Heading back to school after the holidays was less of a difficult decision than expected. Dad knew that Evergreen should return, but gave him every reason not to, to allow his son to make his own decision. Evergreen knew that despite the things that had happened so far, Ilvermorny was still the safest place for him ー if he was never alone, that is.
It was only a few degrees above freezing when Dad, Seta, and Evergreen returned to Union Station. The sky was dark and there was a little bit of mist in the air that kept gathering on Evergreen's eyelashes. After passing through the wall, Link and a man who looked a lot like him were there. Evergreen assumed it was his dad.
"Hi Link. Mr. Blackguard." Evergreen said.
"You must be the Quandarys." Mr. Blackguard said, extending his hand to Dad.
"We are. I'm Peter, this is Evergreen." Dad said.
"Thomas." He replied, letting go of Dad's hand shortly after.
The boys got in the boxcar and soon ran into Andie. She was in her signature plaid skirt and black leggings. She had a fresh haircut, pixie, Evergreen guessed. It was lightened slightly, making her pretty cocoa complexion look even darker. They sat together, communicating in hushed tones about their holidays and about Evergreen's mysterious letter. Evergreen also told them about his theory involving Elphaba, but he quit such talk when the food cart came through the train. They all got something small, with Evergreen deciding on a little beef meat pie that he figured would tide him over.
Once back inside the castle, things just went back to business as usual. The only difference was that, now, the castle was all done up and decorated for Christmas. There were massive pine trees covered with tinsel and ornaments. Link told Evergreen that the lights on the trees were small fairies, which just had a natural inclination to swarm trees that had been cut down. Due to these beautiful twinkling fairies, Evergreen thought that he had never seen a Christmas tree that was more alive than these, despite the trees' having been cut down.
Upon approaching one of the larger trees in the central area of the entrance hall, he crouched down and looked at one of the fairies. She was as pale as Miss Agatha, had cherry red hair and eyes, and was preening. She was dressed only in small leaves and flower petals, all held together tightly. Fairy clothes weaving was ingenious, he thought. When the little fairy noticed Evergreen watching her, she started preening even more dramatically than before, even throwing him a few flirty looks over her shoulder before laughing boisterously and disappearing somewhere in the tree. This got a laugh out of him as well.
Getting back to class was kind of nice. There were a few days of normalcy where Evergreen had to do little else than review his summer reading and to practice his incantations. Potion making was still incredibly hard for him, although he still managed to brew every potion that was required. Before Christmas, the expectation for all the sixth graders was to be able to brew a Wiggenweld potion, which was used to speed up healing processes and provide energy. It included dittany which was a decent herb to use in any healing magic, even by itself.
In history, Evergreen was trying to grasp as much as he could. It was still difficult as they studied the Civil Rights Movement of Beings and Like Persons that took place just after the Second World War. There were so many new names and dates to memorize. Was there a potion to help memorize those things?
"Miss Agatha?" Evergreen piped up, "What are creatures of near-human intelligence?"
"I don't know where ya heard that, mah dear Mr Quandary, but ye best not repeat such offense in my classroom." She replied kindly.
He had heard it, as it turned out, from Sandy Blackbird, one of Maggie's best friends who had been talking quietly behind him and had used the term. He decided he didn't want to embarrass her and to keep her name to himself. Obviously, she heard it was a wrong term to use along with the rest of the class.
Miss Agatha put down a potion that she was sipping and sat down on a stool before the class. She was wearing a fitted, long dress as red as blood beneath her black robes. Evergreen couldn't help noticing how pretty she was. He felt like a real tool for thinking that she was creepy when he had first met her. In fact, she kind of looked like an older, much paler Lynne, he thought. She was smiling down on him in a way that kind of made his heart flutter. It was an odd feeling that he couldn't really understand.
