Dor sat in her study room in the library, reading a blue-book entitled Wibbly Wobbly, Timey Wimey by the Doctor. No last name, just the Doctor. Her eyes bleared over at the third digression into the defense of bowties. Dor didn't know why anyone wouldn't think bow ties weren't appropriately dapper or what that had to do with travel between planes of existence, but she soldiered on, reading every word, if only understanding every third.
Her notes over the last weeks studying every book Madam Pince put in front of her were organized into piles and folders marked with brightly colored ribbons and annotated in her increasingly small hand. She'd learned a lot, mostly that the various experts on interdimensional travel were prone to asides. Also that they all had different ideas of how it worked.
Starswirl the Bearded took a meticulous, studied, magical approach to the idea, though for him it was hypothesis without a way to test it. Dr. Richards of the Fantastic Four was much like Starswirl the Bearded in his meticulous, measured approach to the matter, but boiled his experiences to mathematical formulae far over Dor's head. Doctor No Name was disorganized brilliance, talking about time and space with an unbridled enthusiasm.
Her favorite understanding of the multiverse, however, came from the Librarian at the Unseen University, who also didn't seem to have a name. The power of written words, according to the Librarian, was so powerful they could warp spacetime when gathered in large enough, or dense enough, quantities, like libraries, cozy book stores, and piles of unread letters in abandoned post offices. Using the powers of librarianship, a properly trained librarian could wander the multiverse from library to library.
"A good bookshop is just a genteel black hole that knows how to read."
The quote from the Librarian's book on L-Space had so tickled Dor she'd written it prominently upon the blackboard Madam Pince had loaned her.
At a tapping, Dor looked up to find Madam Pince. "Were you here all night, Dorothy?"
Dor blinked at her. "Was I?"
Since coming to Hogwarts, Dor had gotten used to incredible meals, owls delivering the mail, and ghosts wandering the hallways. She'd gotten used to moving paintings and tricky staircases. She'd even gotten used to the mischievous poltergeist. But despite how amazing everything was, despite how comfortable the beds were, Dor had not gotten used to falling asleep without Kya by her side. Every night, she missed other girl fiercely, and could not help but cry herself to sleep. So, sometimes she neglected to go to bed altogether.
Madam Pince clucked exasperatedly. "I'm all for late night study sessions, but this is the third time this week. You need a break."
Dor stretched her aching neck and blinked her bleary eyes. "I'm fine."
"No. I don't think you are. I'm banishing you from the library for the rest of the weekend."
"Banishing?" Dor said, horrified.
"For the weekend," Madam Pince reiterated. "I want to look over your notes. Besides, Professor Sprout wants to see you. We've arranged for you to visit Olivander's. I'll see you when you get back."
"You're not coming?" Dor asked.
Madam Pince blinked at her before giving a small smile. "I cannot close the library and I'll not having those ruffians pawing through my books without supervision."
Dor chuckled.
"Before you go, what's the last book you read?"
Dor marked her place with a ribbon, then closed and hefted Wibbly Wobbly, Timey Wimey.
"I mean for pleasure."
"Oh." Dor felt her face light up. "War of the Worlds."
Madam Pince nodded. "I'm afraid we've been pushing you too hard on your independent study. You might try reading something else for a bit. We have a section of muggle literature. I'm partial to Tolkien myself. He first published in in nineteen fifty-four."
"That's... well after my time," said Dor in wonder.
"I'm aware. If you're going to be a space-time traveler, you may as well take advantage of it to read the very best novels. Now, off with you."
Dor tidied her study room, making sure the books were neatly shelved in order by author's last name, when they had a last name. She made sure her notes were neatly stacked and tucked into folders, marked with brightly colored ribbons and placed on the bookshelf. All her inkpots were stoppered, all her quills were cleaned.
Dor made her way to the Hufflepuff basement where Isabel, Sandra, and Aelf were already waiting for her, clad in their overcloaks, black and yellow Hufflepuff scarves at the ready.
"Oh hello. Why aren't you three in class?"
"It's Saturday," said Isabel. "And we're coming with you. Professor Sprout said we're going to Diagon Alley."
"Fantastic," said Dor. She took in their heavy clothing. "Is Diagon Alley particularly cold?"
