Felicity and Sarah stood, brooms in hand, on the platform of the train station in Providence. Mrs. Goldstien hovered over her youngest child fussing with her tie. The tie was now the dark green of the Apprentice class.
"Are you sure you want to fly up to school from Portland?" She asked in a worried tone.
"Mother!" Sarah said. "Why did you have me take all those flying lesions this summer if I'm not going to use them?"
Sarah had taken flying lesions from a witch living on Block Island for several weeks in the summer. She had written Felicity that her fly had greatly improved as a result. "I only get blown off course every now and then, and I haven't hit a building or a tree in ever so long" she had reported.
The two girls had agreed to fly from the Portland train station to school that fall. It had taken Sarah considerable effort to convince her mother to let her take the trip on her own. Only the intercession of her father had managed to convince her mother she was ready for such a journey. "Besides ... " he had told his wife, "it's not as if she will be alone, Felicity will be with her and I hear that she is one of the best aviators in school. She was the one who figured out how to play LaQuidd without holding onto the broom after all." Mrs. Goldstine wasn't sure that trusting someone who flew her broom without hands was such a good idea and had made Felicity pledge to keep both hand on the broom at all times during the flight to Salem.
If the truth of the matter be known if was not the flying that bothered Ruth Goldstine at all; it was the fact that her little girl had been one of the Raisers and now might be in danger should that become widely known. Ruth Goldstine's imagination of the danger had gotten the better of her. It took Commissioners Williams personal reassurance that all would be safe for her daughter at Salem Academy to but her mind at ease.
So the trunks containing the uniforms, LaQuidd sticks, books and other items had been sent up by luggage transport a week before and the two girls now stood on the platform of the train station waiting for train number 66 "The Federal" from Washington to Boston to arrive. Once in Boston they would take train number 681 "The Downeaster" to Portland. The cool morning air mixed with the smell of fumes on the platform.
"Train number 66 the Federal now arriving on track two with continuing service to Boston." The announcement cracked over the loud speakers. As it did so the silver cars of the train rumbled into the station and glided to a stop before the Stockwells and the Goldstines.
The doors opened and a number of people got out. Then the conductor gestured for the girls to board. Felicity and Sarah hugged their mothers. Sarah said that she would send her owl home with a letter as soon as they had arrived at school. The conductor offered his hand and the two were helped onto the train.
Once aboard the conductor showed the two where to put their brooms. They then took a seat near the front of the car and looked out the window to see their parents waiving at them.
"Mother always cries when I leave her for any length of time." Sarah inform Felicity.
"I think mine does too." Felicity offered.
"Only yours waits until she's home." Sarah said with a smile.
The platform stated to appear to be moving away from the girls as the train gently moved out of the station towards Boston and Maine.
"So," Sarah said between bits of the bagel her mother had insisted she take with here. "what have you heard from Roger?"
Sarah could tell right away that this was not a question Felicity wanted to answer.
"Not much." Felicity said looking out the window at the houses passing by.
"Boys can be such jerks sometimes." Sarah offered. "But there are bound to be some new boys at school." She said with a hopeful note in her voice.
The girls talked about their summer vacations. Sarah and Peter How had carried on a thriving correspondence by owl mail over the summer and it was clear to Felicity that Sarah could hardly wait to see Peter again. They got up and went to the dinning car but decided against getting anything until they were in Portland. It would be about noon then and they could find something on the way up to Salem.
In Boston the two transfered to the train that would take them up the coast to Maine. The trip took them past the low sandy shores moving north. The train made a few stops in tourist towns along the southern Maine coast. In the summer the train would have been filled with people seeking a days outing at the beach in Old Orchard with it's boardwalk and caravel rides. But today most of the riders were going to Portland as well.
Three hours after leaving Boston the train came to a stop in Portland. The Portland train station is perfect for young witches to fly in and out of. Unlike most train stations in New England it is located just out of the center of the city and has open areas around it from which one can take off or land on a broom without drawing too much attention to yourself.
The two girls walked away from the station before getting on their brooms. After insuring that they were alone, they lifted off and soared high into the noon-day sky over the city.
"Sarah's flying has improved." Thought Felicity to herself. For other than a bit of wobbling upon takeoff Sarah now flew along side Felicity without any difficulty at all.
"Your flying has improved." Felicity told Sarah as they few along.
"Thank you." Sarah answered dipping a bit as her concentration on flying was broken.
"You hungry?" Felicity asked, looking down at the streets of Freeport passing under her.
