Chapter 5
New York was dirtier than he imagined it to be. Tom didn't know what exactly he had been expecting of the 'city that never sleeps', but it was certainly something different. Looking back though, he realized that Tanya hadn't ever extolled the virtues of America in quite the glowing manner he painted it in his own head, yet he nonetheless couldn't help but compare the reality before him with his own lofty fantasies.
One thing was for sure however... it was most certainly a big city. There were buildings that dwarfed even Hogwarts, as massive as that castle had been. The streets were so wide that five automobiles could drive side by side. The signs and billboards loomed so high over the busy streets that it looked like giants had put them up. Everything was so much more imposing than London had ever been. That part at least matched his dreams of paradise.
The smell on the other hand? It was kind of disgusting...
"Tom, I think we have to go that way."
His sister pointed in the opposite direction of where they had been going and he sighed. How had they gotten lost in a city with a grid-based layout so many times already!? He supposed it might have had something to do with the fact that people here drove on the wrong side of the road...
"Pardon me, dearies, but are you l-lost?"
He slightly turned his head to look at the young woman who had snuck up on them and was smiling in a slightly vacant way. Her short red hair framed a tanned face with big green eyes that were made to appear even bigger by the thick glasses she wore.
"Actually yes, Miss. You see we were supposed to meet our parents at the Woolworth Building, but there must have been a misunderstanding, because the address we checked wasn't the right one. Are there two Woolworth Buildings perchance?" he responded sweetly, scratching his neck in feigned embarrassment.
"Woolworth you say?" mused the lady before suddenly leaning in close. "You w-wouldn't happen to be in search of the Magical Congress, are you?"
Her expression was dark and her tone decidedly ominous. Tom tensed and prepared a silent disorientation curse, while Tanya stepped forward with a placating gesture.
"Would that be a problem, Miss?"
The woman swiftly backed off and started chuckling: "Haha, I'm only m-messing with you, dearies! Forgive me. You're B-British, right? You've probably never been to the Congress then. Oh, how exciting! Come along, I was just h-heading there myself."
"And your name, Miss?" Tom inquired sharply, not trusting this complete stranger at all.
"Ah, I'm so f-forgetful today! Emily Willis, pleased to make your a-acquaintance!" she declared with an offensively poor English accent before giggling again. "And you two cuties? What're your n-names?"
"I'm called Tanya, Miss. And this is my brother Tom."
Even if it was just an act, hearing her call him brother made his heart beat quicker.
"Aww, how a-adorable! T and T! And you're like o-opposites of each other; one blonde and blue-eyed and the other black-haired with ch-chocolate eyes! It's like a matched set of d-dolls! I love it!"
He was certainly not adorable! At this moment he decided that this woman was definitely the most annoying American he had ever met. His sample size was small, sure, but the point still stood. So long as she continued to be useful though, he would suffer her overly excited presence and grisly stuttering.
o-TxT-o
"See, you just have to wave your wand at the o-owl up there!" said Emily as if that was supposed to be obvious.
The rotating door that had only led them to a mundane entrance hall before spun dizzyingly fast for a moment until it transported them to an entirely different room. Black marble and gold inlays gave the gigantic inside of the building some grandeur that contrasted interestingly with its minimalist utilitarianism. Bright light streamed in from every direction, because the walls were entirely made off of windows. Such a queer way of building could only come from a wizard's mind... How would a huge 'skyscraper' with glass walls ever work without magic holding it all together?
While he and his sister walked around the lobby, Tom listened absentmindedly as their annoying guide dispensed worthless trivia like:
"That is the m-memorial for the Salem Witch Trials! It's the reason for the foundation of the Congress, you know? The f-founders vowed to never let such a tragedy happen again."
or...
"Oh, that man was Mr. Atkinson! He invented t-toothpaste that tastes like lemons! It's my favourite brand! Hi, Mr. Atkinson!"
When she had at long last, finally, exhausted her supply of drivel, Emily's ever-present smile dropped.
