A.N.: Well, now we're really getting into the story. If you have any suggestions for alternate events that could happen, please, please suggest them in the comments. Now, I'm sure most of you have figured out that this is basically a mashup of 4kids and Nickelodeon, with a sprinkle of RAi and Fate Winx Saga.
I don't actually hate the latter show, I just feel like people only focus on the inaccuracies of the characters, the storyline, and such, instead of looking at what lore new series and reboots bring to the table. I will be adding here and there, so expect to see references to characters from the show, though I'm on the fence about who they should be with.
Anyways, I just needed to get that rant off my chest.
Also, who should Bloom end up with? Andy? Sky? or someone else? Let me know in the comments who you want to see.
I'm working on the rest of this episode, expect more updates soon!
Now, please enjoy.
X - normal text
X - text where Bloom is not present
'X' - thoughts
'#$X#$' - Parseltongue
Chapter 5: More than High School Pt.1
Goodbyes were painful. Though my parents were currently discussing moving, and debating on whether or not they'd convince Roxy to come with (Stella had verified that Roxy possessed some form of magic similar to Mum's and Violet's), the more pressing matter was that their eldest child that they raised was about to leave for a new adventure in an entirely different universe. A parallel universe.
"I'm gonna miss you guys." The reality was only now settling in, that I was going away. To a place where only phone calls would be able to reach my parents and sister. No hugs, no family time. No dinner meals together. No more movie nights. No family pranks.
Mum was teary-eyed. Dad was pale, proud but uncertain. Violet looked sad. I pulled her into a hug first. "Don't worry," I whispered to her. "Only one year, and then we'll be together at Alfea."
"I'll worry about you even when I'm not around." She said with more emotion than I expected from her.
I tightly hugged her back. "I'll worry about you more."
"Do your best Bloom, and allow yourself to be defined by no one but you." I struggled to hold back my tears as Dad tightly hugged me next. "I expect frequent calls, young lady. And no boys in the dorm room," he said sternly to me as we separated. I tightly smiled, emotion bursting in my chest.
"Whenever I can," I promised to the first. "I think Stella's more likely to bring home boys than I will."
"Hey!" Stella called from the next room. "I heard that!"
"It's true!" I called back. "You and Prince Sky are joined at the hip."
We all snickered at her audible sputtering from the hallway.
Mum walked over and wrapped her arms around me. I closed my eyes and choked back the sob. Out of all of them, leaving Lily was the hardest. She was the woman who'd given her own life for mine in my last life. She was the woman who raised me, and out of her and James, helped me with most of my insecurities growing up. It was because of her that I'd ever worked up the courage to date Andy, and really discover who I was in this world. Well, become comfortable with who I now was.
"Bloom, my sweet girl. I love you, but it's time for you to let go." Mum's face was sad, but smiling. My gut twisted, this was hurting her as much as it was me. But she was so happy, so proud that her daughter was going to be able to use magic. I swallowed.
"Oh, Mum..." I trembled. Why was this so hard? Why did this feel so...final?
"Listen, Bloom. This is an opportunity for you to live in a world without fear. Where you don't have to fear your magic, or for it." Mum was still smiling at me. "No matter what choice you make, or if you decide to come back home, we will support you."
I hugged her tighter and buried my face in her shoulder as my tears fell. Someone placed their hand on my shoulder. I pulled away from Mum's shoulder to see that it was Stella. Her eyes were watery, and she had an amazed smile as she looked over us. "I'm sorry Bloom, but we have to go," she said sympathetically.
I nodded. I hugged each of my family one last time. Kiko hopped onto my shoulder. Stella transformed her ring into the scepter again and raised a vortex. I almost lost my nerve, but my parents shoved me through it before I could protest.
After moments of spinning and tumbling, I righted myself, only for the blue walls around me to turn into lightspeed. The ball of light at the end of the tunnel grew larger and brighter until I was consumed by it.
In a puff of sparkles, I fell to the ground. Putting my training into action, I rolled and jumped to my feet.
"Wow." I heard Stella behind me. "Those were some fast reflexes."
I turned, slightly glowing as I used the Dragon Flame to numb my senses to magic, at least for a while. "Thanks. Now come on, you said we have to check in?" I asked as I lifted Kiko back onto my shoulder.
"Mm-hm." Stella took my hand, and I let her lead the way. We'd landed in the same area of the Gloomy Forest that all of us fairies landed last time. The knot in my chest was tight, and I had to force myself to breathe. All of my Occlumency barriers were up (though I needed to spend time upgrading my mindscape) to protect my mind from the nauseating effects of ambient magic.
