Hello everyone and welcome to Chapter 5! Sorry about the late update. If you enjoy it, please FFR! Thank you!

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Malina had just sat down to her first breakfast at Ilvermorny when Ruellia sprinted into the Dining Hall and sat down across from her. Out of breath, she slid a piece of parchment over to Malina.

"What's this?" she asked with her mouth full, grabbing the piece of parchment and looking it over.

"I went to the Sorting Chamber to pick up my class schedule and I took the liberty of getting yours too." Malina read her schedule aloud.

"8:00 am, Basic Magical Theory I. 9:00 am, Magical History of The World. 10:00 am, Charms, Potions, then Defense Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, and finally Herbology. Everything sounds so interesting; I can't wait to get started."

"It looks like our schedule is the same," smiled Ruellia. "We better get a move on if we want to make it to the fourth floor on time. I heard Professor Talbin hates it when students are tardy." Malina quickly finished the rest of her breakfast and sprinted out of the Dining Hall with Ruellia. The two girls just made it into the classroom just moments before the clock struck nine. Professor Talbin looked down at them from his desk over the rim of his half-moon spectacles. He was an older man, with a nearly bald head, and a short beard. He was wearing a smart gray suit with a purple necktie. He stared at them until they sat down.

"Right," he mumbled. He stood up straight and addressed the class. "Welcome first-years to Basic Magical Theory I." he took his wand and levitated the chalk to the board, writing the class name and his on it. "I am Professor Cyril Talbin and I will be your instructor for the entire year." He moved his wand again to write down what he was saying. "In this class we will explore the subjects of: The Fundamental Laws of Magic, how wands and spells work, and we will be examining your anatomical ability to do magic. Now let us start with an icebreaker to get the ball rolling. Who can answer this question: where does our magical ability come from?" Malina's hand immediately went into the air, the only one to do so. "Miss Fawley?" acknowledged Professor Talbin.

"Our ability to do magic is innate," she said, remembering a passage from a book her mother had had her read. "We're all born with it. It doesn't come from a wand or a potion. It comes from inside us that flows out through those things." Professor Talbin barely cracked a smile.

"That's exactly correct, Miss Fawley. I'm very impressed. Ten points to Thunderbird House." Several Thunderbirds that were in the room turned to smile at her and a few gave her thumbs-up. Malina smiled to herself and paid careful attention to the lesson.

Several hours and exciting lessons went by before the day was over. Malina and Ruellia were walking from the greenhouse where they just finished Herbology to the snakewood tree in the courtyard. When they reached it, they sat down on a bench. "So…? What did you think of the first day?" Ruellia asked, putting her dreadlocks over one shoulder.

"It's definitely a lot to take in," Malina replied. "Everything is so amazing here."

"Oh please," giggled Ruellia. "YOU were amazing in every class. You probably earned Thunderbird a hundred points today. How do you know everything?"

"I don't know everything," Malina said humbly. "I owe a lot to my parents. They gave me a really big head start."

"You're way too modest." Ruellia rolled her eyes. They shared a laugh and began to work on the little homework they had, which was mostly questionnaires and introductory assignments. When they were just about finished, Malina happened to look up in the direction of a long dark corridor leading into the castle and saw a face peeking out from behind the wall. She had a head of curly hair, round spectacles, and a scarf around her neck. As soon as she made eye contact with Malina, she vanished. Ruellia must have noticed, for she was shaking Malina's shoulder. "Hey, what are you staring at?" she asked.

"There was a woman staring at us," Malina replied turning to look at her friend. "I think it was Professor Steward."

"What?" Ruellia blinked to make sure she heard her right. "Why would our Defense Against the Dark Arts professor be casually watching us?"

"I don't know," said Malina. "But I want to ask her. Come on!" She suddenly jumped up from the bench and raced down the corridor, using a spell to pack up her things.

"Wait, Malina!" Ruellia yelled after her and scrambling to catch up. "Shouldn't we think about this first?! You know, before we go off into a part of the castle we don't know?!" But Malina didn't hear her. She was following Professor Steward's skirt that was swishing around every corner. She kept a fast pace, making sure to stay as close to her as possible. After a short chase, though, a door slammed and Professor Steward was nowhere to be found. The hallway they were standing in was a dead end. Ruellia caught up to Malina, panting and out of breath. "Ok," she breathed. "She's gone. Now can we please just go to the Dining Hall? Its dinner time and I'm hungry."

