Open Reminds Me of Home

[Marlow Sanderson]

Marlow had heard that Hogwarts New Zealand had an amazing garden, one that students love to read and complete homework assignments in. The young Slytherin could never avoid a garden. Her mother, Ember, had basically raised her in a garden. Yet Ember's garden was one not to messed with. Ember spent almost all her free time and the homeschooling classes in the garden. There were flowers of every color and a wonderful fountain that Marlow loved to sit and draw in front of. At home, if Marlow was not in her art studio, she was in the garden.

Which is what made this exploration so much more exciting, another little form of inspiration to make her art. Marlow wondered across the Hogwarts Grounds to find the so called "amazing garden." The young Slytherin had her sketchbook in her hand, her backpack full of art supplies over her shoulder, and her hair up in a messy bun. It was time for art. Gazing around, Marlow spotted what seemed to be the start of the garden, beautifully colored flowers all around. This garden was beautiful, the shades of red, purple, and even yellow circled the young girl as she entered the garden.

Spinning around, Marlow took in the sights. There was no fountain to be found, a pity. But it was nothing to scoff at either. Marlow walked around aimlessly, letting her feet take her wherever they saw fit. Finally the young brunette stopped at a beautiful wooden bench in front of what looked like bluebells. Bluebells were wonderfully blue flowers that did have a bell shape to them as the name suggested. Marlow made herself comfortable on the bench and set her sketchbook next to her. Marlow unzipped her bag and dug for her colored pencils. This would be a great start to the day. Marlow thought as she placed her sketchbook open on her lap and began to sketch the beautifully colored flowers in front of her.

 

[Harper Alston]

Before she left for Hogwarts, Harper had promised to keep her friends and family regularly updated. She'd thought nothing of the promise at the time, but now that she was actually here, sitting in the Hogwarts gardens and trying to force herself to actually follow through with that promise, she was starting to regret it. For one, there was just so much to say, and she had no idea where to start. She was living in a castle. A magical castle. And she'd seen everything from a singing hat to paintings that moved.

And then there was also the matter of the actual means of updating her loved ones. Her phone didn't work here (not that she hadn't tried), which meant she'd have to write letters, like it was the Middle Ages. The mere thought of writing all of those letters by hand was already making her wrist cramp. Maybe she'd ask her parents to buy her a typewriter. Those things didn't need electricity, right?

Harper sighed and looked down at her lap, where she had some loose leaf paper piled on one of her textbooks. Dear Mum and Dad, she wrote. She set down the pencil, wondering if she should start with the sorting. But at that moment, a gust of wind sent her papers flying. "Hey!" She threw down her book and ran after the paper, which had blown over to a nearby bench, fluttering in the face of a poor girl who had looked to be busy doing homework.

"Sorry, sorry!" Harper began to gather the papers. She pointed at some pieces on the other side of the girl. "Mind handing me that?"

 

[Marlow Sanderson]

Marlow had just begun shading the bluebells in her sketchbook. It was difficult to get the right shades of blue, and yes shades. A simple flower did not have one singular color, but instead a palette of different shades. Finding the right ones were critical and Marlow was focused. Line by line, the young Slytherin slowly shaded the flowers. Looking good she thought taking a moment to look at the flower from slight distance as she held the sketchbook at arms length.

The young brunette smiled as she noticed she had gotten it just right. Now for a darker outline She thought once again placing the sketchbook on her lap and grabbing a dark gray pencil from her collection. As Marlow was about to start her first outline, a mess of papers flew into her face. "What the..." Marlow began as the confused young girl heard another student shouting in her direction. Marlow began to grab some of the flying papers, not sure if she had gotten that all, the gust of wind must have thrown them in her direction.

"Not the best luck I'm guessing" Marlow said with a small smile. If those were pages of her sketchbook, Marlow would have lost it. This girl was keeping her cool so the papers must not be of too much importance. Probably school work Marlow thought. She handed the papers over to the girl in a slightly messy stack. "Here you go." She said looking around for any stray pieces of paper.

 

[Harper Alston]

The other girl was really nice about the situation, helping Harper gather the papers. "No, I guess not," Harper said when the other girl mentioned her bad luck. She took the papers from the other girl and shuffled through them to find the piece she had been writing on, which she placed it on top of the stack — not that it mattered since she hadn't really gotten anywhere. The four lone words she'd written seemed to mock her.

