Alexandra Quick and the Deathly Regiment

The Girl Who Came Back

Alexandra hurried to check her email as soon as she arrived home that night. To her surprise, she had a message from her sister Valeria, who was studying history in Europe. Alexandra had sent her an email at the beginning of summer, but Valeria had warned her that she used Muggle computers only rarely.

"Dear Alexandra," began her message, "I hope this electronic mail message finds you well."

Valeria White had never actually met Maximilian -- Alexandra had met Valeria and her twin sisters, Lucilla and Drucilla, for the first time at Maximilian's funeral -- and so her grief over the loss of their half-brother was not as acute, but she was concerned about how Alexandra and Julia were coping. She also suggested that she might be returning to America again over the holidays to visit her family, and hoped to see her younger sisters as well.

Alexandra was pleased to receive the email, and pleased that she might see her sisters again soon. But she had really been hoping for a message from Anna, and there wasn't one.

There was none the following day, either.

Summer school was out, and Alexandra didn't feel like staying in the house. She decided to go to Old Larkin Pond, since she wouldn't have many more opportunities to seek solitude there. Her stepfather had the day off, which meant she had to get past him first.

When she walked into the living room, Archie was sprawled on the couch, watching football on TV.

"I'm going to the library," she said.

He sat up and pressed the mute button. "Not so fast. I want to talk to you, Alex."

"About what?" She frowned. Conversations with her stepfather were few and far between, especially the last few years. She didn't really dislike him, and she didn't think he disliked her. But they had never been close, and she was totally not in the mood for one of his rare attempts at 'bonding.'

"Sit down," he said, patting the couch next to him.

With a not-very-well-concealed sigh, she plopped herself down on the couch, and looked disinterestedly at the football players running around on the field.

"Your mother is worried about you, you know," he said.

She rolled her eyes. "I'm fine. Have I gotten into any trouble this summer?"

"Compared to usual, not much." He smiled wryly. "Listen, Alex, your mother and I have noticed you're starting to talk to boys more, on the phone and at school, apparently --"

"What?" Alexandra wondered where this was coming from.

"-- I just thought it would be a good idea for us to have a talk about that."

"Oh, my God." She turned to stare at him. "You're not going to try and tell me about the birds and the bees, are you? Seriously? Mom is a nurse -- I knew where babies come from when I was six!"

Archie cleared his throat, looking amused and exasperated. "Yes, I'm sure your mother has biology covered. But you're probably starting to become interested in boys, and boys may be getting interested in you, and I know what boys are like -- now listen, Alexandra!" he snapped. She was groaning, as she put her head in her hands.

"I don't need you to tell me about boys!" She couldn't imagine ever wanting to have this conversation with Archie, but she was especially not in the mood for it right now. And then, as she looked away from him and her eyes fell on the TV screen again, she dropped her hands, and her eyes widened.

"That's David's father!" she said.

"What?" Archie blinked, confused.

The camera had momentarily panned away from the field, to the players sitting on the bench. One of them was a large, bald, black man, encased in shoulder pads and armor beneath his blue and white uniform, with his helmet sitting next to him on the bench. Alexandra was quite certain that he was the man she had seen in front of David's house in Detroit.

"David -- the boy who sent you the cell phone last Christmas?"

Alexandra groaned again. Archie looked at the screen. "That's Davon Washington."

"That's David's dad."

"Davon Washington's son goes to your school?"

"I guess so." Alexandra had little interest in football, and didn't even know who the teams playing were.

"Hmm." Archie looked at her again. "So you've met his father?"

"No! I've only seen him out the window of the bus when we stop at his house."

"Okay." Archie scratched his chin.

"Would you stop looking at me like that? Me and David are just friends. He likes another girl."

"Ah."

Alexandra felt her face starting to turn red. "That's not -- look, I am totally not interested in him!"

"Okay." Archie's expression was perfectly deadpan.

"Stop that! I'm not interested in any boys, and no boys are interested in me, and I don't need you to warn me about what boys are like!" She looked up at him, with a miserable expression. "Can I please just go to the library?"

He folded his arms. "Be back by dinner. We're going to talk about this later, Alex."

She grabbed her backpack and stormed out of the house.

After her indignation wore off, she felt a little silly. She knew she didn't like David except as a friend, but Archie probably thought David was some popular football player's son now, and that she had a crush on him. She just hoped she could avoid being trapped into any more conversations with her stepfather about boys for the rest of the week.

She spent the rest of the day at Old Larkin Pond, lying in the grass, ignoring the snakes that occasionally slithered around her. She stared up at the sky, wishing she hadn't provoked Diana Grimm into destroying her broom, wishing Anna would send her an owl or an email, wishing she didn't have to deal with her mother and stepfather worrying about her, and most of all, wishing Maximilian wasn't dead. After three months, it still hurt, knowing that her brother was dead and it was her fault.

---

Her mother was home that evening, so for once, Alexandra and her parents all ate dinner together. Claudia tried to draw her out a little, but Alexandra was now feeling depressed and sullen. When Archie mentioned David again, it didn't improve her mood any.

"I didn't even know his father was a football player," she said.

"Huh." Archie grunted. "I didn't think you went to a private school where professional athletes send their kids."

"He's probably the only one." Alexandra looked at her mother for a moment, and her mother looked back at her uncomfortably. Alexandra wondered what Archie would think if she told him that Davon Washington's son was actually a wizard.

"That's a shame." Archie chuckled. "I was hoping you could get us tickets. Too bad your friend's father doesn't play for a better team."

Alexandra gave him a sour look.

"I'm joking." Archie's expression grew more serious. "Listen, about David..."

"Would you knock it off?" Alexandra shook her head. "I keep telling you, David's just a friend."

