The Woodward Academy, Year 3

Chapter 10: March

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

"Flo Tractus?" the pixie asked.

Flo looked up from her studies. "Yes?"

"Prof. Stott would like to see you in her classroom."

"What for?" Flo asked.

"There was a problem with your last exam, and she needs to discuss it with you."

Flo frowned. Prof. Stott wasn't accusing her of cheating, was she? To the pixie, she said, "Okay, I'm on my way." Pickles dashed up Flo's arm and curled himself up under her hair, behind her neck.

As she walked across the terrace to Alton Hall, she asked Pickles, "Do you think I'm in trouble?"

"Could be," Pickles said. He, of course, knew the truth of the matter, since Jess had secretly told him about it weeks ago.

Flo entered Alton Hall, and then turned right, to go into Prof. Stott's classroom. The only light was a single candle at Prof. Stott's desk. The rest of the room was dark and faintly forbidding.

"Prof. Stott?" Flo asked, a bit nervously.

"Come in, Flo," she said in a businesslike tone.

Flo stepped over to the desk and looked down at her professor. Prof. Stott looked up at her, seeing the anticipatory dread in her eyes. Keeping her voice somewhat stern, Prof. Stott said, "Happy Birthday."

Before Flo could even register the words properly, the four fireflies in the room burst into life, filling the room with bright light, and the gathered crowd hollered, "SURPRISE!"

Flo jumped, and then turned around. She grinned to see all of her friends gathered. They burst into a round of "Happy Birthday", which was the usual song for the occasion, even in Dugerra. Flo looked flabbergasted.

"I thought everyone had forgotten," she admitted. They had all done their best to ignore her for the entire day, acting as if it was any other day.

"Like we could forget your birthday," Jess scolded her good-naturedly.

"But how did you talk Prof. Stott into..."

"That was my doing," David said from behind her. He'd been standing in the shadows behind Prof. Stott's work table.

"Oh," Flo said, blushing.

Jess and another girl carried the cake down from the back of the room, and set it on Prof. Stott's work table, so they could cut it. Soon, everybody had their cake and ice cream, and the chattering and fun commenced.

David stood back from the crowd. He liked Flo, but he didn't know many of her friends. Once he thought everyone was in the swing of things, though, he took the lid off of his cauldron.

Sam saw him. "You're going to work now?"

David just smiled and pulled out his wand. Tapping it on the cauldron, he said, "Ventus."

A soft wind issued from his wand across the surface of his potion. Suddenly, a cloud of bubbles rose from the cauldron, colored every hue of the rainbow. The magical wind carried them up to the ceiling, and then they started to rise and fall on the air currents in the room. They didn't pop, but hung in the air, bouncing off people and objects, and rising back up to start all over again.

"What in the world is this?" Sam asked. "I've never seen this potion before. Did you make this one up?"

David nodded. "Number three on my list. I've got a long way to go."

"You've already made three out of your ten?"

"Yeah. I call this one Flo Bubble. I came up with it after Jess told me about the birthday party."

"Nice," she said, grinning.

Just then, Flo collided with David, wrapping her arms around him in a hug. She gave him a quick peck on the cheek before letting him go.

"Thank you! Thank you for the unicorn!" After a second, she said, "And the bubbles! They're awesome!"

David smiled tolerantly, and said, "I'm glad you like the unicorn."

Sam looked over to see a three-foot-long stuffed unicorn sitting on one of the tables. Its mane and tail sparkled in the firefly light.

Flo dashed back to her presents to continue opening them, while Sam and David watched from the sidelines.

"That was a nice present for her. It definitely fits her personality."

David smirked. "Yeah, I know."

Sam said, "Well, I'll leave you guys to have fun. Try not to trash the room too badly, or the brownies will be mad. And just make sure you lock up when you leave."

"Will do, Sam. Thanks for the use of the room."

"My pleasure." She gave David a kiss, and then left the room. David covered his cauldron again, and then went over to the large mirror on the wall, and dialed up a mirror broadcast of some music. After that, the party got into full swing.

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

"This isn't complete, Stroud," Quayde snapped at him.

"You're right, it's not," David replied. "I didn't have time to finish it."

"You think you can just pick and choose whatever work you feel like doing? Saturday detention!"

"I think not," David replied. Suddenly, every eye in the classroom was focused on him in shock.

"What did you say to me?" Quayde demanded in a harsh, dangerous whisper of a voice.

"I said no. I have a task to perform for Dean Lengel on Saturday, which trumps your attempt at harassing me. I did the class assignment. I didn't do the extra four assignments you gave to me alone."

"How dare you lecture me!" Quayde snarled. "We are going to the dean, right now!"

"Whatever. Olissa, will you come with me, please?"

As Olissa started to rise, Quayde nearly shouted, "Sit back down! I didn't give you permission to leave!"

David stared Quayde down. "I am asking for her presence in a complaint to the dean against you, Professor. If you attempt to prevent her from acting as a witness for that complaint, I will make that fact abundantly clear to the dean, as well." Turning to Olissa, David said, "And bring your homework."

Olissa nodded and rose, and the two of them led Quayde out of the room. Quayde snarled to the class instructions for an assignment, and then followed the other two quickly. He did not catch up with them before they had reached Dean Lengel's office, as Beckett Hall was right next door to Hyneman Hall.

"Hello, David," Tracy said, a bit confused at the obvious anger he portrayed. "What can I do for you?"

"Prof. Quayde wants to rant at Dean Lengel about me, and I want to file a complaint about him."

"Ah. Where is he?"

"I'm right here," he snapped angrily. Tracy stared at him coldly. She pulled out her mirror and dialed the dean, to make sure she wasn't in the middle of something.

"Go on in," she told them.

As David expected, Prof. Quayde didn't bother with the niceties of knocking, but instead barged right into the room.

"This... student... is refusing to accept disciplinary action," Quayde snarled at the dean.

Dean Lengel, tired of Quayde's attitude, sat back and stared at him impassively.

"WELL?" Quayde bellowed.

"I don't plan on listening to you until you sound a little less like a crazed lunatic, and a little more like the head of one of the educational departments of the best wizarding school in the nation."

Quayde was, at this point, virtually incapable of speech, he was so angry. David, wanting to move things along, spoke for his teacher, which he knew would infuriate him further, and that pleased David.

"Madam Dean, the Professor is trying to tell you that when he sentenced me to Saturday detention, I informed him that I would not go."

Dean Lengel raised her eyebrows. "And why not?"

"Two reasons. First and most importantly, this Saturday is the training day for orientation group leaders. It's something I cannot miss, if you want me to actually participate. Secondly, the detention was given for something that is not a disciplinary issue."

"What was it given for?" she asked.

"Because I did not turn in an assignment that I did not have time to complete."

"If all the other students finished it..." Dean Lengel started. She knew where this was going, but had to make the obvious argument. David raised his finger to stop her.

"Ah, but none of the other students were given the assignment. Only me. I am officially filing a complaint against Prof. Quayde at this time, since he has continued to make an issue out of this. I brought Olissa along as my witness. She has brought with her the homework that was assigned to the class as a whole."

Olissa handed over five sheets of parchment, which contained her homework for over the weekend. Dean Lengel flipped through it and nodded. "Seems a bit much, but not too bad..."

David handed over a sheaf of nearly thirty pages. "Here are the assignments I was given. To be done in the same amount of time."

Dean Lengel flipped through it, her look darkening. She tossed the pages on her desk. "Is this account accurate, Delquin?"

Prof. Quayde, who had only grown more upset as David had talked so reasonably, responded, "Well, I mean, yes, I gave him the assignments, and he refused to do them! And then he had the gall to tell me, in front of the entire class,, that he was going to ignore my authority!"

Dean Lengel looked to David.

David shrugged. "He sentenced me to detention in front of the entire class, I didn't have much choice but to tell him that I wasn't going to attend in front of the entire class."

Dean Lengel nodded. "You could have waited until later, but I concede that he set the situation up himself." She turned to Delquin. "Do you have anything to add to the details as given by Mister Stroud?"

