"I know, right?" mutters a girl a little younger than her, rummaging through the pick-and-mix crystals. "You'd think they could alphabetize."

"And those they have more of. In a totally separate box, right over there," she says, waving distractedly towards a bookshelf in a back corner. "Makes sense, right?"

"What, really? No wonder I can't find rose quartz. Thanks."

"No problem, been there." She pricks her finger on something-or-another's thorns, swears violently in surprise, and is promptly distracted by the sight of her goal. "Yes! Finally, Lethe's Bramble." She snatches it, standing victoriously, and promptly smacking her head on the edge of the counter. "...ow."

"Are you okay?" asks the girl. "...What's the Lethe's Bramble for?"

"I mostly meant what you want it for, although I'm curious about the other thing too. I need rose quartz for like ten things, none of which I want to do this week, but if I don't spend my allowance on magic stuff now I'll wind up with none left when I do get around to the spells."

Huh. Alli can't even come up with ten ways to use rose quartz. "What kind of spells take rose quartz?"

"I have this whole book of stuff to do with various crystals. It's with all different other ingredients, of course, there's nothing for using it alone, that would be too budget-friendly."

"Yeeeah, if you wanted a budget-friendly hobby, you might wanna rethink the 'magic' part."

"Ugh, it's not even really fun, it's just - you know? My sister would do it herself but she can't make anything behave."

"I've been here like one time before, Sunday before last? I think I might have seen you at school."

"Sophomore. You?"

"Junior. Sophomore? I didn't think I was that bad with the frosh last year. Is one of your spells invisibility? Cause damn, that would be awesome and I want to see your spell book."

"Oh, no, no, I wasn't here last year. Or even last semester."

"Well. Welcome to Sunnydale, then! Damn, now I'm torn. 'Hooray, I'm not that oblivious' against 'damn it, invisibility sounded wicked.'"

"I found something that purports to do it, but it was vague and complicated and needs four full-length mirrors."

"Pfff. Cause what witch doesn't have four full length mirrors just lying around the house?"

"I have six! In the attic. Collecting dust. Just in case I needed them for something, you know?"

"Man, you know what would really be nice to have in the house? Plants." She sighs. "Except that I cannot keep things alive worth shit. So, digging through unsorted spice boxes every three days for more Lethe's Bramble. It's my new hobby all by itself."

"What is it that you want it for, though?"

Alli considers her, and gives her a tentative 'probably not just screwing around' pass. "Memory potion. Want to take a look at the recipe? I keep messing the damn thing up, and forgetting things is getting reeeeeeally old. I could use more eyes."

"Well, I can, but I haven't really gone into potions. A memory-helping potion? Or did you have a really bad day?"

"It sounds like you had to read it for English class and there were no potions involved."

"My sister likes old books. I don't see the appeal. I will totally trade you but I don't wanna be a test subject."

Alli waves this off. "Whatever, I've already had five, what's one more?" She offers her hand. "I'm Alli, for the record."

"Soph!" Shake shake.

"So... I didn't actually bring the thing. The damn book is heavy and I've just made it five times, I didn't hardly need the ingredient list. I can bring it to school tomorrow, or something?"

"Sure. Meet in the library after?"

Soph is in the library after school the following afternoon.

And Bella with her.

"Hi, Alli. This is my sister Bella, the one who can't get any magic to work. She's a junior."

"Together those are surely my defining qualities."

"Sure. Lay it on me."

"I think we have math. You sit in the way back."

"Yeah... like I said I haven't got into potions but I have got a little bit into Latin, I switched into it a few weeks ago when I discovered that there is almost no Spanish in spellbooks, and I know almost none of it so far, but is that conjugated right?" She points at a verb.

"...No. No, you're totally right. That's the wrong tense. Damn it all. I didn't think to check the Latin- I thought I measured something wrong-" she starts to scribble things down on a spare sheet of paper from her backpack. She's on her third year of Latin; she's not the world's best student, but she's past the basics. "And this is in the dative instead of the accusative, and this should be plural... who wrote this, they should be banned from magic."

"Ooh, I helped. Go me."

"Aren't you glad I convinced you to switch?"

"I am glad of that whenever I'm not doing my homework. You should do my homework, we're in the same level of Latin anyway."

"That would kind of defeat the purpose of you actually taking it. Besides, when I tried to help you with a spell you said it came out feeling wrong, whatever that means to you magical types."

"I'm kidding, Bella."

"Latin has declensions, it's awful," declares Soph.

"If you think you'll have better luck getting spells out of me than Soph and various books have, I'd be more than happy to try the glitterlight spell."

"How much of that is drama and how much of that is essential spell component?"

"As far as I know? The Latin's required. The arm wave isn't necessary, I guess. But if I don't move it, no sparkles happen? Since it's a spell for "sparkles follow movement". The rest is just me thinking magic is really damn cool."

Alli shrugs. "There isn't form. It's just- an incantation. It might just not work? One of my books was written by-" she puts on a Snobby Scholar Face, "-by an Expert in the Field of Magicks Who Tragically Lacked The Power To Himself Become a Practitioner." She reverts to normal. "Or something like that. But old person talk for 'knowing how to cast spells does not mean you can cast them', anyway."

"Okay. So I may just be a dud, as - previously suspected," sighs Bella.

"Sorry."

"Wicked!" Alli beams. "So, we have different books. But they're not incompatible or anything, thank all the gods."

"At least not as far as basic little light spells goes. This one's cute, I like it. Where did you start?"

"My sister left some old books lying around. I found them when she moved to college and took her room. They were mostly little things like that one. Say something, see cool but mostly useless effect, try the next one. Good for beginners who are skeptical that Magic is a Thing, anyway."

