The Reversal

Amelia looked behind her and found an old, ancient looking man standing there. He had a long white beard that reached to his knees. He was wearing a purple cloak with a matching pointy wizard hat. His blue eyes twinkled through his half-moon spectacles. 

‘She is thankfully not dead sir,’ Amelia winced when she said the word ‘dead’. 

‘I can see that. Who petrified her?’ But the man already looked as though he knew who did it.

‘M-me. But I s-swear! I had no idea what the s-s-spell d-did!’

‘I see… if you will please follow me Ms. Clearwater, and get Ms. Dragonheart with you,’ the old man said as he started walking to the beginning of the train. 

They reached a small and empty space which had parchements and a single polished desk. 

‘Put her here please.’ 

Amelia placed Olivia gently on the long desk. She was barely breathing.

‘Petrification has three steps… When did you petrify her, Ms. Clearwater?’

‘Uhh… fifteen minutes ago, I think?’

‘So she is in the second phase. I see… Please step here Ms. Clearwater.’ 

Amelia quickly but carefully stood where the man asked her to stand but she had a voice in her head that kept on saying: Don’t do it.

She saw a venomous spider crawling next to her. She jumped in surprise and almost knocked over a big pile of parchments. The old man didn’t seem to have noticed Amelia at all, making her relieved. The man took out his wand so fast it seemed blurry. He did the most complicated spell Amelia had ever seen. The man kept muttering strange incantations and then suddenly stopped. Slowly, Olivia started to breathe faster, until her eyes fluttered open in shock. She sat on the desk, rubbing her aching head. She then spotted the old man and Amelia, who was trying not to look at her. Finally when Olivia’s large green eyes met Amelia’s blue eyes, she understood what she had done and that she never meant it. 

‘Hello Ms. Dragonheart,’ the man said calmly.

‘Um... Hello sir.’ 

He then turned around to face Amelia.

‘A punishment will be decided I’m afraid, Ms. Clearwater. Ms. Dragonheart here shall decide it.’

The teacher’s voice started getting harsher by the second.

Olivia gaped at the old man, then at Amelia, who looked scared. 

‘I don’t know sir-’ Olivia began.

‘No, you have no choice. You must choose her punishment. I will give you some options in order to make it easier for you.’

‘Either: A ban from where she wants to go. A stop to what she desires. A never ending curse or a simple nothing to the bottom.’

Amelia looked like she had been slapped in the face about fifty times.

Olivia thought for a long time. All those punishments seemed awful, yet she couldn’t decide which was the least awful. She didn’t want to think that Amelia was a bad person as she didn’t know her very well. She jerked her head up and stared at Amelia, who was staring at her with scared blue eyes. She then looked at the man, who looked dead serious, the twinkle in his eyes no more. She thought about: A simple nothing to the bottom. She thought more. 

A simple nothing to the bottom.

She stared at the man, wide-eyed.

‘I-I pick the-the simple nothing.’

The man looked surprised but Amelia looked as happy as ever. Without delay, Amelia hugged Olivia and whispered: ‘Sorry.’