"It's winter, silly," said Aelf.
"It is?"
"You've been here nearly a month. It's almost December." said Sandra.
"Oh. Is that why it looked like it was snowing in the great hall last night?"
Her friends giggled at her.
Dor collected her Hogwarts overcloak and her Hufflepuff scarf and joined the others as they trooped to the front doors leading to the Hogwarts grounds. Dor had been about the grounds a time or two, but most of her time was spent in the library.
Professor Sprout was waiting for them. "All set to go then?"
Dor nodded "But where is it exactly we're going, professor?"
"Olivander's. It is the premiere wand shop in the country. We're going to see if we can't get you a wand."
Dor blushed. "I, uh... I don't have any money."
"That's quite all right," said Professor Sprout. "I've spoken with the headmistress, and she's agreed to award you this year's interdimensional student grant."
Sandra chuckled and Aelf giggled and Dor looked skeptical.
"This is a long-standing tradition, I suppose?" said Dor.
"Oh yes," said Professor Sprout. "Nearly an hour and a half now." She smiled. "Come along, dear."
They were nearly out the door when hurried footsteps chased them.
"A moment, Dorothy." It was Madam Pince. She held out a small leather-bound book to her. "So you'll know you're not the only one on an unexpected journey. I've got several copies of this one. You may keep it as long as you like."
Dor looked at the book. There and Back Again by J.R.R. Tolkien. "Thank you."
Madam Pince nodded at her, then turned and strode back to the library.
"Off we are then," said Professor Sprout, leading them onto the grounds. "Have any of you used a portkey before?"
Isabel nodded. "Yes, ma'am. Once."
Dor was relieved to see Aelf and Sandra both shake their heads. At least she wouldn't be the only one new to whatever exciting magical thing was about to happen next.
"A portkey," Professor Sprout explained as she led them onto the grounds, "is an item keyed to a particular spot such that when touched, it will transport that person to that particular spot. Because the train takes all day and apparating with passengers can be tricky, I have arranged for us to take a port key to Diagon Alley. Now, it can be disorienting, but once we touch the portkey we need to not let go until the transportation is complete. Understood?"
They all nodded.
"Taking a field trip can be exciting and there's a lot to see in Diagon Alley, but I expect you all to be on your very best behavior, understood?"
"Yes, ma'am," said Dor.
Professor Sprout led them down to a cottage on the grounds Dor had seen before but not taken much notice of. "Professor Hagrid is out on business today and he agreed to let us use his garden patch as our portkey location." She led them around behind the cottage to a yard that was largely empty, put to bed for winter. At one corner was an old, wooden bucket.
"Here we are, dears."
"Is that the portkey?" Dor asked. "The bucket?"
"Why is it all old and falling apart?" Aelf asked.
"That's to disguise it," said Isabel. "So muggles don't touch it accidentally. It'd be awful if they started accidentally teleporting all across the country."
"Right you are," said Professor Sprout. "Five points."
Isabel beamed but Dor was confused. "Points for what?"
"For the House Cup, silly," said Aelf.
"House Cup?"
"You've got to get out of the library," said Sandra. "You're missing all the best parts of Hogwarts."
Dor blinked, confused. "You mean the library isn't the best part of Hogwarts? Well, I mean second best," Dor said hurriedly. "You three are the best part of Hogwarts." Aelf giggled, Sandra smiled broadly and Isabel blushed. Dor grinned, "Well, you and the food. The food is incredible. And the beds are awfully nice too."
"Brat," Sandra said, giving her shoulder a small shove.
They all giggled.
"All right, children. Are you ready?" Professor Sprout asked. "Gather round, reach out your hands but don't touch it until I say so. Everyone ready? On three. One, two, thr..."
Dor touched the bucket. The world around her spun in a myriad of bright sounds and loud colors. There was no direction, no up and down, only the great spinning of the world. The tickling tingle at her shoulders exploded across her back and her awareness expanded. She could feel the pull of the Multiverse. She did not reach out to it but let it touch her and while the spinning of the world, of the magical transportation, did not cease, it did feel more manageable.
"Hang on," shouted Professor Sprout. "Almost there!"