After five minutes of walking, we reached the edge of the forest. Despite being there once, Alfea was still impressive to me. Not by Hogwart's standards, although I was starting to lower my expectations. Just a bit.
Unlike the last time we were here, the entrance and courtyard were a buzz of activity. The buzz of magic and pain in my head only grew worse because of their unrestrained auras clashing like strobe lights directly in my eyes.
Teenagers and young women kissed or tearfully hugged goodbye to lovers, friends, and family. Some were solitary, clutching their suitcases and looking like they were unsure about setting foot inside. Others were clustered, groups of friends chattering excitedly about their trips over the summer.
If I hadn't been forewarned about the advanced tech on cars and buses, I would've gaped at the futuristic hovering vehicles; with no wheels attached. "How many students does Alfea have?" I asked Stella as I attempted to do a headcount before giving up. There were just too many girls.
Hogwarts typically had anywhere from fifty to over a hundred and fifty students in a generation, and that was counting both sexes. The number of girls here was definitely over thirty.
"Due to waiting lists and high demand but limited living space, Alfea enrolls about sixty to seventy girls per year." Stella rattled off, sounding like a salesperson. "Each year gets its own name, referring to its end-of-year goal. There's the Wings Generation, that's us first years. The second years are called the Charming Generation. And the last group, third years and up until they graduate is called the Enchanting Generation. Although if you feel like being lazy, you could call us freshmen, juniors, and seniors."
So, each year of students had to relate to the task all fairies were expected to accomplish. Unlocking their base transformation, unlocking their Charmix, and finally, unlocking their Enchantix form. Simple in theory, likely very hard in context.
I looked around. Girls of all sorts of shapes and sizes were everywhere. There were tiny girls who I'd have thought were twelve were it not for Stella's reassurance, and others so tall that they dwarfed even me, and I was 5'4"!
There were delicate girls with elegant limbs, slender frames, and soft features. There were girls with muscle and looks to frighten off the ogre that attacked Stella and my home. There were girls with curvier frames, bigger hips, larger breasts, rounder bottoms, and thicc thighs.
Then there were cute, petite girls, and others who were somewhere in between. Many of the girls had exotic or unusually colored or styled hair (I couldn't tell if it was dye, magic, or genetics) and that was not just including their outfits. For example:
A girl wore a pink crop top with cut pink pants and sandals, her hair also being the same color of bubblegum pink, braided in two bunches.
Another blonde (not Stella) whose hair brushed the floor wore a green flannel that wrapped around her back to her front, tied in between the shape of her breasts, and a short yellow skirt with stars on the edge, cream-colored sandals, and nothing else (that the naked eye could see).
Then there was a red-redhead with her hair in a military-cut with a tiny white top that ended just below the swell of her breasts and reddish-pink pants that were rolled up to her knees.
There was a girl with pink hair & white highlights wearing a curve-hugging orange dress and boots.
Another girl with her hair cut in a bob-cut (gamer girl) wore a matching top and pants that were purple with mixed green.
Girl after girl, and the theme seemed to be 'wear random colors, bare your midriff, & show off those legs or tight asses'. Not that I wasn't guilty of doing the same.
I was wearing my red leather jacket, unzipped to show off my gold crop top (which was shaped like a 'V' to flash some cleavage). I also wore a burgundy denim miniskirt that stopped just at the end of my heart-shaped bottom (Daddy would've had a heart attack if he saw his good girl dressing like that). It was the same design as my blue one, plus gold leg stockings & sandals. Gold earrings with red opals and a little bit of the Dragon Flame to color my eyes.
I was Gryffindoring out, but I looked good doing it. I suppose that it was a good thing that Stella & I moved our stuff into our dorm three days ago; I watched a girl struggle to lift a suitcase almost twice her height and body width out of a hovercar, before stubbing her toe, the suitcase falling down as she groaned in pain.
Guarding the gates were two groups of older (likely senior) specialist squads in their blue, white, & blue-grey uniforms, wearing the capes. But at the head of both groups were two individuals that I'd never seen before. "Who are they?" I asked, ignoring the pain building in my skull (from being so close to the outer wards of Alfea, which were messing with my senses).
"Those are Paladins, the ones from Malacoy," Stella replied. "Mm-mm. And they look hot. Mind you, most of them are arrogant, but I've heard that they teach a class where they learn to properly use their tongues--"
I flushed hotly. "Stella!" I hissed, slapping her arm. Violet and I should have not allowed her to surf Earth's internet unsupervised.
Stella grinned innocently, her eyes sparkling with mischief. I realized that she was teasing me and scowled. "How have I corrupted you already?"
