Alexander was very anxious. He walked around Professor Knudlac's office.
"Alexander, you spotted your honour. How will you become the best now?" the boy said aloud.
Elizabeth and Johnny were with him in Professor Knudlac's office, sitting on the chair saying nothing. Johnny looked at Alexander's squirming. Everything the latter did, his chaotic walk here and there, his words said loudly, and his professor-like reproaches for the worst mistakes, made Johnny increasingly scared.
Elizabeth was happy because Abigail was healthy. She looked at the many display cases with splendid cups won over the centuries by students of Elmbridge School of Magic. The shelves were full of cups of all sizes and all kinds. Gold pyramids, sapphire and red diamond igloo, tower-shaped, silver, larger or smaller, all stood imposing there, proudly presenting, with labels written in gold, how hard they were obtained.
Elizabeth managed to see behind Knudlac's desk a lot of objects she didn't recognize. She recognized only a mace that seemed to spread blue flames when, a comb made of glass, with sapphire-coloured handle and emerald-coloured teeth popped up. And there also was ...
The door opened. The tormenting silence and Alexander's stressful attitude ended.
Mr. Knudlac came in and sat down on his chair. Alexander did the same and sat down, still fussy, even more than before.
He cracked a smile, however, when he saw the professor smiled slightly.
"I do not know if you are aware of what you did, what dangers you were exposed to... You violated no more or less than eleven rules of conduct of the school," the professor scolded them, in a gentle tone though.
The children said nothing.
"Alexander, you bought from Zgreb Ivanovici that orb, which a student of your age shouldn't even know how to use, and it will cost you dearly."
The boy's face darkened as everything darkens before someone's eyes when they close their eyes.
"But Professor ..."
"Its use for opening that portal deserves a penalty," said the professor very seriously.
Then he smiled again.
"By the way, how did you get the knowledge to use this?" Knudlac wondered as if he didn't punish the boy then, but wanted to find answers to questions.
Alexander didn't answer the professor's question, only blushed with shame. He was greatly disturbed by penalties. So he dared see what his situation was:
"Professor ... how many points did I lose? Sure it will take me more than a month to get back to my current position. Will I lose the second place in the class, which I hardly obtined ...?"
Knudlac interrupted him, twisting the knife even harder in the wound of the remorse:
"The fact that you didn't obey Miss Harmony and didn't return to your room, you went to the Ancient Forest, you didn't make sure the portal wasn't used by others ..."
The professor spoke, turning his gaze to Johnny, who, feeling his piercing eyes aimed at him, looked down.
"All this will not cost you the 2nd place in the class."
Alexander breathed a sigh of relief at that moment. But that breath was nothing more than a pre-sigh.
"It will cost you all the points you earned in addition to the exam marks ... so even more so."
"It's like losing a whole year ... of school ..." the boy began weaning. "As if taking it from the beginning ..."
But in vain, because he didn't persuade the professor. His decision was made.
Alexander looked at the other two, with such anxiety and anger, as if they were to blame for everything he did ... for all those missed points.
"I shouldn't be responsible for others," the boy tried to defend himself, but the professor interrupted him.
"Yes, each one will be responsible for his or her deeds, as well as for the others' deeds, if the deeds gave opportunity to make mistakes ..."
After a short break, Knudlac continued:
"Elizabeth and Johnny, I also reproach you for risking your life. You'll be penalized too for your actions. If you want, I can tell you how you got each penalty point ... but the idea is that you lost everything you've accumulated so far."
Absolute silence.
Since no one wanted to know the number of mistakes, Knudlac didn't go into details. But the children were very sad.
"The truth is, I didn't have too many, so ..." Johnny said quietly, trying to raise his morale.
Knudlac looked at the children with the same gentle gaze.
"But, thank you. I think ... in fact I'm sure if you didn't keep the ogre busy, the situation could be different with Alexander. And maybe with Abigail too. Alexander, you can thank Johnny, because without him the situation could be worse for you."
Johnny grinned at the thought that he saved Alexander. And his grin, and the others' smiles would be mouth-to-ear when they find out what Knudlac had to say.
"For what you did, because you helped with Abigail's rescue and you helped each other, you have the right to participate in this decade's Magic Contest. After all this was the purpose of the points you strived so hard to gather. Be among the first, valedictorians, to be able to participate in magic Contests in which only the best students participate."
There was a brief pause.
"This is my reward for you. You proved several times you're a team and Elmbridge Magic School needs a team for this contest. And ... I say you should be happy."
Only now had the children understood what happened, so they beamed with joy. This was also the purpose of becoming an eminent student ... to have the right to participate in such competitions. They were a kind of magic Olympics, where only the best had the right to become competitors. Only those who had the most points, who had the highest grades in the exams, only they had this rare chance.
"Just wait and see when everyone will hear," said Johnny, who didn't even think he would ever get where only the most diligent students do.
"But you are still punished for two weeks. Because you put your lives in danger these two weeks apart from school and lunch, you aren't allowed to spend time in the usual recreational spaces. Instead, you three will spend a lot of time together ... at the library. You'll relax there and work to improve your knowledge."
Professor Knudlac took something out of his desk drawer, and then handed Elizabeth and Johnny a parchment.
"For your courage you'll get a parchment of magic. I know it cannot fully reward your sacrifice. The fact that you didn't think of yourselves but only of Abigail and Alexander who needed to be saved. I think such actions deserve corresponding awards, but unfortunately, I can only offer you these little gifts."
The professor smiled again.
"Think carefully of the way you want to choose, because when you read this parchment, depending on your skills and wishes, the magic you gain will be appropriate to the path you choose to follow."
Lucky Johnny looked at the girl happily. He burst with joy. Alexander, on the other hand, was very jealous because the two got the parchment he was supposed to get.
"Johnny, you know what this is about, as for you Elizabeth, I'll explain to you these days at length what this parchment is and what its purpose is. With this parchment you'll learn your first powerful spell. I'll explain how you can get it, but later, after you spend a good deal of time in the library."
Professor Knudlac stood up.
"That was all so far. After you have lunch, you'll go to the library. There you have some useful books prepared for you. He opened the door to the children. They got up and left the office happily, two of them as happy as possible. The two winners placed their parchments in the inside pockets of the capes and headed with Alexander to the dining room.