"No," Prof. Quayde replied curtly.

Dean Lengel nodded again, then leaned forward. "Then, let me be clear about this, Professor. I am hereby granting David immunity from any and all detention you might try to give him, from now until the end of the year. I've had it up to here with your crap, Delquin. I can't fire you over this, and you'd better be glad of it, or you'd be off the premises within the hour. Your job is to teach, not to make judgment calls about who is fit to be here. That is my job.

"Now, I can't do anything about how much homework he's giving you to do, David, nor can I stop him from grading you poorly when you don't do it, but I've already heard from your other instructors that you've been having difficulty completing their work. Are you having this problem with some of them?"

"Oh, no, ma'am. The problem I've had completing their assignments has been strictly due to the fact that, up until recently, I tried to get my Conjuring work done first. There is simply not enough time to do all of my other classes, and what Prof. Quayde has been giving me. And, keep in mind, ma'am, that I have an extra four hours a day in which to do my work, because I get less sleep than most students."

"I see. And so the reason you didn't do these assignments..."

"Is that I did all my other work first."

"I'd suggest you continue with that trend."

"Yes, ma'am, I intend to."

Turning back to Prof. Quayde, Dean Lengel said, "You disgust me. I will be filing my own complaint with the Ministry of Education about you."

Quayde glared at Dean Lengel, then, without a word to her, he turned to David. "This isn't over, you soulless punk." With that, he stormed out of the room.

"At least I had one once," David replied, after Quayde had already left the room. He heard Dean Lengel stifle a giggle before he turned back to face her.

"You realize what we've done, of course," Dean Lengel said.

"Yes, ma'am. We've forced him to try something more drastic to 'encourage' my departure from his classroom."

"I really am sorry about this. It's unlikely the Ministry will do anything, either, but I want to have the complaint on record for possible future action."

David nodded.

The dean looked at her clock, and then said, "There's no need for you two to have to go back into that environment right now. Let's go to lunch, instead."

David looked at Olissa, who looked a bit stricken at the idea of lunching with the dean of students. He quickly and surreptitiously rubbed her back, and said, "Sounds good."

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

"Okay, who wants to give it a try?" Prof. Rutherford asked. One girl in the class stepped forward, and she worked at it, but could not, for the life of her, get more than a little bit of bubbling out of the pool of water.

"No problem," the instructor told her. "This can be difficult. Up until now, you've been dealing with very small bodies of water. A beaker or bowl of water is much different from this pool. The energy can disperse very easily if you're not careful. So, who's next?" When no one volunteered, Prof. Rutherford said, "David, why don't you give it a go?"

David's classmates backed up, giving him a clear path to the pool. He looked at them all.

"Thanks a lot, guys," They chuckled as he made his way poolside.

"Remember," she told him quietly, "water is always moving to some extent. You have done fairly well in small scale. This is just one step up. Focus your intent, concentrate, but relax. You can do this."

"You didn't give her this little speech," David objected softly.

"I didn't think she had a chance of doing it," Prof. Rutherford said in a voice only he could hear.

David looked over at her, and she motioned to the pool of water. He closed his eyes, and imagined the task at hand. Finally, after several deep breaths, David opened his eyes, raised his wand and his left hand, then circled his wand on an angle.

Slowly, the water in the pool began to swirl. The faster it moved, the more energetic it became. A mound of water appeared in the middle, and it slowly grew. The class could see the mound was twisting as it rose up out of the water. David maintained his concentration until he had in front of him a column of twisting water that was taller than he was. The surface of the column rippled, as if it were a rope of water rising up.

The class applauded, and Prof. Rutherford cheered.

"Very good, David! Now, hold onto it!" As David maintained the column, which was much easier than creating it, Prof. Rutherford talked to the others. "See, it can be done. You just need to concentrate a bit, and practice. David will be the first to tell you he's not my best student."

The class laughed at that, and David smirked.

"But he does practice a lot, and that helps. It will be the same for the rest of you." Turning to David, she said, "Okay, you can let go... Slowly, if you please..."

David said, "Aw, where's the fun in that?" The class chuckled as he let the water drop back down into the pool. It only sloshed a little.

"So," the professor said, "Who's next?"

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

"Good morning, everyone," Dean Lengel said. "and thank you for your participation in the orientation of new students this year. Today, we'll take just a few hours to make sure that you have all the information you need in order to properly introduce the new students to the Academy.

"First, we'll go over some basic information. After that, you'll team up in small groups of five, each with a professor. The groups will go around the campus, and you'll pretend that you're talking to the new students. This will allow the professor, and your fellow students, to help you fill in any gaps you might have in your knowledge of the school.

"Now, let me start out by emphasizing a few things that you should not say to the incoming students. You should not... in fact, you will not be able to... talk about their wizarding license exam. If you try, you will run into a rather nasty Gag Order emplaced by the Dugerran Wizarding Council. The exam is not to be discussed with anyone who has not already been through it.

"Next, please don't give opinions of your professors. We all have people we like and dislike, and subjects that we find especially troublesome. It would be unfair of you to unnecessarily burden these new students with what would, for them, be a prejudice, even if you formed your opinion after two years of suffering."

The group chuckled at that.

"Finally... there are a few of you who know some particular secrets about the school that are not widely known." Dean Lengel was staring right at David while she said this. "It should go without saying, but I will say it anyway, that any such information should not be passed on."

The dean straightened after that, and said, "Okay, now I'm going to step back and let Prof. Whitaker and Coach Hall run you through some basic information that you should pass along."

David listened intently as the professors spoke. He had used the same memory charm on himself as he had with Lord Woodward, so that he could make notes later, instead of trying to take them now, as other students were doing. It guaranteed that he wouldn't miss anything.

Finally, the professors were finished, and Dean Lengel stepped back up. "Okay, now it's time for us all to break into small groups. When you got here, you were given an envelope with a number on it. Each professor is displaying a number. That is your small group. For those in group 1, that would be me."

David looked at his envelope. He was not surprised to find himself in group 1. He walked over and stood beside the dean, as did four other people. He didn't know any of them, but they all said hi to each other politely.

"Okay," the dean said, "Let's get going. On Orientation Day, like now, everyone will meet here in Byron Hall first, and then they will leave in waves, to give everyone a bit of space. As group leader, where would you take your group from here?"

There was a bit of uncertainty from the group. David offered, "Sabrina Hall."

The others in the group muttered in surprise. Dean Lengel asked, "Why there?"

"Well, the tour is followed by lunch, right? So it makes sense to end the tour back here at Byron Hall. If you start at Sabrina Hall, you can go all the way around the Academy Level, then drop back down here to the terrace, and make another circle, and you finish up right here at Byron Hall, with no additional walking."

The dean nodded. "Your plan ignores the dorms, though."

"Are we supposed to show the dorms?" one of the others asked.

"You should walk them through Griffin Dorm, yes."

"And when we do that all depends on exactly where Griffin Dorm is at the time," a third student said.

"Right," the dean agreed. "For now, though, we'll follow David's plan, and head up to Sabrina Hall."

The group walked around, and the dean asked a student to talk about each building. When she got to Beckett Hall, she asked David to narrate.

"Why did you give me this building?" he asked. "Is it because I spend so much time in your office?"

The group laughed, and the dean blushed.

David said, "Beckett Hall is the administrative center for the Academy. Inside, you will find the office of the Dean of Students, the Housing Office, the Office of Student Affairs, the Registrar, and the Guidance Office. If you're lucky, the only one of these offices you'll see regularly will be the Office of Student Affairs, which is responsible for organizing and advertising special events and clubs."

Another student asked, "Aren't you going to tell them what the other offices do?"

David looked at Dean Lengel. "Should I? Or should I leave it to the handbook? It's all in there, after all..."

Dean Lengel nodded. "Leave it, unless someone asks a question." To the rest of the group, she said, "Keep that in mind. They will be taking a copy of the handbook home with them. Each of you will get a copy of it later today. Read through it, so you know what's in it. You don't need to repeat every word that's in the handbook. Just touch on what you think they really need to know about a building or department. Does anyone have any questions for David?"

