Chapter Seven: Lulu's Gift
The rest of the week went by pretty fast and Spencer was quick to get adjusted to his new schedule. The next day he and the rest of Thunderbird met their last two remaining professors. Professor Holloway taught Herbology. She looked as young as Professor Medina and Professor Dickerson but revealed to the class that she was actually the oldest teacher, but being half Fae slowed her aging. It also explained why her ears were pointed, hair magenta, and skin tone slightly green. She told them she has relatives visit to discuss their kind during Care for Magical Creatures but, like Professor Tsoshie's Divination class, they'd have to wait until they were third years.
Then they met Professor Olson, who taught Transfiguration. Professor Olson had graying hair and was stocky, reminding Spencer of a lumberjack. Professor Olson came from Great Britain, a fact he constantly brought up during his first lesson with them. It seemed nothing they did seemed to impress him, always comparing them to himself when he learned at Hogwarts, the magical school he went to.
Wednesday they had to wake up at midnight for their Astronomy class with Professor Maxwell. Professor Maxwell taught his lesson in the second tower balcony, where he had them all look through some telescopes to view the planet Venus. Unfortunately Thunderbird shared this class with Wampus, which meant Spencer had to be in the same room as Dario, who clearly had not forgotten their encounter in the train when he shoved Spencer on his way out. "Stay out of my way," He warned, as he left with his friends to the Wampus common room.
Due to the late class, Spencer was a bit tired Thursday morning when he got up for breakfast. His tiredness seemed to go away though when the post came, one of the school's owls dropping off a small box right in front of him. He never expected to ever get anything but smiled when he saw Lulu's handwriting scribbled on the box's cover. He opened it up and took out a glass figurine of a globe. Tiarah, who was eating beside him, peeked over and grinned. "Wow, Spencer, who got you an Owl's Globe?"
"My sister," He mumbles, examining the globe. "What is it?"
"It's the latest travel device designed with alchemy," Andrew says, petting his brown barn owl, Pan-Pan. "It allows wizards to send messages in the blink of an eye, you can also access world news as well as open up a small portal to allow real-time conversation."
"So like a cell phone?" Spencer asks. He ended up getting confused stares by all three of his friends, but Karyn, who was a Halfblood that knew about the magical world and the no-maj world, looked at him from her side of the table.
"That's exactly what it is," She confirms. "Only these globes can work anywhere and don't requires recharging. All you need is your wand to turn it on." Spencer nodded taking out his wand. He pointed it at the globe and suddenly the glass shined a bright gold before the image of an owl flying appeared, soaring around the globe. He glanced at Karyn for help. "That means you got a message. Tap the owl with you wand." Spencer did as he was told and the owl burst into an image of Lulu smiling at him.
"Hey, Spencer!" She greets. "I hope you like your gift, Bolverk knew a guy so I got a pretty good deal on it. Whenever you get the chance I want you to call me and tell me everything that's been going on. Grandpa says 'Hi' and Mateo says he's miserable at his school and he hopes you are too. Love you, hope to see you soon!" Lulu's image disappears as she waves goodbye. He's just about to turn the globe off when he sees another owl flying around, only this time it's bright red.
"That means breaking news," Tiarah says. After Lulu's video, every first year at the table was paying attention to the globe. Taking out his wand, Spencer tapped the red owl, which burst into a wizard with a sharp face.
"Breaking news," the man reported. "The Masked Shadow has been spotted!" Everyone gasped, except for Spencer and Braden, who happened to be a Newblood. Now even some of the older kids were listening in. "The Masked Shadow appeared in New York's Magical Zoo, where three employees were killed. His motives were not made clear but several files from the zoo's office have been cleared out. This marks the fifth attack this year alone, by the Masked Shadow who has been evading MACUSA for-"
The image of the wizard disappeared, Professor Tsoshie's wand seeming to be the cause. "Get to class now, kids," she tells them, walking back to the teacher's table. Spencer gathered his things and left with the others, not speaking until they were out of the hall. Of course, his friends already knew what he was going to ask. "The Masked Shadow is a powerful wizard," Tiarah explains. "He's been around for a few years now but he hasn't been making himself known since last year. The only thing MACUSA knows about him is that he's very dangerous and he's looking for something."
