i put a spell on you

[knockyoursocksoff]

The Witch's Curse


A fantasy AU meme where witches are real, and they are vengeful. Specify your character's role: the witch (or sorcerer), the subject of the curse, or the curse breaker. Tag around and pick or RNG a curse.

1: Change of Form: human turned animal, mythical beast turned human, human turned inanimate object, human made older/younger, the possibilities are endless

2: Obeisance: you are now cursed to follow the witch's every command and it's useless to resist, or perhaps you simply have to obey every command given you no matter who gives it

3: Curse of Sleep: like princesses before you, you are cursed to sleep for all eternity, or at least until your one true love finds you

4: Possession: be it a demon or any other kind of spirit, your body is no longer your own

5: Isolation: some witches use towers, others use forests of thorns, but either way the message is clear-- you are never seeing the outside world again

6: Resurrection: even death is not an escape from the witch's power, for some can raise the dead

7: Bad Luck: some curses are more minor, only causing you to stub your toe or drop your books, but they're still annoying

8: Defects: you weren't turned to an inhuman shape, but were somehow made hideous, clumsy, or repellent in some way-- maybe you smell terrible, or maybe people who get near you just feel uneasy and want to leave

9: Wounds: you have a wound that simply won't heal-- maybe it's slowly killing you, maybe it's just annoying, but it's not going away

10: Monster Magnet: wherever you go you're always being attacked by creatures, demons or monsters or ghosts, etc, that want to kill you

11: Never to Meet: you become an animal during the day while your true love is human, then you switch forms at night, so you can never both be human at the same time again

12: Death: your death is approaching and you need to find a way to avert it or remove the curse entirely

13: Objectification: you didn't avoid the death curse, and now your soul is bound to an inanimate object, perhaps to provide more power for the witch, to bind a spell to the object and give it power, or maybe just so you can't move on to your next life

14: Cursed Object: maybe it wasn't the witch themselves, but something that used to belong to a witch that put the curse on you, and now you must find a witch who can remove the curse

15: Cursed Ground: your house is built somewhere it really should not have been, and now you have to deal with ghosts or demons or the undead, which will really ruin your property value

16: Wildcard: choose your own adventure!

[adapted from original found here]

Comments

[desecrated]

"The memories are yours, John." Sherlock says, oddly. John might belong here, Rosie might. A wizard life with a wizard wife and - John must be a healer of some kind it explains why Sherlock wants him so badly.

It's not like it matters.
Will John marry another woman and bring Rosie here and send her to what must be wizard education... Will they let Sherlock visit?

He hates that, the pang of ... whatever it was. Whatever it could be.
Even if you don't change, I will love you...

[captainwatson]

"Maybe he meant you?" John suggests; "I mean, maybe that explains why you're so...extraordinary." he smiles; "Maybe Mycroft is the Good Witch of the North and it runs in the family?"

He jokes to make the confusion and fear easier.

But he can't deny the. pull he feels to learn more about this world. He feels a pang of envy for the little children off to start their first year at a school for magic.What other wonders are there? Isn't Sherlock excited too?

[desecrated]

"I appreciate your sentiment, however I doubt Mycroft is capable of such benevolence."

Sherlock feels like an outsider. More than he even did in boarding school and university. He doesn't belong here.

He's curious but not... enthused.
"Maybe you should ask the man at the wand shop who he meant."
He watches John look at the children of this place. Like he envies them. Sherlock envies them too, but ... in a different way.

[captainwatson]

John nods. It wouldn't hurt just to ask. He really wants to be human again more than anything else.

"How about you have a look around while I see him?" John hands Sherlock the purse; "Don't spend it all on one broomstick."

Better than Sherlock just standing there feeling put out again.

[desecrated]

Sherlock nods this time. He doesn't belong in a wand shop anyhows.
As much as he'd ... like one.

He looks around in the windows, admiring the beauty and craftsmanship, clutching the purse close to him. Not wandering too far away.

[captainwatson]

John enters but hangs back for a bit, letting the kids who were in first be served.

He smiles as he watches one little boy be given a wand that reacts positively, shooting jets of light into the air. His dad goes to pay Ollivander.

"...Bill?!" John stares, hardly believing his eyes.

Bill Murry turns and, not recognising John, shields his son for a moment.

"Who-? Do I know you?"

"It's me. John Watson." He says, feeling very odd; "What are you doing here? Your son's a...wizard?"

"Well, obviously, I...Oh, crap." Bill mumbles under his breath.

Meanwhile, out in the street, a woman in a violet tent beckons Sherlock to her stall.

"Young man! I sense in you a desire to change your fate? I can help with that." she grins. "I can help you...keep the one you love. Your soldier?"

