Constance remained silent for a while, sitting with her eyes closed and her right hand firmly grasping something. Beside her sat Helenna, whom she felt was far too close, yet she didn't feel particularly able to move away just yet. The fuzz that had temporarily taken over her brain began to clear as she continued to pay attention to breathing deeply. Eventually she realised that the warm area upon which she had been resting could only possibly be Helenna's shoulder and she quickly became uncomfortable at the thought, and shuffled away from her.

"Sorry," she muttered, before noticing that she still had a tight grip on the wand witch's wrist and letting go sharply. She saw blood flow quickly return to the slightly-paled wrist and was even surprised herself that someone feeling so weak could exert such a strong grip. Helena must have been glad of the release, although she didn't show it if she was.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly, "I don't know what came over me,"

"It's alright," Helenna replied, lightly patting Constance's shoulder and pretending not to notice when she flinched slightly, "I suppose you're bound to get a bit light headed after -"

"Thinking back it probably was quite a large amount of blood," Constance interrupted.

"Yeah," Helenna agreed musingly, "I thought about suggesting a blood-replenishing potion but, well, I know it takes hours to brew so it'd be unlikely to be on any use. Unless you had any stored."

Constance thought for a moment, perhaps running a version of an potions-storecupboard-inventory through her mind.

"I think there is a bottle, actually. It's old, though. I'm not sure that I'd be willing to risk that kind of magic without knowing for certain what happens if the potion has been left. Time can do funny things to potions."

She looked at Helenna almost with a silent 'what do you think?', as if part of her expected a solid contribution to her decision-making - but Helenna shrugged.

"I don't know," she said simply, "I'd go with your judgement on this. You're the potioneer, after all. How old is it?"

"Very," Constance replied, "I didn't even brew it myself - I never needed to. I believe it was included in some promotion from Hags and Horrocks...back when they produced those sample potions boxes - as if they thought that potions teachers would ever consider buying their students potions as well as ingredients."

"That was a really long time ago," Helenna remarked, "I remember it being in the news because they lost a lot money on the promotions and Horrocks was threatening to sell up if they didn't immediately switch back to selling only ingredients. But that has to be at least ten years ago..."

"Yes," Constance agreed, "Perhaps it's time to get rid of that box of potions. Who knows what quality they were of even to begin with?"

"Yeah. Looks like you'll just have to stick to the good old-fashioned method of taking things easy for the rest of the day!" Helena chuckled as the potions mistress nodded in agreement, "I'm really sorry that this happened," she continued, "Especially to you. I know you weren't that keen on the idea of us being here in the first place."

Constance wondered how she had known, but quickly considered the possibility that she had perhaps not been particularly subtle with her disapproval of the disruption...nor with her apparently justifiable feelings about wand magic.

"This tutor of yours..." Helenna began slowly, just noticeably biting her bottom lip, "I take it that 'special' occasions didn't mean 'good' occasions?"

Constance was mortified. That was an unexpected comment to say the least, and rather too unprofessional. Far too personal. Far too painful.

"We still need to speak to Layla," Constance stated calmly, yet with a touch of evasiveness, "I'll be alright to go now,"

"Ok," Helenna agreed and held out her hand, "Go by magic?" she suggested, kindly. But Constance simply shook her head and didn't take her hand.

"It's not far now, just around this corner, look," she said, getting up from the bench.

"At my school there's specific lessons for things like...well we have lessons for regulation and wandlore and that," Layla's tone was somewhat flatter that it previously had been. She pinched at both her hands above her lap, her wand lying just beneath them. Other than that she barely moved but to speak and occasionally risk a moment's eye contact with the teachers sitting opposite her in the semicircle of chairs that had been left from the lesson.

"In first year I had Regulation lessons. Everyone has to have them before they're allowed to have their wand all the time," she continued.

Constance glanced at Helenna, slightly irritated that she had not had much chance to speak yet, and unable to help wondering what the relevance of this information was.

"To try and minimise accidental magic," Helenna stated, rather missing the point of Constance's enquiring look, "Inexperience and unregulated emotion and concentrated magic, I can only imagine."

