Eric's corpse was being dragged across the ground by a figure he could not see. Two large hands gripped his ankles. They were strong, akin to shackles. He somehow knew he was dead, dead as dead can be, but despite his lack of a heartbeat or brain activity, he was still conscious. Why? He couldn't say. He attempted to look around the room he was in for any identifying marks. To his surprise, his eyes responded. The interior was unfamiliar. It seemed like a house with wooden floors, and floral patterned furniture. Who's it was, or where the home was located on a map wasn't something that Eric could recall.

Eric tried to look down at the rest of his body. As he craned his neck down, it felt as if something had bit him. A sharp, agonizing sensation starting from the center of his throat rose up like bile into his mouth. His neck was wet with a thick liquid. He tried to gasp for air, but as he did, another shot of pain came from his esophagus. Pools of blood soaked the floor beneath him.

"Sloppy work as always." A voice in the room said. It was unfamiliar to him, but evidently not to the figure dragging him. Eric felt the hands around his ankles tighten.

"I'm doing this for you."

"You're doing this for us"

"This was not my idea."

"And yet, you're taking part in it and following my directions faithfully."

"Which wasn't part of our deal. I thought I was supposed to be helping you, not be your personal hitman."

There was silence. Then the room dragged to the left as the man took another step forward. From this new vantage point he could see the other person in the room. The figure wore a cloak and a pair of clean white gloves. Eric had trouble making out his face, and it took him a second to figure out why. A visual noise spell, with effects similar to prosopagnosia. Though for a moment, Eric could have sworn he saw a pair of eyes. Intensely blue.

"This complaining isn't like you." The man in the mask said.

The killer let go of the ankles of Eric's corpse, letting his legs fall to the floor next to him with a thud.

"Is this it?" He asked.

"Is 'what' it? Be more specific"

The assailant's voice was bubbling between annoyance and anger. "Is this really the best plan you can come up with? We murder three people and whisk away the evidence, and this is somehow supposed to help?"

"This is the most efficient way, yes."

"Always you with efficiency, I didn't ask for 'efficient' I asked for best."

"Are the two not synonymous?"

"Not if it means killing people."

"I do believe that you've already crossed that particular line."

"Time turners exist."

"You know as well as I that's not how they work. She dies either way. Fate is inevitable. Magic is inevitable." When the man in the mask said 'she' he pointed towards Eric. Eric tried to speak, but another gush of blood came from his throat.

"Look, this is precisely what I'm talking about. She's not even dead yet. Sloppy, inefficient work." The man with the white gloves said.

"It's all going to be cleaned up anyways, what does it matter?"

"The living can be healed. The healed can talk."

The masked man stepped towards the woman Eric was looking through the eyes of. Eric tried to struggle to move as the faceless man reached down with his pair of white gloves, his presence entirely too close.

"Wait."

The hand stopped, centimeters from Eric's nose. Eric wanted to toss, he wanted to scream.

"Some sort of problem?"

"I- I don't know."

The man stood up. Eric couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, a sigh that resulted in a new wave of pain. He felt the tendons of muscle at the edges of the wound give way as he squirmed. He felt like screaming, but used every bit of his willpower to stop.

The man without a face took a step closer to the man Eric couldn't see. They were both at the edge of his periphery, barely blurs, movement that made the muscles at the back of Eric's head twitch, begging to turn.

"Do you love your daughter?"

"Are you accusing me-"

"Good parents would do anything for their kid. That's a basic concept you can understand, right?"

"You don't have to preach to me."

"Then do it. Hesitation only creates more sloppiness, sloppiness makes bad executions, bad executions ruins plans. And I have worked meticulously to fit you into my broader tapestry. Whether you agree or not, there is no world in which these people live. Their sacrifice will be your stepping stone. The road to your success. Take it."

"Still."

"Do you remember what she looked like?"

"Of course." The man seemed taken aback by his companions' questions. Even going so far as to choke out his answer.

"Was she a happy kid."

There was a moment of hesitation, whether from anger at the audacity or a reminiscing about this lost loved one, Eric couldn't tell.

"The happiest."

"You could be like her then. It's up to you."

