By the time that fall had officially arrived in Massachusetts, leaves had begun to turn yellow, orange, and red, appearing as if the coniferous forest was aflame. Each day the mountaintop was covered in a thick misting. It wasn't raining, to be sure, but it was misting. The entire grounds were veiled thickly, and no one could see further than 10 miles away from the school grounds on the mountaintop. The afternoons were still warm, keeping to the high 70s during the hot part of the day, but it had been two weeks since the last earthquake.
Evergreen found himself in Transfiguration on a Wednesday morning with Professor Graves looking over his shoulder as was typical. They were working on a practical, partial transfiguration that kept the shape of an object, but merely changed the material it was made of. Most metals were simple, but gold was all but impossible. According to Professor Graves, one would need to study aureate alchemy to be able to accomplish that. Most alchemy in its simplest form was performed by a Philosopher's Stone, but Evergreen managed to change some small things to gold. On that day, however, he felt Professor Graves' constant presence over his shoulder, so he just managed to change the goblet he was casting on from glass to a goblet-shaped thing made of fur. Yes, it was as disturbing as it sounds. It got a laugh out of Link though.
"Come now, Quandary! You can get it into gold!" Professor Graves exclaimed, making Evergreen jump nearly out of his skin.
"Sorry sir, but this goblet is a lot bigger than those buttons and pin needles were."
"I don't care how big they are! I know you can do it!"
After trying, the goblet changed into not gold, but iron pyrite, "fool's gold", according to a very amused Professor Graves. If the skeletal wizard expected Evergreen to be able to do something like this, it was probably because he would need to be able to do some super hard things for the year's Transfiguration Tournament. Suddenly, Evergreen's mind was swimming with visions of people like Apollo Warin and Victoria Snow and how skilled they likely were, being able to do things like changing a whistle into a watch and having it sing the time! He couldn't do that! Not for the first time, he felt way over his head, but he bowed his head and stayed silent.
Defense Against the Dark Arts was as ambivalent as usual. Why did they have to put rival houses in a class together? Evergreen found it exhausting to try and be civil to anyone in that class. Valerian apparently felt very much the same. The boy had no problem with any Thunderbird just like Evergreen had no issue with any Horned Serpent. Who knows why they had to be so stupid about something like a patch over one's chest?
Getting into Miss Agatha's classroom was nice though. It was always quite cool in her classroom like it had natural air conditioning (likely from the cave outside of the window) and it was great to literally go below all the issues that Evergreen had been facing. Not for the first time, Evergreen felt his blood pressure go down to a relaxed level when he walked in with his friends. Miss Agatha appeared to be sad and distracted still by something. Of course, he would like to help, but if the vampire professor wanted help, she would definitely ask for it. She was a big girl, after all. She was like 400-years-old, right?
"Good aftanoon to y'all." Miss Agatha began. "Please pass forward the assignment from last time. If y'all are still a little iffy on what ya wrote, please understand that I wished for y'all to look at it from the No-Maj position. The Witch Trials were a dirty stain on America's history, but they happened for a reason!"
Evergreen raised his hand.
"Yes, my dear Mr. Quandary?"
"I think you're looking for the term 'devil's advocate', Miss Agatha."
"Hit the nail on the head again, thank you." She replied with a wide smile, showing her large and sharp bicuspids.
They had moved on from the founding of Ilvermorny and were working their way through the Salem Witch Trials in the class. Their assignment was to play the devil's advocate regarding the Salem Witch Trials. Many of the accused were magical, while others were just tragic victims of circumstance. Their assignment was to explain how the No-Maj mobs and courts found the witch hunts and executions to be just. It was a real struggle for Evergreen, because sure, some magic users practiced dark magic at the expense of their No-Maj neighbors, but most just kept to themselves. This was pure hatred for the sake of hating something. Of course, Evergreen grew up going to a church, but if the Divine really considered magic users to be that dangerous, the No-Majs would have access to anti-magic devices or something. He just didn't get it.