"Yeah," Layla agreed, "And it teaches you a sort of respect for the magic, I guess, like... I think it's important that people realise what their powers can do. Especially when it reacts instinctively, I mean. So in Regulation, they teach us how to separate what we feel away from our magic. And it goes on for ages, too, but I guess it needs to because," she paused, whether for a dramatic effect or as a result of a renewed realisation of what had happened, "because of...things that...because we're going to have wands and concentrated magic and because of the things that can happen."

She trailed off, leaving Constance with mixed feelings. Earlier the girl had used charm and politeness to get out of trouble. Now she seemed to have a different tactic. Was she expected to believe that somehow there had been a lapse in a system that had been described as so rigorous and well-planned? That this - accident - was not the girl's fault and that she had somehow slipped through and managed to gain possession of this, for want of a better word, weapon that she could not control? Surely not. She waited for Helenna to challenge her niece's ramblings, but she did no such thing.

"You can't get certified for your wand until you prove that you can handle it," Layla continued, "But I was quite good at it. Most of the time anyway. There's just one little aspect that since then I've realised that I have a problem with...fear. You know how that is, don't you, Miss?"

She made eye-contact with Constance, directly, this time, and for a substantial amount of time, too. Constance did not immediately understand the reference, but it seemed that Helenna did.

"Layla's always had a bit of a problem with fear," she explained, "Of course, it initially hid itself as an extraordinary ability to be unaffected by fear. But as it transpires, the training she had with her Regulation tutor didn't actually tap into fear because she didn't get scared like the other kids. Not even the dark. Anyway, it eventually was picked up on so there's been extra training...but how do you train someone who isn't afraid of anything?"

"I am scared of something," Layla then admitted, "I was scared today...and I think that's why I did...what I - "

"But," Constance interrupted, casting her mind back over the situation, "Why on earth were you frightened?"

Layla hesitated, glancing between the two teachers as though unsure what to say.

"You were going to take my wand," she eventually mumbled.

"Why were you - what? Why?" Helenna puzzled, gaping at Constance in disbelief.

"I realise that it perhaps wasn't the wisest move," she admitted.

"You wouldn't even take mine when your life could have depended on it!" Helena said incredulously, "Why would you want Layla's?"

"I didn't - not like that, anyway," Constance hurriedly explained, "I'd asked her to put it away but she seemed incapable of leaving it there and I - I just did what I would have done with any other student. I intended to confiscate it for the day."

"And then what?" Helenna asked, but was drowned out by Layla's voice.

"You can't just take a witch's wand!" Layla protested, "And absolutely not without some sign of sincerity and she didn't have anything to give me in return - how was I to know that she'd ever give it back? Or what she really wanted it for? I don't know what she is!"

Constance was shocked to be spoken about in that manner, especially considering that she was in the room - and visible.

"And I can quite honestly say that even the idea of that terrifies me," she continued, "And when she tried to take it I just - I lost it. I didn't mean to, really I didn't. That made me even more scared and that's why I ran. Not to get away from you, Miss Hardbroom - to get you, Aunt Helenna, because I knew it was bad and I - yeah."

"Is that true? Layla ran for help?" Constance asked, looking to Helenna, who nodded, "Well that's something, I suppose. Nevertheless - "

"Nevertheless," Helenna interrupted, earning herself a sharp glare, "Layla, Miss Hardbroom is a good witch, and you have no reason to believe otherwise. But she isn't a wand witch, which means that you should do what?"

"Consider that she doesn't know the traditions associated with concentrated magic," Layla responded dutifully.

"Miss Hardbroom, you really shouldn't have tried to take the wand, yet it's reasonable to assume that you were unaware of the consequences," Helenna said.

Constance was absolutely outraged as Helenna seemed to be pinning the blame for this on her.

"But Layla," she continued, "It is your responsibility as a wielder of concentrated magic, to protect those who potentially have less knowledge about this particular area of magic - just as it would be Miss Hardbroom's responsibility to protect you in the event of say, a dangerous potions situation. You will copy out the Statute of the Responsibilities of the Concentrated Magic Wielder, and a 2000-word essay on how this specific situation might have been handled better from your perspective." She glanced at Constance before adding, "Might as well make it a teaching opportunity - seeing as that's why we're all here."

