Morning of 1st September 1989, Luca reluctantly got up to switch off the piercingly loud alarm clock he had to buy because of being unable to sleep for the past week. This onset of insomnia was caused by the seal showing no signs of activating, every night he experienced the same fear as the circles' tattoo not disappearing was sign of Catherine still alive and his own life on the line. Going to wash up in a downcast manner, he put his forehead on the cold surface of the mirror and looked at himself. His hair flowed straight down to his shoulders, he still parted it the same way he did since childhood. His enchanting ruby eyes now looked dim as he allowed himself a moment to wallow in annoyance, lack of rest didn’t seem to affect his shiny, porcelain skin. On his neck hung the pouch he had to be ready to reach at all times, new comfortable silver two-piece pajamas with the top tied only by a belt and bare feet finished his inspection of himself taken to compare his looks to ones in school robe he had to wear in a while.
In five minutes he stood in front of the mirror again, this time his eyes focused and ready to have a go at learning magic. Black trousers and Oxford shoes, a brown belt with a silver buckle, a simple white shirt tucked in, and a suit vest made him look like a modern office worker, except for an open robe hanging down to his kneecaps to add a magical and confident flair. Luca tried the look with the robe buttoned up and liked it more to be open after deliberation. This no-maj plain style was not very popular in the Iverstead’s fashion store he visited, but an enthusiastic clerk lady insisted to give him a discount if he allowed her to pick his clothes, she called it ‘adorable but serious, perfect combination!’. Packed a day ago, he took the black briefcase and stepped out of the door.
A pair of witch and a little boy he saw a week ago waited for him near the elevator. Luca got acquainted with them this week, or rather with the witch, the boy was angry at the entire magical world, not willing to accept reality, refused to talk to anybody, and was unresponsive to the witch’s attempts to ease his hostility. He was brought to the Inn three months ago with no change in temperament, so yesterday Mr. Grimsditch blurred his mind in places needed to change him, the exact process or difficulty of that not known to Luca. All he could see now was that Bryce Fritzel had a smile on his face as he greeted him, chill running down Luca’s spine upon seeing it.
“Hey Luca, what house do you think I can be sorted? I think Horned Serpent is the coolest, it’s supposed to represent mind, so people going there are smart, right?” he greeted as if familiar with Luca, even if they didn’t say a word to each other.
“Good morning, Luca.” the witch quickly moved to hug him, “Please take care of Bryce, he thinks you are his only friend so far.” she whispered in his ear.
“Alright.” Luca whispered back, they discussed it at length over breakfast three days ago as Luca seemed the most reliable in the group of no-maj 1st years.
“Morning, I think Wampus is for me, look at this brawn.” he said lifting the witch by her hips. She screamed lightly and put her hands on his shoulders for balance.
“Wow, so strong! You have a place at the cat’s house for sure, they represent body.” impressed Bryce exclaimed, as Luca put the happy witch down.
“Go eat something boys, I have to check for stragglers. Have a good year and behave at the academy!” as she smiled and put her clothes in order, the witch hugged Bryce too, then pushed him into the elevator.
“Thank you for your care, have a nice year too!” the boy smiled and waved at her, Luca much more reserved looked at his 180 degrees change and decided to figure out how to protect his mind as the first matter of importance, even higher than obsessing over his seal. As the door closed, an awkward silence took place, Bryce looking innocently at Luca’s pitying eyes.
“So, when is your birthday? I want to make sure to have a present ready.” Luca thought to ask a series of questions to assess the degree of what his half-forced companion could remember.
“It will be in two months actually, 15th November. What about you?” Bryce cheerfully asked back.
“28th June, it’s good to have a party just at the start of vacations each year. I’m from Boston, my parents French and Italian immigrants.” Luca expected to now hear about his parents, and he wasn’t disappointed.
“Atlanta, an orphan. But I had loving grandparents, it’s not too bad. They were very tolerant as they discovered my magic, how’s your awakening experience?” Bryce’s eyes became a little confused as he said, Luca could now be sure that he really got brainwashed to the point of forgetting his parents, most likely grandparents made up too.
“Hm, they run out screaming ‘Satan!’ and praying, haven’t seen them since.” admitted Luca.
“That’s terrible!” exclaimed Bryce as they arrived downstairs. Shrugging his shoulders to feign indifference, Luca went ahead to the restaurant half-floor, crowd of children and parents dressed like them occupied hundreds of tables.
“There are so many wizards…” Luca marveled at this point, past week he had to see at least thousands of different wizards busy with their affairs on Iverstead’s streets.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
“Hu… I read that there should be around fifty thousand wizards in North America.” huffed Bryce short of breath climbing the couple dozen steps.
“Add to that all the magical creatures, vampires, and dragons. It must take an army busy around the clock to somehow conceal from no-maj.” Luca took a free seat and bent forward to speak to the microphone on the middle of the table, “Four Ashwinder boiled eggs, two strawberry jam toasts, glass of fairy nectar.”
