Prologue
Hello.
Hello.
I absent-mindedly shook my head.
Is that a no or are you just plain ignoring me?
"Stop kenning."
Oh no I won't!
"Mum! James's irritating me with his kenning!"
"Who said I was kenning to you?!"
Fake innocent blink.
"James, I know you just learnt kenning. But it does not help the fact that I haven't got any letter from any wizarding school whatsoever." I sulked.
"What's this all about?"
"Dad, James's —"
"No, look at this article here, in the Daily Prophet." Dad handed me the paper.
"Hogwarts not accepting first years this year!? Any eleven-year old child selected by Hogwarts to attend a different school?! Schools have been recommended?! Dad! What's the meaning of this?!"
"It means that you can't go to Hogwarts this year. The school they recommend, which by the way I received a letter from, is the School of Element, something like that."
"I CAN"T GO TO HOGWARTS?!"
"Yes, dear, I'm afraid so dear, do calm down dear."
"MUM! DAD! CAN'T YOU PULL SOME STRINGS TO GET ME IN?!"
"There won't be any other first years."
"BUT!" Here I spluttered. Not go to Hogwarts! After looking for ward to it every single minute while I was alive..!
" I don't want to go to that School of Element! Never did!"
" Now, Jen, do be reasonable. The School of Element is a school, apparently, that concentrates a good deal on combat training. It's produced a whole bunch of excellent duelists. And they have a new headmistress this year"
"Who's it?"
"Emerius."
This drew a collective gasp from my mother, James and the painting of Great Aunt Marie.
"Wow! Jen, you are way lucky, man! Pity I'm not a girl, or I'd have, like died to get into a school with Emerius as the head."
"It's a girls' school?"
"Duh."
"Who's Emerius?"
"Oh, sis! She's only the greatest duelist of all time! She doesn't have a first name, or at least no one knows it. Lot of people think that's probably the source of her power. Some even say she'd Dumbledore's sister or something."
"Okay…"
I thought about it. My father had been one of the top duelists, and it was still an era he talked of fondly a good deal. Mum was the Seer type, kenning, i.e., talking telepathically, was her forte. James had obviously inherited his gifts from her. If that was so, was it possible that I was good at duelling? Well, I did seem to be the right type, so to speak. Then an education at Element, not Hogwarts was in store. Hogwarts served as a more all-rounded type of education, but Element was a more focused on developing a certain sector type.
Hello?! Jen! Her mother had obviously resorted to mind tricks to get her attention.
"Oh, sorry… just drifted off a little there."
"So? What about an education at Element? They've already sent their owl."
"Can I have some time to think about it?" Already, somehow, I didn't really feel quite so adverse to an education at Element.
~*~
I rolled over in bed, still thinking about going to Element instead of Hogwarts. Frowning, I decided to send an owl to my best pal Kylie Velorian.
Dear Kylie,
So, how are things going? Not too good for your best pal over here. Looks like Hogwarts isn't accepting any first-years this year, so I've been recommended to this School of Element. It's supposed to be some big shot duelling school, and Dad says I got the gift and all that, but really, should I go? I've got until tomorrow to think about it. RSVP fast, okay?
I hoped that she'd answer soon. Whistling for my owl, Nimüe, I tied it on to her leg and sent her on her way.
Less than an hour later, Nimüe swooped back into the room, hooting happily, obviously pleased with herself for having completed a job so quickly. I chucked her some food and she retired to her cage.
Hi Jen,
Yeah, same thing here too. I think this really calls for a girl-to-girl discussion. Can I come over? Floo powder, of course. Send Nimüe with a no if you can't by 3pm. I'll be there at 3:30.
Love, Kylie.
"Mum?" I yelled, going down the steps.
'Yes dear, Kylie can come over."
More proof of my mum's excellent Seer skills.
~*~
It was 3:25 and I sat in front of the fireplace expectantly. At 3:30 precisely, the flames turned green and Kylie came tumbling out.
"Hi Jen!"
"Hi Kylie!" We hugged.
"Let's go up stairs to talk where no people can overhear our discussions." At this I shot a glare at my brother who had just walked in.
After we had duly settled on our respective cushions, I heard Mum ken me from the back of my head.
Jen? Do you and Kylie want something to eat? And ask Kylie if she's staying for dinner.