"Violet did most of the corrupting. Plus, if you changed the gold of your clothes to emerald green, you'd fit right in." Stella commented with a smirk.
The Paladins wore dark red helmets (so similar to the one that Oritel wore that I stumbled). One Paladin had his helmet tucked into the crook of his arm, allowing me to see that he was definitely male, and two; he had dark brown hair in an afro.
The Paladins didn't wear bodysuits like the Specialists. They wore tight-fitting red pants under armored boots and a tunic (that reminded me of a kilt). From their pectorals past their collarbones to over their shoulders was an interesting armor pattern with what reminded me of the collar of Count Dracula's cape. They didn't wear a cape though, they had a trenchcoat in dark red with white lining the underside.
From past their elbows to down just before their fingertips was a long gauntleted armor piece, leaving their cloth-covered biceps exposed. Gold buttons connected the gauntlets to their clothes, the trenchcoat to their waist, and boots to their pants. Gold lines added additional details, and in the center was a single emerald (about the size of my fist) right over their hearts.
In both their hands was a long staff that had a stretched axe on one end, the other side looking like it had an emitter to release one of those energy (looks too wide to be a sword, unless it's an awkward-looking scythe) axes, similar to the Specialist's blades. And from the conversation, I could hear--plus Stella's analysis--they were arrogant as Riven.
"Stella, I'm not feeling so good," I mumbled. The pain in my head was building, and I had all of my barriers at full. She reached out and let me lean on her shoulder. "I got you, girl," she reassured me.
I struggled to get past the gates, the blackness creeping at the edge of my vision (I wasn't using the Dragon Flame to numb my magical nerves, which felt like they were on fire). Stella guided me through, and I sighed as the pressure in my head receded a little.
"You ok, Bloom?" she asked me nervously, looking at me like I'd pass out any second.
I hated this weakness. I pulled free from her hand. "I'm good." I lied, clearly unconvincing if Stella's expression was anything to go by.
I was saved from Stella's interrogation when we both heard a shrill, very McGonagall-esk voice. "Who are you, and just where do you think you're going, young lady?"
Our attention was drawn to a blue-haired girl with bronze skin in a modest blue top (that bared her waist) and a cute blue skirt (that was slightly darker in color than the top) nervously clutching a suitcase, looking like she'd been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. I then noticed that there was a line of girls waiting for Griselda to check them in. Smart.
"Is she wearing the same outfit that she was in when I met her?" I whispered to Stella. Stella shuddered as she studied the 'fit. "Mm-hm. Yuck. You won't find me wearing the same outfit twice."
And it's true. The green dress with pink stripes Stella had worn when we went to Fashion Island had been swapped out for a blue dress with gold stripes in the same design.
"First name and planet or realm of origin?" Griselda demanded.
"Uh, E-Elenor of Dolona? I-I sent in my form online last year and a few weeks ago." The girl said timidly.
"Hm. Let's see here...Elenor, Elenor...I don't see your name on the list." Griselda said lowly, rather threatening. "And you know what happens when you're not on the list--", she cut off as she found the name, "--ah, there you are."
She paused, then wrote something down on the clipboard. "Elenor of Dolona." Looking up, she studied the girl. "Are you nervous, young lady?"
Elenor shifted. "A little." She seemed more scared of Griselda than nervous if you asked me. "So long as you follow the rules, you have nothing to worry about. Now, your ID?"
The girl held out a card to the tall, stern woman. Griselda took it and scanned it. Nodding in satisfaction, she handed it back to the slightly shivering girl. "You may come in. Next!"
Stella and I joined the line. After numerous names ahead of us, Tecna, Galatea, Francine, and Luna--the last one made me do a double-take, she was blonde, airy, and fairy-like, though not of the Fae; not my Luna. Or rather, not the Luna that I knew from Harry's memories--we finally arrived.
"Ms. Griselda." I nodded respectfully. She recognized us immediately. "Ah, Ms. Peterson. Ms. Sol. Allow me one moment to cross you off--", I believe that she was filling in names next to the list to determine who was here and who was not, "--there you are. ID?"
Both of us handed our ID cards (dimensional identification. Still was weird that mine said I was from Earth, and I was the only one in that category). "Very good. You may come in, and Ms. Peterson," she called to me. I glanced at her curiously. "Do try not to let Ms. Stella corrupt you."
Stella's jaw dropped. "Did I--did she? Just joke? Griselda joke?"
I giggled at her stupid expression. "Didn't see that one coming, did you?"
She shook her head, still looking amazed.
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Standing at one of the windows that overlooked the courtyard, three of Alfea's professors studied the newest generation as they made light talk.
