Rebirth

Rebirth

Chapter 1: A New Beginning

To a Muggle, the Cegonha 1 would seem to be only a stork flying above their heads. To a wizard, however, it was clear that it was a gigantic, bird-shaped craft, charmed to look smaller and lifelike. The craft could fit over two hundred passengers at a time, though in its current journey only thirty-two people were being carried. Two of them (an old witch and a blond-haired wizard) were adults, and stood out quite remarkably. The old witch was quite wrinkled, and looked just like a human prune. The wizard, on the other hand, was younger and elegant, in an almost feminine manner, and was reading a book with such concentration as if his life depended on it.

"Found anything familiar, Professor?" the witch asked.

He looked up. "Not yet, no. Did I really do these things?"

"Well," the old witch smiled, "you wrote the thing. If it's there, you must have done it."

Not far away from the two, a tall, olive-skinned girl read a newspaper. She was trying to distract herself from the fact that she would be away from her family for the first time in her life and heading towards a place that, for fifteen years, had been only a mere memory. She only knew Ingarnal from what her mother used to remember from her own school days, but that was before the place was attacked by Dark wizards and forced to close; her mother had to finish her wizarding studies in Beauxbatons.

And now Ingarnal was restored and reopened, and was about to greet the first batch of students in fifteen years - all of them first-years, as it was the school wish that it should start "on a clean slate". Geno didn't like the expression; it made her feel like a guinea pig. She and the others her age were the ones who would have to write on the slate by having to find things on their own (as most of the teachers, obviously, were new to the place as well) and those who followed would only need to read what they had written. It really wasn't fair.

She stared out of the window at the white clouds. No landscape to see, she thought. This is starting to get boring...

People sitting around her were showing signs of that boredom, yawning noisily. A boy with long hair, so tiny that he seemed to be only four years old, curled up in a ball and began mumbling incoherent words in his sleep. When the Cegonha 1 made a violent turn to avoid a real stork, he fell off his seat and hit his head on the wall, waking up with a start. Another boy sneered nastily.

"Are you all right?" asked the old witch who looked like a human prune, helping him to get up.

"Yeah..." he said, almost inaudibly.

"Good. Any second now, we'll reach Ingarnal. I suggest you get ready."

She then returned to her seat next to the blond-haired wizard.

"Are you sure you're okay?" asked a girl with glasses.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bump," he replied, trying to get his hair away from his face.

"Lucky there's nothing inside your head," the sneering boy mumbled.

"What did you say?" Geno asked, but the boy just looked at her contemptuously.

"Ignore him," said the long-haired boy. "He gets a thrill out of other people's pain."

"Do you know him?"

"Yeah, we're cousins."

This surprised Geno. She had never seen two people who looked so different. This boy was incredibly tiny and round, and with his rather ugly face and loads of custard-colored hair, looked amazingly like a Puffskein. The cousin, however, had short dark hair, dark eyes and had average height.

Geno's expression must have been obvious, as he added quickly, "I know, we don't look alike. People get even more surprised when they learn than our dads are twins. I'm a lot like my mother."

"What's your name?" the girl with glasses asked. "We've been in this stupid thing for hours and I still don't know anybody's name."

"Call me Half-Pint," said the boy. His cousin snorted. "He always does that, he seems to find my height funny, for some reason. His name's Aenor, by the way."

"Well, I'm Magda," said the girl. "And you?"

"Geno."

"Cool name. Can I borrow this?" he asked, pointing at the newspaper.

"Sure."

"So," Magda asked, "d'you know anything about the Ingarnal houses?"

"Well, my mum studied there," Geno said. "She was in a house called Goa. I think there's only another house."

"What, just two houses?" Half-Pint was surprised. "My dad went to Hogwarts, and they have four!"

"My parents went to Hierbarubia," said Magda, "and they've got ten houses there. I guess it depends on the school."

"Children, please," said the human prune, "we'll be landing soon. Leave your things here and follow me."

As soon as they got off, everybody looked around in wonderment. They were surrounded by tall mountains, and seemed to have landed near a small lake.

"Well," said the human prune once they got off the Cegonha 1, "we're here."

"Where?" asked Aenor. "I don't see anything."

"Then you should adjust your eyesight," she replied, pointing at the nearest mountain.

It was only then that Geno noticed. The castle was part of the mountain, as if it had been carved in it. You couldn't tell where one ended and the other began. Tall, beautiful towers seemed to have grown from the rock, like fungi on a tree trunk. Sculptures depicting bird-like creatures blended with the work of architecture and nature, and the most bizarre waterfall Geno had ever seen made the water run from an enormous open window towards the lake.

"Are you ready?" the human prune said. "We shall enter in a moment. The Headmistress is waiting, and she is not known to be patient."

And they advanced towards the front doors. The closer they got, the smaller they all felt, as each step seemed to give more power and magnificence to the castle.

So this will be my home for the next seven years, Geno thought, becoming increasingly scared with the idea.

