CHAPTER 26: CEREMONIES
My God. This is it.
Reality slammed into O'Bannon as he marched across the lawn with the rest of the Seventh Years. He stared past the pointy hats worn by the other students to the lake beyond. Rows of chairs stretched along the shore, all facing a wooden stage. Most of the chairs were occupied by witches and wizards in formal dress, with a sprinkling of people in nice Muggle clothes, his parents certainly among them. One section remained empty, the section reserved for his class.
He tuned out the regal marching music produced by a magical phonograph and scanned the campus of the Salem Witches Institute. Had it really been seven years? Seven years since he stepped off the Salem Schooner and eagerly began learning the ways of the Wizarding World? Everywhere his gaze fell held some kind of memory.
The Quidditch field, where he had his very first broom lesson. O'Bannon half-smiled, half-grimaced as he remembered plowing into Merak Mather, resulting in concussions for both of them. That was followed by Mather ranting about how Muggle-borns have, "no business on brooms, or in the Wizarding World period."
The tall oak near Jingosocke Hall. He sighed with happily as he flashed back to the middle of his Third Year and his first real kiss. Evelyn McAllister, another Muggle-born. He wondered what it would be like to kiss her now, as in the four years since she had filled out in all the right places.
The hockey pond. Oh yes, the hockey pond. Blazenrowe Hall may not have won the Brunet/Glynn Cup this year, the year of his captaincy, but he had two other championship years to cherish, along with all the awesome wizards and witches he played with and against.
The fat bush with pink flowers on the path leading toward the woods. That took him back to First Year, when he stopped those two Third Year jagoffs from hexing and beating Artimus. He never imagined that bruised, timid little boy would eventually become one of his best friends.
He frowned. That's all he would ever have of this place now. Memories. There would be no more sitting in the dorms grousing about homework, no more drooling over Miss Venatici during History of Magic, no more hanging in the parlor of Blazenrowe Hall talking about Quidditch or surly Servant Elves or which was better, Muggle music or Wizarding music.
O'Bannon stared up at the large banners floating by themselves above the audience. Sparkling gold letters spelled out two words.
CONGRATULATIONS GRADUATES.
After seven years, it had finally arrived.
Graduation Day.
The music swelled as the Seventh Years entered the spacious aisle separating the two rows of spectators. The audience stood and applauded. Intensely bright flashes burst from old-fashioned looking magical cameras. O'Bannon spotted a couple camcorders being held up. The charm that prevented electronic devices from operating inside the Salem Witches Institute had been lifted in deference to the parents of Muggle-borns. The students, the boys in blue robes and hats and the girls in silver ones, waved at their parents and other relatives. He searched the crowd, focusing specifically on the people wearing Muggle clothes. Eventually he found his parents standing with Rosa and Jared's family. He waved to them. Mom waved back while Dad snapped a picture.
The Seventh Years filed into their seats, guided by Fifth or Sixth Years acting as ushers. To O'Bannon's pleasant surprise, his Blazenrowe hockey teammate Dante Marshall was the usher for his row. The two exchanged a high-five before O'Bannon shuffled toward his seat. He stood in front of his chair, waiting for the rest of his class to get situated. A loud sniffle came from his immediate right. He turned to see Ursa Oberlin, tears running down her cheeks. He gave the girl a gentle pat on the shoulder. Ursa looked up at him and mouthed a silent "thank you."
The music faded. Headmistress Esmeralda detached herself from the rest of the faculty and staff seated on the stage and approached the lectern, which was draped in a blue and silver banner bearing the outline of an owl with a red letter "S" in the middle. The words underneath the logo read, SALEM WITCHES INSTITUTE. EST. 1695.
"Please be seated," her magically amplified voice carried across the campus.
The air filled with the shuffling of feet and chairs. When everyone settled, Headmistress Esmeralda continued.
