Alexandra Quick and the Thorn Circle

The Charmbridge Scholarship

Not able to put off the inevitable any longer, Alexandra entered her house. Her mother was standing by the door. She'd changed out of her nurse's scrubs, but Archie was sitting in the living room, still in his police uniform. Both of them stared at Alexandra, soaking wet, with algae in her hair, blood welling up from the cuts on her cheek, and as smelly as she had been the night before last. Someone else was sitting in the living room as well.

Their guest was a tall woman with jet black hair, as straight as Alexandra's but much longer. She was wearing a crisp white jacket and knee-length skirt and painfully high heels. Rings glittered on her fingers. There was a silver watchband and several bracelets around her wrists, and a matching silver chain around her neck. Alexandra wouldn't exactly have called her beautiful, but she was very handsome, with perfect chiseled features, high cheekbones, a sharp nose and an angular chin now raised in Alexandra's direction. She was holding a saucer in one hand and a cup of coffee that Archie must have brewed for her in the other.

"You must be Alexandra," she said.

Alexandra nodded.

"Alex... what... where...?" Her mother was on the verge of sputtering incoherently.

"It looks as if you've had a bit of an adventure," the woman said, nodding at Alexandra's muddy clothes.

"I guess," Alexandra said. She wasn't sure what to say, but she wasn't being yelled at, so for the moment she was more than willing to drag out introductions.

"Alex..." Her mother took a deep breath. "This is Ms. Grimm."

"Nice name," Alexandra thought. "Hi," she said. Absently, she realized she was still wearing her bracelet, and thrust her hands behind her back, hoping her mother hadn't noticed.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Alexandra," said Ms. Grimm. She smiled, but Alexandra got the impression that smiling was something artificial and decorative Ms. Grimm did, like putting on her jewelry. "Perhaps you'd like to go upstairs and clean up a bit, and then we can all chat?"

"That's a good idea," said her mother, in a tone that reminded Alexandra of Bonnie's voice when the pond-creature was squeezing her neck.

"Okay," Alexandra said. She didn't take her eyes off of Ms. Grimm as she headed for the stairs, even though she knew she shouldn't stare. It was easier to look at her than at her mother or her stepfather, though, and Ms. Grimm merely met Alexandra's gaze without blinking, and did not seem to mind being scrutinized.

Alexandra took a long time in the bath. She poured half a bottle of bubble bath into the tub, and lathered up her hair and rinsed it out three times, but after drying off, she still imagined she could detect the faint smell of algae and dead fish. She put on a clean shirt and one of her few pairs of pants that didn't have ragged cuffs or holes, white socks, and a pair of sandals, after placing her wet shoes on her windowsill to air out. Then she headed back downstairs. She took very careful steps, trying to be quiet, so she could overhear whatever the adults were talking about, but almost immediately Ms. Grimm said loudly, in a cheerful tone, "Alexandra, please come join us!"

When Alexandra reentered the living room, Ms. Grimm was still sitting where she had been before. Her mother had now taken a seat next to Archie on the sofa, and no longer looked as if she were about to engage in histrionics, but her expression was still mingled outrage and disbelief as she regarded her daughter. Archie just looked rather blank.

"Well, perhaps now we can be introduced properly," Ms. Grimm said, and she held out her hand. Alexandra took it. The woman's fingers were long and bony, and she had exquisitely manicured nails. "My name is Lilith Grimm, but you may call me Ms. Grimm, and if your parents agree to accept the scholarship that's been offered to you, you will be calling me Dean Grimm."

"Scholarship?" Alexandra repeated. So far, everything about today had been unexpected and disorienting. She knew she probably seemed rather stupid just now, giving one-word answers and looking confused, but it felt as if she'd been kicked around as thoroughly as Billy Boggleston's friend Tom. And she hadn't even been yelled at yet.

"That's right." Ms. Grimm smiled again. "I am the Dean of the Charmbridge Academy. It's a very exclusive school for gifted young men and women such as yourself, and I'm pleased to inform you that you're being offered a full scholarship, to be renewed annually so long as you maintain the required level of academic progress."

Alexandra's mind was still whirling. She'd always gone to Larkin Mills Elementary School, and while she was a decent student, she was hardly an academic superstar, and she didn't remember ever applying for any scholarships. Her parents had never discussed private school, ever. Even if they had wanted to send Alexandra to a private school, the cost would have been out of the question.

"I've never heard of Charmbridge Academy," she said.

"Very few people have. As I said, it's very exclusive. In fact, generally the only people who ever hear of it are those who've qualified for admission." Her smile remained firmly in place, but Alexandra could tell that Ms. Grimm was studying her closely, as if she might reveal by her reaction that she really wasn't suitable after all.