At that moment, her cell phone rang. Although Alexandra had been thrilled to finally have a cell phone, she didn't actually use it very often, and there were only a handful of people who ever called her. She reached into her pocket, pulled out the phone, and looked at the screen. She stifled a groan.

"Who is it?" Claudia asked.

"David," she mumbled, as she texted him to call back in a little while, trying to ignore the way her mother and stepfather exchanged glances.

To her immense relief, her parents did not grill her further, though she suspected it wasn't going to be the last she'd hear about it. David called her again just after she returned to her room.

"How you doing, Alex?" His voice sounded more tentative than usual.

"Fine, except my stepfather has decided he needs to talk to me about boys."

"What for?"

She snorted.

"Have you heard from Anna?" he asked, after a moment.

"No." Alexandra told David about Anna's father's threat to pull her out of school. David tried to sound upbeat, but they were both uneasy about the lack of owls, phone calls, or emails from California.

The prospect of starting a new year at Charmbridge without Anna, and with Constance and Forbearance being forbidden to associate with her, filled Alexandra with gloom, and David's voice trailed off after another unsuccessful attempt to reassure her.

There was an uncomfortable pause, and then Alexandra said, "So, I hear your dad's a pro football player."

There was an even longer pause.

"Who told you?" David said at last.

"I saw him on TV."

"Oh." He sighed. "Today's game sucked."

"Why didn't you ever tell me?"

"'Cause it doesn't matter. Are you a football fan?"

"Not really."

"Nobody at Charmbridge cares. So why's anyone need to know about my dad?"

Though her own situation was very different, Alexandra could sympathize with that. "I won't tell anyone. Though you're right, hardly anyone else would even know what it means. You didn't seem to be having much luck getting Angelique interested."

"Yeah. About that." David took a breath. "I wanted to talk to you about Angelique."

Alexandra blinked. "You wanted to talk to me about Angelique?"

"She was all pissed off at me Friday! You saw how she barely even said good-bye to me."

"Well, yeah." Alexandra snorted.

"So, what do I do?"

"What do you do?" Alexandra stared at the phone in astonishment.

"I mean, I know she's mad at me, but what am I supposed to do? Should I just say 'Hi' when we get on the bus next week, like nothing happened, or do I have to apologize to her even though I'm not sure what I did wrong, or what?"

"How should I know?" Alexandra rolled her eyes, and then her mouth dropped open. "Wait a minute. Are you calling me for girl advice?"

"Well, you're a girl, aren't you?" David said, sounding a little testy.

"You are such a dork!"

"C'mon, Alex..."

"You want me to help you make up with Angelique?"

"You were the one who tried to help me get with her last year."

"Yeah, and look how well that turned out."

David was quiet for a moment. "Good point," he admitted. "But it was Darla's fault I wound up in the infirmary."

Alexandra sighed. "Well, if you want Angelique to stop being mad at you, you should probably apologize for calling her best friend a crazy bitch."

"Darla is crazy! That Pustulant Pimples Curse hurt!"

"Do you want to make up with Angelique or not?"

She could almost hear David grimacing.

"Will apologizing work? Maybe I should give her candy, too? Like, those little chocolates that girls like..."

"Why don't you give her football tickets?"

"Funny."

By the time she got off the phone with David, her spirits had been lifted a little. After putting the phone down, she took Nigel out of his cage, and let the snake coil around her hands, provoking a jealous squawk from Charlie.

"Quiet, Charlie. I'll give you some owl treats in a minute."

And Alexandra realized suddenly that for just a minute, she had forgotten that Anna was missing, that her friends were being isolated from her, and for just a little while, she had forgotten that Maximilian was dead.

Is this how it happens? she wondered. Is this how the dead get forgotten? One stupid phone conversation at a time?

She wasn't going to forget Max, she swore. She wasn't going to let death win.

---

By the end of the week, Alexandra still hadn't heard from Anna. She struggled to remain optimistic.

She read Deathly Society, when she wasn't able to escape to Old Larkin Pond. She was annoyed that the ghost writer spoke very little about his own death, and said almost nothing about his experience of becoming a ghost. She did learn that ghosts had their own cliques and societies, annual galas, commemorations, and even ghostly militias. There was apparently no solidarity among wizards in death: Grayson resented the 'haunt-bound specters of ages gone by' as much as he did the Bureau of Hauntings. The posthumous wrock star had a tendentious and self-aggrandizing style, and Alexandra was let down that a book written by an actual ghost proved to be so uninformative and boring.

As she expected, Archie insisted on giving her a few more lectures about boys and why (as she interpreted his warnings) she should lock herself in her room and have nothing to do with them until she was thirty. Her mother, in a vague, indirect way that Alexandra would have found comical if she weren't in such a sour mood, seemed to be trying to find out where Alexandra stood regarding David, and boys in general. After she overheard her mother and stepfather referring to her as 'moody' and 'turning into a teenager,' Alexandra realized that they thought the bad mood she had been in since the beginning of summer was due to adolescence.

Of course, she knew that had nothing to do with it. She wasn't some hormonal teenager like other girls. She was completely in control of her emotions, and she had a very good reason for being 'moody' -- it was just a reason she couldn't share with her parents, and didn't want to talk about.

If they think that's all there is to it, maybe they'll leave me alone, she thought, which made it easy to continue sulking, avoiding conversation, and behaving as if all interaction with Claudia and Archie were an intolerable imposition upon her.

When the Charmbridge bus came to collect her the following Friday, Alexandra was ready to go. She held Charlie's cage in one hand -- as usual, the raven was complaining loudly about being caged -- and Nigel's in the other. Her mother stood next to her, and briefly ran a hand over her daughter's newly-shortened hair. Alexandra frowned, but allowed it.