Sandra groaned and Aelf screamed. Even Isabel had a closed, clamped look like she might be ill.
A few moments later it all stopped. The ground came under Dor's feet and she welcomed its firmness. Professor Sprout took a step or two to gain her balance. Aelf, Isabel, and Sandra all tumbled to the ground, dizzy and disoriented.
"Well done, Dorothy. I've never seen anyone handle a portkey so well on their first try." Professor Sprout said.
"Are we there yet?" Sandra asked. "I don't feel so good."
"We're here," Dor confirmed. She helped Sandra to her feet and let the other girl put a hand on her shoulder while she steadied herself. Isabel used the nearby brick wall to get to her feet, taking several deep breaths. Aelf shook her head when Dor held a hand to her.
"I just need to sit here a few moments," Aelf said.
Dor looked around. They were in a small brick alleyway leading to a large, main thoroughfare. The buildings of Diagon Alley were tall and meandering, crooked as the alley itself. Brightly colored storefronts sold everything from potion-making supplies to magical pets to flying broomsticks. Dor gawped like a muggle. Professor Sprout led them to a dark, dim shop with gold lettering above the window proclaiming it Olivander's Wand Shop.
The bell above the door tinkled as they entered.
"I love this shop," Aelf said. "It's so homey and interesting and mysterious."
A long counter separated the small front room from five rows of tall shelves each filled with stacks of nondescript boxes. Dor's shoulders tingled gently.
"Just a moment, just a moment. I'll be right there," came a voice from the back. A few moments later, a young woman with a wild shock of purple-brown hair came to the fore. "Professor Sprout, hello, so good to see you. You were informed Olivander himself would be out on a supply expedition, yes?"
"Yes indeed, Maureen, thank you. I'm sure you'll do just find helping young Dorothy procure her wand."
Maureen blushed. "Thank you, professor, that means a lot. So, which one of you is Dorothy?"
"I am, ma'am," said Dor
"And this will be your first wand?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Step forward, let me get a look at you."
Dor stepped up to the counter, putting her hands behind her back and swaying nervously.
"Hmm. Let me see, let me see." Maureen wandered back through the stacks, muttering to herself. After a while, "Ah ha! How about this one?" She brought a box forward, set it on the counter, lifted the lid, and gestured for Dor to take it.
Dor picked up the length of wood.
"Alder with a unicorn hair core. A bit bendy, but not too much. How does it feel?"
Dor looked at the wand and shrugged.
"Fair enough," said Maureen, plucking the wand from Dor's fingers. "Let's try something else." She hurried into the stacks, muttering, and came back with another box. "Willow. Good for healers. The dragon heartstring makes it strong but a bit temperamental."
Dor took the wand. The tingle at her shoulders intensified but made her vision blurry and she dropped it quickly. "Sorry. Um. I don't think so."
"All right, all right. I think we're getting there though. Narrowing down the choices, eh?"
Dor looked past Maureen to the stacks and stacks of boxes.
Maureen took the wand, popped it in its box, and headed back to the shelves. She came back a few minutes later with a wide smile. She set the box on the counter with an air of triumph.
"This one is pine with a unicorn hair core. It's quite flexible, requiring the user to be so as well to master it. Pine wands prefer independent masters. This is the wand of a person who is creative with her magic. What do you think, Ms. Dorothy?"
Dor picked up the wand and the tingle of her shoulders spread through all her body; her chest filled with it. The wand was golden-hued with an intricate maze pattern carved into its handle and inked purple. A trio of equidistant flutes ran the length of its shaft. It felt good in her hand, like it belonged there, like it had been waiting for her.
"It's perfect."
"Well done, Maureen," Professor Sprout said quietly.
Maureen blushed. "Well, as they say, the wand chooses the wizard. I just helped a bit."
"We have an hour before we're to be back at Hogwarts," said Professor Sprout. "Feel free to wander but don't be late and stay away from Knockturn Alley. I don't want to have to warm any bottoms when we get back."
The girls giggled as they hurried off. The wind picked up and the temperature dropped as Dor let her friends lead the way. It smelled of snow. Dor pulled her Hufflepuff scarf up over her ears and mouth.