"Well then, dearies... Where are your p-parents?"
Damn it! When he made that up, Tom hadn't counted on her following them so far!
Tanya came to the rescue: "I'm afraid my brother lied about that, Miss. We're both orphans, you see, and people tend to ask uncomfortable questions and get all judgemental when we tell them that. So it's easier to pretend that we still have a mommy and daddy."
"Oh, you poor dearies... I can u-understand that. Lost my parents early as well. But then, w-what are you doing all alone in the States?"
Together, they began to spin the sob story that they had agreed upon during their journey over the Atlantic. They talked about how they had excelled in school with their innate talent and dedication, of how they were determined to rise above their status as undesirables and good-for-nothings and how that had earned them a lot of scorn from the pureblood families that didn't want to see their scions unfavourably compared to two kids who came from nothing. With war on the horizon, they had chosen to flee to the USA, the Land of Opportunity, to have a chance at making their dreams of a peaceful and wealthy life free from discrimination come true.
That inspiring tale of hope and resolve, delivered with wobbly lips and soulful eyes did its job of melting the foolish lady's heart and by the end of it she was crying soft tears of earnest pity.
"Sniff... That... That's the most b-beautiful thing I've ever heard! Ah, that's the t-true American spirit! Oh my gosh, I'm so s-sorry for... hick... for getting all emotional like that, but..."
Unfortunately, multiple other people had also rudely joined to listen to their story, although they were thankfully less over the top with their reactions.
One dark-skinned man with a strange hat shook his head indignantly.
"Yeah, that's how the Brits be like."
Another with a blue eye-patch nodded seriously at Tom.
"Good luck, kiddos. You picked the best city in the world to start something fresh, but unfortunately wheat like you tend to get chewed up if you're not careful. It's not all glamour and riches here in New York."
"Too true." agreed his compatriot before they collectively went their way.
Suddenly getting self-conscious after realizing that she was crying in front of a group of strangers, Emily was all too eager to escape and lead them to their destination, though not without promising to meet them again afterwards.
o-TxT-o
They had to wait quite a while in front of the office for immigration related affairs, as they were apparently not the only ones who aimed to become US citizens today. A large family of disturbingly identical looking Italians occupied all three counters for nearly half an hour until it was finally their turn.
He and his sister both needed to be accepted members of America's magical society if they wanted to continue their education here and absorb its unique knowledge. Furthermore, if they wanted to handle appreciable amounts of money in the future then they needed a believable paper trail as well. As much as he detested it, Tom knew that just drugging every paper pusher and administrative official into compliance was not a realistic option.
So they had to put up with the bone-headedness of congress bureaucrats.
"You need a legal ward to be present to fill out these papers." uttered the clerk in the single most droning tone that Tom had ever heard.
"So we can look at them, but not actually sign them?" his incredibly patient sister incredulously asked.
"Correct." he responded with the tone of an already dead man. Though Tom would have to admit that he had seen ghosts with more life than this… husk of a person.
After a long pause Tanya puckered her lips in that cute way she did when she was about to do something that she hated and looked back up at the man.
"Does the guardian need to be magical?"
"Technically not, but No-Majs aren't allowed in the building..."
"And we can only sign those documents here..." she completed that sentence equally lifelessly.
Was this guy some kind of emotional vampire, draining visitors of their joy? Just to make sure, someone should really stake him through the heart...
Tanya and the clerk both stared at each in silence before she briskly put the papers down and grabbed Tom's hand.
"We'll be back."
Adults were so stupid sometimes.
o-TxT-o
"You w-want me to a-adopt you!?" Emily asked, shocked.
"Not necessarily. You would just have to become our legal guardian on paper, so that we can become proper magical citizens and receive an education. I know it's a lot to ask for from someone we just met and thus we are prepared to financially compens-"
Before his sister could finish, she was swept up by an aggressive hug.
"Oh, d-dearie, I would l-l-love to!"