"Oh, Kyle, Mum wants to know if we want something to eat and if you're staying for dinner."
"Well, snacks would be fine. My Mum told me that yes, I could stay for dinner, but I have to be back by 8:30."
I went out of the room and called down the railing. "Mum, yes to both." A plate of cookies appeared in front of us.
"Okay, let's get down to business. What about Element?"
"I brought my An Appraisal of Magical Education in Europe; it lists Element as, listen to this, Jen:"
The book fell open and a shrill voice ensued from it.
"History: The School of Element has been around for about 800 years and has continually produced excellent duelists. Many world-renown duelists have sought advice from its current and famed headmistress, Emerius. Past headmistresses include Cleopatra and Greta Garbo.
Students: A girls' school, this school has a house division, with four houses. The houses are Flame, Wind, Water and Earth. Flame holds all the best combatants with the nicest characters. Wind boasts of the best non-combatants. Water is the house with the not quite as good, but still up to standard combatants. Earth is the house with also excellent combatants, however this is marred by the fact that they are not very nice people.
Unique features: This school is the only school in all of Europe to teach Aqualation, a topic concerning everything magical and marine. However, this is not available to all students, rather it is only compulsory for a select few. It also regularly combines with the School of Duelling, a boys' school to hold activities. This year, a new program called Elemental Duelling has been started. It is a combined effort between the two schools to give the best duelists in either school to work and learn together." The voice ended.
"Not bad, I rather like the Elemental Duelling part, and Aqualation.", Jen said.
"What about the houses?"
"Here's my opinion. Flame equals Gryffindor, Wind equals Ravenclaw, Water equal Hufflepuff, Earth equals Slytherin. You?"
"Yeah, I think so too."
~*~
"So Jen, have you made your decision? Ready to get ready for Element instead of Hogwarts?" Dad asked me over breakfast the next day.
"Well," here I swallowed a lump of disappointment in my throat, "I guess so. Even if it counts as a huge disappointment."
"That's my girl! Now, about books and uniforms…"
=--The end of Prologue--=
Chapter one
I hugged my books nervously as Mum & Dad sent me through the gate to Platform 2½. Maybe I wouldn't turn out to be a good duelist after all. Maybe I would be put into Wind, where all the non-combatants went. Then I saw Kylie and felt instantaneously relieved.
"Bye Mum, Dad, " I said, cheery as possible but face it, I told myself. "I'll miss you both." I hugged them. I smiled and waved as they went back through the gate.
"Kylie! Over here!"
"Jen! I've been waiting for you!"
"What do you suppose it's going to be like at Element?"
"Oh, it's great, alright." A voice came from over my shoulder.
I turned around. There stood a tall, slim girl with long brown hair. "Hi, I'm Alora Lindsay Fornelo. You?"
"Jen Clay."
"Kylie Velorian."
"Pleased to meet you," said Alora. "I'm a fifth-year, and I'm a Councillor."
"What house are you in?" Kylie queried.
"Flame."
"Cool, then you must be a good duelist!" Kylie twittered.
"Thanks. Your friend Jen seems to have that X factor too. Jen, are you related to John Clay?"
I nodded, "He's my dad."
"Cool! Way cool! Hey Terii! Come here!" A short girl with blond hair and green eyes turned at the sound of the voice and hurried over.
"Jen, Kylie, this is Terii Falanista, my best pal. Teri, meet Jen Clay and Kylie Velorian. Jen's the daughter of John Clay."
"Wow! Two girls from the Clay and the Velorian family! I've heard of your dad, Jen, he's an excellent duelist! And you dad, Kylie is really kind to be donating money left right and centre," Terii gushed.
"Thanks," said Kylie and I, both slightly blushing.
"The train's leaving soon, seeing you're newbies, why don't you come along with us?" Alora offered.
"Yeah, sure! Thanks, Alora." I said. "Nice name."
"That's what everyone says."
I heard the train whistle and the conductor's magically magnified voice yell, "All aboard! All aboard!"
Alora & Terii ushered us through the flurried crowd of hugging parents and crying siblings. We shoved our luggage into an empty carriage that Alora showed us.
"I'm supposed to be up in front with the other Councillors, but seeing you two new girls, I guess I'll just hang around," Alora muttered as the train started to move off.
"Bye Mum, bye Dad!" as I stuck my arm out of the window to wave goodbye. "I'll send an owl soon!"
