Briallen Bevin and the Snatcher's Cave

Chapter 5: The Sorting Staff

Meda rubbed her eyes and then looked at the room again. She had never seen it so clean or organized in the nine years that it had been Briallen's than it was that day. All of her stuffed animals were hanging in a net in one corner of the ceiling, all of her toys had been put in the drawers under her bed, all of her books were shelved properly and all of her clothes either hung on hangers or were folded in her dresser. At least, all of the clothes that Briallen had decided she wouldn't need at Bergamot Academy for The Magically Gifted.

"I just want to double-check everything," said Briallen as she opened her trunk yet again to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything important. Satisfied that she had packed all of the necessities, she closed it and then reached inside her robes to make sure she still had her wand on her (her grandfather had suggested she change into her robes at home).

"I would've sent you away to school earlier if I knew it'd get you to clean your room," joked Meda as she went to the side of the trunk to help Briallen carry it downstairs and out to the car.

"Actually... Grandpa cleaned it with a spell. But I folded the clothes in my trunk!"

"I knew it was too good to be true," said Meda with a laugh. "Lord, this is heavy! Where's your father? He's the one who was supposed to be hauling this thing to the truck."

"He said he had to run over to the Macalister's for something."

Meda shook her head but didn't say anything or even look at her daughter as they hauled the large, heavy trunk down the stairs. Briallen had to force herself not to cry as she wondered whether her dad would even say goodbye to her. His mood had slowly improved since the night Cal Bevin had come to dinner and explained the wizarding world but during the last week it had dropped dramatically. Meda told Briallen that her father was just sad his little girl was going away until Christmas but she knew the truth: her dad was still angry with his father and still not willing to accept the world of magic though he had agreed to send Briallen to a school of magic. Then went sideways out the front door and down the porch steps and then set the trunk down on the ground next to the car.

"So, I guess we can just put the trunk in back seat... I doubt it'll fit in the car trunk," said Meda as she stared blankly at the car. Briallen wasn't paying attention; she was staring down the dirt road, looking for her father's car. "And it's almost one. We really need to get going."

Briallen turned to her mother who was now pushing her trunk into the backseat. "But Dad's not here yet! He hasn't said goodbye!"

"He knows what time we're leaving," said Meda brusquely as she slapped the car door. "He's just busy. Now hop in, we're supposed to drop you in Roanoke at five-thirty and we're already running late."

Briallen shook her head but held back her tears as she sat in the passenger seat of the small sedan. Neither of them were able to hear the phone ringing in the house. To take her mind off of her absent father, Briallen turned on her walkman and began flipping through the new YW: Young Witch magazine. Her mom had bought her a subscription to the magazine as an early birthday present.

The car ride went quickly for Briallen. She read her magazine, listened to her tapes, took a nap, and played car games with her mother to pass the time. Thanks to quick bathroom breaks and limited traffic, they were able to make it to Roanoke by five that afternoon.

Since Bergamot was in Virginia (they knew it was on the western side but exactly where, they were unsure), they were told they could drive instead of taking the train. Of course, they were not allowed to drive right up to the school so Cal Bevin had told them to drive to an old warehouse in Roanoke and transportation would be waiting for Briallen there to take her to Bergamot. Briallen wished they lived further away, though. Chicago, maybe. Then she could take the train to The Village and take the boats, or the carriages, to the castle. She wished her grandfather had never told her about the train or the boats or the carriages because it made her feel like she was missing out.

Meda Bevin drove slowly past the warehouses, glancing at the directions on the paper in her hand every few seconds. After a couple of minutes they finally pulled into the parking lot of the warehouse where Briallen was to change her mode of transportation. Meda Bevin turned the car off and looked around.

It was nearly five-thirty and the sun had just started setting on the horizon. Briallen looked out the window at the farmland covered in pink and purple light for any sign of the school. She assumed they must be close if cars were not allowed any closer to Bergamot than this.

"I don't see anything, do you?" Meda Bevin asked her daughter.

Briallen frowned and shook her head. "Nothing. I don't even know what's supposed to pick me up." Then a thought struck her. "Hey, do you think I'll get to ride a broom the rest of the way to school?"