"No," Malina whispered. "Something's not right here." She ran her hand along the back wall of the corridor. Following her hunch, she pulled out her wand and pointed it at the wall. "Revelio", she said quietly. Suddenly, the wall seemed to melt away, revealing a hidden door behind it. Then, she pointed her wand at the doorknob and said "Alohomora". A soft click was heard and Malina pushed the door open.

"Whoa," whispered Ruellia. "How'd you know that was there?"

"My house has a bunch of secret passages and rooms like this," Malina replied. The room they were in was empty, deserted, and with no sign of Professor Steward. "This doesn't make any sense. Its just an empty room. Why would Professor Steward lead us here?"

"I don't know," Ruellia said shakily, grabbing Malina's sleeve. "But let's get out of here. I have a bad feeling about this place."

"Yeah, good idea," agreed Malina. The two girls started to walk back in the direction they came from towards the door when a cold, spine-chilling sound stopped them in their tracks. It was a "chchchchch" noise.

"What was that?" Ruellia squeaked. She sounded absolutely terrified. Malina instantly whirled around and cast a spell.

"Lumos Maxima!" A bright white light burst out from the tip of her wand. It shone upon a black mass, a hideous creature that shrieked a single time before lashing its claws at the light. The two girls screamed in terror before turning back and running as fast as they could. Malina heard her robes tear and Ruellia make an exclamation of pain. Fast as they could, they barreled for the door and burst out in the hallway. Malina quickly locked the door against the creature as it banged to get out. They let adrenaline carry them around the corners and corridors before they once again found themselves in the courtyard where they had left. They slowed to a stop and bent over, completely out of breath. "What was that?!" Malina breathed. Ruellia didn't answer. She was holding her forearm in pain, face contorted in a grimace. "Hey, are you ok?" Malina reached out for her friend but she turned away from her.

"Its just a scratch," she said through her teeth. "I'll be fine." Then she whirled around, the pain on her face contorted to anger. "What were you thinking, Malina?! You could've gotten us killed! Whatever that thing was, we weren't supposed to find it! Now look at us! We're both hurt and our robes are torn!" Now that the adrenaline had worn off, Malina felt a pain in her shoulder blade. Looking over her left shoulder, she saw her robes were indeed torn with three slash marks underneath. She had to admit to herself it was painful.

"Ok, you're right," she said sheepishly. "You can ask any of my family members and they'll tell you that I act before I think a lot and that means I get myself into trouble. I didn't intend for you to get hurt and I feel guilty. I'm sorry." She looked down at her feet, shuffling them on the ground. She expected Ruellia to walk away, but instead she gave her a hug.

"Its alright," she said. "The important thing is that we're both still alive and not hurt too bad."

"Easy for you to say," Malina said with a slight giggle. She turned around so Ruellia could see her scratch.

"Dang, that thing got you good," she giggled back. "Oh, what's that?" she asked curiously.

"What's what?" Malina strained her neck to see if it was something more serious. "Where?"

"Your birthmark. I've never seen one like it before. It's a perfect crown."

"It's not a birthmark," Malina explained. "Well, kind of. It's a soulmate marking. They're very rare, once in a century according to my mom. She said it's a really old form of magic. Two people are born with the exact same mark on them, and they're each other's soulmate. She also said that when their magic and love is used together, it creates the most powerful magic one can produce."

"Ok, that's cool," Ruellia said before her tone changed. "Wait, what happens if you never find your soulmate?"

"They said if you don't find them before you turn fifty…you die." said Malina darkly. "But they also say that everyone who has the mark finds their soulmate eventually." Just then, they head another low, rumbling sound.

"What's that?" Ruellia jumped and grabbed Malina's sleeve again. Malina just laughed and pointed to her stomach, which growled on cue. The two girls then shared a laugh, linked arms, and made their way to the Dining Hall.

