped as her eyes shot tothe right. Both of her balcony doors had flown open, slamming their stops witha violent crash. She ran to the doors and moved to push them closed, but abone-chilling wave of pressure suddenly pushed its way past her. Anna quicklyspun around and heaved the doors closed. The room was still again; nothing wasout of place, but the coldness she felt earlier had left her body to makeitself present in the room around her. Anna tilted her head down and peeredinto the space, trying to focus on something, anything attempting to makeitself visible. The crystals above her were tinkling again, but then stoppedabruptly as a small sound, a whispered hiss, broke the eerie silence.

“ssssssssssssssss,” it sizzledsoftly, and Anna froze. The room still looked empty, but she definitely heardsomething that sounded like raw meat thrown onto a hot pan. And then, just assuddenly, the room was quiet once more.

“Sshh,” came another sound,much shorter this time. Anna was barely breathing, her eyes darting all overthe room in front of her. The sound seemed to come from somewhere immediatelyin front of her, and yet, perhaps, all around her. Anna thought to reach out towhatever it was, but chose to listen instead, watching for any movement thatmight come out of some unexpected place. She slowly reached down and grabbedthe wooden handle of an umbrella propped against the wall next to her. Thereseemed to be an immediate reaction to her movements.

“ssssssssssssssss,” spit thesound again. This time it was louder, almost like a voiced warning; don’t bestupid, now.

“Who is it?” Anna demanded, nowraising the umbrella high to show she was properly armed; nothing. Her eyesslowly scanned the room left to right.

“Vereorrrrr,” murmuredsomething that sounded like a far off voice. Anna squinted, as if to hear thesound better. “Be afraid….ssssshhhh. You must prepare yourself… orbus,” saidthe misty waver, sounding a lot like steam working its way through old pipes.Anna couldn’t be sure, but it sounded as if the intruder might be threatening her.

“Prepare… for what?” Anna saidsharply, holding the umbrella still higher. All was quiet again, but thetemperature in the room now seemed to reach in to seize her by the throat. Shewaited for what seemed like an eternity for another sound, and when it finallycame, Anna jumped in surprise despite herself.

“Darkness is coming,” the voicesighed, which was already beginning to weaken. “Beware,” it said wispily,sounding as if it were floating away from her. She could feel the warmth of theroom suddenly returning, and Anna knew whatever was speaking to her was nowquickly departing. She reached out impulsively.

“Hold on… I don’t understand,”she blurted out, realizing her confusion was suddenly much more important thanher fear, but there was no reply. Whatever it was that Anna felt slipping awaybefore, was now completely gone.

Anna stared across the room.“What the heck was that?” she said in frustration, throwing up her hands andlooking around. “Are you a ghost? A phantom? What? And what was that ‘beafraid’ business,” she said, in a deep mocking voice. “What was that about?”

It had to be a joke, somethingDowla or Tencha thought up to frighten her into running down the staircaseagain. Anna walked over to her door and quickly snapped it open halfwayexpecting to see one or both of her sisters listening and laughing outside. Butnobody was there.

Closing the door slowly again,Anna looked back into the room and thought. No, what she heard couldn’t havebeen a joke. The way the presence made her feel before she heard the voicedispelled any notion of it being some kind of trick. But what did the voicemean when it said, ‘darkness was coming’. Over the last several days, Anna hadthe feeling something different was happening around her, but she never thoughtthat it might be bad, or in anyway evil. On the contrary, she had the feelingwhat was happening was exciting and rather wonderful. Now, however, she wasn’tso sure. Anna had never encountered anything like this before, and the intruderdidn’t seem very pleasant. But what was it? And what was it trying to tell her?

Anna shook her head and groanedto herself, “Where’s Eric when you need him?”

She walked over to the windowto peek outside, ensured the balcony doors were locked, and then headed downstairsfor dinner.

TWO

Anna entered the family room toreplace Dowla and Tencha squabbling.

“I don’t care what daddy says,”Dowla was saying, shaking her head stubbornly, “I hate it — and I shouldn’t toforced into doing something I don’t like.”

Anna’s sisters, although notidentical twins, looked very much alike. They both had especially white skinand long ebony hair. They were unusually tall for their age, and very much likethe image in their mother’s portrait. Their features were thin, long, andrather exaggerated around the nose and chin. But despite their passion forfun-filled vindictiveness, Anna knew that the girls were also very popular atschool. They always seemed to be extremely knowledgeable of the sociallandscape surrounding them, and had the reputation of being in the center ofmost of the scandalous activity away from home. In fact, they were even accusedof being at the root cause of most of the problems at Castlewood. They hadcaused so much trouble last year, in fact, that Anna’s father had to make aspecial trip to Pennsylvania just to save them from being suspended.Apparently, one of their many pranks had unwittingly gone awry, and had ledanother student into disaster in one of the many deep moats surroundingCastlewood. According to her brother Eric, it was only due to their father’spersonal friendship with the school’s chancellor that saved the girls frombeing sent home in the middle of the school year.

