Better Halves: book one chapter one...
The first day of school is always more memorable in your head than after it passes. Probably one of the first lessons we learn subconsciously... to pack your clothes, pack your books and note books, pens and laundry detergent. Then you walk in, ready or not. Marie remembered touring the dorms during registration a short month ago. Of the two houses, Dawn and Dusk, the girls dormitory was shared on a hilltop west of the main entrance of the Institute. Surrounded by birch trees and evergreens and between the two boys' dorms forming a triangle. The Dawn boys' was in an adjacent hill overlooking the township of Credicent and really only the entrance was visible from the outside. Built into a naturally occurring cave could house up to 50 young men, they were given the duty of day watch. Then the girls dorm, on the hilltop previously described was just below this cliff slide looking residence. Grassy and sunny all day long, and the shortest distance to the wash facility on the grounds, the girls duty split between the study of the weather and care of the owlry. Then the Dusk boys' dormitory was at the bottom of the foothills, nearest to the entrance of the Institute and given the duty of night watch.
Marie also knew the township rather well. Trips into the quaint community were routine for the younger grades. Grade school at the Institute was a unique trait; ages 5-9 shared classes that educated largely on muggle technology, reading and writing and magical beasts and where to find them. Four months a year these classes were taught; parents were provided free floo powder to pickup and drop off their little soon to be witches and wizards, and graduation includes a very special trip to Hogwarts library; graduate and they're given a year off (called decadence), up to three books for the year for private study and then sorted into their houses. The sorting hat absolutely loves the North American Continental Potential Influentials. Although none of the teachers took time to teach the kids the lyrics to his silly song.
The wind blew outside Marie's bedroom window fiercely. Sick of staring at her packed bags she started to flip through photographs of her decadence; herself, her brother and her friend Kannik at diagon alley...a hiking trail with the same three subjects posed hand in hand; Marie in the lead with Kannik tugged between the two and her brother casting his hedgehog patronus tailing the little group...a campsite with Galileo hanging in a wicker hammock...the three again, soaking wet standing at the edge of a quarry from a long day of cliff diving. Her favorite, a closeup of a young hyena laughing and panting and Kannik, very serious green eyes at the camera.
She never realizes what she is until he shows her. He had a thing for photography and had studied up on perspective during his decadence two years earlier. She flipped the page, herself as a hyena mid yawn in the hammock, lit by firelight with her brother across tuning a lute. There was a note tucked into the page sent from Kannik congratulating her and being very excited to see her at school. Another picture of herself and Galileo and their older brother John at an airfield in North Dakota; John and Marie suited for a tandem skydive and Galileo awestruck by his brother's success. While John worked for the United States Military he also jumped out of airplanes with tourists on the weekends. He never failed to find magic in the muggle life. Their mother was a witch from Ireland, who immigrated to the United States for the same sorts of reasons anyone does. She fell into a drunken nightmare that John was born out of, put him through school and worked as a housekeeper, because of her magic was able to work four hotels a week and pull in an excellent income.
"Marie!" Galileo called. "There's an owl for you!" The wind howled again as she graced herself down the stairs. Their kitchen was full of plant life and natural light and looked more like a green house than a kitchen. A tomato plant hung from the ceiling and an herb garden hung from a shelve at knee height. Pots and tea cups with succulents and wild grasses lined every flat surface. Galileo had pulled out cupcakes from the electric stove and begun painting flowers of frosting on the cooled pastry tops, his lute in the corner strumming his own rendition of a Beethoven sonnet, without him exactly strumming. "Do you like it?" He grinned and wiped some pink frosting onto his apron. "It took me several hours to get the key right."
"You mean the music? Or the cupcakes?" She eyed each with exaggeration.
"The music, Marie. You can't put cupcakes in key." Galileo rolled his eyes, matching her sarcasm. "Anyway, the letters on the dining table if you care to read it."
"Thanks."
As she had expected, it was Kannik.
Dear Marie,
My father claims to have finished his fancy time knit charm. He says it will really change things for us. I don't really know how it works but we're flying to Washington DC to present to their muggle government involving the growing community of... well people like you and me. Pertaining to the demonstration, he's asked me to go with him. I don't blame him; he specializes in chiropractice and he might make a comment to the president about his posture! Anyway; I'm going to be arriving to the Institute late. Hopefully only a week or two. I've sent a picture of my favorite sunset. Time lapse was an idea I saw on a modern cellphone and I tweaked my camera. I had to wait all summer for the perfect dusk. Kannik.
He wasn't wrong. It was the perfect sunset.
Marie sighed and her brother knew better than to ask. He's spent enough time with those two to know how deep their friendship runs.
She sat at the table for a moment that would pass with tentative ease. Galileo flocked his wand at the lute and it had begun to play a sort of Irish travelers ditty and offered her a cupcake with a bud made of icing. Once she accepted the treat it opened up a bright yellow sunflower and her smile made Galileos' entire day of baking and icing worth it.
