Hermione and Daphne left Professor Goode's office, but were torn as to what to do next.
"Should we go back to the common room, or do you want to go to the library?" asked Daphne.
"I'm not even rightly sure where the library is," replied Hermione. "I'd rather get lost in a book than lost in this castle..."
The girls turned back around and knocked on Professor Goode's door.
"Excuse me," squeaked Hermione. "I'm not exactly sure where your library's at... this is only our first full day here, and we're not very familiar with Ilvermorny yet. Could you show us, please?"
Professor Goode smiled at Hermione. "Follow me, dear," she said softly. The two firsties followed the tall, red-haired witch upstairs to the third floor. The corridors seemed just as long and austere as the ones in Hogwarts, thought Daphne and Hermione. They were decorated with various status of mythological creatures and beasts. A hekatoncheires statue made Daphne yelp a bit; Hermione giggled softly at her friend's reaction.
"What is that thing?" whispered Daphne. "I know Hogwarts has its share of ugly monsters and beasts, but that one takes the cake!"
Hermione couldn't resist her urge to show off her inner nerd.
"That's a Greek mythological being called a Hekatoncheires, or 'hundred hands'," she explained to her friend. "According to Ancient Greek lore, the primordial gods Ouranos and Gaia gave birth to three of these gigantic monsters, which had fifty heads and one hundred arms each. Ouranos felt threatened by them due to their sheer size and strength, so he imprisoned them shortly after they were born. They were eventually freed by the Olympian gods, led by Zeus during the Titanomachy, or the war between the Olympian gods and the Titans, and were instrumental in the Olympians' ultimate victory."
"Show-off," Daphne mumbled playfully.
"Well, you asked," Hermione said innocently.
"You're very well-versed in your Ancient Greek mythology, Miss Granger," chuckled Professor Goode. "I can see why Professor McGonagall thought so highly of you." She cleared her throat. "We're about to enter the library, so please be mindful to keep your voices low. Madam Romero runs a pretty tight ship around here - you really don't want to get on her bad side. She's gotten on to me - both as a student and as a professor!"
Professor Goode waved a hand, and the double-doors opened themselves.
"Mister Grimseth can often be found at a table by himself in the far back corner... good luck making out a boy behind a couple of tall stacks of books," Professor Goode said with a soft chuckle. "I'm sure he'll be more than happy to see you. Again, just keep your voices soft and you'll be fine. I'll see you around lunchtime, okay?"
"Sounds good, Professor," the girls replied.
Sure enough, a minute or so later, they found Kellen hidden behind a couple of stacks of old textbooks. He had a book cracked open, his fingers furiously running over the ancient ink that must have been used over a century ago.
Kellen was a bit surprised when a pair of British girls whispered his name from the other side of the book stacks that obscured his face. "Hiya, Kellen!" Both Hermione and Daphne gave him gentle hugs.
He smiled at the girls and greeted them softly. "Oh, hello. How are you?"
"Not bad, all things considered," replied Hermione. "Professor Goode showed us how to get to the library, she suspected you were here." She raised an eyebrow. "Where's Harry?"
"Oh Harry? He's flying his fancy Nimbus 2000 broom over on the quidditch pitch," replied Kellen. "He's the Horned Serpent seeker. Don't ask how he got on the team, firsties normally just don't waltz into tryouts like he did and get handed the seeker position. It's been at least a couple of generations since a firstie played seeker at Ilvermorny."
Hermione and Daphne looked at each other, their jaws dropped. "That's incredible," Daphne murmured. "But I suppose that shouldn't shock me too much, quidditch is in his blood. His father was a seeker for Gryffindor back in the day."
"I remember Nova telling me that," replied Kellen. "Harry's a very, very good player. I've seen him in action a couple of times. Oh, Nova is a chaser and Ana's a beater... did they tell you that?"
The girls both shook their heads.
"You've spent more time with them than me so far, and they didn't tell you they're on the Horned Serpent quidditch team?" Kellen asked, somewhat incredulously. His face turned pink, as he raised his voice a little more than he probably should have. "For shame," he whispered.
"So, what's a handsome boy like yourself doing, cooped up by yourself in the library?" asked Daphne.