“I agree,” Tencha said,understandingly to her sister, “but what are we going to do? You know therules. Every student in Castlewood must participate. It doesn’t matter whatsport you choose, we just need to pick one and stick with it.”

“But I’m not a jock… I hatesports. I’m not good at it and it’s a waste of my time,” Dowla retorted.

“Well, what about that Europeansport…Quitick?” Tencha asked, trying to sound sympathetic.

“That’s Quiddich, you idiot,”interrupted Damon. Their brother was standing near the fireplace popping small,green puffs of fire out of his wand and into the logs at his feet. Alwaysbrooding, Damon looked all the more menacing in the glow of the green flames.“Besides — could you see Dowla flying on a broom?” he added, rolling his eyes.

“Ooooooo, you’re not getting meon one of those silly things,” Dowla answered, scowling at the group. “They’reso fifth century. Why don’t those people come out of the Stone Age and fly aproper door like normal people?”

“You mean normal people likeyou?” Damon said with a smirk. “I’ve haven’t seen you flying a door since youlast fell off yours eight years ago.”

“Well… it didn’t help with youthrowing rocks at me at the time, Damon. Besides, I’m afraid of heights;everybody knows that. Oh… I can’t wait until I’m allowed to Apparate. Why do wehave to wait until we’re eighteen to get a license? We should at least beallowed to practice,” Dowla said, leaning forward in her chair.

“You mean like a learner’spermit?” said Anna, finally stepping into the room.

“Exactly!” said Dowla, lookingup in surprise and wondering why she hadn’t thought of the idea in the firstplace.

“Yes, and while you’re at it —you might as well get a permit to drive the family car,” Anna said smiling,sitting down in the empty chair next to the fire. “Think about it, Dowla. Feetplanted firmly on the ground, no chance of falling out of the sky that way.It’s a very safe way to travel.”

“You mean it’s the Muggle wayto travel,” said Damon, sardonically, looking at Anna with a curled lip. “Butyou might want to listen to the squib, Dowla. After all — you may end uphousebound if your abilities to Apparate aren’t up to snuff.

“What about you, Tencha?” askedAnna, ignoring her brother. “What sport are you going out for this year atCastlewood?”

“Oh, I don’t know. So many ofthe sports involve flying, or a ball of some kind. Why is that? It’s so stupid— isn’t it? Do you think they would accept blazing gin as a sport?” she asked,looking around the room for support.

“Only if they allowed you totalk while you play; those flapping jaws of yours might be an acceptable formof exercise,” Damon replied with a smirk, blasting the fire at his feet againwith his wand.

“Oh, shut up, Damon,” scoldedDowla. “At least we’re trying. Not all of us could get a note from daddyexcusing us from playing sports last year. There’s nothing wrong with yourknees — what nonsense. What are you going to tell them this year, huh? Yougonna curse a blister onto your big toe or something?”

“Just because you can’texercise your brains enough to get out of it, doesn’t mean I have to followyour lead. Make something up. Who cares what the school rules say? You’ll feela lot better about it the next time we have to sit and watch a swift-slalommatch. You can laugh with me when those idiots fall off their doors fifty feetoff the ground doing eighty miles an hour,” Damon said, shaking his head.

“Swift-slalom? What’s that?”Anna asked, interestedly.

“Oh — it’s a really scarysport,” Dowla explained, with widening eyes. “The competitors have to racearound these floating sticks on their doors. They’re supposed to complete threelaps… but most of them never finish. They’re always banging into each otheraround the turns and pushing the other racers off of their doors. It’s reallybrutal.”

“It’s really stupid,” Damonadded, sarcastically, “but at least it’s an American sport, and a lot betterthan watching that bunch of nuts giving themselves wedgies on those ridiculousbrooms on the Quiddich field.”

“Dinner is prepared,”interrupted a boyish voice from across the room. Widwick was standing in thedoorway to the dining room beaming with elfish pride.

“Great… I’m famished,” yelpedTencha, who stood to follow Dowla through the open doorway.

“It’s about time… get out ofthe way,” Damon growled as he walked by, nearly knocking the elf over as hepassed.

“Thank you, Widwick,” saidAnna, “and what are the W-ds for tonight?”

“Ohhh, Iz did a bang-bang jobfor you’s tonight, Miss Anna,” said Widwick, gesturing her elegantly toward thedining room. “Wez got quail, and maashy tatoes, and greeny-beany thingys feryours eyes.”

“Ummmmm — sounds delicious.And? What about desert?” Anna asked, with a look of eager wanting growing onher face.

“Oh — plenties of pies, mum,”he answered, brightly. Then, whispering behind a cupped hand, “Gabby is pickedthe cherries herself — just for you, she did.”

Anna’s eyes sparkled as shetook the elf by the hand and lead them through the door.