"I doubt it, hun. I can't even see the school from here which means it's still a way off and I don't think they would have you fly a broom all the way there. Besides, you don't even know how to ride a broom. And what about your trunk?"

"I'm sure there's some sort of spell that would take the trunk to school. And I'm sure riding a broom isn't that hard... I mean, it's a broom. I bet it's just like riding a horse." She frowned as she thought of her horse, Miko. Her grandfather said she couldn't bring the horse to school with her and she had thrown a fit in response. Unfortunately, her tantrum did not change his mind and so Briallen refused to have any pet at all.

Suddenly there was a knock at the front passenger window and both Meda and Briallen screamed. They calmed down when they saw a horse drawn carriage and realized the man at the window was the carriage driver. They stepped out of the sedan, their laughter a mixture of embarrassment and nervousness. Briallen wrapped her robes more tightly around her shoulders to block out the early autumn wind as she watched her mother open the back door of the sedan. The carriage driver took Briallen's trunk out of Meda's hands almost immediately and had it in the carriage in seconds. Briallen believed the man used magic to make the transfer so quickly because he was so small and trunk was so heavy.

Briallen then hugged her mother goodbye, both barely succeeding in not crying all over the other. "I'll write once a week and see you at winter break, okay, Ma?"

"Have fun now, and you best behave yourself. Any trouble-making and your Grandpa said he'd write to me right away... I'm sorry your father didn't say goodbye to you but I'm sure he had a good reason."

"Right. I'm sure he did," said Briallen in agreement, though she believed otherwise. Meda hugged her daughter one last time before getting back in the car. The carriage driver helped Briallen into the carriage as she watched her mother drive away. It was all suddenly more real than ever before. She was going away for school from now on and while Briallen had always considered herself to be an independent sort of person, she was feeling nervous knowing that her parents weren't always going to be there for her from now on.

The carriage ride was much bumpier than Briallen had expected and it took her a while before she felt well enough to look out the window at the countryside. After a few minutes of nothing but forest they finally came to a part of the road that was surround by fields of soy, tomato and corn. They had been among the fields for less than a minute when Briallen was surprised to see a town suddenly materialize a few hundred yards away. She could have sworn it had not been there just seconds earlier.

Her face was pressed against the window in awe as she stared at the shops and the people they passed as they made their way into the town. They passed a store that had nothing but candles and lamps in its windows and another that had moving mannequins modeling long, expensive-looking dress robes and tall, pointy hats. It was like going back in time: there were horse-drawn carriages all over the cobbled streets and tall torches lining the roads and old-fashioned gas-lamps providing the light inside the shops, though the sun was still in the sky. Most of the people out and about were dressed like the people from Diagon Alley, though she did catch glimpses of people dressed in what her grandfather called 'Muggle clothing'.

Briallen was so engrossed in watching the people and staring in the store windows (she was positive she had seen a large vat of swirling melted chocolate in one of the shop windows) that she had not even realized the carriage had stopped and screamed again when the driver tapped the glass. Nice, Briallen. If you keep acting all jumpy, then everybody is going to know that you're not used to this kind of stuff, she thought unhappily as she stepped out of the carriage and onto a train station platform. Number one on the list of priorities: act like you belong.

She paused as she looked around the place the carriage driver had taken her. There was a small building to her left with signs in its widows advertising ticket prices and several benches were placed sporadically around the platform, just a few yards away from the train tracks.

"Um, excuse me, sir. This is the train station," said Briallen hesitantly to the carriage-driver.

The carriage driver looked at her as though she were stupid. "Well observed Miss. Bergamot students take either the boats or those carriages over there," he pointed to the very long line of horseless carriages right behind him, "up to the school."

Briallen looked at the horseless carriages, her brow furrowed. "But none of those carriages have horses..."

The carriage-driver smiled sadly. "Yes, they do."

Confused over the carriage driver's answer, she thought it over and watched the man place her trunk on a large trolley nearby. Now free of his fare, he quickly hopped back up onto the carriage and tipped his hat to her. "Have a good evening Miss Bevin," he said pleasantly before he led the carriage away from the empty train station, turned right and disappeared behind some shops.