"MACUSA and the Brits' Ministry of Magic have a magical creature classification once called 'creatures of near-human intelligence' but more commonly referred to as 'beings' nowadays. But I declare! Many of them are likely smarter than half of the people y'all know!" she said with a laugh. "Some examples are elves, goblins, giants, hags, Veela, and my vampire kin."
"So, while the magical world was having its creature-beings' civil rights movement, the No-Maj world hadn't even started their human racial one." Evergreen brainstormed aloud.
"Hit the nail on the head, Mr. Quandary! But it was also around that time that the term once often used, 'mudblood,' was officially recognized as blood-supremacist hate speech. So, I guess there was quite few rights that was bein' considered. Our world still has a lot of growin' up to do, but at least we stopped treating people different 'cuz of color a long time ago. It only matters how much magic ya got, not what ya look like. As long as ya human, you'll be treated fair."
The vampire stood up and held up her hands. Her face lit up in the brightest expression that Evergreen had ever seen on her. Evergreen found it so odd that someone could look equal parts scary and pretty. He couldn't understand it. Usually, a person was just one or the other.
"I was actually there in the marches fer our rights. We was fixin' to be looked at as people, not beasts. I mean, if a being can reason, they're a person as far as I'm concerned."
She had a point. Wasn't vampirism just like having some kind of condition? In the No-Maj world, having a disease or some kind of physical handicap wasn't enough of a reason for prejudice, at least in the civilized world. There were even laws protecting minorities a lot of the time. In general, people with disabilities in the No-Maj world were treated humanely. A good friend of his growing up, Jamal, had autism and was well-loved and respected in their elementary school. Jamal's mother had spoken to Evergreen a time or two about such things.
As far as Evergreen was concerned, vampires, pukwudgies, and elves were all people. If they were born in the U.S., they were every bit the American that he was. Sure, he was a 'half-blood', but he was still a wizard. It didn't matter what your parents were, it only mattered how much magic you could do, right? It wasn't your family that determined your worth, but who you were and what you accomplished! Andie, for example, had no magical family but was a skilled potion maker. That was difficult magic, Evergreen could testify to that.
When they all arrived at their defense class, Professor Woods was waiting at the head of the room. They were all confused at what was going on, as all the desks and tables had vanished, other than Professor Woods' at the head of the room. There was only a large, gordian knot on the center of the floor, easily 10 feet in diameter. Once all the students had filed in, Woods spoke up.
"Good afternoon and welcome back. This term, I would really like to focus on practical defense. You'll do all of your reading, going forward, when you do your homework outside of this classroom."
Her wand dropped out of the sleeve of her crisp jacket sleeve, and she waved it in the air, sending a shower of sparks in every-which-way.
"Mr. Blackguard. I understand your father was a prominent duel champion in his day."
Link looked kind of like a deer caught in headlights when Professor Woods spoke to him.
"Please set your bag down and face me with your wand." She commanded, more than requested.
Link did as he was told and pulled out his wand, inching toward Professor Woods carefully.
"Students. I am going to show you two simple offensive spells. One is a jinx, the other a charm. Repeat after me: Flipendo!"
The class followed suit, except for Link, who was still poised with his wand extended. Professor Woods did so as well, facing him and flicking her wrist slightly. She explained that the knockback jinx was an essential thing for young wizards and witches to learn. After Diva asked about it, Professor Woods explained that Stupefy was often a more effective spell to use in dueling, as it briefly immobilized one's opponent, but was quite difficult for someone to cast who wasn't yet in their high school years. Professor Woods showed the proper hand motion for Flipendo, which was a small flick of the wrist, and invited Link to cast it on her.
He appeared uncomfortable jinxing a teacher, but after some encouragement, he did as instructed. He said the incantation, did the wrist movement, and a flash of blue light came from his wand, catching Professor Woods in the chest and making her stumble just a little bit. She appeared thrilled, no, exhilarated at Link's casting. She responded in kind by circling her wand above her head, saying Verdimillious! A green ball of light burst out of the tip of her wand, and Woods casually tossed it at Link, at which point the little ball of light promptly exploded, knocking him down on his rear end. He looked rather put-out, sitting there on the floor.