THREE

The Grayson dining room wasvery large. The always formal looking table was long, rectangular, andextensive enough to seat at least twenty people. Its flat top was made fromthick dark oak, which sat on legs the size of tree-trunks carved into squattingghouls holding the table upon their shoulders. At the head of the table sat avery tall chair clearly meant for Mister Grayson. There was another chairexactly like it at the opposite end that nobody ever used. The walls werecovered in finely detailed tapestries, depicting a wooded scene with deer,wolves, a bear, and several beautiful birds delicately woven into the hangings.Several ornamental trees and colored shrubs surrounded an inviting dockportrayed in the cloth, which stretched out over a glassy lake. In anothercorner of the room, stood a tall pewter-colored suit of armor on a rockpedestal. It was leaning on an unsheathed sword resting point-down between itsfeet. The table was covered in an array of skillfully prepared dishes that Annaliked to call Widwick-dishes or W-ds.

As the family sat down, Widwickran around the table seating the girls. Without waiting for the others, Damonstarted shoveling a spoonful of potatoes onto his plate, forked a serving ofquail, and began to eat.

“Despite the fact you’ve givenup joining the family in saying grace, Damon, you could at least wait fordaddy,” Tencha complained to her brother.

“Ooooooo,” Widwick added,helping Tencha with her chair. “Master Grayson says he is working a littlelate. You is to start the meal without him, and he will join you’s as soon ashe can.”

The elf glared at one of theplace settings on the table. Two of the forks were apparently locked in a duelover which one should be seated to the inside of the other “Stop it, you’s!”Widwick yelped, and the utensils immediately dropped next to the plate. “You!Over there is where you’s belong.” One of the large forks quickly jumped up,and pronged its way across the table to sit next to one of the entrées.

“There — you see?” Damon said,with a very full mouth, gesturing toward the elf, “I’m eating!”

The first few minutes wererather typical with Widwick helping to ladle out the portions, and Damonconstantly demanding that his cup be refilled. Looking around the table at herfamily, Anna decided to ask a question. “Has anybody heard… if we have a newghost in the house? Besides Cookie, I mean?” she added tentatively, poking nervouslyat the vegetables on her plate.

“Isn’t one enough?” said Dowla,frowning. “Honestly… I wish he would go away,” she muttered, referring to thescruffy bearded phantom living in their newel post. “I accidentally knockedover a candle stick in the hallway yesterday, and he started screaming at meand calling me a frog — whatever that means. Why doesn’t daddy make him leave?”

“Why do you ask, Anna?” askedTencha, ignoring Dowla’s rude comments

“Well… I heard a strange voicein my bedroom upstairs a few minutes ago, and I was just wondering if there wassomebody new around,” Anna replied, looking closely for any snickers or glancedsmiles between her two sisters. There weren’t any.

“A strange voice? Oooo, whatdid it say?” Dowla asked, excitedly.

“Well, it was kind of hard tohear it exactly — but I thought it said… I…” she stopped, and decided to makethe perceived threat a little more general, “…we… should beware.”

“Beware? Beware of what?” askedDowla, and Anna noticed everybody around the table had stopped eating, and wasnow looking directly at her.

“I don’t know,” Anna replied,frowning. “But it said something else too… it called me orbus.”

Damon started to laugh.

“What?” Anna said, scowling athim, “do you know what it means?”

Her brother wiped his mouthwith the sleeve of his robe. “Well, my Latin might be a little rusty, but thisnew ghost might know you a lot better than you think,” Damon said, smiling, ashe took another great gulp from his glass.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”Anna said, getting angry.

“Oh… don’t listen to him, Anna— he doesn’t know anything,” Tencha snapped, scowling at their brother acrossthe table.

Damon finished his drink with aloud, “Ahh,” and then continued. “Well… if memory serves me correctly, ‘orbus’…means parentless,” he said, finishing with a smirk.

“Parentless? What do you mean?”said Anna.

Damon rolled his eyes. “Onewithout parents, of course.” He could see Anna’s confused look so he stood and leanedacross the table toward Anna, “What… are you dense? An orphan! Is that clearenough for you?” he said rudely, with an evil sparkle glinting in his eye.

“An orphan? But I’m not anorphan. I have the same father as you,” Anna answered, belligerently. She wasbeginning to regret saying anything about her strange visitor at all; shedidn’t like seeing Damon enjoying himself at her expense.

Damon laughed. “Oh — I don’tknow, Anna. What do you think, girls? The time may have finally come; we mighthave to break the news to the squib a little early, wouldn’t you agree? Afterall, she’ll be a teenager soon.” Damon looked over at Anna who lookedcompletely confused. “Well… I think you’re probably old enough to handle thetruth,” he said, glancing over at Dowla with a broadening smile.

“Oh…” said Dowla, grinning withwide eyes, “you mean… THAT truth. Oh, I don’t know… are you sure she can handleit?”