~*~
Sitting in the carriage, Alora and Terii began explaining Element and its various traditions. But the thing we really wanted to know was how we would get sorted.
"Oh, Professor Alové just pops the whole first-year name list in to the Goblet of Fire and during the Welcoming Dinner, the Goblet spits out the house of the person standing in front of it."
"Oh, you mean the Goblet they used last year for the Tri-Wizard Tournament at Hogwarts?" Kylie asked.
"Yep, the very same one."
"But then how did your first-years get sorted?" I said, curious.
Terii looked at Alora. "Not sure, but I think they did it ahead of time. Did they, Ally?"
Alora nodded. "I think so."
I heard a clinking noise of a trolley being pushed.
"Madam Dinny's here!" Terii jumped up and opened the door, bag of money in hand.
"Madam Dinny's the school chef. Of course, she has house elves to help her, but don't worry, she takes care of them well, "Alora said at the look of horror on Kylie's face.
Following Terii, we went out into the corridor where a plump, smiling witch stood, wheeling a trolley full of treats. I bought some Chocolate Frogs and Levitating Sherbets. After paying Madam Dinny, we went back to the carriage, sweets in hand.
"Anyone collect these cards? " I said, as I pulled out the Famous Wizards card that came with every Chocolate Frog. "Hmm… Hey, look, this has Emerius on it," as I pulled out a card with a smiling, black haired witch on it.
"She doesn't look mysterious, " said Kylie, leaning over my shoulder to read the description on the card. It said, "Emerius. Top in Elemental Duelling, she is Albus Dumbledore's niece. She is particularly famous for having defeated then-reigning top Elemental Duelist, Rajah Indira from India at the young age of eighteen. Can speak more than 150 magical languages and 100 human languages. Enjoys reading and cats."
"Nah, Prof. Emerius isn't really the mysterious type. Alora here's practically her best friend," Terii laughed, poking Alora in the side.
"OW! I'm not her best friend!" Alora vainly protested as Terii started tickling her. "Help! Kylie! Jen! Do something! Ah…!" She yelped as she rolled on the floor, tears streaming down her cheeks as Terii tickled her mercilessly. "Stop, Terii, or I'll book you!"
Terii stopped and surveyed the shaking figure in front of her. "What UN-Councillorish behaviour. Tsk tsk." Alora stood and tottered somewhat drunkenly to her seat.
"Don't do that again, Terii," Alora said, laughing. Kylie and I joined in the fracas that ensued as Terii proceeded to tickle the Councillor of her house.
~*~
The train screeched to a halt when we reached our stop, Element Station. Snatching up our suitcases and owl cages, we jumped out of the train and onto waiting horse carriages. After a journey of about half an hour, we reached the School. It was a large, gray castle that looked very old, but somehow also rather new looking. It had many turrets, some of the steel and futuristic, some made of stone, some made of concrete. But the tallest tower was made of a strange material that seemed not to be there, but was definitely there. I asked Alora about this.
"Oh, that's the duelling tower, " she replied, "It's where the Elemental Duelling classroom is. I wonder who'll be the lucky people to get into the Elemental Duelling class. I heard from Prof. Lore that there will be four girls from each level, one from each house. Hope I get it."
"Me? What about me!?" Terii whined plaintively. "No, I shan't topple you from your position. Among all the Flame fifth-years, you're the best duelist, I must say," Terii said half admiringly, half jealously.
"Thanks. Hey, Jen, Kylie, y'all heard about the Elemental Duelling class yet?"
"Er… sort of, " I said, not quite sure where this conversation would lead us.
"Well, you did, hear that first years have a shot at it, do you?"
I almost sucked in a passing fly in my astonishment. "You mean first-years are allowed to do this kind of stuff?" I said, surprised. Very. "My dad told me that elemental duelling was really complex and dangerous, and all that."
"Oh, no. Prof. Emerius told me that first years would also be allowed to join. Everyone will be taught at first-year standards, those who graduate before learning the full course come back to school to take it."
"Really, " I murmured. "Interesting."
~*~
We halted at the steps of the building.
"Okay, this is were we separate. First-years have to go through that doorway." Terii pointed out a smaller door towards the left of the large, imposing main doors. A smiling, red haired witch stuck her head out of the door.
