Chapter One: The Letter
Erica
was never one to be jealous. She was always happy when people had great things
happen to them. She was excited when her friends got the new toys, even if she
didn’t. She was happy for her friends when they got to go on fun trips and
Erica had to stay behind because her parents couldn’t afford any extravagant
vacations. But she had parents who loved her very much, and she also had an
older brother who was only mean to her sometimes, so she had no reason to be
jealous of anyone.
That
was until the day her brother got a very special letter in the mail. It was the
very letter people had whispered about at school, arguing about whether or not
it was real. After Johnny Horton never came to school for grade six, his friend
told everyone it was because he’d gotten a
letter. They said it like that, too. A
letter. Like saying where the letter was from would get you into trouble.
Like saying that you thought it was real meant everyone making fun of you for
believing in magic.
Erica
always hoped that it was real. She always wished and dreamed of going away to a
magic school, not because she didn’t have a good life at home, but just because
she wanted magic to be real. She wanted to live in a world where you could find
colour in new places. She wanted to live in a world where magic wasn’t just a
slight of hand. She wanted to live in a world where she didn’t have to whisper
two words to herself four times before having the courage to say it out loud,
in fear of someone judging her for it. She so
wanted magic to be real.
She
watched her older brother’s eyes widen in shock as he gripped the envelope in
his hand. She pressed her face up to the stairway banister, peering through the
wooden spindles, and down at her brother’s shaking fingers as he tore away the
bright blue wax seal, and pulled the letter out from inside.
She
knew right away what it was, just as he did. Even though neither of them had
ever seen one, or talked to anyone about it who had seen it either, they knew
what it was. He was going to be a magician.
His
eyes finally found hers, and she gasped, afraid for a reason she couldn’t
place.
“Erica,”
he whispered harshly.
She closed her mouth, but didn’t
move from the stairs.
“Erica,”
he said again. “Come down here and read this for me.”
“Why?”
“I
want to make sure I’m not going crazy.”
She
slowly stood, and then even slower, made her way down the stair case and met
her older brother by the front door. He handed her the small letter, and she
ran her fingers along the single crease in the center.
“Dear
Brett, congratulations on being accepted to Sarracenia School for Magic. If you
choose to accept, please be patient as another golden eagle will drop off a
list of needed school supplies, and instructions on how to acquire them and
arrive safely at Sarracenia. Us muggle-borns have to stick together. Winky
face.”
“What’s
a muggle-born?” Brett asked her.
“I
don’t know. Why is there a winky face in your acceptance letter?”
“Why
do I have an acceptance letter? I never applied to any fancy magic school.”
“You
don’t apply, Brett! You can just go if you’re a witch or wizard!”
“Don’t
be stupid.” Brett snatched the letter from Erica’s hand and stormed up the
stairs. She didn’t understand why he was acting the way that he was. He seemed
to be excited at first, but after she had read the letter, he completely
changed. Why didn’t he want to go to a magic school? Didn’t he want to be a
wizard? Was he going to tell their parents about it? She wanted him to tell
their parents, but at the same time, she didn’t want him to. She wanted to be
the first person in her family to go to magic school. She didn’t want her
brother to do it before her. Especially if he wasn’t even excited about it.
But
the next day came, and her brother hadn’t said a word.
The
day after that, he still didn’t say anything, so another letter arrived in
their mailbox. And then another. Until finally, the mailbox was overflowing,
and her mom came in the house, dropping the letters all over the floor.
“Brett!”
she called up the stairs. “Why do you have so many fancy letters here?”
Erica
gasped and ran down the stairs, wishing and hoping her mother would open one of
them, and take her with them to a magical land to buy Brett’s school supplies,
but then also secretly hoping that she would think it was a joke, and he would
have to go to ordinary school just like her in the fall.
Her
parents didn’t think that it was a joke. And Erica was not allowed to travel
with them to magical parts of the province. Students and parents only. She
pouted in her room as her babysitter sat downstairs and watched Netflix. Erica
was definitely jealous.
One
year later, Erica had heard countless stories about the magical school, set on
a cliff in Newfoundland, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, and about her brother
wandering the halls of the old castle that was visible only to those who could
do magic. She came to tears any time she listened to him talk of Sarracenia, or
of the spells and charms he learned, or of the magical creatures he met,
because she was so happy that it was all real, but also because she was just so
darn jealous of him.
But
one year later, also came the day that she spotted a golden eagle fly away from
her house. The same type of golden eagle that had delivered letters to her and
her parents from Brett while he was away at Sarracenia. She held her breath as
she ran down the stairs two at a time, and flung the front door open. Erica
lifted the lid on the family mail box and almost squealed when she saw the
ivory coloured envelope inside, sealed with a bright blue Serracenia crest made
of wax.
Chapter
Two: The Pirate Ship
Sarracenia
School for Magic was free to all students, and there were few supplies they
needed to bring, but they were not cheap. Erica’s parents warned her that they
would not be going to the most fancy or expensive magic shops to find her
uniform, or her wand, but to the small second hand shops instead. She smiled
and agreed, thinking that old wands had to have more magic in them anyway.
Brett
showed off, and showed them all how to get into the secret magic passageway
from one of the washroom hallways inside the Eaton Centre. Erica thought it was
weird that the passageway to a magical part of Toronto was on the way to a set
of washrooms, but she went with it, and tried not to cringe as she heard a
toilet flush.
“You
just have to press your hand to the wall like this,” Brett said, looking around
to make sure that no one saw. “And it lets you through.”
“What
about mom and dad?” Erica asked, worried.
“Muggles
can go through as long as they are with a witch or wizard. But it’s against the
rules to bring any muggles besides your parents.”
“You
keep saying that word,” Erica sighed. “But you never say what it means.”
“Non-magic
people.”
“Oh.”
Erica and her parents all said at once.
They
passed through the wall and emerged into the busy, bustling streets of Wizard
Toronto. That’s not what it was actually called, but that’s what Erica called
it in her head. The streets were made of cobble stone, and the store fronts
curved around the uneven roads, their crooked doors and crooked rooves not
allowing her smile to falter. She had never thought that she would get to step
foot in a place like this. People rushed passed them, and people strolled by in
front of them, and people stopped and chatted in small groups. Some of the
older people were wearing pointy hats that drooped down a little like they were
sad. But Erica was sure they were just well worn.
She
wanted to walk the magical, cobble stone streets for the rest of her life, but
she knew she needed a wand. As the realization struck her, she got even more
excited and pulled on her mom’s arm, forcing her to walk faster.
The
wand shop was small, and smelled musty, but the attendant was very nice. Erica
smiled as the shop worker snooped through boxes and boxes, trying to find the
right wand for her.
“Ah,”
she said with a grin. “I think this one will do.” The attendant stepped towards
Erica and gave her a look up and down, and with another toothy smile, she held
the box out to her.
Erica
leaned forward and peered into the wooden case holding the most beautiful thing
she had ever seen. The wand was thicker at the base, good use for a handle, and
slowly tapered as it reached the end. She ran her fingers along it and felt the
little sharp bend in the middle, which she thought gave it character.
“Sycamore
with unicorn core,” the woman said.
Erica
slowly pulled the wand from its box and held it loosely in her hands, afraid of
breaking it. Everyone, she realized, was staring at her, waiting for her to do
something. So she took a step back and gave the wand a little wave.
“and
surprisingly swishy,” the attendant added, just before her glasses floated off
her face and gracefully made their way to Erica.
“I
didn’t mean to do that,” she whispered.
The
woman reached out and took her glasses back, put them back on. “Of course you
didn’t, dear. That’s why you’re going to Sarracenia!”
She
got fitted for a few Sarracenia uniforms, which consisted of black pants, a
white collared shirt, and a bright blue tie. Her parents bought her a brand new
cardigan as a congratulation present, which was black with bright blue trimming
along the collar and cuffs, and of course, the Sarracenia crest on the breast
pocket.
