Bzzzt!" Came a sound randomly out of the darkness. It came once, then twice, then thrice, getting louder each time. Then finally, on the seventh sound, Procus, who was lying idly on his bed and staring at the ceiling, sat bolt upright with an intent look on his face. He glanced at the calendar next to his bed, on which he liked to count down the days to June the 1st, the day his new school term started, and then at the alarm clock on his bedside table that was illuminated by the moonlight flooding into his window. With a start, he realized that it was midnight. "Witching hour," said a small, unbidden voice in his head. Procus got up and began searching for the source of the sound. It wasn't that difficult to find, to be frank. Directly outside his window, lightning was striking at the exact same spot multiple times and was causing the alarming sound. He didn't know why, but he was drawn to the lightning. Like a bee to honey, Procus left his room and snuck his way towards the lightning.
***
Cautiously, he approached the spot where the lightning was continually striking. When he reached however, the lightning abruptly stopped. "Woah. Freakish biometric conditions," he muttered. With renewed caution, Procus approached the spot where the lightning had been striking. There was now a deep depression on the spot. And inside the depression itself, there was a small, glowing and pulsating crystal and could easily fit into Procus' palm. It was pure white and as clear as a diamond. It looked heavy but when Procus picked it up, he discovered that it was feather-light. Pocketing it, he went back to his bedroom and fell into a deep and restless sleep, punctuated by horrible dreams about lightning. What the poor boy did not know was that he had just received a fragment of the rarest material in existence, star.
***
The next morning, Procus awoke to a feeling of disorientation and confusion. All that he remembered of last night was lots and lots of lightning. However, he needed his wits about him that day as he had to get back to the shop where he had bought his school things and then get on to a train from there that would take him to Angsanian Towers, which would be a long and complicated journey, full of heading to station 321 by bus 132 or whatever it actually was. He thought that everybody else would have awoken much earlier and had already reached the station. He was therefore surprised to find a disgruntled Vignesh, followed by an equally disgruntled Adi, keeping him company on the bus to the shop.
He had barely opened his mouth to ask them why they were so late as well when Adi mumbled, "Overslept," Turned out that everybody had had the same nightmares as Procus had had, though no one knew what they meant.
***
After a journey that took most of the morning, the three took seats in the train that would take them to Angsanian Towers. This journey (according to their schedules) would take the best part of the day (basically, it would take about 8 hours), then, they would arrive for an Opening Feast before they went to bed. The next day, they would start lessons. The journey went pleasantly enough for the first half, with all of them joking and eating their way steadily through the items that they had bought from the lunch trolley. Before long though, they were disturbed by the door sliding open and a girl walking into their compartment.
"Hello, mind if I sit here? Everywhere else is full and someone took my seat," she asked.
"I don't see why not," Vignesh shrugged, moving inwards so that the newcomer would have space to sit.
"Thank you," the stranger took a seat opposite Procus, and he got a good look at her for the first time.
The first thing that he noticed was her frizzy black hair, which looked a lot like a mane to Procus. She was fiddling with her wand in her hands and looking around at the three, taking them in with a critical eye. Speaking of her eyes, they were the weirdest eyes he had ever seen – gray and misty and whoever Procus stared to close, they seemed to disappear.
Procus was so absorbed in all this that he didn't even notice that the girl was talking until Adi nudged him in the ribs and hissed.
"I said," the girl rolled her eyes, annoyed, "what's your name?"
"Procus. Procus Evgenis," Procus extended his hand in greeting.
"Patricia Jiao. A pleasure to meet you," she took his hand and shook it, "Oh, your glasses are broken, here, let me..."
She raised her wand and pointed it at Procus' face, who instinctively recoiled. Vignesh and Adi looked on in interest.
She muttered something under her breath and Procus felt his glasses twitch and start fixing themselves. He took them off in wonder, feeling the once-broken bridge, now as good as new. He put them back on and discovered that, for the first time, his vision wasn't lopsided.
"Wow, thanks a lot!" he exclaimed.
"It was no problem really," she said, stowing away her wand, "I've been looking for a chance to try out that spell, but I didn't really get much chance, since my parents are both Kin, and I'm not allowed to use magic in a Kin community,"
"Wait what's a Kin," Vignesh asked, mystified.
"A Kin is what we call non-magical people," Adi tried to say. But his mouth was full of chocolate and bread so it came out more as, "Hrm hrghle high hrgh," and Vignesh got a faceful of chocolate.
Patricia looked at him in disdain, "And you are?"
Adi swallowed hugely, "Adi Putra," and extended his hand like Procus did. Patricia did not take it.
Instead, she said to Vignesh, "Kins are non-magical people. They have different names all over the globe. For example, in America, they're called No-Maj's, or in England, they're called Muggles. See, the word Muggle is interesting because it actually originates from..."