The silence was cold. Eric could feel his eyelids growing heavy. He was not willing to go into that sweet goodnight. He needed to know more. Some deep, primal aspect of himself, whether it be curiosity or yearning, hungered to know who these men were. The man stepped into his field of vision, but even that had now become so blurred from fog that Eric couldn't make out any details of the man in front of him.

"Woah."

"What is it now?"

"She's glaring at me."

The kick flew towards Eric's head with a violence meant solely for insects. Eric's neck snapped to the side.

Eric's hands shot towards his throat. It was there, unsnapped, smooth pale flesh underneath thin fingers. A cold sweat had accumulated, and Eric could feel his heart beat faster than normal. 'A bad dream is just a bad dream' he told himself. Of course, as every wizard knew dreams were more than just dreams. They were looks into a deep psyche, or visions of the future, or even mental connections with other individuals. But none of that needed to come into consideration. Even if it was portents of the future, there's no reason that should apply to him. They never had before.

He took a moment to take in his surroundings. The cramped room and smell of an old, broken air conditioning unit grounded him back in the present moment. He scowled.

Eric hated trains. He hated almost everything about them. He hated how they moved, how sticky the public platforms were, and how each groan of the wheels could mean the passengers spiraling into the ground. The Ilvermorny Express 3 wasn't an exception. In lots of ways, it was worse. The garish orange wallpaper and lack of cold air made Eric's stomach churn. He felt his guts lurch to one side as the train hit a bank. He groaned.

The folding of a newspaper alerted Eric to the other presence in the room.

"Awake? Finally" Aunt Lizze said she packed some cures for motion sickness in your bag." A girl with blue hair asked. Eric shook his head.

"I told her not to touch my stuff."

"That doesn't mean she listened."

Eric pondered the idea, and then, with a grunt, he shifted his body to look up at the overhead container. There was a large travel suitcase sitting in the mesh lining of the shelf. With a bit of effort, he pulled it down, set it on the booth beside him, and unzipped the lid.

"Fuck."

The suitcase was perfectly organized. Khakis, maroon collared shirts, three pairs of belts, boxers, socks both normal and dress wear, a pair of dress shoes, all of them neatly folded, ironed and sorted, fit inside the interior of the suitcase. There was one exception. The inside lining of the lid held a row of unkempt, unorganized potion bottles, each with individual handwritten labels.

"Is it not there?"

"No, it's here" Eric picked up one bottle from the lining of the lid. It was glass with pink liquid. Tiny salmon flakes sat motionless inside of the potion. Eric tilted the container to one side and the concoction flowed like a syrup. He uncorked the bottle and downed its contents. It was cold, sticky, and tasted sweet, like maple syrup. Eric could feel his stomach settle into place. Energy washed over him like he had stepped into a shower.
"Better?" Mia flipped to the next page of the newspaper. Eric nodded.

"You think you would have grabbed it the first time I suggested it?"

"I was asleep, you were talking to a corpse" Eric said, the irony of this statement not lost on him.

"I'll still never get why you don't like these things. Trains are just better cars."

"There's just… too many unknown variables with trains. You know I'm bad at making decisions."

"Do I ever," Mia rolled her eyes, "Seriously Eric, as direct as you are with school, everything else seems to be a struggle."

"You know about the plan. I don't have to explain myself."

"Not that you ever would. Mind if I open the window?"

"No!"

That ended their conversation for the moment. Eric settled back into his resting position and looked towards a spot on the floor to keep his focus. A stain, presumably from a spilled potion or soda. God this place needed to be cleaned.

Mia continued to read her newspaper. The big bold headline 'Headmistress Missing?' sprawled over the top center of the cover. A photograph of the woman covered her face to hide from the cameras. Every once and awhile, the still image of the headmistress would animate, turn around and shoo away one of the reporters.

Eric would have found the sound of shuffling papers to be relaxing, if not for the never ceasing pounding of the iron wheels beneath him. It was all too much. And what was that damned knocking?

Mia and Eric looked towards the sliding door, then back to each other, a puzzled look on both their faces.

"You don't have any friends coming to see you?" Eric asked. Mia shook her head.

"They should all be in the 3rd year car."

Eric thought for a moment then stood up, making his way to the door. The fogged glass made only the shadowy form of the figure visible. They were tall, and the lack of defined arms made it clear they were probably wearing a robe or cloak. With the flick of the latch, the door slid open, revealing a boy with messy black hair and a pair of thick, round glasses.