For the first time since returning home, Alexandra actually looked at her mother and her stepfather. They seemed as stunned as her. She licked her lips, then said, "What kind of a school is it? How am I... gifted?"

"I'm wondering that myself," Archie said. Claudia elbowed him, but Alexandra didn't even notice, because there was a look that passed between her and Lilith Grimm, and Alexandra suddenly felt certain that Ms. Grimm knew. And it bothered her that Ms. Grimm knew, though she wasn't certain why.

"Well," the Dean of Charmbridge Academy said, after a short pause during which she never took her eyes off of Alexandra, and then she broke eye contact with the girl and turned to look at her parents. "As you know, children are tested throughout the year, on a variety of subjects. Sometimes the results of those tests show an extraordinary aptitude for certain subjects, and when we find out that a child is gifted in certain areas, we want to make sure he or she is given every opportunity to develop those gifts. Charmbridge Academy is the finest private school of its kind in North America. I can assure you that Alexandra will be receiving an unequaled education."

This was all grown-up speak, yet Alexandra was able to follow the gist of it, and she could already form the questions in her mind that her parents would ask. Gifted in what areas? Alexandra was very certain she'd never had any tests in school to measure her ability to conjure objects or turn Oreo cookies into worms. Where was Charmbridge Academy? How could it be the "finest private school of its kind" in North America if no one had ever heard of it? How did Ms. Grimm find out about Alexandra, and why would they give her a scholarship? Ms. Grimm had a very convincing spiel, but even Alexandra could see there were holes in her story. There was no way her parents were going to accept this at face value.

"Well, it sounds like a wonderful opportunity," her mother said.

"Who'd have thought Alex would earn an academic scholarship?" Archie said.

Alexandra looked at them, disconcerted and confused. And, unexpectedly, hurt. Did they want to get rid of her that badly?

"Where is Charmbridge Academy?" she asked. "Is it like a boarding school?"

Ms. Grimm nodded. "Yes, you'll be residing there full-time, though of course you'll come home for summer and winter breaks. It's located out of state. Transportation will be provided, of course."

Alexandra looked at her mother and stepfather again. Ms. Grimm's answers were implausibly vague. Out of state. Transportation will be provided. Didn't they notice? Didn't they have any questions?

"And everything - tuition, books, room and board - it's all covered by this scholarship?" her mother asked.

Ms. Grimm nodded. "Everything. There's even a discretionary fund for providing Alexandra with the initial school supplies she'll need."

"This is... this is really quite unexpected," her mother said. "And wonderful! I mean, an opportunity like this..." She looked at Alexandra. "Assuming Alex wants to go, of course."

"Oh, you mean I have a choice?" Alexandra said. Resentment was stirring, generating anger that pierced through her confusion.

"Of course you have a choice, Alexandra." Ms. Grimm wasn't smiling now. "You don't have to attend Charmbridge Academy. You can stay here." She spoke lightly, but there was disdain in her tone. To Alexandra it looked as if she were on the verge of wrinkling her nose. And she fixed Alexandra with that penetrating, knowing look again. "But you see, your gifts are really quite exceptional and they'll never be properly developed at a... traditional public school. Moreover, they really shouldn't be exercised in an uncontrolled manner. With proper education and training, you will achieve extraordinary things. Without it... well, I'm afraid it's quite frowned upon to allow undisciplined youngsters to run amok in public. They inevitably get into serious trouble."

Alexandra's bright green eyes met Ms. Grimm's slate gray ones. She wasn't sure she understood all the implications, but the underlying meaning was clear enough. Ms. Grimm was speaking for her benefit now. But it must have made no sense to Archie and her mother. Their passivity and lack of inquisitiveness concerned her. It was as if they didn't care at all, and were happy to go along with whatever Alexandra and Ms. Grimm said. Alexandra didn't even care anymore that they no longer seemed angry about her leaving the house while grounded, though maybe they were saving their reaction to that until after Ms. Grimm left.

"Some choice," Alexandra said.

Ms. Grimm smiled, and this time there was actually a glint of humor in her eyes.

"It's really not that bad, Alexandra," she said gently. "In fact, I truly believe you will excel at Charmbridge Academy."

---

Alexandra sat quietly as her parents asked Ms. Grimm the most inconsequential questions while they signed the forms the Dean gave them. It felt as if they were signing Alexandra's life away. Perhaps she really was just baggage, an inconvenient burden that had to be fed and clothed, but now that this stranger had appeared on their doorstep offering to take her away, at least for eight and a half months out of the year, they were leaping at the chance.