"Yah, let's get something." Sarah answered.
They then dipped the fronts of their brooms downward and landed at the far end of a parking lot. Walking up the hill they found themselves in front of a massive store. The green sign on the front announced that they were at L.L. Bean.
L. L. Bean is to sporting goods what WCMI is to wizards supplies. Open twenty four hours a day seven days a week. The store carries all manner of clothing, camping supplies, hunting and fishing gear and other assorted items.
Felicity and Sarah wandered through the store until they ended up in the women's clothing section.
"Let's try on some dresses!" Sarah suggested eyeing a short blue knit dress. Soon the girls were standing in front of a mirror admiring themselves in matching blue dresses.
"It a nice dress, but this color doesn't suit me." Felicity said, looking at herself. "I wonder if they have it in any other colors?" She went over to the rack of dresses but found that it only came in navy.
"Too bad." Sarah said looking at Felicity in the dress. "That would look great on you in yellow. You always look good in yellow with your red hair and all." Sarah then produced her wand and before Felicity knew what happened, Sarah had changed the dress from navy to a pale yellow.
"Sarah!" Felicity giggled, "You know we're not to do magic around muggles!"
"I know." Sarah said, trying hard not to laugh. "Isn't it wicked of me!"
"Well I think you would look better in red!" Felicity then raised her wand and changed Sarah's dress to red. The two fell into a fit of giggles in front of the mirror. They tried several other colors comparing the merits of each while priming in front of the mirror.
"It's too bad, but we really don't need any dresses." Felicity said, remembering that the school permitted only formal dresses a few times a year. The rest of the time the school uniforms were to be worn.
"Yes it is." Pined Sarah, as she tried a few more colors in front of the mirror.
What neither Sarah nor Felicity had noticed was a growing group of sales clerks and customers who had been watching the two from a ways off. The sight of the two young witches changing the color of the dresses to suit themselves was not something one sees everyday at L. L. Bean.
Finally a young woman stepped out of the group and came up to the two.
"Salem Academy?" She said quietly.
Felicity and Sarah looked at her.
"Yes, but how did you know ... " Felicity said just as Sarah let out a little gasp. Sarah had turned to see the group which had been watching them.
"You really shouldn't be doing magic out in the open like this." The young woman had a serious look on her face. "If Miss Brattle were to find out."
"Your not going to tell are you?" Sarah pleaded.
"No I'm not going to tel." The woman answered. "But it might be best if you two were on your way. Go change back into your uniforms and I'll stay here and figure out something to tell these people."
Sarah and Felicity slipped into the dressing rooms and changed. When they got out the crowed was gone and the woman was waiting for them.
"In the future be more discreet. If you want to try a different color go into the dressing room first. OK?" The girls shook there heads in agreement. "And let me introduce myself I'm Linda Bean, I work in advertising. I graduated from Salem in 1996."
She shook their hands and walked with them to the door. "If you want an ice cream there is a Ben and Jerry's right over there." She said. Pointing to a small building on the street. "And try not to take off around any people." She called as the two headed off to the ice cream parlor.
Once the two had gotten something to eat and bought ice cream they found a secluded spot and lifted off into the afternoon sky.
"I wonder what she told all those people?" Felicity said as they flew along eating the last of their ice cream cones.
Felicity had figured out that if they were to fly due north they would eventually pass over the river which they could then follow up to the school. The day was fair and neither Sarah nor Felicity noticed the clouds gathering in the western sky.
At the river they pointed their brooms upstream and flew faster. Sarah looked down and saw the figure of a boy a broom below them.
"Let's go down and see who it is." She said pointing to the figure.
The two girls dove down and came up on either side of the boy. He was struggling some with the broom and was startled by the appearance of the two young girls now flying on either side of him. He was wearing the tie of an Entered Class member.
"Hi." Sarah said in a cheery voice.
"Hi." Came back the reply from the boy who was clearly new to flying which required his full attention.
Felicity thought it odd that a entered class student was flying to Salem Academy on his own. Where were his parents? She wondered.
"What's your name?" Felicity asked trying to be polite and make conversation with the boy.
"Thomas." He said, gripping the broom even tighter. Little beads of perspiration were forming on his forehead. It was clear to Felicity that having Sarah and herself flying with him was not helping the boy's concentration any.
"Thomas what?" Asked Sarah.
"I'd rather not say." Answered the boy looking straight ahead. There was an awkward pause as the three flew along.
Felicity looked over at Sarah. "Well, we'll be going now." She said and the two lifted off high above the boy.