Procus had just enough time to think: We got a Missus Lin, before the highly soporific element of her voice took effect and the drowsiness hit him like something solid. For the next hour, Patricia talked on and on, unaware of the plight of her audience. It seemed like time had decided to slow down. Vignesh looked like he was about to die, eyes glazed over, but Adi was listening rapturously. Procus watched the clock from the corner of eye; surely it had not been only fifteen minutes... half an hour... one hour...
When Procus felt like he was about to die of boredom, through his daze, he heard Patricia say, "I'll be right back, have to go the washroom real quick," and leave the room.
For a few moments, there was silence as the soporific effect of her voice wore off. Then, Vignesh said, "Glad that's over,"
"Yeah," Procus agreed, "She seems like a real Lin,"
"Oh come on, you two, she's not that bad," Adi said to them, "She's not that soporific, and you've got to admit, she's pretty good-looking..." he trailed off at the looks of bewilderment on the other two's faces.
"Adi? Mate? You okay?" Vignesh enquired.
"Cause you're not sounding like yourself at all," Procus answered.
Adi was saved the trouble of answering by Patricia's return, at which Procus quickly grabbed a Chocolate Frog and opened it, trying to stop the frog from bounding off. Looking at the card inside, he saw that it was Magna Foong. Silently, he read the description on the back of the card.
Magna Foong is the current Headmistress of Angsanian Towers School for Witchcraft and Wizardry and the Chief Advisor to the Asian Ministry of Magic. Miss Foong is particularly famous for her triumph over Potenam Esurentias, her discovery of the ThunderStriker and her work on alchemy with her partner, Vita Alchimia.
"Anyway, we should be there soon. It can't be long now; we've been cooped up in here for pretty much eight hours," Patricia said. And right on cue, the train began to slow down and eventually stopped. People began to swarm out. Procus and Adi, who were supposed to supervise this, sprung up and hurried to do their duty while Vignesh and Patricia were left to be jostled out of the train by the rest of the hundreds of students.
***
"First-years over here, first-years over here please!" came a crisp and sharp voice out of the darkness, barely audible over the sounds of crashing thunder and the sounds of the torrential rain. It was still audible though, if ever so slightly, so Vignesh tried to make his way toward it, dodging through older students and trying not to get hit by too many trunks at the same time. The sound had been coming from a wispy woman standing at the edge of the lake. As he approached, they saw through rain another two students looking just as disgruntled and wet as they were as well. Once he reached, it became apparent that it was Procus and Adi. They were soon joined by about three dozen other students including (much to the three's, or, well two's, disgust), Patricia.
"We'll be lucky if we don't drown today!" Procus grumbled as the Vignesh drew closer.
"Drown? You don't mean that we're –" Patricia, who happened to be standing behind him, asked.
"– going across the lake in boats, yes," Procus cut her short.
"Well then, everyone here? Then get into the boats and start paddling for all you're worth! We can't use magic lest we drown!" shouted the woman from inside one of the boats.
There was an immediate scramble for boats. Procus, Adi and Vignesh hastily clambered into one of the boats, soon joined by Patricia, and began paddling the oars as though their lives depended on it, which they probably did. Within minutes, they were drenched to the bone and could barely see what they were heading for. All they had to go by was a bright orange light north of them. Suddenly, the rain stopped. Or at least, it stopped in their immediate area. Looking up, they saw that they were under some sort of rock outcropping. Apparently, they were the first to reach there as more boats started to enter the outcropping. In front of them, there was a humongous castle built out of grey stone. Its archway was big enough to easily accommodate multiple double-decker buses. The entire castle seemed to emanate heat. Four spires towered above them, supporting the castle's weight and all ending in points that looked sharp enough to impale a shark. Turrets lined the highest point of the castle and windows were set in niches in the high walls. The first-years had barely had a chance to do more than take in this sight before the wispy-looking woman got out of her boat and barked, "Everyone out of boats and follow me into the school now! Prefects lead the way,"
Procus and Adi sprang out of the boats and began to lead the way. As they entered the building, there was a collective gasp of awe at the sight that greeted their eyes. A huge hall, with a ceiling enchanted to show the weather outside and bright lighting, with four long house tables set vertically to the entrance archway, each with empty plates lain in front of each seat. At the end of the Hall farthest from them, there was a (slightly) shorter table for the teachers, also lain with an equal amount of food. A large banner above the teachers' table said: 'Supra Et Ultra', which was Latin for 'Above and Beyond', the school motto. Behind the teachers' table were four huge hourglasses set in niches into the wall with a symbol embossed over each one; a sword for Evgenis, a skull for Ravikumar, a pair of wings for Sherazee and a shield with an eye in the middle for Low. Below each was a number set on a digital pointer that showed each houses' points. After feasting their eyes on this beautiful sight, they were shunted into a side corridor by an old and strict-faced witch. After doing a head count of all the first-years, she bustled out of the corridor. They watched as she brought out a stool and a miniature statue, on which were carved the four house symbols, arranged to form a four-point star, with Evgenis at the north point, Ravikumar at the south, Sherazee in the east and Low on the western side. The silence in the hall was absolute. Nobody moved, nor whispered. Suddenly, all four of the symbols lit up from within, bathing the hall in luminous blue light. The tension in the hall suddenly broke.