Tom silently sent his sister mental support for suffering this indignity in his stead, but his feelings of sombre superiority were quickly squashed as the terrible woman reached out and crushed him against her bosom as well. Weirdly, her meager strength was still enough to trap him for a few seconds, before he managed to wriggle free. What an annoying bint!
Well, since she would from now on be the one to pay their bills and give them shelter, maybe she wasn't too bad, he supposed. Outwitting her would also not be hard which really just made her the ideal puppet to shield two otherwise suspicious children. Maybe he could convince Emily to regularly buy them ice cream... That would undoubtedly raise his opinion of the woman!
o-TxT-o
The office for family related affairs was located on the second floor of the building and boasted even longer waiting times than the other one.
Tom passed the time by going over the computations for his altered apparition formula yet again. It was an incredibly complex piece of work, far too complex for even his genius intellect to adapt to on the fly and so he wanted to laboriously pre-calculate all the necessary steps beforehand. Tanya had forbidden him from ever attempting teleportation on his own and he certainly understood her concerns, but surely, just moving a single meter forward shouldn't be that monstrously dangerous...
His sister on the other hand was deeply absorbed in incomprehensible government papers and brochures while Emily was childishly whipping back and forth in her seat, humming a lullaby and smiling at the blank wall. The difference in maturity between the two was so absurd it wasn't even funny.
When they were finally called inside the office the middle-aged, bald man behind the counter instantly recognized their patsy and struggled to suppress his laughter when they explained the purpose of their visit.
"Ah, Emily, would you mind waiting outside for a bit? Just wanna talk with the kids to make sure they know what they're getting into here."
The woman looked decidedly sour at the prospect, but complied wordlessly.
As the door closed behind her, the bald official leaned over the desk and rolled his eyes.
"Ah, sweet Emily... Now she wants to be a mother... The girl is a bit of a basket case. Doesn't have quite all the cups in her cupboard, if ya catch my drift."
Yeah, Tom had guessed as much already. If the stutter hadn't been a dead giveaway, then it would have certainly been the fact that she was willing to adopt two foreign kids that she met today.
"Was an auror until not too long ago, too. Not the best in the field, but definitely the kindest gal in the district. Helped take care of things when that Obscurus tore up half of Crosby Street..."
"Is there a point to you telling her history to us?" Tom asked, irritated by the guy who was already bad-mouthing their pseudo-parent. Emily was still profoundly annoying, sure, but she was also their chosen pawn whose miniscule contribution would greatly support their future rise.
"I'm getting to it. Well, later there was that nasty business with Grindlewald... Mmhh... He singlehandedly took down half our men and poor Emily was among them. One blasting curse hit right besides her temple, rattlin' her little brain around and... well, she hasn't been the same since. Gone all cookie and sentimental, ya see."
"Injuries in the line of duty should be treated with respect. To sacrifice your health, potentially even your life for your country should never be ridiculed." Tanya suddenly stated with a surprising amount of venom in her voice. Her eyes were glaring coldly at the man, the raw rage and disgust in her narrowed gaze cowing him into submission.
"Hehe, I guess... Just wanted to warn you, is all. She's not exactly ideal mother material. Maybe you should reconsider. There's better witches out there, I'm sure..."
"Noted. If you could now kindly turn your attention towards our paperwork, I would be most grateful if we could resolve this issue quickly. I also believe that our soon to be guardian should be present for this."
"Yes, yes, of course."
A 'Section C1 Wizarding adoption' involved more or less just a signed declaration of intent from both parties and a willingly given drop of blood for the procedure to be over with. With that receipt alone they wouldn't be able to inherit her family's wealth in the event of her passing or receive any other hereditary benefits, but they were legally considered her children now and as such were eligible for certain benefits. Most notably, of course, was a right of citizenship and free state-sponsored education.
Stepping outside the cigarette-smoke infused office, Tom was about to congratulate Emily with some cheap flattery for adequately performing her role when the emotional dam that the unstable woman had been apparently building over the course of the last hour finally burst.