“14 Sickles, 6 Knuts.” artificial voice sounded as metal podest the microphone was standing on opened. Luca put the money inside and waited for ten seconds. Then, accompanied with a slight ‘puff’ sound, his food arrived on a tray inside rectangular lines drawn on the table. Bryce naturally sat on his left and took the menu, not sure what to order, he followed Luca’s choice.
“You always eat so expensive? I spent so much gold on books, if those coins got melted it should be fifty thousand dollars or more. Could almost buy a house, I can’t bear to use them.” Bryce took out his money distressed.
“There is nowhere to spend in school, and I don’t think they will give us a choice about what to eat. Probably normal chicken and so on as staple food.” Luca enjoyed his drink in small sips, fallen in love with sweet mixture of flower pollen infused by magic of faries. Each sip unique, different blend of species dominating the particular mouthful.
“Hey, it’s not bad. Spicy? Or rather tastes like fire, warmed up my insides…” Bryce tasted Ashwinder eggs for the first time, surprised by them.
“Phoenix Wings is what warms up insides, if you eat enough may even warm up outsides as jets of flame erupt from all your orifices. This one fat guy ate three buckets, whole street plunged into chaos.” Luca felt that having an extra friend wasn’t so bad, he could always look at him and know that he had it much better. He took a good look at the guy as he ate with relish, short black hair and common brown eyes, what set him apart is thin frame and diminutive height, at least from Luca’s abnormally high and robust perspective. Natural flow of conversation as if they really were friends made him shake his head to stop thinking about it and focus on food too.
“So good…” Bryce finished and sighed contended.
“Come on, Floo Point will have to queue up looking at those crowds.” Luca stood up, noting many other wizards gone and the time nearing 8:30 on one of the elaborate golden clocks hanging on the walls in visible spots.
“Incredible that people can walk into a fireplace and teleport God knows how far. I read that if you don’t say the address clearly, you can even end up in some chimney in India. That might not be true though, it was a cautionary pamphlet about traveling by Floo. Maybe they want to scare us, sounds ridiculous.” Bryce went on with his assumptions, Luca kind of agreed with him. They passed the doorman forest trolls sending off guests into the streets filled with wizards dressed in formal black robes sending their children off.
“You know, I got teleported here holding witch’s arm as she just waved a wand, and poof, we are two hundred fifty kilometers or so away. Magic seems omnipotent to me, stop getting surprised and learn it.” Luca said with burning eyes, his failures that only shattered wands after clearly being able to use magic multiple times left him angry. Magic was obviously so powerful, yet he could only watch it present in everything around here, without knowledge of how it is done.
“Is it so simple? We won’t be expelled or something if we lack magic power? I didn’t read about any meditation or other ways to increase mana, just that it will grow the most between twelve to twenty-two years old. It’s said that more power equals more lifespan too, one wizard is supposed to live seven hundred years.” Bryce looked worried and yearning for being born special, with more magic that would make him immortal.
“Stop daydreaming, how can that be? Must be some sort of hoax, like people putting on makeup or that guy having an offspring so similar that people mistake his sons for him.” Luca said uneasily, aware of his own peculiarity. Could he live for hundreds of years too? Are there wizards stronger than him at the same age, what about older? Man living for more than half a millennium… Must know so much. Luca thought wildly how would that play out for the man and the world, not seeing it as no country in that period of time in history was steadily on the up-and-up that such a man would surely be able to bring to it. Was he active only on the magical side?
Boys entered the building labeled ‘Floo Point in Iverstead’, a spacious hall with marble fireplaces erupting in green flames from time to time as wizards disappeared inside the ones built on the right side and appeared from the left ones. Families saying their last goodbye, sometimes wiping tears from their eyes sending kids to the same school they attended in the past.
“Dad and Mom went to Pukwudgie house, I don’t care if you let us down yet again, but you must respect the Pukwudgies patrolling the school to keep you ungrateful brats safe.” one wizard put his son on fire as soon as he opened his mouth, kid dismissed him and went to get a pinch of powder from the soapbox on a shelf of the fireplace.
“Goodbye poor unemployed bum, Mom. Ilvermorny!” kid coolly walked forward sprinkling the powder and disappeared.
“That shit!” wizard was almost ready to roll up his sleeves and go after his son, held back by his wife as she said with malice.
“What, he said something wrong? No? Then go home!” wizard deflated and took the powder in resignation.
“Roanoke.” he said, then his wife’s turn went the same.
Luca and Bryce looked at each other, Luca made an inviting gesture to let Bryce go first.
“Remember to shut your eyes and keep arms straight down.” reminded Luca. The boy took a deep breath, straightened his posture, and went to do as was demonstrated. He went up in flames, now Luca had to go.
“Ilvermorny!” he shouted, fireplace made vacant in a blaze of green.