"Now, that charm I casted in response was Verdimillious, which can be used either as an offensive charm, or as a way of finding things nearby that were affected by dark magic."
Professor Woods excused Link to mingle with the rest of the class and led the rest of the students further into the classroom. It was then that she instructed everyone to pair up and to start practicing those two incantations. She reminded them that they all already knew the disarming charm, and they were encouraged to use it as well. Evergreen and Link got together, obviously. Diva partnered with Grace Moonbeam and of course Andie and Glade and the Summerhill twins each paired up. The Summerhills had trouble with wand magic and Glade struggled with offensive magic. Her specialty was transfiguration.
While Evergreen and Link practiced, tossing the blue light of the knockback jinx back and forth, knocking each other to the floor, others panicked and made quick work of disarming their classmates. Most of the class could disarm with little to no trouble, so there were a few wands passing overhead every which way, their owners chasing after them with great haste. Link figured that he too could try the Verdimillious charm. So, he imitated Professor Woods' motion and a deep, emerald colored orb appeared above his head. When he tossed it, Evergreen caught it on the tip of his own wand. When he did so, the color quickly shifted to a bright, royal purple with a slightly golden sheen. It pulsed once and exploded.
At that moment, Evergreen looked up toward the ceiling where a magnetic cloud of green and blue with traces of other colors appeared, looking like a weird, indoor version of the northern lights. It gave off a buzzing sound that caused everyone to stop and stare at it. It pulsed a bit and Evergreen could have sworn that he heard a woman's voice within it. The next thing he knew, he passed out and had the strangest dream.
He was in a cavern that would have been dark if it wasn't for the undeniable fact that all throughout it, there was a green, blue, gold, and purple light, more of that mini aurora borealis action. He walked through it until he reached the end of a stone corridor where a small figure was standing, with her back to him. She was wearing a dress that was likely once very beautiful but appeared to be ruined, dirty, and tattered.
"Hello. Where am I?"
She turned suddenly and her curly, fiery red hair bounced and sashayed with the sudden movement.
"Who's there?" she called.
Evergreen's breath caught in his throat because this was one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen. Sure, she was a few inches shorter than he was, but she had a thin, yet strong figure, a face that radiated power, stormy gray eyes, and hair that looked like it was aflame. Her beauty came from the strength that exuded from within, and from a strange yet familiar, almost motherly vibe that Evergreen sensed. Unfortunately, it didn't seem like she could see him. So, it was THAT kind of dream, where you watched what was going on and weren't really a part of it. That was annoying.
"It's me, Scarecrow." Called a tall, very thin individual who came from a dark corner.
"Fiyero, my old friend." The woman said, "How did you get back here? Weren't you sent away?"
"I was, but when I heard from the Lion that you were missing, I had to go out looking for you. Plus, I am made of straw, so I could easily fit through the enchanted gate."
It was true. When Evergreen could more clearly see the man, he could see that he was indeed a scarecrow. He was dressed as a farmer, with plaid pants and a hat meant to block the sun. There was straw sticking out here and there, but his face, which appeared to be made entirely of burlap, looked almost human. He could tell that the scarecrow, this Fiyero, was a friend to the beautiful redhead.
"Oh Fiyero, do you have any way of getting me out of here?"
"I don't yet, but Tin Man and I are planning on seeking reinforcements elsewhere. Once we do, we'll be back for you."
She reached forward and brought the Scarecrow into a tight hug. Her face suddenly had a bit more light than she previously had therein.
"Thank you Fiyero. Have you heard anything about my husband and baby?"
"I have heard nothing, but something tells me that you'll be with them again soon."
"For someone who didn't have a brain for so long, you can be awfully wise sometimes."
"Thanks for saying so, Miss Glinda."
