Friday, September 9, 2011

Thompson was surprised that Brian was able to beat him at his own game last night! Meanwhile, Merula started teaching Brian wizard chess that morning. This was exactly like No-Maj chess, except that the figures were alive, which made it a lot like directing troops in battle. It seemed that Merula knew her chessmen well, so she had no trouble getting them to do what she wanted. Meanwhile, Brian was using Rowan's old chess set, and they didn't trust him.

"Hmm…" Brian thought to himself before commanding "Knight to E5." And so, the white knight moved to the square Brian ordered him to.

"Queen to E5," Merula said. The red queen moved towards Brian's knight and brutally smashed it with her throne! She then dragged the knight to the side.

"Whoa! That's a bit barbaric."

"That's Wizard's Chess for ya!"

"…Fair enough. Bishop to H6."

Their match was interrupted by the birds flooding into the Great Hall, but everyone's attention was caught by two long, thin packages carried by six screech owls each. Brian was just as interested as everyone else to see what was in these parcels, and was amazed the owls soared down and dropped them right in front of him and Merula, knocking his bacon onto the floor. They had hardly fluttered out of the way when another owl dropped a letter on top of the parcel.

Brian and Merula opened the letter first, which was a good call, because they read:

DO NOT OPEN THE PARCEL AT THE TABLE.

It contains your new Nimbus 3000's, but I don't want everybody knowing you have broomsticks or they'll all want one. Nathanthan Wick and Xavier Johnson will meet you tonight on the Quidditch/Quodpot field at seven o'clock for your first training session.

Professor Alastor Drake

Brian and Merula had difficulty hiding their glee as he handed the note to Rowan to read.

"A Nimbus 3000?!" Rowan moaned enviously. "I've never even touched one!"

The trio left the hall quickly, wanting to unwrap the broomstick in private before their first class, but halfway across the Great Hall they found the way upstairs blocked by Thompson's cronies. Thompson himself snatched the package from Brian and felt it.

"Of course it's a broomstick," he said, throwing it back to Brian with a mix of jealousy and spite on his face. "You're in trouble now, Bank! First-years aren't allowed to have one!"

Merula couldn't resist it.

"Not just any broom," she said, "it's a Nimbus Three Thousand! Comets may look flashy, but they're not in the same league as the Nimbus!"

"You know because you come from a pure-blood family, don't ya?!"

Before Merula could answer, Professor Triton appeared at Thompson's elbow.

"Not arguing, I hope?" he asked.

"Someone sent Bank a broomstick, Professor!"

"I'm aware. Professor Drake told me all about the special circumstances. What model is it, Mr. Bank?"

"A Nimbus Three Thousand, sir," said Brian, fighting not to smile at the look of horror on Thompson's face. "It's actually thanks to him that I got it."

Brian, Merula, and Rowan rushed upstairs, smothering their laughter at Thompson's obvious rage and confusion.

"Well, it's true!" Brian chortled as they reached the top of the marble staircase. "If he hadn't stolen Barn's Remembrall, we wouldn't have made the team!"

Brian had some trouble keeping his mind on his lessons that day. It kept wandering to his dorm where his new broomstick was lying under his bed, or straying off to the Quidditch/Quodpot field where he and Merula would be learning to play that night. He bolted his dinner that evening and then rushed upstairs with Merula to unwrap the Nimbus 3000s at last.

"Wow," gasped Brian as the broomstick rolled onto his bed. Even though he knew nothing about the different brooms, he thought it looked wonderful. Sleek and shiny, with an ebony handle, it had a long tail of neat, straight twigs and Nimbus 3000 written in gold at the top of the handle itself.

As 7:00 drew nearer, Brian and Merula left the castle and set off toward the Quidditch/Quodpot field. Brian himself had never been inside the stadium before. Hundreds, if not thousands, of seats were raised in stands around the field so that the spectators were high enough to see what was going on. At either end of the field were three golden poles with hoops on the end. And below them was a small cauldron. The poles reminded him of the bubble wands he and Alex used to play with back in River City, except for the fact that they were about 50 feet high.

Too eager to fly again to wait for Wick, Brian mounted his broomstick and kicked off from the ground. What a feeling —the Nimbus 3000 turned wherever he wanted at his lightest touch.

"Hey, Bank, come down here!"

Nathan Wick and Xavier Johnson had arrived, carrying a large wooden crate under their arms. Brian could see Merula helping Xavier out and landed next to the trio.

