Briallen Bevin and the Clocktower Guard

Chapter 16: Pilot Mountain

The line in front of Hamlet Hall went from inside the front doors, down the front walk, along the sidewalk, and just stopped at the turn of the corner. Nearly everyone in line wore one of two colors: red, or blue. Some of the people in red also wore black, while some of the people in blue also wore gray, but the one thing they all had in common was that they were all bundled in heavy winter coats or cloaks, and boots and mittens.

The sidewalks and the streets of The Village were clear of snow but everywhere else was covered in at least two feet of the fluffy white flakes. Nobody minded though. They were all chattering with high pitched squeals and low pitched chuckles, their hot breath coming out in waves of small foggy clouds. Some of the more playful (and bored) witches and wizards in line used their wands to turn their foggy puffs of breath into animals or words, encouraging those around them to laugh. Trays of free hot apple cider, hot cocoa, and hot tea floated up and down the line, offering a bit of warmth in the cold weather; and then there were the witches in Hamlet Hall uniforms walked up and down the line selling warm waffles smothered in hot fudge, bowls of steaming scrambled eggs, and quarter-sized chunks of Fire-salt Taffy.

"It's actually just east of Pilot Mountain," said Mr Cohen, Abraham's dad, to Cal Bevin. He grabbed them both a cup of hot tea from a nearby tray and then handed one cup to a thankful Cal. "They still named the stadium after the mountain, though. It's one of the best in the nation and just recently remodeled."

"It sounds very nice. I'm looking forward to watching a professional Quodpot game for the first time. It's something I've been meaning to do since I moved to the states decades ago! Just never got 'round to it," said Cal with a chuckle.

Briallen watched the two adults engage in their friendly conversation, wishing that her friends would do the same with her. She hadn't even touched the cider in her hands.

And Hayden had been acting cold towards her since she'd come back from Mrs Wadle's with Lucan. He'd hardly spoken to her during their last two weeks of fall term and in the last week he had even stopped following her around. So she was surprised when he showed up at her grandfather's house three days after school let out for winter break, asking when they were going to the Zephyrs versus Dragons game.

She was happy her boyfriend had come along, even if they weren't currently on speaking terms.

Behind her, Toby and Abe were competing with each other over who could turn their foggy breath into the most complicated object. Since neither was very good at Transfiguration, Abe was currently winning with his foggy pear while Toby was still trying to create something other than a round fruit. She smiled at Toby and Abe as she popped a chunk of white Fire-salt Taffy in her mouth. Instantly she broke out in a hot sweat and steam poured out her ears but the chill she had was now gone. She decided it would be best to stick to the yellow taffy for the rest of the morning.

I wish more of my friend's could've come, she thought as she used her scarf to wipe her ears clear of the condensation from the steam they just emitted. She had only managed to fill a small portion of the stadium box Noah had given her, and surprised that it was difficult to find people to invite. Her parents had been unable to make it because one of their cows was about to give birth, Marisol was in another country, and almost everybody else had plans. Finally she asked her old Potions partner, Abe, if he and his family would like to come along. Not even all of the Cohens could make it apparently, as he showed up that morning at Cal Bevin's house with only his father in tow.

I wonder if I did something and everybody is trying to ignore me? Her brow crinkled as she thought over all the things she had said and done in the last few weeks of class. She couldn't remember offending or angering anyone. They must really be busy then... I just wish Hayden would at least talk to me!

"Hey, Hayden, do you want to play that game with Toby and Abe?" Briallen asked her boyfriend, hoping he'd play with her and get over his foul mood. He muttered something under his breath and shook his head as he pulled his cap down further over his eyes and lifted the hood of his cloak. All she could see now was the scowl on his lips. She rolled her eyes.

The line moved forward a little bit. Briallen looked around, bored, wishing there weren't so many people wanting to use Hamlet Hall's Portkeys today. She wanted to get to the stadium already so that she'd have something to do other than stand around in an uncomfortable silence. Luckily Mr Cohen had actually been to a Quodpot game before and knew it was best to leave at least an hour before the game started because of the lines.

"We should've just flown to Pilot Mountain!" huffed Briallen, tossing her hands in the air in frustration. "We'd be there already!"

