Wolf

[Palladium]

"It is very likely," Palladium replied as he looked down at the wolf. "That's why I cast the non-aggression spell; if he is a wolf, that means that he's unpredictable and dangerous."

[Demeter]

Flora nodded. "So, how do we go about bringing him back to non cursed state?" she asked. "Would you like me to stay and help or would you like me to leave you to your work?"

[Palladium]

Having entered his office, Palladium replied over his shoulder, already immersing himself in his research, "It's getting late and I haven't even the slightest idea how long it will take me to get him back to his normal state; therefore, I wouldn't want to keep you from whatever else you have planned for the evening."

[Demeter]

"I really had nothing planned except study the script for the joint school show," Flora said. "And considering I'm not too keen on rehearsing... I rather be here helping, if you'll let me."

[Palladium]

"Very well," Palladium answered, shooting her a quick smile before he handed her a heavy book. "For starters, you can flip through this book of spells to see if you can find one that will reverse a hex." As he turned back to the book that he was studying, he added as an afterthought, "Also, if you happen to come across any protection spells, be sure to bookmark them as well. That way, once we get him back to normal, we can cast a spell that will prevent minor dark magic - such as this hex that has been put on him - from harming him in the future."

[Demeter]

Flora settled down on a chair, flipping through pages in the book, trying to find something that was like what the professor had suggested. She was quite grateful that the professor had let her helping him find a cure to the prince's condition. "Professor, why would the witches hex Sky? As far as I know, he doesn't have any winx so he'd be, no offense to him, pretty useless."

[Palladium]

"Witches thrive on creating chaos just as fairies thrive on doing good." Pausing in his research for a moment, Palladium tapped his chin as he said in a philosophical tone, "It creates a certain balance to the universe. In any event, my guess is that Darcy simply wanted to create a little trouble to satisfy her need for disorder."

[Demeter]

Flora nodded. "Professor, how would we know if there's anything of Sky in there? Is there some sort of test we could do to make sure there's something we're bringing back?"

[Palladium]

Glancing up from his book, Palladium replied as he looked over at the wolf, "I wouldn't bother; from the looks of it, the Prince Sky isn't himself anymore. Otherwise, I would assume that by now he would have responded in some way to our conversation because he would have understood that we were discussing him. But because he hasn't . . . well, I think it is safe to assume that he has no comprehension as to what is going on." Quickly, he added, "But that is not to say that he can't be brought back to his human form, of course."

[Demeter]

Flora nodded. "Hopefully he'll be an easy cure," she said. Unlike Bloom, she thought bitterly - that was one cure that was being elusive. "So, did you find anything?" she asked, glancing back down at one of the books on her lap. A few protection spells did look doable, until she noticed one required the blood of an unicorn mixed with that of the blood of an innocent. She made a small face and flipped the page.

[Palladium]

Palladium sighed as he started to shake his head in the negative; pausing suddenly, he mused out loud to himself, "But perhaps the counterspell I used against Icy's little hex on Stella would work . . . it's worth a shot, I suppose. Although, that hex was much less severe than the one one we're dealing with now . . . but perhaps if I find a way to tweak it . . ."

[Demeter]

"It's worth a shot," Flora said quietly. "And I found a protection spell... however... I don't think we have two of the key ingredients... Unicorn's blood and the blood of an innocent."

[Palladium]

"Unicorn's blood and the blood of an innocent?" Palladium repeated, his brow furrowed in thought as he mentally tried to figure out how he would get such ingredients. "Well, I suppose I could cast a retrieval spell to bring a unicorn from another realm here temporarily and as for the blood of an innocent, I'm sure I could find a student here who meets that criterion and is willing to donate a few drops of their blood." A brief smile crossing his face, he said, "See - not so difficult after all."

[Demeter]

"The spell's here, page 315, towards the bottom of the page," Flora said quietly, pointing it out to him. She bit her lower lip as she thought. "I suppose I better sneak into the kitchen and get something for the furball before he decides that we look good enough to eat."

[Palladium]

Taking the book from Flora, Palladium nodded as he looked over the spell. "Looks good; I think it'll work. Now, if only my counterspell works too . . ." Glancing back at Flora, he shooed her away with a smile, "Go on, go on and get the food; I'll be fine here with him. He won't hurt me: non-aggression spell, remember?"