"I-I-I did it! Hahaha! hick- I'm n-not useless a-anymore!"
Having learned from her previous behaviour, Tom hastily took a step backwards, narrowly avoiding her tear-stained clutches while his sister bravely resigned herself to her fate of being cuddled like an overgrown doll.
Sadly, his desire to remain unmolested was interpreted as a rejection by the alleged terrorist victim.
"I'm s-sorry, Tom, if you – sniff – got s-scared by William's r-rumours. I might be d-damaged, but... b-but I'm not... I'm not c-c-crazy! Y-You have to b-b-believe me!"
And now she was crying even harder. Wonderful...
"Don't worry, Miss Willis." Tanya mumbled from inside her strangling embrace, sending him a hidden signal with her fingers. "If we believed you were anything but sane then we wouldn't have chosen you to be our guardian."
That was, of course, a bold-faced lie and a complete inversion of the truth. Yet for the sake of Emily's fragile psyche he gritted his teeth and submitted to the inevitable. By Merlin's beard, how many bloody times would he have to hug this insufferable wreck of a woman!?
o-TxT-o
In the week that followed, it turned out that the answer to that question was a lot higher than he would have liked. Emily had vivid nightmares and sometimes in the morning would not recognize them, which led to even more panic attacks. Even particularly loud sounds, like a slammed door or dropped book could make her cower in fear.
He and his sister had silently agreed to take turns in comforting the distraught woman as they both hated the task equally, though for different reasons. Tom didn't want to waste his valuable time on somebody so weak and Tanya had only said something cryptic like 'in another life that could have been her', whatever that meant...
Still, despite the struggles they managed to settle in comfortably enough. Tom especially enjoyed the feeling of ownership that came with their new home. Emily worked in a magical bookstore and so was out of the house for nine hours every day, which left them with more time than they ever had to themselves. Of course, that didn't mean more time for lazing around, merely more time for intense physical training!
"And now turn that ball into a sheep!"
Doing that with a wand was child's play. Without one or even the assistance of his focus orb however...
"Does that look like a sheep to you, Tom?"
The misshapen thing gurgled pitifully as its round body collapsed on its spidery legs.
"I'm trying here, Tanya!"
"Well, you are clearly not trying hard enough!"
He knew she didn't mean it, obviously, but the insults served to stoke his spirit. Concentrating deeply, he aligned his vision of what a sheep was supposed to look like with the construct under his control and pushed.
"Baa..."
"Acceptable."
o-TxT-o
August came and went and it turned out that getting admittances for Ilvermorny - as the American version of Hogwarts was called - was much harder than changing nationalities. Probably because administering a few thousand immigrants was generally an uncomplicated process when one could use magic to automate most of it. Wizards also fundamentally didn't care too much for muggle borders.
Gaining access to the exclusive facility that housed all of their children however, involved jumping through a few more hoops. Especially since they had narrowly missed the deadline for applications...
Tanya's owl was flying herself ragged, carrying correspondence between her and the headmaster to and fro. Eventually though, their exceptional grades won the man over, but not without him visiting them in person for a more direct evaluation of their suitability. So when he heard the doorbell ringing the very next day, Tom was not surprised at who was waiting outside.
"Good evening, child. Is your mother home?" questioned the large, well-dressed man in front of him.
"She should be back in a jiffy, but please come in, Mr. Lankvarden, sir. As it happens, my sister was just making us some tea in the kitchen." Tom replied winningly, hospitality basically oozing from his every well-cleaned pore.
That was of course no coincidence, as their detection ward had alerted them two minutes ago of a magical person entering their apartment building.
He made sure to accept the grey-haired man's coat and bowler hat - both just as blandly grey as the rest of his outfit - and carefully hang them up on the wardrobe like a good little servant. Why was everything about this man so hideously grey!? Even his damn eyes were colourless and dull!
While he led the bland headmaster to the kitchen, regaling him with some of his wondrous experiences since crossing the Great Pond, Lucy silently crept out of her hiding place to slip a small gift into his coat pocket.
