Lucy Potter

in Heaven's Above

The Order of Black Magic

by

Daniel Thomas Andrew Daly

Copyright 6183 SC (2020 CE)

Verronica stuck her straw into the fruit box, and began sipping.

'You know,' she said. 'Minxy is a handful.'

'I don't want to talk about Minxy,' replied lucy, doing her makeup. It was Tuesday night, the week had passed, and tonight they were to be initiated into the order of black magic. Lucy and her whole coven.

'Seriously, what is a sprite doing in a local park? Not exactly their kind of domain.'

'She likes to be close to me now,' said Lucy. 'We go way back.'

'Right,' said Verronica, sipping her juice.

Damiano came into the bedroom. 'Is this pleasing to my ladies?' asked the dashing wizard. He was dressed in leather, looking more like Lancelot from King Arthur than a wizard necessarily, but that was the adventure in Damiano.

'Sweet,' replied Verronica, giving him the AOK symbol with her hand.

'You look fine,' said Lucy. 'Maybe a little over the top. This is magic in society, technically. We have some rights. We don't always have to be in olde world glory costume.'

'Just felt it for the best,' said Damiano. 'Just this feeling we'll be in places like Avalynn more and more in our adventures. Just this feeling in my cockles. Lots of weird dreams, from God I guess, showing me countless adventures in weird and wonderful worlds. All with you guys. We're a thing which goes on by the looks of it.'

Lucy put down her lipstick and looked at Damiano. 'Potentially forever, Damiano. I have a feeling this thing might be permanent I'm involved with. In the end, you know, we're humans. Muggles in our own way, I guess. But there is something in the dark magic which speaks to our heart, and just doesn't let go. It must be who we are.'

'Something like that,' agreed Damiano, and looked over Verronica who was doing her makeup in the mirror.

'And stop gawking at Verronica loverboy,' said Lucy, and returned her focus to the mirror.

Verronica pretended not to notice Damiano's stare, but she looked slyly from the corner of her eye, and she noticed he noticed, and he noticed she noticed him noticing. The tension of romance between them was obvious these day.

'Out,' said Lucy. 'You've stared long enough.'

Damiano gave Verronica one last long look, and left the room, only to be replaced by Geoffrey in long flowing robes, which were actually clean, and a long pendant.

'What' this?' asked Lucy, looking at the pendant.

'I've been a wizard a very long time Lucy Potter,' replied Geoffrey. 'And for official things I do bother to go to an effort. Having difficulties trying to clasp it on myself. If you don't mind.'

'Sit on the bed,' said Lucy, and Geoffrey did so. She put the pendant around his neck, clasped it, and looked at the symbol on the octagonal medallion hanging from the pendant. An Archer.'

'It's a family thing,' replied Geoffrey. 'Some of my – spellcraft – involves archery related things.'

'I see,' said Lucy. 'It's exquisite. Beautifully made.'

'Custom made, at a stiff price,' said Geoffrey. 'But imbued with magic in the heart of its being.'

'Mmm,' replied Lucy, and looked it over. Geoffrey got up, looked at himself in the mirror briefly, pushed his hair around a bit, and left the room.

Finally Helga came in the room, looking traditionally germanic, and appropriate for the evening, presented herself to the other two, who looked her over and nodded, and she said, 'Well. I think we're about ready to go. The limousine will be here any minute now, and while we're witches, it was actually just one of the suitable vehicles to actually get us all there together. A van seemed less – appropriate.'

'The choice was fine,' said Lucy.

And soon enough the coven were together, on the curb, as a black limo pulled up, ready to take them through the city to the mysterious and enigmatic order of black magic.

* * * * *

'Devil's may hinder us, dragon's may cinder us, it could all end up tragic, but we are black magic,' repeated the coven.

'Life is our making, glory the taking, magic's our art, magic's our craft,' said the head of the order.

And the coven repeated those words, and others, going through the rite. When the words were finished they were led into a chamber with an altar.

'It is time for the sacrificial blood,' said the witch. 'Present your fingers.'