"Thanks for the help, and sorry again for bothering you." Harper smiled at the other girl. As she did so, she spotted the girl's notebook and nodded toward it. "Smart. I probably should've also used a notebook or a roll of parchment, but my parents bought me all this loose leaf for school, and I need to use it up." Just another part of the magical world she'd have to explain to her parents. Wizards didn't use ordinary paper, they had parchment, which also happened to be a lot more expensive than normal loose leaf paper and came in bulky, inconvenient scrolls. "I didn't realize it'd be this windy."

 

[Marlow Sanderson]

The unlucky girl seemed about Marlow’s age as Marlow tried to gauge her feelings about her. Scatter-brained definitely Marlow thought using the adjective that her father always gave to her personally. Marlow was indeed scatter-brained but she knew her father did not give her enough credit. She did make it into Slytherin after all. Her father had doubted the Sorting Hat’s judgement after that, but in a way Marlow could tell that he was proud of her, in his own way. He did already send her more galleons so she could keep living comfortable. The dorms were pretty horrible in Marlow’s opinion. She didn’t even get her own bathroom!

Marlow listened to the girl as she explained her situation or at least the cause, wind and loose leaf paper. Marlow knew the lined paper well, her mother refused to use it for her lesson plans citing it was too rigid of a material and encourage free thinking.

“It happens to the best of us.” Marlow said debating in her mind if she wanted to talk to this girl or continue her drawing, there were so many more flowers to go and she hadn’t even finished one. Looking at her sketchbook briefly, the young Slytherin made her decision. It would be nice to actually talk to people here. “Parchment really seemed outdated to be honest.” Marlow added. Some aspects of Hogwarts did seem outdated.

“I’m Marlow by the way.” She mentioned to the girl. “Trying to capture these bluebells” Marlow said pointing at the flowers. “But the wind is a bit of a distraction for now” She said as the wind blew once more flipping the page upwards, almost making Marlow lose her spot.

 

[Harper Alston]

Harper nodded as the girl remarked that parchment was outdated. "I know, right? I have to say, it's kind of admirable how strongly they're sticking to this medieval theme." She gestured vaguely in the direction of the castle. The dimly lit corridors and dungeon added to the aesthetic, but it did leave Harper craving sunlight and wide open spaces. Good thing her dorm was in one of the towers.

The other girl introduced herself, and Harper smiled at her. "Nice to meet you! I'm Harper." She followed Marlow's gaze to the flowers, which were gently swaying in the wind. The garden truly was one of the nicest places on campus. The sound of rustling paper caught her attention, and Harper tightened her grip on her papers. But it was a page from Marlow's notebook that was fluttering about. Harper could see the beginnings of a sketch of the flowers on the paper.

"Oh, that's really good!" Marlow had managed to capture the shifting blue shades in the flower. "I wish I could draw, but all I can manage are stick figures. I can never seem to make my pencil recreate the images in my head." She also didn't really have the patience needed for the activity.

 

[Marlow Sanderson]

Marlow laughed slightly at the girl's medieval theme comment. She definitely wasn't wrong. Marlow was often surprised that people didn't ride around on horses and have jousting tournaments, but hey Qudditch wasn't far off. The young Slytherin listened to the girl, twirling her colored pencil between her fingers as she listened. It was more of a habit and than sign of anything in particular. "Nice to meet you Harper." Marlow said with a smile on her face. She would ofter to shake her hand, but that may be too much on the medievel theme for the young girl. Instead the smile and kind words had to make due.

Marlow shrugged her shoulders gently as Harper complimented her on her art. The young brunette looked down at her sketchbook for a moment before directing her eyes back towards the other student. "Thanks" She added. Marlow was not used to getting compliments from others about her work. Well Marlow's mother always supported her, but her father's comments cut deepest. Why buy me sketchbooks if it's only a dumb hobby Marlow thought momentarily knowing that her father's monetary actions and his feelings were completely separate.

"There is so much to see and draw around here. I swear I could feel a million sketchbooks." The young Slytherin said glancing around the garden, getting her attention away from her thoughts of family. The garden alone could feel ten sketchbooks, Marlow was sure of it. "So if you can't draw, what do you like to do?" Marlow asked the young girl, bluntly. Marlow was not easily filtered and never second guessed her words. Why bother? She firmly believed to always say what's on her mind.