They visited the potions shop where Aelf bought a new cauldron. "Copper is better for burping potions," she said with a giggle. They visited the book store where Isabel bought the Standard Book of Spells, Grade 3. "Just to get a head start," she said. And they stopped at the joke shop where Sandra bought puking pasties, "In case History of Magic gets even more boring," she said.
When they left the joke shop, Dor pulled her scarf up against the chill again.
That's when she saw Elmira. Dor spun around and pretended to examine the items through the joke shop window while staring at the girl through the reflection. Elmira was clad in a black dress and thick boots and a faded red cloak with the hood pulled up. But Dor recognized the hook of her nose, the orange of her eyes. She didn't know if Elmira had seen her, so she watched the reflection of the other girl as she stalked away.
Several moments later, Isabel found her. "What's wrong?"
Dor turned slowly, making sure there was no sign of Elmira. "I'll tell you when we're back."
Once safely in their Hufflepuff dormitory, Dor told them about seeing Elmira Gulch.
"You're certain it was her?" Isabel asked.
Dor nodded.
"Well, we're safe here," Aelf said.
"Besides, what was she going to do, attack you in the middle of the street?" asked Sandra.
"Probably," said Dor. "She's done it before." She shrugged uncomfortably. "We're sort of supposed to be working together, researching Ravenclaw's Diadem so Mr. Quillon can steal it. But he can spy on me, so maybe he knows I've decided not to do it. But according to Hogwarts, a History, the grounds are supposed to have powerful protection magics, so maybe he doesn't? Either way, I'm sure Elmira would be happy to attack me given half the chance, and Iā"
Isabel stood. "Enough. Relax, Dor. You're safe here."
Dor closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She hadn't realized she was crying. Aelf sat next to her on her bed and put an arm around her shoulders.
"We should tell Professor Sprout," said Isabel.
"I should have thought of that. I just wasn't thinking straight.," said Dor.
Dor stood, but Isabel shook her head. "On second thought, I'll take care of that. Don't worry about it, okay?"
Dor swallowed hard but nodded.
Sandra cleared her throat. "Should we give her her present now?"
"Present?" Dor sniffled and wiped away tears.
"Yes, a present," said Aelf.
"Yeah, we figured since you weren't here last Christmas, we couldn't get you anything, so think of this as a very, very late Christmas present," said Sandra
"For me?'
"Haven't you ever had a Christmas present before?" asked Sandra.
Dor shook her head. "At the orphanage we celebrated Christmas by listening to one of Sister Mary Margaret's sermons."
Isabel withdrew a small package wrapped in brown paper. "We all chipped in."
Dor unwrapped it to find a brown leather holster with a pair of loops for securing round a belt with a pair of snaps. The leather was thick and durable but pliable.
"It's for your wand," said Aelf.
"It's a holster," added Sandra.
Dor stared at it in wonder. She'd never received a gift, not from anyone ever.
"Dor, are you okay?"
Dor cleared her throat and blinked away more tears. "I'm fine," she said. "Thank you so very much." She secured it to her belt and it felt secure on her left hip. When she slid her new pine and unicorn hair wand into the holster, it felt right.
"Most people don't wear holsters at school, but it's better than keeping it in your pocket," Isabel said. She patted her left hip where Dor saw she had her own wand holstered. She hadn't noticed that before. "Wands are durable, but every once in a while someone will snap their wand by sitting on it."
Dor hugged Isabel impulsively, squeezing her around the shoulders as tight as she could. "Thank you," she said again.
"You're quite welcome."
Before Dor could let Isabel go, Aelf joined their hug and Sandra soon thereafter.
Monday morning, at breakfast, Madam Pince took Dor aside.
"I'm still going through your notes, Dorothy. You've made some astute observations. I am, on the whole, impressed. However, you've made so many notes I'm not finished."
"Does this mean I'm still banished from the library?"
Madam Pince smiled. "No. However, I recommend you take another day off. Shadow your yearmates for the day. There's more to Hogwarts than the library you know."
Dor rejoined the others at the Hufflepuff table.
"I've never seen her smile," Sandra whispered.
"Be nice," Dor chided.
"I thought I was."