"Are you sure that's all you need to take to school?" Claudia asked, for at least the third time. Alexandra didn't even have a single suitcase this time, just her backpack.

"I'm sure." Alexandra could have told her that it was a magic backpack and contained nearly as much space inside as her bedroom closet, but she didn't like watching her mother flinch when she mentioned magic.

"You do want to go, don't you?" When Alexandra turned to look at her mother in surprise, Claudia said, in a quiet voice, "You don't have to go to Charmbridge. I know they've probably told you that you don't belong in a normal school --"

"For normal people?" Alexandra asked.

Claudia's eyes clouded over. "That's not what I meant."

"I'm not normal, Mom. Not for this world." She gestured at the suburban Muggle neighborhood around them. Down the street, she saw other kids walking to their own bus stop, waiting to be taken to Larkin Mills Middle School. Brian was probably there, and Billy Boggleston, too.

"If you're not happy in that world --" Claudia said.

Alexandra shook her head. What did her mother expect her to do, suddenly decide to abandon the wizarding world, right now, while she was waiting for the bus?

"What makes you think I'd be happier here?" She shrugged, then looked at her mother, meeting her eyes for the first time that morning. "Don't worry about me, Mom. It's where I belong."

The Charmbridge bus came around the corner, and Alexandra heard Billy Boggleston hoot something she was meant to hear, something about riding the short bus, but it was the same stupid comment he'd made for the last three years and not even worth a glare in his direction.

Claudia looked a little wistful and a little sad, and Alexandra felt a sudden pang of guilt for making her worry. It wasn't really her mother's fault that she'd turned away from the world -- the world of Alexandra's father -- that had rejected her first.

"I'll be back," Alexandra said. She looked away, as the Charmbridge bus rolled to a stop in front of her and the door opened. "I'll miss you," she mumbled.

Claudia smiled. "Don't forget to write."

Alexandra nodded, and boarded the bus.

"Take your seat, Miss Quick," Mrs. Speaks said rather curtly. The bus driver looked unusually tired, so Alexandra just nodded to her and walked to where Angelique was sitting. The Pritchards would already be at Charmbridge, she knew, and she would not find out if Anna had arrived yet until they got there.

Angelique was applying a shimmering, moist effect to her lips with the tip of her wand, and didn't even look up from her mirror when Alexandra sat down. Sitting on the seat next to her was a traveling cage, in which Alexandra knew was her pet jarvey, Honey. Alexandra hung Charlie's cage from a hook overhead, and set Nigel's cage on the table. Angelique put away her mirror, and gave a little shudder, looking at the snake.

"Really, Alexandra, a raven and a snake? Are you going to add a toad to your menagerie next?"

"Says the girl with a talking rat."

Angelique sniffed condescendingly. "Well, at least you don't have something ridiculous, like a falcon. I mean, a familiar like that is just showing off, don't you think?"

Alexandra shook her head and rolled her eyes.

They picked David up in Detroit. He was carrying a hooded cage, which he held aloft in one hand as he dragged his luggage behind him, and paused for a moment, uncertainly, when he reached the booth where Alexandra and Angelique were sitting. Then, before either of them could say anything, he set his cage on their table. Angelique opened her mouth. Inside, David's falcon, Malcolm, uttered a soft keening sound.

David shoved his bags under the table and sat down next to Angelique.

"Okay, wait," he said, as the bus began moving again, before Angelique could protest.

Angelique's mouth stayed open. She looked caught between outrage and astonishment.

"Ishouldn'thavecalledDarlaabitchandI'msorry," he said in a rush.

Angelique's eyebrows went up. Alexandra leaned back and watched with interest.

"But she did curse me," David said.

Angelique frowned.

"But my mom told me a gentleman doesn't talk like that in front of a lady," he continued hastily. "And also that she'd have slapped the taste out of my mouth."

"I think I like your mother," Angelique said.

David looked at her hopefully.

Angelique pressed her lips together for a moment, with a pouty expression.

"Darla's not evil," she said softly. She glanced at Alexandra, who did not react. "She did a lot of stupid things last year. But her family's been pretty hard on her, especially after what happened with her sister."

"The girl who was with her in the Goblin Market?" David asked.

"No, that was her younger sister, Mary," Angelique said. "I meant her older sister, Hilary."

Alexandra didn't want to hear about Darla or her problems, so she interrupted the conversation and asked, "So who's your roommate going to be this year?"

"I don't know." Angelique shrugged. "I don't see why I need a new roommate."

"You think you'll get a room to yourself? That would be pretty sweet," David said.

"Sweet?" Angelique giggled.

Alexandra closed her eyes. David and Angelique's chatter no longer interested her, and it was only when they left the Automagicka to begin climbing a winding mountain road that she opened them again.

At the top of the small mountain, the Charmbridge bus came to a halt, and Mrs. Speaks ordered everyone out. There were fewer sixth graders than last year, and Alexandra expected Mrs. Speaks to help the other teachers escort the handful of Muggle-borns across the Invisible Bridge, but instead, to Alexandra's surprise, no sooner did the last student disembark with her bags than the bus driver closed the door and turned the bus around to head back down the mountain.

Alexandra frowned in puzzlement, and then turned to walk to the bluff overlooking a wide river valley. Ms. Gale, the portly Charmbridge groundskeeper and head custodian, was there, along with Mrs. Price, the Dean of sixth grade, dressed in her usual black robes and tall hat, and Mrs. Murphy, the school nurse, whose bright red hair and round figure made her look much younger than she was. Mrs. Murphy smiled at Alexandra, but neither Ms. Gale nor Mrs. Price looked delighted to see her. In fairness, they probably weren't paying much attention to her at all, as one of the sixth graders, a chubby boy who had not even bothered to put on a robe over his jeans and sneakers, was backing away from the edge of the cliff, even as older students were beginning to step off of it.