They
were going to be late for the train. Brett lead the way, his brown trunk
rolling behind him as he ran along the subway platform, barely looking back to
make sure that his sister was keeping up. They ran along the platform as the
train came to a stop, and people around started to get on, possibly wondering
why they weren’t boarding themselves.
They
made it as far down as they could go, and stopped in front of the wall at the
end of the platform to catch a breath. They kissed their parents and said
goodbye, and Erica watched as her brother stepped into the wall and
disappeared.
“Here
goes nothing,” she said to herself, after waving to her parents one more time.
She held her breath, and stepped into the wall.
But
it just looked like another ordinary subway station. This couldn’t have been
right. Wasn’t there supposed to be a magical subway waiting for them? Weren’t
there supposed to be other magical students getting ready to board the train?
“Hurry,
or we’ll miss it!” her brother shouted. He ran up a set up concrete stairs, his
trunk thunking behind him on every step.
Erica
thought that she was strong for an 11-year-old, but she wasn’t strong enough to
pull her trunk up those stairs as fast as her brother could. He made it to the
top much faster than she did, and with a sigh, he left his own trunk and went
back down the stairs to help her carry hers up.
“Thanks,”
she said, out of breath.
“Hurry!”
he cried again, grabbing his trunk and running off.
Erica
gripped the handle of her luggage, and looked up to see where she was going,
and she almost fainted.
They
were no longer in a subway station – not even close. They were in a harbor,
surrounded by boats and ships that all looked at least 200 years old. The sails
were huge, and tall, towering over the crowds below. She had to stop and admire
the view, but got lost in the excitement when she noticed the Sarracenia crest
on the biggest sail she had ever seen. She felt like she needed to loosen her
tie and take in a deep breath. The big, wooden boat swayed in the water and she
couldn’t help but compare it to a pirate ship. A magical pirate ship.
“Are
you coming?” Brett asked, a playful grin on his face. He didn’t tell her how
they were getting there on purpose. Erica was sure that he wanted it to be as
much of a surprise for her as it was for him the year before.
“Yes,”
she breathed. “Yes, I’m coming.”
Erica
stayed close to Brett, but fought the urge to hold his hand. She was 11 years
old; she didn’t need to hold her brother’s hand. But she was so overwhelmed
with everything that she felt like she needed to hold on to something. So she
settled for the wooden railing beside her, as she looked down at the water
below.
“The
water here isn’t real,” Brett said softly. “It’s just a spell.”
“What
do you mean? How will it get around?”
“You’ll
see.” He grinned and put a hand on the railing beside hers.
Erica
looked around at all the different people on the ship with them, ranging from
her age, up to 17 years old. Most of the 17-year-olds looked a little bored,
probably because this was their seventh time doing this, but they still seemed
excited to be seeing their friends again. All the kids her own age were looking
around with wide eyes and open mouths, completely taken aback by everything.
“Hi!”
a girl her age with whispy blonde hair said.
“Hi,”
Erica replied.
“I’m
Carly. Are you a first year?”
Erica
nodded.
“Me
too! But I know all about Serracenia because I have three brothers who all go
to school there, too. Plus my mom’s a professor there.”
“Your
mom’s a professor?” Erica couldn’t imagine having a magical parent. “Did you
know your whole life that you would get accepted?”
“Of
course! Didn’t you?”
Erica
shook her head, stunned.
“Are
you a muggle born?”
“Um,
I guess.”
“Cool.
I haven’t met any muggle born witches or wizards before. I haven’t even met
that many muggles, actually!”
“You
haven’t?” Erica’s head was spinning with all this weird talk. Where did she
live if she hadn’t met any muggles? She still lived in the real world, didn’t
she?
“Oh,
I have to go stay with my brothers,” Carly said. “But it was nice to meet you!
Maybe we’ll be in the same dorm!” She ran off with a wave, and Erica wasn’t
really sure what to do.
That’s
when the pirate ship rumbled and almost knocked Erica off her feet. The ship
wasn’t setting sail; it was rising in the air! She reached out with her free
hand and grabbed onto the railing with that one too, afraid of falling, even
though the ship was rising straight up and didn’t seem like it would topple to
the side. But you can’t be too careful. It continued higher and higher, and
once it got to what seemed like as high as it would go, it started to move
forward, slowly at first, and then picking up speed. The wind whipped at her
hair and made her breath hitch, but she managed to catch it, and inhale deeply.
Once she was over the shock of the flying pirate ship, she leaned over the
railing to watch Toronto below them get smaller and farther away, none of the
muggles having a clue what was soaring past them in the sky.
Chapter
Three: Sarracenia
As
soon as the pirate ship started lowering, Erica noticed two other ships coming
into the same place. They must have sailed off from other parts of Canada; for
those who didn’t live anywhere near Toronto. They all made it to the shore at
about the same time, and suddenly Erica was getting very anxious. She grabbed
her trunk and followed her brother to the ramp that lead to dry ground. There
were five people waiting on the salty shore, each shouting out words that Erica
didn’t understand.
“Elvil!”
One of the older men called.
“Revvin,
come with me!”
“Tryde
Court, you’re this way!”
“Thaiden
House!” A woman yelled.
“Rose
Tower!”
Rose,
that was a word Erica knew. But she still didn’t know why they were saying
these things.
“First
years! This way!” Another man shouted. That was something she could understand.
Erica gripped the handle on her trunk and waved goodbye to her brother, and she
watched him stride up to the man who had been shouting the word Revvin. She
noticed all the other students forming groups around these five adults, and
shrugged, making her way over to the man who was collecting the first years.
The
group of first years was pretty big; 70 people, she guessed. Maybe more. She
wanted to introduce herself to some of the kids in the group, but she was too
nervous, so she just followed everyone up a cobble stone walkway, and around a
wet, grassy hill.
As
they rounded the hill and Erica managed to avoid falling on her bum three
different times, she finally saw it. She almost lost her breath as she looked
up at the magnificent castle sitting on top of a cliff. It was only then that
she realized how high they had climbed, and when she looked down at the ocean
below, she got quite dizzy. Erica gripped her trunk and swallowed hard, telling
herself that she could do this. That they hadn’t actually walked up a hill that
steep, and weren’t actually approaching a ground crumbling cliff. It was magic.
It had to be.
And
ok, the ground wasn’t actually crumbling, but it looked like it could crumble
at any time. What with the ocean waves crashing against the rock, and the giant
castle sitting on top looking incredibly heavy.
The
castle inside was made of large stones, and Erica looked up the tall ceilings
and along the pointed archways in awe. She couldn’t believe she was going to be
living here for the next ten months.
“Everyone
can leave their luggage here,” the professor said in a loud, but friendly
voice.
Erica
left her trunk with everyone else’s and then followed the group of students
down the stone hallway, listening to the voices of excited 11-year-olds
bouncing off the walls around her.
The
professor stopped in front of a magnificent set of wooden doors that went up
almost as high as the ceiling. He smiled at the group and introduced himself.
“Hello
first years! Welcome to Sarracenia! My name is Professor Tanner and I’m head of
first years. The first years who come to Sarracenia are entering a new world,
and everything about the school is unfamiliar, whether or not you grew up in a
magical family. So I’m here to explain to you the goings on at the school,
what’s expected of you, and also give you a little tour of the most important
places in the school so you don’t get too lost.” He smiled and winked, which
Erica thought was charming. “The first thing I’m to explain to you, is our
dorms. We have five different dorms in this school, each with their own area,
name, and colour. We have different uniforms for each dorm that we wear on
Fridays, to show pride of our families.”
A
student in front of Erica raised her hand, and Professor Tanner nodded at her.
“Why
don’t we wear our dorm uniforms all the time?” she asked.