She didn't feel any desire to cry, but there was a hot, hard lump in her throat. She said nothing and was as unlike her usual self as could be, remaining seen but not heard while the adults talked. She gleaned from the conversation that Charmbridge Academy was coed (a fact to which she was indifferent) and that all of the students boarded there throughout the academic year. It offered schooling for grades six through twelve. Larkin Mills Elementary School only went up to sixth grade, and then students went to middle school, and then high school. The idea of being at the same school with middle and high school kids might have made Alexandra intrigued and nervous at another time, but she was quite lost in self pity by the time Ms. Grimm spoke to her again.

"Alexandra? If I might interrupt your meditations for a moment?"

Alexandra looked at her sharply, but the raven-haired woman offered her an ingenuous smile, a rather more convincing one than her earlier smiles.

"I was wondering if you might like to go out for an ice cream? With your parents' permission, of course. Since I don't have to head back to school right away, it could be my little way of welcoming you to the Charmbridge family."

Nothing seemed more unlikely than that Lilith Grimm was in the habit of taking little girls out for ice cream to celebrate their enrollment at her academy. Alexandra could more easily imagine her luring small children into an oven to bake them. But she was sure that the Dean really wanted to talk about other things. She glanced at her mother, who nodded and said, "I suppose that would be all right," with a smile that suddenly made Alexandra want to scream at her.

"Have you forgotten I'm grounded?" she wanted to cry out. Never in a million years would she have imagined her mother letting her go out for ice cream after ignoring her grounding and coming home the way she did, yet all that seemed to have been forgotten.

"Sure," Alexandra said. And she followed Ms. Grimm out the door, to her big silver car. "This must be a curious sight for the neighbors," she thought, who would surely be wondering about the regal-looking woman in the expensive car who was taking Alexandra for a ride.

The interior was all leather and wood. Alexandra had never been in such a car before. She sat down in the passenger's seat, and folded her arms defiantly as Ms. Grimm started the car.

Ms. Grimm snapped her fingers and the seat and shoulder straps whipped around Alexandra and clicked into place. Alexandra jumped.

"Really, that's mostly for the sake of appearances. This vehicle is fully certified by the Department of Magical Transportation. It has the latest anti-collision charms. But, I don't want you getting in the habit of thinking you can ride in Muggle cars without a seat belt."

Alexandra just stared at Ms. Grimm as she put the car in gear and pulled away from her house.

"You have questions," Grimm said. Alexandra was distracted for a moment as they drove past Brian's house.

"Cat got your tongue?" The woman smiled slightly, not entirely pleasantly. "Perhaps you're wondering where to begin. Shall I start?"

Alexandra remained silent, so she continued. "You are wondering why your parents acquiesced so readily to sending you to an out-of-state boarding school they've never heard of, paid for by a scholarship from sources unknown, for 'gifts' they have no knowledge of." She glanced at Alexandra, who was looking startled in spite of herself at the Dean's uncanny intuition. "Oh, don't look so surprised, dear. You've been sulking for the past half hour with the air of one feeling immensely sorry for oneself. Poor Alexandra, whose parents don't love her anymore and want to get rid of her, is that what you've been thinking?"

It wasn't exactly what Alexandra had been thinking, but it was very close, and she didn't like Grimm's dry, unsympathetic tone, so she said nothing.

"I'm going to have insist that you get in the habit of responding appropriately when a teacher or other member of the staff addresses you," Grimm said pleasantly. "I'm sure you've picked up many bad habits during your Muggle upbringing which we'll have to break, but let's start with basic courtesies. So, you may say 'Yes, Ms. Grimm,' or 'No, Ms. Grimm,' or whatever other answer pops into your head, so long as it's followed by 'Ms. Grimm.' Do you understand?"

Alexandra bristled inwardly, but all that came out was "Yes, Ms. Grimm," in a small voice.

"Good. Now, your parents aren't quite as dull or negligent as they appear. There are times when it's appropriate to explain the true nature of Charmbridge Academy, even to Muggle parents, but we make those decisions on a case-by-case basis. In the case of your mother and stepfather, it was clear to me that they are not ready to be fully enlightened about the world which you are about to enter. So, I used a bit of magic to... ease their concerns. Never fear, I did not force any decision upon them. That would be considered entirely inappropriate. Illegal, actually. But we are allowed the judicious use of Confundus Charms, when it's in the best interests of Muggles and wizards alike."

They seemed to be heading towards the Interstate, and not towards any ice cream shops in town, yet this concerned Alexandra less than it probably should have. Instead, she said, "I don't understand half those words you just used."