"Did you have a good summer, Professor Dufour?" a man dressed in a cut green shit with white pants and white sleeves beneath the green asked his fellow professor. His long orange-blonde hair fell around his ears to his jaw. His ears were pointed, revealing that he was a High Elf. His face was long, but his jaw was strong. Yellow-brown eyes studied his fellow professor's face.
"Oh yes." Professor Dufour was a lovely woman with natural silver hair, pale flawless skin, and dark eyes. Her facial features were soft and eternally youthful, as she was as an M-1 Vampire. She had wide hips and a tiny waist. Round orbs proudly jutted out from her chest, and her bottom globes were nothing to scoff at either. All of her body was shown off in a tight red dress (that you'd expect to see at a nightclub) that hugged her every curve and covered every part of her body except for her lower legs. She wore glittering red pumps with tiny wings on the heels.
"I spent my time relaxing on the beaches of Andros, before taking a stroll through Lymphia's private gardens. And you, Professor Palladium?"
"I enjoyed my stay on Solaria, and even met with the royal family," Palladium replied. Then in a hushed tone, he added, "Princess Stella will be gracing Alfea with her presence again."
Dufour smirked. "Well, let us hope that she has reigned in some of her more...chaotic tendencies. Otherwise, we may be missing more than a potions lab this time."
"That girl walking with Ms. Soleil--I mean Ms. Sol! I think...it looks like..." Professor Dufour was speechless as she pointed out the window.
Immediately, both professors joined their fellow at the window and stared out in shock at a gorgeous redhead that was walking with Princess Stella.
"Why I say!" the professor's companion & fellow professor said as he stared out the window. "I've never seen a shade of red hair that intense since...Marion."
Professor Wizgiz was a leprechaun, with pale yellow-green skin, long pointy ears, a yellow undershirt, dark green overalls, flat green close-toed shoes, and an orange flower on his left breast pocket.
"The resemblance is unnerving," Professor Palladium agreed, speaking to his shorter professor. "But Bloom Peterson is not of nobility. I met her two days prior. Well-mannered and well-raised, she comes from Earth."
Now the other two professors were staring at him in shock. How was such a thing possible? Earth fairies had died when the Black Circle attacked.
"E-Earth fairy?" DuFour stuttered. "But, I thought--"
"The fairy down there is an Earth fairy?" Wizgiz pointed out the window, disbelief dripping from every word he spoke. "I thought that all the Earth fairies were gone."
"So did I", Palladium nodded. "Her whole family was lucky enough to survive the terrible carnage. Ms. Peterson, her sister, and her mother are possibly the last of the Earth Fairies."
"By the Dragon," Dufour swore, earning surprised looks from her fellow professors, considering that she is the Manners & Etiquette professor.
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All of us in the 'Wings Generation' were assembled in the auditorium hall (more like a circle) on a bleacher on the right side of the school. The other two generations sat on the bleachers on either side of our own. On a raised dais were the professors, and staff of Alfea.
I rubbed my aching head. Stella sat next to me, although it would be more appropriate to say that she was hovering over me. "Are you ok?" she asked me quietly for what had to be the fiftieth time.
I glared. "I'm, fine. It's just...too loud in here." With all of the fairies here, plus their lack of restraint on their auras meant that the buzzing in here was only getting worse. I was rapidly approaching a migraine if I couldn't escape this crowd. Which was funny, as I never had trouble with crowds.
"You're pale," Stella observed. She glanced at one of the staff before looking back at me worriedly. "Maybe I should get you to the infirmary."
My glare had some real heat in it. "Stella, drop it. I'm not going to make a fuss over nothing."
"It is not nothing." she hissed. "You're hurting in this kind of environment Bloom. The magic of Alfea and all its students is oversaturated, and your magical 'sensors' can only take so much strain before you succumb to the pain. As it is, you look seconds away from passing out."
"Bloody hell." I suppressed another groan as more magic assaulted my senses. I retreated into my mind, starting to build a new shield. Rather hasty, I know, but I needed a reprieve from this. My mind was one of the safest places I could be.
Stella bit her lip. "Bloom?" she asked me tentatively, worried as I sat still as a stone. She poked my body, and in my mind, I grunted in annoyance--try'in to do something here!
I finished constructing the shield, and activated it, forming an eighth barrier in my mind. I returned to my body, feeling the buzz slightly dulled and the pain less intense. I sighed, leaning back slightly, and pulling my knees to my chest. I'd have to work on that shield a lot more, at least until I could block it all out.
"I'm fine," I repeated quietly. "Although, I will feel better once I'm not surrounded by all this magic."
Stella huffed. "Fine. But if you pass out, I get to say, 'I told you so'."