“That’s
a great question. We only wear our dorm uniforms on Fridays because while it’s
great loyalty and pride building to do so, it’s also great to be proud of
everyone being in this together. We all go to Sarracenia, and there’s no reason
we should all be separated from each other or form unhealthy rivalries. We are
all students here, and we’re all in it together, and that’s what we should be
most proud of. Even though we all come from different backgrounds and have
different personalities, we are all living under the same roof, striving for
the same thing. Being proud of your home and your school family while you’re
here is also important, but not as important as being accepting of everyone
here. We don’t need to be separated from each other the entire year.”
The
girl nodded, and the professor kept talking.
“So
the dorms are as follows: Elvil Hall, Rose Tower, Revvin Place, Thaiden House,
and Tryde Court. Each dorm has their own common area, as well as
two-or-three-person bedrooms. Each Dorm also has their own quidditch team.
Before we get started with the tour, we’re going to go into the dining hall and
find out which dorm you’re all in.”
Erica
wondered how they decided which person went in which dorm, and was excited to
go through the big wooden doors. When they opened, everyone in the group oohed
and awed at the large room ahead of them. The ceiling was even higher in here,
going up 20 feet at least, and the stained glass windows at the front of the
hall went all the way up to the top. There were six tall windows each with a
different design and colour, which she figured they represented the different
dorms, and the window in the centre was stained with the Sarracenia crest in
the familiar bright blue.
Professor
Tanner lead them to the front of the hall, and the group of first years walked
through the large, empty room, past long wooden tables with intricate detailing
on the edges. Erica held out her right hand as she passed, and ran a finger
along the etchings, not being able to hide a smile.
Professor
Tanner clapped his hands together once and smiled again, looking over the group
of students. “This is a small group,” he said a little softly. “There’s usually
about 150 first years.” He shrugged. “That’s ok, I guess there just aren’t a
lot of 11-year-old magicians in Canada this year.”
The
group giggled a little and waited for him to continue.
“Are
you ready to find out who your dorm family is going to be for your entire
Sarracenia experience?”
Chapter
Four: Elvil Hall
“This
is going to be everyone’s first magic lesson,” Professor Tanner said with a
grin. “Choosing your dorm is going to require everyone to use their wand.”
Erica’s
heart started to pound and her fingers started shaking. She didn’t know she was
supposed to have her wand with her; it was packed away in her trunk. No one
told her she had to keep her wand with her! What was she going to do? She
looked around at all the other children and gulped when she saw them all
pulling their wands from pockets or wand belts. She had a wand belt, too, but
that was also in her trunk! She
didn’t know she was going to be needing any of this on arrival day! She held
back tears as best as she could, but they blurred her vision anyway, and
threatened to stream down her face.
“Where’s
your wand?” a Native boy asked her.
“It’s
in my trunk,” she whispered.
“What’s
it doing in there?”
“I
didn’t know we needed to have them yet.” She quickly wiped a tear away from her
cheek. But she knew that he saw it.
“That’s
ok, I’m sure we can ask Professor Tanner if you can go get it.”
“I
don’t know the way,” Erica said with a shaky voice. She didn’t think that it
could ever happen at a magic school, but she was suddenly homesick.
“Maybe
you can use my wand,” he said.
“I
don’t think we’re supposed to use other people’s wands.” More tears came out
and she covered her face with her hands, embarrassed.
The
boy gently put his hands on hers and slowly pulled them away from hiding her
face. “It’s not like they’re going to kick you out,” he said.
“But
I’m not going to get to do magic with everyone else.”
The
boy tilted his head towards the other side of the room and pulled her with him
away from the group. A few students watched them take a few steps back, but it
didn’t seem like the professor noticed.
“It’s
ok, no one told us we needed them,” he said to her with a caring voice. “How
were you supposed to know?”
“Everyone
else did.”
He
shrugged. “I think we were all just excited to start doing some magic.”
“But
why wasn’t I?”
“I
don’t know. What’s your name?”
“Erica,”
she sniffled.
“Hi
Erica, I’m Pete.”
“Hi
Pete.”
He
smiled and she couldn’t help but smile back.
“Let’s
go back to the group, and when it’s your turn, just say you don’t have your
wand. I’m sure Professor Tanner will let you go get it or something. They’re
not just going to not let you choose a dorm.”
“Yeah.
I guess.”
There
was already a student up at the front of the group when they went back to them
and started listening again. Erica watched intently as the girl at the front
waved her wand around, trying to produce something but being unsuccessful. She
tried again and again, and Professor Tanner encouraged her and told her that it
was normal to have trouble, and she tried one more time, finally a green light
coming out of the tip of her wand. She smiled and everyone cheered for her.
“Hurray!”
Professor Tanner shouted. “Green is for Tryde Court!”
Everyone
cheered, even though they didn’t really know what that meant. They knew, of
course, that it was one of the dorms, but who knew which one was better? Was
there a better one?
She
watched as student after student was called up to the front and they were
instructed to cast a spell which most of them had trouble with. But they all
ended up doing it, and she watched as different coloured lights came out of
their wands, and she cheered for them with the rest of the group.
Finally
Erica’s name was called, and she gulped, afraid to tell the leader of the group
that she couldn’t cast her spell because she didn’t have her wand. She pulled
on her tie a little, and slowly made her way to the front of the group.
“Erica!
Hello!” Professor Tanner exclaimed.
“Hi,”
she said quietly. “Um, actually professor, I don’t have my wand.”
He
leaned in a little closer to her and asked, “I’m sorry, what did you say,
dear?”
“Um,
I don’t have my wand.”
“Why
not?”
“Um…”
she tried hard to hold back her tears one more time, but again, they were very
close to seeping out and running down her face.
Professor
Tanner got down on one knee, resting his arms on his bent knee, and looked up
at her. “Did you pack it in your luggage?” he asked softly.
She
nodded, afraid of the tears spilling out if she spoke.
“I
guess we should start telling students to bring their wands with them then,
eh?” His smile was very kind, but Erica was still upset and embarrassed. No one
else needed to be told to bring their wands. “That’s ok,” he said, standing up
again. “You can use my wand.”
Everyone
gasped, and Erica suddenly felt a little taller. She looked across the students
and at all their faces, and she couldn’t help but let a smile grow on her face.
If she had to guess, they all seemed a little jealous of her.
“Ok,”
the professor said, pulling out his wand. “It might be a little bit harder for
you than everyone else, because this wand isn’t trained to you. But then again,
your own wand shouldn’t be, either, since you’ve never used it before. But my
wand is trained to me, so don’t be discouraged if you take a little bit longer
than everyone else to get it. Alright?”
Erica
nodded and let him put his wand into her open hand. It was light, and a little
scratchy on her fingers. She sort of liked the feel of it in her palm, and she
wiggled her fingers around it a bit to get a good, loose grip on it.
“You’re
going to point the wand in front of you, and with a single flick up, you’re
going to say ‘conciatus lux’.”
Erica
nodded and took in a deep breath before extending her arm. She stretched her
neck by tilting her head from side to side, and then let the air out of her
mouth slowly. She took in one more breath, let it out, flicked her wrist, and
said it.
“Conciatus
lux!”
A
bright red light came out the tip of her professor’s wand and she watched in
awe as it travelled to the wall on the other side of the big room. Professor
Tanner jumped in the air and cheered, but Erica was so stunned, that even after
the light faded from her wand, she stood standing still, her arm still
stretched out in front of her.
“Red
is Elvil Hall!”
Erica
blinked and finally lowered her arm, completely in shock that she not only just
did magic for the first time, but she did it better than everyone one else! She smiled and turned towards the
group of children, who were all staring at her with gaping mouths.
“Everyone
cheer for Erica!” Professor Tanner shouted.
“Whoo!”
Pete shouted from the back of the group, his fist in the air above his head.
