Annie McGregor

**Annie McGregor** was a 17th century witch who was persecuted by Justice Sommer. She has a daughter, Beatrice McGregor. As a descendant of the First Witch, she is an ancestor of Bailey Ward and Amelia Ward. She first appears in Book 2.

Her statue is featured in the town square at Ipswich. At the Ipswich Witch Museum, more artifacts including the gallows and Justice Sommer's portrait from McGregor's period can be found.

## Background

Annie was born in 1667 and was one of the witches persecuted by Justice Sommer, who despised his own kind. Seeking to humiliate and eradicate witches, he branded them with the rose symbol before executing them. Annie was sought after by Sommer as she was a descendant of the The First Witch, making her capable of tremendous power.

According to Betsy Sage, Sommer convinced Annie's own daughter, Beatrice McGregor, to revolt against her mother and sabotage her. It was believed that Annie unintentionally killed her daughter in the fire that successfully burned down Sommer's home on the eve of Annie's intended hanging. In Ipswich's history, Annie remained to grieve the loss of her daughter and brought the witches together, who rebranded the rose symbol as mark of pride for witches, and formed the modern-day Coven. She allegedly died in 1694, according to the plaque in town square. However, Beatrice did not die in the fire and lived on. In actuality Annie was pursued by the mob, and cast a spell that transported her spirit into the Faraway.

Annie also taught at the abandoned Fallow's Tree Academy located beneath Ipswich's cemetery.

## Story

### Book 2

After acquiring Annie's teeth from Betsy Sage Bailey implants them in the magical radio that initially hexed her friend, Rosie Perez. She connects to someone claiming to be Annie and proclaims that the rose symbol represents her pain. Hearing a cat the radio's background, they simultaneously see another cat called **Olivia** that leads them towards the McGregor statue. On the statue, Bailey discovers the same rose symbol emitting a blue memory gas, and sees Annie's memory of watching Sommer execute a nonwitch on trial for witchcraft with her daughter, Beatrice McGregor. He scolds Annie for leaving the trial early. Sommer reveals that he is a witch, like her and Beatrice, and that he protects witchkind by eliminating nonwitches who threaten to harm them. Sommer then asks Annie to help protect her daughter and witchkind into a near empty cavern that eventually becomes known as Fallow's Tree Academy. Annie notices an erratic witch at the cavern with a rose symbol branded on her neck, which Sommer reveals that only descendants of the First Witch can be safely branded. Stating that Annie is one of her descendants, Sommer tells Annie to "accept her destiny" as his "goddess" and forcibly brands her.

In another memory, Annie, Beatrice, and Sommer are towards the academy through the cavern to escape the mob, who are angry that Annie burned the town homes. Sommer criticizes Beatrice for slowing them down and urges Annie to drown mob with her newfound power activated by the rose symbol. Refusing at first, Annie is compelled to flood the cavern by Sommer due to the symbol, resulting in the mob's death along with Beatrice's cat. Beatrice is furious and frightened by her mother for having burned their own house and drowning the mob. Hiding in the underground academy, the half-siblings Jonathan and Fanny discuss the night's events with Sommer and Annie. While Jonathan criticizes Sommer that he and Annie have brought nothing but misery, Fanny praises Annie for demonstrating such mastery in spellcasting and relishes the deaths she caused. Confronting Jonathan and Sommer, Annie has become increasingly unstable with the brand and threatens to kill both of them. Sommer assures Jonathan that Annie is under her control, Beatrice opens the entrance to the academy where the rest of the mob corners them. The witches quickly move to the ritual tree where Sommer compels Annie to transport their spirits into the Faraway realm. Annie casts the Spirit of Love's symbol, and the last thing she hears is Beatrice's voice crying out to her. The mob destroyed their physical bodies, but they were successfully transported to the Faraway except for Beatrice.

In Bailey's timeline, Annie has become **Goddess Annie**, who resides at the Faraway's "rotten core" according to the Moth Spirit. Goddess Annie is a corrupted version of Annie McGregor created by Sommer who intended to possess the students at Pendle Hill Academy to burn the nonwitches of Ipswich. Bailey begins fighting Goddess Annie, who desists after sensing Bailey's brand. She tells Bailey that she was the one who branded her, and that she can only brand descendants of the First Witch like herself. Bailey asserts that Beatrice must of lived, and Goddess Annie disorients her as she begins frantically looking for Beatrice. The Moth Spirit and Fox Spirit inform Bailey that she helped destroy Goddess Annie by telling her about Beatrice, and that Annie's true self lives on in the Faraway. Bailey finds Annie trapped in a house with Lydia Summers, Jason Ashford, and Travis Ming who have been reverted back to children. After solving their three riddles to acquire a key, Annie arrives to thank Bailey and that she is happy caring for the three as their mother. She initially refuses to release them as they are safe there. Sommer confronts Bailey as Annie pleas to remain with the children, and as he moves to compel Annie she disappears. Bailey and Lydia defeat Sommer thanks to Annie's guidance, and she lets them leave.

## Personality

Annie was initially a gentle and loving mother who deeply cared for her daughter. However, after being forcibly branded against her will by Sommer, she became aggressive and manic about her abilities under his control. Although she prioritized her daughter, Sommer's influence eventually erased her own will. As Goddess Annie, she is a ruthless and murderous entity intent on increasing the power of witches to kill and subjugate nonwitches.

## Physical Appearance

Annie has brown hair, brown eyes, and beige skin.

## Quotes

"I am a mother, not a goddess. I seek only to protect Beatrice. This is madness." - Annie's response to Sommer's request

"Reality has its own beauty... so unlike this house, this family." - Annie to Bailey

## Trivia

* Annie McGregor's character seems to be based on Anne Whittle, one of 11 witches who were persecuted during the Pendle Hill trials in the early 17th century. She was found guilty for witchcraft and executed along with her daughter, Anne Redferne, and eight others.

## References

1. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pendle\_witches#Trials