One by one the coven came forward, their fingers received a little cut from a blade, and blood was drawn into a beaker. The blood was then put in a bottle with some weird liquid, shaken, and poured out over the wood.

'Your convictions are sure?' asked the witch. They all nodded.

'Stand on the pentacle, one at each point. You have an ideal number for a coven.' Around the altar drawn on the ground was a pentacle, and each of the wizards and witches stood at a point each.

'Take your wands, and point at the altar.' The witches did so.

'In the name of magic, dark and cruel, who would play this fate of a fool, but we are slaves to no queen or king, tis the power of the magic unto which we all sing.' And then she made some strange incantations in a foreign tongue, raised her hands, and energy started pouring out of the wands, smashing into the wood on the altar, which burst into bright red, green and blue flames. It was electrical, and shards of lightning and plasma burst out of the altar and, one by one, energy, green and aqua, surrounded the coven, coming upon them, settling into their being.

Lucy was dazed. She had just been born again in the dark magic – something profound, and she stood there, wand outstretched, but put her hand down, and collapsed.

A while later she came too, in the main feasting room, sitting on a bench around a table.

'She's awake,' said Damiano.

'Too much for you, was it?' asked Verronica.

'She must have had a deep encounter,' said Geoffrey. 'She is the coven leader after all.'

Helga, sitting next to Lucy, took her hand. 'Tell us about it later. For now we feast.'

And feast they did, well into the night, and Verronica was much enamored by the sensual adorations of Damiano all evening long.

* * * * *

'Squirls and whirls and churls and burls,' said Verronica. Her hands, almost frenologist style, were on Lucy's head.

'And what the hell does that mean?' asked Damiano.

'Shush. Heroman,' replied Verronica, looking Damiano over.

'Oh, enjoy the sights,' said Helga.

'Passions of a woman,' said Geoffrey.

'The visions?' queried Damiano.

Verronica smiled at Damiano, and concentrated on her work. 'It's all hazey squirls. Cloud-like squirls. Its changing colours as well. Lucy is there, on a seat, tied up.'

'That's a start,' said Damiano.

'There's something there – something with her – it's............JESUS!' and Verronica pulled her hands suddenly away, and ran off to the bathroom. Lucy came too and smiled. Damiano patted Lucy on the shoulder, and went into the bathroom.

'What did you see?' he asked Verronica.

Verronica shook her head, but didn't say anything.

'Nasty, were they?' asked Damiano.

'A big black dragon. He wasn't the problem. The vampire ghouls surrounding Lucy. They spoke to me in evil. The voices were pure evil. It had no goodness in it. Nothing.'

Damiano looked at her, and then motioned for her to come back into the bedroom. 'Say what you saw,' said Damiano. Verronica repeated what she had said to Damiano.

'It was also down in the heart of the earth. In caverns with flowing lava. Hell, in some ways.'

'Doesn't sound good,' said Lucy. 'But if that is where the second shard lays, then what choice do we have? The order has charged us now with recovering all 5 shards. We've done one. This one looks very unpleasant, but we shouldn't waiver from our task.'

'Damn straight we should,' said Verronica.

'I've handled devil's my whole life,' said Lucy. 'We go. When the time is right, we go. We have the instructions for where our quest lies in Avalynn, so we go. The decision is final.'

Verronica sat there, on the bed, shaking her head. Finally she spoke. 'If you insist. But I fear this quest. I fear it greatly.'

'Then it will be the making of you,' said Damiano, putting his hand on her shoulder. Verronic touched that hand and nodded. A daunting challenge lay ahead, and Verronica had seen just how dark the terror they faced was. She was not looking forward to this adventure at all.

* * * * *

'So, are you in good health? Are your bowels functioning correctly?'

'Mother. What a question,' replied Lucy to Caroline's query.

'If the waterworks aren't working properly, you won't be going on any quests,' said her father David.

'No father,' replied Lucy. 'I'm fine. Believe me, I'm all fine. There are no problems. I don't have a penis growing between my legs, or an extra head. I'm all fine.'

