Chapter 2:

Discussion and Debriefing

From the journal of Draco Aidan Marcus Augustus Malfoy:

June 23, 1995

I don't believe this. My life has just been tossed in the air to land where it may. After Kenoji and Santirez left the other day, I was certain that this whole thing was a mistake or a bad joke. I owled Father. His reply told me that this was not a mistake, not a joke, and not negotiable.

Grand-mère gave me this journal yesterday. I think she meant it as sort of a peace offering. I'm not really angry with her anymore but I'm not happy with her either. She's been trying to make amends, but it'll be some time until we're comfortable with each other again.

Kenoji will return tomorrow. I don't understand why the Institute does what it does. I wonder what it'll be like there? What am I going to learn? Guess I find out tomorrow.

The afternoon of the twenty-fourth was windy and rainy. An agitated Draco prowled the halls. When the clock struck three, he went to the lower salon. A house elf was serving tea and biscuits to an already seated Kenoji. She smiled when he entered. "Draco, good afternoon! Doing well, I hope?"

He gave a non-committal shrug and took a cup of tea from the elf. "Well enough." He took a sip of tea and set the cup down. "Can we just get this over with?"

"Certainly." She sipped her tea. "As I have already explained, Regency is a haven and a place of learning for those with exceptional gifts. Some stay on the island once they complete their training. Most leave to make their way in the world. Either way, Regency's laws are always enforced no matter what you do.

"Like Hogwarts, Regency students are separated. We have eight different clans: Ohana, Stormsong, Akasha, Akhet, Sylvan, Wildheart, Stardance and Kasabi. The administration decides where you'll be, and once you're placed you stay within that clan. With me so far? Good.

"We teach a wide variety of classes. Until we discover exactly what your gifts are, you'll only take basic subjects. Meditation, mathematics, transfiguration, potions, literature and charms, for example."

Draco interrupted. "I got the impression that this is a muggle-dominated school. Am I wrong?"

"No, you're not wrong. But there are magical alumni who kindly volunteer their time and energies to teach other magicals. Regency's a 'controlled' area so we don't need to worry about the Restriction of Underage Wizardry. Speaking of muggles, I've gathered that you don't care for them."

"They're backward at best," Draco shrugged, gripping tightly to the ideas his father had pounded into him since the cradle. "They aren't anything approaching civilized and it would be best if the Mudbloods stayed to their stations – among the muggles, not the wizards."

Taka placed her cup on the saucer with a small, muted clink. "I should be highly offended at that, as I am muggle, but considering I know your father I'll let it slide. I want you to know, however, that it would be best to keep that particular opinion to yourself. There are more than a few on the Institute's campus that would be very angry with you if it ever got out, and they generally do not keep such displeasure to themselves. You could land yourself in a lot of trouble that way."

"I understand," Draco murmured. "Does the Institute have Quidditch?"

"No formal teams – we simply don't have the numbers for that, but there is usually a pickup game to found at any day of the week."

"Pickup game?"

"A game that isn't formal, or organized at all. You just kind of pick up people for here and there. Quidditch is not the only sport on the campus, or even on the island, like there is at Hogwarts. We require students to master certain levels in swimming, horsemanship – both horse and pegasi - and fencing. We also teach hand-to-hand combat, which you'll learn the bare basics of – if only to know how to fall, and organized football teams.

"A teacher – most likely Mistress Sabea, our seer – will assess your talents to put you into a clan and to determine your gifts. Once you are past the elementary, mandatory classes you will be given further classes according to your gifts. The assessment of your gifts will also determine which member of the faculty will be your advisor.

"We have 30 different faculty; most of them are merely teachers. The faculty advisors are: myself, Telekani Sabea, Peregrine Santirez, Icarus Kenoji, Althea Silvermoon, Ignacio Hidalgo, Adrian Harper, Dominic MacAllastair, and Raksha Callaghan. The only one we know for certain you'll be working with is Adrian Harper. He's teaches the magicals at the Instute; aided by the WilderRiders. With me so far?"

"Mostly. What are WilderRiders and why do they help teach magic?"

"The WilderRiders are the island's version of Auror's. The ones stationed in San Sabastien help teach offensive and defensive magic and psychic spells, fencing, wizarding dueling, and hand-to-hand combat. They're a mixture of all – well, almost all – of the island's races."

"Which are…?"