"First-years over here please, " she called.
I shrugged and motioned for Kylie to follow. More girls were beginning to swarm around as we followed the witch into a side room. I could hear the rest of the school chattering and walking by through the walls.
The witch smiled, "My name is Professor Athena Alové, you pronounce it A-lo-vey. I am deputy headmistress and head of house for Flame. Your Sorting Ceremony will begin in a few minutes time. May I wish you the best of luck in your stay at the School of Element, in whatever house you may be and in whichever route you choose to take. Oh, and you might want to consider freshening up. I will come to call you." The professor swept out of the room and in to the dining hall where I presumed everyone was waiting.
"Jen! Will we still be best friends even if I was to be sorted into Wind?!" Kylie said, alarmed.
"Of course not!" I looked at her sincerely. "You're my best pal."
But I did wonder to myself. Element would bring me many things, some good and some bad. I wondered what that future would bring me. Just then, Prof. Alové poked her head around the door.
"This way, please, girls. Welcome to Element."
=--The end of Chapter 1--=
Chapter Two
I gulped and tried not to feel nervous. Didn't work, the butterflies in my stomach fluttered faster and more than ever. Prof. Alové conducted us into a large, elegant looking hall. Hundreds of eyes turned onto us as we stood in front of a large goblet. I assumed it was the Goblet of Fire. Prof. Alové started calling out names alphabetically.
"Aelorin, Anita."
A short, blur looking girl walked up to Prof. Alové. The Goblet began spewing red sparks and a piece of parchment shot out. "Water," Prof. Alové called out. The table wearing blue clapped and cheered as the new Water girl's robes turned blue.
"Asling, Harriet."
Another girl, this time tall and rather mean-looking, walked up. The Goblet repeated its performance and Prof. Alové read out, "Earth!" The table wearing brown cheered.
I drifted off, and began examining my surroundings. I saw a table bedecked in red and I assumed this was Flame. I saw Alora and Terii grinning, as they talked to their friends. Another table had robes of white; this I assumed was Wind, because they were the only ones I hand't put a name to. My impressions of the Earth bunch were right; they all looked a rather crude bunch.
Here and there at the tables sat ghosts. Flame's ghost, I observe, was a tall statuesque lady who was smiling, but still looked sad. Over at Water was a short, fat little girl who seemed to be perpetually crying. I sniffed, wondering what could possibly ruin a person's life, or rather death so. Earth was the only house, which did not have a ghost. Wind, in fact had two. One was a cheery, fat ghost of a woman and the other, by contrast, was tall, thin and sad. They made me think of two clowns.
All of a sudden, I was broken out of my reverie. "Clay, Jen."
Immediately I heard a murmur sweep across the hall.
"Clay, did she say Clay?"
"Not the Clay. Can't be."
I walked as un-stiffly as possible towards the Goblet of Fire. Prof. Alové smiled at me.
"John Clay's daughter?" I nodded, the word stuck in my throat.
Then the Goblet began spewing red sparks.
I felt faintly nauseous as Prof. Alové withdrew the parchment with my house name on it. I shut my eyes. Swallowed. Gulped. For what seemed an eternity.
"Flame." The Flame table burst into cheers as my robes turned red. I sat down next to Alora.
"See, I told you you'd get into Flame! Whoopee!"
I glanced back at the Goblet. Kylie was still standing behind it, nervously staring at the ceiling, rubbing her palms together. I fervently wished that she would get into Flame.
Finally, "Velorian, Kylie."
I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best. I closed my eyes and listened to the sparks erupt from the Goblet. Then I heard Professor's voice.
"Wind." I groaned and slumped to the table as Kylie's robes turned white. Kylie was in Wind… urgh.
Alora patted me on the head comfortingly. "Don't worry, you'll get lots of opportunities to talk and stuff."
I groaned again.
"Oh, leave me to my solitude."
"Well, I won't if you saw the menu, " said Terii. I lifted my head and saw plates and menus appearing in front of us. "Don't you want to eat?"
Picking up the menu, I tried to shake off as much of my depression as possible.
"Lettuce salad."
~*~
After the Welcoming Dinner, I went up with Alora, Terii and some other friends into Flame Hall. Alora said, "Numero Uno" to the two marble lions and they jumped apart. I was in Flame Hall.