"You're exaggerating, surely."

Alexandra looked straight ahead, and then said, "You can do magic."

"Of course. As can you. You are a witch."

Alexandra gave her a sharp look. She'd never been insulted so directly by an adult before. "I am not!"

Grimm laughed. "It's not an insult, dear. In our world, men are wizards, women are witches. I'm a witch too."

"I'll bet you are," Alexandra thought. "Like Sabrina," she said aloud.

"I'm not familiar. You know another witch?" Grimm turned towards her, raising an eyebrow. Alexandra thought perhaps she was putting her on, but the woman seemed serious.

"She's a TV character," Alexandra said. "A witch."

"Ah. Muggle entertainment. You're going to have to unlearn a lot of what you've picked up among Muggles."

"What are Muggles?"

"Non-wizards. People who neither know nor practice magic. Such as your parents."

"So what is 'our world'?"

"The wizarding world, of course."

And as they pulled onto the Interstate, Alexandra saw a sign she had never seen on the Interstate before when riding in a car with her mother or stepfather:

Automagicka
Tollbooth Ahead

She stared. "What's an Automagicka?"

"A network of magical roadways, overlaid atop the Muggle highway system, or parts of it. It's not nearly complete yet; they only started working on it a few years ago, and most people still prefer Portkeys or the Wizardrail for long distance travel. Private Automagicka-approved vehicles like this one are still relatively rare."

Alexandra looked at the scenery passing by outside the window, which still looked like what she'd see while riding on the Interstate. "You're using lots of words I don't know again."

"I know I am, Alexandra. And you're going to have to start learning them. You have a great deal to learn, and you're at a severe disadvantage compared to children who've grown up in the wizarding world. But you seem quite bright and I'm sure you'll adjust."

The car slowed down as Alexandra saw they were approaching a large purple tollbooth which definitely didn't exist on any of the highways around Larkin Mills. There was a large iron chain stretched across the road, rather than the white and red barriers that Alexandra has seen rising and lowering at other tollbooths. As they pulled up to the window, she gasped. The tollbooth operator was a large, ugly humanoid with green skin, a warty nose, and huge yellowish teeth.

Grimm rolled down her window. "Chicago," she said.

"One Eagle," the toll-troll grunted.

Grimm handed it a gold coin, and it stuck the coin in its mouth, bit down hard on it, examined it, then tossed it into a basket with a clink and actually got out of its booth to unhook the end of the heavy iron chain and drag it out of the way of Ms. Grimm's car. She moved forward, leaving the tollbooth behind.

"We can't go to Chicago, that's like three hours away!" Alexandra exclaimed.

"Not via the Automagicka." Grimm smiled.

"Was that a troll?"

"Yes. You see, you are learning quickly."

Alexandra covered her mouth, feeling an urge to laugh in spite of herself. "You have... trollbooths!"

Grimm made a face that might have resembled a grin on a more pleasant person. "Yes, very clever indeed, Alexandra, though hardly original. Manning a tollbooth is dull and monotonous, especially when there is so little traffic. You wouldn't expect a wizard to do it? Properly trained, trolls do it quite well, and they also solve the problem of the occasional Muggle who wanders off the highway proper."

Alexandra stared at Ms. Grimm again. Was that a joke? She wasn't sure she wanted to know, so she changed the subject. "Why are we going to Chicago?"

"For ice cream, of course."

Alexandra was getting tired of Grimm's droll, uninformative answers, and her face showed it. "Why are we going to Chicago for ice cream? There's a Frosty Freeze in town."

"I thought I'd show you the Automagicka, and give you your first look at a troll. Seeing such things firsthand will, I hope, get us past a great deal of skepticism and denial so we can start talking about more important matters."

They didn't seem to be driving any faster than one normally drove on the Interstate, but Alexandra did notice that the scenery that whizzed past seemed blurry and unusually colorful, and she also didn't see any of the normal highway signs she was used to.

"We'll be home past my bedtime. I guess your Confunding Charm will take care of that too?"

"Confundus Charm. Yes, quite so. Don't think for a second that you're routinely going to get out of trouble by Confounding your parents, but under the circumstances, I think it's safe to say you've gotten yourself a free pass for the evening."

Grimm was silent for a while, and Alexandra sensed she was waiting for her to make the next move. Rather than saying anything, Alexandra continued looking out the window for a while, but her curiosity finally got the best of her.

"How did you find out about me?"

"In the Registrar's Office at school, there is a scroll that records the names of all school-age children."

"You mean someone else enrolled me?"

"No, the scroll recorded your eligibility for enrollment. Of course we didn't recognize your name immediately, as you weren't part of a wizarding household. It took a little work, but we eventually tracked you down."