“Way to go Erica!”
Everyone
else slowly started to follow Pete’s lead, and finally the entire group of
first years erupted into applause.
Pete
also cast a red light from his wand, and Erica was excited to have a friend
with her in Elvil Hall. They stayed by each other’s sides for the tour of the
school, which took them down dark corridors towards potions classrooms and
defence against dark arts gyms, and through lighter halls with pretty windows
that lead to charms and transfiguration rooms. She was so excited to start
classes and learn about magical things! The tour took them to the library,
where books were floating through the air and putting themselves back onto the
shelves. They visited the aviary, where they could get eagles to send off
letters or small packages, and they stopped in at the gift shop, where they
could buy Serracenia hoodies, or water bottles, or PJ pants for themselves or
family members. She was afraid of how expensive they would all be, so she saved
herself the worry and decided she wasn’t going to get anything from it. She
didn’t need it.
The
tour finally ended back at the dining hall, where five older students stood,
each wearing a different coloured tie, and a sweater or vest with a different
crest in the same colour. They must have been leaders of the different dorms.
“First
years! These are your DAs, and they are going to take you to your dorms!”
“Elvil
Hall,” a rather cute, older boy with dark hair said.
Erica
and Pete made their way to the boy, and waited for the rest of the group to
step over too. Once it seemed they were all waiting to get going, the boy
nodded, and started walking down the hall.
“I
wonder what our dorms will look like,” Pete said excitedly.
“I
wonder what our mascot is,” Erica replied.
“A
Chinese Fireball,” the boy leading the group said.
“A
Chinese what?” someone from behind Erica and Pete asked.
“A
Chinese Fireball,” the boy repeated, turning around slightly as he continued to
lead the way down the corridor. “All the dorms represent different dragons.
Elvil is the Chinese Fireball. Hense the red tie, and the red dragon crest.”
Everyone
oohed, and Erica and Pete gave each other excited looks. Erica turned back to
face the front of the group, and thought that the designs on the stained glass
windows in the dining hall did look like dragons now that she knew that’s what
they were. They were just all in different positions, some of them twisting
around in different directions, and with her excitement of the whole thing, she
hadn’t put the images together in head. Every dorm represented a different
dragon. Now that was cool.
The
Elvil Hall common room was very warm and inviting. There were four different
lounge areas, each with their own coffee table, fire place, and couches. There
was a study area off in the corner, with desks and tables, suitable for both
independent and group study.
“The
bedrooms and bathrooms are upstairs,” the boy said, and Erica started to grow
frustrated that he hadn’t yet introduced himself. “There are two hallways, one
for girls and one for boys. Your names are written on the doors, so everyone
have fun finding your room and introducing yourselves to your new roommates.”
He smiled and started up the stairs.
Once
they made it to the top, Pete and Erica separated, giving each other a little
wave as they each went down their respective hallways.
Chapter
Five: Erica’s Roommate
Erica
finally found her name on a door near the very end of the corridor. It was
quite long, and she was beginning to think that there was some kind of spell
cast on it that made it never-ending. But she finally found it, and sighed a
bit of relief to see her name written in a scripty font across the door, along
with another name: Rebecca.
Erica
smiled and opened the door, to see that Rebecca had managed to find the room
before her.
“Hi,”
Erica said with a smile.
“Hi,
I’m Becks,” Rebecca said. “I know the door says Rebecca, but I hate that.”
“Ok.
Hi Becks, I’m Erica.”
“Good
to meet you.”
“You
too.”
“That’s
so cool what you did in the dining hall, by the way,” Becks said. “Getting the
spell on your first try, and with someone else’s wand! So cool.”
“Yeah,
it was pretty cool.”
“I
wonder when we get to eat,” Becks said.
“Oh.
Soon, I hope. I’m pretty hungry.”
“Me
too. I wonder if we’re allowed to head over to the dining hall and wait?”
“Oh.
I don’t know. Maybe. They never said we couldn’t.”
“Maybe
you should get your wand first,” Becks suggested with a smile.
“Yes.
Right.” She turned around to see her trunk sitting on her bed, with white
sheets and a bright red comforter folded at the end of the mattress. She popped
her trunk open and let out a relieved breath to see her wand sitting right on
top. Not that she thought it would be gone; it was just nice to see it again.
She dug under her clothes to find her wand belt, and then put it on. She
slipped her wand into the holder at her hip and then smiled at her new
roommate.
“Ready?”
Becks asked.
“Ready.”
The
two girls stepped out of their room and headed down the hall, excited to see
different Elvil Hall members of all ages ranging from 11 to 17 walking around
and also looking like they were headed to the stairs. They made their way to
the common room together to see over 100 students scattered around the room in
a somewhat cramped style.
“Oh
this common room doesn’t seem so big now that there are this many people in
it,” Becks whispered.
“Most
of the dorm isn’t usually in the common room all at once,” an older kid said,
getting up from one of the couches. “We’re all just anxious to get to dinner.”
She winked and walked past them, and out of the dorm into the hall.
“We
were just making sure all you first years didn’t get lost,” another student
said. “But I think everyone’s down here now.”
“That
was nice of you,” Erica said.
And
her and Becks followed the older students to the dining hall.
Chapter
Six: The Contest
It
had been one week, and Erica couldn’t even imagine her life without Sarracenia.
Her experience so far had been wonderful, and her, Becks, and Pete became great
friends. They always walked together to the dining hall, and they ate together,
and they had most of their classes together. Erica would always at least be
with one person out of the group. If Becks and Pete weren’t both in a class
with Erica, one of them at least would be, so she was never alone.
Erica
saw her brother from time to time, but he was a year older and lived in a
different dorm, so they didn’t really have many reasons to bump into each other,
unless it was in the hall or at a quidditch match.
The
first weekend at Sarracenia was coming to an end, and Erica, Becks, and Pete
were making their way over to the dining hall for a late night snack. A few
students passed them in the quiet halls, but mostly the castle was pretty
quiet. A lot of students hung out in their rooms or common rooms in the
evening, but the three friends decided they really liked hanging out where the
food was.
“I’m
the one who’s going to win, and no one’s going to take it away from me,”
someone said as they were rounding the last corner before making their way to
the familiar set of tall wooden doors.
Erica
turned around a little and watched the two students walk away, eyeing the one
who mentioned winning. That was the third time this week she’d heard someone
mention a contest, or wanting to win.
“What
do you think they’re talking about?” Erica asked.
“Who?”
Pete asked, looking around.
“Oh,
just those two people…”
Becks
grabbed onto Erica’s yellow hoodie sleeve and pulled her into the dining hall.
She followed her friends to a table and sat down on the hard, wooden bench that
always seemed to perfectly form to her butt. She smiled at the magic behind it
and took a look at the snack options.
“Sugar
cereal!” Becks cried, grabbing a box of Lucky Charms and ripping it open.
“Yum!”
Erica
smiled and looked around the big room, trying to hear if anyone else was
talking about winning something. And she heard it. Someone at the table across
from them was talking to her friend, and their conversation was starting to get
a little loud. Pete was saying something to both of them, but Erica couldn’t
listen. Not when talk of a contest was going on.
“No
one below seventh year has ever done it, so I don’t know why it’s open to all years,”
the girl was saying.
“Who
cares?” her friend asked. “That means less competition for us!”
Erica’s
brother walked by then, and she leaned over the bench and grabbed onto his
t-shirt.
“Brett!”
she half shouted, half whispered.
“Oh,
hi Erica!”
“Hi.
What are they talking about over there?”
She
pointed to the two students she had been listening to, and Brett shrugged. “The
contest.”
“There’s
a contest?”
“Yeah,
but no first year’s gonna win it. Not even a second year.”
“What
is it?” she asked, intrigued.
“It’s
to alter the Tempus Vernum charm.”
