As her mother was thinking over what to do Kat was slowly inching her hand toward her own wand. She didn't know how her mother's memory of Dan wasn't wiped completely clean.
Seemingly reading her mind her mother said "I had the foresight to protect my memories. I knew that you didn't like Danielle that much and I had thought that you may have done something like this. I had to give you a chance to prove me wrong but you acted like I had thought you would. I'll let you and your friend decide what your punishment should be. Speaking of your friend I'll have to do something with her too."
"But you're not that kind of witch" Kat said with wide eyes.
"I had told you that you had to keep being a witch a secrete" her mother said with an edge to her voice that made Kat cringe. "Telling Danielle was ok since she's family. However, telling your friend wasn't ok. You have put us in danger by doing that."
"How did I do that?" Kat asked feeling like her mother was making a mountain out of a mole hill.
"I know you studied history in school" her mother said. "You know about The Burning Times. People were so afraid of witches then that they were burned at the stake. Innocent people were burned too because they were accused of being witches."
"I know that" Kat said rolling her eyes.
"And why do you think I told you to keep being a witch a secrete?" her mother asked.
Kat had to think for a bit before she could answer. When she did she said "Because you didn't want others to know."
Her mother rolled her eyes and said "I thought you were smarter than that Kat. The reason that I said that is because there are those out there that still hunt witches. If they even got a hint that we were witches they would come in here and take us. We would then be burned at the stake. Would you like that?"
"We can just transform them if they come here" Kat said not seeing the problem.
"Use your head Kat" her mother chided her. "How do you think the witch hunters captured witches in the past?"
"They were lucky?" Kat ventured.
"The witch hunters came in the middle of the night when most witches were asleep" her mother said. "They also had amulets and charms that protected them from magic."
"You're... you're serious?" Kat asked fear creeping into her voice.
"Deadly serious" her mother answered. "You've not only put us in danger by telling her but she's in danger too."
"We can modify her memory so she doesn't remember that I told her" Kat said desperate to keep her friend safe.
"It's not that simple" her mother said. "Once you tell someone that you're a witch it's very difficult to wipe that memory from their mind and it usually leaves the person blank. It's like starting all over again."
"What are you going to do with her then?" Kat asked afraid what her mother would do.
"There are two things that I can do" her mother said. "One way is to turn her into an animal. That way she wouldn't be able to tell anyone that you're a witch. The other way is to put a binding spell on her so she can't tell anyone. This could still put her in danger however as the hunters could still find her. She wouldn't be able to tell them that you're a witch and she would likely die. I'm going to put the binding spell on her. I don't like changing innocent people into animals."
Kat watched as her mother waved her wand and her friend woke up. She slowly sat up and stretched. She looked at Kat's mother and said "Good morning Mrs. Mapes."
"Good morning Christine" Kat's mother said. "I have something to explain to you." After explaining everything she asked "Which would you rather do? Become an animal or accept the binding. I hope you accept the binding since I don't want to turn you into an animal."
"I don't want to be an animal either" Christine said. "I'll take the binding."
"Even knowing that you could be in danger?" Kat's mother asked.
"Even knowing that" Christine said.
"Ok" Kat's mother said raising her wand. After chanting some words her wand tip glowed and it moved over Christine. The glow faded and she said "It's done Christine. You are unable to tell anyone else that Kat is a witch. Now Kat, how old are you making Danielle?"
"He's going to be seven by the time he wakes up day after tomorrow" Kat said.
"And what are you changing her into?" her mother asked. "I saw the hole in her jeans."
"A neko" Kat said.
"Just some cat features then" her mother said. "Christine, what do you think Kat's punishment should be?"
"Well why not make her Danielle's twin sister" Christine said.
"An excellent idea" Kat's mother said. "I think I'll make it so Kat changes just as slowly as Danielle."
"Could you do the same to me?" Christine asked. She blushed then continued "I want to be seven again and it would be interesting to be a neko."
"If that's what you want I'll grant your request" Kat's mother said. She raised her wand again and chanted a few more words.
Kat felt something like static electricity pass through her. She looked at herself and noticed that her nightgown had changed and was now white with pink sleeves and a picture of Barbie on the front. She looked over to Christine and noticed that her nightgown had changed into pajamas with a light yellow top and pants. A picture of Belle on the front of the top. She also looked like she had regressed to fifteen.
"You are now fifteen" Kat's mother said. "This means that you don't have your powers anymore Kat. If you prove to me that you can handle them I'll let you turn eighteen again. Now I would like you to help Danielle adjust to being a girl but I don't think that you'll do that good of a job. So I'm asking you, Christine, to hep her adjust. Will you do that?"
"Of course Mrs. Mapes" Christine said. "I'd be happy to. I was planing on helping her adjust anyway. I did find it funny that Kat was changing Dan into Cathy but I figured she would need someone there for her."
"That's nice of you" Kat's mother said. "Though her name is Danielle now. Enjoy your day off from school. As far as everyone else is concerned you two are sick today and Christine's parents are on vacation. That's why she's staying here." She turned around and left Kat's room.
As soon as her mother was gone she looked for her wand and spell book but couldn't find them. "They're not here" Kat said and pounded her pillow in frustration.
"Well you're fifteen now" Christine said. "She hasn't given the to you yet."
Kat sat down on her bed hard and put her head in her hands. She had been sure that she would have been able to undo her mother's spell but now she knew that she couldn't. She was doomed to become a seven year old neko girl within 48 hours.