2. I am not Hermione Granger

“It's hard for me to accept I am a witch, will others accept it?”

The church is supposed to be the place where someone could feel safe and even at times get answers. I went to the church and sat down and looked at the statue of Jesus hanging on the cross. That must have hurt him and caused him so much pain. This means he would understand the crises I was in. I admit that I could not compare my confusion with the pain Jesus had when he was on the cross.

I sat and could not help notice how peaceful the Church was. I felt safe and that God would protect me and understand me. God knew that I was a witch, but he also knew that I could not be bad. Maybe God would help that I did not get a strange nose or green skin. This made me feel childish, as I thought that mom was pretty and the ancestor ghost I saw was pretty. They were witches.

I could feel tears coming down my face. Why did life have to be so complicated? Why did I have to be a witch? What would happen to me? How would I cope with it? It was like finding out that I had a sickness, which meant that I was not like a normal girl. 

I also found out a church is a great place to feel sorry for yourself.

A priest came and sat next to me. His name was Father Sullivan. He was an old man with white balding hair and a small beard. I heard people say that he was very holy and a true friend of Jesus. It was nice that he sat down next to me when he noticed that I was crying. He asked me what was wrong with me. He did not mean to listen to the prayers or my thoughts, but the only word he could hear was the word witch. He asked me in a serious voice did I know a witch and was she trying to hurt me?

“ I am not a witch” I snapped at him.

I would go to hell now as I lied in a Church. Still, I did not trust Father Sullivan. I did not want to tell him that I was a witch. It was best that I told no one!

When I came home, Mom was waiting for me. She looked so worried. I apologized to her and said that it was a lot to accept. Mom gave me a hug and told me that it was a normal reaction. She told me that it was hard for any teenager to find out they were a witch. Mom told me we should talk about it over a cup of warm chocolate.

“It's not that bad being a witch.” Mom explained, “Being a witch does not define who you are. Your personality does this and I am so proud of having you as a daughter. This is not because our ancestors say you will be a legend as a witch, but I am proud because of the kind of person you are. You are kindhearted and think of others. You work hard at the things you do and try to do your best.”

I don't know if I liked so much praise. It was nice to hear and at the same time embarrassing. 

“So being a witch does not define who you are.” Mom continued, “Its a bit being like Hermione from Harry Potter. She is human but also a wizard. She does not use her powers for evil or for selfish reasons. She uses them for good things. This is the same as the situation you are in!”

“Mom!” I started to argue, “Harry Potter is just a book. It is not real. The situation I am in is real. What will happen to me when people find out that I am a witch. Would I still have friends? Will everyone fear me? Will they try to hurt me?”

Mom agreed with my fears. She admitted she had the same thoughts when she was a child and told that she was a witch. She filled up my hot chocolate while she told me that it was probably best if I appeared normal to others. It was best to keep who I was as a secret and not even to let my best friends know.

“Today is different” Mom explained, “There are no witch hunts and people really do not believe that witches exist. This will be an advantage for you. You will not go to any Hogwarts, Your ancestors will tutor you on your powers and how you can use them for the best.”

I thought for a while as the TV was on. Why was there never any good news? So many children across the world were starving. So many families lived in poverty. There were wars and people hating each other. Even in our own country, families are divided on who likes the president or not. Looking at the news was distressing as if I did not already have enough problems.

I told mom that I was OK now about being a witch. The powers always came in handy when I had to tidy my room or do something I did not like. I asked was there any way my powers could help me with exams or homework. Mom had to laugh at this.

The crisis about finding out that I was a witch was over. I accepted it although I did not compare myself to Hermione Granger. I led a normal life. At school and in public, I did everything a normal 13-year-old would do. I was careful never to do any magic or think about magic. The only time that I practiced any magic is when one of the ancestors came and showed me what I could. I must have been a quick learner or just good at being a witch. Learning how to use the powers were quite easy.

Despite my huge secret and double life, I was happy. I was still friends with Tina and often visited her at home. I loved baking with Tina and her mom. Tina was about the only friend that I had. This did not bother me. I figured that I would have to be a lot more careful if I had a lot of friends. I was sure that Tina could accept that I was a witch. This, however, would place a huge responsibility on her. She would have to keep it a secret.

One day at school we had a visit from Father Sullivan. He was talking about Harry Potter. He was very stern as he told us that we should not read it. It was a demonic book that promoted dark magic and witchcraft. I did not say anything as I thought that he was an old man that must have been bitter. I never read the Harry Potter books, I just have seen the films. To be honest, I did not see anything bad about them.

Father Sullivan noticed me and raised his voice as he said, “Witches is not something Hollywood made up. They are real and they are evil. If you ever meet a witch, you should tell a priest and keep away from them. Witches are the devil's children.”

He looked at me and asked me if I agreed. I looked at him and remembered what one of my ancestors told me. I looked at the priest and said, “Being a witch does not have to be bad. It is your morality that decides this. Many witches believe in God and are good Christians. The difference is that they can do things that others cannot. Witches are often like guardian angels, that help people where they can.”

Father Sullivan told me that I was an example of what was wrong with the world. He said that either I was a witch, or I was too tolerant and naive. The teacher could see that the talk was getting too personal and politely thanked Father Sullivan for coming. I think he was warming up, so its good that he was stopped.

Tina was joking as we walked home. She was very religious and told me that it was a sin to disagree with the priest. I laughed and told her that he was trying to scare us.

“You nearly sounded like a witch, the way you were defended them,” she joked.

“If I was a witch, I would glue his mouth together.” I joked back.

Tina was in one of her moods where she was making one joke after another. She started crossing the road despite that the little man was still red. I shouted for her to wait but she started skipping across the road. She joked that her friend was a witch. I could save her! This joke was so funny for her, that she lost all concentration.

Tina did not see the car driving fast. When she did, she just froze and stood there. The car tried to stop, but it was obvious that the car could not stop before it was too late and for some unknown reason, the driver never thought of trying to use the steering wheel. I shouted at Tina to move. She just stood there.

I started to panic. To be honest, I was not thinking too much. I stretched my hand out and used my powers. Tina was floating in the air as the car drove under her. I could see Tina was confused as she was floating in the sky. I could also see that she was looking at me. The car driver must have been afraid he nearly knocked a girl over, as he sped away.

When Tina was on the ground again, she looked at me with a confused look and then ran as quickly as possible away from me.

I tried messaging Tina and ringing to her all night, The next day she did her best to avoid me. I really wanted to explain and wanted to tell her I only wanted to save her life. Tina refused to talk with me. She went as far as to say that she no longer wanted to be my friend.

This went on for a week. I was becoming more and more desperate. I could not understand that the friend I had all my life would just ignore me because I saved her life.

I spoke with mom about it. She was worried at first how many seen me using my power. I told her that was not the point and told that Tina would not speak with me because I saved her life. Mom gave me a hug and told me that Tina must be in shock. Seeing magic on TV is not the same as seeing it in reality. Mom also said that she must be confused and afraid. Mom finished by saying that friendship is very powerful.

The next day I visited Tina at her house. Her mom answered the door and said that Tina was in her bedroom and did not want to speak with me. Her mom closed the door.

This was not enough for me. I closed my eyes and thought of Tina's bedroom. The next thing I knew was that I was standing in Tina's room. She just stood there and looked at me. She looked pale.

“How did you do that?” she asked, “How can you do these things? Are you a witch?”

“Yes, I am a witch. I can do strange things. This should not kill our friendship. I am still the same person as you always knew. I am a good witch. I saved your life. That is what I said in class. Witches can be like guardian angels!”

I waited for Tinas reaction

To be continued.