Chapter Six

New Classes

There was a bustle of activity when James awoke the next morning. Other students were stuffing their rucksacks or shoulder bags with books and pencils, paper and wands. James jumped out of bed and dressed at top speed. He hadn’t had to wear the uniform at any of the previous classes with Headmaster Fletcher, but in the school year students were required to wear a provided uniform. James didn’t mind it; it was just a set of black trousers and a white shirt and tie.

After fumbling with the tie he grabbed his shoulder bag and began stuffing the necessary things inside for his first day of classes. He reached into his shoe and snatched out the near-forgotten timetable, which, by now, was very dirty and smelly. James scanned the paper; apparently his first class would be Introductory Magic. He traced across the paper with his index finger to the name that was printed adjacent from the class title. Professor Golda Featherlox would be his teacher. 

James scanned for more information; he wasn’t sure if Elizabeth would be in his class – the page didn’t say anything about who was supposed to be in the different courses. He stuffed a few more things into the bag and darted out of the room. He entered the sitting room where Tyre was awake, on the armchair where James had left him last night.

‘Can eye come tue?’ the little Stone-Hound asked, scratching his backside and hopping down from the chair.

‘I suppose, if you want to,’ James shrugged, ‘it’s just gonna be school things though, isn’t it?’ he finished, trying not to look as eager as he really was. 

Tyre obviously saw the true excitement, because he was smiling widely and scratching his snout. ‘Eye no a lettle abut majik, an et’s ner’e “jus skoul stef”,’ Tyre said, promptly hopping up and into James’ shoulder bag. ‘Wae’s yer firs class?’ he asked, rummaging around the shoulder bag for a better place to sit.

‘Erm…’ James looked down at his smelly timetable again. ‘Introductory Magic,’ he said at last.

‘Eye no ter wei!’ Tyre exclaimed excitedly and began spouting off directions through secret passage ways and hidden tunnels. James had to run to keep up with the directions, and within seconds they were darting through damp and dark parts of the Orphanage and through passages that Tyre commented that he hadn’t seen before.

Within a few minutes they were standing in front of an old wooden door with rusted hinges and a cold, stone frame.

‘Did we make it?’ James asked himself more than Tyre. Suddenly there was a rustling of fabric and a tall, lean, woman with long silver hair came bustling down the long corridor towards the door. A wand flashed from the woman’s robes and the door flew open. The wand was gone as fast as it had appeared. The woman had a dignified look of age about her as she strode tall and proud. The only hint of frailty was the old, twisted, cane that she walked with. This, however, did not slow her down as she swiftly stepped past James and into the room. A fraction of a moment had passed by before James gathered himself, and followed her. 

A large area lay before him as he stepped over the threshold. The room was chilly, and it had rectangular tables throughout. Several pictures hung about, depicting, what James thought, were well to do students. Despite the few similarities to regular school rooms, there was little that was ordinary within. 

The bright space had wide stained-glass windows that gave a more magical feel to the surroundings. James stepped to the side of the room, picked out a table and started to sit down.

‘What section are you my boy?’ the kindly, but stern, voice of the woman asked. James couldn’t think of the name of his section for a moment and stuttered out a reply.

‘Erm… Cen-Centaur, ma’am.’ 

The woman seemed to examine James for a moment before nodding in reply. ‘Centaur students sit in the front right desks,’ she informed. 

‘Oh, sorry,’ James stammered nervously, as he picked up his things and moved to the assigned desks.

‘Your name, sir?’ the woman asked, looking for James on a long piece of paper in her hands.

‘Er… James Newt, ma’am.’ 

The woman surveyed James again; then smiled warmly. ‘I am Golda Featherlox,’ she said. ‘I will be teaching this class this year. Please feel free to call me Missus Featherlox.’ 

James was startled by the sudden change in the woman’s countenance. She let the smile fade, a more stern expression appearing before she spoke again.

‘I’ll tell you now, Newt… I’ll be fair with you, but I won’t tolerate any dangerous behaviour from my students. Do you understand?’ 

‘Yes Missus Featherlox,’ James nodded, wishing someone else would come into the class soon. As if in answer to his silent prayer, a tall, skinny, boy with long shaggy black hair tumbled into the class, spilling the contents of his rucksack across the cool wooden floor. James jumped up to go and help, but before he had taken more than two paces, the boy was righted and his rucksack had floated onto the Centaur desk, being refilled with its contents along the way.

‘Eligh Carrington…’ Featherlox said, looking down at the paper. ‘Centaur?’ she asked, glancing up at the boy who looked quite embarrassed. 