It must have looked to the boy at first as if everyone were marching blindly to their deaths, but they didn't fall when they went over the edge -- instead, they began walking across the Invisible Bridge, high above the valley.

The young Muggle-born boy did not find the line of students walking on air to be reassuring. Instead, he began shaking his head, resisting Mrs. Price's attempts to coax him onto the bridge, and when she took him by the hand, he burst into tears.

"They told me about wizard bridges and trains!" the boy wailed. "They told me that bridge fails every seven years and kills a Muggle-born!"

"That's ridiculous!" Mrs. Price snapped. "Who told you such nonsense?"

"Anyway, the last time it failed was two years ago," said Ms. Gale. "So --"

The rest of her response was drowned out by the boy's scream of terror as he dug in his heels, while Mrs. Price gave the groundskeeper a withering look.

"I hope they didn't tell him who was on the bridge when it failed," David said.

"Me, too." Alexandra wasn't in the mood to be amused.

Angelique, walking ahead of her with David, was doing a credible job of looking unconcerned -- she only swallowed once, as Alexandra stepped onto the bridge behind her, and then they were all walking over the valley together. Some kids, even after crossing back and forth over the Invisible Bridge many times, still weren't able to look down, but Alexandra was staring down past her feet as she walked. Down there on the valley floor, where a river wound its way between the trees, Alexandra had spent many afternoons the previous year, learning to wizard-duel with her brother and his fellow Stormcrows from the Blacksburg Magery Institute. They were some of her fondest memories.

Once she reached the other side of the valley, she quickened her pace, and even opened Charlie's cage, allowing the raven to fly ahead. She knew Charlie would find the window to the room she and Anna shared -- hopefully Anna would be there, to let the raven in.

The seven walls of Charmbridge Academy rose ahead of them as they emerged from the forest. Alexandra didn't look at the surrounding lawns, sandlots, athletic fields, and greenhouses; she ascended the steps, and walked with the other students through the front entrance hall.

Many students would be here already, having arrived during the previous week. The Pritchards, Alexandra knew, would have already settled into their room, down the hall from hers. David's roommate, fellow Muggle-born Dylan Weitzner, greeted him as they headed towards the eighth graders' dorms. Alexandra and Angelique left them behind as they went up the stairs to the girls' dorms, and passed under the portrait of the Delta Delta Kappa Tau Hall monitor.

The bearded wizard in the painting greeted them jovially. "Welcome back, Miss Quick, Miss Devereaux."

Alexandra looked up. "Have you seen Anna?" she asked him.

The warlock raised his bushy white eyebrows. "Why, no, I don't believe I have seen Miss Chu yet this week."

"Maybe she's just arriving late," Angelique suggested. "With the trains still not running..."

When she opened the door to her room, Alexandra found Anna's bed bare, her desk empty, and no sign that the other girl had been here since the start of summer. Outside the window, Charlie was sitting on the sill pecking at the glass. With a heavy heart, Alexandra opened the window and let her familiar in.

"Looks like it's just you and me, Charlie," she murmured, stroking the bird's feathers.

"Alexandra," Charlie cooed.

From next door, through the bathroom that they shared with the adjoining room, Alexandra heard a loud, obnoxious voice screech: "Where's the bitch?"

Angelique and Darla had shared this two-room suite with Alexandra and Anna for the past two years; now, Angelique, too, would be unpacking her things in an empty room. Empty except for her jarvey, whom she must have freed from her cage, with its Silencing Charm.

"Shut up, Honey!" Angelique cried, sounding more distraught and angry than she usually did when scolding her foul-mouthed pet, and whereas usually her remonstrations were futile, Alexandra heard no further retorts from Honey.

---

At dinner that night, Alexandra found the Rashes sitting with the Pritchards, but the presence of the boys wasn't enough to prevent Innocence from jumping out of her seat when she saw Alexandra enter the cafeteria with Angelique, David, and Dylan.

"Hi, Alex, David!" she greeted them, holding her skirt up away from her feet as she rushed over to stand in front of them before they could reach the serving line. "It's alright me callin' you Alex, hain't it?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess." Alexandra was a bit nonplussed, as was David.

"Git back here, you unmindful ornery little brat!" Benjamin called angrily.

"Benjamin!" Constance said, in almost as sharp a tone, startling him.

"We'll be back directly," Forbearance said soothingly, as she and Constance rose from their table to fetch their little sister. The Rashes were half-rising from their seats as well, but Constance made a staying gesture with her hand, eyeing them, and the boys frowned and slowly sat back down.

"I'm sorry I called y'all colored," Innocence said to David and Angelique. "I didn't mean nothin' bad by it, swear on my witch's honor. Put a needle through my eye an' stitch my lips shut if I'm lyin'!"

Angelique winced a little. David opened his mouth, and then shook his head.

"It's all right," he said. "Just don't use that word, 'kay?"

"We're awful sorry," Constance said, joining them.

"Terrible sorry," Forbearance said, giving Innocence a reproving look.

"I still can't figger what's wrong with bein' colored, though," Innocence said. "I think your skin's real purdy. Like chocolate!"

Constance and Forbearance turned red. Angelique put a hand over her mouth to stifle a squeal of laughter, while David's jaw dropped.

"Innocence!" Constance and Forbearance exclaimed together.

"I'm so sorry, David," Constance said, as they each grabbed one of the girl's hands and began dragging her back to their table. "We'll learn her to mind her tongue!"

"We'll talk to y'all later," Forbearance whispered, as they retreated, with Innocence stuttering: "But -- but -- but --!"