“Well… better the truth fromthose of us who…. uh…love her,” he said, with a funny little break in hisvoice, “than from some unknown ghoul coming in for an occasional visit, right?”Damon replied, now sitting back in his chair with a serious face.

“Either tell me what you’re onabout, Damon… or shut up,” Anna barked, catching Dowla whispering something toTencha to her other side.

“All right — all right, as longas you think you can handle it; the truth is… you’re not really our sister atall,” Damon said, with a smirk. “Somebody simply left you on our front step oneday and we, with a gentle-caring heart, took you in and out of the cold.” Dowlaand Tencha started to snicker as Damon leaned back. “Yep… hate to break it toyou this way, little squib… but we found you wrapped in a blanket on our frontstoop. Just another Muggle looking for a home and a family to mooch from,” herbrother finished, an ugly sneer blooming ever so knowingly on his pale face.

“Wez have pies,” calledWidwick, stepping into the dining room through a set of swinging double doorsfrom the kitchen. He was rolling a metal pushcart with several pies stackedhigh. Wheeling the cart over to Anna’s side of the table, he stopped, “Pie,Miss Anna?” asked the elf, hopefully.

Anna said nothing. She wasstill glaring at Damon in disbelief. How could he say something so cruel —so cold? she thought in appalled astonishment.

“I don’t know elf… do Muggleorphans like pie?” Damon said, with that dreaded cold draw in his voice thatAnna hated so much. He was staring at her, those malicious eyes burrowing intoher head. Anna stared back — not saying a word. Widwick stood frozen, lookingat the both of them, unsure of what to do. Damon finally grinned, and scoopedup another fork of potatoes and pushed them into his mouth. He sat back again,smiling as he chewed.

Anna’s face was hot with rage,her clinched fists tightening like vices on the arms of her chair. She wantednothing less than to smash Damon’s grinning face into his plate. She could feelher anger building steadily, made worse by her sister’s wicked and now fadinggiggles next to her. Anna’s hearing was suddenly leaving her as her thoughtsretreated. Widwick’s muffled voice was buzzing somewhere next to her, askingher something about desert again, but she could barely comprehend what he wassaying. All she could see was Damon, laughing and pointing at her, while thetop of her skull approached a spewing level of rage.

And then, something completelyunexpected happened; it moved. The plate sitting in front of Damon started towobble and shake, and then slowly began to turn in its setting. Damon’slaughing face quickly changed into a look of surprise as his plate began toslowly rise off the table as it turned, levitating into the air in front ofhim. Anna didn’t know who was doing it, but she was grateful, because the platewas doing exactly what she wanted it to do. Her hearing returned just in timeto hear Damon yelling at the twins.

“Tencha! Dowla! Put it down —now!” he demanded, but the girls seemed just as surprised as their brother asthey began scanning over each another, looking to replace a hidden wand.

“It’s not me!” they saidtogether, looking back eagerly.

Damon’s plate was now rotatingslowly at eye level, like a toy model of some alien spacecraft. He peered overthe top of his piled potatoes in Anna’s direction, and could see her piercingstare glaring back at him beneath her dipped eyebrows. Anna’s mouth had formed a deadly smile thatcurled like evil’s promise as the floating plate began to spin ever faster.

“I mean it — stop playingaround!” Damon yelled again at the twins, never taking his eyes off of Anna’snow concentrated expression.

“Shut your… big… fat… mouth,”Anna grumbled under her breath. Her gaze broke for an instant to the platehovering under his chin. Damon followed her eyes to the plate and then quicklyback again.

Do it now, Anna thought,with a look of great anticipation now moving across her face… DO IT!

Then, all of a sudden, thecooked quail on Damon’s platter began to make a very strange noise. It startedto squawk like a chicken, softly at first, but it ramped up quickly. “Cluck —cluck — cluck,” sounded the bird on the plate as it began to twitch and jerkabout. The quail suddenly stood upright and then, unbelievably, started todance along the dish’s colored rim.

“Cluck — cluck — cluck,” thebird prattled on. “Cluck — cluck — cluck — cluck — cluck.”

Do it now… Annarepeated, barely noticing the amazing dancing bird high stepping around theedge of the plate. Its naked, brown and headless body began spinning in aseries of elegant pirouettes, dipping and doffing some invisible hat towardDamon’s flared nose.

“Cluck — cluck — cluck — cluck— cluck — cluck — do — it — now,” sang the bird. “Cluck — cluck — cluck — cluck— cluck — cluck — cluck — cluck.” It was now standing on the edge of Damon’splate closest to his face, hopping up and down on its outer edge, like somedemonic high diver contemplating its next trick. Higher and higher it bounced,clucking and squawking rudely, getting louder between rebounds. “Cluck — cluck— cluck — cluck — cluck.”

Damon’s head started to leanback against his chair, as his meal continued to hop and skip before him, theplate inching ever closer to his absent chin.

“Do it now!” said Anna, thistime loud enough for everyone at the table to hear her. The bird stopped, as iffrozen in place, still standing on the plate’s flowered rim.