"What if I needed to talk to someone about a problem I was having at the school?" one student asked.

"Well, that would depend on the problem," David said. "If you've got a problem with your dorm room, you'd talk with Housing. Or Maintenance, which is in a different building. If you're struggling with deciding which courses to take, the Guidance Office would be your best bet. If you're just having a generally tough time of things, I'd suggest making an appointment to see the Dean. Her secretary, Tracy, will be happy to work with you to find a spot in the schedule."

"You know her secretary's name?" one of the other students asked in surprise.

"If you'd seen her as much as I have, you'd know her name, too," David replied with a grin. The others chuckled at that.

"Okay, if there are no other questions?" the dean asked. There weren't, so they moved on.

Later on, as they finished their circuit of the Academy level, the dean asked David for another narrative.

"This is Imahara Hall. It's the newest building on the campus, and houses classrooms for MagEc and Technomandy. Imahara Hall and Sabrina Hall are both part of the Spells Department, and in fact, the department office is in Sabrina Hall, though Prof. Hatch's office, and Coach Hall's office, are both here in Imahara Hall.

"Because the building is used for Technomandy, it is the one place on campus that those from Earth may feel more at home, as the building is littered with electronic devices and other Earth-style gadgets. Don't expect to go there and watch television, however. Reception here is lousy."

The group laughed at that.

"Any questions?" David asked.

"Is there anything else in the building? Just classrooms and offices?"

"There are also offices for a few other instructors, two small libraries, a teacher's lounge, and four smaller practice rooms."

"You can remember all that?" another student asked.

David shrugged. "I spend a lot of time exploring."

The group carried on, making their way down to the terrace. Once again, David's turn to narrate came up.

"Why do I sense an evil plot, Madame Dean?" David asked. The building he'd been asked to narrate was Alton Hall, the home of the Potions and Herbology departments.

Dean Lengel smiled and waved him on. David took a deep breath.

"This is Alton Hall. In this building you will find the Potions Department, and the Herbology Department. They are housed together because they have similar needs. The auxiliary buildings off to the sides are the greenhouses. This is your typical class building with offices, classrooms, and two small libraries. Are there any questions?"

"How much time do you spend in there?"

"A lot," David replied with a grin. His apprenticeship and relationship with Prof. Stott was widespread public knowledge by this point.

"Are these buildings open at night?" someone asked.

"Not usually," David replied. "However, if there is reason for them to be, a request to a professor or the dean can be made. I'd suggest asking a professor first; the dean is generally busy enough already."

"Thank you for that," Dean Lengel told him with a grin.

"Anything else?" David asked. No one had any questions. He was sure that the new students would be more inquisitive, but most likely asking about classes, rather than the buildings themselves.

"Let's move on, then," the dean said.

Finally, they reached Byron Hall again. "We'll forego the trip to the dorm," she said. "I think you all know what to tell them about that. Let's have some lunch, instead."

During lunch, the dean discussed their behavior with them, as, David could see, the other professors were doing with their groups. In the middle of lunch, someone asked, "So what's in this envelope?"

"Oh. You can open that now. It's just the list of people in your group."

David opened his. The third name down his list drew a raised eyebrow and a grin. "You had something to do with this, didn't you?" David asked the dean.

"Who, me?" she asked, trying - and utterly failing - to look innocent.

"Uh-huh."

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

David stood outside of Byron Hall, a pixie stick in his mouth. He was among all of the other small group leaders, waiting for Dean Lengel to release the incoming students.

"Here they come," one of the group leaders nearer the building said. David stood up straight, and then doodled a number in the air. He was group leader #42, and so he stood, as calmly as he could, waiting for his group to gather. He pulled out his list of names again in preparation.

David counted and came up with eleven people. One of them was clearly not a student, but a parent.

"Okay, welcome, everybody. My name is David Stroud, I go by David. This is my familiar, Jailla. Anyway, I just want to make sure I've got everyone I'm supposed to have, so I'm going to call off your names. Just say, 'here,' if you are. If you're not here, say, 'here,' anyway. It'll keep things simpler."

The group chuckled briefly at that. As David started calling off the roll, he saw something approaching from his left. He glanced over and smirked.

"If you look to your right," he said, "you might glimpse the wild segwanicus. It's friendly, but slightly insane, so I'd watch myself if I were you."

Gwen zipped by, as if she couldn't stop. David knew full well she could, but she loved scaring people on her Segway.

"Eleanor Hasterscant," he said.

"You know I go by Ellie," she told him, pouting. David smirked.

"Denise Hasterscant," he continued.

"There's no way I'm on your list!" Denise said in shock.

"You must be. You're standing in my group..." he said, grinning at her. She blushed crimson, and then David continued with the roll call.

When he was finished, David said, "Okay, so everyone's here. They're only up to group fifteen, so we'll have to wait a little bit. The groups are leaving in stages, so that we don't all bunch up together. Might as well take a few minutes to say hi to each other."

David walked over and smiled at Denise. "Trying to make sure I do your alma mater justice?" he asked.

Denise blushed. "I just figured I didn't have anything better to do. I didn't know you would be our group leader. I'm happy to see you, though. How are you doing this year?"

"I'm sure Gwen has kept you well informed," David said with a grin.

"Quite, but I still like to hear it from you."

"With the exception of one of my professors, it's going pretty well. I even have a steady girlfriend." He said this to stave off any requests Denise might make. He saw the recognition, and disappointment, in her eyes, but she didn't so much as lessen her smile.

"I'm glad to hear that," she said.

David looked around, to make sure no one would hear them. Ellie was several feet away, talking to another girl. David muttered, loud enough for Denise to hear, "No you're not. But thank you, anyway."

Denise blushed crimson again, and David patted her on the arm, smiling, before walking back to the front of the group.

In a few more minutes, David said, "Okay, it's our turn. We're going to head for the dorm first of all. They've nicely positioned it right here for us."

David heard a few chuckles from the group. He turned and walked backward as he spoke. "I'm not kidding. The dorms all move through the moat, in a big circle all the way around the school. That way, everyone gets to see the view. Over the last couple days, they changed the speed of the move to make sure the dorm was right here. That way us group leaders wouldn't have to figure out where it was." He smiled self-effacingly at that, and the group chuckled, though a little befuddled at moving buildings.

David led his group through the dorm, stopping at the one open door to show them into a room, and tell them about dorm life. A few questions were asked, and then they moved back up on the rock lift to the terrace.

"What happens if this bubble fails?" one student, who looked over the edge of the rock nervously, asked.

"Unless you're leaning on it, nothing," David said. "The rock will continue to float upward to its stop on the terrace. However, in order for it to fail, something really, really bad has to happen, so I wouldn't worry about it too much."

"Didn't you fall off one of these once?" Ellie asked, to David's annoyance.

"Yes. Right after something really, really bad happened," he replied. "Now, let's move on, shall we? The building you met Dean Lengel in is named Byron Hall. It is, as you probably guessed, the cafeteria. You'll be eating lunch there later. Breakfast runs from 8:00 to 10:00. Lunch runs from 11:30 to 1:30, and dinner runs from 5:30 to 7:30. If you need to eat something outside of that timeframe, there is a small snack bar in the student center. I'll show it to you later. The snack bar is open from 8:00 in the morning until 10:00 at night. If you need to eat outside that timeframe... um... then you'd better have a bag of chips in your room."

The group chuckled as they walked on.

"How is the food here?" one girl asked.

"Very good. Amazingly good, for school food. I can't remember ever having a meal where there wasn't something on the menu that I liked."

David walked them around the terrace, as that was the route he'd been given to follow. He arrived at Alton Hall.

"This is Alton Hall, the home of the Potions and Herbology departments. Um... you guys on this side might want to take a step or three to your right. The snapping violets get rather annoyed if you step on them, and getting bitten does hurt quite a bit.

"The buildings next to Alton Hall are greenhouses, used by the Herbology Department. If you focus on Herbology, you'll spend a lot of time in there."