"And frozen like popsicles!" added Mr Cohen cheerfully. "You think we got a bad snow? North Carolina was hit with six feet! The Wireless this morning said it took the groundskeepers two hours to clear all the snow out of the stadium!"

"Why didn't they use magic? Are they not allowed?" asked Briallen, amazed the stadium hadn't cancelled the game due to the weather.

"Of course they're allowed to use magic! The stadium's out in the middle of nowhere, the Muggles have no idea about it... there was just so much snow! It looks light and fluffy but it's heavy." Suddenly the line surged forward and began moving much faster than before. "Oh! Looks like they finally opened more Portkeys!"

"Attention! Attention, everybody!" boomed a shrill voice. On a ladder near the front doors to Hamlet Hall was a frazzled witch. "Those of you going to Pilot Mountain go right, everybody else go left! Pilot Mountain groups - we are assigning ten people per Portkey, so if you don't want to wait any longer, you will make your own groups of ten, otherwise you will be asked to wait to the side until we can add more to, or subtract from, your group!"

Everybody in line started grumbling and murmuring as they all tried to put together groups of ten. Again, Briallen was glad Mr Cohen came along. He was a highly pragmatic wizard and right away he found a family of four to share a Portkey with. With the line moving faster now and their group of ten already put together, as soon as they entered the large ballroom just inside Hamlet Hall they were ushered to Portkey seven.

Briallen moved to the front of her group in order to get a better look at the Portkey they would be taking. She watched curiously as the group in front of them assembled in a circle around a thick metal pole with ten thin metal arms. Briallen had been in Hamlet Hall only a few times before but she didn't remember ever seeing anything like this Portkey before. A countdown clock above the group began counting down from ten and on one, each member of the group at the Portkey took hold of one of the ten thin, metal arms and disappeared in a whoosh, along with the Portkey.

Toby had come up beside Briallen without her noticing and gasped when the people and the Portkey disappeared. Briallen turned to him and grinned. He grinned back.

Another metal pole with ten arms suddenly appeared, or it might have been the same pole - Briallen wasn't sure.

"Everybody find their place," said Cal as he moved in front of an arm.

The countdown clock above them started at one minute. The family of four that they had formed a group with moved to the opposite side of the Portkey so that on the left side of Cal were Briallen, Toby and Hayden, and on the right side were Abe Cohen and his father.

"I feel like I should say something when we take hold of this thing," Toby said to Briallen.

"Like: 'beam me up, Scotty!'" suggested Briallen.

"Pew, pew, pew!" Toby held both of his pointer fingers up like they were guns as he made his laser-gun sound. "Take that Khan!"

Briallen laughed loudly while everybody else at the Portkey stared at them, confused by the conversation.

"I'm glad you're both enjoying this," said Cal with a smile. "Just remember, don't let go until we've landed. And be sure to brace yourselves, it's a rather jolting ride the first time!"

Hayden groaned and clutched his stomach. Briallen motioned for Toby to switch places with her so that she was between him and Hayden. She put her hand on Hayden's back and rubbed it gently. "You okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," Hayden mumbled, nodding his head. "It's just anxiety. I hate these things."

The countdown clock was at ten now. Toby didn't look quite as excited anymore and was breathing more rapidly. Cal and Abe were exceptionally calm as they held their hands above the metal arms in front of them.

"Everybody get ready!" said Mr Cohen, his large cheeks and nose pink with excitement. The clock hit one. "Go!"

Briallen gripped the metal arm in front of her on Mr Cohen's last word. She wanted to gag as she felt an odd sensation in the pit of her stomach, like someone had just thrown a hook through her belly-button and was towing her in on a fishing line. She jerked to the left and then she was rapidly spinning.

All at once the trip ended, and she felt something cold beneath her and she could see the clear blue sky above her. And then she saw Abe looked down at her with a crooked smile. "You let go too soon!" he exclaimed as he held out a hand and helped Briallen up off the wet ground.

As Briallen wiped the snow off her jeans, Abe went to help up Toby, who landed a few feet away from the Portkey (which was now gone). Off to the side, Cal and Mr Cohen were examining a fold-out map of the stadium along with their tickets, while Hayden stood by himself not far from Briallen.