"That was strange." Sarah said.
"Sure was." Felicity thought to herself. "What's in a name that he would not want to tell us who he is?" She wondered.
At the last bend in the river drops of water began to fall from the sky which had become overcast. Felicity decided that Aunt Joan had been right. Flying in the rain was not much fun. She and Sarah picked up speed and closed in on Salem Academy and its old stone buildings.
They sailed up to the buildings and rushed in just as the rain started to pour. From the window of Franklin Hall 319 Felicity watched as the boy on the broom made a rough landing tumbling to the ground in the courtyard. He got up and rushed into Dickinson Hall.
The rain fell hard all that night and into the morning of the next day.
In the morning, after breakfast, the Assembly Hall slowly filled up with students and faculty for the first school meeting of the year. Faculty guided the Entered Class members to their seats on the back row. A new Union Jack flag had been hung in the room next to the flag of Utah.
Felicity and Sarah took their seats just below the boy they had meet on their trip to school. On the other side of the room Roger sat with the Fellowcraft Class. Next to him was seated Alice Marvolo. The two were engaged in an animated conversation. Felicity felt a wave of jealousy come over her, this time she made no attempt to quell it.
Felicity had been right about the Alice's effect on the boys as Salem Academy. a steady stream of boys came up to introduce themselves to her. She also realized that any concerns she had about having the shortest skirts at school were unnecessary. Alice's skirts were shorter than hers or any of the other girls in school by far.
Miss Brattle stood up before the school and the room settled down. She welcomed the students back to school and introduced herself and the faculty. Then, as was the custom, she asked each of the new student to stand and introduce themselves starting with the oldest.
Alice Marvolo stood and in her British accent introduced herself and told the assembly that she was from England but was living with her family in Salem, Massachusetts.
The introductions continued until they reached the boy seated behind Felicity and Sarah. He stood up slowly and said:
"My my name's Thomas I'm fro... from Chesterville, Maine." He was about to sit down when Miss Brattle spoke.
"And your last name is?" she quizzed.
Felicity noticed that Alice seemed to take a particular interest in the boy at this question. The boy shuffled his feet. He looked nervous. Little beads of sweat reappeared on the hapless boy. Finally he said.
"Riddle, my name is Thomas Riddle."
From in front of her Felicity heard someone whipper "mudblood!"
"Are you sure you want to fly up to school from Portland?" She asked in a worried tone.
"Mother!" Sarah said. "Why did you have me take all those flying lesions this summer if I'm not going to use them?"
Sarah had taken flying lesions from a witch living on Block Island for several weeks in the summer. She had written Felicity that her fly had greatly improved as a result. "I only get blown off course every now and then, and I haven't hit a building or a tree in ever so long" she had reported.
The two girls had agreed to fly from the Portland train station to school that fall. It had taken Sarah considerable effort to convince her mother to let her take the trip on her own. Only the intercession of her father had managed to convince her mother she was ready for such a journey. "Besides ... " he had told his wife, "it's not as if she will be alone, Felicity will be with her and I hear that she is one of the best aviators in school. She was the one who figured out how to play LaQuidd without holding onto the broom after all." Mrs. Goldstine wasn't sure that trusting someone who flew her broom without hands was such a good idea and had made Felicity pledge to keep both hand on the broom at all times during the flight to Salem.
If the truth of the matter be known if was not the flying that bothered Ruth Goldstine at all; it was the fact that her little girl had been one of the Raisers and now might be in danger should that become widely known. Ruth Goldstine's imagination of the danger had gotten the better of her. It took Commissioners Williams personal reassurance that all would be safe for her daughter at Salem Academy to but her mind at ease.
So the trunks containing the uniforms, LaQuidd sticks, books and other items had been sent up by luggage transport a week before and the two girls now stood on the platform of the train station waiting for train number 66 "The Federal" from Washington to Boston to arrive. Once in Boston they would take train number 681 "The Downeaster" to Portland. The cool morning air mixed with the smell of fumes on the platform.
"Train number 66 the Federal now arriving on track two with continuing service to Boston." The announcement cracked over the loud speakers. As it did so the silver cars of the train rumbled into the station and glided to a stop before the Stockwells and the Goldstines.
The doors opened and a number of people got out. Then the conductor gestured for the girls to board. Felicity and Sarah hugged their mothers. Sarah said that she would send her owl home with a letter as soon as they had arrived at school. The conductor offered his hand and the two were helped onto the train.