“What
does that do?”
“It
makes rain.”
“And
how do you have to alter it?”
He
shrugged. “I dunno. I’m only a second year. And you’re only a first year, so
don’t go thinking you can do this, and then get all disappointed when you
can’t.”
“I’m
not. I wasn’t… I won’t.”
“Enjoy
your snacks.” He smiled and continued on his way.
“What
was that?” Becks asked, a mouth full of cereal and milk.
“A
contest to alter the temper verna charm.”
“Get
it right,” Pete said. “It’s Tempus
Vernum. And it’s a spell, not a charm.”
“How
do you know that?” Becks and Erica asked at the same time.
Pete
shrugged. “I grew up in a wizarding family? I don’t know.”
“Yeah,
well my dad’s a wizard,” Becks said, “so that doesn’t mean anything.”
“Yeah
but you lived in a muggle town, didn’t you? Isn’t your mom a muggle?”
“So?”
“So
you’re not allowed to do magic in front of muggles.”
“So
we didn’t do it out in public, Pete.”
“Both
my parents are muggles,” Erica blurted out.
“Oooh,
that’s so cool!” Pete said. “How come you never said that before?”
“I
don’t know.”
“I
just think that’s so neat,” he continued. “That magic can come from the least
likely places.”
Chapter
Seven: Tempus Vernum
Erica
was determined to find out more about this Tempus
Vernum contest. Her brother had been slightly incorrect, first being that
it was a spell and not a charm, and second, that you can’t alter a spell. A
spell is a spell. The contest was to use the Tempus Vernum spell to make rain, and then to create your own charm
to alter the rain. It didn’t seem like it was too complicated, but since they hadn’t learned anything of the sort
so far, she thought it might prove to be a little difficult. But as she
continued her research by eavesdropping and casually asking the right questions
to professors, she found out that every year there is a contest revolving
around spells, charms, or potions, and at the end of the year, a winner is
named, given a trophy, and an all access pass to the school. Erica wasn’t sure
what that exactly meant, but she wanted one. The reason her and her friends
hadn’t heard much about it, was because the professors never expected the first
or second year students to be interested, let alone able to succeed, so they
never really mentioned it. It was mostly for the older students anyway;
something to put on a magical resume.
But
Erica wanted to win.
Every
evening after supper, her friends would go back to the dorms and change out of
their uniforms, but Erica would head straight to the library, doing as much
research as she could on making new charms. A lot of charms would stem from
other charms, with similar wording or wand movements, depending on what you
were trying to create, but she couldn’t find any information about how to get
started on making your own. It was probably something advanced that they
wouldn’t learn until much later in their Sarracenia career. But she wanted to
be able to do it. She needed to able to do it.
“Come
to the dining hall with us and get a snack,” Pete said, taking a seat next to
her in the library.
Erica
looked up at him briefly, and then went back to her book. “I’m not hungry.”
“So?
You need to take a break. And take your tie off. Isn’t it suffocating you?”
Becks sat down on the table next to Erica’s book, her feet resting on the chair
beside Erica’s.
“No,”
Erica said.
“I
think,” Pete started, “that instead of trying to figure out how to make your
own charm, you have to master the Tempus
Vernum spell first. There’s no point in the rest of it if you can’t even
get started.”
“You’re
right,” Erica agreed. “I don’t know why I didn’t start with that.”
“Ok,
come get a snack and then we’ll help you with it,” Becks suggested.
“Ok,”
Erica said with a nod.
The
three friends made their way to the dining hall, Pete and Becks in jeans and
hoodies, and Erica still in her Serracenia tie and gently used vest.
The
three of them shared a poutine and washed it down with fresh cherries to try
and be a little healthy, and then they started to make their way outside. A
professor stopped them at one of the doors, asking where they were going.
“We’re
just going outside for a little bit,” Pete said.
“You
know the rules. No leaving the castle after dark.”
“Is
it dark out already?” Pete asked, looking around the professor to try and see
the outdoors.
“Why
don’t you head to your dorms?”
Pete,
Erica, and Becks sighed and turned around, wondering how they were going to
practice a rain making spell indoors.
Chapter
Eight: Elvil Pride
That
Friday, Becks and Erica put on their Elvil pride uniforms, and met Pete in the
common room to make their way to breakfast together. It was Elvil’s first
quidditch match of the season, and although Erica and her friends watched
Revvin and Tryde play against each other, and then Thaiden and Revvin compete
last week, they were much more excited for this game. They ate their breakfast
quicker than usual, for some reason feeling like if they ate quickly, they
would get through the rest of the day quickly as well.
They
almost ran to their first class of the day, which was defence against the dark
arts with Professor Tawny. She was a little scary and intimidating, but also
slow with teaching. Their class was in a gym so they could practice
counter-curses and disarming spells, but they hadn’t yet learned anything
outside of a text book. They all sat down on the floor, making a big circle
with the rest of class, and opened their text books.
Their
charms class was also boring, and consisted of learning the history of certain
charms, and who created them. Did they want the day to go by slowly on purpose?
Were they making them wait longer for the exciting quidditch match to torture
them?
Lunch
was the same as breakfast; they ate quickly, and practically ran to their next
class, Pete and Erica breaking off from Becks at one of the corridor
intersections. Becks had history of magic, while Pete and Erica had intro to
transfiguration.
Finally
the last class of the day ended, and the trio met in the dining hall for a
quick snack before heading out to the quidditch pitch. They were so excited to
see their team play and hopefully crush Rose Tower! Older students were
offering to paint dorm pride colours on everyone’s faces, and even people from
different dorms supported the teams that were playing today. Erica noticed her
brother with a sparkly white dragon on one cheek, and a bright red dragon on
the other. She smiled and waved at him, and he waved back. She went up to one
of the students offering dorm pride colours, and she pointed her wand at
Erica’s face, casting a spell which covered her entire face in smooth, red
scales. She raised a hand to her cheek and felt the spell on her skin,
wondering if that’s what the Chinese Fireball scales actually felt like.
Erica,
Pete, and Becks took a seat in the higher bleachers so they could get a better
view of the players on their brooms. They looked around at all the cheering
students and Erica couldn’t help but be proud of her dorm. Everyone around her
was wearing their Elvil uniform, and sporting red hair ties, red face paint
spells, and some of them even had posters and banners with moving pictures of
Chinese Fireball dragons flying and breathing fire.
“I’m
so excited!” Becks screeched. “This is more exciting than a Blue Jays game!”
“What’s
a Blue Jays game?” Pete asked. “Is that a quidditch team?”
“You
don’t know who the Blue Jays are?” Erica asked him.
“Oh,
they’re people?”
Erica
and Becks shook their heads and laughed, letting Pete whine about how they
never told him anything.
The
wind picked up halfway through the game, and Erica shivered as she wrapped her
arms around herself, wishing she had worn a sweater instead of a vest. Everyone
else seemed to be cold too, but they were all trying to continue to enjoy the
game. Elvil was up by 30 points, but the snitch hadn’t been seen for the last
15 minutes of the game.
“Oh
I think I see it!” Pete yelled, pointing to the left goal ring on Rose’s end.
“Oh
it’s there!” Erica shouted, excited.
“Hi
Erica!” someone called.
Erica
turned in her seat to see Carly a few people down, wearing a pearly white tie
and face makeup to match her dorm’s mascot: the Antipodean Opaleye.
“Hi,”
Erica replied with a smile and a wave. “I’m sorry we’re winning. Oh wait, no
I’m not!”
Carly
laughed and Erica and her friends laughed too.
“It’s
exciting, isn’t it!?” Carly asked.
“Very!”
“Your
mascot is really pretty,” Becks said, leaning in a little closer to Carly.
“Thanks,
I think so too. Yours is pretty cool, though.”
“Yeah,
it’s pretty cool.”