Abruptly a loud and friendly feminine voice echoed above them from a place unseen and announced, "Welcome to Pilot Mountain Stadium, home of the Durham Dragons! Concessions can be found outside of each section of seating! Restrooms are located in even numbered sections, and our gift shops can be found in odd numbered sections! Meet the Dragons' mascot, Sparky, in Lot C on the north side of the Stadium! The children's Quodpot Contest is now starting in Lot G! Meet Dent and Oz from Wireless Channel Eight in Lot A! The Dragons' game against the Chicago Zephyr's will begin in thirty-seven minutes!"

Briallen looked around her for an indication of where they were located compared to the announcement. In front of her was the stadium, and as she spun around, she saw that just behind her was a large sign floating in the air that read, 'LOT B - PORTKEY ARRIVALS.' She held her breath for a moment, realizing how close they were to the Dragons' mascot.

As if he were calling to her just then a loud, rumbling roar came from her left. She spun around again, eager to see the dragon.

"Children! Come over here for a moment," Cal called to them all. Briallen ran to her grandfather and began jumping up and down and pointing to the left.

"Lot C! Lot C! Lot C!" she managed to say between squeals.

"We rooting for the Zephyrs, Briallen!" Toby scolded. Abe nodded seriously in agreement as he pulled a blue baseball cap with a swirling tornado spinning around the brim over his head.

"But-But-DRAGON!" she blurted.

Hayden was staring at his excited girlfriend, clearly embarrassed by her behavior. He glanced at the crowds around them and then pulled his hood lower over his face.

"I'll take Briallen and anyone else who wishes to Sparky to Lot C in a moment. First, let's get our seats settled," said Cal Bevin calmly. He handed a ticket to everybody before he began speaking again. "We're in Green Box Three... that's on the other side of the stadium. Toby, Hayden - since Mr Cohen and I are your guardians for the day, I ask that you please remain with once of us. At least for the time being. Now, Mr Cohen is going to the box now, and I'm taking Briallen to Lot C. Choose where you want to go."

Abe opted to accompany his father to their seats, and Toby made the same decision. Hayden surprised Briallen and chose to go with her and Cal.

"See you three at game-time!" said Mr Cohen as he cheerfully waved goodbye to Cal, Briallen, and Hayden.

As they walked over to Lot C, Briallen took hold of Hayden's hand. He resisted slightly at first but quickly gave in. She didn't understand how he could still be angry with her over something as silly as going to dinner with Lucan when they were both invited by the old witch. She didn't want to dwell on Hayden's odd behavior though. Not when she was so close to seeing, in real life, her most favorite animal: a dragon.

A wave an heat suddenly swept over them and from over the heads of the crowd in front of her a great stream of fire erupted. The crowd screamed, clapped, and cheered. Another stream of fire appeared over their heads. The crowd was too thick for them to get any closer now.

Cal took Briallen's free hand. Together, the three of them snaked through the mass of people until they came to a thinner part of the crowd where they could stand right next to the wood fence that surrounded Sparky, the Dragons' mascot.

Briallen was awed. Her wide-eyes took in the great silvery dragon before her: it was only as large as a pick-up truck, with a long snout that ended in a point and out of which great tendrils of smoke swirled in the wind. There were four thin, twirled horns on its head and a curved horn on its stump of a tail. The dragon's black eyes scanned the crowd as it huffed threateningly but the group of witches and wizards inside the pen kept it from harming anyone.

"Do you know the breed?" Cal asked Briallen. He knew of her love of dragons.

"New England Silverscaled Horntail! It's tiny though, still an adolescent, maybe two or three years old," said Briallen all at once. She almost half-way over the fence.

"You know your dragons," said one of Sparky's handlers. "But that doesn't mean you can come in the pen!"

Cal pulled Briallen off the fence and smiled apologetically at the handler. "Sorry. She's never seen a dragon before."

"They're my favorite!" she squealed. "I want to be a dragon handler like you!"

The handler chuckled. "I think you've got a bit more time before you make that decision!"

"She certainly does," said Cal, sounding slightly worried. He still had a hand on his granddaughter's shoulder, afraid she might just be brash enough to storm the dragon's pen. "I think her love of dragons is more a love of fire... and other dangerous things."

Briallen wrinkled her nose in disagreement at her grandfather. Hayden snorted and his shoulders shook with silent laughter. The dragon spread its wings all of a sudden and behaved as if were about to breathe fire again, but then it settled down and returned to eyeing the crowd.