Spencer didn't feel like pressing on the matter as they went into Charms. He remembers the night before he got his letter to Ilvermorny. He was in his room after blowing up Dalbert's backpack and he could hear Lulu and his grandfather talking about him. One of the reasons Lulu was concerned about him going to Ilvermorny, or being exposed to the magical world in general, was because of the Masked Shadow. What made this wizard so dangerous that not even the magical government could catch him?
After Charms they went straight to Herbology, which they shared with Pukwudgie. Professor Holloway lead them to her garden where two beds full of plants were laid out next to her. The flowers on her left smelled heavenly to Spencer and he almost wanted to reach out grab them had Professor Holloway not start talking. "Today we'll be learning about Dandisirens and Incublossoms," she states. "Now these baby plants aren't as dangerous as their fully grown counterparts, but their fragrance can still hypnotize the opposite gender. So I want the girls to pair off and tend to the Dandisirens while the boys do the same and take care of Incublossoms. Go on!"
Spencer ended up being partnered with Zolton Schneider, a Pukwudgie, after Andrew partnered with Nate and Braden with Tyler. He helped the other boy trim the weeds but eventually had to pinch his nose from the stench the blossoms were giving out. He turned to where the girls were working and saw them doing the same, even though those flowers smelled heavenly to Spencer not too long ago.
"As you can, er, smell," Professor Holloway says. "Though the plants seem alluring to the opposite gender, they smell absolutely horrific to those of the same gender. Now I want you all to each pass the other box as you go wash your tools but don't get too close now." Spencer was very eager for his turn to walk passed the dandisirens. When it finally came, he took his time to enjoy the scent of freshly cut grass, and also a hint of something sweet, like an orange. His sensory heaven is interrupted when he hears a loud thud, followed by a scream from Anastasia. Professor Holloway was quick to act, coming up to gather Pukwudgie, Seymour Rush, who had collapsed by the dandisirens. "I said not to get to close!" She mumbles, reaching into her pocket for a green powder. She blows it on Seymour's face and helps him sit up as he opens his eyes.
"They smelled so good," Seymour admitted sheepishly, earning him a few laughs from the others. Professor Holloway was grinning herself. "I know, dear, I know."
It was all Spencer and the others could talk about during lunch, when they weren't eating or laughing up a lung. They also talked about how their first Flying lesson was today after Defense Against the Dark Arts. Spencer had been really nervous about the idea of flying on a broom, images of him falling while he was hundreds of feet in the air flashing through his mind before Tiarah and Andrew reassured him he'd be fine.
"Madam Kwon has never had any serious injuries before," Andrew tells him.
He casts a worried glance at Nate, who's also a bit nervous, before looking back at the small boy. "What's consider a serious injury?"
Andrew shrugs his shoulders. "Usually getting a branch pierced through you. Happens all the time in Quidditch." As they left their table, Spencer slightly lost the ambition to play Quidditch he had after watching Gabby tryout for the team.
The last two classes of the day had to be the most brutal, mainly because they were taught by the school's strictest teachers. Professor Olson began teaching them how to a feather into a cup and had no problem bringing up his amazing teachers at Hogwarts when none of them figured it out right away. He can tell he wasn't the only one getting annoyed and at one point thought Tiarah was going to snap if he muttered another, "Rubbish, just rubbish," as he passed her her one more time.
"I did it!" Andrew declares and all the other Thunderbird first years crossed their fingers and hoped he actually did when Professor Olson walked up to the table Andrew and Spencer shared.
"Did you now?" He asks, looking at Andrew's new shiny cup. "Right then, let's see it again, shall we? Don't want it to be a fluke now, eh?" Spencer didn't hold back rolling his eyes and groaned when Andrew failed to perform the task again, both of them glaring holes into the back of Professor Olson's head as he walked away grinning.