Angelique's shoulders were still shaking with laughter. David shook his head.

"Chocolate," he repeated. He glared at his roommate, who was also snickering.

"She was trying to be sweet." Angelique put a hand on David's shoulder, and all of his indignation seemed to vanish, along with his power of speech. He nodded mutely, and Alexandra exchanged a sympathetic look with Dylan.

---

Back in Delta Delta Kappa Tau Hall that night, freed of their chaperones, Constance and Forbearance visited Alexandra in her room. Alexandra was glad to talk to them without either the Rashes or their 'high-headed' little sister around, but Anna's absence weighed heavily on her mind, and the Pritchards' well-meaning reassurances sounded empty to her. When Angelique knocked on the door, hearing their voices, Alexandra realized the other girl probably missed her roommate as well.

By the time everyone returned to their own rooms, Alexandra was tired, both physically and mentally.

She had been hiding her grief all summer. She didn't want her friends to worry about her, and she didn't want her parents asking questions. But she had been unprepared for the renewed flood of emotions triggered by being back at Charmbridge. The previous three months seemed to have vanished, and it was as if Maximilian had just died again.

But she swore she was not going to break down. She hated crying, and she was determined not to shed any more tears for Maximilian. Tears wouldn't bring him back.

She went to bed, and dreamed of a flying bird-monster, flapping across a rough, uneven surface, like a cave painting moving across a stone wall. It opened its mouth and shrieked, and below it, a human-like stick figure fell backwards, tumbling into a dark hole and disappearing.

Alexandra screamed, and begged the stick-figure to come back. She reached out, holding her wand, wanting to call the figure back, and then she heard the bird-creature cawing again.

"Alexandra!" cawed Charlie. Alexandra sucked in a breath. She was sitting up in bed, shaking, and a noise at the door had awoken her.

With a click, the door swung open, and a shadowy figure stood outlined in the light from the hallway outside. Alexandra stared at the silhouette, and then a voice said, "Lights."

The lamps in their room magically blazed alight, and Anna stood in the doorway, wearing her red cloak with its hood pulled up over her head, staring at her.

"Are you all right?" Anna asked. "I thought I heard you scream--"

Then she let out a muffled squeak, as Alexandra leaped out of bed and almost tackled her friend, wrapping her arms around the smaller girl so tightly that Anna groaned a little.

Alexandra loosened her grip, taking several deep breaths as she squeezed her eyes shut, almost hard enough to give herself a headache. Her eyes burned, but when she opened them again, there were no tears. She pulled away and looked down at her friend.

"I... where were you?" she whispered.

Anna was staring at her, her eyes wide and her mouth open, and then, slowly, a smile crept across her face.

"Sorry," Anna said. "I didn't mean to make you worry."

Alexandra swallowed hard and shook her head, forcing a smile of her own. "I knew you'd come back."

Anna had been carrying an enormous birdcage, while behind her, one of Charmbridge's elves was wobbling a little with a smaller bag balanced atop its head, and a larger suitcase being dragged behind it. Anna carried her caged familiar into the room, and Alexandra quickly relieved the elf of its burden.

"Thank you," she said, taking the bag in one hand and the handle to the suitcase in the other. "That was very nice of you, to help Anna carry her bags upstairs."

The elf, comically cross-eyed, stared not-quite-at her, and then straightened the frayed rag with armholes that he was wearing. "It's Mubble's job, Miss." She expected him to disappear with a pop -- the elves avoided being seen by students -- but instead he turned and wobbled quickly back down the hall.

Alexandra turned around. Anna's great horned owl, Jingwei, hooted a rather predatory greeting at Charlie, who squawked and fluttered over to Alexandra's shoulder.

"You didn't come along for the shopping trip to the Goblin Market," Alexandra said, almost accusingly. "And you never answered my letter --"

"I couldn't come earlier -- there's no Wizardrail service from California to Central Territory," Anna said. "And if you sent a regular letter to my house in San Francisco, I was at my grandparents' house."

"Your grandparents? I thought they were dead."

"My other grandparents," Anna said quietly. "My Muggle grandparents."

From her tone of voice, it did not sound like it had been a happy visit. Alexandra knew Anna had little contact with the Muggle side of her family -- she was under the impression that Anna's mother had not had a good relationship with her parents, and that it had deteriorated further after she had married a wizard. Anna looked very tired, now, as she pulled her clothes out of her suitcase and began putting them away. Alexandra took her by the shoulders and turned her around.

"What's going on, Anna?" she asked.

Anna looked down. "You know my father is running for the Wizards' Congress, right?"

"Yes." Alexandra nodded. Anna had been both proud and worried about that.

"His enemies are trying to frame him... he was accused of being a Dark Wizard."

Alexandra's mouth dropped open, and she started to say, "That's ridiculous!"

Anna's shoulders shook, and she put her hands over her face and began crying. "They arrested him! They won't tell us what he's being charged with or when there will be a trial or if there's a trial, and all the other Chinese wizards in California are furious and threatening to split the Territory again if they don't free him, but nobody cares about me or my mother! Nobody helped us at all!"

As if she had been bottling up her tears for days, Anna was suddenly unable to speak further, and she would have collapsed to the floor if Alexandra hadn't helped her to her bed instead, where the other girl sat and sobbed for nearly five minutes before she could speak again.

"My m-m-mother insisted I go to s-school," Anna stammered, wiping at her face with her sleeve. "But I know sh-she hates s-s-staying with my grandparents, and nobody from the Wizard J--Justice Department is ever going to tell her what's going on." She blew her nose messily.

Alexandra shook her head. "That's terrible." She felt very selfish for wanting Anna to be here, now. "You could have stayed with your mother -- I'm sure Dean Grimm would let you make up your missed classwork..."