"Is Herbology really worth taking?" one guy asked.

David looked at him. "I'm a Potions Apprentice. I'm the wrong person to ask if Herbology is worth your time. Whether any particular subject is worth your time," David said to the group as a whole, "really comes down to what it is you plan to do after you leave school. If you are planning to go to Earth, and you plan on making potions, then Herbology is almost mandatory, as you will have a hard time getting the right ingredients otherwise. On the other hand, if you have no interest in potions, or you're planning to live where herbal ingredients are easy to come by, then it's not nearly so important."

"Which potions teacher would you recommend?" one of the students asked.

"I can't make a recommendation. I've only had one Potions instructor, so I have no way to compare them. Any other questions?" There weren't, so they walked on.

As they walked, another girl asked, "Are there any teachers we should avoid?"

"Probably," David said with a smirk. "But I couldn't advise you about that. The same teachers I have to avoid, might be the perfect teachers for you. Teachers which I think are excellent, you may find to be too dull, or too erratic, who knows. What I can say is that, for the most part, Woodward seeks to have the very best instructors it can get its hands on, and in my first two years at the school, I was not in any way disappointed with any of my instructors."

"What about now?" one of the guys asked.

"My, would you look at the time. Now, this building..." David went on, and the students all grinned.

David carried on with his tour, answering questions and giving out information. After they had finished the tour, David led them all back to Byron Hall.

"I'm sure you're all hungry now, so the school has provided a buffet for you. Feel free to dig in and enjoy. What you're going to see is typical school food, though they don't usually provide it buffet-style. This is still the kind of thing we'd eat on any given day."

The group moved along the table, and they filled their plates. Several of them gasped as the food replenished itself after they took some. Once they were all ready, they found an empty table and sat together.

"So, any questions left?" David asked.

"Is this school really as hard as they say it is?" one of the guys asked.

"Yes. Do not expect to come here and goof off. If you do, you'll regret it. I was always a good student back in Earth, but I have never worked this hard in my life. On the other hand, this is perhaps the most interesting set of subjects I've ever learned. I never thought I'd be learning to tell the future for real."

"What if you don't get along with your roommates?"

"Talk to Housing. They will try to work that out as best they can. There is some ability to move people around, but don't ask them to move you on a whim."

"I see an awful lot of non-humans in this crowd," one of the girls said.

"And?" David replied neutrally.

"Is this typical of the school?"

"At any given time, there are just under a hundred non-human students at the school. The school prides itself in its diversity, which matches very closely the diversity of Callamandia as a whole. There are some notable exceptions, like the centaurs, who choose not to use magic, but otherwise... very close representation, so yes, there are many non-humans here. That includes, in case you weren't quite aware of it, myself."

Several eyebrows went up at that pronouncement.

"What, exactly, are you?" another girl asked very tentatively.

"I'm a demighost," David replied. "I died nearly three years ago. Woodward is... well, basically my home, for right now." Turning to the original questioner, he continued, "If non-humans make you uncomfortable, then Woodward may not be the best environment for you. The non-humans here are not just tolerated, they are welcomed. And you will be expected to treat them with the respect due them as a Woodward Academy student."

"I guess," the girl said glumly, and stabbed at her carrots.

Another guy asked, "You glossed over sports when we were at the arena. What're the teams like here?"

David grinned sheepishly. "I glossed over sports because they're not really my thing. The dakaball team won the championship this year, and the baxayr team is in the running. The other teams do well, too. It's not a primary focus of the school, but Woodward does take pride in its sports department."

"What do you do here when you're not studying?"

"Sleep?" David replied with a grin. The group laughed. "In all seriousness, you will find it necessary to study a lot here. However, if you need to let off some steam, you can go to the games room in the student center, or, if you have more time, you can take a quick trip down to Gorumshead, where there are several things to be done, including a theater, several pubs, a SkyRider dealership, an archery range and also some... 'adult' facilities, in case that is your interest."

"Should you really tell them that?" Denise asked with a smile.

David shrugged. "Everyone here is an adult now, and they're entitled to whatever entertainment they prefer."

"Here here!" one of the guys said.

"No, not here, you'll scare the others," David quipped immediately. His group laughed.

Once the group had finished eating, the Dean had some final words for them all. With that, orientation was finished, and the students were told they could do whatever they liked.

As David rose from the table, Ellie asked, "David, why didn't you take us up to see the castle?"

"It's not part of the tour," he told her. "The ghosts don't like lots of people tramping all over their home. I could take you and your mom up to see it, if you like..."

"I need to help Anne and Gwen get packed," Denise replied immediately. "We'll have to leave in a few hours."

David shrugged. "I can still take you, if you want to see," David offered to Ellie.

"I'd like to. Is it okay, Mom?"

"Sure. Can you meet us down at the Slyther Inn? We're catching the carriage back to Bellamy. It leaves at five."

David nodded, and he and Ellie left Byron Hall, heading for the castle. They didn't talk much as they walked; all of the chit-chat had been handled through the tour and lunch. Finally they made it up to the castle level, however.

"Well, this is Castle Woodward," David said as they walked through the gate house.

"It's huge," she said.

"You want to go inside?"

"Can we?"

"If it lets us," he replied. They walked up to the front steps, and ascended to the main entrance. The door opened even before David had a chance to touch it.

"I guess they're okay with us visiting today," he said. David led her around, showing her where her classes would likely be, and then just giving her a basic tour of the castle, which he knew quite well by now.

Finally, they were standing on the top of the North Tower, looking out at the water. It was the highest point in the school, level with the South Tower, but well above everything else around.

Ellie looked to David. "How are my sisters doing here?"

David smiled. "Why don't you ask them?"

"Because I don't think they'd tell me the truth. They're worried about scaring me. I trust you to treat me like a big girl. I think I know you well enough, after last summer, to know you'll do that."

David nodded. "Gwen is doing just fine. She's struggled with a couple classes, especially Potions, but over all, she's not having too much trouble.

"Anne, on the other hand... I don't know how she's doing in class, but personally, she's working really hard to make enemies."

Ellie frowned. "I worried about that."

"I know you did. You asked me to keep an eye on her, remember?"

"I remember. Is it bad?"

David shrugged. "I faced worse... but then, she hasn't yet offended the entire school... I had a talk with her a while back, and maybe it made a difference... but maybe it didn't. I don't know."

Ellie was silent, and she turned back out to sea.

David asked, "You still planning to move to Earth?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"Do your parents know?"

"I'm still in one piece, aren't I? No, I haven't told anyone but you."

"Why in the world did you tell me?"

Ellie shrugged. "I needed to tell someone. I felt like I could trust you."

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

"Yeah, you need to mention it. Your plans, I mean. Can you imagine how much your mom will freak out if you say to her, "Yay, I got my license! And, oh, by the way, I'm moving to Seattle."

"Where's Seattle?" Ellie asked, trying to sidetrack the conversation.

"That's exactly what your mother is likely to ask," David said. "And I don't want to be around for that conversation. Trust them not to overreact. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised."

"Maybe."

"Anyway, anything else you want to see of the castle?"

"Nope. Is there a faster way down than all those stairs?"

"Not that I know of."

"Damn."

"Better get used to it. Earth Studies classes are all here in the castle."

"Aw, hell."

David chuckled as he led her down the stairs.

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

"Hey, Uncle David!" Angela said happily when he entered the apartment complex's yard. She and her brother were playing tag on the grass.

"Hey, Angela. Hi, Garrett."

"Hey, Uncle David," Garrett said quietly.

"What's wrong?"

Garrett shrugged.

"Are you still upset about Ben?"

"How come you couldn't go with Mom?" he asked.

David shook his head in bemusement. "Well, for one thing, Garrett, I'm not in love with her. That's kind of important."

"Oh."

"Is Ben... bad?" David tried to ask tactfully.

Garrett shrugged again. Angela said, "He's nice. He made me a dragon!"

David nodded. "That's good."

"But how come you don't come over anymore?" Angela asked.