Kellen smirked. "As it just so happens, I have a quiz bowl to prepare for. Anastasia showed me up a little bit the last time... I'm proud of her and all, but I'm still a little miffed at myself for not being able to find anything about remembralls in these texts - yet she did!"
Both Hermione and Daphne giggled. "Didn't you say that someone named Longbottom invented the Remembrall over a century ago?" asked Hermione.
"Yeah... Priscilla Longbottom, in 1823," replied Kellen matter-of-factly. "Why do you ask?"
The girls giggled again. "We have a friend named Neville Longbottom at Hogwarts... I guarantee he's related to her!" Hermione squeaked.
"Very cool," Kellen said with a nod, before returning to his text.
"No, no... you don't get it," Daphne murmured. "Neville is very forgetful... he literally needs a remembrall for just about everything!"
"Oh, that's more than ironic. That might be karma," chuckled Kellen softly. "Here, why don't you sit down? I haven't really spent much time with either of you, one-on-one... I can put these moldy old tomes aside for a little bit."
Hermione and Daphne gently plopped into seats on either side of Kellen.
"So, I reckon you're at the top of your class?" asked Daphne.
"I guess... why do you ask?" asked Kellen.
"Well, you got a hundred and fifty seven percent on your Transfiguration midterm, mister," whispered Hermione. "Not even I got marks that high. Not even close!"
Kellen cocked his head at Hermione. "Who... who told you that?"
"Professor McGonagall," replied both girls, giggling.
"Back at my old school, academic records were considered confidential," sighed Kellen. "They're barely even an open secret here, apparently."
"Oh, I have a question for you, Kellen... about Friday night, would you be opposed to taking the floor with Daphne for one song?" asked Hermione. "She doesn't have a date, you see..."
"And Ana is going to ask Harry if I could dance with him for one song as well," chimed in Daphne. She batted her baby blues. "It would mean a lot to me, you know."
"And it would mean a lot to me if you said yes to my friend," added Hermione, also batting her pretty amber eyes.
Kellen smirked. "You're a pretty girl too, Daphne. I'm sorry you don't have a date lined up... I'll dance with you for one song."
"Thank you, Kellen," replied both girls, as they simultaneously kissed each of his cheeks. He blushed a deep shade of pink.
"So, is there a band lined up?" asked Daphne.
"Yeah, there's some dongle band called Sasquatch. They play a lot of no-maj classic rock and soul songs from the 1960s and 1970s. Lots of sappy love songs."
"Dongle?" asked Hermione.
"They're what you call 'squibs'," clarified Kellen.
"Oh," replied Hermione. "I'm not used to Ilvermorny terminology yet."
"You will in time," assured Kellen with a smile. "You have a tendency to pick things up quickly."
Hermione, Daphne, and Kellen hung out in the library until lunch time. When Kellen really needed to focus, Daphne and especially Hermione helped themselves to some of the texts on the table - they found the information quite fascinating! They made their way back down to the great hall for lunch, where Ana, Nova, and Harry were already seated, waiting for them.
"How did you like the library?" asked Harry. "Is it comparable to Hogwarts?"
"It's nice," replied Daphne. "It's a little smaller than the one at Hogwarts, but it still has a plenty respectable collection."
"I got to read some of the texts... some of it is familiar, but some of it is rather different than the books at Hogwarts," added Hermione. "A lot of it is North American-centric so I suppose it's meant for a North American audience, but my British eyes still found the material plenty fascinating!"
The children had beef stew with pound cake for dessert, along with a cold glass of pumpkin juice. It was quite a satisfying meal - even the finicky Daphne was able to polish off her entire lunch!
After lunch was over, Professor McGonagall came over to visit the children. "We meet at last, Mister Grimseth. Your reputation precedes you," trilled the legendary Transfiguration professor. "Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts. How do you do?" She extended her hand and a warm smile.
"Hello, Professor," Kellen replied as he shook Professor McGonagall's hand. "I've heard of you as well. Is this your first time at Ilvermorny?"