I extended my pinky and she took it. We did our little shake before separating. My attention was drawn back to the professors and staff, mostly tuning out what Griselda was saying to the older years.
I looked over each one curiously, my Occlumency barriers at full. A Leprechaun, a High Elf, and a Vampiress (the magical creature I immediately recognized). While I didn't know much about Leprechauns (apart from seeing them once at the World Quidditch Cup) or High Elves (they'd been extinct in Harry's life, with House Elves as their descendants), I was wary of the Vampiress, and for good reason.
They were fast, extremely dangerous, and were magic feeders. Unlike Blood Vampires, these ones could walk in the sun without the fear of pain or death. They were natural at hunting prey, seduction, and sex. They had their own form of Veela allure that turned their victims into helpless Thrawls. The call could be thrown off like the Imperius Curse if you had a strong enough mind for it.
It's funny though, as this Vampiress's outfit bore a striking resemblance to Carmen Sandiego.
The rest, I'm assuming were fairies or retired Specialists, wizards, sorcerers, or Paladins (etc., etc., you get the point).
A rather well-built man in a red vest & purple pants with purple bangs & spiky hair, half-oval glasses, & a small goatee.
An extremely young fairy--likely just turning eighteen or nineteen--with auburn hair in the tightest bun, indigo-blue eyes, cute rimmed glasses, a sky blue leotard, light pink tutu, silver ballet slippers, ribbon around her tiny wrist, and fake wings on her back.
A balding man with hair on the sides of his head. He had sideburns and a small facial beard in ginger. He wore round glasses (kinda like the ones Harry Potter wore) and wore brown robes with multiple pockets--one had a leaf of some sort hanging out. His shoes looked similar to dress shoes except for the fact that they were flat at the ends. He wore a white shirt underneath (the robes were slightly parted), and gardening pants.
A woman with curly pink hair, round glasses, knee-high blue-grey boots, a skirt that fit around her hips down to her knees like an upside-down tulip, & a long-sleeve button-up light gray shirt underneath a blue vest.
A woman with strawberry blonde hair pulled into a tight bun, the prettiest cerulean blue eyes, pale skin, a white nurse outfit that came down to her mid-thighs, and white pumps.
Lastly was a man with a rather large belly (that instantly reminded me of Slughorn) blue-black hair, another small goatee, a thin handlebar mustache, a white chef's hat, shirt, apron, & dark blue pants.
Seriously, I would be very concerned if this was all the staff at Alfea. I hope they have an army of house elves stashed away somewhere. Judging by the appearance of three of them, they have to be a chef, a librarian, and a nurse, which means that the other six are teachers. With two hundred and forty students attending?
I'm unsure if I should call this institution understaffed, underfunded, or short-sighted.
Ms. Griselda had moved on, her lecture taking her right to the newest generation as she paced, much to the other professors' and staff's amusement.
"--is school will be your home for the next three to five years. However, this home can cease to be yours at any moment. The rules of this institution are based on discipline."
Her eyes roamed over each of our faces, and I was noticing more of Snape in her at this moment than McGonagall. "Disregard these rules, and I'll personally escort you to the front gate." she punctuated by pointing in the direction of the exit.
"This is not a magician's school. You're not here to learn 'hocus-pocus'." I almost snorted, that's exactly what Vernon said to Hagrid when the half-giant came to pick up Harry.
"The first rule of our code of behavior is thus: follow all the rules. Should you break the rules, you will receive two penalties. The first offense will earn you a week of detention, and the second will earn you a month's worth. A third will see your magic bound outside of classes."
Wait, our magic would be bound? That seems extreme, even by Hogwart's standards. And people got injured there every year. Fortunately, I knew the theory and practice of breaking a block on your magic. And guess what? It required Occlumency, which I have finally mastered (seriously, it should not have taken me two lives).
"The fourth offense will see you suspended while a committee board reviews your case. And a fifth offense will see to your immediate dismissal and expulsion, isn't that right Ms. Sol!" She turned to the rest of us. "Last year she destroyed the potions laboratory performing unauthorized magic after curfew."
Beside me, Stella flinched. "All I was trying to do was make a potion to unlock my Charmix," she muttered under her breath, though I heard her. "Instead, all I made was a new shade of pink."
The woman took a deep breath before continuing. "This brings me to the second rule, no magic in the hallways, or outside of class. Any fairy who initiates a fight in the halls, or beyond these walls while attending will be harshly punished."
"And in light of last year's prank--", here she glared at two ginger-haired twins with matching freckles & brown eyes in the 'Charming Generation' (the Weasley twins reincarnated?), "--I am required to repeat. If you use any type of magic on a fellow student without their permission, whether harmful or not, you will receive both the first and second offense."