Alexandra toyed with her bracelet, trying to make sense of this. "How could this scroll know I'm going to be enrolled when you'd never heard of me and I didn't know anything about your school?"

"Some things you're going to have to take on faith, Alexandra, at least until you know more about magic. Suffice it to say that you must have some connection to the wizarding world, despite your upbringing."

That made Alexandra think for several long minutes, and Ms. Grimm seemed content to let her ponder this, until Alexandra said, "Archie isn't my real father."

Grimm nodded. "I know. He's your stepfather. Your parents told me." She waited expectantly.

Alexandra looked straight ahead again, her fingers still pushing the bracelet in a circle around her wrist.

"If I'm a witch, does that mean my father was a wizard?"

"It's very possible. Probable, in fact. It can happen that a witch or wizard is born to Muggle parents, though inevitably there is a wizard somewhere in the family tree." Ms. Grimm actually took her eyes off the road, and gave Alexandra an appraising look. "What do you know about your father, Alexandra?"

"Hardly anything!" she blurted out, more forcefully than she meant to, and blushed. Looking away, she shrugged. "My mother left him when I was a baby. She won't tell me anything about him."

"I see," Ms. Grimm said softly.

Lights appeared on the road from the opposite direction, which Alexandra noticed because they had been traveling for quite a while on the Automagicka without seeing any other vehicles. The car that went past was a rattling old jalopy that looked like something out of a black and white TV show, and the driver was a woman (a witch, Alexandra supposed) wearing a broad floppy hat that didn't look like it should have stayed on her head at the speed she was going. But Alexandra could see other cars now, and the bright lights of a big city ahead, though as she had told Ms. Grimm, she knew Chicago was over a hundred miles from Larkin Mills.

"Are there lots of wizards in Chicago?" she asked.

"Quite a few." Ms. Grimm swerved around a bright green and purple minivan that hurtled and bumped along on elephantine tires, looking as if it might flip over at any second. She shook her head. "The DMT is going to have to start cracking down on private vehicle licenses soon, I'm afraid." As they drove into the city, Alexandra could see offramps and onramps here and there, and most of the cars sharing the Automagicka with them were similarly odd contraptions that would draw stares on any normal Muggle roadway. She saw something that resembled a double-decker Formula One racecar, and a huge black sedan with a sinister grill that actually snarled at cars in front of it, and as Ms. Grimm finally left the magical highway, they passed a bus that looked almost normal except that it had seven wheels.

"How come no one knows about wizards? How do wizards drive cars like... that and not get noticed? Why don't Muggles see the Automagicka if it goes right through Chicago?"

"You're asking good questions, Alexandra." Grimm nodded approvingly, but Alexandra thought just a bit patronizingly as well. "The short answer to your question is 'magic'. The longer answer is the reason you need to attend Charmbridge, to learn how magic works and how we coexist with Muggles without upsetting them. There are spells, like the Confundus Charm, that help, but there are things we can't do, not without leaving a terrible mess and a lot of Muggles with unanswerable questions. That's why we have laws, Alexandra. Wizarding laws. And you're going to have to start following them."

Ms. Grimm parked in front of a laundromat that was at the end of a dingy-looking strip mall. Alexandra got out of the car, and looked around a little suspiciously.

She'd only been to Chicago twice, once when her mother had had a job interview at a hospital there, and once when her parents took her to the circus. She didn't know the city well at all, but this didn't look like a nice part of town. However, if Ms. Grimm wasn't afraid, Alexandra wasn't going to be either. She assumed witches could protect themselves, and hadn't she protected herself against the pond-creature, without even knowing she was a witch? She did wonder a little that Grimm was going to leave such an expensive-looking bright silver car sitting there next to old beaters covered with dents and taped-up windshields.

"Aren't you worried about someone stealing your car?" she asked.

"No," Ms. Grimm said, with a small smile. She looked around, as if to make sure no one was watching, and then withdraw a wooden stick from inside her jacket, and waved it at the car.

"Repello furtificus," she said. Her beautiful car seemed to deteriorate before Alexandra's eyes. Its gleaming silver body became dull and rust-eaten, its sleek lines were warped and deformed by dents and gouges, and it shrank in place. One tire deflated and the others frayed and unraveled, cracks spread like a spiderweb across the windshield, and the license plates personalized with Ms. Grimm's first name became so caked with dirt that they were almost unreadable.

Alexandra realized she was gaping at the transformation, and shut her mouth quickly.