"Hello! I apologize for intruding, but I can't seem to find a seat." The boy said.

"Dude," Mia said, "We left the last station like five hours ago. Where have you been this entire time?"

The boy fidgeted. "Wandering mostly, I got into an hour-long conversation with one of the older staff members that I couldn't escape from. And by the time that was done, all the cars were either full, or didn't want me. "

"Well, we're no exception. This is a private car," Eric said.

"Eric!" Mia rolled up her newspaper and smacked him with it. She was too far away to get a solid hit and only brushed the side of his leg.

"What? We were supposed to ride with just the two of us. You promised that if any of your friends come, you'd turn them away."

"Yeah, but he's not one of my friends. I don't know him."

Eric turned to look at the boy. He was wearing his school robes, but underneath that, was clearly a messy, unkempt t-shirt, and the hints of a pair of blue jeans revealed themselves at the bottom of the robe. In his hand he dragged a rolling carry on, stuffed full. So much so that the top of the case bubbled upwards, and bits of loose fabric stuck out from the hole made by the zipper.

"You're not friends with Mia?"

"No, I don't know anyone here?"

"Nobody? Aren't you in your 3rd or 4th year?"

"No. I'm a first year."

Eric blinked in surprise. "You're tall!"

The boy clearly didn't know what to say, and looked at Mia. When no answers or suggestions came from her, he looked back at Eric.

"Uh, thanks? You are uh… short?"

Mia burst into a fit of laughter as Eric's knuckles went white. His grip on the door frame increased.

"Thank you. You can leave now."
"Wait! I meant no offense, I just… Look, my name is Percy Zaayer. I just want to be anywhere other than the dining car right now."

"I'm Mia, and this is Eric. We're the Makanarha siblings. You can sit anywhere. Eric bites though, as a word of warning."

Percy smiled and gently pushed his way past Eric. Eric scowled at Mia, who simply stuck her tongue out at him.

Percy sat down next to Mia, and gave her a bright smile. Eric sat too, folding his arms and choosing not to look at either of the two.

"You two aren't in dress code?" Percy mentioned. "I thought we were required to be in our school robes."

"Not until we actually get to the platform."

"Oh, sweet!"
"Hear that Eric? We don't have to be in uniform, so you can take off Harvard's attire."

Eric sat down with a huff. "I like my collared shirts. They're comfortable. At least it's not your skater girl get up, seriously you learn one sport and then the whole fucking aesthetic comes along with it."

"Whatever, you're just jealous that my fit gets me bitches."

"I don't want 'bitches', as you so eloquently put it. I just want to get sorted into Wampus and make it through the school year."

"Aww, want to be with your big sis at school?"

"I'm sorry. I'm a bit confused," Percy interrupted. "What's a Wampus?"

Eric and Mia, again, shared a glance.

"You don't know what Wampus is?" Mia said.

"Should I?"

"Yes? Of course?" Eric said, "I would think that anyone going to Ilvermorny would know of the house system."

"Yeah, well, I'm new to all of this."

"Oh, you're no-maj born?" Mia asked. Percy shrugged.

"That's what people keep referring to me as, but I'm not familiar with the language."

"You're going to have to catch up on a lot then."

"Well, we can start with the house system. For starters there are four houses," Mia began, "Thunderbird, Pukwudgie, Horned Serpent, and my house Wampus. Each house takes students based on their values. Pukwudgie values heart, Horned Serpent values smarts, Wampus values strength, and Thunderbird values-"

"Pussies," Eric said, "Thunderbird values pussies."

"Eric please" Mia pinched the bridge of her nose, "Thunderbird values spirit."

"Which is the most noncommittal value to begin with. All the others have clear aspects, but what the fuck is 'spirit'. No, it's an extra house, where the extras go. Anyone who isn't good enough to fit the other houses ends up in Thunderbird."

"The current headmistress is from Thunderbird."

"And according to the newspaper you hit me with," Eric pointed to the rolled-up piece of paper in Mia's hand, "She's locked herself in her office and hasn't responded to anyone's calls. Maybe her new position got to her. Like I said. Pussies."

Mia pursed her lips and muttered something about everyone being a critique underneath her breath.