Looking up at Miss Agatha while she collected the parchment, Evergreen thought again how unfair the lot in life that fell to Miss Agatha was. She was born 400 years prior to the time they met, and she was turned into a vampire during the prime of her life, no doubt watching as her parents, siblings, potential suitors all died while she remained. Now, she was viewed as a second-class citizen just because someone did something to her that was out of her control. It's not like she was asking for it, she, like all modern vampires, according to Mom's textbook, was assaulted and turned. When just being alive reminds one of their traumas, life couldn't be more difficult.
"Excellent. Thank you very much for completing your work in a timely fashion. Now, please turn to chapter 6 and start to take some notes. I'll be up here grading your words if y'all need me."
So, doing as he was told, Evergreen turned to chapter 6 and began to read more about the Scourer Crisis of the 16 and 1700's. They were apparently a group of wizard mercenaries who would side with the mobs to get some wizards and some No-Majs killed for the right price. People really could suck, sometimes. That was for sure. Why would someone just get up and try to eat their own?
Once back up in the Nest, between their last class and dinner, Evergreen noticed that there was some sort of commotion happening around the Nest bulletin board. Students from each graduating class were pushing and shoving to see something that was posted.
"Hey Seta." Evergreen said, "Do you reckon you'd be able to take a look at whatever that is?"
Seta smiled, showing his long, white incisors. "I do reckon indeed."
With that, Seta leapt from Evergreen's shoulder, hopped over the heads of many students, and hung onto the top of the board with his mighty feet. He took a few seconds to observe whatever it was that they were looking at and then made it back to Evergreen's shoulder.
"So?" Evergreen asked, Link, Glade, and Andie looking on with curiosity.
"It looks like Ilvermorny is having a talent show, organized by Professor Park." Seta said.
"A talent show?" Link asked, "I'll finally be able to play my guitar!"
"What about you, Evergreen?" Andie asked, lightly shoving Evergreen's arm, "Are you going to sing one of your funny songs?"
"What are you talking about?" Evergreen asked in panic, backing away slightly.
"I've heard you singing near the Snakewood Tree, those songs you sing are so funny."
His cheeks burned red. It was true, he did spend some time on the grounds singing funny little songs he made up, mostly about his life experiences. However, he thought that only Seta was around to hear him. He had never sung in front of a crowd of people, not even to his cousins. It was unthinkable! It was undoable! It was impossible!
"So, do you think you'll try out with Link?" Andie asked, batting her lashes slightly.
"Yeah, sure." He replied, without thinking.
On their way to dinner, there was a general excited feeling that prevailed, at least amongst the Thunderbirds. They all headed quickly down the spiral staircase that connected the Nest and the corridor to the Defense classroom and Professor Woods' private office. Most of them were chattering about talking about certain things they could audition with; Evergreen however was lost in his thoughts. Halfway across the annex though, he felt something pull him from behind. It was like a rope of some sort tied around his backbone and pulled him out of the small line of people.
When he stopped, he looked around to see Flax standing there with a few other Wampuses and his wand outstretched. He had somehow pulled Evergreen right out of line. Flax's face was one of annoyance and disgust. He let Evergreen go once they were facing each other only a few paces away.
"You. I know you now. You're Quandary, right? The freak who got my brother expelled?" he mused, pointing his wand at Evergreen again.
Taking out his own wand, Evergreen replied, "I think he got himself expelled, thank you very much."
"You got him expelled all because you were getting between him and some slut." Flax spat.
"She has a name. And she isn't a slut." Evergreen growled.
It was at that moment that Diva herself disentangled herself from the crowd and made her way over to Evergreen. She gave him a pleasant smile and then took out her own wand, pointing it toward Flax.
"That's right." She said, "I do have a name, and you better remember me, Diva."
She spoke with incredible poise and confidence. Evergreen felt a wave of admiration waft over him looking at her.
"It's okay Evergreen, I've got this."
"Are you sure?" he whispered.
"Yeah, I'm sure. Plus, I need this." She whispered back.
Perhaps she was still dealing with her assault the previous year? Because he had never been in that kind of a situation, Evergreen didn't know how long it took to deal with that sort of thing. Maybe she needed to face down someone like this to help her find closure or something? Again, he didn't know. He only knew that he would step aside for his friend but stay nearby, just in case something happened.