When the giant stone doors opened to let them in, the sound of gasps was immediate.

In front of them was a long corridor, its stone walls adorned with paintings, not of wizards and witches, as to be expected, but of battlefields and caravels.

Geno counted twenty bronze doors on each side as they crossed the corridor; at the very end, an enormous door, also in bronze, stood in front of them, its engravings depicting an exotic scenery. Above this door was a large painting where a frail-looking teenage boy in a suit of armor whispered something to a beautiful raven-haired woman.

The human prune turned and addressed the children.

"Now, students, a few words. I am Professor Sampaio and I shall be your Deputy Headmistress. This," she nodded towards the blond-haired wizard, who was looking open-mouthed at a painting, "is Professor Lockhart. He won't be your teacher, so he's not to be disturbed. We will be sorting you into your Houses. The sorting methods are different in every school, so for those of you whose parents went to Durmstrang, I can assure you that the process here is completely different and will not require physical pain."

A boy sighed with relief. Everybody laughed.

"You will earn or lose points for your House, depending on your behavior. The House with more points will win the House Cup at the end of the year. Also, the top students from each House will get a special prize. Shall we enter?"

If the entrance corridor had made the students gasp, then the great hall just took their breath away. It wasn't as large as the one in Hogwarts, but it certainly wasn't poorer in magnificence. A large, windowless, round room, its walls were decorated with 25 different tapestry panels depicting the ocean; a large caravel traveled from one panel to the next, incessantly. Rosebushes grew upside-down on the ceiling, exhaling a strong, sweet odor; around them flew many golden fairies. On the marble floor stood two tables; the one near the door was minuscule and on top of it was a glass globe, while on the larger one, farther away, sat the teachers.

"Where do we sit?" Geno heard Aenor mumble.

Then a very young woman with long dark hair and dressed in black silk, stood up.

"Welcome," she said with a smile. "I hope you all had a pleasant journey."

Realizing that this had to be the Headmistress, Geno had a difficult time hiding her surprise. This woman looked way too young to be in such a high position.

"Is everything ready, Andromeda?" she asked to Professor Sampaio, who nodded and turned again to the students.

A man in green overalls handed her a roll of parchment.

"Now the sorting is easy. When I call your name, you'll only need to hold the globe. Any question? Very well," she said in reply to their silence, as she glanced at the parchment. "Aleixo, Genoveva!"

Geno's insides froze. I'm first? she thought in terror. She thought people would be called by their first name, not the last! She didn't want to be first! Nervously, and realizing she was the center of attention, she approached the globe. One single thought filled her mind: please God, make them stop staring at me, please, please, oh please...

As she held the globe, a strong light came from it and surrounded her. A feeling of pleasantness invaded her, and she felt like she was flying. She opened her eyes and saw a woman... the raven-haired woman from the portrait, who smiled and whispered in a sweet voice, "Don't be scared... You're one of the precious few... You're one of the chosen..."

Then the light vanished, and she returned to reality. People were clapping. The Headmistress rose, and said, "You belong to the Avis house."

Then she clapped her hands, and a new table appeared.

"You can sit now," she gestured. Feeling self-conscious again, Geno obeyed and headed towards the new table timidly. While she walked, she noticed that, instead of the Muggle clothing she initially had, she was now wearing robes in silver and gold, like the ones the raven-haired woman had.

Professor Sampaio then called, "Aniceto, Ricardo!"

A sallow-looking boy held the globe, and, like Geno, was surrounded by the light emanating from it. When it ended, he was wearing robes in deep blue and turquoise. The Headmistress announced that he belonged to the Goa house, and conjured yet another table for him to sit.

"Arnaut, Joana!" followed, being also sorted to the Goa house. "Bekker, Manuel!" and "Belchior, Demetrio!", the two boys following her, however, were given robes in scarlet and purple, and were sent to a third table, belonging to the Ceuta house.

As other students were being called, Geno couldn't help to notice that nobody else was being sorted into her house. "Fagundes", "Figueiredo", "Garcia", "Gomes", "Isidro", "Lencastre", "Lima"... Every student called by Professor Sampaio seemed to fall on either Goa or Ceuta. Remembering that her mother had mentioned only two houses, Geno got scared. What if there was a mistake? What if she had been sorted into a false house that never existed? Would she be sent home, then? And "Avis"... that was a spell to conjure birds, wasn't it? "Ceuta" and "Goa" were territories related to the old Empire.. why wasn't the third house's name on the same wavelength?

Her thoughts were interrupted when "Petrova, Irina!", a blonde girl looking even more terrified that she had been, was sorted into Avis. Great, I'm not alone, then. She smiled at the girl when she sat at their table, which seemed to calm her a little.

Other students continued to be called. Among them was Magda, who was sorted into Goa.

With the sound of "Thessaly, Aenor!", Half-Pint's sneering cousin approached the globe. Geno let out a gasp of unpleasant shock as he ended up wearing gold and silver and sitting next to her.