"Parents, relatives, friends, guests, and of course, students. Welcome to this year's commencement ceremony for the Salem Witches Institute. I am Headmistress Athena Esmeralda, and on behalf of my teachers and staff, we are so happy you could be with us today to bear witness to the completion of your child's journey through the realm of magical education. Though, perhaps to call it a completion is a misnomer. Rather, the end of your son's or daughter's time at Salem represents the beginning of a much longer journey. The journey through life. And there is still plenty more to learn." She gazed at the Seventh Years. "Over the course of your lives, you will learn to be better healers, better aurors, better teachers, better at whatever field you choose for yourselves. Even more important, it is my hope that you learn to become something else . . . the best citizens you can possibly be."
The Headmistress paused for a breath. "Unfortunately, I fear some of you are wondering how I can talk about the future when a great darkness gathers on the horizon. I, of course, speak of the return of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."
O'Bannon heard more than a few audible gasps and gulps before the headmistress went on.
"True, this is a grave time for our world. But in spite of the threat we face, we must never give up hope. We must never stop dreaming of a future where the evil of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is no more, and peace reigns over the world. Those who fought and died in the last war never gave up hope. Because of their determination, their belief in a brighter future, the forces of evil were vanquished. But now those forces have returned, and we must fight them again."
Again, Headmistress Esmeralda aimed her gaze at the graduates. "To this year's graduating class, to all those in attendance, I say this. When things seem their darkest, hold on to hope. Never surrender to despair. For so long as we have hope, evil can never truly win."
Thunderous applause went up from the crowd. O'Bannon clapped until his hands hurt. He thought back to his mission to England a few months ago. Certainly he had been on the verge of abandoning all hope. Yet he and his friends found a way to warn the Order of the Phoenix and stop those American Death Eaters and dark creatures from crossing the Atlantic.
He sat up straighter, his eyes intensely focused on Headmistress Esmeralda. No matter how bad things got during the course of this war, he would not abandon hope.
The Headmistress soon ended her speech. She was followed by the graduation's keynote speaker, Selene Wigthorpe, the Regional Governor of Wizarding New England. She also talked about the dark times ahead and uniting against it. Next came a speech from the class valedictorian, Cindy Walker. She mostly recapped the graduates' seven years at Salem, including some of the more humorous events they'd experienced. O'Bannon was glad for this light-hearted interlude after the seriousness of the previous two speeches. He had a feeling in the near future, light-hearted moments would be few and far between.
Finally, the time came when Headmistress Esmeralda ordered the Seventh Years to stand and approach the stage. O'Bannon's stomach flipped over.
This is really it.
"Abigail Luvenia Aguirre," Headmistress Esmeralda called out.
Abigail ascended the small flight of steps, crossed the stage and accepted her certificate of completion.
More names were called, some followed by their academic distinctions, each one named after an animal noted for its intelligence or nobility. Pegaside Honors, Eagle Honors and the top one, Owl Honors.
"Michelle Hayleigh Bunker, Pegaside Honors . . . Ivy Desiree Chatham . . . Jared Virgilio Diaz."
O'Bannon hooted as his friend bounded onto the stage. Ahead of him he could see Rosa jumping and pumping her fists as her cousin took his certificate and accepted handshakes from Headmistress Esmeralda and Governor Wigthorpe. As he left the stage, Jared turned to the audience, grinned wide and gave a thumbs-up.
"Marcel Guy Dubuque, Eagle Honors . . . Darius Constans Forten . . . Penelope Deirdre Hale . . . Beatrice Nadia Hill . . . Rosa Adonia Infante, Owl Honors."
O'Bannon cheered loudly, watching Rosa stride across the stage, her head held high. She accepted her certificate from Headmistress Esmeralda, then turned to the audience while the old witch draped a cloak of gray owl feathers over her shoulders.
O'Bannon drew closer to the stage. His breathing quickened as more names were called.
"Gregory Stephen Lancemore . . . Merak Erebus Mather, Owl Honors . . . Evelyn Helen McAllister . . . Lia Ngor, Owl Honors . . . James Michael O'Bannon, Pegaside Honors."
Applause went up as he walked across the stage. His chest tightened when he stopped in front of the Headmistress.
"Congratulations, Jimmy." He barely heard the witch's words, barely sensed when she shook his hand and gave him his certificate of completion.