Anna shook her head. "M-mom said, I'll be n-n-othing without an education. She made me go." Her lip trembled, and she looked about to burst into tears again.

Alexandra picked up her wand and pointed it at Anna's damp handkerchief. "Exaresco," she muttered, and then took the now-dry handkerchief and applied it to Anna's face.

"Has your father got a lawyer?" she asked.

"I don't know. I don't know how to find a wizard lawyer." Anna sniffled, as Alexandra continued wiping away her tears. "It probably wouldn't matter, anyway, because of the WODAMND Act."

"I'm sorry, Anna."

She wanted to tell Anna that it would be all right, that surely it was a misunderstanding, or the WJD would decide they'd made a mistake, or the Chinese wizarding community would force them to set Mr. Chu free. Anything to make her friend feel better. But she knew only too well how useless such meaningless assurances were.

Anna looked at her, and managed a small half-smile. "I missed you."

"I missed you, too." Alexandra sat back on the bed. "How did you get here from California, anyway?"

"Mrs. Speaks picked me up. We had to take the Automagicka all the way from San Francisco." Anna yawned. "I think she's been having to drive all over, 'cause of all the kids who can't get here by Wizardrail or Portkey."

Alexandra nodded. "You look tired. We should go to bed."

"How have you been, Alex?" Anna asked softly. "Really?"

Alexandra smiled. "I'm fine."

Anna clearly didn't believe her, but they were both too tired to continue the discussion. Charlie retreated into the cage Alexandra kept by her bed as Anna set Jingwei free to fly out into the night, and then the two girls climbed into their beds and fell asleep.

---

"I don't want to tell everyone about my father," Anna said to Alexandra, the next morning.

Alexandra nodded. "Just say you were late because Mrs. Speaks had to pick you up from California. It's no one else's business."

Anna looked relieved. "How about you?" she asked quietly. "Have you talked to your family?"

"You mean Julia? Yes, we wrote back and forth all summer. I couldn't visit, though." She sounded regretful, for a moment, and when Anna looked at her with concern, she added, in an almost cheerful tone: "And Valeria actually sent me an email."

"That's great." Anna still sounded concerned. She lowered her voice to a whisper. "What about... your father?"

Alexandra shook her head. "As far as I'm concerned, I hope I never hear from him again."

Anna's worried expression faded when they emerged into the hallway. Constance and Forbearance let out joyful exclamations when they saw her, and, joined by Angelique, the girls made their way downstairs for breakfast.

David was waiting for them. Though it was clear that he was mostly waiting for Angelique, he grinned happily when he saw Anna.

"Someone's gotta keep an eye on Alex," he said. "'Specially since C&F aren't allowed to hang around with us Mud -- er, unrespectable sorts, in public."

"Cee and Eff?" Constance looked at David as if he'd grown a tentacle in the middle of his forehead, while Angelique frowned at him.

They explained to Anna the uncomfortable situation with the Rashes, as they approached the eighth grade bulletin board. On the Sunday before the first week of class, there were usually a host of announcements about dress codes, forbidden items, changed room locations, and other administrative matters. Ahead, Alexandra saw Lydia Ragland and her friends looking at the morning's announcements, and back at her, and then they hastily scuttled away.

Even before they reached the bulletin board, a piece of paper folded into a bird-like origami shape came flapping its way through the air and made a zig-zagging line towards Alexandra.

"Uh oh," said David, as Alexandra stared at the approaching office note, feeling more resignation than dread. Sure enough, it almost flew into her face before unfolding itself and hovering insistently before her eyes, until she snatched it out of the air to read it.

"How could I have done anything?" she protested. "I just got here last night!"

Yet the note was clear: she was being summoned to the Dean's office, immediately.

"Don't fret none." Forbearance tried to sound reassuring. "It's prolly just..."

"Dean Grimm wants to welcome Alex back to school, like she does every year?" David said dryly.

"I'll see you later," Alexandra said to her friends. She patted a very worried-looking Anna on the shoulder, and trudged down the hall towards the administrative wing.

Many possibilities went through her head as she walked past other students who were making their way towards the cafeteria for breakfast, none of them good. Maybe Dean Grimm had talked to her sister, and was going to punish Alexandra for her illegal broom rides, or for calling Diana Grimm names. Or maybe she had decided that the daughter of Abraham Thorn just didn't belong at Charmbridge after all.

Even in her distracted state of mind, Alexandra didn't fail to notice the stares and the whispers. A group of eleventh grade girls actually detoured to the other side of the corridor when they saw her coming. Alexandra would have found it hilarious that older girls were afraid of her, except that she knew why. She now carried the reputation that came with being one of Abraham Thorn's children, and her father had made sure it would be no small burden. It was exactly what Maximilian had feared, what he had tried to protect her and Julia from. She fixed the girls with a hard stare as they continued to mutter amongst themselves as she passed by, and they averted their eyes.

She heard "Lands Below," and one girl whispered, "-- she's the girl who came back."

At the administrative office, Miss Marmsley, Charmbridge's school secretary for generations, gazed down at her from her full-length portrait frame. "The Dean is expecting you, Miss Quick," she said. "You may go directly in."

"I don't suppose you can tell me what I did?" Alexandra asked the portrait.

Miss Marmsley only had two expressions, in Alexandra's experience: disapproving and aghast. Now the long-dead secretary's portrait seemed unsure which one was appropriate.

"I do not discuss disciplinary matters with students," she said, pointing a finger down the hall.

Disciplinary matters, Alexandra thought, walking down the hall to the Dean's office. She hoped they'd at least let her have some breakfast before they kicked her out of school. Since Miss Marmsley had told her to go directly in, she didn't bother knocking, but simply opened the door and walked in.

