by ERIN BEDFORD
The headmaster’s smile wilted slightly but didn’t disappear completely. “Of course, I had forgotten your mother had insisted on taking her human husband’s last name.” I chose to ignore the little bit of indignation that filled the headmaster’s voice as he spoke about my dad. It seemed that not everyone had the same respect for humans. It didn’t bode well for my chances of fitting in.
“I don’t mean to be rude, headmaster ...?”
“Swordson.”
“Headmaster Swordson.” I nodded to make sure I had it right. “But I don’t understand why I’m here?”
“Why you’re here at this school?” Headmaster Swordson cocked his head to the side. “I would think that was fairly obvious. I’m sure your mother explained to you what kind of school this is?”
I shook my hands in front of me. “No, I don’t mean here as in the school. I mean, here in your office. Dale said I had to meet you to get my class schedule and the rest of my welcome packet?” I smacked my lips together and rocked on my heels. “Well, it looks like we met, so can I have my stuff now?” I knew I sounded kind of rude, but the headmaster hadn’t really been all that welcoming to me, and the longer I stood in his office, the more I felt like he wasn’t going to be my biggest fan.
“My, my, you are your mother’s daughter.” Headmaster Swordson chuckled lightly, shaking his head.
“Excuse me?”
“Your mother had quite the head on her shoulders as well. Never was one for political bullshit.” I gaped at the headmaster. Maybe I had assessed him a bit too soon. “Forgive me, my dear, but after doing this job for two decades, your failure to fall at my feet with promises of blessings from your family makes you a breath of fresh air.”
Completely confused but for some reason feeling a bit better about the whole situation, I decided to start again. “I think we’ve got off on the wrong foot.”
“I think so too. Let’s start over.” The headmaster leaned against the front of his desk and crossed one leg over the other, his hands splayed on the desk behind him. “My name is Oliver Swordson, I am the headmaster of this school. It is my job to make sure that the young men and women of the magical community have the proper direction to what kind of career they will pursue. Whether that be in the short term or the long term. Another part of my job is to make sure that certain members of certain prestigious families are ...” He trailed off and waved a hand in front of him. “... well taken care of.”
I thought I was starting to understand what he was getting at, but it didn’t make sense why I was in his office. Then it clicked. “So, you’re saying I’m from one of those prestigious families?” I pointed a finger at myself with a half laugh. “Me? Maxine Norman?”
The headmaster shook his head with a small smile. “Not Maxine Norman. Maxine Mancaster. Your mother might have given up her name when she married your human father, but that doesn’t mean that the Mancaster blood doesn’t still run through your veins.”
“And the Mancasters are a big deal?” I squinted at him like it would make what he was saying anymore clearer.
“Oh, quite a big deal. Your grandparents are quite the philanthropists. They have their hands in quite a few areas of interest.” He chuckled again as if it were the funniest thing he had ever heard.
I shook my head. “I didn’t know. My grandparents aren’t exactly in touch ... well ... ever.”
The headmaster stopped chuckling and sobered. “Completely understandable. Your mother marrying a human, while isn’t unheard of in our community, it was seen as a slap in the face to some magical families.”
What he wasn’t saying was that my mom did something her parents - my grandparents - didn’t approve of and they gave her the boot in return. I’d heard of parents not agreeing with some of their kids’ decisions, but really disowning someone and then cutting ties with them completely because you didn’t like your daughter’s choice in spouses? That was a bit far.
“Okay, so my grandparents are loaded and spend a lot of money. What does that mean for me? Because as far as I’m concerned, they didn’t want to be a part of my life. Why should I care about them?” I crossed my arms over my chest and frowned.
Nodding slightly, the headmaster tapped his fingers on the desk. “I understand your trepidation to get involved with your mother’s family after the way they left things, but you don’t need to be involved with them to be able to reap the benefits of your name.”
“And what would that entail?” I inched forward in my seat, leaning forward on my arms.
“Well ...” The headmaster moved to sit behind his desk. “That depends on you. If you assume your mother’s maiden name, your family name, then you would get all the perks that name provides, but you will also be expected to act like someone of the Mancaster family.”
I frowned at his explanation. Perks were always a plus. I could use those at a school where I was already the new kid as well as years behind the rest, but something told me the cost for those perks might be more than I wanted to pay.
“Thank you, Headmaster.” I stood to my feet. “You have given me a lot to think about. I’m not sure I will be taking my grandparent’s name just yet, but it’s good to know I have the option.” I nodded and turned to head toward the door.
“Miss Norman?”
I paused at the headmaster’s voice and turned back. “Yes?”
“You can get your welcome packet with your class schedule from Mr. Varns up front. He will also be in charge of giving you a tour of the campus.” I smiled and nodded again, but the headmaster wasn’t done. “And Miss Norman, welcome to Winchester Academy. I have a feeling this will be an interesting year.”
Smiling at the older man, I ducked out of his office before he could keep me longer. Back in the reception area, I found the same line as before though considerably shorter. Mr. Varns, which I could only assume was Dale, still stood behind the desk snapping at students as they passed through his line.
I walked up next to him with a slight smirk.