Their
attention was brought back to the game in a split second, as the Rose seeker
sped down from above, leaning forward on his broom, his arm outstretched to get
the snitch. But just as he was closing in on it, the Elvil seeker, a fifth year
girl named Jess, came around from the other side and swooped for it too. The
snitch darted between them and flew up higher, the two seekers speeding after
it. The Rose seeker checked Jess in the shoulder and she fumbled on her broom,
almost falling off, but she righted herself before completely losing her
balance. Jess gripped her broom and readjusted her boots in the foot rests,
pointing forward towards the snitch. Rose Tower scored 10 points by getting a
quaffle through the middle ring, and everyone sporting Rose pride outfits stood
up and cheered.
“It’s
ok, we still have this,” Pete said to his friends.
They
turned their attention back to the pitch and watched as the two seekers sped
up, side by side, avoiding each other’s body checks within millimetres. They
both lurched forward with more force than anyone was expecting, and most of the
crowd gasped, not even paying any attention to the rest of the game anymore.
They bolted through the air and the Rose seeker almost flew off his broom, and
he had to change his grip on it. Jess continued to speed up, and extended her
arm, ready to catch the snitch.
The
Elvil Hall dorms erupted with applause and cheers as the quidditch team came
in, all covered in sweat and mud.
“El-vil!
El-vil! El-vil!” they all chanted.
Everyone on the team raised their arms in triumph and joined in on the
cheering.
Chapter
Nine: Making Rain
It
was only a week before Christmas break, and Erica had still not even tried
casting the Tempus Vernum spell. They
weren’t sure why, but thought that they might get into trouble if they were
caught. They shouldn’t have gotten in trouble, though, since the contest was
technically open to the entire school. And making rain wasn’t evil or bad, but
depending on where they tried it, they might get into trouble for making
everything all wet. And they couldn’t practice outside because it was too cold
and the rain would surely freeze. Plus it got dark so early now that they
didn’t have much free time to spend outside of the castle these days.
“We
could try it one of the bathrooms,” Pete suggested.
“How
will we be sure that no one comes in, though?” Erica asked.
“There
are bathrooms in the basement, right?”
“Ew,
I don’t know,” Becks shivered.
“Exactly.”
Pete smiled, and Erica knew exactly what he meant.
Their
footsteps echoed around them as they descended the stone steps all the way to
the basement. Once they made it to the bottom, they gulped as they looked ahead
at the long, dark corridor. A shadow seemed to move across the hallway and they
all jumped in surprise.
“It’s
nothing,” Pete said. “Come on.”
The
two girls gulped and followed Pete, staying as close as they could. The kept
looking behind them as they ran, but nothing was ever there. No one was there.
Of course no one was there; the basement was just scary.
They
made it to a boys’ washroom first, and went into that one, immediately feeling
safer once the door shut behind them.
“Phew,
we made it,” Becks breathed.
Pete
rolled his eyes and pulled himself up onto one of the sinks, letting his butt
fall into the bowl of it. “Show us what you got,” he said to Erica with a
smile.
Erica
cleared her throat and pulled out her wand. She pointed it up at the ceiling,
but then brought her arm down again. She wanted to get this right, and she was
nervous for some reason! She could do it, she knew she could. She was the only
first year to cast the dorm light from her wand on the first try and it was with someone else’s wand. She
had been doing excellent in charms class, and although she could be doing
better in potions and defence against the dark arts, she knew she could do
this. Making rain wasn’t like brewing something with ingredients, and it wasn’t
about thinking fast and defending yourself against an enemy. Making rain was
kind of like the thing that she was most excited for when she found out about
Sarracenia. Making rain was the magic in the world that she dreamed was real
before coming here. She could do this.
She
cleared her throat again, and went over the spell and wand movements in her
head before doing anything. She had to get it perfect, and on the first try.
Tempus Vernum, with emphasis on the num. Tempus
Ver-num. Swoosh to the left and flick down. Swoosh to the left and flick
down. Tempus Ver-num, swoosh to the
left and flick down.
“Tempus
Vernum,” she said clearly, as she guided her wand down and then up to the left
in a beautiful sweeping motion and then quickly flicking it downwards.
The
rain came instantly, in a sheet of big drops, landing hard on their shoulders
and stone floors under their feet. Pete threw his hands up in the air,
‘whoo’ing for his friend, and soon Erica and Becks joined him, jumping up and
down in the puddles that were forming on the floor. Pete jumped out of the sink
and jumped with them, the three of them spinning around in excited delight,
letting the water fall and splash around them.
“How
do we make it stop?” Erica asked after they settled down.
They
both looked at her and shrugged.
“Well
what do we do?” Erica was worried about getting into trouble before, but now
that they had possibly made it permanently rain in one of the basement
bathrooms, she was sure they would get detention.
“There
has to be a counter spell for it,” Pete said.
“Maybe
it’ll wear off?” Becks tried.
“Yeah,
maybe,” Erica agreed.
“But
how long will that take?”
The
rain continued to pound down on them and flatten their hair, and get in their
eyes.
“I
don’t know the counter spell,” Pete said. “Maybe you should have looked that up
before we came.”
“I
didn’t think of it!” Erica cried.
“It’s
fine,” Becks said, “It’ll probably just wear off. I mean, it can’t rain in here
forever, can it?”
Pete
and Erica both shrugged, and then the three of them headed into the hallway,
hoping no one would catch them on their way back to their dorm.
Chapter
Ten: Detention
Their
shoes squished with their every step, and left wet footprints everywhere they
went. They were close to the Elvil Hall dorm, and thought they had made it
without being caught, when a familiar voice called out behind them.
“Excuse
me,” Professor Tanner called.
They
wanted to pretend they didn’t hear him and keep going, but they knew that would
just get them into more trouble, so they came to a stop and slowly turned
around to face him.
“Why
does it look like you two just went for a dip in the ocean?” he asked.
“I
think we would be blue if we had just come from the ocean,” Pete said.
Professor
Tanner shook his head and stepped in closer to them. “What have you three been
up to?”
“We
were just practicing spells,” Becks said, but Erica shoved a fist into her
back, hoping she wouldn’t say more. “I mean, we were practicing counter
spells.” She was making it worse!
Professor
Tanner raised his eyebrows at them. “There is a time and place for doing that,
you know. It’s called class.”
“Actually,
professor,” Erica started, thinking that maybe telling the truth would get them
out of this, “I was trying to make rain, for that contest.”
“Trying
doesn’t seem like the fitting word here,” he said with a smile.
Erica
smiled back and dipped her head a bit, embarrassed. “Well, I made the rain,
yes, but we didn’t know how to make it go away.”
“Erica,”
Professor Tanner said gently, “It’s really great that you want to take part in
this contest, but you know it’s for the older students, right?”
“But
no one said we weren’t allowed!”
“It’s
not that you’re not allowed, it’s that it’s magic beyond what you’ve learned.
Don’t worry; you’ll get your chance to win this.”
“But
I want to win it now,” she said softly.
“I
think it’s great that you want to win, but look what’s happened. Is there a
room flooding somewhere in the school?”
She
liked that Professor Tanner was as gentle as he was. She knew that they were
going to get into trouble, but at least she didn’t feel like she was going to
cry, like she probably would have if they were caught by any other professor.
“Boys’
bathroom in the basement,” Pete said softly.
Professor
Tanner straightened up and nodded. “Please head to my office. I’ll meet you
three there.”
The
trio stood nervously outside of Professor Tanner’s office, still dripping wet
from the rain that Erica made. When they saw Tanner walking down the hall, dry
as a bone, they stiffened, nervous for their punishment. He opened his office
door and nodded for them to follow him in.
It
was quiet in his office for a few minutes, before Professor Tanner started
talking.