The scene they walked in could have been ripped straight from an advertisement poster. Their small kitchen sparkled in the golden light falling through the window, illuminating Tanya's petite form that was busy setting out their finest china.
"Ah, Mr. Lankvarden, you've come early! Thank you so much for your quick response!" she beamed at him, wiping off nonexistent dust from her pretty summer dress. Tom knew from her rare rants on the topic that she much preferred pants over the usual woman's wear, but they also had a certain image to sell here...
"There's nothing to be thankful for, Miss Wallis. I'm merely doing my job."
Their target was entirely unmoved, however, simply glancing at his watch and taking a seat where Tom normally used to sit next to his sister. The bastard.
Tanya finished bringing out a third cup and took the kettle from the stove to pour them tea.
"Well then, how can we help you, sir?" Tom initiated the conversation with an eager smile. The headmaster didn't seem like the type who appreciated beating around the bush for long.
"Alright. I've seen your grades and I've read your story. Now what I want is the real reason you left England."
His sister nodded solemnly.
"Our story was the truth, sir. We are orphans and that means it wouldn't be good for us when war finally breaks out. We're nobodies. Powerless. When the bombs start to fall, it won't be the houses of the pureblood families that get hit..."
The grey man inhaled sharply and adjusted his cufflinks.
"I have seen my fair share of children in the few decades I have been Ilvermorny's director and none of them have given me that good of an excuse for something so clearly suspicious before."
Was that a compliment or an admonishment? What did he even want to hear from them!?
"This talk of no-maj wars and their consequences... That was what Grindelwald was all about. Nobody has seen neither hide nor hair of that man for over three years and now you two show up with grand talent and a spotty past. So, out with it, do you have anything to do with him?" Lankvarden sternly demanded to know.
A heavy presence slowly settled over the room as the man's magic started to leak from his body. Tom unconsciously started to sweat, even as his hand under the table inched towards his wand. Did this lunatic really think they were some criminal masterminds in disguise!? Well, technically they were, but right now they were the good guys in this scenario!
Who even was Grindlewald, really? Tom knew that he was allegedly some super-powerful wizard practicing dark magic who wanted wizards to rule the entire world or some such, but other than one picture on a faded wanted poster he had no clue how he actually looked or how he behaved...
"I believe you are mistaken, sir." Tanya said stoically. Her hand trembled only the tiniest amount as she took a cube of sugar and stirred it into her beverage. "We have nothing to do with that villain and I would greatly appreciate it if you would not make such hurtful accusations."
The sound of her sipping at her cup before daintily setting it back down was deafening.
"I am not making any accusations, Miss. I am merely asking a pertinent question here. I was not there when that man attacked our brave aurors in this very city or when he escaped from confinement, but we as a people have not forgotten. Skin-changing and trickery are his forte. His agents could be anywhere. There can be no ambiguity about this matter."
What was his goal here? If Lankvarden truly believed that they were Grindlewald or one of his supporters then wouldn't it be an asinine move to confront them face to face within their own territory, alone and unguarded!? There was something foul with this impromptu interrogation...
"It should be easy to verify our identities with a drop of blood or by casting the counter charm on us to dispel any possible illusions. We have nothing to hide." retorted his sister, spreading her arms as if daring the headmaster to search her right this instant.
"Your confidence is heartening, but I am still not convinced of your motives. I have been in correspondence with a former teacher of yours who has shared with me some troublesome observations. Is it true that you already studied seventh year material at Hogwarts despite the wishes of your professors?"
"Yes." Tom simply answered. "We wanted to learn as much as possible in the limited time we had."
"So you already felt compelled to leave your homeland behind a full year ago?"
"Yes. The signs for the events of the Great War repeating were obvious, even back then."
Tom took a gulp of his own drink. It was bitter, just how he liked it.
"Bah. No-Majs are as dangerous as they are fickle. That whole mess with Germany will sort itself out in time." Lankvarden declared dismissively. "And is it true that you have a developed interest in dark magic?"