Briallen looked around her and frowned. She was worried that she might be late before realizing that if she were there would not be boats by the shore or carriages by the curb if everybody had arrived already. Briallen looked over at the boats; she was a first year and her grandfather told her that all first years take the boats to the school. After she straightened her robes she decided to make her way to the boats at the train station dock and see if there was a teacher there she could talk to. She was happier now, knowing that she would get to take a boat to the school.

It was then, on the train station dock, that she saw it for the very first time: Bergamot Academy for the Magically Gifted. It was a grand castle on the other side of a large lake set at the base of the mountains. It reminded her of a fairy tale castle, only bigger and better than she had ever imagined. Even from a distance the school looked large and magnificent. She could see the lights inside the castle from her place on the shore and just seeing that light filled Briallen with warmth. She looked at her watch, eager to get to the castle. It was only just six and the sign on the dock said the boats were to leave at seven.

"What to do 'till then?" Briallen wondered aloud. There was nobody else on the docks, though the town was bustling with activity. There was a large building just across the street from the train station that seemed to have a lot of people going in and out and so Briallen decided she would check it out. When she was nearer the building she noticed the sign in front: Hamlet Hall. It offered no clues as to what it was, though.

Briallen walked through the double doors and was greeted by the smell of cider and sugar. She was in a large room full of young people, all wearing Bergamot robes like herself. Two long tables on either side of the room held a variety of refreshments such as a cider, cookies and bowls of chips and salsa. She wandered over to one of the tables where a blond boy, who looked not much older than Briallen, was helping himself to cider. He glanced at her and smiled before handing his own cup to her.

"Oh, hey, thanks," said Briallen gratefully. She noticed he had on robes with a Wenlock badge and was disappointed to realize he wasn't a first-year like she was. "Um, can I ask you a question?" He took a sip of the cider he had just gotten himself as he nodded. "Are there any other first-year students here, do you know?"

He nodded and smiled at her again but didn't say anything. They spent about a minute staring at each other before Briallen decided to elaborate. "Could you maybe point me towards one?"

He blushed and chuckled before looking around. Finally he pointed to two girls sitting in chairs near the front doors. Briallen thanked him immediately and walked to the girls as fast as she could without letting the boy know how eager she was to get away from him. The two girls continued chatting as she stood awkwardly in front of them. A train whistle sounded outside, rudely interrupting the girls' conversation, and only then did they finally notice Briallen.

"Can I help you?" asked one of the girls rudely. She was slightly overweight with dark hair and very pink cheeks and obviously already thought Briallen was a freak.

"Don't be rude," said the other girl. She was impeccably put-together with a tasteful strawberry-blonde bob and perfect posture. The other girl shook her head and left her seat, going outside to greet the first trainload of students to arrive that evening. "I apologize for her. And for me - I didn't notice you there. Having you been standing there for long?"

"No, not really," Briallen lied. In truth, she had been standing in front of the two girls for nearly a half an hour.

The other girl smiled. "Well, I'm Cassandra Elwood but everybody just calls me Cass," she said kindly as she held out her hand.

"Briallen Bevin," said Briallen, shaking Cass' hand thankfully. "So, are there a lot of trains?" As the one had pulled away, another had pulled in.

"Four of them. You didn't come on a train though, right? Do you live nearby?"

"Oh, I'm near Williamsburg. You?"

"I live in The Village," said Cass in a whisper, pretending she was embarrassed to admit such a thing.

"That's so cool! I love this place," Briallen said with enthusiasm. "I wish I lived here."

Briallen didn't hear what Cass responded with as a third, and very loud, train whistle went off. She glanced at the platform across the street. It was getting full of people and she noticed that many of the boats were already full. Cass turned to look out the window to see what had caught Briallen's attention.

"Wow, it's getting full. We should probably go find ourselves a boat now, before the last train arrives."

Briallen agreed when she noticed her watch said it was ten to seven. "Oh, and I'm supposed to be meeting a friend too!"

They tossed their empty cups into a trashcan just outside before they made their way across the street to the station. "Me too," mumbled Cass absent-mindedly as she looked around the platform. Suddenly she seemed to notice someone familiar and she ran off towards them.