 

[Harper Alston]

Marlow seemed to hesitate at Harper's comment, and for a second Harper was worried she was one of those types who couldn't take compliments without getting flustered and trying to reject them. She'd never understood those people; have some pride and just take the compliment! But the moment passed, and Harper smiled, waving off Marlow's thanks. "This garden is pretty amazing, but do you think you'd ever get bored?" Harper asked curiously. Yes, there were a lot of different plants in the garden, but after a while, wouldn't you get bored of drawing flowers over and over again?

At Marlow's question, Harper answered almost immediately. "Football." It was the first thing on her mind since it was the only one of her interests that didn't translate to Hogwarts. There were no sports teams other than Quidditch (which wasn't even open to first years). "I also like gymnastics and reading, but I think I miss football the most right now." She paused before asking hopefully, "You wouldn't happen to play, would you?" Harper had toyed with the idea of trying to organize some pickup games, but to do that, she'd first need to find people who also played.

 

[Marlow Sanderson]

Marlow shook her head as Harper asked she would ever get bored. "I basically grew up in a garden." Marlow said "Not like some jungle kid." She added quickly realizing how her first statement sounded. "My mum has a beautiful garden at home. It's where I took all my classes. So basically I can always find something to do." Marlow finished her statement and looked around the garden noticing it really was a great place for some inspiration. Mother did always say that flowers told stories. What stories did this garden hold? What has it seen in all these years, through years and years of students passing by ,coming and going.

Marlow sensed the excitement when Harper began to talk about Football. It made Marlow smile knowing the girl had some passion. Marlow could always respect someone who does what they enjoy, puts their whole self into it. This might not be the case with Harper, Marlow did not know the young girl well enough, but Marlow could see the passion for the sport.

"I play a little." Marlow said not sure if she had planned to keep playing. Honestly, the young Slytherin only played because her brothers Ryder and Rune enjoyed the game. Ryder was very good at it to be honest and Rune tried to give him some competition. "My brother Ryder plays a lot so I've played with him and Rune a bit. But I warn you I'm not very good." Marlow explained adding a laugh at the end of her comment. Marlow wasn't terrible, but definitely took some spills from time to time and didn't quite have the best ball control.

 

[Harper Alston]

Harper laughed at the jungle kid comment. Honestly, growing up in an actual jungle did sound like it could be a lot of fun. "Were you homeschooled then?" Harper asked when Marlow mentioned taking her classes in her mum's garden. On the days when she'd gotten sick of school, she'd sometimes wished she was homeschooled, but she knew her parents never would have had the time to try and teach her and all four of her siblings. "I wish I'd gotten to take classes outside," Harper said wistfully. Her primary school, while nice, had been built forever ago and was consequently a bit stuffy. "My school had a garden, but we weren't allowed anywhere near it since they were afraid we'd ruin it." She hadn't seen any point in the school keeping a garden if they weren't going to allow anyone to actually enjoy the garden.

Harper was thrilled to hear that Marlow also played football. "We'll have to play sometime! I've been thinking of trying to get a group together." Even if it wound up just being the two of them, that would still be a lot more fun than dribbling the ball by herself. "Don't worry about being bad at it. Football's still fun even if you're not very good." The first few years she'd played, Harper had routinely gotten the ball stolen from her. But she'd still enjoyed it. Those brief moments spent flying down the field at full speed, convinced no one could catch her, had kept her coming back, even after her brothers slide tackled her for the hundredth time.

 

[Marlow Sanderson]

Marlow nodded her head when Harper asked about her previous schooling "Yes my mother was my teacher, but she was" Marlow paused to try to think of the right word to describe her mother's 'teaching style.'. "she was relaxed" Marlow added with a little laugh. "So I'm not looking forward to having to sit in a stuffy room and listen to lectures. But I guess that's normal school for you." Marlow said wondering if she would succeed here. She was smart, but she also was not completely compared to participate in a normal education system. Marlow's mother used a Reggio approach to teaching, which meant learning through play and the arts. Hogwarts did not seem to offer many classes that seemed that unstructured. Structure was not something Marlow enjoyed or even had much experience with in the past. "But yes learning outside was one of the best parts! Not being able to go to that garden would drive me crazy. Seems like a pointless rule to me" the young Slytherin added.

Harper offered to have them play football some time. Marlow still was on the edge about it, but it would be something to do. Maybe she could even get okay at it, enough to hold her worth about her brothers. "Might be fun." Marlow said with a smile. "But I think you'd be better off finding some more players that are skilled. Give it more excitement." Marlow said wondering how many people around her played anything but Quidditch. That seemed to be the sport to play around here. Everyone was so fascinated with it. "Might be hard with all this Quidditch Mania" Marlow added.