Being summoned to the Dean's office was not a new experience for Alexandra, and walking into Ms. Grimm's office with a mixture of defiance and dread was also familiar. But she was completely unprepared for the deja vu she felt when she saw Lilith Grimm sitting behind her desk, and Darla Dearborn standing demurely before her, dressed in fine multilayered blue robes that shimmered a bit around the cuffs and collar.

Alexandra paused, and then walked forward very slowly. Darla glanced at her warily, then turned her attention back to Ms. Grimm.

"Well," Alexandra said. "I guess it really does pay to have an uncle who's a congressman."

"Watch yourself, Miss Quick," the Dean said softly.

Stone-faced, Alexandra closed her mouth and stood next to Darla, with her hands at her sides.

The Dean was wearing a traditional black witch's dress. Alexandra thought traditional witching garb made most witches look like Wizard of Oz characters, but not Ms. Grimm. A black cat's tail disappeared around the huge wooden desk, and then abruptly, the Dean's familiar, Galen, jumped onto the desk and commenced staring at the two girls.

Ms. Grimm gestured at Darla. "As you have surmised, Miss Dearborn will be returning to Charmbridge this year."

Alexandra's mouth tightened a little, but she said nothing. Rather than looking at Darla or Ms. Grimm, she studied the portraits of former deans hanging on the wall behind the Dean's desk. They studied her back.

"I have already discussed with her the conditions of her return," Ms. Grimm continued. "Starting with this." She held up Darla's hawthorn wand, which had a small silver knob fitted tightly around it. "Miss Dearborn will not be permitted use of her wand, except for classwork. She will pick it up each morning from Dean Cervantes's office, and return it at the end of each school day. The Wand Collar will prevent her from casting anything but minor charms, and needless to say, her wand will be thoroughly examined for every spell that was cast, each and every day."

Darla looked down, her face red.

"I think her family has exhausted just about all the influence they have keeping her out of prison and with her wand unbroken. I doubt even Congressman Dearborn can get her out of trouble if she transgresses again."

Ms. Grimm's tone was almost spiteful. Her gaze was pitiless, and Darla trembled before her. Alexandra, for once not the focus of the Dean's ire, didn't mind seeing Darla cowed and humiliated -- but she wondered how much of it was an act.

Ms. Grimm set Darla's wand back on her desk, and turned to Alexandra.

"Notwithstanding the conditions under which Miss Dearborn has returned to school, I want to make it very clear that I will be keeping a close eye on both of you. Whatever you may feel about this situation, there is to be no trouble from either of you. It might occur to you, Miss Quick, that Miss Dearborn is virtually defenseless, and therefore an easy target for retribution."

Alexandra's attention was on the Dean; she saw Darla stirring, in the corner of her eye, but the other girl said nothing.

"I will not tolerate any feuding," Ms. Grimm continued. She glanced at Galen, who was attempting to bat Darla's wand off her desk with one paw. With an annoyed frown, she picked the cat up and dropped it on the floor beside her. Galen meowed indignantly. "Whatever grievances you have with each other, bury them. Stay away from each other, but do not attempt to settle any scores or you will both be going home, I promise you that."

Alexandra, who had been slowly simmering throughout Grimm's speech, said, "If I wanted to settle a score with Darla, it wouldn't matter if she has a wand or not."

Darla gasped. Ms. Grimm stared at her, and for just a moment, Alexandra thought she saw a glint of amusement in the woman's eyes, and then the Dean opened a desk drawer in front of her and dropped the collared hawthorn wand into it.

"Then I expect not to hear about any curses or experiments with forbidden magic this year," she said. She shut the drawer with a bang that made Darla jump. "Naturally, I don't think it's wise for you to share a suite any more -- Miss Dearborn has been assigned a new room, at the other end of the hall from yours. Miss Devereaux may join her there, if she so chooses." She waved a hand dismissively at Darla. "You may return to your dorm."

"Yes, Dean Grimm," said Darla, very quietly.

Alexandra assumed she was being dismissed also, and turned to go, but Ms. Grimm said, "Wait, Miss Quick."

Alexandra paused, while Darla exited the room, without looking back. The door shut behind her.

"Is there anything you'd like to say?" Ms. Grimm asked.

Alexandra turned to face her, slowly.

"There's a lot I'd like to say. But we both know life's unfair, right? May I go now, ma'am?"

Ms. Grimm's eyes narrowed, and her mouth compressed into a straight line. "I meant what I said about pursuing vendettas."

"What would be the point? Darla didn't get my brother killed, and cursing her won't bring him back."

The Dean leaned back in her chair. Galen jumped into her lap.

"Is there anything I can do for you, Alexandra?"

Alexandra regarded her warily. It was rare when the Dean showed concern for anyone, and Alexandra was never quite sure whether she believed it was sincere.

"I don't think so, ma'am."

Ms. Grimm studied her a moment longer, then sighed. "It's only been four months since your brother died. I know you're still grieving. I cannot make allowances for any misbehavior on your part. Remember, you're still on probation for your participation in the Mors Mortis Society last year."

Alexandra scowled and looked away, at the trees outside the window of the Dean's office.

"But," Dean Grimm continued, "if you have any other difficulties, with your classes, or adjusting..."

"I'm fine," Alexandra said flatly.

Galen purred, while Grimm's hand stroked the cat's ears. Then the Dean nodded. "Very well. You may go, Miss Quick."

Alexandra was stewing all the way back to her room. Breakfast was forgotten. She was angry and resentful, and yet she really didn't blame Darla and had no particular desire to do anything to her. She just knew it was manifestly unfair that Darla was back in school, despite everything she'd done the previous year -- much of which even the Dean was unaware of. Alexandra wondered if Darla had ever been threatened with the WODAMND Act. Surely if Alexandra cast an Unforgivable, she would be chained up and her wand broken.