"And you want Wampus?" Percy asked.

"Yes," Eric said, "what of it?"

"Nothing, it's just that Mia said its aspect is strength and you just don't exactly-"

"I don't exactly, what?"

"You just look kind of nerdy is all."

"That's because he is a nerd," Mia said. Eric shoved his hands in his khaki pockets. He felt the familiar wooden texture of his wand brush against the back of his fist.

"You don't have to be strong to get into Wampus, you just have to value strength."

"Which is exactly the kind of answer a nerd would give!" Mia folded her arms.

"What? Do you want to question me? Tell me what my opinions are?" Eric said. Percy shifted, uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to start an argument."

"No, Percy, you're fine. Eric is just being smug. Here," Mia said, "Have a Wizz Pop."

She dug in her book bag. The sound of glass bottles clinking against each other made Eric perk up.

"You have Wizz Pop?"

"Of course I do. Would you also like one you big baby?"

"...yes"

"Yes, what?"

"You aren't our fucking aunts. You can't pull that kid shit on me."

"I can and I will,"

"You're not doing it to teach me a lesson. You're doing it to embarrass me." Eric took a swipe at the bottle. Mia's hand rocketed straight into the air, holding it above his head. A devilish grin hinged itself on either side of her ears.

"Trust me, I do not need to goad you to get you to do anything embarrassing. You do that shit to yourself."

"Just give him the Wizz Pop." Percy said. Mia froze. She looked at Percy with a puzzled expression. Then, after a beat, nodded as if accepting something, handed the bottle to Eric, and then another to Percy.

Eric cracked open the lid of the bottle, but not before giving Percy a look of confusion. A satisfying hiss followed as the carbonation released into the surrounding air. He drank. It was sweet, much like the potion earlier, but it wasn't as sticky. The cabin seemed to get cooler as his body adjusted to the temperature of the drink.

"It's still cold." Percy said, "but you got this out of a bookbag? How is that possible?"

"Uh, magic?" Mia cocked an eyebrow.

"Oh… right." Percy said, "So like… the both of you can cast magic?"

"Well I can, but he's still too much of an infant to know anything yet." Mia said.

"Hey! I was leading you in the number of spells cast before you started school"

"I don't, frankly, give a shit." Mia turned her attention back to Percy. "So… want to see me cast some spells?"

"Sure!" Percy leaned forward as if to get a better look. Eric started to protest as Mia got out her wand.

"I don't really think that's the best idea, this room can't be any bigger than seven feet"

"Relax! The new guy wants to see some pyrotechnics, so let's show him some pyrotechnics!"

"I really don't-"

"Incendio!" The end of Mia's wand ignited as a small stream of flame filled the box. Eric flattened himself against the seat. He could feel the already sweltering room heat up a few degrees. His hands started to sweat, but whether it was from the anxiety or the heat, Eric couldn't tell.

However, Percy was loving it. He leaned even farther forward, the light from the spectacle reflecting off of the windowed frames of his glasses. His mouth was open in a smile that spelled delight, and as the flames died down, he gave Mia a solo round of applause.

"That was great!"

"Fire! Are you insane! What would've happened if you burnt the car!"

"But I didn't," Mia said. "You're so worried all the time, live a little, Percy obviously enjoyed himself."

Percy nodded in agreement, but Eric merely scoffed.

"Yeah of course you can impress someone who doesn't know magic with a spell you learn in year 1."

"We get to learn how to shoot fire in our first year!" Percy beamed.

"See! Excitement! That's what magic should be about! I think we should take lessons from this poor, naive boy, stop and smell the roses, learn to appreciate the little things in life!"

"Excuse me while I barf"

Magic. That was what Ilvermorny was about, teaching magic. It was easy to get lost in all the cold drinks and potions that turned you into snails, or whatever the fuck, but magic was dangerous. A fact that Eric knew first hand. And Mia was just shooting around fireballs as if there were no consequences.

The conversation ended as the train intercom crackled to life. There was a momentary pause as the feedback dissipated. The conductor spoke, it was with a tired, slow voice, one expected from an old man.

"The Ilvermorny Express 3 will arrive at the station in about fifteen minutes. Make sure your luggage is marked clearly with your name so station workers can bring it to your dorms after the ceremony. All students must be in their school robes by the time we arrive. That is all."