"Briallen!" someone shouted from the crowd, taking her attention of the fact she just lost her new friend. "Briallen!" She was suddenly unable to breathe, the arms around her were so tight.

"Marisol! I was looking for you! I got here an hour ago... but I made a new friend!"

Marisol linked her arm through Briallen's and led her to the docks as if she'd done this a thousand times, even though Briallen knew Marisol was a first-year just like her. "Cass Elwood?" asked Marisol as they stepped inside a boat that had only one person - a boy in the front - sitting in it.

"Yeah, do you know her?" asked Briallen, not really surprised. She and Marisol had been writing back and forth since they had met in Habory Lane a few weeks ago and Briallen had quickly realized that Marisol was very familiar with the wizarding world (having grown up in it, obviously), and she seemed to know everybody.

"I've met her once of twice. She's a nice girl. She went out with Hayden Van Vlerah for, like, a month," she said in a manner that suggested she was very impressed. That was the other thing Briallen had learned about Marisol during their short correspondence: Marisol loved talking about boys and was dying to get herself a boyfriend. Briallen didn't have a chance to ask about Hayden Van Vlerah, however, as just then a loud whistle that was much more shrill than a train whistle cut her off.

"First years over here!" screeched a high pitched voice from the dock area. Briallen and Marisol turned around to see who was talking. Inside one of the boats was a short, young woman with long, dark red hair. "Six of you to each boat and five in mine! And my name is Miss Winsome!" shouted the woman. She reminded Briallen of the mermaid Ariel, from the cartoon. "Hey, you with the frizzy hair! I said six to each boat or were you not paying attention? Perhaps you'd hear me better if I enlarged your ears to the size of kites!"

Marisol groaned. "I've heard horror stories about that woman. She the meanest teacher at Bergamot."

"I believe it," said Briallen as she watched Miss Winsome yell at another student. Marisol took her attention away from the mean teacher, though and, without talking, motioned to the boy in front of her. She was smiling and gripping Briallen's arm tightly, mouthing the words, 'say something to him.' Briallen shook her head as Marisol clasped her hands together and silently pleaded.

She tapped the boy on the shoulder. "Hey, hi, I'm Briallen Bevin," she said with a smile and a wave.

He turned and paused and then looked both her and Marisol up and down, as if deciding whether they were worth his time to chat with. Then he frowned. "Dante Garcia... y no quiero hablar inglés."

"Porqué?" asked Marisol, slightly offended.

"Porque, debo estar yendo a la escuela en México. Con otros mexicanos. No aquí."

Marisol rolled her eyes and then turned to talk to Briallen. "Dante es un bebé, sí?"

Briallen stared at her. She did not speak any Spanish whatsoever and had no idea what Marisol and Dante had said to each other. "Um... I'm not Mexican and don't speak Spanish. My mom is Native American..."

"Oh, well, I'm not Mexican either," said Marisol, smiling. "I'm Puerto Rican. I should teach you some Spanish! You might end up needing it because it looks like there is quite a lot of Latinas and Latinos here. At least, there are more than were in my school back home."

Briallen looked closely at her fellow first years for the first time. Marisol was right; their class seemed to be quite diverse.

"I'm Toby Davis," said a voice very quickly from behind the two girls. They turned to look at the boy, whom Marisol gave such a huge smile that Briallen knew she had already forgotten about Dante. He ran a hand through his blonde hair and his green eyes darted quickly between the two girls. "I'm a Muggle-born. I'm so nervous. What if I don't do well because of that? I mean, it seems like everybody else here is familiar with all this stuff and I'm not." His knee was bouncing up and down quickly, making the boat sway just slightly. Briallen didn't need to be told he was nervous.

"Don't worry. There are a lot of muggle-born students here," said a red-headed girl next to him. "My sisters told me so and they've been here for a couple of years so they would know. Lindsay's a third year, Melinda's a fourth year and Kara's a sixth year. They said most of the kids that go to Bergamot are either Muggle-born or half-bloods. I'm a pureblood myself, not that it matters."