Constance was glad that it had been turned around somewhat, but was still unsure whether it was enough for her to be pleased.

"And," Helenna continued, "You will clean the potions lab - without your wand, but you may use non-wand-magic because...it is pretty dismal in there. If Miss Hardbroom is agreeable, I think you should also help her to clear out the potions store cupboard while you're there. It might be beneficial for both of you."

Constance nodded in agreement, although still feeling slightly dubious about spending more time alone with Layla. She felt as though she would be treading on eggshells around the girl for the rest of the week. If it didn't confuse her a little, Helenna's next move might have reassured her immensely.

"And not forgetting Miss Hardbroom's confiscation," she took her wand from the bun in her hair and held it in front of her, simultaneously extending her other hand. Layla blinked and nodded, picking up her wand from her lap, placed it in her aunt's hand, and took the wand she offered. "Just for this week," Helenna said, tucking Layla's wand into her hair, "Until you can go through this with your Regulation tutor. Now go and get started on the potions lab."

Layla quickly obeyed and scurried out of the room, while Constance looked aghast.

"How does giving her a wand with more power and experience help in the slightest?" she managed to say eventually.

"It won't work for her," Helenna said smugly, "Not without my permission, anyway. It's extremely well trained."

Constance glanced nervously at the clock every few minutes during Mildred's two-hours of extra potions that evening, knowing that Layla would be back to help with the store cupboard shortly after Mildred left. Fortunately Mildred caused no disastrous spillages and completed her work leaving the lab in it's newly renewed clean state. To give the girls credit, Layla had somehow managed to get the room to look cleaner than it had in a long time...and the already-clean surroundings seemed to have a positive effect on Mildred's carefulness. Constance smiled inwardly, admitting this observation only to herself as she dismissed Mildred and offered to tidy away her cauldron.

Layla tapped on the glass pane in the door as she entered somewhat cautiously, several sheets of paper in her hand.

"Is that your essay for Miss Rookwood?" she enquired, tipping the washed cauldron upside-down in the sink.

"No," came the reply, "I left that upstairs - I've still got to do the copying out before I give it to her. This is for you."

"For me?" Constance questioned, walking away from the sink to take the papers. She stopped short with her hand outstretched, as though something had made her decide not to take them directly.

Layla recognised this and placed them on the desk between them instead, for the potions mistress to pick up.

"I wrote two," she said, "I thought you might like to read one. In case you ever meet a slightly-disobedient wand witch again, I guess."

Constance couldn't help but admire the girl's dedication. To write an essay in the latter part of an afternoon and early evening was quite an achievement, but to write it twice...she picked up the essay and gave it a fleeting scan, picking up no sense that it was a magic copy, or indeed had been copied by magic. She really had written it out in double. No matter what she may have thought of Helenna Rookwood's seemingly scapegoating and soft style earlier, she had to admit that the witch really did know how to teach someone a lesson. She was intrigued, and felt a slight honour to be able to read about a branch of magic that was usually kept so secretive.

"Thank you, Layla," she said quietly, before remembering what she was supposed to be doing, "Let's make a start on that cupboard then, shall we?"

Layla nodded and picked up the recycling box that Constance had placed on a nearby desk presumably for this very purpose.

"I am sorry, Miss Harbroom," she said again, "I was meant to show you that wand witches aren't all that bad and...well, I didn't really manage that did I?"

Wondering what exactly the girl meant by that, Constance shook her head seriously as she passed over some empty bottles for Layla to stack in the box.

"Well they're not," Layla said with a smile, "Not all of them, anyway."

AN: And that's all, folks! Sad to be ending it, but that's the story completed I think! :)

It's been hard to write but also perhaps one of my favourites. Considered doing a sequel but zero ideas on that front so don't get any hopes up yet. :P

Please review x

P.S. Tomorrow might be difficult because I unintentionally stayed up an extra 2 and a half hours writing this...

...so really, please do leave reviews :D