David sighed tolerantly. "It would get a bit crowded," David told her. Trying to change the subject before either of them could ask any further uncomfortable questions, he asked, "Is your mom home?"

"She's making lunch," Garrett confirmed.

"Will you eat with us?" Angela asked.

"Maybe," David allowed.

"Yay!" Angela said, and then bopped her brother on the arm. "You're it!" she screamed, and ran off.

"Girls," Garrett said, and then chased after her.

David chuckled to himself as he knocked on the apartment door. It was opened quickly.

"David! Hey! I wasn't expecting you so quickly."

"I can come back later... the kids said you were making lunch..."

"And I figured it'd be ready when you got here. It's not. C'mon in."

David walked in, to find Ben reading a news scroll. "Good morning, David," he said genially. "How are you today?"

"Can't complain," David said. "Playing hookie, are we?"

Ben grinned. "Well, I figured, since Cat had the week off, and the kids had the week off, I might as well take some time off, too."

"You guys should have gone somewhere, took a vacation," David said.

"We were going to. Plans fell through." Ben shrugged. "What're you gonna do?" After a brief moment, Ben asked, "You need to talk in private?"

David shook his head. "It's just class stuff."

"So what is on your mind?" Cat asked. "When you mirrored, I figured something bad was brewing."

"No, not really. I was just thinking about some things, and I figured I'd talk to you about it. I've pretty much decided not to continue with Metamorphosis after this semester."

Cat put down the spoon she was stirring lunch with. "Why in the world would you drop Metamorphosis?" After a brief pause, she frowned, and said, "This is because of us, isn't it?"

David snorted, and motioned her to sit at the table. "Cat, this has nothing to do with you and Ben, or you and me. If that was an issue, I'd just switch back to Lise's class."

"Who?"

"Sorry, Prof. Fibblebitz."

Cat nodded.

"No, I'm dropping Metamorphosis because I suck at it."

"You do not suck at..." Cat started.

"Cat, please. I suck at it. I haven't managed to complete any assignment successfully for the last three weeks. And while some of that may have been due to me trying to keep up with Prof. Quayde, mostly it was due to me simply being unable to manage it."

"Have you talked this over with Louisa?"

"No. I wanted to let you know, first. You've been my instructor for the last three semesters."

"She was your instructor for the first three... and she's your girlfriend."

David nodded. "And I'll let her know, but I just felt that talking to you first made more sense."

Cat got up to return to stirring lunch. "I don't like it, David. There's no way I can talk you out of this?"

"What for? I appreciate that you like your subject, but I'm not any good at it."

Cat put down her spoon and looked at Ben. Ben, understanding the look, turned to David. "I think she's worried that, if you're not in her class, we won't see you around anymore."

"I wouldn't think that was a problem for you," David said, twisting his tail good-naturedly. Ben grinned. Turning to Cat, David said, "I'm not leaving the school. Okay, we probably won't see each other quite so regularly, but... not to put too fine a point on this, but you don't really need me anymore."

"You're a friend, David. I'd like to think a good one. I don't like it when friends slip away."

"So invite me over for dinner once in a while," he replied with a grin.

"My cooking sucks. You know that," she said with a grin.

"I know no such thing," he said, and then glanced over at Ben, who was stifling a grin.

"Uh-huh. Lunch is ready. I am not through with this."

David sighed. He hadn't expected her to be happy about it, but her upset had him surprised and baffled. What, exactly, did she expect from him?

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

"Hey, Sweetheart. Where you been?" Lise asked David when he entered her apartment.

"Had to help Miss J get ready for the Seedling Festival."

"Ah. That's why you're all sweaty. You need to take a shower," she told him.

"I know. I was hoping I'd have company," he said with a grin.

"Hmm. But I'm not dirty," she told him.

David stepped to her and wrapped his arms around her, crushing her in his grip as he kissed her. By the time he let go of her, she was almost as drenched as he was.

"Now you are," he said with a mischievous grin.

"You turkey," she said, laughing. "Come on."

-----

After the fun and games were over, while they were actually getting clean, David told Lise about his decision concerning Metamorphosis.

Lise frowned, but didn't say anything for a long moment. Finally, she said, "Well, I can't say I'm happy that you don't have an interest in my subject, but you've got to do what's best for you."

"It's not a matter of lack of interest, Lise," David told her. "It's a matter of lack of ability. I think I've reached my limit as far as morphing goes. I'm understanding the theory, but the actual act of performing the morph is eluding me."

Lise nodded. "That comes with practice, but I admit, it seems silly to continue learning harder and harder things that you can't do."

"Yeah. And there are other subjects that I think it'd be a good idea for me to pursue before I leave school."

"When do you plan on doing that?" she asked.

"Not for a few years, at least."

She turned and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Good," she said, and kissed him, ending the conversation.

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

David and Jim were walking back to their dorm room. Jim had just gotten back from his Spring Break, and they had gone to lunch to talk about his time at home. They were chatting animatedly as they entered their room.

At that point, their talking came to a halt.

"What the fuck happened in here?" Jim asked no one. "Another break-in?"

"Maybe. Let's find out."

"Huh?"

"After that last break-in, I bought a recorder to watch the door."

"You mean, you've been spying on me?"

David looked at him in irritation. "Yes. All those times you masturbated in the hallway were gross."

Jim blushed, then realized he'd never done that, and smirked. "Right. So, how do we check it?"

David opened up the book-shaped recorder, which he had purchased from the same vendor that the Rimohrs used. He wrote in the instruction box, "Last three times someone entered the room." The recorder immediately showed Jim coming into the room, his bag over his shoulder.

"That's me, when I got here."

"Right. Which means someone was in the room, because this is the third previous entry, not the second."

After a second, the image faded. Suddenly, the image went fuzzy and dark.

"What the hell?" Jim said. "Is it broken?"

David didn't say anything while the image played on. Finally, the image cleared again. The next thing they saw was the two of them, coming in from lunch.

"Anti-spying charm," David replied.

"Huh?"

"It's possible to defeat the civilian version of this recorder with an anti-spying charm. The Rimohrs use the same unit, but it has an additional spell added that won't allow you to fool it. Whoever came in our room - and someone most certainly did - they are knowledgeable enough, and good enough, to use an anti-spying charm. That rules out anyone at or below our level; defeating this kind of magic isn't easy."

"How do you know?" Jim asked.

"I looked into it when I bought the recorder. The recorder works on divinatory magic. To defeat it, you likewise have to use anti-divinatory magic. I asked Prof. Zoroaster. He said I'd learn anti-divination magic in my next AD class."

"Oh. You think it was our thief again?"

David looked around. "No, no I don't. I think it was Quayde."

"What makes you think that?"

"A couple things. First off, most of the students aren't back yet. For it to be our thief, they would be greatly narrowing the number of suspects, which wouldn't be too bright.

"Second, the only thing touched were my schoolbooks, which aren't so much tossed about as ripped to shreds. This is the kind of thing Quayde would do, probably figuring I can't replace them."

Jim snorted. "You could buy every copy of these in the bookstore."

"I know. But Quayde probably doesn't. I don't make a big deal of how much money I've got, so it's probably not obvious to him that this doesn't hurt me."

"Except you've lost whatever notes you had written in your books."

"I don't write notes in my textbooks. I put them in my notebook with a reference to the page in the text. It keeps from cluttering up my textbook."

"Oh. Well, in that case, all you've got to do is go buy new books."

"Right. Can't do it today, so the only real inconvenience this causes is that I have to skip breakfast tomorrow."

"And since you don't need to eat..."

"Right. This is less than nothing. Quayde's an idiot," David said. Then he pulled out his wand and performed a straightening charm, which swept up all the scraps of paper and deposited them in the trash can.

"Wish I could do that to Quayde," David muttered, as he turned to straighten up his desk.

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

"What the hell is this?" Prof. Quayde snarled, as David set down a sheet of paper in front of him on his desk.

"The bill for the books you destroyed," David said pointedly.

"How dare you accuse me-" Quayde started.