Turn to the audience. Turn to the audience, a voice shouted from the back of his mind. He faced the crowd, just like he and his classmates who would receive academic honors had been told to do at the graduation rehearsal. His eyes shifted to the left, where he parents, the Diazes and the Infantes all stood and clapped. Mom raised her glasses with one hand and wiped her eyes with the other. Mrs. Diaz put an arm around her shoulders and whispered something in her ear.
Something soft yet heavy settled onto O'Bannon's shoulders. He glanced down and saw his cloak of white feathers plucked from the winged horses native to America.
He barely registered shaking Governor Wigthorpe's hand as he left the stage. A lump formed in his throat as he scanned the Colonial-style buildings around the Salem campus. Knots twisted his shoulders and stomach. Reality nearly suffocated him.
He was no longer a student. He was now on his own.
Part of him liked the idea. Who wouldn't be thrilled at the prospect of independence? Yet another part feared it. As a student, he had a sense of security, of predictability. From September to June he studied at Salem. During the summer he relaxed at home. He didn't have to worry about meals or doing laundry or paying for a place to stay.
Now, he did.
On top of that, he had other things to worry about. Things he never would have imagined if he'd been a simple Muggle high school graduate. Things like fighting a war, like leading people in a war.
"Jimmy!"
The shout snapped him out of his contemplation. He turned and saw Jared jumping and waving at him from his seat. In the row behind Jared, Rosa also waved enthusiastically. O'Bannon smiled and waved back, his worry easing. Whatever the future held for him, he wouldn't be facing it alone. He knew he could always count on three people to be there for him. Jared Diaz, Rosa Infante and . . .
"Artimus Gratian Rand."
"Yeah, Art! Woo!" O'Bannon cheered as Artimus made his way across to stage.
"We love you, Art!" Rosa hollered.
"You're the man, Rand!" Jared yelled.
Artimus turned to them with an embarrassed smile as he accepted his certificate of completion.
After the last Seventh Year, Kelly Ziegler, received her certificate, Headmistress Esmeralda returned to the lectern.
"It is with great pride that I announce the young witches and wizards before you are no longer students of the Salem Witches Institute. They are now full-fledged citizens of the Wizarding World." She looked again at the graduates. "Know that it has been our pleasure and honor to teach you over these past seven years. Go into the world with the knowledge that all of you, in one way or another, have made a lasting impression on this school. Congratulations graduates. Take your next step in this journey called life with our blessings."
As one, the graduating class reached under their robes, pulled out their wands and lifted them to the sky. Multi-colored streaks lit up the air and converged over the audience. A brilliant explosion of color resulted. The shimmering image of the Salem Witches Institute's logo hovered in the air. Words formed beneath it.
THANK YOU, SALEM, FOR SEVEN AWESOME YEARS! WE WILL MISS YOU!
O'Bannon roared with all the other graduates and threw his cap into the air. He spun to his right and found himself wrapped up in a crushing embrace from Ursa Oberlin.
A whirlwind of hugs quickly followed. Every girl he came across had tears in her eyes. Several unabashedly sobbed. Even a few guys looked ready to cry. O'Bannon himself had to fight to keep tears from forming in his eyes.
He'd just finished hugging a very weepy Cindy Walker when he heard two very familiar voices screaming out his name. He turned around just as Jared and Rosa tackled him. All three fell to the ground in a heap. Jared nuggied him while Rosa buried her face in his right shoulder, choking back a sob.
A full minute passed before they picked themselves off the ground. Rosa's jaw quivered. Her eyes glistened with excess moisture.
"Can you believe it, man!" Jared exclaimed. "We're done! Holy crap, we're done!" He slapped O'Bannon on the shoulder hard enough to leave a bruise.
"Yeah, I know," he muttered in a strained voice.
Before any of them could say another word, their parents appeared, along with Jared's older brother Esteban and his wife Oriana, their two-year-old son Rodolfo, and a bevy of aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents from the Diaz/Infante clan. Many, many hugs followed, none tighter than the one O'Bannon's mother gave him.
"Be careful, okay?" she spoke through her sobs. "Be careful."
"I will, Mom." He continued hugging her, biting his lip. He hated this, hated the fact his parents knew about Lord Voldemort's return. For an entire year he had kept this from them. Much as he loved his parents, what would they be able to do about it, being ordinary Muggles? They'd only be able to worry, and tell him constantly how worried they were about him.