"We've just been going by stuff in the library here and at the Magic Box more recently. It's better than school stuff because Bella will do all the annoying notetaking and reading for me and just tell me what to try."

"I'd do it all myself if I could," says Bella.

"What kind of spells are you into? I couldn't even come up with five things that use quartz, let alone ten."

"Oh, that was from - where is it -"

"This book," says Bella, producing a book. "But the interesting one is the protection blessing. I guess the one to remove pests from the home could also be useful but unlike the protection blessing you can't just call an exterminator."

She peers at the book. "Can I look? I've never cast a protection spell. My life's not really protection-spell-worthy."

Soph passes her the book. "I like this one. It's easier to follow than some of the others. I wonder if there are actually a bunch of kinds of witches and only the basics overlap in places?"

"We're like doctors, but way cooler."

"Dibs on, um, what's a nongross doctoring specialty. Physical... therapy?"

"Heal people with magic! Two birds, one stone, all that crap."

"Yeah, I'm trying to learn some healing too."

"Geez, healing spells too? Your dad's job must be such shit."

"I'm trying to be versatile. I've barely started, what am I supposed to do, decide that I want to do divination and nothing else forever? And Dad doesn't get hurt that much but if he does it would be nice to fix it."

"I guess. Scrying's kinda fun, though, that was how I figured out the Magic Box was legit."

"Oh, I just went in and showed them a book I was working from and saw if their advice worked."

"At least it wasn't someone clueless who was right by accident?"

"That would've been embarrassing! But they were right and now I can float stuff."

"You said you hadn't done any potions yet, right? Did you want to come over to help? I can always use more people to chop, Lethe Bramble is tough."

"I might. If it works right how good is it going to be for the memory? How long's it last?"

"So I think- I might be reading the damn thing wrong, it's such a mess- it gives you better memory for a while after drinking it. Not photographic level or shit like that, definitely less than a day... other than that, I guess we find out?"

"Retroactive or going forward - like, is that one day or so really clear in your memory afterwards forever, or do you have better recollections of things while you're under the influence?"

"Second one. I think. See previous disclaimer."

"What kind of expiration date do potions come with?"

"Depends a lot on the potion. And the books are awful sometimes, it's like- imagine you're trying to make dinner, and you are making chicken from a recipe. And you do the marinade, or whatever, and then the last step is just 'cook until done'. No time frame, no temperature, no nothing. That is potion making."

"So this isn't necessarily something I can keep a vial of in my back pocket for a mnemonic emergency - if I am a total dud will it mess things up if I chop your ingredients, I wonder?"

"I doubt it. I've used spices from the grocery store before and it worked okay, and those cannot possibly all be Magic Safe.

"Unless duds are very rare. But okay, I'll come over and help - how do you get home usually?"

"Walk if it's nice, bus if it's not. Soph, you joining? Learn a potion?"

"Sure, why not. If we're both going with you we can give you a ride home."

"Ooooh, fancy. Ride sounds great, thanks!"

"Dad got us a car to share as a welcome present."

"Wicked! If I ever need a dad, I am borrowing yours."

"Unorthodox, but maybe you could make it work."

"Pfft, yeah, what could go wrong there."

"Let me count the ways. Anyway, when should we go?"

"I'm good to go whenever. Your car though, your call."

"I'll chop."

"Is steeping just like tea or is it complicated?"

Soph gets started on that.

"How fine do you want this cut?"

"It's not super clear, but I think pretty damn fine. Let me know if you get tired or something."

Once the ingredients are ready, they get to be added to the thyme-water. In a particular order, in particular quantities, and each with a phrase in Latin from Alli's spellbook, as corrected per their earlier library adventures. Eventually the potion has turned a deep, deep purple (which is mildly confusing, as nothing that went into it actually was that color). Alli stirs it three times counter clockwise, sighs morosely and sets an alarm. "And now to do that every fifteen minutes for the next six hours."

"We can't stay that long, sorry."

"Sunset curfew. But we can stay a while."

"Yeah, no worries, I'll bring some in tomorrow with a report. But- sunset? What, does your dad hate clocks or something?"

"Nah, it just gets dangerous around here after dark. There are statistics and everything."

"Sure, plenty of places get dangerous at night, but most people still have curfew at seven, or whatever," Alli laughs. "But whatever, if it works for you. How long do we have? I don't even know how far away you guys live."

"We're like a five minute drive northish of here."

"Well, you're welcome to hang out if you'd like. But my awesomely cool plans for the afternoon were 'magic and homework and TV'. So, if those are not up your alley, suggest away?"

"I am up for those things! What kinda TV do you like?"

Bella, meanwhile, produces some homework.

"I watch damn near anything, actually. But I default to faster-paced stuff. If I wanted to watch people stand uncomfortably and revel in being awkward as shit, I'd go to class."

"Ha. Okay, I dunno what's on now, wanna channel-flip?"

"Works for me. Stop me if you see something, one veto each?"

"Oh, I don't care, I'm just going to actually do homework. I'm not so much a TV person."

"Well, maybe something's too loud? Or someone has a reeeeeeally squeaky annoying voice? Have a veto anyway, veto-use optional." Alli starts flipping through the channels.

Soph wants to stop on something comedic and insubstantial. It proceeds to distract her thoroughly from her own homework.

Alli has no particularly high opinion of homework and is fully in favor of comedic fluff. She alternates between chuckling at the jokes and, when particularly frustrated at Obviously Stupid things the characters are doing, throwing things at the television. She appears, in fact, to have a pile of post-it notes next to the couch for just such a purpose.

Soph considers this highly entertaining. She joins the fun.

And Bella keeps an eye on the clock and says, "Better get going," when sunset begins to threaten.