After breakfast, Dor joined the others for History of Magic. When the professor walked through the blackboard to begin lessons, Dor nearly jumped out of her skin. She'd seen ghosts up and down the halls, but she hadn't known one of them was a teacher.
"It's okay if you fall asleep," Aelf whispered. "Most do."
But Dor was fascinated by Professor Binn's description of the Goblin Wars.
Next they attended potions, where Professor Slughorn greeted her warmly and made her feel quite at home. She watched the girls brew an antidote to a sleeping draught. At the end of class, Professor Slughorn took volunteers for those who wanted to be the victim of a sleeping draught, assuring them he'd brewed his own antidote just in case. Sandra volunteered immediately.
After lunch, they went to Defense Against the Dark Arts.
"It's my favorite class," said Isabel. "I'm going to be an auror one day. That's a dark wizard catcher."
"Sounds dangerous," Dor said.
"It is. But it's important."
When they arrived at the classroom, there were no desks to be found, instead there was a long, raised platform in the center of the room.
"Is this normal?" Dor asked.
"Not at all," said Isabel.
A woman in dark slacks and a padded vest over a bright purple blouse entered and the class settled down. Her black hair was done up in a tight braid and had a pink streak through it. She had soft violet eyes that felt familiar to Dor. She wore her wand in a holster on her belt, and Dor was glad she'd chosen to wear her new gift.
"That's Professor Sparkle," said Isabel. "Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. She's had the position two years in a row now."
"Is that unusual?"
"Rumor has it the position has been cursed for decades until Harry Potter defeated You-Know-Who."
Dor shook her head. "I don't, actually."
Professor Sparkle jumped upon the platform and clapped her hands. "All right, everyone listen up." Her voice was familiar too. Dor was certain she'd heard it before. "Today we have a guest speaker. Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Harry Potter."
Harry Potter had black hair and bottle green eyes behind a pair of spectacles. Dor found him quite handsome and felt herself blush. He wore dark grey slacks and a red button up underneath a padded vest much like Professor Sparkle's. He climbed up on the platform and shook Professor Sparkle's hand. The class broke into spontaneous applause.
"All right, Mr. Potter, the floor is yours," said Professor Sparkle.
Mr. Potter looked out at them and gave a small smile. "Hello. As I'm sure you're all aware, the wizarding war is only a few years gone now, and because of my part in it, I have been invited from time to time to guest lecture for the Defense Against the Dark Arts classes.
"I've learned a few things about dueling and coming out the winner. Since you all are second years, we're sticking to the basics. Today, you'll be learning the disarming charm. Some of you may think the disarming charm is boring, that you'd like to see something flashier. I understand and, in a few years, we can get to it. But the disarming charm was and is one of my most trusted spells in a conflict. Do not underestimate it."
He turned and looked at Professor Sparkle. "Shall we give them a demonstration?"
Professor Sparkle nodded grimy. "Dueling is also a sport, so today we'll be observing some of the niceties. We shall salute our opponents." She drew her wand and held it vertically at eye level. "And we shall not begin until told to do so. Furthermore, safety is of utmost importance. We will be casting the disarming charm only. No jinxes, no hexes, no curses of any kind. When I say 'wands down' that means we're done. You point your wand at the floor or drop it entirely. Any questions?"
There were none, so Professor Sparkle and Mr. Potter spaced themselves several paces apart on the platform. They saluted each other and took a stance. Their stances weren't anything like the waterbending stances Dor had learned from Kya, but they took them with practiced ease.
Dor felt a pang as she thought of Kya. It had been weeks since she'd seen her and though she'd made great strides in her research, she was no closer to seeing her again.
Professor Sparkle took a step forward and said something in a language Dor didn't understand. But Mr. Potter was quicker. He flicked his wand forward.
"Expelliarmus."
Dor felt a tickle of magic at the base of her skull and along her shoulders.
A dart of white light shot from his wand and struck Professor Sparkle in the chest. Her wand flew from her hand and skittered to the end of the platform. The class erupted into applause.
Mr. Potter holstered his wand and faced the class. "That's basically all there is to it. The somatic component to this spell can be a bit tricky. I prefer a flick of the wrist, but I know others use a variety of movements, so that's something requiring practice. That said, please remember you're not to practice magic without adult supervision."