But with Voldemort's return finally made public, the Department of Magic had to take precautions, and that extended to the families of Muggle-borns. He could only imagine how Mom and Dad reacted when Mrs. Diaz and Mrs. Infante came round to cast wards and security charms around their home and their person.
He tried to put it out of his mind for the time being. Today was supposed to be a day of celebration.
"Come on. It's time to get some pictures." Mrs. Infante held up her antiquated-looking camera.
"Wait!" Rosa held up a hand. "Not yet. We're missing someone."
"Yeah, where's Art?" Jared scanned the crowd.
"He might be trying to avoid his old man." O'Bannon twisted his lips. "Somehow I doubt he's gonna be real happy with his new job."
"Where's Artimus going to be working?" asked Dad.
When O'Bannon told him, Dad grimaced. Ulysses Rand's prejudices were well known to the O'Bannon family.
"C'mon. Let's track him down." Rosa marched off, followed by O'Bannon, Jared and their families.
"Jimmy."
He froze when he heard his name. His chest tightened at the sound of the familiar voice. A rush of memories flooded his mind, ending with him sitting heartbroken under a darkened sky.
He slowly turned. A short, wiry girl with long brown hair and bangs covering her forehead stood a few feet away.
O'Bannon stared at her, wondering what to say to his former girlfriend, Rana Rollingsworth.
"Um . . . hey, Rana," he muttered several seconds later.
"Hey." The former Seeker for the Blazenrowe Quidditch team studied the grass around her for a bit, then looked back at him. "Um, I don't want to take you away from your family or anything. I just wanted . . . um, do you have a minute?"
"Uh, yeah." He clenched his teeth, fighting down a wave of regret and heartache that suddenly boiled to the surface. He turned to the others. "Um, you guys keep looking for Artimus. I'll catch up."
"Sure, Jimmy." Jared nodded.
Rosa, however, glowered at Rana, who did her best to ignore it. Jared had to take his cousin by the shoulders and physically march her away.
"I guess Rosa still doesn't like me, huh?" Disappointment spread across her pretty face.
O'Bannon opened his mouth, but couldn't come up with a response.
"It's okay." Rana grinned weakly. "You don't have to answer. We both know how Rosa can be if anyone does anything to you or Jared or Artimus. It's just a shame. I've known her since before we even started Salem. She's always been cool. But I guess after . . . well, I guess I can't blame her for feeling that way about me."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be." She shifted her weight from one leg to the other and looked down.
"Um, congratulations, by the way. I heard you got picked up by the Portland Sea Nymphs." O'Bannon hoped that would break the tension surrounding them.
"Thanks. It's the minor leagues, but one day I'll be up there in the U.S. Quidditch Association."
"Probably taking Charlotte Chivero's place, huh?" He referred to the famous Seeker for the Atlanta Archers, who happened to be Rana's idol.
"Heh! I don't know if I'll ever be that good."
The two fell silent again, looking at each other, or the grass, or the sky, or the nearby trees.
C'mon, Jimmy. You have a good idea what she wants to talk about. A big part of him, however, didn't want to talk about it. Why rehash one of the worst nights of his life?
"I'm sorry things didn't work out, Jimmy."
He held his breath. Like it or not, it was in the open now.
"Yeah, me too," he replied.
"It's just . . ." Rana sighed, turning away for a few moments. "I spent two years with Darius. After we broke up, I felt so lonely. By the time the semester started, I was telling myself I had to find someone new. But after Darius cheated on me with Ivy Chatham, I worried that the next guy I dated might do the same. Then you came back from Hogwarts and, well, we always got along great, talking to Rosa and Jared I knew you were a loyal friend. But . . . I really did like you, Jimmy. Really. But looking back, I don't know. Maybe I wasn't really ready for another serious boyfriend. And then that British girl infected the whole school with that Projection Potion. Merlin, I probably couldn't think straight."
Rana's shoulders sagged. Her lower lip quivered. "I'm so sorry, Jimmy. I never wanted to hurt you. I should've . . . I should've said this months ago."