"I would not call it 'developed'. All forms of magic are inherently fascinating and worth studying. Knowing how to shoot a gun and becoming a murderer are two different things however." Tanya supplied.
"Which means yes then. I can't say I approve, but it is part of their syllabus. Regardless, is it the case that you like to play pranks on people? There has been a reported increase of injuries at your school, especially amongst those who ran afoul of you two."
"We were the targets of much scorn and violence ourselves." Tom justified, letting his real frustration and resentment bubble to the surface at this point. "With all due respect, you weren't there, sir. My sister got jumped by a whole group of upper years who tried to kill her! On her first night in the castle no less!"
"Indeed. You will find Professor Slughorn can give ample proof as our witness, sir. We are not sadistic people and we have never instigated any violence." she added.
"Mmmhh..."
Their tense staring match was disrupted by the sounds of the lock turning and the apartment door opening.
"D-Dearies, I'm back! I picked up some more toothpaste if you need any!" Emily called out joyously and Tom had never been more thankful for her empty-headedness.
Lankvarden raised a brow and stood up, leaving the kitchen. He and his sister exchanged a relieved glance before following the man.
"O-Oh, I didn't know w-we had a g-guest? Who m-might you be, Mr.?" asked their guardian cautiously, her posture frozen stiff with fear.
"We told you yesterday that Mr. Lankvarden would come here to check us over. He's the headmaster of Ilvermorny." Tanya softly explained, a patient smile on her lips as began rubbing soothing circles on the woman's back, dutifully dampening her onsetting panic attack.
"Ahh, s-sure... I remember..."
She clearly did not, but not even Lankvarden was impolite enough to mention it.
"I was just on my way out, Miss Willis. Don't worry; I will keep a clear eye on your children. They won't get up to any mischief under my watch." he said, smoothly slipping into his mantle and placing his bowler head on top of his head.
"Oh, that's g-good to hear! It's a big relief to know that they'll be s-safe, hehe..." Emily answered, her eyes going glassy as she probably thought back to her own school days.
"Miss Will, if you would be so kind as to answer merely one last question for me..."
"Uh... y-yeah?" she stuttered as she snapped back to reality.
"Would you say that young Mr. Tom and Miss Tanya have been good and dutiful children to you since their adoption?"
Emily blinked a few times in confusion, adjusting her glasses before laughing hard enough to almost drop her glasses again.
"A-Absolutely! T-They're my little d-darlings and they're the best thing that has e-ever happened to me!"
"That's all I needed to hear. Goodbye then, Miss Willis. Until Monday, children. See you at school."
Tipping his hat, Lankvarden tapped his shoe on the floor once and instantly dispersed into a cloud of dust.
Ah, so that was why he was so confident in his chances of escape...
o-TxT-o
They had to take a train to Massachusetts and then another one to the school, all the while wearing their itchy new blue and red student uniforms. He had been forced to read 'Ilvermorny: A History' by Tanya and as such knew that it was theoretically supposed to be blue and cranberry-coloured, because one of the founders liked the pie so much, but to him it was still just red.
Other practices seemed pretty silly to him as well, like how they were technically not even supposed to possess a wand yet. Students had to leave their wands at school until they were of age to 'ensure the protection of the Statute of Secrecy and themselves'; what a complete load of bat guano. In Britain it had worked out just fine! Also, it would be a cold day in hell when he gave up his wand, with his sister's focus orb that she had made especially for him, to some greasy, American numbskull to toy around with for weeks on end!
Regardless, the Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was not entirely without merit. The native Indians which had been hunted to near extinction with the advent of proper English civilization had their own systems of magic, which were now partially taught at Ilvermorny. Tom did not expect much arcane sophistication from bush-dwelling savages, but anybody who could channel magic without a wand deserved at least a fraction of his attention...