Several months later, the encounter Malina and Ruellia had with the creature was almost forgotten. They had repaired their robes and luckily no one knew or suspected anything. At least, that's what Malina thought. One wintry afternoon in February, Professor Steward was wrapping up her Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson for the day. "And that is why, students, I highly advise against galivanting around and looking for any of the creatures I have covered today. If you do, I'm sure you'll wish you would have heeded my advice, so please take it now. For homework, you will write me two paragraphs on which of the mentioned creatures you think is the most interesting and dangerous, as well as how to defeat them should you come across any. And you can expect a quiz about these five creatures on Friday. Class dismissed, and I'll see you all tomorrow." All the students gathered their things and began to make their way out of the classroom. "Malina." Professor Steward called. Malina turned around to face her. "Can I see you for a few minutes?"

Her stomach instantly dropped. She just knew she was in trouble. Deep trouble. Slowly, she approached Professor Steward. "Yes, Professor?" she asked timidly.

"Come with me, please. We're going to step into my office." Oh, boy. That was possibly the worst thing she could have said. Malina's palms started to sweat. She braced herself for detention, or worse, expulsion. Professor Steward walked to the back wall of the classroom and tapped twice on the blackboard, the wall separated in half, revealing her office. She went down and sat at her desk and motioned for Malina to take a seat in front of it. "So, I expect you want to know why you're here. But don't worry too much. You're not in trouble." Malina breathed a huge sigh of relief.

"Thank you, Professor," she sighed. "But why am I here?"

"I wanted to talk to you about what happened on the first day of school. I know that you found the hidden room. And what was inside it. I want to make it very clear that I did not intend to lead you right to it."

"Then why were you watching me and Ruellia? And why did you lead us all over the school?" Malina asked.

"Your mother requested that I keep an eye on you. She said you were furiously talented, but you also tend to be outspoken when it's not necessary, and to act before you think. Would you say that these things are true?"

"I guess so," Malina agreed. "But I have to know…what was that creature in that room?"

"It was a hidebehind, Malina. It got into the school over the summer and unleashed terror before I managed to trap it into that room. The room was filled with alcohol, the smell of which keeps it at bay. However, when you and Miss Brooks opened the door, it smelled the outside air for just a moment, making its mind clear enough to attack. You both are lucky to still be alive. Hidebehinds are very dangerous creatures. They prey on humans, disemboweling them and making them die a slow painful death."

"Of course!" Malina explained, making a look of confusion passed over Professor Steward's face. She cocked an eyebrow in curiosity. "Professor Larch told us about the hidebehind that killed Chadwick and Webster Boot's parents when telling us the story of how Ilvermorny was founded."

"Very good," mused Professor Steward. "It's nice to see students taking an interest in my family history." Malina this time said nothing. She just looked at her Professor with wide eyes in shock. "Yes," chuckled Professor Steward. "I am a descendant of Isolt and James themselves, by way of their oldest daughter Rionach, who is my namesake though there is an extra 'r' in my name: Rionarch. When I was old enough, I changed my last name to Steward from my father's name so as to feel better connected to my ancestors. Something I'm sure you know well." She flashed Malina a quick wink.

"With all due respect, Professor," said Malina. "I have a feeling you didn't bring me in here just to talk about family history."

"Right again, dear," Professor Steward replied. "You are perhaps the most powerful witch in Ilvermorny, despite still being a first year. And that is why you are going to help me get the hidebehind out of the school and release it back into the wild, far away from the school. And don't worry about being under-skilled. I will teach you advanced defensive magic in the coming weeks outside of class three evenings a week every week. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, right after your Herbology lesson. And then, in about a month, we will act. Do you accept?"

"Yes, Professor," Malina replied instantly.

"Good. Your first lesson begins on Friday. Meet me here after Herbology. And with that, you are free to go. I know I kept you so here's a letter to Professor Barrows, telling him to excuse your tardy." Malina stood up and walked back toward the wall. "Oh, one more thing, Malina." Professor Steward said. "I do hope you'll consider trying out of junior Quidditch next year. I know you're coming along very well in your flying classes. And your mother was quite the beater in her days here."

"I'll think about it," replied Malina. "Thanks, Professor Steward." She ran out of the office and the classroom on her way to Transfiguration.