A murmur of assent shuffled through the students.
"We're going to practice the word now. Wands away." He held his hands up and out. "The word is, expelliarmus. Accent the fourth syllable. Ex-pell-i-AR-mus. On three. One... two..."
"Expelliarmus," the class said together.
He made them practice the word several more times before he turned to Professor Sparkle and said, "What do you think, should we ask for volunteers?"
Almost every hand in the room shot up.
For the next twenty minutes, in pairs, most of the class got upon the platform and tried their hand as the spell. Most could produce some bit of magic, a bit of light if nothing else, but few managed the spell itself. The first was Alonso Jordan against his fellow Gryffindor, Hillary Sanders, striking her in the chest with a dart of light, her wand flying through the air. The class cheered and Hillary shook Alonso's hand with a grimace.
Dor felt the magic at her neck intensify. She took a deep breath and tried not to get in its way.
Several more students stood upon the platform. A few managed to hit each other with a bit of light, but did not manage to disarm them. When a Ravenclaw girl named Karen Copeland faced off against a Hufflepuff boy named Isaac McKenzie, Dor felt the tingle at her neck increase. She waited with bated breath while they saluted, took their stances, and were given the signal. Without hesitation, Karen flicked her wrist and said, "Expelliarmus." Isaac fell back on his butt as his wand sailed through the air, and Dor felt the knot of magic solidify at her neck.
She closed her eyes and summoned her spell book, and there, before Jubilee's Dazzler, was Harry's Expelliarmus.
Harry's Expelliarmus 2W
Tribal Sorcery ā Wizard Instant
Unattach all cards attached to target creature. Its base power becomes 0 until end of turn.
"Dor, are you all right?" Isabel asked.
Dor smiled "I learned the spell," she whispered.
"Really? In your card book?"
Dor nodded.
"You should go up there," said Isabel.
"What? Me? You're the one who wants to be a dark wizard fighter."
"You should both go," said Sandra.
"Any more volunteers?" asked Professor Sparkle. "We've got time for a few more practice bouts."
"Right here," said Sandra, giving Dor and Isabel a shove.
They staggered forward. Isabel looked back and gave Sandra a glare.
"All right you two, come on up," said Mr. Potter.
Dor looked at Isabel who looked at her and shrugged. They clambered upon the platform. Dor followed Mr. Potter down the platform a ways.
"Remember it's okay if it doesn't work the first time. It can be a bit tricky to master. Do you remember the word?" Mr. Potter asked.
"Expelliarmus," Dor said, and felt the magic buzz up and down her arms.
"Very good. Now, turn and face your opponent."
Dor did as she was told. Isabel faced her. Professor Sparkle took several steps back from Isabel to the back of the platform.
"Wands out," said Mr. Potter.
"Salute your opponent," said Professor Sparkle.
"At the ready," said Mr. Potter.
Dor took a waterbending stance she'd learned from Kya. She thought she heard some snickering from the students. The tingle at Dor's shoulders intensified. Every spell in her spell book flickered through her mind in a jumble. She took a deep breath and focused on Harry's Expelliarmus.
"Begin," Professor Sparkle said.
Isabel took a step forward and brought her wand down. "Expelli..."
Dor reacted. "Expelliarmus!"
Two darts of white light streaked at each other and met in a small explosion between them. The crowd of students gasped and burst into applause.
"Wands down!" Professor Sparkle shouted.
Dor let her shoulder drop.
"That was impressive," said Mr. Potter. "What do you say, professor, shall we give them another shot?"
"Nothing like a good tie breaker," said Professor Sparkle with a grin. "You up for it ladies?
Dor nodded, excitement flooding her.
"Absolutely," said Isabel.
"Wands out..."
"Salute..."
"Ready..."
"Begin!"
Isabel was faster. With a flick of her wrist, and the shouted word, a dart of light hurtled at Dor. Twilight's Blink flashed through Dor's mind. The magic at her shoulders flowed down her arm to her wand and with a crack she teleported two feet forward, the spell missing her. Behind her, Dor heard Mr. Potter grunt with surprise.
"Expelliarmus," Dor shouted, liking the way the wand felt in her hand, the way the magic tripped lightly along her arm.