—
"Ladies and gentlemen of the house of Dawn;" a tall, French witch with dark hair in twin braids, a tiara made of autumn leaves and a meadow green satin cloak called to attention the students loitering in the walls of the great brick abbey. She stood on the stairs of the main building central of the abbey grounds, six other teachers accompanied her. An array of owls and cats in their travel cages were being accounted for by the groundskeeper; a large nosed, large chested wizard with a runt house elf sitting on his shoulder. "If you would please equip your wands and make yourselves known. First years, the spell is cast 'Lumos diluculum'."
Of the crowed lawn wands went up everywhere; the lights glowed pale blue to pale orange, some even yellow. Marie had been sorted into the Dawn house after a delightful conversation with the sorting hat. Well, more of an argument really. She had asked to be on Dusk; the night watch sounded like something she'd excel at being an animagus, however the hat argued that hyenas are better off laughing in the morning where they're a step ahead of any of the ghouls of the night. She retorted that guarding wasn't a laugh. "Excellent, Dawn it is, then!" The hat bellowed in the hall at Hogwarts earlier that summer. Now here she was on the lawn with her wand held high, "Lumos Diliculum!" Marie conjured her first spell, and the light that emitted from her dragon heartstring, willow wand of 9 inches was such a bright colored pink that the few older years that noticed noticed in wonder.
A small group of house elves wandered the crowd and handed out scarves to the first years of the Dawn. "I am Veronica Chauteu, principal of the Institute of Conjuring and Craft of the North American Continent." A house elf handed Marie a folded scarf, nude with yellow, white and black plaid. A brief moment passed, and like a fading sunrise the Lumos lit wands faded.
"Ladies and gentlemen of the house of Dusk; if you would please equip your wands and make yourselves known. The spell cast is Lumos Umbron, for the first years." Wands went up amongst the students inside the abbey, lit up colors from burnt orange, indigo and purple. Again house elves roamed to find first years and handed out scarves, grey with black, silver and red plaid.
Like a sunset, the lights faded out.
Principal Chateu went on to introduce the other teachers, and as she finished the abbey doors swung open and the bartender, raven perched on his cloak and a unicorn drawn cart filled with the smells of lunch made way through the crowd.
"I hope they serve coffee," a Canadian witch said to Marie. She nodded and smiled and laughed all at once before remembering that it was impolite not to speak. Marie unfolded her scarf.
"Me too." She said as she wrapped the colors of Dawn around her neck. "My name is Marie." She introduced and held out her hand to shake.
"Kaiya." The blonde Canadian witch grinned and took it. Marie laughed in reply.
"Line up and make plates from the buffet Mr. Antique has prepared for lunch, classes start tomorrow morning and breakfast will be served here on the lawn as your itineraries are sorted out. Good luck this year, and welcome to the Institute."
A male teacher let out a "huzzah!" And fireworks began to shoot from his wand into the air above the abbey. The runt house elf stood on the his companions head and scolded him in respect of the new arrivals. The other four teachers clapped while Principal Chateu exited into the library like building at the heart of the abbey, the house elves trailing behind her. The raven took flight and circled the crowd, circling the unicorn and made a show of trying to land on his horn.
Marie swelled with bittersweet joy, as she laughed to herself a bit insane that could be translated as, "he's not here, but family is. He's not here." The Canadian girl named Kaiya thought she heard this and decided she did not want to be friends with someone who laughs to herself. Marie couldn't have been bothered.
—-
After her luggage had been hauled to the top of the hill thanks to the third years' responsible magic, Marie had chosen a bunk and unpacked. Each student was given a few drawers and a dresser with a special mirror; used to safely practice spells, as a fifth year demonstrated "incendio!" and flames poured into the mirror, a few first years ooooo'd in awe. Each dresser had a pop out desk charm where they could sit and write their essays. Everything was expected to be tidy. Everything was exciting. But Marie just couldn't shake the whisp of depression the she had to consciously ignore. She didn't sleep well that night. Or the next night. Or any night for the next three and a half weeks. Kanniks absence made her feel like she had been day dreaming the entire time she had begun school. Secretly she had been longing to spend every day with him at school for lunches and such. They attended the Institute together in their days as kids but now she too was a student and her best friend hadn't been there. It wasn't fair.
Then an owl arrived in the middle of her potions class, which her teacher Dr. Decabre firmly objected. They were learning the differences between potions, elixirs and drinks so for the demonstration the teacher had them out on the lawn. The owl wasn't prepared for the rictusempra the round teacher with a chinstrap and very rectangle glasses cast (the whole class thought it funny except Marie, who tried to swaddle the poor creature from the spell before the teacher cast "renneverate" and the owl promptly smoothed its feathers, heaved a very serious sigh and buzzed off).
Marie, I should be in by tomorrow. Yours, Kannik.
Her mind was left a swirling storm of blank expressions and causal scripts, trying to figure out what sorts of things they'd talk about... she hadn't paid her study much attention without him here, except the dark arts course.
The pot that had been brewing something or another had accumulated a miniature storm cloud that as the teacher explained when brewed outdoors and on a clear day, will generate a small thunderstorm. Sort of useless, Marie thought.