When she woke up, the first thing she saw was darkness. It took her a moment to fully wake up but when she did she immediately started to feel around her hoping for a light switch or any light source.
Instead what she felt was cushioning velvet surrounding her on 3 sides.
Alright, let's not panic. What do I have on me?
Running her hands down her body she felt some kind of dress or robe covering her. She could feel her normal clothes under it, including the things in her hoodie pocket. She pulled her arm into the dress/ robe and felt in her pocket. Makeup bag, phone charger, granola bar and- Ah-Ha! Her cell phone. Pulling it out she turned on the flashlight and looked around.
"... Am I in a coffin?" She mumbled. "This dream is weird."
Outside the coffin she heard a muffled voice. "...Gotta hurry, I hear someone comin'!"
Next thing she sees is the lid to the coffin opening to a flaming cat. They stared at each other for a second before the cat yelled out "WHY ARE YOU AWAKE!?"
He seemed to shake himself before saying "never mind. Human! Give me that uniform!"
"...Aight." She shrugged. At least this dream wouldn't leave her naked in public, those dreams never ended well. She shrugged out of the robe and dropped it on the cat.
As the cat struggled in the robe/ dress she looked around. All around the room were floating coffins. She stepped out of her coffin as she spotted the large ornate mirror in the center of the room. The mirror was familiar to her, but she couldn't place why. As she took a step closer she was stopped by the sound of a door opening. She turned to her right where the noise came from only to see the most peculiar being standing in a door she had missed on her first look- around.
It was a man about 7 or 8 feet tall wearing an old fashioned waistcoat over a white shirt, black jacket with purple accents and gold embroidery with feathers sticking out from under the collar. On his face was a half- mask shaped like a birds beak. On his head was a top hat with a black feather sticking out of the band. His golden glowing eyes were peering at her in question before glancing at the cat who had finally gotten his head through the neck hole of the robe.
"You shouldn't be out of your gate yet. Nor out of uniform." The man said, amusement coloring his tone.
"What if it's not my uniform?" She asked. The man tilted his head, much like the ravens she talked with in her garden every morning. "I mean he asked for it and I gave it to -"
"Don't talk like I ain't here!" The cat interrupted, floating off the ground to be level with her head.
"Ah sorry, what's your name?"
"You can call me the Great Grim, sorcerer extraordinaire!" He had a proud smirk on his cat face.
"You really should control your familiar. Now hurry up and put your robe on, there's not much longer till the ceremony starts." The bird man said fully stepping into the room. The door slowly closed behind him.
"What?" She asked.
"I ain't no one's pampered pet! I'm gonna be-!" Grim was silenced by a whip that came out of nowhere and tied and gagged him. Following the whip to its handle revealed it was rhe bird man who had used it. He gave a quick yank and Grim came flying out of the robe into the man's arms.
"Quickly now, put your robe back on dear."
She shrugged and did so. Just in time too, as the door opened again to admit 7 teenage boys wearing similar uniforms to each other. They spread out around the room and looked expectantly at the bird man. And then the coffins opened. From each coffin stepped a boy. She was starting to think this wasn't a dream, for she had never dreamed of so many people before let alone have them all be one gender.
As the last boy stepped out the bird man started to speak.
"Welcome students to your new life as mages of the illustrious Night Raven College. I am the most gracious Headmage Dire Crowley. In just a moment you will proceed one at a time in front of the Dark Mirror to have your soul judged and be sorted into your dorms." He gestured to each of the seven older boys as he listed the names of the dorms, "Octavinelle, Savannahclaw, Pomefiore, Heartsabyul, Scarabia, Ignihyde, and Diasomnia."
With his final word green fire sparked up from the mirror, and a boy stepped forward. The mirror asked him to state his name before sorted him into Ignihyde. As this was going on she observed the others and was startled to see some of the boys had animal features. Ears and tails of a wide variety of animals. They all seemed to go to Savannahclaw, maybe Grim would end up there.
She didn't bother to listen to the names spoken, she always had a hard time remembering names in general. The only reason she remembered Grims was because of Grim Brothers Faery Tales. As she turned back to the mirror she realized there was only 2 boys left before her. She was now worried, would she be sorted? Now she knows how Harry Potter felt at his sorting. As the last boy walked away (a boy with a heart painted over his eye) she stepped forward.