Then, "Thessaly, Hylas!" was called, and Half-Pint stepped in. He winked at Geno and held the globe, reappearing instants later with the Avis colors.

"Hey, we're in the same house!" he said loudly as he sat down.

"Shh!" she whispered when she noticed Professor Sampaio glaring at them. "Yeah, it's great that at least one nice person is here," she added, glancing at Aenor, who pretended not to listen.

After Half-Pint, only four students remained; two of them went to Ceuta, one to Goa, and the final student, "Zagalo, Dulce!", a girl with short auburn hair, became the fifth and final Avis.

"Well," said the Headmistress, sitting down, "now that we're all settled, we might as well eat." She clapped again, and the tables filled with food.

Aenor ate quietly, distancing himself from the other four. Irina Petrova, too terrified to speak, eyed the others nervously, as if expecting for permission to join their conversation.

"Do you have to eat so fast?" Geno asked when Half-Pint shoved a plateful of chips inside his mouth.

"I'm a growing boy, I need to eat well!"

Aenor snorted.

"Well, if I'm not growing properly, that's because I'm not eating enough." He then swallowed an amazing amount of mash potato and turned to Dulce. "Sho where d'joo come fhom?"

"Faro," she replied. "Mum and Dad went to Durmstrang, though." Half-Pint almost choked at the sound of this. "They hated the place, which is why they were happy to know Ingarnal was reopening."

"Oh," he said, relieved.

"How about you, Irina?" asked Geno, trying to make the other girl feel at home.

"Vell," she said, reddening, "I came from Ukraine six months ago. Mother and father are... how do you say? Not magic?"

"Muggles," Geno said. "My dad was one too."

After everybody had finished eating, a tall, black woman approached their table, the bracelets covering both her arms rattling noisily.

"Greetings, children. I'm Professor Ventura, and I'm the Head of your House. This means that if you've got any problem, or any doubt, you come to me."

Geno glanced quickly at the other tables, where the other houses were greeted in the same manner.

"Usually, the role of explaining House procedures to first-years belong to a Prefect, but since you won't have one until your fifth year, I shall also be the one to whom the task will be bestowed. Any questions?"

Aenor raised his hand.

"Do I really have to be in the same House as him?" he said, pointing disgustingly at Half-Pint. Boy, he's horrid! Geno thought.

"Yes, Thessaly, you have. Once you're sorted into a House, you'll stay there. Now, any sensible questions? No? Then follow me, please. I shall lead you to your common room."

They got up, and were led through one of the doors in the entrance corridor, up a flight of stairs... and another... and another...

When Geno thought she was going to faint with exhaustion, they reached their destination: a small corridor that was almost empty, except for a large baroque-like mirror with a swan engraved on a corner.

"The password," Professor Ventura told them, "is Lily of the Valley."

"Password for what?" Aenor asked.

"For this," Professor Ventura replied, entering inside the mirror as if it was a door. Seconds later, her head popped out again. "Well, what are you waiting for?"

Silently, they went through the mirror. Irina was so terrified that Dulce had to hold her hand and help her inside.

As soon as Geno crossed it, she stopped paralyzed with delight. Anything she had seen in Ingarnal so far was nothing compared to the Avis common room. It was in every aspect how she imagined a room from Ancient Rome would look like, with walls made of golden marble, mosaic floor, a large, glass-less window with silk drapes, exquisite golden chairs and even a fountain! On their right were two doors, separated by a statue of a beautiful witch, also in golden marble, which seemed to point her wand at the fountain.

"If you don't say the password," Professor Ventura said, "the mirror will not let you go through, so don't forget it. The dormitories are through those doors - boys on the left, girls on the right. I hope you will be on your best behavior tonight, as I'm not far away, and I can sense if you're up to no good. Understood?" and to this, she glanced to the boys, resting her gaze longer on Aenor. "I shall give you further instructions and hand out your timetable at breakfast tomorrow. Goodnight."

And with this, she went through the gray rectangle that was the reverse of the mirror. After a moment's silence, during which they all examined the room (Geno being particularly fascinated with the witch's statue), Dulce brought them back to reality.

"I don't know about you," she said, "but I'm dead tired. Especially after all these stairs." And with this, she opened the room to the girls' dormitories and entered, quickly followed by Irina, who murmured something that sounded like a timid "Good night" in Ukrainian.

"Yeah, me too!" said Half-Pint, in a tone that showed that he still had enough energy to run a mile. "Last one is a rotten egg!" he yelled as he rushed towards the door, hit his head on it, picked himself up, and opened it wide. Aenor rolled his eyes and followed. Half-Pint's voice was then heard shouting, "'Night!"

"Good night, Half-Pint!" Geno replied. Taking a quick glance at the room, she entered the girls' dormitories.

"I'm still scared," she said to herself. "I miss my mum and my brother, and this is completely new and kinda scary. Let's wait to see what tomorrow will bring."