"If it's any consolation, I could've made an attempt. There were times I wanted to talk to you, see if we could get back together. But I was . . . I was afraid you'd say no again, and I knew I couldn't take that." He snorted, his brow furrowing. "I should've just Gryffindored up and talked to you, instead of spending the rest of the school year avoiding you. Now . . ."
Rana inhaled slowly. "I've known you my entire time here, Jimmy. I didn't want to leave with you hating me."
"I don't hate you, Rana. I never did."
"You have no idea how glad I am to hear you say that." A smile lit up her face.
O'Bannon's heart sped up as she strode up to him. She hugged him and kissed him on the cheek. He held her tight, closing his eyes, remembering the Halloween Dance, their first kiss, the unbridled joy that had surged through him.
He relished the softness of her hair, inhaled her sweet perfumed scent. His cheek still tingled from her kiss. My God, what could have been.
Maybe we can . . .
He dismissed the idea. He would be living in Washington and Rana would be practicing and traveling with the Portland Sea Nymphs for several months out of the year. He doubted any attempt to rekindle their relationship would work.
"Take care, Jimmy," she whispered in his ear.
"You too, Rana." O'Bannon gave her a gentle peck on the cheek as they broke their hug. He stepped backwards, gazing at her as a tear trickled down her cheek.
"Good luck with the Sea Nymphs."
"Thank you." She smiled. "Maybe I'll see you in the stands for one of our games someday."
"Count on it."
With a nod and a smile, he turned away from Rana and headed off to find his friends and family. He spotted them a minute later on a small rise overlooking the graduation area. To his delight, they had found Artimus. O'Bannon's face scrunched as he got closer. Art looked extremely pale and nervous. Before he could ask what was wrong, Rosa stepped in front of him.
"So what did she want?" Her eyes narrowed.
"Oh chill, willya?" His voice held a slight edge. "We just hashed out everything. We're cool, now."
Jared clamped a hand on his shoulder. "Man, you gotta stop this. You're starting to steal my thunder as the ladies man of our merry little quartet."
O'Bannon smirked at him. He just managed to stop himself from saying, "What would Michelle think about that?" Jared and Michelle Bunker had broken up just a few weeks ago.
"So, can we now take some pictures?" Mrs. Infante asked impatiently.
The quartet stood side-by-side, arms around each other.
"Artimus, honey." Mrs. Diaz looked over the flashbulb of her camera. "Smile. You just -"
"Artimus!"
Artimus gasped. His head whipped to the right. Everyone followed his gaze.
"Oh crap," O'Bannon muttered under his breath.
A round, unsmiling man in dark dress robes stomped toward them. He had a stern, angular face and thick white hair. His blazing eyes locked directly onto Artimus.
"Is it true? Is it?"
"I . . . uh . . . I . . ." Artimus' mouth hung open, unable to produce another word.
"Well, out with it boy." Mr. Rand put his hands on his hips and leaned into his youngest son.
"Ulysses." A scowling Mr. Diaz stepped forward. "For Merlin's sake, it's his graduation. Don't ruin it."
Mr. Rand grunted at Jared's dad. That's when O'Bannon noticed several other people hurrying toward Artimus and his father. Hector Rand was one of them, a concerned look on his fleshy face. A buxom young brunette in colorful, expensive dress robes kept pace with him. Behind them came Artimus' other two brothers, Horace and Arcadius, and their beautiful blond trophy wives.
"It's bad enough Hector decided to take a peon job at the Department of Magic." Anger lines dug deep into Mr. Rand's face. "But to work in that office. Could there possibly be a more useless job in our world?"
"Dad, not here." Hector placed a hand on Mr. Rand's shoulder. He shrugged it off.
"Dear, please," begged the buxom brunette. "Let's go somewhere else. You don't want people to see you like this."
"Quiet, woman." Mr. Rand glowered at his latest wife, Victoria. He then re-focused on Artimus. "As if your poor grades weren't embarrassment enough for this family. Merlin's beard, you couldn't even manage Pegaside Honors. But that pales in comparison to this. The Office of Wizarding-Muggle Relations!"
Artimus visibly trembled.