“What do you want?” Dale growled and then snapped his fingers at the next student in line.
“Headmaster Swordson told me to get my welcome packet and class schedule from you.” I shifted from foot to foot waiting for Dale to explode with the irritation which seemed to be his go-to reaction to everything and everyone.
Instead of an aggravated grunt or attacking me with another paper airplane, he stopped helping the student in front of him and opened his desk drawer. Flipping through a file, he grabbed a packet of papers and then shoved them into my arms.
I glanced down at the packet. A map of the campus sat on top and beneath it was my class schedule, the student handbook, as well as my sign in for the school computer system. Clutching the papers to my chest, I looked back at Dale who had dismissed me completely.
“What could you possibly want now?” he groaned as he turned away from the student in front of him to glare at me. “You have your packet. You can leave.”
A sly grin slid over my lips. “Actually, I don’t have everything I need. Headmaster Swordson said I’m entitled to a tour.”
“Okay, fine. I’ll get one of the second years over here in a minute.” He tried to turn away from me, but I tapped him on the shoulder.
“Actually,” I drew out and clicked my tongue, “Headmaster Swordson wants you to give it to me.” I braced myself for an attack of paper airplanes, holding my packet of papers as a shield over my face. Thankfully, it never came. Nor did anything else. The room went silent. Moving the papers away from my face slowly, I found the entire line of students frozen in place.
I turned to Dale and gaped as he put his tablet down and grabbed his cell phone and a black messenger bag as if everything were fine. He glanced up at me as he rounded the desk. “Are you coming?”
“Wait, what?” I pointed at the line of frozen students as I followed after him. “What about them? You can’t just leave them like that.”
“Sure, I can.” Dale adjusted his glasses on his nose.
“They won’t even know we were gone. Well, if we get going. The spell doesn’t last that long, and if you are going to ask this many questions before the tour has even started, then it’ll wear off before we get back.” He gave me one more impatient look before starting into the quad not looking back to see if I was following.
Welcome to Winchester Academy, indeed.
Chapter 7
Dale started right off into the quad and started spouting off facts about the campus before I could even catch up to him.
“Over there is the cafeteria.” He pointed a finger toward where Trina had gone. “It’s open eight to eight. If you don’t make it by closing time, you’re tough out of luck. There are a few places that deliver here, but most students choose to save their money for more important things.” He ran his eyes over me, pure indignation clear on his face. “Something I’m sure you don’t worry about,” he said matter-of-factly before turning away, not giving me a chance to ask what the heck that meant.
He moved to the hallway I recognized as the one we had come out of. “That’s where the students of the more privileged families stay, though I’m sure you know that already,” he said with the same kind of disdain as before.
“Why would you assume that?” I did know where the hallway led because of my encounter with Sabrina and her squad, but he didn’t know that. I was also getting tired of his tone as if I was an annoying bug buzzing around his ear.
Dale paused for a moment and frowned. “You’re a Mancaster. Of course, you’re staying in the privileged hallway.”
“No, I’m not.” I shook my head, my eyes wide. “I’m with the rest of the first years.”
Brow furrowed in confusion, Dale held out his hand. “That’s not right. Let me see your room assignment.”
I handed him the paper like before, and he squinted at the paper as if his eyes weren’t working. Unsatisfied, he shoved the paper back at me and turned on his heel. “Must have been a mix-up. I’m sure the headmaster can straighten it out.”
Hurrying after him, I put the paper away with the packet in my hands. “But what if I don’t want to fix it? What if I like it right where I am?”
Dale stopped again without warning, and I slammed into his back, causing my packet of papers to fly everywhere. Dropping to my knees, I scurried to pick up the papers before they got trampled on by the other students. Dale just stared down at me as if seeing me for the first time.
When one of the papers ended up on the other side of the hallway, Dale sighed. The paper zipped toward me, and I had a heartbeat of a second to duck before it landed on the pile in my hands. Climbing back to my feet, I muttered, “Thanks.”
“Why wouldn’t you want to stay with the privileged families?” Dale asked suspiciously, his arms crossed over his chest. “It’s where you belong.”
I shrugged. “Says who?”
“You’re a Mancaster,” he insisted.
“So? That’s my grandparent's name, not mine. I’m a Norman, and I’m perfectly happy in the first year’s dorms.” I stared him down, daring him to question me.
After a moment or two, Dale clicked his tongue and shook his head before starting down a different hallway. I had a feeling he didn’t like my answer. Or maybe I’d confused his know-it-all sensibilities? Either way, I wasn’t making friends with Dale any time soon.
“Down this hall will be the majority of your classes for most majors.” He quirked his fingers, and my schedule slipped out of my pile and into his hands. His eyes scanned it behind his glasses, and if possible, his eyes narrowed even further. “You’re taking all remedial courses?”
Not sure if it was really a question, I said, “Uh, yeah. Thought it best if I started with the basics.”
Dale turned almost running me over and held the paper out between us, shaking it slightly as he talked. “Don’t you know any magic?”
I shook my head. “Nope.”
“None at all?”