"Come along, dear. I promised you ice cream." Ms. Grimm tucked her wand back into her jacket and beckoned to the girl. Alexandra followed her, but wondered how they were going to get ice cream in a laundromat.

She didn't say anything as they walked past the people who were putting coins into machines or folding their laundry (Muggles, Alexandra thought, the new word playing over and over in her mind). Ms. Grimm led her to a door in the back that said "Employees Only" and opened it. She gestured for Alexandra to precede her through the door.

Alexandra stepped through the doorway, and saw that rather than a storage room or office, the door opened directly onto another street. Glancing at Ms. Grimm, she stepped through. Ms. Grimm followed her, and closed the door behind her.

---

The street was brightly lit, but not with neon signs and electric streetlights like Alexandra was used to. Instead, she saw lanterns hanging from posts, and storefronts illuminated by glass jars that seemed to contain bottled fire of various colors. The street was quite busy, filled with men and women wearing costumes Alexandra would normally have associated with Halloween. She saw long, flowing robes in flamboyant colors, she saw staid black and white dresses and tunics, she saw wide-brimmed hats and bonnets large and small, plain and colorful, she saw leather and buckskin outfits, and she saw one fellow dressed like a medieval knight in jingling chain armor, carrying a sword. Almost everyone on the street was a grown-up; she saw a couple of women carrying babies and a few teenagers, but hardly anyone her own age. She did, however, catch a glimpse of some grumpy-looking humanoids with long ears and beak-like noses, and following after some of the humans, even smaller creatures who would barely come up to Alexandra's waist, skinny, with oversized heads and bulbous eyes, dressed in little more than scraps of clothing.

Ms. Grimm let Alexandra stand there staring for a while, then put a hand on her shoulder.

"Ice cream, yes?"

Alexandra was much less interested in ice cream than she was in the fantastic scene before her, but she let Ms. Grimm steer her towards a bright white and pink building across the street. The sign out front said Goody Pruett's Witch-Made Pies, Cakes, and Other Confections.

"We're at the very edge of the Goblin Market," Ms. Grimm said. "You'll have an opportunity to come back here, someday, but I just wanted to give you a little glimpse of the world alongside the one in which you have been living. And we still have some things to talk about."

Alexandra and Ms. Grimm entered Goody Pruett's, and for the first time she saw other children. There was a girl who looked a little younger than her, sitting on a chair licking something chocolatey off her fingers. Unlike her parents, the girl was dressed in what Alexandra would consider normal-looking clothes, other than her enormous fluffy pink slippers. There was a boy Alexandra's age dressed in long dark robes, standing next to a man in very similar robes. They were looking over a case full of pies. The boy glanced at Alexandra curiously, then looked at Ms. Grimm and gulped. The man saw Ms. Grimm and said, "Dean Grimm! What a pleasure to see you here!" His son didn't look nearly as pleased.

"Hello, Alastair," Ms. Grimm said pleasantly. "It looks as if Angus has just been fitted for his new school robes."

"Aye, he's been growin' like a weed this past summer," the older gentleman said. He had a long bushy black beard and was wearing a stovepipe hat. He reminded Alexandra strongly of Abraham Lincoln. "We thought we'd pick up some humility pie before headin' back to the homestead."

"How nice." Ms. Grimm gave an artificially warm smile, and looked at the boy. "Let's hope there's no need for humility when the new semester begins, Angus. I'll be expecting to see you on the Dean's List again."

"Yes ma'am," Angus gulped.

"This is Alexandra Quick. She's a brand new student. She'll be starting sixth grade."

"Pleased to meet you, Alexandra," said Angus's father somberly, holding out his hand for Alexandra to shake. She did so, and then Angus followed suit. "Hello," he said. "Angus MacAvoy. I'll be in the seventh grade." His expression was frankly curious as he looked Alexandra up and down from head to toe, taking in her "Muggle" clothing, but in Ms. Grimm's presence, he seemed too cowed to do more than introduce himself. Then the woman behind the counter handed Alastair MacAvoy a piebox. He gave her a handful of coins, took the box, and with a tip of his hat to Ms. Grimm, he and his son departed the shop.

Alexandra stared at the pastries behind the glass. There was a dazzling array of sugary treats, and some of them looked familiar, but others had very peculiar names. Besides Witch Apple and Huckleberry Pie, there was Humility Pie and Consolation Pie and a Schadenfreude Pie with a thick, gooey filling that looked as black as tar. Above these was a Blackbird Pie that actually moved and hopped on the shelf as if something inside were trying to get out.

