#i realize that i've tagged tshaw twice now and nick has yet to show up

[astorytotellyourfriends]

Practical Magic, 2/?

previous installment here

By the time Louis gets out of the house a few hours later, she's definitely glad to be doing so. She apologized to Lottie for blowing out her candles, but she could tell that Lottie wasn't really ready to forgive her just yet.

It figured that when Louis actually tried to step up and be a good role model and follow the rules it would blow up in her face. In retrospect, perhaps she should've been a bit nicer to Lottie. It'd been over a month since the incident with the fire in the dining room, and they still hadn't actually figured out what had happened or who'd done it. Lottie swore up and down that she had nothing to do with it, but Louis still wasn't sure if she believed her.

Perhaps a bit of time away from her sister was a good idea.

It was a bit of a trek, getting from their house to town, but Louis didn't mind. She liked the seclusion that their house afforded them; it usually kept away all the nosy tourists looking to catch a glimpse of a witch.

Louis had spent her whole life in this town and it was small enough that she knew just about everyone, and they all knew her. It was hard not to know any of the Tomlinson coven, to be honest. It's not like they kept their witchery a secret, far from it. There was no reason to.

They never performed any animal sacrifices or dabbled in any dark magic. Louis' mum was known throughout the town as a healer, and considering the closest doctor with an actual medical license lived three towns over, it was far easier to just trek up the hill to the Tomlinson house for cures for minor illnesses.

Louis and her mum and sisters were genuinely well-liked by everyone. The only odd looks they ever had to endure were from the occasional tourist, and even those were few and far between because it's not as though they all walked around in black dresses and pointy hats. There was no need to draw unnecessary attention.

That isn't to say they haven't had a few hiccups in the past, especially as the girls grow older and learn to harness their unique talents. While Jay's strengths lay in the magic of healing, Louis had a predilection for love spells and potions. She could very easily make people become infatuated with others, sometimes without meaning to, which led to a couple of awkward situations that Jay had to take care of.

Although, Louis still hasn't been able to master any sort of love spell that works in her own favor. As the years go by, she's beginning to wonder if she's not supposed to find love for herself, only to help others find it.

Unlike Louis, both Lottie's and Fizzy's talents derive from what one might call the more traditional side of witchcraft: divination and herbalism, respectively. Lottie can neither read minds nor correctly predict the future, but it certainly doesn't stop her from trying. And as far as Fizzy is concerned, she'd probably sleep in the garden if their mum would let her.

As for the twins, Daisy and Phoebe, their talents have yet to reveal themselves. But, according to Jay, they're growing ever closer to the age at which most young witches learn where their talents truly lie. Louis just hopes it's nothing too destructive or intrusive, to be quite honest. The twins are rambunctious enough as it is without bringing magic into the mix.

She smiles widely at the several townsfolk she passes on her way to the shop in the center of town. They all smile in return, and a few even greet her by name. She doesn't stop to chat, and it's not necessarily because she's on a mission for her mum.

Louis strides into the shop and immediately heads for the counter at the back, happy to see that there's no one else waiting in line so she can waltz right up. She slaps her hand against the bell resting on the countertop even though it was entirely unnecessary. Judging by the look on Harry's face as he turns around, he knew it was her before the bell even stopped.

"Harold!" she says with a wide, toothy grin. "How's my favorite shop boy?"

"Tired," he replies with a soft sigh. "And you banging on that bell doesn't help."

"But you know I love to ring the bell," she says. He rolls his eyes as she juts out her bottom lip in an exaggerated pout. "It's one of my simple pleasures in life."

"Yeah, yeah." Even when Harry tries to sound exasperated with her, he can't manage it well enough to be convincing. Louis knows she's just too charming for anyone to stay mad at her for too long (her sisters notwithstanding, of course).

"Louis!"

Louis turns at the sound of her name to see the shop owner, Bernard, coming towards her with a warm smile nearly hidden under his moustache. She smiles in return, leaning back and resting her elbows on the counter behind her.

"Come for your order?"

"Yes!" she answers. "Someone wasn't being very helpful." She nods her head towards Harry in an exaggerated manner, but the smile doesn't fade from Bernard's face so she knows he isn't taking her seriously.

"I'll be sure to reprimand him," Bernard says, playing into her joke as he walks past her and opens the door to the right of the counter. "Dock his pay, at the very least."

"Ought to give him twenty lashes too, so he really learns his lesson." Louis turns back around and flutters her eyelashes at Harry, who's glaring at her as he tries not to smile.

"Will you ever stop trying to get me sacked?" he asks with a huff.

"Probably," she replies. "Y'know, when it actually works."

"Then what'll you do? You'll have no one to flirt with but Bernard."

"Excuse me, Harold. I am not flirting with you."

"Sure, you're not." Harry winks in the most ridiculous manner and Louis can't help but laugh.

"You're an idiot," she declares just as Bernard comes up next to Harry with a bag in his hand.

"Here we are," he says as he sets it down on the counter. "Shall I go through it?"

"Nah," Louis says as she reaches out for it. "I trust you. Besides, if anything's missing I'll just hex you."

She smiles brightly as both Bernard and Harry laugh; it's an empty threat they've heard many a time. Louis would never actually hex anyone.

"Tell your mum I said hello, will you?" Bernard asks. Louis nods.

"I will. S'pose I'd better get going, before Mum sends one of the others to look for me." Louis rolls her eyes.

"Run along, Louis." Harry waves his hand at her and Louis swipes at it. "Some of us have work to do."

"Shut up, Harold. Bye, Bernard!"

Louis tucks the bag under her arm as she strides to the front of the store and through the doors, getting halfway through the town centre before she catches the edge of a conversation that piques her interest.

"No, I'm telling you, it's the truth!"

"It can't be, why would another witch come to our town?"

Louis had already slowed down to eavesdrop, but the mention of the word witch has her full on stopping mid-step. She carefully turns her head to the left to see a group of older women near the market, and not a single one of them have noticed that Louis is nearby. In an effort to not be conspicuous, Louis ducks behind a nearby tree and strains to listen to their conversation.

"I didn't say I knew why," one of the women is saying, "I'm just telling you what I've heard."

"Well, where'd you hear it from?" another woman demands. "Because I don't know if I trust your information, not after--"

"That was entirely different," the woman from before cuts in. "How was I to know that--"

"Now, please, don't start that again," a gentle voice interrupts and Louis peeks around the tree trunk to double-check that her ears aren't playing tricks on her. She thinks she knows that voice and as she spots its owner, she finds out she's right: it's Harry's mum, Anne. "What about Jay? Has anyone spoken to her about it?"

"Well, no," the first woman replies, sounding a little ashamed. "But I have it on good authority that--"

"I'm sure you do," Anne says smoothly, "but until we hear it from Jay, then we shouldn't speculate."

The other women all murmur in agreement and Louis turns away, leaning back against the tree trunk. Another witch? Louis shakes her head, telling herself it can't possibly be true. If anyone knew about a new witch coming to their small town, her mum would, and she would've at least told Louis about it.

Louis takes a deep breath before she sets off, walking at a quick pace with the intent on getting home as soon as possible. She's not sure if her mum will know everything about this supposed new witch, but surely she's got to know something.

A/N: according to google docs, this fic (as a whole) is already 2.5k which can only mean that by the time i’m through with it (whenever that may be), it may very well be a monster. strangely, i’m alright with that.

#my fic #witch fic #tomlinshaw #i realize that i've tagged tshaw twice now and nick has yet to show up #NICK WILL SHOW UP EVENTUALLY OK #FIRST I HAVE TO BUILD A WORLD #a world i'm already very fond of which is going to be a Problem