Evergreen awoke with a start in a room that was so clean, he could have sworn it was glowing. Blinking, the faces of Seta and his potions mistress' husband, unshaven with shaggy, sandy blond hair, came into view, hovering above him. His robes were an olive green with a golden crest pinned where his left breast pocket would have been, with the symbol of the Greek god Hermes embroidered thereon, with the winged staff and the two snakes slithering about. It was enchanted, so the snakes moved within the crest.
"Don't try to sit up too fast." The man said, handing Evergreen a medium sized piece of dark chocolate.
"What is this? What happened? Where am I?"
"Evergreen Quandary, my name is Healer Desmond Killian. I'm the school healer. You passed out and Professor Woods brought you here to me."
Evergreen bit off chunks of the chocolate and thought that it was likely the best tasting thing he had eaten in forever. It was maybe 70% cacao, with hints of vanilla and a blackberry-blueberry aftertaste. Immediately, his anxiety started to melt away.
"If you don't mind me asking, what did you mean by 'She's alive'?" Hr. Killian asked, waving his wand above Evergreen's head and before his face to test his reactions.
"What do you mean?"
"When you were out, your eyes opened, they were glowing purple and you said 'She's alive'."
"Weird, I have no idea." Evergreen lied.
Pretty soon, Professor Woods, Dad, and a few of Evergreen's friends appeared in the hospital station. They had been instructed to wait outside but were cleared to see him after he had awoken. Link and Diva were hand in hand and Glade's strong arm was draped about Andie's shoulders, rubbing her arm. Both girls were shaking just a little bit. When Hr. Killian ducked out into his office, Evergreen confided in his guests about his dream and what he thought he had heard from the aurora.
Professor Woods said that Evergreen actually and legitimately heard the voice of Glinda, his mom, from the magnetic cloud that had developed in the defense classroom. She said that she knew he had, because she heard the voice too, and she said that she would have known that voice anywhere. Professor Woods had also sent an emergency portkey to Dad who was just arriving at the school.
"Your mom…" Dad started, "She's alive?"
"Well, that's what your son said, and I heard her voice too. No eleven-year-old can open a portal to the great beyond, after all. But to a living place, perhaps...?" Professor Woods said.
"Well, of course she is." Dad interjected, "How else would you have known about the Scarecrow?"
"Yeah, Fiyero. He was going to help her get out. Where could he be going to get the reinforcements he needs?
"It's hard to tell." Professor Woods said, "There are still so many worlds like Oz that remain unexplored. Maybe he was exiled to one of those and made some good friends along the way."
"That sounds like Fiyero." Dad replied, "He was always down to party and everyone who ever met him liked his charisma. He was the best dancer in Oz, other than your mom, until I got there."
According to Dad, Fiyero hadn't always been a scarecrow. He was once an heir to a long royal bloodline in a land in the same realm as Oz, but he was cursed by Elphaba because he had offended her in some way. The curse also came along with being cut off from his inheritance, as inheritances in Oz could only be claimed by similar creatures, meaning bunny inheritances went to bunnies, human inheritances to humans, and so forth.
Professor Woods let Evergreen know that they were to explore the possibility of him being a seer during their private tutoring sessions. The divination and xylomancy professors were to join in their sessions as soon as possible to find out how and why he saw what he thought he saw. He agreed to that quickly.
When it came down to it, this was excellent news! Mom was alive! Evergreen didn't know where or how to get there, but she was alive, and that knowledge filled him with increased motivation. He was going to find Fiyero, and together they would save mom from Elphaba's power. Maybe that was why the darkness was after him, to prevent him from finding his mom and to prevent him from releasing her! Such a thought, despite being kind of dark, put Evergreen in a legitimately Christmassy mood.
A/N: Sorry I didn't post yesterday. I was feeling sick as a dog. Thanks for reading by the way. We are so close to the end of part one of the Evergreen Quandary saga. If you like it so far, please like, comment, and follow!