She was lying on her back on her bed, staring up at the ceiling, while running her fingers up and down her own wand, when Anna returned, looking anxious and sounding a little breathless.

"Alex!" she gasped. "Did you know --?"

"Darla's back," Alexandra finished for her. "That's why the Dean called me to her office -- to make sure I'm not going to curse the little snot."

Anna sat down on the bed next to her. "Are you all right?" she asked.

"Sure." Alexandra shrugged. "I don't think Dean Grimm wanted to let Darla return. Her family must be pretty powerful." She snorted. "Maybe if your father gets elected to the Wizards' Congress..." She paused, and almost bit her tongue when she glanced at Anna and saw a shadow pass over her friend's face. "Sorry," she said softly. "I forgot."

"It's all right," Anna said quietly.

From next door, they heard Angelique moving about, and Honey demanding loudly: "What are you doing? What are you doing? What are you doing? Where are we going? Where are we going? Where are we going?"

"Honey, shut up, or you won't be going anywhere!" Angelique said.

Alexandra sat up and got off her bed. Anna followed her through the bathroom and into the next room, where Angelique was pulling a ridiculous number of robes out of her closet. She jumped when she saw Alexandra.

"Alexandra!" Her voice suddenly became high and nervous-sounding. "I, um..."

"Is that a girl?" sneered Honey. "It's that girl!"

"You're going to go be Darla's roommate again," Alexandra said.

Angelique nodded, licking her lips nervously. "She asked me to. She's pretty lonely -- a lot of kids are shunning her now..."

"Oh, really?" Alexandra said. "That must be awful for her."

"Sorceress!" Honey shouted.

"Shut up, Honey!" Angelique sighed. "Please don't hate me."

"I don't. But I'd be careful around her." Alexandra eyed Honey. "And keep an eye on your familiar. Darla might decide to try to sacrifice her again."

"Mudblood!" screeched Honey.

"Shut up, Honey!" Angelique picked up her wand, and pointed it at the jarvey's cage. "Silencio!" The jarvey's next insult was swallowed by silence.

Alexandra shook her head. "When did Darla get here, anyway?"

"Late last night. Mrs. Speaks brought her directly from her home." Angelique was hastily stuffing her clothes and other things she'd unpacked the previous night into her bags.

Alexandra turned to Anna accusingly. "You didn't tell me Darla was on the bus with you!"

Anna shook her head vigorously. "She wasn't!"

"But..." Alexandra frowned. "How could Mrs. Speaks have driven you all the way from California, and picked up Darla to bring her here, too, all in one night?"

"Mrs. Speaks has been picking up students from all over the country," Angelique said. "Me and all the other students who usually come up from down South on the Wizardrail." She tossed one more suitcase onto the pile in the center of her room, jostling the stack next to it on which Honey's cage sat. The cage tumbled off the pile of boxes and clothes bags, bounced on the floor, and rolled, before Angelique grabbed it.

"Honey!" she cried. "I'm sorry, Honey." She picked up the carrier and looked inside. Alexandra almost smiled, to think of the profanities Honey was undoubtedly uttering inside her Silenced cage.

An elf appeared in Angelique's doorway. Alexandra recognized Mubble, the same elf who had helped Anna the previous night.

"Is this all of Miss's things that is to be moved?" asked the elf, looking with a little dismay at the pile of boxes and suitcases.

"Yes," Angelique said, cradling Honey's cage and not even looking at the elf. "Down the hall to Room 43."

Alexandra considered offering to help, but she really didn't want to see Darla, so she just told Angelique, "See you in class," and retreated to her own room, with Anna in tow.

"I wonder if we'll get new suitemates," Anna said.

Alexandra shrugged. She was still puzzling over the problem of ferrying students from across the country in one bus. The Automagicka wasn't that fast. "I thought Mrs. Speaks looked pretty tired," she said. "How does one bus collect everyone? We've got students from all over the country."

"Maybe she's using a Time-Turner," Anna said.

"A what?" Alexandra stared at her.

"A Time-Turner. If she has one on the bus, then she could pick up kids in different places at the same time, as long as she doesn't meet herself when she drops them off."

Alexandra looked at Anna as if she suspected her friend were making this up. "A Time-Turner," she repeated.

"They're really rare, but Mrs. Speaks said the Department of Magical Transportation is allowing magic they don't usually permit, because of the crisis..." Anna's voice faltered, as Alexandra continued staring at her. "I mean, I'm just guessing."

"You're talking about time travel," Alexandra said slowly. "You're not putting me on? Magic can actually do that? Let you go back in time?"

"Well, sure. Haven't you ever heard that old Arithmancy problem? 'If Merlin has a Time-Turner and leaves at midnight to go back to noon the previous day, and Arthur has a Time-Turner and leaves at noon to go back to midnight'..." Anna's voice trailed off. "Sorry. I guess you wouldn't have."

Alexandra's mind was whirling. She didn't know how long she stood there, her thoughts somewhere else entirely, but she finally realized that Anna was watching her uneasily, and she smiled. "That's pretty cool," she said. "You know what? I never got any breakfast. I'm hungry."

Relieved, Anna readily agreed to accompany Alexandra back to the cafeteria, even though she had already eaten. They discussed the classes they were taking, and who their teachers would be for the coming year, and they made plans to play Heart of Three Kingdoms or Wizardopoly in the recreation room that night. But Alexandra was only pretending to be engaged in the conversation, because there was really only one thing she was thinking about, a thought that she was turning over and over again in her head:

Time travel.