"Shove it, Professor. You and I both know you're the only one who could have done it. If I could prove it, you'd be out of here already. You're about as subtle as a passing giant, Professor. I'll expect payment into my account... soon."

"Or what?" Quayde demanded.

David shrugged. "I'm sure Karma will find a way to even things out."

"Was that a threat?" Quayde growled, rising from his seat.

"No, that was a statement of faith that, sooner or later, you will get what's coming to you, somehow."

"Get out of my classroom!"

"Can't, Professor. Academy rules require me to attend my classes unless I have illness or injury."

"That can be arranged, Stroud," Quayde warned.

"Excuse me, Professor? Was that a threat?"

Quayde suddenly realized he was being baited. He closed his mouth, glared at David, and sat down. David smirked, making sure Quayde saw it, then went back to his desk.

"Antagonizing him is only going to make things worse," Olissa said.

"I need them to get worse," David told her.

"Why?"

"Because he's not going to make a mistake unless he's pissed off. I need him to get caught, which means he needs to make a mistake."

"This is a dangerous game you're playing."

"What's he going to do to me, Olissa? Kill me? He's already lost this game, he just doesn't realize it yet. At the very worst, I'm stuck with him until May. I've already made sure that I will not be in his class next year."

"How'd you do that?"

"I filed an official complaint with the dean. In it, I made a request that I never be forced to have Quayde as a professor again. The dean approved it. So, ultimately, I'm just biding my time. But if I can get this asshole thrown out of here on his ear, I'll feel so much better."

Olissa grinned. "Good luck, then. But watch yourself."

David nodded, and then Quayde started class, and they had to pay attention to the lesson.

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

David was walking along, having just left his E&C class the following day. He stuck a pixie stick in his mouth, mulling over the enchantment they'd been working on in class. He didn't pay all that much attention to his surroundings, as it was a pleasant day. The weather was starting to warm from winter, though the day couldn't yet be called anything other than cool. The sun shone brightly and the sky was clear. He was looking forward to the Seedling Festival the next day, as he had managed to get a seed from down in Gorumshead, when he and Olissa had gone exploring during Spring Break.

Off to his left, on the bridge to Imahara Hall, David noticed Prof. Quayde and Marcus Savolar walking together. David frowned, but then tried to ignore them, and walked on toward the rock lift. Whatever they were up to, he was sure it was no good, but he was determined not to let them ruin his day.

Suddenly, David heard a pop above him. He started to look up, but suddenly a searing pain washed over him. He was covered in what felt like boiling oil. He screamed in intense anguish for a few seconds, before the agony rendered him unconscious.

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

When David came to, it was everything he could do to keep from screaming in torment. He gripped the mattress, fighting the waves of pain that ripped through him. He tried to focus, tried to push the pain out of his mind, but it didn't work. He let out a strangled cry of anguish.

Healer Hall was at his side in seconds. She dared not touch him, and there wasn't anything she could do for him. It did harm to her soul to be forced to watch someone suffering with nothing she could do.

"Go ahead and scream," she told him. "I've already erected a sound barrier. No one but me will hear you. There's nothing else I can do for you, David. Please don't try to be brave." Healer Hall was having trouble not crying; she hated it, every time she had to treat David for an injury.

David gasped as another wave of pain went through him. He gestured to her for a writing tablet.

"I can't let you touch it. Your hands are badly burned," she told him.

David looked down to see his hands were covered in blisters. A shiny film, obviously magical, coated them to keep out germs.

"You write it. I'll tell you," he told her. She nodded, and then dashed off to get a parchment and an InkyQuill.

When she returned, she said, "This isn't a good-bye letter, is it? You'll survive... you'll just wish you didn't."

David shook his head. "List. Need you to... get for me. Oh, fuck," he said as another wave of pain hit him.

"Is now the time to go shopping?" she said, trying to lighten the mood and failing utterly.

David ignored her for the moment and gasped out to her a list of herbs and ingredients.

"What's this for?" she asked, not recognizing the list.

David slumped back. He didn't have enough energy to explain. "Just... get them. Please."

"I'll send someone for them. I'm not leaving you here alone. Not like this."

David didn't hear her; he'd passed out again from the pain.

-----

"What in the heck did he ask for these things for?" Sam asked Healer Hall.

"I don't know," she replied. "He wasn't able to tell me before he was out again."

"I'm awake now," David croaked. Sam and Healer Hall were both at his side immediately.

"How are you?" Sam asked, hating that she couldn't touch him to comfort him.

"How do I look?" David asked with a lopsided grin, then coughed. "Oh, that hurt."

"Louisa said to tell you she was here," Healer Hall told him. "She had to go to class, though."

David nodded. "How many days have I been here?"

"Just one."

David cocked his head. "I heal faster than I thought."

"Burns are dangerous, but they're shallow," Healer Hall said. "Probably your body has an easier time dealing with things like that."

David shrugged. "I don't know. I really don't want to suffer enough injuries to find out, either."

"I brought the stuff on the list you gave Annie," Sam said. "What's it for?"

"A potion," David replied.

"Obviously," she said with a smirk. "But I don't recognize the list of ingredients."

"Good. Then you won't disqualify it for my Potions Master list."

David struggled to sit up, but when he tried to get off the bed, Annie stopped him.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" she demanded.

"I have a potion to make," he replied.

"Oh, no you don't," she told him. "If this is that important, you can tell us how to make it, but I'm not letting you touch anything so unsterile as a cauldron."

David groaned, and then said, "Okay, fine, but you'll need a fire pit in here."

The healer and the professor set up everything they needed to make up the potion, and David told them what to do. It was a complex potion, but it at least didn't require much waiting time. In only three hours, they had made up the concoction.

"Now what?" Sam asked.

"Now, we wait for sundown."

"Why?" Annie asked. "What is this for?"

"It's demighost Tylenol," David said. The two looks of utter confusion that greeted him actually made him smile, though that caused him a lot of pain, due to the burns on his face. He winced, and then explained. "A pain potion. For demighosts. But it won't work unless it's been ghosted, and I can't ghost it while I'm solid, and I can't become a ghost while I'm injured until sunset."

"How in the hell..." Sam started to say.

"A lot of research," he replied, knowing the question. "And a couple talks with Lord Woodward. Plus one really long trip through Haven to see Jacob."

"So... now we just wait?"

"Nothing else to do," he said, lying back on the bed. "I kinda wish it was a little closer to sunset."

-----

Lise was present as the sun dipped below the horizon. David gasped in intense discomfort, and faded to his ghost form.

"I could kill that Quayde," Lise muttered darkly.

"Was it him?" Dean Lengel asked David. When Sam had informed her about David's potion, she had made sure to be here at the right time.

David winced. "It was either him, or Marcus. They were both there, and they were together. I couldn't rightfully say which one did it. Which of course means you can't go after either of them."

"Don't count on it," Dean Lengel replied. "I will be trying to find a way to deal with this. Hazing is one thing. This is... this is back to the kind of thing that was going on at the end of your first year."

"Yeah, don't remind me."

"Do you want to try your potion now?" Annie asked. She was eager to see him get some relief, even if she hadn't been able to provide it.

David took a deep breath. "Okay."

"Have you used this before?" Sam asked.

"On a minor injury. It worked, but of course, I have no idea how well it can deal with something this serious."

"Here's the vial," Annie said, holding it out for him. David took it in his hand and closed his eyes. He performed the etherium enchantment on the vial, and it slowly dematerialized into a ghostly version of itself. David had no trouble holding it, of course. A second spell turned the potion from a ghostly white to a deep, glowing blue.

Taking another deep breath, David upended the vial into his mouth, swallowing quickly and grimacing at the taste.

"Bad?" Sam asked knowingly.

"You have no idea," he replied. As everyone watched, however, David slowly began to relax. They could see the occasional twinge, but his body was clearly not as tortured.

"Does it work?" Lise asked fretfully.

"Yes. The pain's still there, but at a much lower level. Still very uncomfortable, but tolerable, whereas before, I was having to fight for every word to keep from gasping."