“Cluck — cluck — cluck — cluck— cluck — do — it — now!” screeched the bird, taking one last enormous leap. Itsomersaulted twice and landed hard on the bones of its ankles with a fierce,“BUCCAKK!” The force of the bird’s landing instantly flipped the plate over andsmashed the potatoes piled behind it into Damon’s shocked face.

There was a scream of howlinglaughter as both Tencha and Dowla began clapping wildly. Anna couldn’t believeher eyes as she watched the plate slowly sliding off of Damon’s head and downinto his lap, his face completely covered in the fluffy white mess of potatoes.Anna covered her mouth with both hands, screaming with delight and stomping herfeet at the sight of Damon now scooping potatoes out of his brooding eyes. Hismouth dropped opened and more potatoes fell off his chin and into his robes.

“So… you think that’s funny, doyou?” he said, glaring angrily at the twins. “So you like to play games withfood, do you?” He suddenly jerked his wand out of his now plastered robes andpointed it at them. His eyes were wide with fury as his head tilted backlooking down his outstretched arm.

“No wands at the table, Damon!”Tencha yelled, still laughing. “Besides… I told you. It wasn’t me.”

“It wasn’t me either,” saidDowla, who was now trying to hide behind her sister’s back.

“Hey Damon — you want somegravy with those potatoes?” Tencha quipped while Dowla, still peeking over hersister’s shoulder, began to snort.

“No — thank you, dear sister,but here… allow me to serve you this time.” He pointed his wand at the smallboat of gravy sitting in front of him. “Wingardium Leviosa,” he commanded,and the bowl lifted off of the table and started to float its way toward thetwins. Their eyes followed it through the air as it levitated to a stop overtheir heads.

“Damon! Stop it! We told you itwasn’t us!”

“Ahhhh … your lying deservesbetter from me, doesn’t it? Engorgio!” he commanded, thrusting his wandout still further. The girls watched in horror as the small bowl of gravy beganto grow. It swelled enormously until it was the size of a fifty-gallon drum.The twins screamed and tried to run.

“Not-ah-ahh,” Damon sang out,and with a wave of his wand the twins were instantly shoved back together underthe gigantic tub of gravy floating above them. “Any final words?” he asked,tilting his head to the side with a look of compassion passinguncharacteristically across his face. But before they could answer, he turnedan ugly sneer and, with another flick of his wrist, he flipped the bowl overabove them. Thickened globs of glutinous stuff poured out like a muddywaterfall upon their heads.

SSSSLOOOOSHHHH!

The girls screamed, holdingonto each other as the sticky brown goop covered them entirely. Damon finallystarted to laugh, and so did Anna. Even Widwick seemed to enjoy what washappening, despite the mess he would surely have to clean up later. Tencha andDowla were howling like wounded animals, hopping up and down and looking ateach other covered in the messy gravy.

“YOU… ARE SOOOO DEAD, DAMON!”yelled Tencha, running over to Widwick’s cart stacked high with pies.

“Now — now… don’t startsomething you can’t finish!” Damon called back, still waving his wandthreateningly at them.

Tencha picked up a pie from thetray and took careful aim.

“Me pies!” screamed Widwick. “No— they’s not for throwing — they’s for eating!”

“Let him have it, Tencha!”Dowla roared, angrily.

“You’d better be careful…”Damon started to say, but he never finished his warning.

WHAM!

Damon was hit square in thechest with the heavy cherry pie, the force of the blow hitting him so hard itknocked him down into and then back over his chair.

“Hah!” Tencha scoffed,“Gotcha!”

Anna was now laughing so hardshe thought she was going to burst.

PLOP!

Anna was hit in the side of theface with a yellow cream-filled pie. She froze and then slowly looked around tosee Dowla smiling widely.

“What are you laughing about?”yelled Dowla, now reaching for another pie on Widwick’s cart.

Anna never hesitated. ReachingDowla before she could turn to face her again, Anna shoved her sister’s faceinto the tray of pies. Pie innards of every kind exploded out from under hersister’s head. Laughing evilly, Anna turned just in time.

WHOP!

She was hit clean in the facewith the rest of the mashed potatoes from the table. She flew backwards againstthe tapestries and crashed to the floor. She looked up to replace Damon on hisfeet again, pointing his wand and smiling triumphantly at her.

“Ahhhhhhhhhheeeeeee!” came ahigh-pitched scream to Anna’s left, and she was amazed to see Dowla runningacross the top of the table with a pie in each of her outstretched hands. Sheslammed Damon on each side of the head, using the pies like a pair of symbols.

SPLAT!

Damon crumbled to the floor ina heap, and Dowla reached down to snatch his wand out of his limp hand. “Youwon’t be needing this, tough guy!” she added, standing over him menacingly.

PLOP!

Dowla was slammed in the sideof the face with another large pie, this time thrown by Tencha.

Anna couldn’t breathe, she waslaughing so hard, as the pies began flying in every direction.