[desecrated]

"It's ... fine..." His feet are moving towards the tent. He wants John more than anything he's wanted in the entire world.
Only for John to stay.

It's not even ... physical intimacy he desires so much.

[captainwatson]

"Just because you weren't born with magical gifts, doesn't mean you can't attain them!" She tells him, holding up a vial of pink liquid; "This is an infusion of pure wizard essence. It allows even Muggles to experience the power to cast spells for a short time. Here, try a free sample."

She offers him the liquid.

[desecrated]

"Can I change John back?" He wants to know. Don't drink anything... he remembers. He tries ... stalling. But he might take the sample in hand, judging the weight and consistency of it.

[captainwatson]

"You will have enough time for one spell, that might be all you need! Best drink it now, it expires in less than a minute." she tells him, trying to urge him to drink.

[desecrated]

Sherlock drinks, thinking maybe it's a bit careless.
But... he's used to doing careless things.

[captainwatson]

The potion doesn't work as advertised.

Instead, in a matter of seconds, it shrinks Sherlock down to the size of a small doll. The woman quickly catches him and traps him in a container. In another quick flash, both she and her tent have disappeared off the street.

Back in the shop, John is eager to know why Murry never told him his family were magical, especially after all those years fighting together. Bill seems reluctent to explain.

Then a young boy rushes in; "Oi, Mister! I just saw your Muggle get snatched!"

"WHAT?" John flares up, forgetting Murry for a moment; "Sherlock?! What happened, where is he?!"

"I dunno! She dosed him with a shrinking potion and apparated out of 'ere! That's why you shouldn't leave Muggles unattended."

John runs out of the shop, hoping the kid is wrong and he will catch sight of Sherlock. He calls out. But nothing.

Oh god, no.

[desecrated]

The container feels ... small even though it isn't. Shrinking ... compounds injuries. His clothes don't shrink with him, instead he's just a tiny thing, finding limbs difficult to move. He tries making himself smaller, knowing he's trapped, trying not to panic, trying not to ... let her notice.
But of course she will. She can see him. He shouldn't have drunk it. Of course... the worst thing is - he's not sure what's worse. The fact that he could probably fit in John's giant paws or that he might never see John again. He presses his hands to his face, trying to burn the image of John's smile on the tarmac in his small, tiny brain.

Small. Tiny.
You're such a stupid little boy, Mycroft sneers at him. And Mummy and Daddy are very cross...

[captainwatson]

It will be a few hours of cramped darkness before he sees light again.

Then she takes the container out an tips him into a jar with a label on it.

"Greedy Muggles, always fall for the same trick.' She tuts, wiping the glass; "Oh dear...this one is damaged. Might have to sell it at a discount. Someone will want it. Otherwise the cat can have a new toy."

The old witch puts Sherlock's jar down beside several others on a table. All of them have a shrunken, naked and terrified human in each. One tries to call out to Sherlock but the glass is thick and possibly magic proofed.

Some people, giants to Sherlock, enter the house and browse around what must be the woman's real shop.

[desecrated]

Cat? Sherlock thinks... how small he must really be.
He sits against the glass.

He knows all to well what people do with something smaller or weaker than themselves, even if they don't want ... information.

Maybe being given to the cat is the better option.
Discounted due to damage.

The only persons to want this sort won't be benevolent. He might feel bad for the person that needs help but - he can't hear them. It's not like he could do any -
Wait a moment. They're all Muggles. So the sale is ... illegal. Still. Might do to try and remember faces though it probably won't do much good.

Still. Something to put focus on, instead of shaking in terror.

[captainwatson]

It's not long before some customers come to pick up the jars, carelessly handling them and making the creatures inside move in terror.

Sherlock's gets picked up by a toddler.

"Mummy, can I have this one please?" The kid asks, shaking it like a snow globe.

"Ew, no Timothy, that one looks disgusting. How about this? She's pretty cute." The mother makes him put down Sherlock's jar and draws his attention to the one with the shivering girl in her early twenties.

Eventually all the jars are picked up and bought. Except Sherlock.

"Well, Mossy. Looks like you're gonna get a toy after all." The witch says to the great cat that's been eyeing the cages.

But then one last customer enters.

[desecrated]

Sherlock trembles slightly when the door opens. The cat is going to probably eat him, or ... whoever walks in is going to ... subject him to more torments.

[captainwatson]

"Can I interest you in this fine specimen, Professor? A pet for your boy?" The witch tries to sell.

"Lucus is too spoiled for pets. However, I am in need of a house servant. The manor has been a too ever since those damn House Elves were liberated."

The man with blond hair picks the jar up and sneers.

"This one looks rather marked. Simple." He comments.