"Show off!" the handler shouted at Sparky. He turned his attention back to Cal. "Well, an affinity for a fire certainly helps when it comes to this job. Everyday I'm singed, scorched, and burnt!"

"It's worth it though, isn't it?" asked Briallen, hopeful.

The handler shrugged. "Sometimes I think about finder an easier, duller job... but this one is truly addictive what with the constant adrenaline rush. It may be scary but it's a damn good time!"

If Briallen had glanced at her grandfather just then, she would have seen the concern in his eyes. Even Hayden was looking, anxiously, between the handler and Briallen. "Well, thank you very much for speaking with us but I think we should find our seats now!" said Cal, shaking the handlers hand.

"No!" whined Briallen as she wrapped her arms around the fence. "I want to stay here! I have my ticket - I'll meet you in our box!"

"I don't think so, Briallen. Your parents would skin me if I let you wander this place on your own. The game starts in fifteen minutes anyhow and it will take us about that long to get to our seats."

The handler winked at Briallen as she grudgingly left the dragon's pen. She pouted the whole way to their seats on the other side of the stadium.

"What's with these two Grouchy Glumbumbles?" said Mr Cohen as Hayden and Briallen, both solemn, entered Green Box Three.

"Briallen didn't want to leave the dragon," said Cal, shaking his head. He sat down next to Mr Cohen in the second row of the box.

Briallen and Hayden went down to the first row and sat next to Toby and Abe. Briallen stared at Toby, who had clearly visited the gift shop. Her good friend was decked out entirely in Zephyrs gear. Pinned to his puffy winter jacket were several large Zephyrs pins, all of which were enchanted to either blink blue and silver, or swirl, or make tornado noises. He also had a hat like Abe's, a giant, blue foam finger where the finger moved of its own accord, and a bag full of other memorabilia propped carelessly against the cement half-wall in front of them. Abe and Toby had also somehow gotten their faces painted in Zephyrs colors.

"Jesus, Toby, how much money did you spend?" asked Briallen, gawking at his over-the-top enthusiasm.

"Too much, but I have plenty left for snacks! My mom is still confused by the conversion rate between dollars and galleons so she just gave me a big wad of cash!" said Toby excitedly.

Cal leaned forward and asked, "Would you and Hayden like a Zephyrs hat or pin?"

"I'm a Dragons fan, Grandpa!" said Briallen with a smile.

Abe shook his head at her and Toby playfully shoved his foam finger in her face. She pushed him away, laughing loudly. Just then the feminine voice Briallen heard when they first arrived boomed over them again.

"Welcome ladies and gentlemen to Pilot Mountain Stadium, home of the Durham Dragons! Now please welcome the Dragons!"

The crowd roared as a blur of people zoomed out from somewhere under the section Briallen sat in. A shower of red and black sparks followed them and flames shot up out of the ground from where the team had exited.

The din of the crowd died just enough for Briallen to make out the announcer's next words: "And now, the visiting team - the Chicago Zephyrs!"

The roar from the crowd wasn't nearly so loud as it was for the Dragons. A swarm of small blue and silver birds followed the Zephyrs team out onto the pitch and then spun in a tornado formation before scattering into the sky. Abe and Toby were standing in their seats and cheering the Zephyrs on.

Finally, with a loud bang from a cannon, the game began. Briallen quickly got over her disappointment at having to leave the dragon pen as she eagerly watched the professional Quodpot players on the pitch below her. They were faster, more brutal, and much more efficient and organized than any of the teams at Bergamot. She was so absorbed in the game that she didn't even notice Hayden had left the box until he returned, holding a mug of warm butterbeer.

"Oh, that looks delicious! Can I have a sip?" Briallen asked as she wrapped her arm around Hayden's arm and leaned towards him.

He shook his head and muttered something she couldn't quite make out. She pulled away from him and snapped, "What's your problem, Hayden? I've been trying to be nice to you all day! A couple of months ago you would've fallen all over yourself to share a drink with me and you would've died to spend the day with me!"

"I'm not the same man I was a few months ago," he whispered.

"...Man?" Briallen paused to snort at the word. "And so, what? You can't even pretend to be happy or thankful that you at least got a free ticket to a Quodpot game?"