Once aboard the conductor showed the two where to put their brooms. They then took a seat near the front of the car and looked out the window to see their parents waiving at them.
"Mother always cries when I leave her for any length of time." Sarah inform Felicity.
"I think mine does too." Felicity offered.
"Only yours waits until she's home." Sarah said with a smile.
The platform stated to appear to be moving away from the girls as the train gently moved out of the station towards Boston and Maine.
"So," Sarah said between bits of the bagel her mother had insisted she take with here. "what have you heard from Roger?"
Sarah could tell right away that this was not a question Felicity wanted to answer.
"Not much." Felicity said looking out the window at the houses passing by.
"Boys can be such jerks sometimes." Sarah offered. "But there are bound to be some new boys at school." She said with a hopeful note in her voice.
The girls talked about their summer vacations. Sarah and Peter How had carried on a thriving correspondence by owl mail over the summer and it was clear to Felicity that Sarah could hardly wait to see Peter again. They got up and went to the dinning car but decided against getting anything until they were in Portland. It would be about noon then and they could find something on the way up to Salem.
In Boston the two transfered to the train that would take them up the coast to Maine. The trip took them past the low sandy shores moving north. The train made a few stops in tourist towns along the southern Maine coast. In the summer the train would have been filled with people seeking a days outing at the beach in Old Orchard with it's boardwalk and caravel rides. But today most of the riders were going to Portland as well.
Three hours after leaving Boston the train came to a stop in Portland. The Portland train station is perfect for young witches to fly in and out of. Unlike most train stations in New England it is located just out of the center of the city and has open areas around it from which one can take off or land on a broom without drawing too much attention to yourself.
The two girls walked away from the station before getting on their brooms. After insuring that they were alone, they lifted off and soared high into the noon-day sky over the city.
"Sarah's flying has improved." Thought Felicity to herself. For other than a bit of wobbling upon takeoff Sarah now flew along side Felicity without any difficulty at all.
"Your flying has improved." Felicity told Sarah as they few along.
"Thank you." Sarah answered dipping a bit as her concentration on flying was broken.
"You hungry?" Felicity asked, looking down at the streets of Freeport passing under her.
"Yah, let's get something." Sarah answered.
They then dipped the fronts of their brooms downward and landed at the far end of a parking lot. Walking up the hill they found themselves in front of a massive store. The green sign on the front announced that they were at L.L. Bean.
L. L. Bean is to sporting goods what WCMI is to wizards supplies. Open twenty four hours a day seven days a week. The store carries all manner of clothing, camping supplies, hunting and fishing gear and other assorted items.
Felicity and Sarah wandered through the store until they ended up in the women's clothing section.
"Let's try on some dresses!" Sarah suggested eyeing a short blue knit dress. Soon the girls were standing in front of a mirror admiring themselves in matching blue dresses.
"It a nice dress, but this color doesn't suit me." Felicity said, looking at herself. "I wonder if they have it in any other colors?" She went over to the rack of dresses but found that it only came in navy.
"Too bad." Sarah said looking at Felicity in the dress. "That would look great on you in yellow. You always look good in yellow with your red hair and all." Sarah then produced her wand and before Felicity knew what happened, Sarah had changed the dress from navy to a pale yellow.
"Sarah!" Felicity giggled, "You know we're not to do magic around muggles!"
"I know." Sarah said, trying hard not to laugh. "Isn't it wicked of me!"
"Well I think you would look better in red!" Felicity then raised her wand and changed Sarah's dress to red. The two fell into a fit of giggles in front of the mirror. They tried several other colors comparing the merits of each while priming in front of the mirror.
"It's too bad, but we really don't need any dresses." Felicity said, remembering that the school permitted only formal dresses a few times a year. The rest of the time the school uniforms were to be worn.
"Yes it is." Pined Sarah, as she tried a few more colors in front of the mirror.
What neither Sarah nor Felicity had noticed was a growing group of sales clerks and customers who had been watching the two from a ways off. The sight of the two young witches changing the color of the dresses to suit themselves was not something one sees everyday at L. L. Bean.
Finally a young woman stepped out of the group and came up to the two.
"Salem Academy?" She said quietly.
Felicity and Sarah looked at her.
"Yes, but how did you know ... " Felicity said just as Sarah let out a little gasp. Sarah had turned to see the group which had been watching them.
"You really shouldn't be doing magic out in the open like this." The young woman had a serious look on her face. "If Miss Brattle were to find out."
"Your not going to tell are you?" Sarah pleaded.