"I think we can mark this one as a success," Sam said, grinning at him.

"Good work, David," Annie told him.

Dean Lengel smiled and nodded at him. After that, most of the women left. Only Lise remained behind.

"How bad is it, really?"

"Now, not so bad. I can deal with it. A lot better than earlier. I could barely speak before."

"I could tell. God, I want to rip Prof. Quayde's dick off!"

"You'd have to find it first," David retorted.

Lise giggled. "I heard that you made that remark to him," she said.

"Oh, you did, did you?"

"You know Prof. Forster?"

"Not personally, but I've seen her."

"She was in the hall Christmas Day, after you took me back to my apartment. She told me what you said."

"Oh." After David sat for a long moment in silence, he asked, "Hey, who brought me in here, anyway? I was alone at the time."

"A couple first-years ran for help while two of their friends stood over you, making sure no one did anything ugly. Thankfully, you were close to the infirmary."

"Yeah," David said, wincing at a particularly strong wave of pain. Lise noticed it.

"You want me to leave you alone so you can sleep?" she asked.

"Not really. I might doze off on you, but there's no reason for you to leave."

Lise smiled warmly at him. "Okay."

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

"Well, hello, David," Carol said. "I heard about your attack. How are you doing?"

"All better," he told her. He had just left the infirmary, in fact, after spending a full three days recovering. He was upset that he had missed both the Festival, and several important class lessons.

"Well, that's good," Carol said brightly. "I guess you're here for your mail?"

"Yeah. Sorry, I know I'm early..." he told her with a grin.

Carol smiled at him. "That's okay. You were hurt, so I'll forgive you, this time."

David chuckled as she scooted into the back to retrieve his mail. She came back with the usual items. "Here you go. Do you think the Dean will catch whoever burned you?"

"We know who did it. Proving it is the problem."

"Oh. Well, good luck, then."

"Thanks. See ya."

As David sorted through his mail, he found another personal message. This was clearly from the same person as the last, as the envelope looked the same. He decided he could wait until later to open it, when he was sitting in private. Right now, he figured he'd head to lunch, to visit with his friends.

-----

In the evening, after his classes were over, David returned to his room. He skipped dinner; he was still a little sore and worn out from the attack, and he wanted to take it easy. Jailla, who had stayed with Lise, and who he'd collected during Metamorphosis class, flew over to his perch.

David dumped his books on his desk, and then remembered the envelope. He sat down at his desk and pulled it out.

David Stroud:

You have something I want. The amulet. I have something you must want: Lady Miriya's Fifth Book of Spells. The book is invaluable, but I am willing to part with it in order to obtain the amulet.

If you are amenable to this exchange, Place a note on the bulletin board with the number "6" written on it. I will then contact you with further information.

Make the exchange, Mr. Stroud. It is a win for both of us.

"Hmph. Well, what the hell do you think of this?" David asked Jailla, showing him the note.

"The handwriting is the same as the first note," he said.

"I'd noticed that," David agreed. "Less threatening this time, though. I've never heard of this spell book before. Do you think he has it?"

"I would be surprised," Jailla opined.

"Yeah, me, too." David said. "But I'm going to look into it."

"I knew you would."

David grinned at him, then turned to his studies. If he was going to be researching yet another artifact, he needed to catch up on his school work first.

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

"Here it is," David said quietly to Jailla. They were in the library, and he was researching the spell book mentioned in the message. "Lady Miriya was apparently a very powerful wizard who invented many new enchantments. Each of her spell books has sold for thousands, even tens of thousands, of granas."

"Which makes it even more unlikely that our mysterious pen pal has it."

David nodded. "I want to make sure, though. It says here that the last known owner of the fifth book of spells lives in Treacle. Why did they name a city after a dessert?"

"I'm quite sure I don't know," Jailla said. "Where is Treacle?"

David got out his Encyclopedia Dugerria, which, although not having information on Lady Miriya's spell books, did have a map of Callamandia in it. A quick look showed Treacle to be only a short distance away, perhaps two or three hours by horseback.

"That is a lot of wasted time traveling, if this person no longer has the book," Jailla said.

David nodded. "If you want to stay here, I can get there faster."

"How so?" Jailla asked.

"I can travel through Haven, like I did when I went to visit Jacob."

"But this person... oh, right. The barrier is so thin, you can pass through anywhere, can't you?"

"Here in Dugerra, yeah. Three hours by horseback, or fifteen minutes through Haven... makes a lot more sense to go through Haven."

"It does. And since you shouldn't be gone all that long, I don't mind taking a fly around while you're away. The weather is beginning to be quite nice."

"Okay," David said, closing the encyclopedia and stuffing it back in his coat pocket. He put the reference books back on their shelves, and they headed out of the library. Jailla winged off, and David thought for a moment, trying to think of a private place to leave from. He could enter Haven from almost anywhere in Dugerra, but there was the issue of being seen to be considered. He knew people got uneasy when he acted "ghostly" in front of them. He looked around to find a suitable private spot. Finally, he stepped into the shadow of the doorway of Beckett Hall, and faded to invisibility. Then he pushed himself through the barrier, and into Haven.

Now, completely immune to the laws of the physical world, David flew. He smiled to himself. He wasn't allowed to travel in Dugerra without a travel endorsement, but his travel wasn't in Dugerra. It was a technicality that, right now, he needed to get his task accomplished. He didn't particularly like traveling in Haven. There was a feel about the place that made him uncomfortable. The speed with which he could move here, however, made it worthwhile. Though he could see the Dugerran countryside, he didn't have to worry about avoiding it. He passed right through trees and houses and even a hill once, until he arrived at the village of Treacle.

David found an empty barn, and faded back to solid form before he stepped out into the public. The village, he saw, was small enough that he could probably just ask around about the owner of the book... but another hundred yards of walking proved that even that was unnecessary. The man was standing out in front of a used carriage dealership.

As David walked up, the man smiled broadly at him. He was a short, stocky man with graying hair. His suit hung on him awkwardly, due to the broadness of his upper body.

"Welcome, my friend! How are you today? My name is Fred 'Shoulders' Niesentos."

"Niesentos?" David replied, cocking his head. "That was not how I was pronouncing that."

"Well, that's 'cause you're way too young to remember me. Back a quarter century, I was a defensive lineman for that very same school you're sportin' the uniform of. Then I went on to play for the Bolmont Bears!"

"I've never heard of them," David admitted.

"Well, they were the best arena slugball team in the professional league!" he told David.

"I'm not familiar with slugball. I'm afraid I don't follow sports much."

"Well," Fred said, rubbing his hand across his head, "wouldn't matter much if you did. Slugball fell out of popularity some time back, and the league collapsed 'bout ten years ago."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Is that when you got into the transportation business?"

Fred snorted. "Transportation business? Son, I sell used carriages. You wouldn't be in the market to buy one, would you?"

"No, I'm afraid not. I actually came to ask you a question."

"Well, all right. You can ask your question... even if you're not going to buy a carriage," Fred said with a grin.

"Do you still own Lady Miriya's Fifth Book of Spells?"

"I sure do. It was a gift from my now ex-wife on our anniversary. Right before she ran off with that lousy... Anyway, what's it to you?"

"You wouldn't be willing to part with it over an amulet, would you?"

"Do I look like I need jewelry, son? Heck no. That book's got some downright useful stuff in it. I wouldn't trade that for all the amulets in the world put together."

"I had a feeling that might be the case," David said. He reached into his pocket, and withdrew the image of the amulet. "Have you ever seen this? Or do you know what it is?"

Fred took the picture in hand and stared at it. After a while, he handed it back. "No, can't say as I have. What is it?"

"Something that someone wanted to trade your book for."

"Come again?"

David briefly explained the situation to Fred, who stood there looking dumbfounded and scratching his head.

"Well, I'll be a dragon's uncle. Son, I don't want your amulet. I'm happy with my book."

David smiled. "I didn't figure it was you. I just needed to prove it to myself."

Fred smiled. "Well, glad I could help. You sure you don't want to buy a carriage? First-rate..."