~*~
Flame Hall was a cosy sort of lounge where people just hung out. It held a bar, a juke box and a whole lot of couches. Some were sitting at the bar, drinking what looked like Butterbeer from mugs. The jukebox was blasting the Weird Sisters out really loudly, and the lounge was full of talking people. I felt a tap on my arm.
"Come on, I'll show you around. " I turned to find Alora.
"Thanks, " I said.
"You're welcome, I was supposed to, anyway."
Following Alora as she elbowed her way through the crowd, we reached two spiral staircases.
"One leads to the dorms, the other leads to the study halls. That," she indicated the hall around her. "That's the Hall. The Hall is where you can just hang out, get something to drink at the bar, talk to friends, etceteras etceteras etceteras. Come, I'll bring you to your dorm. Your bags should already be there."
I followed her, still slightly lost. We ascended the staircase, me gulping, Alora as serene as ever.
We stopped in front of a large, wooden door with glittering golden words on it. They said, First-years. Alora knocked and pushed open the door.
I gasped. Five large poster beds, decorated with red and gold furnishings and sheets. Next to each bed were a small closet and an equaling small dressing table. My bags were neatly stacked next to the bed closest to the window. A girl was standing over her bags and was keeping away some robes.
"Well, I guess I'd better go and leave you to your unpacking. " I nodded to Alora as she left. "Thanks, "I murmured.
I zipped open my bags and retrieved my wand. I checked it for any blemishes, then whispered, "Glittero." Golden dust burst out from its end and I smiled. My wand, 11-inch oak with— well, with what my mother had never really told me. All I knew was that it had an extremely powerful core. It was in working order anyway.
Out of the corner of my eye I observed my dorm-mate standing up. To my surprise, she was a Chinese girl. I remembered what Kylie's book had told us, that Element occasionally accepted overseas scholars. Remembering Kylie's book made me think of Kylie and I winced painfully.
"Hello. What's your name?" The Chinese girl had spoken. I shook myself out of my reverie. Her English was remarkably good; it sounded slightly British with a pleasant lilt.
"Oh, er… My name's Jen Clay. You?"
"I am Chinese. My name is Chen Xiao Long. It means Little Dragon." She smiled.
"Xiao Long…" I repeated, trying to imitate the tonal sound of it.
"I have an English name. Jade. It is the name of a, how do you say it, muggle television character."
I nodded. "I know all about it. My dad's good friends with Arthur Weasley. Uncle Arthur works in the Reversal of Accidental Magic Department."
"Ah… I have been in England for six months and still I have to learn about the way your magical world operates."
"What is it like in China?"
"China… Zhong Guo. It means central country. Britain, Ying Guo. English country. In China, who you know determines your standing in the magical community. You know nobody, you are nobody. Thankfully I am one of the lucky ones."
"Life must be rather hard than," I said, sympathising.
"Oh, it is not for me. My father is the Minister of Magic and my mother is one of the top female duelists. I miss them." A sad look clouded her eyes, but it vanished almost as fast. "Your family?"
"My father is also a top duelist. One of the best, I must admit. My mother, she is a Seer."
"A what?"
I tried as best as possible to explain what a Seer was, but Xiao Long still could not get it. Finally, she pointed her wand at my mouth.
"May I?" I shrugged. She muttered something in Chinese. I felt my throat change subtly. "Now, say Seer." I said Seer, but some Chinese word came out instead. Xiao Long nodded and looked delighted. "I understand now!" She muttered something again to the wand and my throat changed once more.
Suddenly the door burst open and in trooped a pair of identical twins.
"HI, I'm Alessi!" said one.
"And I'm Alethea!" said the other.
"And we're the Langsley twins!" they chorused. Xiao Long clapped.
"Cute intro," I grinned. "Hi, I'm Jen Clay."
"I am Chen Xiao Long. Also known as Jade."
"You're John Clay's daughter? No kidding?" The one I thought was Alethea exclaimed. I nodded.
"Cool! Wait till Alex hears! He'll be as jealous as hell!" said Alessi.
"Is there some way to tell you apart?" said Xiao Long, laughing.
"Er… no. Haha!" Alethea (well, I thought it was her) chuckled. "You'll just have to guess!"
"Is there supposed to be someone else?" I pointed at the one last bed, nearest the door.
The door slid open and a tall, black-haired girl glided in. She looked exhausted.