Sighing, I shifted the packet of papers in my hands again. “Well, I didn’t know I was a witch until a few months ago, and my mom was more focused on making sure I didn’t blow up the house than showing me how to freeze an entire room. How did you do that again?”
“It’s a third-year spell,” was his simple answer before continuing his interrogation. “How is it that you have no knowledge of magic and still standing here?”
Lifting a shoulder and then dropping it, I really had no idea. I’d gotten the letter in the mail and just assumed everyone got one. I hadn’t even had to take a test or anything to get in.
After a moment of studying me, Dale seemed to come to a conclusion, one that didn’t make him happier to be with me. “Well, you might not go by the name, but you’re a Mancaster through and through. Already getting by with minimal effort.” He snorted and shoved the paper back into my hands.
My eyes trailed after him for a moment, my mouth gaping open at him. When he barked at me to hurry up, I clamped my mouth closed and jogged after him.
“You’re wrong, you know,” I told him after a few moments of silence. “I’m not getting by on my name alone.”
“Oh, really?” Dale sniffed. “That would be a surprise.”
“Really,” I told him with all certainty. “My mom married a human. My grandparents probably don’t even know my name or that I exist. Or at least they pretend not to. I’ve never met them.”
Dale’s expression seemed to soften a bit but still no smile. “Well, I know all about uncaring families. My own didn’t want me to go to college.”
“Oh? What’d they want you to do?” I asked, genuinely curious about what made him tick. There had to be a reason he hated the privileged so much. I mean besides the obvious.
Dale tucked his hands into his pockets and kept his eyes forward. “My dad works for the Order of Merlin.” When I just stared blankly at him, he added, “That’s what we magical folks call our government. He’s a paper pusher, but he didn’t go to college for a specialty. He expected me to do the same as him as well as my three brothers.”
“Wow, you have three brothers?” I asked, a bit dazzled by all the new information. “I’d love to have siblings. I’m an only child which is great sometimes, you know no sharing, but other times, not so much. It can get kind of lonely. I guess that’s why I always made sure to find friends I could talk to.”
Green eyes studied me before Dale said, “You won’t find a lack of friends here. If you know where to look that is.” We stopped before a set of double doors. “You also have to watch out for those who would want to use you for your name.”
I nodded. “Yeah, I got that much from the headmaster which is why I’m not going by Mancaster.” I chewed on my lower lip for a moment and then added, “So, if you could keep that between us, I’d appreciate it.”
“You won’t hear it from me, but there were a dozen students in the office that won’t give you the courtesy,” Dale reminded me with a serious look. “I can do a slight memory spell if you really want to stay out of the limelight.”
“Really? That would be great!” I grinned up at him.
Dale shrugged. “It won’t make them forget it completely, but it'll make things blurry enough they won't pay you any mind.” He shifted uncomfortably. “It’s not full proof, so I would be prepared for it to come out.”
“Gotcha.” I turned toward the doors and asked, “So, what’s in here? The broomstick closet?”
For the first time, I got a smile out of Dale. It was small, but it was a start. With one hand on the door, he pushed it open slowly. “This is my favorite part of the campus. The library.”
Every definition of the word library was completely and utterly wrong when applies to this place. The opera house-sized room Dale led me into wasn’t just a library, it was a sanctuary for books and knowledge seekers alike.
Three stories of bookshelves stuffed with books filled the majority of the floor plan. Large columns held up the other floors with stairs leading to each level. Set sporadically throughout the shelves
were tables only big enough for four people, but what the room lacked for in group space, it made up for in individual comfy chairs in every nook and cranny.
Dale led me into the heart of the library, his eyes sparkling with excitement. “As you can tell, they discourage large groups in here.”
“Why’s that?” I murmured, suddenly not wanting to talk too loudly lest I disturb the books.
“The school believes it will lower the likelihood of people messing around when they should be studying. It’s a library after all.” Dale placed a hand on his hip and pushed up his glasses with one finger. A burst of laughter and chatter interrupted the quiet solace of the library making Dale’s eyes narrow. “But despite the school’s efforts, some mischief makers always seem to slip through the cracks.” He nodded toward the group of six who shoved in around one of the small tables.
I started to smile at their obvious disregard for the rules until I noticed a certain blonde poufy head. Sabrina turned and smiled at the attractive male squeezed in next to her at the table, her friends in similar positions with their own guys.
Unable to let out the groan, I tried to back out of the library without being seen. Unfortunately, backing out meant I didn’t see the chair behind me until it was too late.
My feet flew out from underneath me, and I grappled for anything to keep me from falling, but the only thing in reach was a pile of books which promptly fell on top of me. The books slamming to the ground and my shout of surprise caused the whole library to quieten.
As I moaned in pain, shifting the books off of me, a familiar haughty laugh filled my ears. “Looks like the first years this year aren’t only stupid but clumsy,” Sabrina crooned to her crew who giggled and pointed in my direction.
Dale knelt beside me and offered me a hand up all the while glaring at Sabrina and her table. Dale’s disapproving gaze didn’t have the same effect on Sabrina as with the other students. She simply wagged her fingers in his direction before going back to making a ruckus in the otherwise quiet library.