‘Yeah, sorry, I kind of lost my-’ he began but was cut off.

‘No explanation necessary, we can easily be distracted by nerves,’ she said, smiling slightly. 

Eligh nodded; his ears red with embarrassment.

‘Take a seat with your classmate,’ Featherlox said, motioning towards the desk where James had returned to sit. The boy quietly made his way over to sit by James as the main body of students began to file in; Missus Featherlox sorting and directing them to desks.

‘We must look like great prats getting here so early,’ Eligh said, glancing at James with a nervous smile.

‘You weren’t that far off from the rest,’ James responded.

‘Eye,’ Tyre said, poking his head out of James’s rucksack, ‘ol’ Laydee Featherlox wuz interrogating James!’

‘What was that?’ Eligh asked suddenly as Tyre disappeared back into the bag.

‘Oh, nothing,’ James responded as Tyre shot him a hurt look from inside the rucksack.

‘Only two per desk please,’ Featherlox said as a group of six girls tried to squeeze together at one desk. Begrudgingly everyone made their way to separate desks and sat down.

‘Now, our class schedule is tight, so we must get started,’ Missus Featherlox said. ‘In this class we are pleased to have three school sections being represented, Centaur, Falcon, and Chameleon.’

At this there was a cheer from a few burly students in the back row who didn’t look as though they could learn anything for the simple fact that their skull cavity couldn’t withstand any more brain growth.

‘Not the smartest lot, them,’ Eligh said, motioning to the two large students with empty looks of stupor on their faces. 

James smiled at his mocha-skinned companion, unsure of anything to say. 

‘You know my name, I suppose,’ Eligh said, looking embarrassed. 

James nodded. ‘I’m James Newt,’ he offered and held out his hand, which Eligh shook. 

‘I got here a couple of years ago,’ Eligh said, pulling some supplies out of his bag and laying them on the desk. ‘Have you been here long?’ he asked, as James too, retrieved supplies for the impending lesson.

‘No, I’ve been here for a couple of weeks that’s it,’ James replied. 

Silence fell between them for a few moments as Missus Featherlox outlined a simple list of spells which they were supposed to practice, and then write a one page report on each, explaining what they were for, and any problems they had trying to master them. James practiced one; then dipped down into his shoulder bag to get a pen to start one of the reports.

‘Whoa, is that a Stone-Hound?’ Eligh asked, surprised, seeing Tyre again.

‘Er… Yeah, I guess. His name’s Tyre,’ James said, looking down on his familiar who was peering up excitedly. 

Eligh was about to say something more, but the large crack of an explosion sounded throughout the room. The two burly students from Chameleon had blown up their desk in an attempt to perform one of the spells, and this resulted in cheering from the other students in the class. 

Eligh smiled weakly. ‘I suppose we should get to work then?’

James smiled and nodded. 

As James and Eligh began to delve into the project at hand, they could hear the table being mended by Missus Featherlox. James glanced behind himself to see the two boys staggering to their feet; Featherlox insisting that they get back to work.

‘At least you’ll have something to write in your report,’ she encouraged. 

James saw that one of the boys had a pained look on his face; perhaps the thought of actually writing a report was just too much effort. James and Eligh had gotten a little more than half of their work done when the bell chimed throughout the complex.

‘All right boys and girls, that is all for today’s class,’ Missus Featherlox said as the students began to put away their books and wands and whatnot. ‘If you would please have the rest of the work done for morrow next, it would be first-rate, thank you.’ With that she sat down and the students bustled out of the room. 

James and Eligh were almost to the door when Featherlox called after them, ‘Excuse me boys,’ she said, stopping beside them and leaning on her cane. ‘The rest of the Centaur students have already gotten these, I was told that you two would need copies.’ She handed them two thick pieces of paper – instructions on how to position something called a sponge lantern for best effect.

‘I’m sorry ma’am,’ James said, still looking at the paper, ‘what is all this?’ 

Featherlox looked surprised. ‘It’s your next period,’ she said, ‘you two, along with students from different sections, have free periods next.’ 

Eligh was about to smile at news of this but remembered the paper in his hand. ‘What’s this then? What’s the catch?’ 

Featherlox’s stern look broke for a slight moment into a smile, ‘All that we ask is that you change out the sponge lamps in the mountain. The rest of the time is yours.’ 

Eligh’s mouth was open, aghast at what he was being asked to do. James too looked shocked. The mountain was a dangerous place, a place that students were not usually permitted to go on their own. And, over and above all of the dangers that lurked in the mountain, there was Horace!

‘It should only take you fifteen minutes,’ Featherlox said quite matter-of-factly.