Professor Murphy was just as hard in Defense Against the Dark Arts, but less smug. Something him and Tiarah liked about her was how she was quick to correct them when they made a mistake, but in a way that it felt that she was still letting them figure it out. At the end of her class they had both managed to successfully shoot up green and red sparks from their wand. When class ended, Spencer and the others quickly grabbed their belongings and made their way to the Quidditch pitch, where Cristo and the other Horned Serpent's were waiting.
"Who'd you just have?" Spencer asks when he's within hearing distance.
"Potions," Cristo replies, making a face. "I sorta suck but it's out of my hands now." Spencer cracks a smile, he hasn't had Potions since the first day so he can't really get a feel on if he's going to enjoy it or not yet.
"Hey, Cristo," Nate says. "What's the captain of the Horned Serpent Quidditch team doing here?" Spencer mimics the others as they all turn around to see the lanky, long haired boy sitting in the audience stands, an older blonde student sitting next to him. Spencer remembered her as well, she was the team's Chaser. "Your guess is as good as mine," Cristo answers.
It wasn't long before a small, petite woman made her way to where all the students were waiting. She was wearing goggles over her pale skin, her hair wrapped in a tight bun as she strutted to them. She took out her wand and with one flick summoned several brooms from the side of the stadium and began giving them out to each student. "Evening, students," she greets. "I am Madam Kwon, you're flying instructor. Learning how to fly is a very serious matter, but I promise that if you put in the hard work this class will be quite enjoyable. Today we'll start with simple commands, followed by a few drills. Some of you will catch on fast, I'm sure, so I have something extra for those select few. Now place your hand over your broom and with a stern voice, command 'UP!'"
Some of the students quickly did as they were told, but most of their voices were barely audible, so it was no surprise none of the brooms reacted. Madam Kwon crossed her arms. "I said stern voice!" She reminded. Spencer made eye contact with Tiarah, who rolled her eyes. He smirked, raising his hand over his broom. "Up! UP!" His broom shoots up into his hand so fast that he flinches from the impact. When he looks up he sees that Cristo has also succeeded in getting his broomstick, as well as Horned Serpent student, Jana Kelly. Once everyone managed to get their brooms, Madam Kwon had them working on exercises to get off the ground. Spencer yelped the first time he hovered in the air, his heart stopping for the four seconds he was up there. This time Andrew and Karyn were able to do it as well as Horned Serpent student Kaiyo Fujimoto. When Spencer's feet hit the ground he noticed the other students were still looking up above him and looked to see Cristo still in the air. Madam Kwon smiled as she walked closer to Cristo.
"Very good, first year," She says. "Now will yourself forward. Gently!" Spencer could tell Cristo was a little nervous but was smiling as his broom started to fly forward ever so slowly. He couldn't help but cheer for his friend and soon everyone was clapping. Madam Kwon's eyes grew big. "No, stay focused-" Cristo had lifted his hand to wave down at them, and when he did his broom shot forward at an alarming speed. A few of the girls screamed as Cristo soared passed them and towards one of the goal posts.
"He's going to crash!" Tiarah yells.
"Grip your broom, son!" Madam Kwon screams. Spencer watched in horror as Cristo suddenly grabbed the broom and curved around the goal post, now flying even better than most of the students at the tryouts. Now he watched in amazement as Cristo gently flew back to the group, landing as light as a feather in front of Madam Kwon.
"I'm sorry!" He quickly apologized. "I didn't really know what I was doing."
"Sure looked like you did," she says. "You have any Quidditch blood in you?" Cristo shook his head no. "Well then it looks like its just a case of raw talent. We'll end the lesson here for today, please return your brooms before leaving." Spencer quickly took his broom and went to put it away. On his way to the exit he managed to catch Madam Kwon's eye. "You there! Good job today, remind me of your name?"
"Spencer Greylock, miss," he tells her, not sure how to react when she suddenly gasps and steps even closer to him.
"Of course," she says. "You look just like her."