“I
appreciate that you three are eager to take part in this contest, but you have
to understand the situation you’ve created. You could have caused damage to the
bathroom, or other rooms surrounding it. You need to be careful if you’re going
to be casting spells inside the school.”
“But
it wasn’t a dangerous spell,” Erica said, defending herself and her friends.
“But
it was reckless. You need to understand the gravity of doing magic you’re too
young to understand. You haven’t learned these spells yet, Erica.”
“Ok,”
she said softly.
“You
are all serving detention with me tomorrow after supper. Meet me in my office
by 6:30, please.”
Erica
had never gotten detention before. And it was almost as horrible as she
imagined. They literally just sat in his office, not saying a word, while
Tanner marked first semester final exams. They weren’t allowed to do anything
while they sat there; they couldn’t even study for their upcoming exam. They
were required to just sit there quietly, and be bored out of their minds.
Professor
Tanner finally looked up at the clock to see that one hour had passed.
“Ok,
you may go,” he said.
The
three friends stood up in a hurry and started making their way out of his
office.
“Oh,
Erica,” he called.
Erica
stopped and turned towards him. “Yes, professor?”
He
leaned down and got a little bit closer to her ear, and whispered, “The counter
spell is finis vernum. Flick up.” He
stood back and winked at her.
Chapter
Eleven: Practice
Since
being back at school after Christmas break, Erica and her friends spent a lot
of time in the library. Mostly Erica would do research, and Pete and Becks
would goof off and bother her. But she didn’t want to ask them to leave,
because however annoying they could be, they were her friends and she was
thankful that they supported her and wanted to help her. They talked a lot
about charm ideas over breakfast, and late night poutines or sugar cereals, but
they also talked about other things. All their time wasn’t completely occupied
by this contest; they also talked about fun things they learned in their classes,
quidditch starting again in March, and wondering who would take home the cup.
“I
think Revvin’s got the most points,” Pete said one day during lunch.
“Not
by much, I was counting,” Becks replied. “They’re only three points above us,
and we’re in second right now. If we beat them by 100 points or more in the
next game then we’re in the lead.”
Erica
smiled. “That’s easy. Our games have usually been pretty close before catching
the snitch.”
“Exactly.
It’s Tryde that needs to learn how to keep the other seeker away from the
snitch a bit longer while their team tries to get more points first. Do you
remember that last game in November? The Tryde seeker wasn’t even paying
attention and almost lost them the game when he caught it.”
“Or
maybe he was paying attention,” Erica chimed in. “If he wasn’t paying attention
he might have caught it before his team made another goal.”
Becks
shrugged and took a bite of her chicken salad.
“Have
you figured anything out about your rain charm?” Pete asked Erica.
“I
think. I just need to give it some practice first. But I don’t want anyone to
see it. I’m kind of embarrassed.”
“Embarrassed
even in front of us?” Becks asked.
“Sort
of. I’m kind self-conscious. I also want it to be a surprise.”
“Oooh,”
her friends said at the same time.
Erica
made her way to the basement after supper, looking around first to make sure
that no one saw where she was going. Even though she knew the counter spell to
make the rain go away, she was still worried that she might get into trouble.
Once she made it to the boys’ bathroom – because it was closest – she shut the
door behind her and then checked under all the stall doors to make sure no one
was in there with her.
She
cast her rain spell and let it rain down in her and soak through her clothes.
Then she got rid of it. It stopped abruptly, the last drops falling onto her
shoulders and then nothing more. The Bathroom seemed very quiet around her. She
raised her arm and cast the spell again.
After
making the rain come and go three times in a row, she decided it was time to
try her charm.
She
did it over and over again, with nothing happening. The rain continued to fall,
but nothing more. She made the rain go away with a sigh and slowly headed back
to her dorm, so let down on herself that she wasn’t even scared of getting
caught by a professor.
But
the next day after supper, she made her way to the basement again, and tried
her charm a few more times. She did this every day for half an hour after
supper, before going back to her dorm and changing into comfy clothes for
evening.
Finally
after two whole weeks of practicing, she felt something a little different in
her wand. She felt her fingers tingle a little as something came out of her
wand, something she didn’t know she was trying to do. She knew what she was
trying to do the rain, but she didn’t know what she was telling to come out of
her wand. Not until that moment, when it happened. But it fell flat before it
hit the rain, and she had to try again.
Before
they knew it, it was March and the quidditch games were starting up again. They
weren’t entirely sure why they had a break during winter, since it was still
icy cold and snowy out in March. But everyone bundled up and made their way to
the bleachers so they could watch the game.
It
was Elvil against Thaiden, so the stands were filled with reds and purples,
representing the two dorms. Everyone cheered any time a goal was made, but
after about 40 minutes, most students either left, or huddled together in
little warmth circle spells. Erica and her friends just shivered and cheered
their team on, not caring about a little chilliness.
But
the game kept going. It had been an hour and a half and they were still
playing. Erica had to keep pulling her bright blue Sarracenia scarf over her
face, and stick her mittened hands inside her coat.
“I
think I’m going to go to the dining hall and get some hot chocolate,” Becks
said, getting up from her seat.
“But
they might win any minute!”
“We’re
up by 200 points, so unless Thaiden gets five goals and catches the snitch, I think we’ll be ok.”
“But
they could do that!” Erica shouted playfully. “They could still win!”
“I’m
too cold, Erica. I can’t keep sitting here; I’m freezing.”
“Fine.
Pete will stay out with me, right Pete?”
“Sure!”
Pete said, his teeth chattering.
“It
must be really cold for the players,” Erica thought aloud. “They don’t even
have full fingers in their gloves.”
“I’m
sure they’re ok.”
After
Elvil caught the snitch and won the game by 380 points, Pete and Erica made
their way to the dining hall, feeling like they would never get the chill out
of them. Becks’ cheeks were still rosy when they found her, and it took them
till their second hot chocolate before they felt warm enough to take their
coats off.
Chapter
Twelve: Magic Outside
The
weather was finally getting nicer, and though it was very windy, Erica thought
it might be safe to practice her charm out in the courtyard. She was a little
afraid of people being around to see her, but she tried to shrug it off, and
made her way outside after supper. There were a few older kids laying down on
benches or throwing a ball around to each other, but mostly it seemed like they
wouldn’t pay any attention to her. She wondered how much rain she would make
without a room to contain it all. She went as far away from everyone as she
could, took in a deep breath, and made her rain. It came down in just the
corner that she was occupying, which made her happy.
“Hey,
you trying for that contest!?” an older kid called over to her.
She
just nodded, and tried her charm, with no luck.
“Aren’t
you a first year?”
She
nodded again, and tried her charm another time.
“You
don’t know enough magic!”
“I
do too! I can do this!” she shot at the boy, her face red with anger.
He
threw his arms up in surrender and laughed with his friends.
Erica
turned back to her rain and tried again, this time doing what she actually
wanted to. The rain quivered a little at first, and she felt it in her wand
hand too, but as she concentrated and held the stream towards the rain, her own
charm finally took effect. She only let it last a few seconds, because she
didn’t want any of the other kids getting any ideas. This was her charm, and
she was going to win.
“Hey,
how’d you do that?” the same kid from earlier asked as she ran by.
“With
magic,” Erica said, running back into the castle.
Chapter
Thirteen: Laetus Vernum
“When
did the battle of Hogwarts take place?” Pete asked.
“1998,”
Becks replied.
“Date?”
“May
second,” Erica said.
“Who
lead The Death Eaters?” Pete rattled off.
“Tom
Riddle, but he went by Lord Voldemort,” Erica answered.
“There
were followers all across the world, though,” Becks joined, “Riddle’s just the
one who started it.”
“And
Harry Potter finished it.”
Pete
looked into his text book. “And Neville Longbottom. He destroyed one of Tom’s
last horcruxes.”
“Yes,
I knew that!” Becks shouted. “I knew that, I swear I did!”