The intercom closed off with a screech.

"Well, shit." Mia said, "Eric, can you get my bag off the shelf?"

"Sure, fine." Eric said. He reached towards Mia's second carry on, and managed to pull it down. Gravity took it the rest of the way down and it hit the floor with a bang.

"Easy!" Mia said. Eric ignored her as he handed her the luggage.

"Not like there's anything of use in there."
The three of them spent the next couple of minutes pulling out their robes and becoming presentable for the sorting ceremony.

"The silver lining shows the outside of the coat, not the inside. You have it inside out" Eric had said to Percy. Percy quickly adjusted his robes.

When they were all done the train slid into the station, and with a hiss, locked itself in place. Eric jolted forward from the momentum. Steam from the engine filled the outside platform.

"I have to go on ahead." Mia said, "Older students go first while the first years stay behind so they can enter together for the ceremony."

"Wait… no, but you said earlier" Eric protested.

"Don't worry, you'll be fine. All you have to do is stand there for a moment. I think even you can handle that"

"That's not what I'm talking about. I-"
"This isn't a discussion." She turned to Percy and gave him a nod. Percy returned it with gratitude. As she left the taller of the two boys turned to Eric. His expression was a curious one, as if he was reading Eric's face like a book.

Eric didn't say anything in response. He bit the nail of his thumb as he watched Mia leave.

"She's cool." Percy slumped back into the seat. Eric rolled his eyes.

"To you and everyone else. You put on a bit of eyeliner, learn to skateboard, and shave the side of your head, and then suddenly everyone in a thousand mile radius wants to be your sister, or worse, date her."

"No, I mean that she was willing to sit with you in the car instead of hanging out with her friends."

Eric didn't know how to respond. And the words that left his mouth felt unsatisfactory even to him.
"It's what she's supposed to do."

"Well I think it's neat." Percy smiled. "Want to meet up with the other first years?"

"Not really, but it sounds like I will have to."

"I'm sure it won't be that bad."

"You don't seem bothered."

Percy paused, and gave Eric a quizzical look. "What do you mean?"

"Nothing, just something I noticed. Let's go, I'm sure the others are waiting."

Percy nodded in agreement.

Eric got up from his seat and dusted himself off. He checked his hair just to make sure nothing got singed. In hindsight the train ride wasn't the worst he's been on, though it was the longest. He wished for the thousandth time that he knew how to apparate, at least then the nausea would be over in an instant. He opened his pack and stuffed a small book into his back pocket, then closed it again.

"Was she a happy kid?"

That was the question posed in the dream. To a stranger. Eric didn't know. Mia felt like a happy kid.

As he opened the door a Fizzbie whistled past his face. He stammered back as an older blonde boy caught the contraption before tossing it back down the corridor. It sparked each time it bounced off the sides of the train.

"Animals!" Eric murmured.

But that wasn't the end of his troubles. The train was packed like a sardine can, and every which way, students tall and small were blasting off spells, eating strange candies, and turning their friend's noses into tiny elephant trunks. Small explosions, cheers and laughter were the only things Eric could hear. Eric was glad that the conductor had told them to leave their bags, otherwise the process of leaving would have become a lot more difficult.

Finally, his feet hit the solid stone of the platform. Students bustled around, small sparklers crackling in the air, the occasional toad or owl being pushed on carts by station hands, and Weasley's candy causing their ears to sound off like train whistles all crowded around the exit of the locomotive filled the space around him. Eric clenched his fists.

There was too much around him. Too much noise, too much… things. He focused his attention elsewhere, trying to get his mind out of the sheer amount of people around him. It took him a moment to find visual relief, but when his eyes settled on a stationary spot, he nearly gasped.

On the top of a mountain was a castle. Its four towers stretched high into the sky dwarfing the pine forest below it. The castle itself was beautiful, but what tipped it over into a masterpiece of architecture was one of the towers. In the center, the highest tower pointed towards the sky, as if challenging God himself. Towards the top of it an orange circle marked the face of a giant clock. He watched as one of the large iron hands shifted into its next position. A loud boom resonated across the mountain side. It was 8 pm. The sun was setting and the shadow of the castle nearly touched the station platform. Eric had made it. He was at Ilvermorny.