"More than capable of doing household chores and whatever else you desire upon restoring his size." The witch says, "The scars are signs of survival. He's a feisty One! Five galleons and ten sickles."

The man grunts and pays up, dropping the jar in his suitcase.

Another hour of darkness before Sherlock is let out.

"Marka." He hisses, pointing his want at Sherlock. A red symbol of a chain is burned onto his neck; "That will stop you from leaving the grounds. Engorgo!"

Sherlock will grow back to his normal size. The man throws him a shift to cover himself. Real clothes mean freedom.

[desecrated]

He winces at the burn. He can't leave obviously. It's probably better if he doesn't open his mouth to speak at all, who knows what will be done to him if he does.

Will he ever see John again?
Shift. Clearly he's a slave. Simple. They think he's simple.
Best let them.

Maybe he is.
Obviously he's supposed to clean the house. Without shoes.
There's loose boards and there is dust and grime nearly everywhere. He expects he should scrub the floors and clean the walls.
Maybe if he does such things without being told then ... things won't be so bad. Maybe. Feisty. Maybe once. He just wants to see John again. His eyes sting.

[captainwatson]

"Do as you're told and don't talk back or break anything, and you will be treated fairly." The master sneers; "Do not talk or look at any guests. Start by mopping the kitchen floor and then dust."

He waves his wand and the scar on Sherlock's back burns as if fresh for a brief moment.

"That is a taste of the punishment I can inflict. Now get to work."

[desecrated]

Gasping in pain, Sherlock turns to his duties. John.
He's a bit slow at cleaning but that is due to the fact he doesn't wish to break anything. He tries very hard not to be disobedient or headstrong.
John.
He mops despite the fact it hurts and he can barely move when he's finished. The dusting he is very slow, trying not to break anything. As long as he doesn't. The man is the sort ... probably to embed glass into a wound as a stark reminder.
When the dusting is finally finished he turns to the dishes.
He's even slower at that, but thankfully none of them break.
John.

[captainwatson]

The man's wife complains at how inefficient the new 'Help' is, moaning about how the House Elf was just as ugly but at least had magic. She's nasty to Sherlock as much as possible, ordering him to wait hand and foot on her.

And yet she's a saint compared to their teenage son, who delights as much in tormenting the Muggle slave as he did the previous elf.

At night, when his chores are complete, Sherlock is shrunken down again and put back in his jar for the night. It's been filled with sawdust bedding and left with a tiny bit of food. Cost effective provisions for their new slave.

The boy, Lucas, sneaks down and finds the jar after his parents are asleep. He likes to torture the creature, casting Imperio and making the Muggle dance and hurt itself, for his amusement.

Meanwhile Mycroft is employing as many Ministry agents as he can to try to track down where Sherlock was taken. John has almost forgotten about his bestial form and is using it to threaten as many suspects as he can for information.

He WILL get Sherlock back. No matter what.

[desecrated]

He wonders why he ever thought being obedient would make them less angry. They just like hurting him, that's all.
The curse that he calls Imperius ... it hurts he has to do what he's told, regardless if he has the strength or not.
He is always hungry, too but there is little that can be done about that.

He doesn't speak unless he's forced to. What is the point.

[captainwatson]

While Mycroft's men try to trace the Muggle trafficking, John wants to find out about his missing memories. If he has...magic, then surely he can help to save Sherlock.

Bill Murry tells him to call his sister.

When Harry sees John, she realises it's time to tell him the truth.

"We're wizards, John. We always were. We went to Hogwarts together. You became a Healing Auror...basically a wizard army doctor. The war you fought in wasn't a Muggle one. But you were injured. You had your memories erased and altered."

"Why the hell didn't any of you tell me the truth?!" He's furious. How was this part of his life hidden from him? Left to feel...ordinary. Useless.

"St. Mungo's hospital said your mind was too raw, too vulnerable to handle it. Your memories and other things were locked away until it felt you were ready to recover them. It was...up to me to say when..." Harry looks ashamed.

"And you didn't. Five years and you said nothing."

"...You were always the special one! Mummy's perfect wizard. Clara even loved you...And then you had Sherlock, I just thought..."

"I've had enough of other people thinking for me. I want my memories back and anything else."

It matters more to him than being physically human. His memories might help unlock where Sherlock is, if there is any connection.

[desecrated]

Sherlock continues his dreary existence, working, scrubbing, cooking. They are so busy with complaining how slow he is and how ugly he is, they don't notice that the house is actually clean. That there are no broken dishes.
Sherlock almost wants to end his existence in this misery. But. John.
If John is looking for him. He needs even a scrap that John is looking.
He tries listening to their conversations, he is dull and slow though, not understanding all the spells. Or the potions.