Isabel swung her wand arm in a wide arc and said a word Dor didn't know. A shield of magic dashed the disarming spell to nothing. Isabel took a step back, preparing another spell. Kya's Waterbending flickered through Dor's mind. She could feel water nearby, ahead and to her right. She swung her wand arm from one waterbending stance to another and a streamer of water leapt from a pitcher on a sideboard, striking Isabel and nearly knocking her off the platform. Dor stepped forward, prepared with Harry's Expellilarmus, but Isabel was not to be deterred.
"Stupefy!" Isabel shouted.
Dor stumbled back, her senses numb. She could barely feel her fingers gripping her wand. She felt tired and dull. And yet, when Isabel got to her feet and pointed her wand, Dor was able to think of one thing. Jubilee's Dazzler slid though her mind sluggishly and pink, yellow, and green lights leapt from Dor's wand, striking her friend in the chest.
"I said wands down!" Professor Sparkle shouted.
Dor felt her wand forced from her grasp as she collapsed.
Several minutes later, after the other students had been sent to their next class, Dor and Isabel sat next to each other on the edge of the platform. Professor Sparkle and Mr. Potter stood at the door, talking quietly for a while before Mr. Potter left. For all that she knew she was in trouble, Dor felt good, energized almost. Before, utilizing her mana on so many spells at once had exhausted her. She patted the wand in its holster on her left hip. It tingled in response.
"Are you all right?" Dor asked.
"Yeah. You?" Isabel returned.
"Yeah. Sorry I went overboard."
"Me too. But, I gotta say, that was pretty impressive dueling," Isabel said.
"You're not so bad yourself."
They giggled quietly. Then Professor Sparkle fixed them with a stern look and stalked toward them.
"Do you suppose we're in trouble?" Dor asked.
"Oh, yeah," Isabel said.
"You two, my office, now," Professor Sparkle said.
Dor and Isabel slid off the platform and preceded Professor Sparkle into a small room. It was a cozy office, bookshelves on one wall, desk on another, couch on a third.
"We went over this. When I say 'wands down', that means stop dueling. Wasn't I clear?" Professor Sparkle asked.
Both girls nodded silently.
"So why didn't you listen?"
Dor shrugged miserably.
"Honestly, ma'am, I didn't hear you," Isabel said. "I was just so caught up in the duel."
Dor nodded. "I didn't mean to disobey you."
"Be that as it may, you did disobey and you set an extraordinarily poor example for you classmates. Isabel, you've got top marks in all your classes. The other Hufflepuffs your age look up to you. And Dorothy, everyone is already infatuated with the mysterious guest spending all her time in the library. The two of you have told the whole school that my rules for safety can be ignored, that they can get away with dueling in my classroom."
Dor looked down and away and sniffled. She knew she was embarrassing herself, crying in front of Isabel, but she couldn't help it. She hated being scolded. Worse, Professor Sparkle was right.
Dor studied the rug in the office. It took up most of the floor, so the desk and couch obscured some of it, but she recognized the symbol she was standing in the center of. It was a pink, six-pointed star surrounded by five white, six-pointed stars. It was Twilight Sparkle's cutie mark. Stunned, Dor blinked letting tears slide down her face and looked at Professor Sparkle. Though she was clearly human, definitely not a unicorn, though her hair was black rather than purple, she had the same pink streak, the same soft, lavender eyes. Even her voice was the same. Dor couldn't believe she hadn't seen it before now.
"Something you want to say, Ms. Dorothy?"
Dor bit her lip and shook her head. "No ma'am."
"Usually I'd leave this to your head of house, but I've spoken with Professor Sprout and she agrees that for such and egregious error, in in my classroom, that I should handle it."
Isabel sniffled and Dor looked at her. She was gratified to see Isabel crying. Not because she wanted her friend to cry, but at least Dor didn't feel like she was alone.
"Bend over the desk," Professor Sparkle said.
Dor shivered uncomfortably. She knew what to do, though she hated it. She hated she was to be spanked. She hated she had disappointed Professor Sparkle. She hated that she felt like she deserved it. She wished she knew what kind of spanker Professor Sparkle would turn out to be. Was she mean, like Sister Mary Margaret? Was she kind, like Minwu? If she really was an alternate version of her friend from Equestria, Dor hoped the purple unicorn's kindness would extend through the multiverse.