SPLAT! WHOP! PLOP!

“Pleasssse stop… me pies, theyis being ruined!” yelled Widwick, who was hiding behind one of the heavy diningroom chairs.

“Widwick! I need more pies!”screamed Tencha, who was trying to protect her head with a large dinner plate.

“Yes mum…” cried Widwick, andwith a loud POP, a stack of pies magically appeared on a chair next toher. She began throwing them across the room.

“Widwick!” yelled Anna.

“Yes, mum…” POP — POP — POP.More pies appeared on the table where Anna started throwing them two at a time.

“Elf!”

“Yes, Master Damon,” saidWidwick, and more pies suddenly appeared.

Pies and food were flyingeverywhere — into the walls, the carpets, and onto the suit of armor standingin the corner. The birds woven into the silk of the tapestries startedsquawking angrily and taking flight. Some of the wolves and deer, and even thehuge bear within the hangings were running for cover, as the pies startedsmashing into the trees around them. The subjects in the estate paintings hadleft their frames, and were now peaking around the trees deep in the tapestry,watching the war within the dining room rage on. They had to duck and dodge thefoodstuffs crashing into the woods around them.

Widwick started screaming andrunning toward the kitchen doors looking to escape, only to be caught in theback with another pie.

WHAM! “Ooooooweeeee!”

The force of the blow knockedthe elf through the swinging doors and straight into the kitchen. There was aloud crash of pans and dishes on the other side as the doors swung shut behindhim.

Anna was hit every time shetried to rise above the tabletop, and then again in the back of the head fromsomeone behind her. She quickly spun around just in time to see Uncle Sarasilducking behind a tree in the tapestry, taking aim this time at Dowla.

WHOP! Dowla was knockedto the ground. “Hee-hee-hee,” came a hollow snicker from inside the tapestry.

Anna turned to see Damon,ruthless as ever, strategically maneuvering upon Tencha’s right with three piesstacked high in his left hand. Rounding the corner of the table, the carpetbelow his feet started to rise up. Apparently, feeling it had been punishedenough with all the mess, the carpet’s tasseled corner suddenly lashed out,snapping Damon hard in the rump. Damon hollered in pain, and then fell to thefloor into his own pies.

Anna was laughing so hard shecouldn’t protect herself, and was besieged by a number of pies flying in at herfrom every direction. The force of the final blow sent her sliding backwardsacross the top of the dining room table and onto the floor on the other side.The carved ghouls holding the tabletop upright started squawking angrily to oneanother, tipping and rocking the table above them like a ship’s deck in astormy sea. Foodstuffs and dishes where sliding back and forth, occasionallyreplaceing the edge and crashing to the floor on top of Anna.

Seeing Damon go down, Dowladecided to press her advantage and began to run toward him. She gleefully raiseda stack of pies over his head, intending to drop them upon him, when suddenly,the suit of armor standing behind her swung back and swatted her hard on therump with the broadside of his massive sword. Dowla flew across the room andinto the tapestry, rolling over and over onto the deck next to the lake.Standing up again, she howled angrily in pain, gripping her very sore bottomwith both hands. She was instantly struck in the face with another pie, whichsent her reeling backwards over the edge of the dock and into the lake. With aloud sploosh, a large plume of watershot into dining room.

Damon was on his feet again. Hegrabbed a silver tray from the table to protect his head from the food flyingat him, but Tencha was now waving her own wand. Immediately, the handles on thetray locked themselves tight around Damon’s wrists like manacles. Looking up inshock, the tray began batting him relentlessly on top of his head.

CLANG — CLANG — CLANG! Damon fell backwards to the floor oncemore, trying to fend off the attacking tray.

PLOP!

Tencha was hit, this time inthe back of the head with a pie thrown by Anna, who collapsed into an emptychair snorting loudly, trying to catch her breath. She then rolled onto thefloor in a fit of uncontrollable laughter when she saw the quail from Damon’splate still dancing in the center of the table.

One of the doors to the diningroom suddenly flew open and, standing there completely wet from head to toe,looking like a half-drown rat, was Dowla. She was scowling angrily.

Anna looked up at her sister.“Have a good swim?” she said, trying to hold a serious face, and then startedhowling as another fit of laughter seized her again. Screaming like a lunatic,Dowla jumped on Anna’s back and squashed her face into some of the food thathad fallen on the floor.

Damon was up again as well. Hiswrists still clamped tight by the tray, he was running toward Tencha.

“STOOOOOOOOOPPPPPPP!” came a deep bellowing voice from the familyroom entryway. It was Mister Grayson. The children froze as they looked up inshock at their father. Even the squawking birds from the tapestries suddenlyfell silent. “What in the wizarding world are you doing?” he yelled, angrily.“Get off of your sister,” he motioned to Dowla, who was still sitting on Anna.“And you! What do you think you’re doing?” he yelled at Damon, who had Tenchapinned down on top of the table, his manacled tray pressed against her back.