"Not bad," said Johnson. "Not bad at all! Snyde over here was trying something a bit different on her broom."

"Right," said Wick. "Quidditch is easy enough to understand, but kinda tricky to play. There are seven players per team. Three of them are Chasers." Wick took a bright red ball that was about the size of a soccer ball out of the crate. "This is the Quaffle. Chasers throw the Quaffle to each other and try to get it through one of the hoops to score a goal. Ten points every time it goes through. You got it?"

"Yeah," said Brian. "It's almost like basketball, except it's played on broomsticks and it has six hoops."

"Kind of! Now, there's another player on each side: the Keeper. I'm Thunderbird's Keeper, so it's my job to fly around our hoops to stop the other team from scoring."

"Three Chasers and one Keeper. Got it! What're the other balls in there?" He points to the two dark, dark brown (almost black) balls that were slightly smaller than the Quaffle and appeared to be struggling to escape the straps they were in.

"Those are Bludgers. Here, use this!" He gave Brian a small club that was like a short baseball bat.

"Stand back!" Wick said, before releasing one of the Bludgers. The ball rose high into the air and pelted towards Brian's face! Brian swung his bat at it to prevent it from breaking his nose, and sent it zigzagging away into the air —it zoomed around their heads and shot at Johnson, who dived on top of it and managed to pin it to the ground.

"See?" Johnson panted, forcing the struggling Bludger back into the crate and strapping it down safely. "The Bludgers fly around, trying to knock players off their brooms. That's why you have two Beaters on each team —Merula's older siblings, Jacob and Elizabeth, are ours. It's their job to protect us from the Bludgers and try to knock them to the other team. Got that?"

"3 Chasers fly and try to score with the Quaffle, the Keeper guards the goalposts, and the Beaters keep the Bludgers away from their team," Brian reeled off. "Hey, have the Bludgers ever… killed anyone?"

"Nah. Well, never at Ilvermorny. We've had some injuries here and there, but nothing life-threatening. Now, last but not least, you. The Seeker. You don't have to worry about the Quaffle or the Bludgers—"

"—unless they come after me."

"Don't worry. The Snydes are more than a match for the Bludgers." Johnson reached into the crate and took out a much smaller box with Ilvermorny's logo on it. "This is the Golden Snitch, the smallest, yet most important, ball in the game." He opened the box and showed Brian and Merula a walnut-sized, bright gold ball with fluttering silver wings. "It's the Seeker's job to catch it. You've gotta weave in and out of the other players, the Bludgers, and the Quaffle to catch it before the other team's Seeker catches it. Whichever Seeker catches it wins their team 150 points, so they almost always win. A game of Quidditch only ends once the Snitch has been caught, so they can go on for a while.

"Any questions?"

"Yes," said Merula. "Can the Quaffle be used as the Quod during Quodpot?"

"Yup!" replied Johnson. "Quodpot is a bit easier than Quidditch. There's only one ball: the Quod, which is also the Quaffle here. There are 9 Chasers, 1 Keeper, and 1 Infiltrator per team. The team has to get the Quod into the other team's Pot before it explodes. If they're carrying it when it explodes, they're out of the game. The game ends once all 9 Chasers and the Infiltrator are out of the game, and the team with the most points wins."

"Anyway," said Wick, "we won't be practicing with the Snitch yet." He closed the box and put it back into the crate. "It's too dark, so we might lose it. Let's try with some No-Maj golf balls." He pulled a bag of ordinary golf balls out of his pocket and a few minutes later, he and Brian were in the air, while Merula and Johnson were in the pitch practicing Quodpot. Wick started throwing the golf balls as hard as he could in every direction for Brian to catch.

Brian didn't miss a single one, and Wick was pleased. After half an hour, night had fallen and they had to stop for the evening.

"The Quodpot and Quidditch Cups are as good as ours!" Johnson said as the four trudged back to the castle.

"I wouldn't be surprised if you turned out better than Becky!" Merula exclaimed with a smile on her face!

Monday, October 31, 2011: Halloween/All Hallows' Eve

Maybe it was because he was busy, with Quidditch practice three evenings a week on top of all his homework, but Brian could hardly believe it when he realized that he'd been at Ilvermorny for about 2-3 months now! He had to admit, he loved the castle, but he was getting a bit homesick. His lessons were becoming more and more interesting now that they had mastered the basics.