 

[Harper Alston]

The idea of sitting in a garden for her classes with a teacher who wasn't uptight or constantly droning on, with little regard to whether Harper was actually learning, was immensely appealing. From here, outside in the sun, the castle suddenly took a depressive air. She really didn't want to go back to the dungeons for Potions class or to the Defense Against Dark Arts classroom, which was effectively a dungeon considering Professor Styx's cold demeanor and insistence on dim lighting. "Homeschooling sounds so nice. Why'd you decide to come to Hogwarts?" she asked curiously.

Marlow seemed reluctant to agree to Harper's suggestion, leaving her a bit disappointed but she didn't want to push Marlow. "Ok, but let me know if you ever change your mind. It doesn't have to be a super intense game." As long as the person she was playing didn't just stand there (because at that point she might as well just do dribbling drills around a set of cones), Harper would be happy. At Marlow's comment on Quidditch, Harper nodded in agreement. "It's kind of weird coming here and seeing everyone so obsessed with just one sport." Even back home in her little town, rugby was equally as popular as football. And it wasn't hard to find people who liked other playing other sports. "Don't wizards have any other magical sports?" Magic seemed to open up a whole other dimension of possibilities, and Harper didn't see why there weren't magical versions of every Muggle sport.

 

[Marlow Sanderson]

Marlow thought about Harper's question. To be honest she did not have much of an answer. She did not really know what made her want to come. The letter wasn't a complete surprise. Both her parents had attended Hogwarts and done very well here. She had always just planned to go to public school at this time, just not muggle public school. "I guess I wanted more than just always being around my brothers!" Marlow said after some thought. "Plus both my parents went here and it was always expected that I would too. Mum really isn't one for teaching magic. I think it would stress her out too much." Marlow explained. The thought of Ember leading a lesson of Defense Against the Dark Arts was laughable. It would probably include something about how nothing is good or bad just misunderstood. Actually it would be interesting to hear her take on it. Marlow made a mental note to bring it up next time she was home.

Marlow could sense that she let Harper down with her comment about football. It's not like she wasn't a fan, it just really wasn't her thing. She wouldn't mind playing on occasion, but a group sounded like a little bit too much of a commitment. Marlow would address the issue later on, as Harper continued on to discuss other Wizard sports. This question caught Marlow off-guard as she really didn't know the answer. "I honestly don't know. There has to be something, but I've never heard of it." Marlow said honestly. "I'm not really into sports" She added.

"I know there is like wizards chess and exploding snaps" Marlow continue. "But they aren't really sports.. well some people would say chess is, but seriously" Marlow said shaking her head at the last bit. Chess was a game, but not a sport in her mind, no matter what her father said. He only said that because he was good at the game. He never let Marlow win a game even when she was extremely young. He didn't give out 'participation trophies.'

 

[Harper Alston]

Harper nodded as Marlow explained that she wanted more than just being around her brothers. Even though she herself hadn't been homeschooled, sometimes her tiny town and its tiny school felt a bit too familiar. Though it was intimidating being at Hogwarts where she knew absolutely no one else else, it was also exciting. And she'd be lying if she didn't also admit that one of Hogwarts's appeals was that here, she was free from living in her brothers' shadow.

Were there really no other magical sports? Marlow said she couldn't think of any, and she had grown up in the magical world. Though she also mentioned that she wasn't even really into sports, Harper figured that the other girl would have at least heard of others if they existed.

"Exploding snaps? What's that?" It sounded kind of dangerous. Harper also wasn't too sure what wizards chess was, but she figured it was close enough to muggle chess. She laughed at Marlow's last comment. "Chess is cool, but I always thought people trying to call it a sport either take it too seriously or feel bad for not liking an actual sport." Though Harper herself liked sports, she didn't see why anyone would pretend to if they didn't. Or try to make it seem like they did by calling their other hobbies "sports."

 

[Marlow Sanderson]

Marlow enjoyed that Harper was actually listening to her speak. The young Slytherin had noticed that, at least in her experience, people seemed to like to talk over one another here, like everyone had something just so exciting to say that it couldn't wait. Having a civil conversation was a nice change in pace for this young girl who had even forgotten she was sketching moments before papers came flying at her face and created this interaction.