With the knuckles of his closedfists anchored firmly against his hips, Mister Grayson looked ominous standingamid the mess of toppled chairs and thrown food. “In all my days… I would havenever believed any Grayson would stoop to the point of…” but before he couldsteam forward into a fuming lecture…

WHOP! A custard piesmashed directly into his chest.

Anna and Tencha gasped in shockas Damon and Dowla whirled around, looking for their father’s attacker. There,deep within the tapestry, was Uncle Sarasil, hiding behind one of the trees.

“Hee — hee — hee,” Sarasilsnickered evilly, as he dashed away into the forest of the fabric. Damon gulpedhard, looking up at their father. Tencha turned, pointing accusingly into thehangings.

Mister Grayson never moved; hedidn’t even flinch when the pie had hit him. He stood there, as the remnants ofthe splattered pie fell to the floor and dripped from his fine velvet robes.Still scowling at them, the wizard calmly raised a single hand to brush awaythe crust from the top of one of his broad shoulders.

Suddenly, Widwick came burstingout of the kitchen, a handled pot sitting upon his head for added protection.“Ohhhhsss no…” he moaned, in a low timid voice, at seeing Master Graysonstanding in the center of the bombed out dining room. The elf’s ears began todroop in obvious shame.

There was the slight sound of amuffled snicker, and Mister Grayson quickly looked up with a contorted glare.Anna was holding a hand over her mouth as tight as she could, struggling toremain in control, her eyes wet from the strain. She quickly turned away tohide her face behind Tencha’s shoulder.

“Very funny…” said MisterGrayson coldly, glaring at all of them. He gripped his hands behind his backand stepped fully into the room, his robes swaying oddly from the weighedremains of the pie smashed into his chest. He stopped, and then began to rockback and forth on his heels, looking around as if surveying the damage from anunexpected earthquake. “Yes, its all very funny, isn’t it?” Anna peeked out from around Tencha’s shoulderagain. She wasn’t laughing anymore.

“But you see… I have a betteridea of what’s funny,” said Mister Grayson, turning as if to leave the room. Hestepped over Widwick’s fallen tray of pies and stopped, his back still facingthe children. He slowly turned again, now facing them from his side. Dowla bravelystepped forward as if to explain what had happened, but quickly froze as herfather shot a fast and angry look of dismay at her. He began rocking on histoes again.

“Very, very funny… indeed.” Hequickly snapped around, brandishing a wand at them. He swiftly waved it overhis head and sparks of green fire shot out in every direction. Pies suddenlymaterialized in mid-air in the center of the room and then shot forward,striking the Grayson children several times.

“Hah!” he roared, a huge smilesuddenly blooming on his face, “Now — that’s funny!”

The girls screamed in panic,and Damon dove for cover once again. Anna picked up a pie and heaved it at herfather, who stopped it in mid-air with his wand, turned it around, and sent itscreaming back toward her.

WHOP! The pie slammed into Anna’s forehead,knocking her back to the floor.

Mister Grayson bellowedtriumphantly, still smiling. “Oh come on — surely you can do better than…”

WHAM –– PLOP –– SPAT!

Mister Grayson was immediatelyencased in a barrage of pies. He stumbled backwards, slipped, and his feet weresent flying into the air as he crashed to the floor with a loud boom. Therewere screams of delighted laugher as the food began flying once again. Thebirds from the tapestries were shooting back and forth across the room lookingfor sanctuary from the war raging within the dining room below them.

“Widwick!”

“Yes, mum, Iz getting thepies,” screamed the elf, but as he ran forward to help, another pie banged intothe pot upon his head, spinning him like a top. “They… is… not… for throwing,”he said, dizzily, and then toppling back to the floor with a thud.

Finally, after trying to standthree times only to be knocked to the floor time and pie again, Mister Graysonscreamed out, “ENOUGH!!! Expelliarmus!” All of the pies the children were holdingflew over Mister Grayson’s head, hitting the wall behind him with a loud SPLAT!“Accio-Graysons!” he bellowed. The children were immediatelylifted off of their feet and drawn forward toward their father’s outstretchedhand. “Halt!” he barked, and they all jerked to a stop in midair before him.

As the children hovered there, Mister Grayson began whipping his wandover his head once more, and this time the dinning room table started to spininto a whirling blur. Changing in color and texture, the table looked like asmall tornado hopping up and down there in the center of the room as itcontinued to gain momentum. It finally began to slow, and eventually stopped.It had been transformed into a massive chocolate frosted cake, which took upmost of the dining room floor.

The children floating over the cake were quickly flipped around toconfront the desert face down. Hovering and motionless, the Graysons werebarely breathing as they glanced up at one another, and then down again at themassive sea of chocolate below them.

“Uh… daddy? I love you,” Anna said, in a higher than normal voice, butthey all yelped as Mister Grayson jerked them up still higher in response. Theylooked down at their father, who was wearing a sizeable grin as he pinned theirbacks to the ceiling.