On Halloween morning, the group woke to the delicious smell of baking pumpkin wafting through the corridors… before being spooked by one of the ghosts "haunting" Ilvermorny. The trio noticed a pitch black horse with glowing red eyes and a man without a head riding it! The Headless Horsemen rode his horse closer and closer to the group… before stopping.

"Howdy, First-Years!" He said, in a warm, friendly voice. The Headless Horseman was pearly-white, with the exception of the orange pumpkin Jack-o'-lantern on his neck, and slightly transparent. "Happy Halloween! So, heading to charms, are ya?"

"Y-yes," Brian nervously replied.

"Hey, there's no need to get scared, kid." The Jack-o'-lantern head smiled. "There are a bunch of us roaming these halls. Oh, and by the way, Professor Triton's teaching the levitation spell today, so I hope you're ready. Now then, tonight's the Halloween Feast, so I hope you enjoy the sweets the kitchens are making!" The Headless Horseman rode off and through the wall!

After that encounter, the group made their way into the Charms classroom, where Brian and Merula were paired up as partners. Unfortunately, Rowan was partnered up with Thompson.

"Now, don't forget about that wrist movement we've been practicing!" said Professor Triton. "Remember, swish and flick. And remember to say the incantation properly, lest you end up like Wizard Baruffio, who said 's' instead of 'f' and got a buffalo on his chest."

This was quite difficult. Brian and Merula swished and flicked, but the feather they were supposed to be sending skywards just lay there on the desktop.

Thompson, at the next table, wasn't having much luck either.

"Wingardium Leviosar!" he shouted, waving his arms like crazy.

"Stop it!" Rowan snapped. "You're gonna poke somebody's eye out! Besides, it's Leviosa, not Leviosar. Make the 'gar' nice and long."

"Fine, you do it!" Thompson snarled.

"Alright." Rowan rolled up the sleeves of his robes, flicked his wand, and said, "Wingardium Leviosa!"

Their feather rose off the desk and hovered about four feet above their heads!

"Well done!" cried Professor Triton, clapping. "Mr. Khanna's done it!"

Thompson was in a really bad mood by the end of the class.

"'It's 'leviosa', not 'leviosar','" he said, mocking Rowan. "What a nightmare! No wonder he doesn't have any friends!"

Someone knocked into Brian as they hurried past him. It was Rowan. Brian had caught a glimpse of his face —and was startled to see that he was in tears.

"Rowan, wait!" Brian shouted out before glaring at Thompson. "Now you've done it. He heard you."

"So?" Now, Brian hated Thompson.

Rowan didn't show up for the next class and wasn't seen all afternoon. On their way down to the Great Hall for the All Hallows' Eve feast, Brian overheard another student telling her friend that Rowan was in the boys' bathroom and wanted to be left alone. Brian looked concerned at this, but a moment later they had entered the Great Hall, where the Halloween decorations put this out of their minds.

A thousand live bats fluttered from the walls and ceiling while a thousand more swooped over the tables in low black clouds, making the Jack-o'-lanterns stutter. The feast appeared suddenly on the golden plates, just as it had at the start-of-term banquet. Brian hadn't noticed it back then, but he saw that the ceiling was velvety black with stars dotted on it. It almost looked like there wasn't a ceiling at all. He also noticed the ghosts, including the Headless Horseman, floating around, astonishing the students.

Brian and Merula decided to help themselves to a baked potato when one of the professors, Professor Carter, rushed into the hall shouting, "TROLL—IN THE DUNGEONS!" He reached the high table and gasped, "Thought you ought to know."

He then fainted on the floor in shock.

There was an uproar. It took Professor Fontaine yelling "SILENCE!" to bring silence.

"Everyone, remain calm," he said calmly, using his wand as if it were a microphone. "Prefects, lead your Houses back to their dorms immediately!"

Elizabeth was in her element.

"Alright, follow me!" Elizabeth ordered the Thunderbirds. "There's no need to fear the troll if you follow my orders. Stay close."

"How could a troll get in?" Brian asked as they climbed the stairs.

"Beats me. They're supposed to be as dumb as bricks! Actually, that'd be an insult to bricks," said Merula. Brian realized something. Rowan!

"Oh no! Rowan! We gotta help him!"

Ducking down, the two joined the Pukwudgie students going the other way, slipped down a deserted side corridor, and hurried off toward the boys' bathroom. As they approached, Brian could smell something awful.