“History
of Magic is so hard,” Erica complained, “All it is, is remembering dates and
names. I don’t understand why we have to take it all year. Why can’t we take charms all year? I miss that class.”
“Yeah,
tell me about it. Anyway I think we’re ready,” Pete said with a smile. “There’s
no way we’re failing our final tomorrow.”
Pete
shut his text book, and got off the bench in the dining hall. When the three of
them started walking towards the hallway, they only just then realized how
empty the room was. They were the only people left, and there wasn’t even any
food, or any plates left on any tables. They must have been studying for a long
time. But Erica knew that she was ready. And she was also ready to own that
competition on the last day of exams. It was only three days away, and like she
knew she was ready for all her tests, she knew was ready for this too. She was
going to win.
Erica
was nervous. She wasn’t entirely sure how the competition worked, and once she
walked into the dining hall to see it empty of tables and chairs, and filled
with mostly sixth and seventh year students, she felt like she was out of her
league. What if her charm was stupid? What if everyone else came up with
something better? Or more clever? She had learned a lot over the school year,
but all these kids were older than her and had been doing this for a lot
longer.
Her
friends stayed by her side and walked through the dining hall with her.
“You
got this,” Pete said as the three of them got closer to the front.
“Thanks,”
Erica replied, trying to swallow the lump in her throat.
Her
friends let her continue to the front, where a row of older students were
standing, waiting to take their turn in the contest. She clenched her wand
behind her back with both hands, hoping to stop her fingers from shaking.
The
charms teacher, Professor Chatham, stood in front of the large group of
students who were there to watch.
“Can
everyone see ok? Tall people at the back! Let the short ones get a good spot in
the front!”
Erica
watched nervously as a few people shuffled around, but it still seemed like
there were people in the group who wouldn’t be able to see. Maybe that was a
good thing.
“Alright!”
Professor Chatham said, clapping her hands together. “Welcome to another
Sarracenia Year End Magic Contest! This year the task was to create your own charm, altering rain made from the Tempus
Vernum spell!”
Everyone
cheered, but Erica gulped, and wondered if doing this was a good idea after
all.
She
watched as student after student took the centre of the row and cast their
spells, letting the rain fall for a few seconds before chanting out words she
mostly didn’t recognize, and changing the rain. One student made the rain drops
come together to form the school crest; five simple dragon outlines inside a
shield, tangled together in unity. Another student made the rain fall up, and
another made the ran tap dance. One student turned the rain into a waterfall,
and then turned it back into rain, and one student made the rain drops splash
without hitting anything.
It
was finally Erica’s turn, and the room had never sounded so quiet. She took in
a deep breath, and took the floor, trying not to pay attention to all the
students staring at her, waiting for her to fail. Or to do something amazing.
She
held up her wand and cast the spell to create the rain. She let it stream down
in front of her for about a minute, and she could hear kids whispering to each
other. Keeping her wand in the air, she stepped into the falling water, letting
it soak her hair and her Sarracenia sweater that her parents had bought her
from a new store instead of a second hand one. She tilted her head back and let
the rain soak her face, and then she opened her mouth, and shouted the words, “Laetus Vernum.”
Everyone
around her gasped as the rain falling on her was suddenly multi-coloured. Red
for Elvil Hall, pearly, sparkly white for Rose Tower, slate blue for Revvin
Place, green for Tryde Court, and purple for Thaiden house. And finally, bright
blue for Sarracenia. For the unity. For all the dorms living together under one
roof, being there for each other, learning together, and growing up together.
All the colours of the school fell down around her and she couldn’t help but
smile as the rain stained her clothes six different colours wherever they
landed.
Erica
spun around under the rain, her face pointed up to let the water hit her
forehead, her cheeks, her lips, her eyelids. She smiled under the water and
raised her free hand so that both her arms were in the air, feeling overjoyed
with pride as the school cheered around her.
Chapter
Fourteen: Saying Goodbye
The
last night at Sarracenia was difficult for Erica and her friends. They knew
each other so well, and after seeing each other literally every day for the
past ten months, they were going to have a difficult time saying goodbye until
September.
“We
can email each other,” Becks said. “Or Facebook.”
“What’s
Facebook?” Pete asked.
Becks
and Erica giggled to each other, but decided to leave Pete guessing, and see
how much he could squirm from not knowing what yet another muggle thing was.
They
made their way to the dining hall for their last supper together, quite bummed
about how long it would be until their next one.
“We
still have breakfast tomorrow,” Pete said. “At least there’s that.”
“Plus
I’m sure we can come down for a snack tonight,” Becks added.
“Right.
Yes. We’ll have poutine and sugar cereal.”
Halfway
through dinner, the Dean stood up from his table and held his hands in the air,
and everyone stopped eating and turned to look at him.
“It
is my pleasure to announce the winner of this year’s Magic Contest!” he said
with much enthusiasm.
Everyone
cheered, and Erica got a blast of excitement, hoping that the winner was her.
“It
was a difficult decision, as all the charms were wonderful, and the magic was
executed beautifully by all contestants! So first I would like everyone to give
a round of applause to everyone who competed!”
The
room exploded with cheers and thunderous claps, and when it quieted down after
about thirty seconds, Dean Levesque spoke again.
“But
this year’s winner was chosen,” he began, “because of the meaning behind it.
The thought that went into it added to the wonderful execution. Highlighting
our school’s pride in being one group more often than five, highlighting our
school’s pride in getting through life together, we award this year’s Magic
Trophy to the only first year who entered!”
Erica
couldn’t believe it. She won? She actually won? She won! Erica won! She didn’t
know what to do. She sat there stunned, until Becks slapped her on the back and
told her to go up there. She stood on shaking legs and made her way to the
front, where Dean Levesque was holding out a shiny, golden trophy, with her
name etched on the front. She held it up for everyone to see, and they all
cheered once more.
Before
she went to sit back down, Dean Levesque gently grabbed her arm and pulled her
towards him. “Don’t forget your all access pass.” He winked at her and handed
her a little plastic badge. “This gets you into any room in the school that you
want for the whole year next year. You can sit in on older grade’s classes,
when you don’t have any of your own, of course, or you can wander the rooms
that you have yet to discover.”
Erica
took it from him, and nodded, and then headed back to her seat to sit with her
friends.
There
were three boats that went to and left Serracenia, and Erica, Pete, and Becks
each took a different one. They had to say goodbye before a lot of other
friends did, and wouldn’t get to say hello again until they actually made it to
the shore of the school in September. The day after Labour Day couldn’t come
soon enough.
“It’ll
go by really fast,” Becks said with a smile. “Before you know it, we’ll be
back.”
“Yeah,”
Erica and Pete agreed with a sigh.
They
all hugged for the fifth time, and finally grabbed their things and walked away
from each other, onto their boats that led them home.
Going
home for two whole months was going to be weird. No doing magic. No telling her
friends at her old school all about her getting to learn magic. No showing her
wand off to people, or telling them about the contest she’d won. Well she
guessed she could tell her parents all about it. That was ok.
“You
ok?” Brett asked, after the ship had been in the air for over an hour.
Erica
just smiled and nodded, and pulled her All Access school pass out from her
pocket, wondering how real it really was. She was sure there were rooms in the
school she wasn’t allowed to enter, she was sure there were restricted areas. Otherwise
a pass didn’t make sense. But if there were
restricted areas, wouldn’t using the pass be unsafe? And if the restricted
areas were safe anyway, why couldn’t anyone go into any room in the school? What
did you need the pass for, besides sitting in on older classes? Maybe it
unlocked secret, magic rooms that no one without the pass would know existed.
Rooms that maybe weren’t dangerous, but were only for the privileged. For the
people who really wanted it. She smiled and turned the card over in her
fingertips, wondering what kind of adventures she was going to get into next
year.