In contrast to Hogwarts, their curriculum also included the natural sciences, which deeply interested him. Tanya had proven that magic was not some indescribable, ethereal thing, but instead something that could be measured and carefully controlled. The laws that governed heaven and earth were surely similar in that aspect, no matter how much the Matron back at the orphanage might have hated the idea. Were radio waves not also similar to magic, in a certain sense? Unseen and unheard they travelled around the globe to deliver messages to those with the ability to listen. Tom wanted to know how they did that, so that he may slave them to his will like his magic already was.
There was no fancy boat tour for them when he and his sister and about one thousand and five hundred other students exited the train. Instead they had to trudge through half a kilometre of rocky woodland before they reached the peak of the mountain that the school had been built on.
The construction was a conglomerate of different building styles, each one obviously added to the main building over time and with a new vision of what it was supposed to be like. A dozen multi-coloured towers with distinct roof and window shapes stretched into the grey sky, each one a monument to a different era or culture. That architectural development ironically left the main hall of the school as the least impressive and most plain part of them all, considering that it had doubtlessly been built in simpler times with a tight budget.
Inside the building, he and his sister were greeted by the professors who insisted on grouping them in with the first years.
Diplomatically, Tom tried to circumvent the whole hassle: "Oh, do we really have to take part in the selection process? At Hogwarts we were already sorted into Slytherin. Is there no equivalent of that house here?"
"Well, Mr. Riddle, quite frankly, I don't know." answered the woman who judging from her embroidered collar was going to be their Ancient Runes teacher in a clipped voice. "I've never been to Hogwarts and though I'm sure it has its own way of doing things, over here we do things our way. So please step on the knot and let the ritual do its work."
In the middle of the hall was a small podium surrounded by four large animal statues, the symbols of Ilvermorny's houses. The whole setup looked a little garish to him, but he nonetheless complied, if only to get done with this quickly and not leave his sister alone in this place.
A slight tingle went up his spine as his foot touched the intricate ornament on the floor. Tom stared expectantly at the snake, waiting for it to choose him, but to his horrified shock, it was instead the bloody cat who roared at him. Oh well, the animals here probably had different meanings anyway. The Horned Serpent was most likely some lame pretender snake that had more in common with the dim cow it took its horns from, than Salazar's pet.
Tanya went after him and the surprises unfortunately didn't end with his sorting. Like with the talking hat there was a lengthy pause before any of the animals made their decision. Ultimately, it was the Thunderbird however who almost hesitatingly beat his wings to welcome her into its house.
No, no, no! That had to be a mistake! Why wasn't that traitorous cat yowling for his sister!?
The selection process continued with the first years and he didn't know what to do. He nodded mechanically when the curious children around him asked him questions, but when the feast appeared on the tables, he didn't touch any of the food.
That night, Tom had a vivid nightmare of unending chasms, of fiery beasts hunting him and a terrible green light striking a thunderbird down. And in the morning his brilliant sister's judgement was proven to be impeccable yet again, because Great Britain had officially declared war against Germany.
o-TxT-o
Now that the entrance ceremony had finally ended, and he had returned to the quiet of his office within the school, William Lankverden stared at the envelope he had found in his pocket earlier that day with pursed lips. All his detection spells were coming back negative and there was no poison or potion of any kind on the paper, but he still didn't entirely trust the thing. That boy, Tom, must have been more subtle than most children if he had managed to slip such a letter into his coat undetected. Definitely a problematic trait for any child to have, especially if they were little geniuses...
Deciding to bite the bullet, he telekinetically sliced the envelope open from a distance and extracted the paper from within.
"Dear Mr. Lakverden, I hope you will not be cross with me for sharing this small gift with you. I trust that both my sister's and my own conduct could prove our suitability in order to continue learning under your extended tutelage, but should that not have come to pass, then I can only hope that the contents of this letter may make you reconsider.
With all due respect,
Tom Willis."
Attached was a complex runic array for a spell of some kind...
William's unflappable expression twisted into abject puzzlement as he unravelled the meaning behind the thing. Could that really be...?
Broomless flight?
Little genius indeed...