"While you will not be turned into frogs anymore--", I blinked. I'm sorry, could you repeat that? "--you will have two weeks of detention with me!" she looked over us all again, who were silent and still as stone. "I pray that you do not give me the reason or incentive to do so."
"Rule three: classes are mandatory. Unless you suddenly fall ill with Wing Rust or are comatose in the infirmary, I expect you to attend each and every single one of your classes. Tardiness is tolerated only once per class or with an excusable note from the authority figure that held you back. After that, you will receive a night of detention with whichever staff or professor is available, so do be punctual."
Seems rather...harsh and uptight with the rules. I couldn't really object, at least there weren't moving staircases.
"Rule four: outside of learning hours, or specific instruction, all classrooms, laboratories, and the simulator is off-limits. If you are caught in one when you shouldn't be, expect to receive a night of detention with whoever is available."
"Our fifth rule relates to the matter of male company." That prompted some giggling, not just from my generation, but also from the older years. Sounds like an annual issue.
Griselda cleared her throat, which silenced everyone. "I would like to remind you all that boys from Magi School for Forgers, Malacoy Paladion Academy for Paladins and Wizards, Oskuria College for Sorcerers, Red Fountain for Specialists of Heroics and Bravery, Beta Academy for the Ambitious and Cutthroat, or any other school, institution, or realm are not welcome at Alfea unless they have been invited by our headmistress or given permission by both their headmasters and our headmistress."
I overheard a girl two seats down from me mutter, "Griselda is more uptight than my mom."
Judging by some of the looks exchanged, I could tell that that rule was going to be ignored. And broken a lot. I didn't care--I wasn't in the mood to get looked at by hot-blooded males. Or fought over like hungry dogs competing for a slab of meat.
My mind unhelpfully flashed the image of long blonde hair, a strong jaw, aristocratic cheekbones, and vivid blue eyes in my head. I blinked and shook my head.
"The sixth rule relates to your behavior outside of our walls." Griselda adjusted her glasses. "While you are only required to be present in the school for classes, specific mealtimes, and certain days, you have a duty to represent the best of Alfea. Any actions you take will be reflected upon our school, and any actions that blacken our good name and reputation will be responded to with immediate disciplinary action."
She cleared her throat when fairies started to mutter before she continued. "That means that you are prohibited from going to any club, nightclub, bar, or host clubs! I do not care what its name is, or what kind of magical creatures work there, you are not allowed to visit! No selling or using drugs, alcoholic beverages, makeup, or graphic items, and especially no thefts of any kind! There is to be no mistreatment of other students, nor will I tolerate any weapons that you bring onto campus unless the school comes under siege."
That last statement made me pause. Had Alfea been attacked in the past? How safe really was this school?
Stella leaned over to my ear. "And lastly, stay away from the witches of Cloud Tower." she quietly giggled as she mocked Griselda. "Now she's going to say it."
"And our last and final rule: stay away from the witches of Cloud Tower, no matter what." Griselda's lips were set in a thin line as she looked over us all for the hundredth time. "We don't have a punishment for that, as nothing that we could do would be as terrible as what they would do to you if they catch you there." The seriousness of her words only added to the sternness of her gaze.
I didn't gulp, although many fairies around us did. Stella just smirked and rolled her eyes. Personally, I couldn't care too much about the 'evil witches'. Like seriously, they were children compared to what I've faced and experienced. That's not to say that I won't be on my guard, but I doubt that these teenagers and young women could compare to say...Voldemort. Or Grindlewald (seriously, that fucker was harder to put down than Delphi and Voldemort combined, and he didn't have any Horcruxes).
The doors opened and Headmistress Dowling walked in with her arms behind her back, a grandmotherly smile on her face. "Sorry I'm late, I do hope you all will excuse me."
Griselda turned. "Please stand and applaud your new headmistress, Headmistress Dowling. Attention!"
I rose and clapped with the rest of the fairies, some of whom were whispering and pointing excitedly.
Dowling chuckled. "Really, there is no need to be so formal." she turned and gave us all a warm smile. "I do hope Ms. Griselda hasn't frightened you off."
The teachers and staff were divided until the headmistress was center stage. "First of all, to our senior and older years, welcome back. To all our new students, welcome to Alfea. I will be your headmistress, however, do not be frightened to drop by and ask questions during office hours." she smiled brightly at us all.