"Hi, I'm Jen Clay, she's Jade Chen Xiao Long, that's Alessi and Alethea Langsley."
"No, I'm Alethea and she's Alessi."
"Oh, hi. I'm Raven Gioroni. Part Italian, if you really have to know."
"More foreign delegates. Xiao Long here is from China."
"Duh." She slumped on the bed.
"Long journey?" Alessi/Alethea asked.
"You bet. Travelled here by Floo powder, missed the Element fireplace and got out at some old witch's place, she musta thought I was trying to rob her."
"Poor you…"
"Don't 'poor you' me. Tell you what, it's getting late. Why don't we all conk out now and finish the round of intros tomorrow?" Raven said, squeezing a pillow. She shook off her shoes and immediately fell asleep.
"Anyone snore?" Everyone shook heads. "No? Good. Night," I whispered, as the lights clicked off. My first time as a Flame girl without Kylie was over and I hadn't even thought about her.
=-- The end of Chapter 2 --=
Chapter Three
I awoke with a start. Remembering the events of yesterday, I stared up at the canopy, smiling. Element didn't seem to be quite so bad after all… And with the possibility of me taking Elemental Duelling, life was perfect. Or rather, would be, if Kylie was in Flame. I sighed as a wave of sadness washed over me. I had no time for self-pity, however, for at this point, the Langsley twins chose to appear in between my curtains.
"Rise and shine, Jen!"
"Wake up, you sleepyhead you!"
I sat up, somewhat regretfully. "Ah well, I was hoping for a lie-in."
"No chance. Breakfast starts in twenty minutes. Look at Raven, she's still snoring away blissfully."
I jumped up and pulled my robes from the cupboard. "I want the bathroom first!" I zinged towards the bathroom.
"Jen? We'll meet you at the Flame table number 1 afterwards. Try and wake Raven after you're done."
"It'll be impossible to do that." Giggling, the twins went out.
~*~
I sat at the table, giggling and laughing along with Alessi and Alethea's jokes. Raven sat somewhat dazed and disconcerted next to me. Xiao Long sat directly across from me.
Plates of food appeared before us. "Ooh, apple pie, my favourite!" We all dug in and filled our plates with food. Suddenly the door opened and Headmistress Emerius strode in.
"Funny, she doesn't normally grace normal morning breakfasts like this," I heard a girl at the opposite table comment. "Wonder what announcement she has to make is so important that she can't entrust it to Alové."
"Girls." The authoritative voice made us sit up and look at Emerius. "I'm sure you've all heard of the Elemental Duelling club that our school and the School of Duelling are co-organizing. I now wish to announce the fact that application forms are readily available from your head of house. Please place them into the Goblet of Fire by next Monday." The noise level increased by several decibels. "Now, I am sure you are thrilled to learn that you will meet boys." A wave of laughter swept across the dining hall. "The Goblet of Fire will select four participants from each level, although not necessarily one from each house. The results of you're applications will be made known during next week's Assembly."
The buzz in the Great Hall was truly louder than ever. The Elemental Duelling club instantly became the topic du jour. People were declaring their determination to get a place, while others were making bets on who would get in. I heard names like "Alora Fornelo" being tossed around.
Then I heard a voice behind me. "Well, I'm sure the famous Clay will get a place. Mustn't lose face, you know."
Without turning around, I replied. "I will take a shot, of course. Hopefully I will get in."
I saw Xiao Long's eyes narrow. To my surprise, they turned gray. She hissed, "Sorry, but Jen isn't free for consultation right now. Take a number."
The voice behind me said snidely, "Got your own protection team, huh? Not bad." I stuck a spoon in my apple pie and chewed it carefully.
"I'm sure all your conversation needs is a little lockjaw." I turned around and slapped a hand to my lips. "Oh my God, anyone else hurt in the accident?" My table and the Wind table next to us snickered.
A tall, brownish-blond haired girl stood facing me. A gaggle of followers surrounded her. As I expected, they wore robes of brown.
"Irana Sladovic. Anything but pleased to meet you."
"The same, I'm sure. I'm going to memorize your name and throw my head out. It'll be a definite waste of an excellent mind, but one must keep oneself clean." I smiled pleasantly. "Now, I'm sure you have whatever menial tasks you can complete with your minuscule brain."