And then they heard it —a low grunting, and the shuffling footfalls of gigantic feet. Merula pointed —at the end of a passage to the left, something huge was moving towards them.

It was a horrible sight. Twelve feet tall, its skin was a dull, granite gray, its great lumpy body like a boulder with its small bald head perched on top like a coconut. It had short legs, thick as tree trunks with flat, horny feet. The smell was disgusting. It was holding a giant wooden club, which dragged along the floor because its arms were so long. And it was entering the boys' restroom! Brian's wand started to hum a low musical note, almost as if it was warning him.

Brian and Merula decided to rush in to help save their friend!

Rowan was shrinking against the wall opposite, looking as if he was gonna pass out. The troll was advancing on him, knocking the sinks off the walls as it went.

"Confuse it!" Brian said desperately to Merula, and, seizing a tap, he threw it as hard as he could against the wall.

The troll stopped a few feet from Rowan. It lumbered around, blinking stupidly, to see what had made the noise. Its mean little eyes saw Brian. It hesitated, then made for him instead!

"Hey, blockhead!" yelled Merula from the other side of the room, and she threw a metal pipe at it! The troll didn't even seem to notice the pipe hitting its shoulder, but it heard the yell and paused again, turning its ugly snout toward Merula instead, giving Brian time to run around it.

"Run for it!" Brian yelled at Rowan, who got up.

The shouting and the echos seemed to be driving the troll insane. It roared again and started toward Merula, who was nearest and had no way to escape.

Brian, in a moment of quick thinking, took out his wand and shouted the first spell that came into his head: "Wingardium Leviosa!"

The club flew suddenly out of the troll's hand, rose high up into the air, turned slowly over — and dropped, with a sickening crack, onto its owner's head. The troll swayed on the spot and fell flat on its face, with a thud that made the whole room tremble.

The trio stood there, shaking and out of breath.

"Is it dead?" Rowan asked.

"I don't think so," said Brian, "I think it's just knocked out cold." Brian's wand had stopped humming.

A sudden slamming and loud footsteps made the three of them look up. They hadn't realized what a racket they were making, but someone downstairs must've heard the crashes and the troll's roars. A moment later, Professor Drake came bursting into the room, followed closely by Professor Van Helsing and Professor Carter. Professor Van Helsing bent over the troll while Professor Drake angrily chewed them out.

"What were you dunderheads thinking?!" he said, with cold fury in his voice. "You're lucky you're still alive. Why aren't you in your dormitory?"

"Professor Drake, they were looking for me!" said Rowan.

"Mr. Khanna?"

"I went looking for the troll because I thought I could deal with it alone, because I've read all about them… but I was wrong.

"If Merula and Brian hadn't found me, I'd be dead. Merula distracted the troll while Brian used the levitation charm to make the troll's club knock it out. They didn't have time to come and fetch anyone. It was about to finish me off when they arrived."

Merula couldn't believe it. Rowan lying to a teacher?

"I see…" said Professor Drake. "Mr. Khanna, you could've seriously gotten yourself killed, you know that? Five points will be taken from you for your serious lack of judgment. If you're not hurt, then you'd best return to the Horned Serpent Dungeon. The students are finishing the feast in their House common rooms."

Rowan left the room.

Professor Drake turned to Brian and Merula.

"As for you two, you should consider yourself lucky," he said, in a mixture of relief and worry. "Not many first-year students could take on a full-grown mountain troll and live to tell the tale. Five points will be awarded to each of you. Professor Fontaine will be informed. You may go now, but don't push your luck."

They hurried out of the room and didn't speak at all until they caught up with Rowan.

"That was nuts!" Brian exclaimed. "Th-that was pure luck. I was NOT in control of that situation AT ALL."

"Rowan, we owe you big time!" said Merula.

"Just promise me we'll never have to deal with a troll again," Rowan said jokingly, "and we'll call it even."

"Done!"

"Now then, I'm starving. I'm gonna get something to eat. See ya tomorrow!" Rowan went downstairs while Brian and Merula went upstairs. Once they came across the Thunderbird portrait, they touched it, causing it to open, and entered their common room.

The common rooms were packed and noisy, and Thunderbird was no exception. Everyone was eating the food that had been sent up.

If they weren't friends before, Brian, Rowan, and Merula were friends now. There are things you can't share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them.