"Wooosh!" The sound of wind rang through my ears, as I flew in the sky. Despite my fears, I was more excited than I had been in my whole life. Exactly thirty days ago, I received a letter from the headmistress of Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, inviting me to come to school. I knew that I was magic, you see my mother and father are both magic, and our family line of wizards goes all the way back to a family named the Flamels, who were said to be great wizards in there time. When I was about five, I discovered that I could jump into a ten foot ditch, and land right where I started. Don't ask me how I figured that one out.
Ever since my older brother started school, and got his wand, I have wanted to come here.
"Are your scared?", said a girl next to me with a thick french accent like my own.
" No, more excited, I think ".
"Me too", said the girl clutching a long wand, as if letting go, would make it disappear.
"Is your wand new?", I asked, trying to keep a conversation going. The girl looked me up and down, finally saying, "Yes, I just bought in yesterday ", she told me, "I am Belle Melvage what is your name".
"My name, oh errr…", I had been distracted by a sudden lurch in our carriages.
"We will be arriving soon", came the booming voice of our headmistress three carriages in front of us, "Look to your left, our castle will soon come into view".
I heard gaps come from the carriages in front of us, I craned my neck as far as I could. "Merlin's Beard…", I heard Belle say in front of me, "That can't be… It just can't.", she mumbled looking awe struck.
"What, where is it", I asked.
"There", she answered
I followed her finger and stared dumbstruck. Every description that I had ever heard about Beauxbaton, could not merely describe what it looked like. Jutting out from the ground was a huge white marble castle, with silver trimmings around every door and window. Large towers seemed touch the sky, but the thing that intrigued me the most were the huge winding outdoor staircases, on every corner of the castle.
As we got closer, I was able to see the school grounds. Green seemed to stretch on in every direction. I was able to count five glimmering lakes laid out symmetrically from the school. Silver mountains with merpeople shot water twenty feet into the air creating perfect archways leading up to the huge front doors. I saw trees and bushes that looked like they were nothing but light clouds, and flowers that seemed to grow year round. I couldn't take my eyes away from the castle, until we landed. "This way first years", our prefects yelled opening all the carriage doors for us. " Hi boy", I said patting what appeared to be a giant pegasus, pulling our carriage.
"He's cute isn't he", came a voice from behind me. I turned around and gaped, the girl had long dirty blond hair and vibrant blue eyes . I pinched my arm, to force myself to stop staring.
"He sure is", I said holding out my hand to the girl, "I am Sean Jackson".
"It's a pleasure to meet you", the girl said shaking my hand, "I am Annabelle, Annabelle Blaise".
"Stop holding us up", said a prefect, everyone is waiting for you. I turned toward the front doors, watching Annabelle, more than the castle surrounding me.
"Gosh, Sean, are you seeing this", said my best friend Ryan as we walked through the front door.
"Whaa…, oh yeah", I said looking up, "It's really cool".
"First Years", came a booming voice from the front.
"Yes Madame Maxime", we all replied in unison.