"It doesn't really have blackbirds in it, does it?" Alexandra asked, making a face. Ms. Grimm only smiled and moved on, forcing Alexandra to follow, past small hard-looking Rock Cakes and a large sparkling Jubilation Cake, then a case full of Wizard Chocolates in red, yellow, blue, and green varieties in addition to the more familiar-looking brown and white. An "imports" case held Chocolate Frogs, Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, and something called "Wizard Wheezes."

They finally got to the ice cream counter, and to Alexandra's disappointment, there was only a single tub of what looked like vanilla, though the sign above it said "Goody Pruett's Now Proudly Serves Wyland West's Famous 99-Flavored Ice Cream!"

"Two scoops, please," said Ms. Grimm to the young man behind the counter, who had bright red hair and a scraggly beard and a "Goody Pruett's" smock covered with sticky stains of all colors.

"How many flavors?" he asked, as he picked up the scoop.

"Oh, let's have all ninety-nine," she said, and the server nodded. He clicked the scoop lever a few times and then dished two scoops into a pair of sugar cones, and handed them across the counter. Ms. Grimm took one and handed one to Alexandra.

"That'll be twelve Pidges," he said. Alexandra watched as Ms. Grimm handed another gold coin to him, and received a handful of smaller coins in change. Then she looked at the ordinary-looking scoop of ice cream in front of her nose, and cautiously stuck out her tongue to lick it.

Instead of vanilla, it tasted like spearmint. Surprised, she licked again, and this time her mouth filled with the flavor of... paper?

She looked up at Ms. Grimm, who was watching Alexandra's reaction with that bemused smile of hers.

"You'll get a different flavor every time you taste it," she said. She licked her own ice cream, and her eyebrow twitched ever so slightly. "Hmm. Aged cheddar."

There was an empty booth behind them, and Ms. Grimm indicated that Alexandra should sit down, so the two of them sat across the table from each other. Alexandra continued sampling her ice cream, tasting in succession grape, chocolate, asparagus, lemon, dishsoap, marshmallow, and baked beans.

She started to ask Ms. Grimm a question, then noticed the picture of a plump woman in glasses hanging on the wall, which said "Store Manager: Dee Finkleburg." Ms. Finkleburg smiled cheerfully at Alexandra; not just in a static way, but actually smiling. Alexandra could see her cheeks move and her eyes follow the customers walking past. That made Alexandra think of her locket again.

"All these wonders you are seeing are just a small glimpse into the wizarding world," Ms. Grimm was saying. "You'll be immersed in it soon enough."

"And that's why you brought me to Chicago for ice cream?" Alexandra licked her ice cream cone again. Pistachio.

Ms. Grimm smiled, catlike. "That, and to talk, away from your parents. Do you recall I mentioned that we have laws you're going to have to follow?"

Alexandra eyed Ms. Grimm a little warily and licked cinnamon-flavored ice cream off her lips, and nodded.

"One of the most important is the International Confederation of Warlocks' Statute of Secrecy. Can you guess what that means?"

"That we're not supposed to do magic in front of... Muggles?" Alexandra said slowly.

"Precisely." Ms. Grimm nodded. "Not just in front of them, but in any way that risks exposing the existence of magic to them." She gave Alexandra a stern look.

"As I've told you, we tracked you down once we became aware of you through the Registrar's Scroll. It is standard practice to put a Trace on all wizards who reside in Muggle communities, to monitor their magical activities. Particularly in the case of underaged wizards and witches. Irresponsible magic use can cause enormous problems for the Bureau of Magic Obfuscation."

Alexandra wasn't sure what "obfuscation" meant, but she had a bad feeling about the direction of the conversation. She felt herself starting to slide lower in her booth, as Ms. Grimm leaned towards her.

"What that means," Ms. Grimm continued, "is that we are aware of every spell you cast. Whenever you use magic while away from Charmbridge, we will know about it."

"I didn't know about your... International Warlocks' Secrecy Confederation, or Bureau of Obfu-something!" Alexandra protested.

"Of course you didn't," Ms. Grimm said smoothly. "But you do now. So to make it very clear, you are not allowed to use magic outside of school or the supervision of an adult wizard. You've been very lucky so far as it is, casting spells without a wand, untrained. But there will be no more transforming cookies into worms or using magic to open locks. Until you've earned your Magical Diploma, when you live among Muggles, you will have to live as a Muggle. Do you understand?"

Alexandra stared at her. Having just been shown the magical world of witches and wizards, she was now being told she had to pretend it didn't exist, except when she was in school? It seemed so unfair!

"What about if I'm in danger? What if I need to save someone's life?"

"Ah, yes." Ms. Grimm licked at her ice cream cone. "Why were you throwing fireballs about, three nights ago?"