"Ulysses, that's enough." Mrs. Diaz approached, backed up by her husband.
"Please, just let him enjoy his graduation," O'Bannon's mother pleaded.
Mr. Rand whipped his head toward her. "Don't even speak to me, Muggle. The only reason Artimus is going to work there is because of that damn son of yours."
"Now just hold on a minute, buddy." O'Bannon's father stabbed a finger at Mr. Rand.
"Oh save your empty threats." The wizard returned his steely gaze to Artimus. "Now you listen to me. You're going to contact whoever is in charge of that office and tell them you will not work for them. You're coming to work for the family business. I'll not have two of my sons waste their lives as minor government functionaries."
Mr. Rand turned and started walking away. After five steps, he stopped and checked over his shoulder.
Artimus stayed put.
"Artimus." Mr. Rand growled. "Come!"
O'Bannon narrowed his eyes at the wizard. For piss sake, he's not a dog. He could barely suppress the urge to walk over and deck Mr. Rand.
O'Bannon's eyes shifted to Artimus. His friend swallowed. Slowly, his mouth opened and trembled, as if struggling to say something.
"N-No."
Artimus' voice was so meek O'Bannon wondered if anyone else heard it. Judging from the shocked expression on Mr. Rand's face, the old bastard most certainly did.
"What did you say?"
"I-I said no." Artimus drew a ragged breath. "Please, Dad. I-I am of age now. I just want to do something on my own. Is that so bad?"
"We are one of the most prominent families in New England. In the entire American Wizarding World. Do you want to sully that name working with Muggles?"
"What's so bad about that?"
Mr. Rand sighed in exasperation. "There's a reason our worlds exist separately. Muggles flit about, trying one new idea after another, looking to change their society every few minutes. And when Muggle-borns enter our world, they seek to change everything about us. They care nothing about the sacred foundations of Wizarding Society. That's who you want to deal with?"
"Not-Not all Muggles and Muggle-borns are like that." Artimus' neck muscles clenched. He had trouble keeping his gaze locked on his father. "Being around Jimmy for seven years, he's shown me -"
"He's corrupted you. Him, his family . . . your family, Liana." Mr. Rand glared at Mrs. Diaz. "Honestly, what sort of witches and wizards are you?"
"The kind that aren't elitist snobs." She shot him a defiant look.
"Go, Mom." O'Bannon heard Jared whisper.
Mr. Rand scowled and shook his head. He looked back at his son. "Well, Artimus? Are you going to come work for me, or waste your life in a useless job?"
Artimus chewed on his trembling lip. Several seconds passed before he responded. "Dad, please. Can't you just let me do this?"
Mr. Rand's head quivered in anger. A loud snort exploded from the man's nostrils. "You want to do something on your own? Fine? Be on your own. Collect your things from the house. I want you out by tonight. And don't come back until you've come to your senses."
"What!" Rosa blurted, an astonished look plastered on her face.
O'Bannon's jaw dropped. So did the jaws of nearly everyone around him. He'd always viewed Ulysses Rand as an s.o.b., but he never imagined the man would kick his own son out on the street.
He looked to Artimus. The young man stood frozen in shock, wide eyes staring at his father.
"Dad, you can't do this," said Hector Rand.
"Ulysses, be reasonable," Mrs. Diaz pleaded.
"As if I'm going to take advice on how to run my family from you." Mr. Rand turned his back on them and stomped off. His wife strode next to him.
"Please, dear. Think about -"
"This is your fault, too." Mr. Rand sneered at her. "How many times did you convince me to let him go off to that Muggle-born's home just so we could have some time to ourselves? Now look what's happened to him."
O'Bannon watched the Rand family leave, save for Artimus and Hector. He shook his head, shock and rage colliding inside him. He'd seen stuff like this on TV shows, but not in real life. And to do this over a friggin' job?
He turned to Artimus, who appeared pale and on the verge of hyperventilating. How many times had he wished his friend would stand up to his jagoff of a father? Now that he finally did . . .
I never wanted this to happen.
"Artimus, look . . ." Hector put an arm around his younger brother. "Don't worry about this, okay? Maybe after Dad's calmed down he'll change his mind. Meantime, since we'll both be working in Washington, you can stay with me until you find a place of your own."