"In just a moment you will be walking in those doors, to the dining hall, where the rest of the school is situated. Tonight we will have our welcoming feast, and tomorrow, you will all report to the North Lake, where you will take the test that will choose the command that you will belong in, there are five different commons, they represent Wisdom, Charity, Herocity, Ambitiousness, and Strength. Each of you will be sorted into one of these groups based on the results of your tests, I wish you luck. After the feast, prefects will direct you to the towers where all of you will stay for the night. Your trunks will be brought to your commons tomorrow after the test. For now enjoy the feast, and mingle with the rest of the school". Madame Maxime opened the doors to the dining hall. Hundreds of heads turned in our direction as we walked along the side of a huge room, with seven tables in it. Huge silver chandeliers hung from the ceiling and the floor was a deep sea blue. When I looked closer I saw that it was a sea, or at least appeared to be one. Waves crashed beneath or feet, I had to touch my leg, just to make sure that I wasn't really getting wet. "Why is there so much water here", I asked a prefect walking beside me. "it's symbolic ", he answered. Before I could ask more, Madame Maxime started taking again. "Another year has started once again. We welcome our new students and accept our old students with open arms. Our goal this year is the same that it has always been. Each of you came here to learn, and we plan to jamb every spell, hex, and charm in your head that we can fit", Madame Maxime stopped and gave a deep laugh, that echoed through the huge room. "We only have a few rules, but breaking any one of them can result in detention, suspension, or expulsion. I have warned you and will warn you again. Each year at least one student has suffered each of these consequences, for as long as I can remember. The first and most important rule, is that you may not under any circumstance enter another common, give information about your common to another student, or disobey the leaders of your common. The second rule is that students must be in bed by nine o'clock each night, no exceptions, our third rule is that lake commons can only be entered and learned about, by the common it represents ". I looked around quizzically at the other first years who looked confused as well. I didn't look back at Madame Maxime, until Ryan nudged me. "First years are excused to the back table, tomorrow you will sit with your common, but as for now, you will have to sit together". I shuffled toward the back table, with the rest of the first years. As soon as we were sitting with the rest of the school, a soup that I had never seen, appeared in our silver and blue bowls, and our goblets were filled with grape cider. "Aw, the first course is much better this year", says a tall gangly prefect sitting across from me as he took a bite of food. I looked down at what appeared to be a golden broth.
"Wow", said Ryan taking a bite.
"What is it", I asked?
"Try the soup he says". I tentatively put the silver spoon to me lips, and almost choked in surprise.
"It tastes like…bread."
"No", Ryan said shaking his head. " It tastes like the cake my grandma makes for me on my birthday each year.
"This is memory soup, it tastes different to each person, depending on the food that tastes the best to them ", The prefect across from me answered again.
" Bread, is your favorite food ", Ryan snorted.
"I didn't know it was", I said shrugging.
"People often don't know the real thing that they crave or want", the perfect said. "My name is Farren, what's yours".
"I am Sean, and this is Ryan", I replied, "Hey Farren, I have a question".
"Ask away my friend".
"What is the common test like? Is it hard", I asked.
"Well, I am not allowed to tell you about it, but there is no need to prepare. I wouldn't describe it as hard, more as unexpected…"
"Great", Ryan mumbled, " A test on the first day".
After five courses, Madame Maxime got up in front of the school again.
"I hope that we are well fed, and happy. Curfew is in an hour tonight, because all first years are to report at the North Lake tomorrow at seven o'clock to start the tests. I want everyone well rested, so prefects please enforce the bedtime this year. Breakfast is at eight o'clock for everyone else, schedules will be handed out then. I now wish you all good night, and good luck, please follow the prefects to your commons, and in the case of the unchosen, the towers". Benches scraped the floor throughout the hall, as students filled out the door.
"There you are Sean", Annabelle said, popping up from behind me. "Do you have any idea what lake commons are"?
"I have never heard of them. I didn't know what half the things were that Madame Maxime talked about", I answered.
"What do you think the test will be like?" Ryan asked reappearing on my left. My stomach gave a nasty jump, just thinking about it. I didn't know any magic. What if I made of fool out of myself during the test.
"I have no idea", Annabelle said answering Ryan, "But I am going to review all the books that we had to buy for school".
"Okay", a prefect said standing in front of a large painting on the wall with a moving sea in it. "Go right through this picture. Girls on the left, boys on the right". Then just like that the prefects body disappeared behind the painting.
" Bye Annabelle", I said watching her as she walked away. Ryan looked at me with a knowing smile, that I could have killed him for.