“I love you too, sweetie,” he said lovingly, and then he released them.Screaming like the devil’s own choir, they landed face down in the cake with aloud FLOOPPPP!

Sticky, brown, and gooey, Dowla and Tencha slowly rolled over.“Eeeeeeeewwwwwwww… this is disgusting,” the twins said together.

“Oh — YEAH!” yelled Mister Grayson, his fists raised in triumph. “Nevermess with a Master Sorcerer! I’ll whack your wands!” he shouted proudly,dancing around the cake and pumping his chest in final victory.

Anna was giggling breathlessly as she rolled over and started sweepingher arms and legs to make an angel in the frosting under her back.

Still lying with his face down in the cake, they could hear Damon’smuffled voice complain, “I hate chocolate…”

FOUR

Thirty minutes later, the Graysons were seated at the dining roomtable, trying to finish what was left of their dinner. The family was still intheir sticky clothes and the room around them was a complete mess, but nobodyseemed to care. Nobody that is, except for Gabby, who was scolding poor Widwickas they cleaned the floor for what she called, “a disgraceful display ofwastefulness.” There was a lot of laughter around the table, as each described hispart in the previous battle.

Finally, Mister Grayson spoke. “Widwick… bring us the best wine in thehouse. I would like to make a toast.”

“Yes, Master Grayson — right away, sir,” said the house elf, who thenturned and scampered off.

“I wish Eric was here tonight, because what I have to say applies toyou all. The next few days are going to be very busy for us, but I wanted totell you how much Anna and I have enjoyed this summer holiday together, and howmuch we’re going to miss you as you get ready to depart once again forCastlewood.”

Anna was watching her father, but she clearly did not share his sorrowat seeing Damon, Tencha and Dowla’s return to school. Except for Eric, Annabelieved she was much happier without her siblings in the house.

Widwick returned with a dusty bottle of wine and, with a soft pop ofthe cork, he began to pour a little for each. Mister Grayson began swirling thecontents in his glass by the stem and, after sniffing the bouquet, took thesmallest sip.

“Ahhh — excellent choice, Widwick. Romanee-Conti, 1876?” he asked,looking over his shoulder at the elf.

“Iz 75, Master. You is very brilliant with wine, you is,” repliedWidwick, with a high degree of respect and appreciation resonating in hisvoice.

“Ahhh… yes… excellent. Well!”

Mister Grayson quickly stood, pausing to look at each one of hischildren around the table. “I just wanted to say… as I get older, the day youleave for school is becoming more difficult for me. You’re growing up so fast…and I wanted you to know how very proud I am of all of you. I know your mother,God bless her soul, would have been personally fulfilled by your manyaccomplishments.” He paused graciously, and then, “This house is never the samewhen one of us is missing, and when you’re all away and working hard at school…I’m not ashamed to admit,” he stumbled slightly, looking sadly down into hisglass, “that we’re all very lonely here without you.” Anna looked around thetable and could see Dowla’s eyes beginning to redden with emotion. Tencha was listeningto their father’s every word, while Damon, still slouching in his chair, wasnervously scratching at the stem of his glass with his fingernail.

“You take with you my heart, and the knowledge that I live for themoment when you all return home… safe and sound.” He raised his glass. “Isalute you all — good luck, work hard… but play harder. Remember… you carryforth the honor of the Grayson name wherever you go; I know you will make usall proud. I love you… very much!” And with these final words, he drank.

There was a quiet moment as the children watched their father finishhis toast, and then Damon quickly got to his feet. Holding up his own glass, hesaid, “To our father — the strongest man in the wizarding world.” The boy drankdeeply.

Then Tencha also stood, “To our father… I will miss you more thanever,” she said, and then she took a tiny sip of her wine.

“To daddy — I love you very much,” Dowla said, speaking through herfalling tears, her sobs echoing in the bottom of her glass as she drank.

Finally, it was Anna’s turn. Picking up her glass, she stood and raisedit toward her father. “To Boris Allison Grayson — the most wonderful and lovingfather a child could ever hope for — to our daddy,” she said with pride, andthen she drank.

Mister Grayson walked around the table and placed his arm around Anna’sshoulder. “Thank you, sweetheart,” and then he quickly turned to face the rest.“Thank you, all!” Then he lifted hisglass once more, “TO THE GRAYSONS!” he bellowed, his glass rising higher into theair.

Immediately, the knight in the corner raised his sword in salute.

“TO THE GRAYSONS!” the children repeated in unison, their glasses heldhigh.

“TO THE GRAYSONS!” exclaimed the family portraits throughout the houseand the tapestries around them.

“GOD BLESS YOU ALL!” MisterGrayson bellowed even louder.

“GOD BLESS US ALL!” repeated everybody and everything within the housein shouts of pride and joy. Their cry echoed loudly outside and throughout thehills surrounding the Grayson estate.