"No I'm not going to tel." The woman answered. "But it might be best if you two were on your way. Go change back into your uniforms and I'll stay here and figure out something to tell these people."
Sarah and Felicity slipped into the dressing rooms and changed. When they got out the crowed was gone and the woman was waiting for them.
"In the future be more discreet. If you want to try a different color go into the dressing room first. OK?" The girls shook there heads in agreement. "And let me introduce myself I'm Linda Bean, I work in advertising. I graduated from Salem in 1996."
She shook their hands and walked with them to the door. "If you want an ice cream there is a Ben and Jerry's right over there." She said. Pointing to a small building on the street. "And try not to take off around any people." She called as the two headed off to the ice cream parlor.
Once the two had gotten something to eat and bought ice cream they found a secluded spot and lifted off into the afternoon sky.
"I wonder what she told all those people?" Felicity said as they flew along eating the last of their ice cream cones.
Felicity had figured out that if they were to fly due north they would eventually pass over the river which they could then follow up to the school. The day was fair and neither Sarah nor Felicity noticed the clouds gathering in the western sky.
At the river they pointed their brooms upstream and flew faster. Sarah looked down and saw the figure of a boy a broom below them.
"Let's go down and see who it is." She said pointing to the figure.
The two girls dove down and came up on either side of the boy. He was struggling some with the broom and was startled by the appearance of the two young girls now flying on either side of him. He was wearing the tie of an Entered Class member.
"Hi." Sarah said in a cheery voice.
"Hi." Came back the reply from the boy who was clearly new to flying which required his full attention.
Felicity thought it odd that a entered class student was flying to Salem Academy on his own. Where were his parents? She wondered.
"What's your name?" Felicity asked trying to be polite and make conversation with the boy.
"Thomas." He said, gripping the broom even tighter. Little beads of perspiration were forming on his forehead. It was clear to Felicity that having Sarah and herself flying with him was not helping the boy's concentration any.
"Thomas what?" Asked Sarah.
"I'd rather not say." Answered the boy looking straight ahead. There was an awkward pause as the three flew along.
Felicity looked over at Sarah. "Well, we'll be going now." She said and the two lifted off high above the boy.
"That was strange." Sarah said.
"Sure was." Felicity thought to herself. "What's in a name that he would not want to tell us who he is?" She wondered.
At the last bend in the river drops of water began to fall from the sky which had become overcast. Felicity decided that Aunt Joan had been right. Flying in the rain was not much fun. She and Sarah picked up speed and closed in on Salem Academy and its old stone buildings.
They sailed up to the buildings and rushed in just as the rain started to pour. From the window of Franklin Hall 319 Felicity watched as the boy on the broom made a rough landing tumbling to the ground in the courtyard. He got up and rushed into Dickinson Hall.
The rain fell hard all that night and into the morning of the next day.
In the morning, after breakfast, the Assembly Hall slowly filled up with students and faculty for the first school meeting of the year. Faculty guided the Entered Class members to their seats on the back row. A new Union Jack flag had been hung in the room next to the flag of Utah.
Felicity and Sarah took their seats just below the boy they had meet on their trip to school. On the other side of the room Roger sat with the Fellowcraft Class. Next to him was seated Alice Marvolo. The two were engaged in an animated conversation. Felicity felt a wave of jealousy come over her, this time she made no attempt to quell it.
Felicity had been right about the Alice's effect on the boys as Salem Academy. a steady stream of boys came up to introduce themselves to her. She also realized that any concerns she had about having the shortest skirts at school were unnecessary. Alice's skirts were shorter than hers or any of the other girls in school by far.
Miss Brattle stood up before the school and the room settled down. She welcomed the students back to school and introduced herself and the faculty. Then, as was the custom, she asked each of the new student to stand and introduce themselves starting with the oldest.
Alice Marvolo stood and in her British accent introduced herself and told the assembly that she was from England but was living with her family in Salem, Massachusetts.
The introductions continued until they reached the boy seated behind Felicity and Sarah. He stood up slowly and said:
"My my name's Thomas I'm fro... from Chesterville, Maine." He was about to sit down when Miss Brattle spoke.
"And your last name is?" she quizzed.
Felicity noticed that Alice seemed to take a particular interest in the boy at this question. The boy shuffled his feet. He looked nervous. Little beads of sweat reappeared on the hapless boy. Finally he said.
"Riddle, my name is Thomas Riddle."
From in front of her Felicity heard someone whipper "mudblood!"