Marlow's mouth fell open slightly when Harper had not heard of Exploding Snap. "Oh It's a lot of fun actually." the young girl said with a big smile. Card games, Marlow could handle. She played with Rune all the time and could even beat Ryder most hands "It's a card game with an add.." Marlow thought for a moment to chose the right word. "Surprise I guess you could say. It's pretty much like the name says, but there are at least three ways to play it that I know of." Marlow continued thinking it had been awhile since she had been able to play.

"We should play some time if you're up for it!" Marlow added thinking if she even had a deck that she packed. Wracking her brain, she realized she had not packed up. Oh well The young Slytherin thought making a mental note to owl father and see if he could send her a few packs to choose from. "I don't have any now, but I'll send a letter and father will send me some." Marlow said thinking what else she really needed still. More fluffy pillows would be nice and some sweets of course. She would send a letter after this.

 

[Harper Alston]

Marlow seemed surprised to learn that Harper had never heard of "Exploding Snap," which only piqued Harper's curiosity more. She listened as Marlow explained the game, a slow smile spreading across her face. She couldn't help it; Marlow's enthusiasm was contagious. "So the cards explode?" Harper imagined playing cards with an exploding deck could be frustrating even if it was exciting. What if you had a winning hand but then one of your cards disappeared?

"Yeah, definitely!" Harper replied when Marlow suggested that they play sometime. She had never been the biggest fan of card game. They were fine and she occasionally played with her siblings on rainy days though it almost always ended with one of her brothers throwing cards everywhere when they lost. But the exploding aspect sounded like it added an element of fun, and Harper was always willing to try anything at least once. "Did all your old packs explode? Do you have to replace the deck each time you play?" Harper asked curiously when Marlow mentioned writing her father for more cards. That sounded potentially frustrating. Or maybe the cards regenerated after exploding?

"So cards in the magical world explode. Staircases move without warning. Poltergeists exist. And even candy can't always be trusted." Harper thought back to her first night at Hogwarts, when she had learned about Bertie Bott's beans. "This world is shaping up to be a bit more dangerous than I expected," Harper said with a smile. It was also exciting, and she was looking forward to learning more about the magical universe, even if it meant she had to be a bit more wary of her surroundings.

 

[Marlow Sanderson]

Marlow had to admit she was happy that Harper had other interests other than sports. It was nice to know she may have friend to play cards with every now and then. Marlow could sense much of this was all new for Harper, a perspective Marlow had never really known. She had grown up around magic, it was her norm. It must be odd to not know about the world you were going to school in. It almost made Marlow think about those who did not have the benefits growing up that she did, almost.

"Oh no" Marlow said shaking her head when Harper asked if each time the deck needed replaced. However, that was a great idea. Cards often wore down with time, something Marlow did not enjoy. They almost felt secondhand in a way. "I just could always use a new pack or two." Marlow explained. "Sometimes they get damaged or just don't look as pretty. Always room for improvement" Marlow said hoping that made it a little clearer. Marlow enjoyed having the best and some worn down cards that have been used on multiple occasions would never make the cut.

Marlow listened as Harper describe some of the wizarding world items she had learned about since arriving at Hogwarts. Things Marlow normally did not give a second thought to. However, the young girl instantly knew that they candy that betrayed Harper had been Bertie Botts Every Flavor Bean. Those jelly beans could be a lot of fun, but also leave your mouth with the worst taste ever if you chose a gross flavored one. But at least Harper seemed to have a sense of humor about all the changes. "This school is definitely full of surprises. It has to keep things interesting." Marlow said nodding her head in agreement. "But it has the most wonderful things as well. I'd avoid the chance candy and start with some chocolate frogs or cauldron cakes. Can't go wrong with them!" Marlow said now beginning to crave some sweets. She wondered if she had any chocolate frogs left in her dorm.

"I don't know what to tell you about the moving staircases though. I still get lost. I swear they do it on purpose." Marlow said, the last statement more to herself as she thought about the number of times she had thought she knew where she was until the stairs decided that was not the case at all.

 

[Harper Alston]

Harper nodded as Marlow explained that the cards sometimes got damaged. Considering that they occasionally exploded, that hardly seemed surprising. Still, she was sure it must be a nuisance having a card deck so prone to damage. The king of spades in the muggle card deck she shared with her siblings had a bent corner with a permanent crease, making it impossible to bluff with the card. Her parents refused to replace the deck though, saying it would be wasteful since only one card was ruined.