She got a glimpse of herself in rhe mirror before the green mask obscured her reflection. Long black hair held up by a hairpiece she knew had jade butterflies all around it and a hair stick made of ivory carved to resemble a unicorn horn with more butterflies dangling from it (a gift from her late great grandmother) and a thick dark green ribbon on her head like a headband leaving two long strands of hair hanging to frame her face. The robe from earlier she knew covered her sweatshirt and skinny jeans. On her feet were a pair of black stilettos adding 3 inches to her very short height.
"State your name." The mirror said.
"...Mordred Whitman." There was a few quiet snickers at her name. She didn't care, her siblings all had weird names. Her sister for instance was Calypso and her brother was literally Cu Chulainn. They just called him Kyle.
"The nature of your soul is... unclear."
"What do you mean unclear?" Crowley asked coming up to stand just behind her.
"I sense no magic from this child."
I highly doubt that she thought.
"I cannot sort her."
"Well maybe you can... Did you say her?" There were whispers and murmurs from all around the room. Next thing she knew Grim was in front of her face talking to the Headmage.
"Let me take the humans place! Unlike her I have magic, and it's pretty powerfull, watch this!"
He landed and pulled in a deep breath. Right before he breathed out the Heartsabyul leader called out "Get down!"
Everyone ducked as a torrent of blue flames shot out of Grims mouth.
Well that explains the flaming ears.
One boy wasn't so lucky as his robe lit on fire. He screamed and started running around the room.
"Stop, drop and roll!" Mordred shouted at him. He seemed to hear her over his screaming as he followed her directions. In a matter of seconds he was put out. Mordred took the opportunity to grab Grim by the scruff of his neck and stared him straight in the eye. He dangled there, too scared to struggle.
"And how is endangering your potential classmates proving you deserve a spot in this school?"
"It doesn't matter as there is no way that monster is ever going to be a student here!" Crowley said as he raised his whip to constrict Grim again. She stared at him a moment before calmly stating
"...So you're racist as well as sexist. Got it."
Crowley let out as quack, a couple students snickered and Grim exclaimed an agreement.
"N-no! It's just that this is a school for mages and"
"To which he has claimed such a title. So unless you're biased against his race I see no problem." Grim was looking at her with barely hidden gratefulness and hope.
"W-well I..." Crowley sighed in defeat. "Go on then, step in front of the mirror."
"Alright!" Grim shouted in joy as Mordred let go of his scruff and stepped away from the mirror. It took a moment for the mask to speak.
"What is your name?"
"The Great Grim!"
The mirror was silent for another moment before stating "I am unable to decipher your soul. I sense much magic from you child, but the nature of your soul elides me."
Grim started to sink to the ground in disappointment. Crowley turned to face the rest of the room.
"Alright Housewardens, lead your new dorm mates to their dorms! You two wait here."
The students started to file out of the room. Mordred knealt down to pet Grim. "Don't be discouraged, I'll find a way to get you into this school."
It took but minutes for the room to empty. As soon as they were alone Crowley turned to them and spoke up. "Well then, time to send you both home!"
"Now hold up Bird-man! Me I understand. The mirror said I have no magic, but the only problem with Grim is he can't be sorted."
"Exactly, so we-" She interrupted him.
"In every Harry Potter fanfic where a student can't be sorted, they either make their own dorm or float around the others. Why can't Grim do that?" Grim was nodding along to what she was saying, even though he seemed confused by the first bit. Crowley seemed to think it over a moment before nodding slowly.
"That could work... I'm so gracious! We'll work it out in a minute. Let's send you on your way dear, just think very clearly of your home and look in the Dark Mirror."
Mordred at first thought of her old home with her father and siblings before a pant rang through her and she thought of her current foster home. She imagined the faded yellow walls of the room she shared with their 12 year old daughter Emma, all the toys scattered across the floor, her unkempt bed, the stack of library books hiding in the covers. With the visual in her mind she turned towards the mirror.
"O Mirror, send this lost soul home!" There was no reaction from the mirror. Crowley cleared his throat.
"Let's try again. O Mirror, send this lost soul-"
"There is no such place." Crowley blinked. Mordred felt a sense of dread fill her.
"Pardon?"
"There is no such place. It does not exist." Mordred felt her stomach drop.