Artimus struggled to smile. "Thanks . . . Thanks, Hector."
The weak smile didn't last long. It turned into a frown when Artimus saw O'Bannon, Rosa, Jared and their families gather around him.
"I'm . . . I'm sorry about this."
"Art." Rosa gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "You have nothing to be sorry about."
"Yeah, man," Jared interjected. "Your dad was way out of line there."
"If anyone should be sorry it's me . . . us." O'Bannon nodded toward Rosa and Jared. "We've been telling you to stand up for yourself for years, especially to your father. Now . . ."
"No, it's all right." Artimus leaned closer to him and lowered his voice. "Lavender said this is what I should do. Tell my father I'm old enough to make my own decisions, and find a job that would . . . well, as she put it, 'hack him off.'"
O'Bannon couldn't help but chuckle. He cast his eyes to the ground, thinking back to earlier this year when they were in England. He couldn't believe someone like Lavender Brown had dished out such good advice to Artimus. Actually, it was pretty much the same advice he and Rosa and Jared had been giving him for the past seven years. He figured Artimus' crush on Lavender may have had something to do with finally making him see the light.
"Look." Artimus stood straighter. "It'll . . . It'll be all right. This is something I need to do. It'll work out."
He drew a long breath and forced a smile. "Come on. I think Mrs. Infante and the others are anxious to take some pictures."
A grin slowly formed on O'Bannon's lips. He slapped Artimus on the shoulder. "Okay, then."
They spent over ten minutes taking pictures, as the O'Bannons, Diazes and Infantes insisted on a number of different combinations; The quartet. O'Bannon and his parents. Mr. and Mrs. O'Bannon with the quartet. Jared and his brother Esteban. Jared, Esteban and Rosa. O'Bannon with the Infantes, and so on and so on.
Once they were done taking pictures they started out for Ovenderburg. They planned to wander the wizarding village for a couple hours before having a celebratory dinner at The Ghostly Gourmet.
"You go ahead," O'Bannon told the adults. "We'll meet you by the post office. We, um, have a few more people we need to say good-bye to."
His parents nodded, as did Rosa's and Jared's, though the Infantes and Diazes knew the real reason the quartet would stay behind.
They had one more ceremony to attend.
XXXXX
"Do you pledge to stand with us against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?" Headmistress Esmeralda's voice echoed through the pitch black room.
"I do," O'Bannon replied, along with three other voices.
"Do you pledge your strength, your intellect, your fortunes, your very lives, to this just cause?"
"I do."
"Do you take this pledge of your own free will?"
"I do."
O'Bannon jerked in surprise when brilliant white light bathed the room. He closed his eyes tight for a few seconds, then slowly forced them open.
Geysers of white flame shot from four huge candles in each corner of the room, rising all the way to the arched stone ceiling. Ghostly streaks of light broke off from the flames and circled the ante-chamber under the Salem Witches Institute. The tendrils wrapped around O'Bannon, Jared, Rosa and Artimus. Out of thin air a cloak formed over his torso, blue with a blazing white sun, its rays stretching out in all directions.
The tendrils of flame vanished. O'Bannon glanced toward his three friends, all of them standing proudly. All of them wearing similar cloaks.
He drew in a deep breath and lifted his head. He should probably be more afraid, knowing what he had just committed himself to. Instead he mainly felt pride. Pride in the fact he was now part of something bigger than himself. Pride in the great wizards and witches he now stood shoulder-to-shoulder with against one of the greatest evils the world had ever known.
Jimmy O'Bannon did his best to stand at attention, like he'd seen in so many Muggle military movies, as Headmistress Esmeralda approached him and his friends. The old witch looked them over silently for a few seconds, then nodded in satisfaction.
"Welcome to the Guild of the Light."
THE END . . . FOR NOW –
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The quartet's adventures continue in "Midnight's Blood" as they head back to England. Check it out now on fanfiction-dot-net. Also, check out my original sci-fi/action adventure novel "Dark Wings," where otherworldly creatures invade Earth. It's available in paperback from Amazon or as an e-book at smashwords-dot-com.