"You are exactly as Denyen described you!" Flax said, "Are you thirsty for another pureblood?" he sneered.
Diva visibly shuddered at his words and at the twisted look on his face. She then spread out her feet in a common battle stance that Professor Woods had taught Evergreen. He didn't know where she may have learned it, but he did know that it was effective in making sure one stayed upright during a duel.
A few students stopped to bear witness to the events that were going down. There were probably several dozen students, all looking all, curious at what was going on. Some light conversation was shared between a few individuals, but, as a whole, the place was pretty quiet. Even the crowd of ghosts overhead stopped their aimless floating to see what the students were doing below them.
Then, it began. Flax started by hurling some kind of fireball at Diva. She dodged it quickly and threw a ball of energy back towards him. He deflected it with his wand and then shot out a series of ropes in her direction. With a slash of her wand, all of the ropes shredded to powder, and she sent a wave of light toward Flax. He staggered for a moment but then regained his footing.
"It looks like the mudblood has learned a few things then?" Flax said, "Let's see how much, then."
He pointed his wand and said something Evergreen couldn't hear and what looked like a small lightning bolt came crashing out of the wand and caught Diva right in the chest, burning the top layer of her robes. She staggered back and fell on her rear end. At this, Flax got up really close to her, towering above her with a wild look in his eyes. When Evergreen pointed his wand at Flax, he heard Diva say "expelliarmus" and in the next moment, Flax's wand went flying from his hand. With startling quickness, Diva leapt to her feet and landed a punch square in the middle of Flax's face. A resounding crack was heard. The jerk's nose probably got broken. Serves him right.
In that next moment, it was Flax that fell to the floor and Diva got away to Evergreen's side. She had a smile on her face until they heard a familiar but unwelcome voice.
"What the hell is going on here?" asked Swab Capital, over the voices of the students in the crowd.
No one replied. Flax was holding his nose, Diva's arms were folded, effectively hiding the burned parts of her robes and everyone just stared at Swab. It was clear that no one was going to give him anything.
"You." Swab said, pointing at Evergreen. "Did you do something?"
Swallowing hard, Evergreen replied evenly, "No. I did not. I was on my way to dinner."
"I smell a liar on you." He hissed.
"The only one on Evergreen is me, if you haven't noticed and to question a Bunnybury soldier's honor is tantamount to a death wish, I'll have you know." Seta replied, touching the hilt of his sword.
"Quandary, control your animal." Swab commanded.
"Only if someone controls that pig first." Seta said, pointing toward Swab's face.
The look of fury on Swab's face would have been comical if it wasn't so frightening. He reached out and almost laid his hands on Evergreen. In the same moment that Seta unsheathed his short sword, a small ball of light pushed Swab and Evergreen apart. Glancing off toward the stairs, it was Professor Woods, just coming out of her classroom, lowering her wand, and walking toward the center of the annex where the crowd was gathered.
"Swab. Take a walk. Mr. Jameson," she said, pointing to a very large dark-skinned kid, "take Mr. Flax to the medic station for a skele-grow caplet, the rest of you to dinner. Now!"
Everyone did as they were told, but Professor Woods stopped Diva for a moment. Evergreen decided to stop himself.
"You did well." She said, evenly. "Let me fix your robes quickly." She waved her wand over Diva's chest and the burned fabric repaired itself in moments. "Are you hurt at all?"
"A little bit, Professor Woods." She replied. She then proceeded to pull the collar of her robe so Woods could see something on Diva's chest that Evergreen couldn't see from his vantage point.
"That's not bad." She replied, pulling a small vial out of her own robes, and letting a few drops of it drip down beneath Diva's collar. "Plus, you should take a Pepper-Up potion. Accio. There you are." She then handed Diva another small vial. "Drink up and get to dinner. Be more careful in the future, would you?"
A/N: Hey all. Thanks for reading. Here are another few chapters that I had edited this evening. I have just finished the first draft of the next installment in this story, so more is coming! Just like, follow, comment, or whatever you want if you like what you're reading!
-EQ