"As our lovely Deputy Headmistress, Head of Discipline, and Defense professor has explained--", that explains why she has a stick up her ass, Griselda's taking on too much at once, "--this will be your new home for the next few years as you learn to master your powers and graduate as Guardian Fairies, true Princesses, become Fairy Godmothers, or Warrior fairies." Dowling's eyes were twinkling as she looked over every face.
"Some of you will rule kingdoms and lead armies. Others will forge powerful relics, rediscover long-lost magic, and will grant wishes. It will be hard work, but I know that everyone here can do it. The staff and I look forward to getting to know each and every one of you, and helping you discover and master your magic, elements, and other abilities." She adjusted her glasses as she studied me before moving on.
"You have entered a school of magic, where you will learn wonders, gain new experiences, build friendships and bonds, discover love, and find your destinies. Now," she clapped her hands together. "Allow me to introduce to you your professors and the staff of Alfea."
The High Elf stepped up. "This is Professor Palladium." Dowling gestured. "He will be your professor in Magic Invocation, as well as your mid-term exam tester."
The Leprechaun stepped up. "This is Professor Wizgiz. He will be your Metamorphosis instructor."
Stella whispered to me, "He's loads of fun. You'll love his class." Hm, maybe I will, maybe I won't.
The Vampiress stepped forward next. Unlike her fellow professors, her eyes weren't roaming the crowd. They were locked onto me, with curiosity and something else in her sharp gaze. I suppressed my shudder, feeling like I was a piece of meat gazed at by a starving man. Or a rat under a microscope. "This is Madam DuFour. She will be your Good Manners professor."
The ballet fairy stepped up next. "This is Ms. Katherine, your dance instructor. While you will not have her until next year's Good Manners 2 course, you do have the option to sign up for her dance club during the second week."
Next was the guy who gave me Professor Sprout vibes. "This is Professor Harvey, your Botany and Potions Professor. While the potions laboratory will be unavailable until next term--", everyone glances at a sour-faced Stella, "--his other course is available to the Charming Generation and the Enchanting Generation."
Up next was the man in the red vest with purple hair. "This is Professor Pikass. He will be teaching a course on building up your reputation, self-confidence, and mastering your public image, available starting next term, along with Magiphilosophy."
Many of the fairies were pointing and whispering again. "Isn't he hot?" I heard a fairy behind me giggle. Her friend was right behind Stella. "Nah, that professor from Malacoy, now he is sex on legs."
"And lastly, but not least, is Alfea's resident staff. Our librarian, Madam Barbatea, our Head of Infirmary & nurse Miss Ofelia, and our Head Chef Monsier Sfogila." As each was named, each stepped forward.
The professors and staff all then moved back in line. Fargonda Dowling turned to the 'Wings Generation'. "I myself will be teaching you all in Magiphysics."
She cleared her throat. "Now that you all know the rules and expectations, and have met the staff, I release you to explore." There was a clamor of noise and movement as fairies began to disembark from the benches.
Griselda clapped loudly, and everyone froze as they turned to her. "So girls, you are free until tomorrow morning. Breakfast will be served in the Great Atrium at seven a.m. Attendance is mandatory. Classes begin at eight o'clock sharp. Do not be late."
"Good luck everyone!" Headmistress Dowling called as we began to move again. "Remember to stay out of restricted areas and your professor's offices without permission, but feel free to explore Magix City and Alfea. Be sure to be back in your dorms before the ten o'clock curfew!"
I turned to go with Stella when Dowling called me. "Bloom! A word, if you please." Stella and I exchanged a look before walking over as some of the girls stopped to look at us curiously.
The school nurse, Ofelia moved to join us. "Ofelia, this is Bloom." Faragonda introduced.
"Hi." I waved shyly. As other magicals left, their auras going with them, the buzzing around me started to lessen. It was like having quiet car alarms coming through a headset, but something that I felt throughout my entire body. It was tiring, let me tell you.
Dowling smiled at me. "Bloom, Ofelia is aware of the magicless environment that you were brought up in. She wants to do a weekly examination during the first month, and then once every month until your body can handle the strain of the ambient magic."
"I don't see an issue with that." I agreed. "Will I be fine to wander around?"
Ofelia's posture didn't change, though her lips thinned as she studied me with cautious concern. I was instantly reminded of Madam Pomphrey. "While I am hesitant to allow you to go and roam--the high concentration of ambient magic will likely hurt and hamper you for several months or longer until your body adapts. That said, I want you to report to me if you ever feel symptoms or experience sudden random illness. This could be a heightened sense of fear, a build-up of fight-or-flight instincts, limb or transformation weakness, or a struggle to conjure up your magic."
She then looked at Stella. "Ms. Sol. If Ms. Peterson ever passes out from the ambient magic overload on her senses, bring her straight to me, no stops."