Either Bertie Botts was a lot more popular than Harper thought or there were multiple types of chance candy in the magical world. Regardless, she appreciated Marlow's safer candy suggestions. "Please tell me cauldron cakes are like mug cakes and fill up an entire cauldron," Harper said with a grin. If she had to guess, they were probably just cakes shaped like cauldrons, but a cauldron-sized cake would be awesome. She wondered if wizards ever used their cauldrons for normal cooking. "I've already tried chocolate frogs, and they're pretty good. The first time I saw someone eat them was a bit unnerving though. The frogs are way too realistic." She remembered how her chocolate frog had squirmed in her hand. It seemed like a very unnecessary feature to give to a piece of candy.

Harper was relieved to hear she wasn't the only one who had trouble with the stairs. It was maddening. Every time she thought she'd memorized a new route, the stairs decided to shift. "I wish the stairs moved in a more helpful way. Headmistress Alicastell should enchant them so that they act like escalators. It'd make the climb up to my dorm so much easier." On the bright side, at least climbing the seven floors up to Gyrffindor acted as a bit of a workout.

 

[Marlow Sanderson]

Marlow was not quite sure how to go about answering Harper's question about a mug cake. This young Slytherin had not heard of a mug cake before. "Umm it might be" Marlow said shrugging her shoulders. "I'm not sure what a mug cake is, but a cauldron cake is an adorable little cake in the shape of a cauldron." She said with a smile hoping that answered the question, but she could not be sure. Was a mug cake a cake shaped like a mug? That did not seem nearly as cute as a cauldron cake.

The young Slytherin listened as Harper talked about her experience with chocolate frogs. It was odd that so many wizarding foods were moving in a life like way. Some gummy worms even wiggled, what an odd feeling that was. Marlow assumed wizards just like the magic in everything they did, even if it was just food.

Marlow couldn't help but laugh at the escalator idea. Honestly Hogwarts was beyond it's time in many ways, but also it seemed to be stuck in the past in others. "I'd add that to a suggestion box. I could really use that getting up to the Astronomy tower." She added hating that climb from the dungeons all the way to the top of the tower. How did some of the older professors do it! She was only eleven and already hated the long trips, it was more time consuming than exhausting though.

Marlow glanced around the flower bed once more, enjoying the view that had actually brought her out here in the first place. She could easily get lost in the view. For a few minutes, Marlow enjoyed the silence of the garden thinking about how massive the castle itself was. She could not imagine ever seeing every square inch of it. She once again turned her attention to Harper. "I cannot wait until I can use apparition and just poof where I need to go. It will be so much simpler." Marlow said, not sure exactly what year they were allowed to use that, but she knew she had a long wait. Waiting was not a skill that Marlow really had in her cards. She was a more instant gratification type of girl.

 

[Harper Alston]

Harper nodded at Marlow's explanation's of cauldron cakes. Though a cake the size of a cauldron would be cooler, a cake was a cake, and she made a mental note to find some the next time she was in a magical candy store. It was sad that wizards didn't seem to have mug cakes though. "Mug cakes are..." She trailed off, suddenly realizing that Marlow might not know what a microwave was, and Harper wasn't sure how to explain such a device. "...cakes you cook directly inside the mug," she finished lamely, aware that she was not doing a good job at selling the concept. "They're faster to make than baking an actual cake. But I guess magic makes baking faster?" It was hard to believe that the first time she'd made a mug cake, the process had seemed, well, magical. Now she knew that her old definition of magic had been very limited.

She grinned as Marlow seemed to approve of her escalator idea. The castle's current enchantments confused her. Why purposefully create stairs that made getting around hard? Shouldn't magic be used to make life easier? Once she knew more spells, Harper fully intended to use magic to complete most of her menial day-to-day tasks. She glanced down at the sheaf of papers still in her hands. Was there a spell that would let her dictate words to her pen? That would be so much easier than trying to write letters and essays by hand. She'd have to ask her Charms professor.

At Marlow's mention of apparition, Harper's jaw dropped. "I knew it! I knew teleportation existed!" She thought back to the train ride to Hogwarts, which had never made any sense. It was such a slow method of transportation, and it wasn't even magical. She had wondered why they hadn't been able to teleport directly to Hogwarts instead. "When do you think we'll learn—" She paused, frowning. "What did you call it? Apparation?"