"Sorry, Mr. Niesentos. I don't have a horse."

"Well, had to try," Fred said. "You have a good one."

David shook his head with a smile as he walked off, back toward the barn he had come out of. Shortly after that, he was back on campus.

"What did you find out?" Jailla asked him, once David had signaled him that he had returned.

"He's got the book, and he doesn't even recognize the amulet."

Jailla's head bobbed. "So we're back to an unknown intruder."

"Right. I think maybe we play along, see if we can catch this guy."

"How do you mean?"

"I'm going to put a '6' on the bulletin board."

"Ah. He will be annoyed."

"Probably. Don't care."

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

David put the notice on the bulletin board, and within six hours, it was gone. He could only hope that the right person had seen it and taken it.

Carol was surprised to see him the following day, but he told her he was waiting for something. Sure enough, she had a note for him, that told him to put the amulet in the same tree as before. The note said that this time, the book would be waiting for him.

"How does he expect to fool you?" Jailla wondered as they walked to the tree. "We know he doesn't have the book... so, if there's no book, why would you leave the amulet?"

"Maybe he's figuring to ambush us."

"Is that why we're walking through the trees?"

"Yes."

They reached the tree without having seen anyone around. Jailla flew among all of the trees where someone might be hiding, to no avail. He returned to David's shoulder.

"There is something in the tree," David said, pointing. Jailla could make out a package of some kind.

"But this is ridiculous. Does he expect you to leave the amulet, without checking the book? Why would you leave the amulet, even if the book was real?"

"I'm sure he has a copy of his note. That would be theft, and he could have me arrested."

Jailla paused, then bobbed his head. "Good point."

"Come on." David moved over to the target tree and pulled out the package, which had been wedged in tightly. It had the same weight as a book.

Tearing open the box, David found inside a copy of a first-year potions book, and another note.

Sorry, didn't have the spells book. Maybe you can use this! Thanks for the amulet!

"Is he really this thick-headed?" Jailla asked. "Could he really have expected you to leave the amulet without checking the book?"

"Sounds like he's not too bright," David agreed. "Anyway, I'm going to stuff his book back in place, with a little note of my own."

Better luck next time, you dimwit. - David

As they walked away from the tree, Jailla asked, "So, what do you think he'll do next?"

David replied. "Not sure. He's tried theft, he's tried a threat, and he's tried trickery. If I were a betting man, I'd bet the next thing will be something more direct."

"Good. Then we'll know who is bothering you."

"Don't count on it."

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

David was doing his homework in his room. Jim had gone off somewhere, so David had the room all to himself. Though it was Saturday, he couldn't go see Lise just yet. He had a lot of work to finish up.

The buzzing of his mirror caused him to look up from his TEM work. He picked it up and said, "Yes?"

David saw the face of a second-year girl he recognized from his Potions class, but he couldn't remember her name.

"Hey, David. I just thought you should know, there's a couple of centaurs up here that are looking for you."

"Oh? Okay. Where are they?"

"Next to Alton Hall. You want me to tell them to wait for you?"

"Yes, thank you."

"Okay. Bye!"

David got up and put on his coat, tucking his mirror in place. It must be Dubnin and Giendia. Has she come to hear me out? That could get sticky, what with me and Lise going together now...

"You want to come?" David asked Jailla.

"No, I'm comfortable right here," he said, looking in his mirror, then adjusting his feathers.

David shook his head, then left the room.

In no time, David was up on the terrace, but he had to walk all the way across campus to get to Alton Hall. Finally, he saw the two of them in the distance.

If that's Giendia, she's grown quite a bit in the last five months...

Once he'd gotten closer, he realized the female centaur wasn't anyone he'd ever met before. The male centaur, however, was Dubnin.

"Greetings, Dubnin," David said politely, but showing his confusion.

"Good afternoon, David. I would like you to meet Medara. Medara, this is David."

"Pleasure to meet you, ma'am," David replied, shaking her hand. She responded in kind. Her handshake was firm, but gentle.

"Medara is the one you asked me to find," Dubnin said.

David cocked his head at Dubnin for a minute, then his look brightened. "Oh! You mean you're an anthroposexual?"

"Yes, I am," Medara said, blushing only slightly. "I understand that you have some questions you'd like to ask me."

"I did. I mean, I do. I mean... should we go somewhere private?"

Dubnin immediately said, "I will leave the two of you to it. Medara, you can find your way back to the village?"

"I'll escort her, if she feels she needs it," David said immediately. Medara smiled at him, and Dubnin nodded, then trotted off.

"It is a rather private subject to be discussing in public," Medara said.

"Why don't we walk into the woods, then?" David offered. "We can be private in there."

Once they were a fair way into the trees, Medara said, "As I understand it, Dubnin's daughter approached you, and then something went horribly wrong, and she won't speak to you now... and you are trying to fix that. Do I have things right?"

"Yes. With an added problem."

"Oh?"

"When Giendia approached me, I was unattached. I now have a human girlfriend, who wishes to be exclusive."

"So this is no longer important?" Medara asked carefully.

"No, it's still important. For a couple reasons. First, I don't want Giendia to be afraid of approaching other men for a relationship. I need her to understand what happened, so it doesn't color her future experiences. And second... well, I don't know whether my current relationship will last. Perhaps, in my future, Giendia and I will be a possibility. Who knows?"

Medara nodded. "Both of those are sound and valid reasons for pursuing the matter. So, what do you want to know?"

"How did you approach your first human? And how did he react?"

"The first one? He laughed at me. It was very cruel. You didn't laugh at her, did you?"

"No. I wouldn't have done that. Even if Dubnin hadn't warned me, I wouldn't have laughed at her."

Medara nodded again. "The first time I successfully approached a human, I'd spent a lot of time trying to understand him, to tell whether or not there was the possibility of interest. When I finally asked him, he was a bit shocked, but he stayed with me. We made plans to actually perform the act a few days after that. I half expected him to not show up. What, exactly, happened with you and Giendia, if I may ask?"

David explained the story to her. By the end of it, Medara was shaking her head.

"You couldn't have known this, but it's one of the worst questions you can ask at that point."

"Why?"

"You have to realize that the whole reason we're so anxious about it is because we're doing something that is different from the norm. When you ask a question like that, you bring focus to the differences between us and our intended partner. If we're not secure enough in our intentions... well, you saw what happens."

"Yeah," David said, rubbing his jaw in remembrance. "What should I have done? What would have been the best response?"

"Well, were you willing to have sex with her?" Medara asked pointedly.

"Assuming we could figure out the physics of it, yes. I like Giendia."

"Then all you really needed to say, in that first sentence, was, 'yes.'"

David nodded his head and looked away. "I guess that would have made more sense."

"Don't feel badly. There's no way to predict a person's reaction, and truthfully, your question is a fair one. It's not as if the... what did you call it? The 'physics' of it are immediately obvious."

"Not to me, anyway. So, how can I fix things between us?"

"To get to what state?"

"Any state where she doesn't hate my guts would be a start."

"The real problem is that, at this point, you cannot give her what she wants from you. Any words you say concerning your willingness will seem hollow to her, given that you then, having professed that willingness, have to tell her that you cannot actually fulfill that wish. As such, it's a very touchy conversation if you go to her to try to explain why you said what you said, while still ending up with no physicality."

"Do you have any suggestions?"

"Just be forthright. Tell her how you feel. Tell her exactly what you mean. If it is at all possible, though this might seem cruel, try to find a way to corner her, to keep her from running away from you. It will be much easier for her to run, than to face you."

"Okay. Thank you for taking the time to come here. How far away did you come from?"

"I live south of Bolmont."

"That's a long walk."

"Not really."

"Well, thank you for making the trip."

"You're welcome. Is there anything else I can do to help you?"

David grimaced. "Only if you're willing to answer my question."

"Which question is that?" Medara asked, looking at him knowingly.

"Just how do centaur women and human men have sex?"

"How much time do you have?" she asked, settling herself in a soft patch of grass.

David sat down against a tree. "However much time you need."

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~
~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~