I walked up to the painting unsure what the perfect had meant when he said walk through it. How could we "walk through" a solid wall. I put my hand to the picture, and to my surprise, it went through. I took a deep breath, and walked straight into the ocean. I immediately wished I hadn't. I seemed to really be underwater. I struggled, trying to take a breath, but the only thing I got was a mouthful of water. I tried to swim up, but I couldn't move, my lungs felt as if they were about to explode from the pressure. Then from nowhere, a hand grabbed my arm, and pulled me not up, but sideways. I don't know how, but I was pulled into a room like the dining hall, in the perspective that they're both had the sea floor. It took me a few seconds to refill my lungs with air, but they seemed to thank me with every breath. As I looked around I saw about five prefects all laughing.
"Kid, you know that all you had to do was take a step, to get out of the painting", a prefect said snoring.
" Oh ", I said, feeling my face heat up.
"I should probably go explain that to the rest of the kids", The prefect said again.
" Hey Sean, don't worry about it ", said another perfect that I recognized to be Farren.
" When I was in my first year, a merperson tricked me into jumping into a lake, saying that, the bottom was filled with Galleons. Six different teachers had to come save me ", Farren said laughing, and then added, " hey at least no one saw this besides us prefects."
" Hey Sean", Ryan yelled, "Check out this room". I looked over where he was, and saw huge silver statutes of different animals.
Farren, followed me over, and said, "The animals represent the different common traits. The lion represents wisdom, the deer, charity. The stallion is Herocity, Ambitiousness is the tiger, and the cougar strength".
"What common are you in?", Ryan asked.
"I'm in Wisdom", Farren said proudly.
"Are some commons better than others?", I asked.
"Well, technically no, but Strength, is the most respected, Wisdom is admired, and Herocity, is expected to be, well heroic.", Farren answered.
"Farren, stop holding the kids up, remember what the headmistress said, It's almost curfew", another prefect said. I looked at my watch, 8:49, as much as I hated being called a kid, it was time to go to bed.
"Come on Ryan", I said, "Let's go find a room".
…
"Hurry up", I yelled to Ryan as we ran across the school grounds. "We are going to be late".
"It's not my fault, I can barely see the ground through all this fog", Ryan mumbled.
"Farren said that the lake should be up ahead", I answered ignoring Ryan's retort.
"Ugg, I dropped my wand", Ryan sighed.
"It's right here", I answered picking it up behind us, "now let's go, the Test starts in ten minutes".
"What happened to you guys", Annabelle asked a few minutes later, as we ran up beside her out of breath.
"We woke up late", I mumbled, "Has the test started yet?".
"No, but it is about to", Annabelle said, "You have grass, in your hair, you know".
"Oh, I answered running my hands through my blond hair", I can't see anything in this fog".
"Neither can anyone else", she said, pointing to a teacher, crawling around on the ground for his glasses. I had to cover up my snort with a cough.
"Anabelle, you wouldn't happen to have any food on you, would you? We missed breakfast", Ryan sighed.
"Of course I don't, I'm too nervous to eat", she laughed.
"Ugg, why did you have to mention that", I grumbled. My stomach had been knotted all morning. I didn't know more than a dozen spells, none of which would help me much in any test that I could think of.
"Attention everyone", the familiar voice of Madam Maxime called, "I want to thank you all for coming, and wish you luck on the upcoming event. Please try your best, this is a very important test that will determine your common for the next eight years.", she stopped here for a dramatic effect, "We will have twenty tests going on at a time, seeing as there are about five hundred of you, the tests should be done in two hours. No magical Items will be needed. This includes wands. When I call your name, please stand behind me. Abby Abbott, Kim Abree, Josie Abram…" My stomach gave a nasty jump. No wands, I wouldn't be able to do any magic, without it. "Jason Brady, Annabelle Blaise", the headmistress continued.
"I'll see you guys later", Annabelle said shaking. After Madam Maxime had called the first twenty students, she led them back behind a stage that I assumed had been temporarily set up by magic.
"What do you think they will be testing us on", I asked Ryan.
"I have no idea", he answered. I sat down, running through the spells that I knew in my head, maybe I could use them without my wand, my brother could. I had no idea, what I was going to do.
A few minutes later Madam Maxime came back, and started calling more students.
"Where is Annabelle?", I asked Ryan.