The black-haired boy sitting behind her muttered something that Briallen thought sounded like 'yes, it does,' and by the disdainful look the red-haired girl gave him she was sure she had heard him correctly. Briallen looked closely at the dark hair boy who was staring at his feet and then gasped when she realized it was Lucan Stone. She wanted badly to tell Marisol that Lucan Stone was in their boat - she had told her new friend all about him in her letters and was sure that Marisol would come to the same conclusion she had: Lucan Stone was following her.

"Oh, you're a Price!" said Marisol happily to the red-haired girl. Briallen decided to wait until she had some privacy to tell Marisol about Lucan as she watched the red-headed girl nod happily.

"Ashley Price," she said to not only Marisol but Briallen and Toby as well.

"I'm Marisol Escudero and this is Briallen Bevin. She's Dean Bevin's granddaughter!"

"Marisol!" said Briallen, wide-eyed. She didn't want to be introduced as 'Dean Bevin's granddaughter' because she had seen the kids in her own school that were related to teachers be teased for their relation everyday.

"How nice! My sister, Kara, is a prefect and she says he's a really nice guy. So do my parents."

Briallen, now sullen, nodded in agreement and turned back around to face the front of the boat. They were almost to the castle and Briallen felt her heart and her mood rise. This was the moment she had been waiting for. It looked as if it were in the spotlight, with the setting sun splashing its array of colors across the yellow stonework from behind them. She tried her best to see if she could make anything out in the many windows but soon gave that up to examine the turrets, towers, pathways, bridges. There was a very tall and very long hedge on their left that looked like the wall to a garden, and in front of them she could see a circular stone drive where the last carriage was dropping off the last of the upper level students, and in the far distance she could make out a large number of bleachers surrounding a wooden fence encircling a large empty field. Briallen was very excited.

The boats reached the other side of the lake quickly. All of the first years stepped out onto the docks quickly, but quietly as demanded by Miss Winsome, and made their way to the castle. They followed Miss. Winsome or, as Briallen had quickly dubbed her, the Evil Hag to the very large front doors. As soon as they entered the entrance hall of the castle, all of the whispering ceased. The entrance hall was at least three stories high and three great chandeliers hung from the ceiling. Six large banners, that held the house crests and the school crest, hung on either side of the hall. Directly in front of all the students was a wide marble staircase with two large statues of knotted trees at the very top. All of the first year students, even those that grew up in wizarding families and had brothers and sisters at Bergamot, were silent in awe of the entrance hall. And it was only the entrance hall.

"This way, first years. You all need to be sorted," barked Miss Winsome. "Two by two, form a line. I said form a line, not a circle! Don't any of you know basic geometry? What a sorry bunch you are..."

"What's up her butt?" asked Toby as he and Ashley lined up behind Briallen and Marisol.

"A really big stick that she doesn't seem to be in any hurry to remove," muttered Briallen. Marisol laughed but was quickly silenced when Miss Winsome gave her the 'evil eye'.

They were marched into the dining hall like an army regiment and Briallen was tempted to chant 'hut one, two, hut one, two!' but decided it would be best not to. Instead, she looked around her. The dining hall was magnificent and very large and had six tables: five for each school house and one for the teachers, which was situated at the end of the hall and perpendicular to the student tables. The ceiling was Briallen's favorite part of the hall, however. While she initially thought the room had no roof, she quickly realized that there was some sort of spell on it that made it reflect the sky as it was outside at that very moment. Briallen decided immediately she wanted her grandfather to charm her bedroom ceiling to be the same as the dining hall's as her Christmas present.

When all the first years were lined up at the front of the hall, Miss Winsome pulled out her wand, mumbled a spell, and a great staff appeared in her hands. It was at least six feet tall and had what looked like a crystal ball perched on top. When Miss. Winsome released her grip on the staff it stood straight up on its own.

Marisol leaned towards Briallen. "I hope I'm sorted into Wenlock! My parents will be really upset if I'm not a Wenlock like they were!"

Briallen nodded and remembered what she had learned of the five houses: Wenlock is for those students who especially enjoy learning; Almerick is for those who are brave and just; Platt is for those who have a penchant for being conniving and do not mind breaking rules; Summerbee is for those who are kind and hard-working; and Withers is for those who are little bit of everything. Briallen strongly hoped she wasn't sorted into Platt or Withers.