"I've been here before quite a few years back - before you were born," replied Professor McGonagall. "I remember meeting Professor Goode as a wide-eyed firstie! She was a particularly precocious one - I see a lot of her in you, actually."
She chuckled. "Would you mind humouring an old witch? I have something I'd like for you to try." She dug into her robes and produced a Muggle light bulb. "This light bulb... can you turn this into a coffee maker by any chance?" She gingerly placed it on the table in front of Kellen.
Quite a few eyeballs were on Kellen at that moment. He merely smirked, then snapped his fingers. A long, crooked elderberry wand - twelve and one quarter inches, with a Sasquatch hair core - appeared in his left hand from thin air. "Arabica calorum!" he said confidently as he swished his wand-hand in the air, and the lightbulb turned into a percolating coffee pot!
"Outstanding, Mister Grimseth," replied Professor McGonagall. "Many of my upperclassmen would struggle with that, but you got it down perfectly. You have an aptitude for magic unlike any student I've ever seen before..." She gestured towards Hermione and Daphne. "Miss Granger and Miss Greengrass are two of my finest students, but even they can't do things you can do..."
"You really are gifted unlike anyone I've ever known, Kellen," admitted Hermione. "I'm glad I don't have to compete against you, because I'm a very competitive student... but if we were classmates... if I had to be second to someone, it'd have to be you. You're brilliant, but you're modest and kind."
Professor McGonagall then greeted Harry. "Hello, Mister Potter," she murmured. "It's been ages... I remember seeing you when you were little more than a baby. It does my heart good seeing that you're safe and sound at Ilvermorny, and that you have a close friendship with someone as talented as Mister Grimseth. How do you like it here at Ilvermorny, if you don't mind my asking?"
"Hello, Professor," replied Harry. "I love it here. It's a good school, with good instructors, and some very kind students. I especially love it because I can be myself, and not the Boy-Who-Lived. Most people here don't really care - I much prefer simply to be Harry."
"I understand completely, young man," purred Professor McGonagall. "I'm glad you like it here as much as you do. You have friends and faculty that push you to succeed, and Ilvermorny is as safe a place for you as any. I just want you to know that it's a privilege to finally meet you as a student, and that I'll always be looking out for you." She smiled. "Perhaps, when the time is right, we can extend an invitation for you to visit our storied campus as a guest. It may not be in the immediate future, but I don't see why you couldn't see the school your parents attended."
"Thank you, Professor. I'd like that," replied Harry earnestly. He grinned. "But only as a guest. I really do love it here at Ilvermorny... I'm a seeker on the Horned Serpent quidditch team, and I have too many good friends here. I won't up and leave them."
Professor McGonagall beamed. "I wouldn't have it any other way, Harry."
After lunch, Hermione and Daphne went to their dormitory, where sure enough, Missy Ludwig had placed their temporary Horned Serpent uniforms on their respective four-posters. The girls breathed a sigh of relief when they saw the daily classroom uniforms - white undershirts, teal and gold-striped collared golf shirts, black belts, khaki knee-length skirts, white knee-high socks, and black penny loafers. Not nearly as snooty-looking as their Hogwarts uniforms!
"Want to change first?" offered Daphne. "Or should I?"
"If you're offering," replied Hermione. She grabbed her uniform and headed to the loo, and returned a few minutes later, with her bushy brown hair tied behind her head in a ribbon.
"Not bad," said Daphne. "You look like a right Horned Serpent!"
"Yeah, and these feel so much better than those itchy, stuffy old robes... I wish Hogwarts would get with the times and let us wear these instead," sighed Hermione. "Your turn, Daph."
Daphne took her own set of clothes, and returned a few minutes later.
"You were right, Hermione! These feel so much better. Oh Merlin... I don't mind wearing the robes for special events like they do here, but these are so much easier! We're going to be so spoiled by the end of the week, and reality is going to slap us in the face when we get back to Hogwarts... I'm not looking forward to that..."
"Want to show Ana and Nova? They'll get a kick out of seeing us in their uniforms!"
The girls went a couple of doors down and knocked on Ana's dorm door. "Hey Ana, we just wanted to show off our new uniforms that we'll be wearing... how do we look?"