'I can tell there is no extra head,' said David.

'We won't check the other bit,' said Caroline.

'That's a relief,' said Lucy. 'Sit down. Please. Geoffrey! Where are you? Can you get my parent's some juice from the fridge?'

Geoffrey wandered in from the other room, stood up to his full height, and glared at the Potter parents.

'You are magical, and you are not,' said Geoffrey, indicating Lucy's fathers magic and her mother's lack.'

'It's not much of a focus any more,' replied David. 'I have my old books up in the attic, but I'm a working man these days.'

'Doing what?' asked Lucy, as Geoffrey went to get the juice.

'He shifts around a bit,' said Caroline. 'We have a nice place. Big enough, really. But he can't settle. He's been studying, though. History. Lot's of history of all sorts of places in heaven. There are a number of positions as historical correspondents in various museums and institutions in our neck of the woods. David applied last year, and they were interested, but he needed further qualifications. Another 3 or 4 degrees on various aspects was suggested. So he's back at his studies.'

'20 year courses as well,' said David. 'But that's eternity, isn't it? Plenty of time to learn everything under the sun.'

'I guess so,' replied Lucy. 'Upper management positions in my work? Man, I'd be studying forever to get anywhere.'

'Love interests?' asked Caroline softly.

'Enrique is nowhere to be seen, if that is what you mean,' replied Lucy. 'And Daniel visits only occasionally. It's not a problem.'

'That devil,' said Caroline.

'Lucifer?' Lucy went quiet. 'Don't worry about him,' she said at last. 'He's never really been out to get me. Just lusts after me. He likes me though.'

'That's the problem,' said Caroline. 'Not exactly sure you should be welcoming attention from Mr Malfoy.'

'Just the way the cookie crumbles, I suppose,' replied Lucy.

'That's one way of putting it,' said David.

And so they chatted and discoursed, and her parent's stayed the week, and Lucy caught up with life in the Potter household, much the same as conversations over the phone in recent times. Not too much changed with mum and dad.

* * * * *

'Where did you get that skill by the way?' Damiano asked Verronica. They were at Lucy's, discussing the recent inquiry by Verronica into Lucy's mind.

'It's clairvoyancy,' replied Verronica. 'One of my gifts of the magic,' she replied. 'I don't see auaras, or much else. I have magical energy and focus to get my spells done, but the only real gift of the magics is clairvoyancy. Seeing the future. I have to put my hands on someone's head, after getting them into a trancelike state, like we did with Lucy. Then I can sense out destiny in them. Just how it works with me.'

'I see auras,' said Helga. 'Sometimes it's overpowering. I can see exactly the nature of people. Have a lot of conclusions about what the colours represent, and the standard ideas are usually right as I see it.'

'ESP,' said Geoffrey. 'Muggles have it as well, if you really must know. All sorts of people have gifts of ESP without having the core gift of magic. It's something which comes with humanity.'

'Daniel is very strong with animism,' said Lucy. 'He feels the spirit. He can smell it when he's psychotic especially. Very strong with animism.'

'That's you,' said Verronica. 'Isn't it.'

'I have Animistic magic,' said Lucy. 'Technically I'm not even a witch, you know. I'm an animist. Just excessively strong with it.'

'God's energy,' said Helga softly.

Lucy looked at her. 'That's what some people say, yes. 'Well, we are here to set a date,' said Lucy. 'To begin our quest. We know the basic area of Avalynn we are travelling to. It will take some time as well, much like the old route we first started with, but diverges after a while. But when, people? Your timetables? When do we go?'

Geoffrey spoke first. 'I've already sounded this out. In the new year, early some time. People are ready, and mostly happy to go.'

Lucy looked at Verronica. 'Mostly,' she said softly. 'Well, ok. I'm coven leader, so I'll set a date in the next few months. And then, shard two is our challenge.'

'Shard two,' echoed Damiano.

And the covens mission was set, even if not every voice was wholeheartedly in favour of this new adventure.

The End