Then, one by one, the witch, whose name was Professor Jane, began to call out the first-years and each would hold the statue in their hands until one of the symbols lit up and they were Sorted into that house. The first name, Adi, was called and he scurried out of the corridor to hold the statue, on which the symbol for Evgenis, the sword, lit up. Soon, Procus' turn came, and he scurried out into the Main Hall, nervous. Holding the statue, he waited.
Ooh… let's see here, came a voice in Procus' head. Quite brave, I see. Not a bad mind, either. Extremely loyal too. And there's a burning desire to prove yourself. You would do well in… Ravikumar.
No, no not that, please. Anything but Ravikumar, please, please! Procus thought desperately. Adi had already told him all about the houses. Apparently, Ravikumar was the house of the Darke, from which some of the worst wizards of the eras had come from, and Procus wanted nothing to do with it.
Are you sure? The statue continued relentlessly; you could be great you know. And Ravikumar would help you on your way to greatness. No? Definitely? Well then, if not Ravikumar, then better be… Evgenis! The statue finally decided, illuminating the symbol of the sword as it did.
Procus, infinitely relieved, put down the statue, went to join the rest of the cheering Evgenises to watch the Sorting. Vignesh was also placed into Evgenis. When it was Patricia's turn came, the hat took a long time to decide where to put her. It decided on Evgenis after an agonizing debate of Evgenis or Sherazee, which lasted for nearly five minutes. The same went for Alen Santosh, who was eventually Sorted into Evgenis. Once all the new students had been Sorted, Professor Foong stood up. The chatter that had been in the hall died away at once.
"To our new students, welcome! And to our old friends, welcome back! There is a time for all the pomp and ceremony, but it is not this. Tuck in!" she said in a deep voice that reverberated through the Hall like a gong blast. At the words 'Tuck in', there was a round of appreciative laughter from the older students and a collective gasp of awe from the new ones, for the plates, which had been empty only seconds ago, filled themselves with every kind of food imaginable, from roast turkey to potatoes boiled in their jackets to Yorkshire pudding. Procus and Adi, who were sitting next to each other, began to eat with gusto, the long train journey having tired them.
***
After multiple helpings of a variety of dishes, Procus was feeling pleasantly drowsy. Looking around the hall, he saw that most people had finished their food. That was when it happened. Procus was looking up at the staff table, at a greasy-haired, hook-nosed teacher who was deep in conversation with a teacher with a huge purple turban on his head when his wand, completely out of the blue, became searingly hot.
"ARGH!" Procus yelled, drawing a few concerned looks from up and down the table. He quickly clutched his kneecap to look as though he had hit against the top of the table. Adi, who was still too busy eating, noticed nothing.
Looking towards the staff table again, he recognized the hook-nosed teacher as Professor Kiew, the Brewing master, while the turban-headed teacher was Professor Pascal, the Defensive Magic teacher. Suddenly, Professor Foong stood up and, as on the previous account, all the chatter in the hall died away immediately.
She cleared her throat and said, "Now that we are all full of yet another pleasantly delicious feast, I must give out a few reminders. Mister Zafran, the caretaker, has asked me to remind you, for what he says is 568th time that students are not allowed out of their common-rooms or dormitories after 9 o'clock in the night," she paused at this and her eyes twinkled at the students, "and that magic is strictly forbidden in the corridors, along with an extensive list of other items that can now be viewed outside Mister Zafran's office," the corners of her mouth twitched upwards slightly at this, "also, new students should know that the forest is out-of-bounds unless accompanied by a teacher, and a few older students should know that by now too. And one more thing, this year, the third-floor east wing corridor is out of bounds to all those who do not want to die a messy and painful death," At this, Procus laughed, but he was one of the few that did.
"She's not serious, is she?" he asked fourth-year girl sitting behind him. The girl, whose name was Sonakshi, replied with an uneasy look on her face, "She usually has her reasons for forbidding things. Like for example, the forest is full of dangerous creatures, everyone knows that. But this…" she trailed off uncertainly.
"But for now, your beds await, as comfortable and warm as you could wish for and I know that your top priority is to be well-rested for your lessons tomorrow. Chop, chop!" Professor Foong continued, making Procus jump. At this, the students stood up and began heading for their dormitories. Procus and Adi had gone to find out the common-room and dormitory passwords from their Head of the House. Just as Vignesh reached Evgenis tower, Procus and Adi came rushing up.
"Just got the password. It's 'Lion'" Adi said.
"Correct," came a voice from the tapestry of a purplish-black dragon. All three jumped, looking around wildly, finally realizing that it was the tapestry.
Okay, so tapestries can talk. That's new. Procus thought as the tapestry swung open and allowed the four into the Evgenis common-room, a comfortable-looking room with squashy armchairs, a bookshelf and an old-fashioned hearth with a fire crackling merrily inside. All bid goodnight to each other and headed for the dormitories to unpack and sleep.