Irana's brow grew furrowed. I turned back to my breakfast. My table, the Wind table next to me and the Flame table were openly applauding.
"I am leaving."
"Hold on." I caught her cloak. "Stay. I want to forget you exactly as you are."
Irana and her troop left.
The tables around us stood up and gave us a standing ovation.
I blinked. "What did I do (5000th word)? Irana? Oh, I just practice a lot on my brother. Almost as irritating."
~*~
I wrote my name and dropped it into the Goblet. It belched in reply and sent out a shower of red sparks. I left the dining hall and went up to the Flame tower. Upon entering, I encountered Alora handing out class schedules.
"Ah, Jen. Heard about you and Sladovic. Good one, if I may say so myself." She grinned and thrust a paper into my hands. "Here, your class schedule."
I glanced down it. First lesson: Charms.
~*~
I filed into the Charms classroom with Xiao Long and Raven, books in one hand and quills in the other. Sitting behind the table was a youngish looking teacher, she looked tall, even if she was sitting down. Her robes hung loosely about her, but you could tell, too, that she was thin. She had blond hair, with brown eyes. She was reading a book that said on its cover, 'World's Most Stupid Charms' and giggling away. I saw the Langsley twins wave to me from a table at the front, so we made our way there.
I noticed that the other girls in the room not in Flame uniform were in white. That could only mean one thing: We were having Charms with Wind. I glanced around in a would-be casual manner and saw Kylie talking to some girls at a Wind table. I waved, and she waved back.
"Would that be all my girls?" The teacher had spoken.
Various heads around the room nodded.
"Good, I am your Charms professor, Prof. Aica . Before I start the class, I will need to take your attendance." Prof. Aica began to read off a parchment list. I heard her call out several names, then Xiao Long's, then…
"Jen Clay." I raised my hand. "Present, miss." Heads turned in my direction. I blushed a little, but now I was getting used to the attention.
After she called the last name, which was "Zion Zaggy," she stood up.
"Girls, today you start your first magical lesson, Charms. In Charms, you will learn spells, some for work, some for play and some for everything else." Prof. Aica left her table and began to weave in and out of the tables.
"I will not hide from you the fact that I have high expectations of my girls. Ask any of your seniors and you will hear from them various stories of how fellow compatriots nearly drowned from the homework I give." Her eyes twinkled. "Nevertheless, seeing you are new and therefore unprepared, I shall go lenient on you and allow you off whatsoever detention I might want to give you for the next six months." Some girls cheered softly." My demands are that you hand up work on time, do your work neatly and listen to me attentively in class. Whether or not you follow these rules is up to you. Now, after my annual speech, we will begin Charms."
"Your first spell will be a simple one. I want you to learn how to charm objects. Not any specific charms, mind you, but I want you all to learn how to properly attach your charms to your objects and not let other things get in the way."
A Wind girl I didn't know raised her hand. "Please, Miss. I'm a Muggle-born, so could you explain what charms are?"
Prof. Aica nodded. "For those who know, bear with this or the Muggle-borns' sake. Charms are the basis of magic. It constitutes of charming objects to give them new properties, or just normal spells."
"Where do the words for the charms come from?" It was also a Wind girl.
"Ask your History of Magic teacher, Lyla Lore, when you see her." Prof. Aica grinned. "Anyway, on to the lesson. Can anyone give me some basic charms?"
Xiao Long raised her hand. "Wingardium Leviosa, floating charm."
Prof. nodded. "Good. One green to Flame." Seeing our puzzled look, she smiled. "Haven't they explained the scoring system yet?" We all shook our heads. She sighed. "See the misfortune of being the first teacher. At this rate, I'll never get my lesson under way. Never mind. The scoring system in Element works like this. One blue means a blue dot will appear on the Scoreboard in the Auditorium. Five blue equals one green, ten green equals one yellow, ten yellow equals one red. Five red equals one rainbow. The house with the most rainbow dots at the end of the school year wins the House Element."
The class murmured. Prof. looked at us strictly. "Now, on to the lesson, and no one interrupt!"
~*~
It was the end of the class, and Prof. Aica was pleased that we'd been more or less able to properly charm objects. Funny thing was, Kylie didn't really look in my direction all the way through class. Ah well, I thought. She'd probably been too busy learning stuff.
=-- The End of Chapter Three --=