She looked towards the teachers table. Her grandfather was seated in the very center and was dressed in wizarding attire which consisted long dark blue robes that were trimmed with silver. It took Briallen all she had to keep from laughing. She had only ever seen her grandfather in fancy suits and to see him in wizarding robes, which looked like long dresses to her, was very amusing.

"ACKLAND, JADE!" screeched Miss. Winsome loudly. Briallen watched as the first student to be sorted made her way to the sorting staff. Briallen was curious to see the sorting staff in action after hearing how it worked from Mrs Penny. Jade, a chubby brunette, grasped the staff with both hands, closed her eyes and winced as if preparing for an explosion. Briallen watched the clear crystal ball on top of the staff suddenly fill with what looked like yellow smoke and then it somehow projected the image of a large 3-D bumblebee above their heads.

"Wow," murmured Briallen as she stared at the massive bumblebee floating in the air.

"SUMMERBEE!" announced Miss Winsome as the girl released her grip on the staff and ran towards the Summerbee table, where everybody had black and yellow robes, on the far right side of the room. "ASTLEY, BELPHOEBOE!"

Briallen remembered the Astley sisters from Habory Lane, where she and Marisol had thrown stink pellets at them. She smiled at the memory and was eager to do something similar quite soon. She really hoped she would be sorted into the same house as Marisol.

This time the crystal ball filled with blue smoke and a writhing mongoose was projected into the air. Briallen heard Miss Winsome shout 'PLATT!' as she continued to stare at the mongoose and Belphoebe Astley made her way to the Platt table on the opposite side of the room from Summerbee.

Another Platt was sorted and then, "BEVIN, BRIALLEN!" shouted Miss Winsome with what Briallen recognized as barely disguised disgust. The teacher had known her for less than half and hour and already disliked her. Or disliked her grandfather.

I should have chosen a different school, though Briallen nervously as she walked up to sorting staff. With a reassuring nod from her grandfather, she took hold of it. Nothing happened to the crystal ball at first and then, the smoke appeared: violet. The image of a horse erupted from the ball and Briallen remembered.

"Withers! Yes!" whooped Briallen, punching the air victoriously, as if that were the house she had been longing to be sorted in all along when really, she was just caught up in the excitement of being sorted at all.

Briallen did not even hear Miss. Winsome announce her house and was not sure the woman even had even bothered since Briallen had done it for her, before she reached the Withers table which was in between Platt and Wenlock. She quickly greeted a few of her new house-mates before turning her attention back to the sorting ceremony to see where her friends would be placed.

A few more kids later, the nervous sandy-haired boy, Toby Davis, was called up and Briallen shouted happily when the smoke turned violet and the horse appeared. Toby sat down next to Briallen and she gave him a hug and patted him on the back reassuringly before she looked back to the sorting. Normally, Briallen would never touch a stranger but she was in the moment and it was exciting. So far only eight people, including herself and Toby, had been sorted but they had all been for either Summerbee, Platt or Withers. Briallen wanted to see someone be sorted into another house.

Then, "ESCUDERO, MARISOL!" was called forward and the petite Latina nervously made her way to the staff. She looked over at Briallen and smiled and Briallen gave her the thumbs up, secretly wishing Marisol to be sorted into Withers with her. Marisol wrapped her hands around the staff and looked up at the crystal ball, expectant. The smoke went red and seven white stars in a circle projected from the crystal ball. Briallen and Toby clapped and whistled for their new friend who ran to the Wenlock table and sat down on a bench directly opposite of Briallen and Toby, each of them giving her a high-five in congratulations. She had no time to feel sadness over Marisol being sorted into a different house though as the game-show like sorting was still enthralling her.

Several kids later, Dante Garcia, much to Briallen's confusion, was sorted into Withers. Ashley ended up being sorted into Summerbee, which did not surprise Briallen. Ashley Price was the nicest person she'd met at Bergamot so far. She watched as Ashley took a seat next to three girls who all looked remarkably alike and knew they had to be the sisters Ashley had mentioned. Briallen noticed that one of the Price sisters, who wore a prefect badge on her robes and so must be Kara Price, sat next to a very handsome olive-skinned young wizard. Briallen felt her heart flutter when he grinned, though the grin was not directed at her.