Ana grinned at her new British friends. "You two look like true blue Horned Serpents, let me tell you! You gotta show Nova! Wait right here." She stepped out of her room and went to grab Nova from down the hall.
Nova fawned over how pretty Daphne and Hermione looked in their Ilvermorny uniforms. "Oh my goodness, you two! You both look absolutely precious! Tomorrow sometime, the four of us need to get our picture taken... you need to remember that you'll always be honorary Horned Serpents."
"Do they fit all right?" asked Ana. "I mean, from my standpoint they look like they fit perfectly, but if they're too loose or too tight, Missy will gladly take care of it for you!"
"Everything fits just right," Hermione said. "These are so much better than our Hogwarts robes... I'm just afraid I'll get too used to these and not ever want to wear my old uniform again..."
Daphne giggled. "I know, right?"
"Well, we better try on our physical training clothes," Hermione suggested. "We have to be on the training grounds by six fifteen, so we better make sure they fit!"
The girls returned to their room to ensure that their gym clothes and trainers fit, and when they discovered that they fit perfectly, they changed back into their regular Muggle-type clothes.
The next morning was Monday. At six o'clock, Missy woke up Hermine and Daphne. "Hiya, Miss Granger and Miss Greengrass! Friendly reminder - we need to be on the training grounds in fifteen minutes. Go get your sweatshirt, sweatpants, and your running shoes on today - we got a bit of jogging to do today! Just follow the gaggle of students outside - you won't get lost, I promise."
Several minutes later, both girls were dressed and ready to go, and followed the hundreds of students outside in the cool, foggy early spring air. When they lined up on the pitch to stretch, they quickly spotted Ana and Nova, and took their spots right next to them.
"Good morning Ana! Hiya, Nova!" squeaked Daphne and Hermione.
Ana smiled at the two firsties. "Well, hello there, you too! I know you're not used to physical conditioning, but they're sticklers about it here, so my only advice is to grin and bear it. You might want to get limbered up, because you'll feel sore all day long if you don't!"
Missy blew her whistle a few minutes later to let the students know that it was time to start jogging. Hermione and Daphne were definitely not used to this, and struggled to keep up with Ana and Nova, but as they were understanding, slowed down so their guests can keep up.
"They don't have you do this at Hogwarts do they, loves?" cooed Nova. "You'll get used to this in time, I promise."
"Not. Bloody. Likely," panted Hermione. "I'm not going to miss this when I go back!"
"Neither will I," added Daphne. "You Ilvermorny witches and wizards can stick this exercise junk in your ear!"
At five minutes until seven, Missy blew her whistle again, and everyone came back on to the pitch to cool down for a few minutes. Some were stretching, others were hydrating, others were just walking around to get their heart rate down gradually.
"Finally," huffed Hermione. "I never thought this bloody exercise routine would end!"
"I'm getting hungry," admitted Daphne. "Breakfast never sounded so good in my life!"
A half hour later, Daphne and Hermione entered the great hall, fully changed into their new Horned Serpent uniforms.
"You two look smart today," remarked Kellen. "I never thought I'd ever see you in anything but Hogwarts robes!"
"We really like them," admitted Hermione. "They're so much more comfortable and easier to put on than those blasted robes... I wish we can wear these when we return to Britain!"
A few minutes later, Chelsea arrived to sit with her Horned Serpents friends for a few minutes before class.
"Oh, look at you!" she exclaimed. "You two look like real Ilvermorny students! How do you like your uniforms?"
Daphne sighed. "Oh, they're so much better than our regular uniforms... I wish we could wear them back at Hogwarts!"
"I have a no-maj camera... would you like for me to grab it and get your picture?" offered Chelsea.
"If you could, that would be great," replied Hermione. Chelsea nodded, and left the great hall to get her no-maj camera from her room. About three minutes later, she had a camera in her hands, complete with a large flash.
"Who wants to be in the picture?" she asked. "Just you two, or just of the girls, or all six of you?"
"Maybe one of each?" asked Daphne. "Would that be too much?"
"That's fine," replied Chelsea. "We'll start with the six of you - now, huddle up, all of you... that's good. Now, on the count of three, say, Merlin!"