Dor stepped up to the desk, bent over, and grabbed the other side. Next to her, Isabel did the same though with hesitancy.
"If either of you ever does anything like this again, you'll be banned from any and all dueling exercise in the future. Understood?"
"Yes, ma'am," they said together.
Dor heard Professor Sparkle approach. She closed her eyes and rested her head on the desk. At a rustle of fabric, Isabel squirmed uncomfortably and groaned. Dor knew without looking that Professor Sparkle had lifted Isabel's skirt.
"Please, professor. I'm very sorry," Isabel said.
The spanking was swift and curt. Eighteen crisp smacks filled the small office. Isabel gasped and coughed then cried freely, and when it was done, Dor felt her friend stand and move away. Then Professor Sparkle's put a hand gently on Dor's back and lifted her skirt.
Dor tried to remember if today she'd wore the yellow drawers with black trim or the black with yellow. Panties, she reminded herself. The other girls call them panties. She wondered where the word came from. It seemed a shortened version of pantaloons or pantalets or...
The wandering ramble of her mind ceased as Professor Sparkle's hand on her back shifted and Dor knew she was about to have her bottom smacked. Even through the sting and embarrassment of being spanked in front of one of her friends for having behaved so recklessly, Dor counted them. Eighteen, nine to each cheek, and her whole body stung with it.
When it was done, Professor Sparkle helped her stand and gave her a brief hug. As spankings went, it hadn't been awful, nor unfair. In fact, it had been the least she deserved
Professor Sparkle looked at them. She didn't look angry or stern, but disappointed and faintly sad. "That's it then," she said, voice husky. Dor wondered if the professor was about to cry. "If I'm not mistaken, you two are late for charms class. Off you go."
Dor and Isabel sat together at dinner that evening and spent it quietly. Sandra couldn't stop reenacting the duel enthusiastically to anyone who would listen.
"And then Isabel cast Protego! I didn't even know second years could do that! But then Dor..."
Dor blushed but didn't have the heart to tell her to stop. A few Hufflepuff boys tried to give them a hard time for having gotten spanked, but Johnny Boulder rumbled at them menacingly.
"Mind your manners unless you want an official reprimand sent to Professor Sprout. You know what she thinks of teasing."
After dinner, Dor went straight to bed, Isabel right beside her. They changed in silence. Dor folded her laundry neatly and silently thanked the house elves she'd never seen for taking care of that necessity. As she dug in her wardrobe for her nightie, she caught a glimpse of Isabel from the corner of her eye. Curiosity getting the best of her, she looked at her friend's naked backside and noted there was no evidence of spanking, not a hint of pink and certainly no bruises. Isabel noticed her noticing and blushed.
"It doesn't sting anymore," Isabel said, pulling on a faded pink nightie with a blue and yellow flower print
"Yeah," said Dor, pulling on her soft yellow Hufflepuff nightie.
"You... you said you got spanked really hard at the orphanage, but that the cleric lady was nice about it." Isabel sat on her bed.
Dor nodded as she sat on her bed, facing Isabel.
"Professor Sparkle seems the nice kind of spanker, weird as that sounds."
Dor nodded again. "Definitely. On both counts."
"Still, I haven't been spanked since I was ten years old, and I've never been spanked at school. It... it didn't feel good."
"I'm sorry," Dor said.
Isabel shook her head. "Not your fault. Also, we were already spanked, no more guilt. Right?"
"Right."
Isabel stood and hugged Dor and Dor hugged her back.
They went to bed. Dor closed the curtains on her four-poster bed and heard Isabel do the same. Though the sting of the spanking had long since faded, Dor imagined she could still feel it. She'd hated to think it, but something about that sting, a part of it anyway, felt nice. It felt warm and comforting and protective. She drew up the covers and turned on her side and closed her eyes. She pulled one of the many pillows to her chest and rested her left arm over it. She thought of Kya and her heart ached for her friend. She remembered lying next to her, much like this, cuddled close. She missed Kya in a way she couldn't quite describe, and she cried into her pillow until falling asleep.