"Don't know", he answered, "They probably sent them back to the castle, so that they can't tell us about the test."
"Great", I mumbled
"Oh no", Ryan said looking up, "It's my turn".
"Good luck", I said, "I'll see you in a bit".
"Bye", he answered stumbling toward the front". I don't know how long I sat there listening to names being called, but after what seemed like hours, Madame Maxime came back out and started the routine over again. "... Laura Jablonowski, Matthew Jack, and Sean Jackson", the headmistress called. I stood up with a few other people, and walked to what felt like my death. Breath, I thought, just breathe. I stood in the back of the line, shaking.
"Alright students", the headmistress said, looking at each of us in turn", Now you know that this is an important test, I want each of you to take it seriously, but I don't want you to worry."
Not worry, that's easy for her to say,
"Each of you will be walking through a maze that starts behind the stage. We will go in alphabetical order, and if you need help yell. We have people behind each wall, that will help you if you are in trouble. We will now begin, Jason Fay, you are first". A tall boy walked forward, gave his wand to the headmistress, and walked behind the stage. We were aloud to talk, but it was so quiet that you could hear a Knut drop. After about a minute it was the next person's turn, then the next, and the next, until finally the last person went, leaving me alone. I wiped my sweaty palms on my pant's hoping that the Headmistress hadn't noticed. Alright Sean, it is your turn, she said turning to look at me.
"Oh, okay", I said hurrying towards her.
"Here", I said holding out my wand. She turned to get it, but stopped short, slowly looking up at me, with disbelief in her eyes.
"Errr, did I do something wrong?", I asked.
"Um, no, no", she said snapping out of her daze. She picked up my wand, "Sorry I err… be careful Sean. You need to be careful".
"I'll try", I answered not knowing if she was talking about the test or something else. Before I could think about it further, I turned around and walked to the back of the stage.
The maze was made of dark stone walls. Because of the fog, I could not see more than eight feet in front of me. I walked forward, and saw nothing but more walls, I turned left at the first opportunity, and continued forward. a minute later I took a right and then another left. Still only seeing gray walls, I started to feel unsettled. Something was coming I could feel it. I stepped forward, but immediately stopped again, low growls were coming from somewhere behind me. I whipped around, but didn't see anything… something wasn't right, I could feel it. I stood my ground and said, "Who's there". I Immediately heard a scream to my left. I followed the sound. As soon as I turned a corner the screaming stopped, and the only thing in sight was… walls. I slumped against a corner exasperated. A huge crack sounded from behind me and everything went dark. At first I thought I had blacked out, but then I realized I could still see the faint outline of every corner. I looked up, I could see no sky, yet it seemed like night. There was no way it could be. I stood up, and walked along the maze holding onto the wall the whole time. I didn't know where I would end up, but walking seemed like a better option that doing nothing. All the sudden, I stopped, on the ground, there was a faint glow, like a trail across the ground disappearing around a corner. I hurried along following the path. If it was possible, I felt like it was easier to find my way through the maze when it was dark, my feet seemed to know where to go, and I was only dragged along. After a few minutes, I came across a large opening in the maze. A white table was set in the middle. As I got closer I saw five items on the table, a thick black rope, a glowing drink in a bottle, a pile of blue ashes, a scroll of paper, and a sealed letter. Ugg I was never going to get out of here, I just wanted to blast the wall open, and walk out. No sooner had I thought this, than the wall exploded, making everything light again, and leaving a perfect pathway to walk out. I calmly walked through a wall of smoke to a large field where students were waiting open mouthed, gaping at me.
"Did I do something wrong", I asked a teacher who was staring at me like I had just burnt down the school.
" I'm sorry, I can fix it", I said, not sure what I had done wrong. I turned around facing the crumbling wall, the ashes and pieces of what used to be stone flew back into place, and the smoke formed a large ring in mid air, that got smaller and smaller, until there was nothing left."