"Muggles, magicals, and psychics, of course; there is also an elf clan, a centaur herd, a couple of unicorns, a small herd of pegasi, t'swaha – a race of large, abnormally intelligent animals, usually taking the forms of tigers, wolves, and falcons - and halflings. The halflings are found almost all over the island. We have just over 70 on campus that work for us.

"That's it from my side. Any questions, concerns, or unreasonable and impossible demands?"

Draco offered a half-smile. "What's with the journal? And what did you mean, about sharing it in an emergency?"

"Keeping the journal will document the path you take to the discipline required to control your gifts. If your power flares uncontrollably, or even just fluctuates, it will help you and your advisor to judge the cause of it. There are only two people you are required to show it to are myself and your advisor. Generally, psychics are positively obsessive about privacy and do their best not to invade other's privacy.

"I should warn you though, we have a very intense ethical stand and we expect all our students to obey. There are three categories that you'll go through in your ethics class."

"How do your students feel about this no compromise program?"

"Most of them learned the hard way that these are the best choices we can give them. Some of them got the powers hereditarily – their parent, or parents, were psychics. Some had their powers flare so badly out of control that innocent people were killed – lives that can't ever be taken back. Some were taken as lab rats by muggles. Others were hurt, some of them even tortured, for what they were."

Draco pondered this for a moment. "I can understand the first two, but not the last two. Wouldn't they want revenge?"

"They do, and the Institute does help to neutralize the more dangerous of the people that do that. But we also have a saying: 'When tempted to fight fire with fire, remember that the fire department generally uses water'. It helps to keep the students' feet on the ground. As does the knowledge that every action has a price. But you'll learn about that when you get there.

"Now. Many of your books you'll pick up at the Institute; the topics are so varied that it's hard to get all of them at one time or one place, so we keep a bookstore on campus. As for equipment, bring the stuff you take to Hogwarts, as well as some "muggle" supplies. Instead of rolls of parchment, we use notebooks – writing assignments will be measured in pages rather than feet. You need at least 14 notebooks. You'll also need pencils, a ruler, a protractor, a calculator, a 45-45-90 triangle and a 30-60-90 triangle. The calculator should be a graphing calculator – and you'll want to keep the manual. Those things are horribly confusing.

"Your wardrobe is up to you. We don't require uniforms, but we do require you bring appropriate swimwear."

Draco raised an eyebrow. "Swimwear?"

"Well, we are an island. We do have warm weather most of the year, but you'll want to bring at least one or two heavy sweaters. You'll have to get ready quickly because you're scheduled to leave in two weeks from Port Maverick. The Dolphin Song will meet you at Dock 6 at six – her captain is Matthias Morgan.

"I think we've covered just about everything." She looked over at him.

He shrugged. "I'm good."

"Okay. In that case, I need to get back to the Institute. I'll see you in a couple weeks. Welcome to RIPD, Draco." She shook his hand and gathered her belongings and walked of the room. She was waylaid by his grandmother near the door. He could hear her greet his grandmother. "Hey, Madeleine." A muted pause. "No, I just finished meeting with Draco. Although…" A soft crinkle told him she was searching through her purse. "Here we are. A list of places in London where you can find the supplies Draco needs for school. Although you probably remember most of them from the Lucius' schooling." Another pause. "Nope, that's it. Anyway, I need to run. It was good seeing you again. We'll have to have lunch sometime soon."

The next pause lasted until Kenoji's footsteps faded. He heard his grandmother come to the door and tensed.

"Draco? Can I speak with you?"

"Grandmére?"

She lowered herself into the chair that Kenoji had just vacated. Her face was sad and incredibly weary. "I have to offer you an apology, Draco. I did not mean to spring the news on you in such a fashion. I asked your father to discuss with you the move from Hogwarts, and it didn't even pass through my mind that he wouldn't. Je beaucoup regrette, mon petit-fils I am very sorry, my grandson.. I do not want you to leave, but Taka is right. You need to learn in order to gain such freedom as you wish."

"Je commence comprendre, grandmére I begin to understand, grandmother.. But I'm not sure of anything anymore. Je ne comprends pas I don't understand.. I can't see what power I've possibly got that's flaring out of control."

She smiled. "You cannot, but you do not know what to look for; you do not know the depth of your strength. I can see the flares as I have been taught to, Taka can see the flares because that's part of her gift. You do not see them now – but once you are taught the measure of your power, you will."

Draco sat silently for a moment, then reached out and took the proverbial olive branch. "Professor Kenoji gave me a list of things I'll need at school. Come shopping with me?"

Her smile was warm and relieved. "I would love to."