Alexandra stared again. "You knew about that?"

"We knew you did it, but not why. Since I was coming to enroll you anyway, it was decided to wait until now to question you, but an Obfuscation Officer was sent to Larkin Mills to investigate any potential breaches of magical secrecy."

"What does an Obfuscation Officer do?"

"Mostly cleans up messes made by the reckless use of magic around Muggles," Ms. Grimm replied, giving Alexandra another narrow look. "In extreme cases, they can even erase the memories of Muggles who've seen too much. Now, about those fireballs?"

Alexandra was surprised, annoyed, and a little relieved all at once. So she told Ms. Grimm how it all started, when she thought she'd seen a naiad in Old Larkin Pond, about the redcaps who had assaulted her that night, and then, about the creature who really lived in the pond and how she and Brian and Bonnie had escaped from it. By the time she was finished, Ms. Grimm had finished her ice cream cone, and Alexandra was down to her last dandelion-flavored bite.

"That is a remarkable story on many levels," Ms. Grimm said. "To produce fireballs like that, spontaneously, with such an unsuitable wand substitute, indicates you have a rare talent. Of course you must have been panicked and desperate, which often brings out unprecedented bursts of magical energy, but still... And redcaps, and a kappa, in Larkin Mills? Fascinating indeed."

"What's a kappa?"

"The creature in the pond. From your description, it sounds like a kappa, which is very strange as they are not normally found outside of Asia."

"Do they really drown people and eat them?"

"Oh yes. They're very dangerous to Muggles. That you defeated it without using magic is really quite remarkable. Of course risking your life and that of your friends for a bracelet..." She shook her head. "Whatever could make that bracelet so important?"

Alexandra shrugged, sliding her wrist below the table, out of sight. "Dunno," she mumbled. "I just wanted it back. It's not like I knew there was a kappa in the pond."

"Hmm." Ms. Grimm didn't seem to be in the habit of pressing for answers, yet Alexandra often had the sense the woman knew when she was hiding something.

"Is the Obfuscation Officer going to erase Brian and Bonnie's memories?" Alexandra asked, pronouncing "obfuscation" very carefully.

Ms. Grimm raised an eyebrow. "Do you think he should?"

Alexandra had ended her story with their escape from the kappa. She had not told Ms. Grimm about their conversation afterwards, or about how Brian had turned his back on her and walked away. And suddenly, a part of Alexandra wished very much that she could simply erase what had happened.

Except it wasn't just the kappa that Brian had seen. Alexandra had been doing magic for years, and Brian knew all about it. Would they have to erase everything he knew about her? Would they have to erase his memories of Alexandra entirely? Would they still be friends at all? She looked down at her lap.

"I don't think he'll tell his parents," she said quietly. "He'll... he'll probably talk Bonnie into telling them she just fell in the pond."

"He knows about you, doesn't he?"

Alexandra looked up, annoyed at Ms. Grimm's ability to parse out what Alexandra left unsaid. "He won't tell. We're best friends." "We were best friends," she thought.

Ms. Grimm wiped her fingers carefully with a handkerchief.

"In recent years, the Bureau of Magic Obfuscation has become more cautious about Obliviating memories. They tend to do so only as a last resort. Children are rarely considered a serious threat to magical secrecy, even when they do witness actual magical phenomena. If Brian did tell his parents everything, it's not likely they'd believe him, is it?"

"No," Alexandra said. But they'd certainly believe that he'd be better off staying away from her.

"I think your friends are safe from Obliviation. But mark what I said, Alexandra. You cannot continue to use magic at home. We will know about it if you do."

"Can I talk to Brian about being a witch?" she asked, in a low voice. "Can I tell him where I'm going? Do I have to keep this secret from everyone? What about my parents?"

Ms. Grimm studied her a moment, and for the first time, Alexandra thought she looked genuinely sympathetic - just a little.

"Despite the Statute," she said at last, "it's really not practical to maintain perfect secrecy. There are many wizards and witches who, like you, have Muggle friends and relatives. It's discouraged to tell them too much, but it's tolerated, so long as they don't threaten to reveal us to the rest of the Muggle world. But consider, Alexandra - what good will it do either of you for you to tell Brian about a world he can never be a part of? And inevitably, you will no longer be part of his world either. We segregate ourselves from Muggles for their own good as much as for ours."

Alexandra was silent for a long while after that. "And my parents?" she asked at last.

Ms. Grimm smiled. "Your mother will always be your mother. And Mr. Green... well, he will always be your stepfather, I suppose. As you get older, you may see fit to tell them more, or not. But I think right now, they're better off enjoying blissful ignorance. Don't you?"