"Who?" He asks, feeling a tad bit uncomfortable at the sudden closeness.
"Your mother," She answers, finally taking a step back. "Forgive me, Spencer, but your mother and I were good friends when we were here at Ilvermorny. She was a Newblood so I taught almost everythnig she knew about Quidditch but she eventually bested me on several occasions."
Spencer blinked back his surprise. "My mom played Quidditch?"
"She was a Chaser," She told him. "She could've gone pro had it not been her interest to work for the MACUSA." Lulu never told Spencer that, so it made him wonder if she had known at all. She also never mentioned Madam Kwon being friends with his mother, but she never mentioned anyone being mom's friend beside's Mr. Tsoshie. He wanted to know more, to learn about who his mother is, but he was awfully hungry so he said his goodbyes and begun making his way to the great hall when he saw Cristo walking as well. The other male was walking away from the two players of Horned Serpent's team. They must have stopped him when they were all putting their things away.
"Hey Cristo!" Spencer calls out, jogging to catch up to the other male. "Were you just talking to the captain of Horned Serpent's team?"
Cristo nodded. "Yeah, he was saying what a good job I did for my first time flying. He introduced me to-" Cristo stopped talking as chorus of laughter reached their ears. They turned the corner to see that the laughter belonged to Dario and his two friends, Garrett and Valmiki, as they tossed around a bag belonging to first year Pukwudgie, Astrid Scurry, who was the shortest person in their year. She tried desperately to grab her bag back but Dario and Valmiki's reach was way passed hers. Seeing her face tear up, Spencer was reminded of Mateo when Dalbert would pick on him. It ignited something hot in Spencer's chest and he wasted no time in coming in between the three boys, snatching the bag out of Dario's hands.
"Leave her alone," He hissed. Dario was furious, clearly still not over their incident at the train.
"I thought I told you to stay away from me?" He demanded. Behind him, Garrett start rubbing his knuckles. "Let's teach him the hard way, Dario."
Spencer handed Astrid her bag back and stayed put as she ran off. He felt Cristo next to him, ready to help out in anyway he could. It would be three against two and although their heart is in the right place, there was no way they were going to get out of this ok. Dario quickly grabbed Spencer by his robes and slammed him into the wall. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Cristo struggling as Garrett put him in a headlock as Valmiki grabbed his legs.
"I don't care who your friends are," Dario tells him, referring to Mara and her siblings. "When I tell you to do something, I expect you to do it."
Spencer didn't bother stopping the grin on his face. "I don't know," He says. "The way your knees were shaking when Mara showed up told otherwise."
Dario's nostrils flared up as he frowned. "Piece of shi-"
"Enough, all of you!" Suddenly Dario was pulled back a strong, twinkling force of blue. Valmiki and Garrett were being held up by the same magical force. Out of the shadows appeared William, his fingertips sparkling the same blue tinge. "What's the story?"
Dario tried struggling free from William's magical hold, but didn't budge at all. "He started it!"
"That question wasn't directed to you three," He says, turning to look at Spencer and Cristo. "What's the story?"
"They were picking on a girl," Spencer says. "Her name is Astrid."
"Ah, Ms. Scurry. She's in my house." William says, turning to look at the boys suspended in the air. "If I were you three, I would prepare for the longest weekend of your life. I'll be sure to tell Professor Murphy what went on here." All of their eyes widened, obviously afraid of their Head of House, and ran off once William released his hold. The old Pukwudgie was still looking at Cristo and Spencer, studying them like he had no idea what to do with them. "So you two helped a girl that wasn't even in your house?"
Spencer and Cristo looked at each other, shocked. "We weren't just going to walk by and do nothing!" Cristo told him, obviously insulted.
William continued to stare at them until, finally, he smiled. "Very good."
And then he was gone.
*A/N: Hey everyone here's the next update! I figured the Owl's Globe would be the magical world's response to no-maj's growing technology. Please don't forget to leave a review, I always enjoy hearing from you guys. Expect another update soon!