He leaned in closer to her and whispered angrily, "Don't act like you haven't noticed we've grown apart, Briallen!"

"Grown apart?"

"You spend all your time with Lucan now! The whole school's talking about it! About you and him."

"I really doubt that, Hayden."

"My friends are talking about it! They laugh at me because of you!"

"Well then why don't you just dump me already if I embarrass you so much!" she growled at him.

"I'm trying to!" he cried, frustrated.

Briallen gasped and fell back in her seat. She could feel the tears coming and she knew she couldn't stop them. She held her breath, hoping that would keep the tears at bay until she could make it to a bathroom stall. Her grandfather called out to her as she ran out of the box but she ignored him.

She ran to the section to the right of their own and straight into the first empty stall she could find. Finally she let her tears fall, though not after trying once more to choke them back. She hadn't realized how she'd taken Hayden for granted until she was heaving and wailing in the toilet stall.

There was a knock on the stall door. "You okay in there, sweetie?" asked a concerned witch. Briallen could just barely make out pointed purple boots under the stall door through her watery lashes.

"I-I-I'll be o-okay," Briallen managed to mumble, sniffling after every word. She felt silly and stupid for crying over a boy she never really liked that much; and she couldn't understand why she was crying when she never wanted a boyfriend to begin with. After taking several deep breaths, Briallen wiped her eyes, and calmed herself down. She left the stall and went to the sinks to splash some cold water on her face and to try and make herself less red and puffy.

When she finally left the bathroom she found Toby waiting for her.

"What happened?" he asked in a whisper as he put his arm around her.

"Hayden dumped me! After he accepted a free ticket to the game, of course." She began to huff again but she suppressed the tears.

"You're joking!" cried Hayden, outraged. Some of the people nearby turned to stare at him but then quickly went back to what they were doing. He lowered his voice. "What a jerk! I can't believe I thought he was a nice guy..."

"He was a nice guy," bemoaned Briallen. "He just changed... it's because of all those girls, I know it!"

"What? What girls? What are you talking about?"

"All the girls that are after him now... you know, after he hit Lucan," mumbled Briallen.

Toby didn't say anything but his brow furrowed and he seemed doubtful of Briallen's theory. "Right. Look, let's get some butterbeers, okay? That's what I told your grandpa I was doing."

With a weak nod, Briallen let Toby lead her to a nearby concession stand selling butterbeer and churros. She was still too upset to really talk and so they waited in line, silently, and Toby kept his arm around her. To keep her mind off of Hayden, Briallen listened intently to the conversations going on around her.

"Cotterhill's really kicking ass today! You seen those last few goals, right? Outrageous!" exclaimed a teenage boy with spiky hair.

"So what if he scored three times in a row? Those are the only times he's scored today!" retorted the spiky-haired boy's friend.

"No joke! Wiffin has been the most consistent so far - six points total she's gotten already and it's only the second quarter! If she keeps it up the Zephyrs are definitely gonna win!" said a girl who was standing between the two boys.

"Only if Nibbs stops fouling our team! How blind is that referee?"

"I wish we could cast an Enlargement Charm on his eyeballs - then he'd see better!" fumed the spiky-haired boy.

"Yah," said the girl. "The only good thing about Cyril Nibbs is how good-looking he is! I mean - his muscles, oh my..."

A woman in front of the three friends snorted in disgust and said, "Nibbs? Ew! Maxy is easily the most gorgeous guy on the field. I'm going to be Mrs Cotterhill one of the days!"

"Whatever," retorted the girl with a snicker. "Brenda Lance has a better chance at marrying him and he's dumped her twice!"

The silly banter between the groups made Briallen smile. She was already feeling much better, and when she and Toby were finally the next to be served, Briallen whipped out a handful of sickles from her pocket.

"What can I get you Miss?" asked the surly cart keeper.

"Three butterbeers and three churros, please," said Briallen. She turned to Toby and smiled. "For you, me, and Abe."

Toby, never one to turn down free food and drink, shrugged and happily helped Briallen haul their treats back to their box. Hayden had moved from the first row and now sat in a corner seat at the very back of the box. Cal raised his brow at her while she sat down, but Briallen merely shook her head and handed a surprised Abe a warm butterbeer and churro.

I'm not going to let him ruin my day anymore!