"Sorry about that", I said laughing, but I stopped when I saw that everyone was staring at me like I was an alien. I slowly walked over to where Ryan was sitting, and sat down with the rest of the school that has finished the test.
"What did I do?" I asked Ryan.
" You err… blasted a wall in the maze. You're not supposed to be able to do that".
"Why not, it was the obvious thing", I said annoyed at his ignorance.
"But you didn't have a wand", he hissed.
" Sean Jackson", someone called behind me, "please follow me". I turned to see the headmistress.
"Good luck", Ryan gulped. I had to jog to keep up with Madame Maxime's fast pace. I followed her past the North Lake, up to the castle, where we climbed more states than I could count, before we finally got to a large door, labeled Madame Maxime's Office. I walked inside following the still silent headmistress. I gasped as soon as I saw the room. The office was a large circular room, with walls that has more window than wall. Huge bookshelves, and magical objects lined every nook and cranny, but not in a cluttered way. A gigantic desk and chair was set up in the middle of the room, to fit the headmistress.
"Sit", Madam Maxime said, conjuring an extra chair across from her own. I tentatively say down, unsure of how much trouble I was in. " How did you do it", Madam Maxime asked sitting in her own chair.
"Do what", I answered. It was a dumb answer, but it was the only thing I could think to say.
" You are the first student to get out of the maze, without using one of the objects provided", the headmistress says eyeing me with a queer look on her face.
"I am", I said surprised. Madam Maxime nodded curtly. " My great great great grandfather invented the maze you were just in, to find the comman that students belong in. The item that you picked to help you, and your reaction to the item, should have determined your comman. This leaves me with a problem for you. You picked no item, and had no reaction. Not to mention the fact that you broke my system." I gulped, and looked down at my feet, but knowing what was coming.
"I want to know how you did it", she asked, " I know that you did not have a wand, so do tell me how you managed to perform magic".
I perked up, finally a question I could answer, "The same way I always do it, I thought it".
"You performed a spell in your head", she asked.
"No", I answered, " I think about what I want to happen, and it happens", I said exasperated, "It's not a big deal, everyone can do it".
The headmistress shook her head, "No Sean… everyone can not do it, infact I have never heard of this before". My head buzzed with questions, but before I could ask any, the headmaster started talking again, "Sean, I want to know, where you got this wand", she said pulling out my wand.
"My grandfather gave it to me" I answered.
"Where did your grandfather get it", she asked.
" I have no idea", I told her.
"May I try something for a minute", Madame Maxime asked holding up my wand.
"Go ahead", I told her. Madame Maxime stood up, and focused on a piece of parchment across the room.
" Accio Parchment", I watched the paper, but nothing happened.
"Accio Parchment" she called again, still nothing.
"You try Sean", she said. I picked up my wand, and felt the familiar weight in my hands, and smelled the accent of pine trees.
" Accio Parchment", I called, as the paper zoomed into my hands.
"Curious", the headmistress muttered, " Sean try without your wand, she says placing the Parchment back where it started. In my head I visualized the Parchment flying into my hand, and immediately afterwards, the Parchment came to me.
"Now try making the paper invisible", Madam Maxime challenged. I visualized the paper disappearing, and to my amazement, it did.
" Wonderful", the headmistress clapped, now try flipping my desk over". I tried as hard as I could to flip the desk, but could not. "Why won't it work", I said frustrated.
"Sit down, Sean", Madam Maxime said. I continued to try to flip over the desk, frustrated.
"Sean, sit down", she said again more harshly. I got up and slumped into the chair
" Why can't I do it", I asked
"Well", she replied, "I don't know why or how, but for some reason you can perform dorks in your head, without a wand. This puzzles me. You used what would have been the spell Accio, and the concealment charm on the Parchment. Could you flip over my desk, with a wand ".
"I don't think I could", I answered.
"Hmm, well I could be wrong, but I think that you can only perform spells in your head, that you can do with a wand as well, now I think that you can go, the rest of the school should be heading back for lunch".
THE END
(For now)