Briallen's eyes moved back to the few dozen students who were still waiting to be sorted. Eight students later, "RIEGER, DAX!" was sorted into Almerick, with green smoke in the globe and the projection of a great sword. Finally, "STONE, LUCAN!" was called to the staff. Briallen found that she had been anticipating Lucan's sorting, even though she knew he would be in Platt and she really didn't like him. The crystal ball glowed blue and a mongoose appeared. Lucan Stone shuffled dully towards the Platt table.

"Have a crush on that slimy pureblood squirrel, Bevin? You should know the Stones aren't very fond of half-bloods like yourself. Even if your grandfather is the Dean of this school," said Dante with a smirk. Briallen knew Dante must have noticed her reaction to Lucan in the boat and mistaken it for a crush and not alarm.

"Whatever, Dante. And my name is Briallen, not Bevin. Get it right," responded Briallen huffily. She wasn't going to explain herself to somebody she didn't plan on acknowledging after that evening.

"Like, what-ever," said Dante, mimicking the voice of a valley girl.

"Leave her alone, loser," muttered Toby through clenched teeth, anger lacing his voice.

"Oh, oh, finally found your voice, huh? Or are you only feeling brave because you made nice with the Dean's granddaughter, brownie-boy?"

Briallen clapped a hand over Toby's mouth and shook her head. "He isn't worth it, Toby. Just ignore him." Not that Toby needed any encouragement to ignore Dante because just then the sorting officially ended and a feast magically appeared on the table.

All bad thoughts and feelings were temporarily forgotten as everybody helped themselves to a feast that easily rivaled and overcame Thanksgiving dinner. The table was covered in bowls of buttered dinner rolls, mashed potatoes, various casseroles and a dozen whole turkeys. Jugs of what Briallen quickly learned was pumpkin juice (after mistaking it for orange juice, which gave her a bit of a shock) were also placed about the table, plus jugs of water and lemonade. She felt like she was in paradise.

After the feast, each house's prefects led them to their dormitories. Briallen was so stuffed and tired that the trip to another great hall with several moving staircases surrounded by hundreds of moving portraits did not even register in her mind. Four floors up, the two Withers head-prefects, a boy and a girl, led them to a portrait of an old man with a riding crop but without a horse.

"First off, I am Benjamin Beauvais, she is Aolani Kanaka and we are the Withers head-prefects! There are two other prefects whom you will meet tomorrow." Briallen looked over the two Prefects standing before her and repeated the information in her head to try and memorize it. "The Head Boy is Taye Frost of Platt and the Head Girl is Jocelyn Zoberis of Almerick - we all wear badges so that you can locate us if you need to. Withers Head of house is Professor Morra. She teaches Spell-Working, so rest-assured you will all get the chance to meet her.

"And this, first years," he pointed his thumb at the portrait behind him, "is the entrance to the Withers dormitories. It is the portrait of Sir Lawrence of Woodcroft." Sir Lawrence of Woodcroft took this opportunity to wave gaily at the first years standing on the staircase, his rosy cheeks plumping with his smile. "This semester's password is 'gobbledegook'. Each semester the password will be changed, unless someone from another house learns the password and then it will be changed immediately. Which leads me to this: do not give out our password to anyone other than a Withers! If you do, the consequences will be severe." Both prefects glared at the first years. Then Sir Lawrence of Woodcroft swung his portrait inward and the passage to the Withers dormitories was opened.

Briallen and Toby paused to comment briefly on the Withers common room (Toby felt it was much too violet for his taste) before saying their goodnights and heading to their separate dormitories. Briallen had been worried about her luggage and how beds would be chosen and hoped they were assigned so that no fights would break out between her and the other girls in her year that she shared a room with. Luckily, the beds were assigned as each of their trunks had been placed at the foot of a bed.

She was in her pajamas in less than a minute and under her bedcovers and almost asleep in even less time. Her last thought was how happy she was that she had finally arrived someplace where she didn't feel like an outcast.