Stella nodded, rocking on the balls of her feet. "Sure thing, Ms. O."
Ofelia turned back to me. "While I do not have a reason to deny you the right to practice your magic, I caution your use of it. The strain on your body will only become worse the more you channel magic without it adjusting to its surroundings first. Worst case scenario is magical burnout, a feat which I wouldn't wish on anyone."
"I'll keep that in mind." What else needed to be said? Personally, I was just glad that the staff of a magic school was more interested in the protection and health of their students.
"Is that all, Headmistress?" I asked respectfully. She nodded with a knowing smile. "Go and explore Bloom. Ms. Sol, a word?"
Stella joined me after a few minutes--looking rather annoyed & downtrodden--and started walking through the halls at random. "Dowling's the best, although I still dislike Griselda."
"Is she that mean, or just have a rulebook shoved up her arse?" I quietly asked Stella. Her eyes widened and instantly reeled back while quietly snickering. "Oh, Bloom. That's a good one, although I wouldn't say it anywhere near her or a professor."
My lips twitched. "Noted." I turned to her. "So, want to talk about what she just told you?"
Stella sighed tiredly. "She received a call from my father." Then she started ranting about her father, how she needed to testify in front of the Council of Light about both attacks (apparently the last time there was a direct attack on a royal family was fifteen years ago (my family?), and how the other headmasters were in the know about me being from Earth.
I wasn't surprised that things couldn't stay a secret, but it means that I'd have to accelerate my timetable. It wouldn't be long until someone figured out that I was the lost princess of Domino and Keeper of the Dragon Flame. When that time came, I needed every advantage and ally I could get.
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'Brandon' ducked under 'Sky's blade, the rush of air registering in his eardrums. The two of them were training with the rest of their class under Codatorta's watchful eye.
Both boys had been sparring for over five minutes, their hearts pumping, adrenaline energizing their bodies.
'Sky' swung and 'Brandon' parried. Their slashes were perfectly time, and each strike was powerful enough to tear a hole in a wooden structure if it connected.
Each time one of them gave ground, the other would take advantage, only to retreat to avoid falling into a trap, & the cycle renewed.
'Brandon' swung and 'Sky' leaned back before feigning a slash at his head. 'Brandon' moved to avoid it, only to get kicked in the gut by a roundhouse from 'Sky'.
'Brandon' hit the ground, rolled, the jumped up to his feet, bringing his blade high to slam against 'Sky's. Sparks flew as the green and blue blades ground against each other.
Brown eyes met blue, and the contest of wills was over before it began. 'Sky's blade went flying, the green emitter shutting off as it skidded behind him.
'Brandon' pointed the tip of his sword at 'Sky's chest with a grin.
"Excellent work boys." Both sprang and moved to salute as Codatorta appeared out of nowhere. "Fine work indeed, although there are flaws, both of you have improved."
'Sky' and 'Brandon' grinned at each other. "Just don't let it go to your heads."
"Sky!" the muscled man then barked. "You left your right side open to be hit when you overextended yourself on your last strike."
"Brandon! Your footing was slightly off, and had Sky been a bigger man, you would've toppled over." Both boys winced, their smiles were now gone.
Riven smirked at them, ignoring his own sparring partner, which was struggling to get off the ground. Codatorta noticed, and barked, "Riven! Get your ass over here!"
Now upset at being called out, the magenta-haired man walked over, phantoblade resting on his shoulder. "Yes, chief?" he drawled.
"Brandon, let's see if you can teach this peacock some manners!" Cordatorta ordered. 'Brandon' met Riven's gaze, and his eyes narrowed. "Yes, sir."
Riven brandished his blade before doing two wrist swivels. "Come on squire, let's see what you got." he teased.
That was all the encouragement 'Brandon' needed to make the first move. He feigned a slash high before spinning and moving low. Riven anticipated the attack and leaned back before jumping a foot backward. Landing on his feet, he let out a battle cry as he charged. 'Brandon' stepped to the side and sliced at Riven's face.
The man smirked as he parried with ease before unleashing a series of aggressive slashes that forced 'Brandon' to give ground. Sparks flew off of the phanoblades as they clashed again and again.
Each strike made their arms shake from the force of the blows, and unlike Riven, 'Brandon' was already tired from his previous fight. His footing was becoming sloppier, and he knew that Riven would become overconfident.
Riven did notice the apparent weakness and pressed the attack. 'Brandon' avoided a strike, only to get socked in the face by a fist. He stumbled back and Riven moved in for the kill, overextending himself, which he was counting on.
'Brandon' activated his shield at the same time he swung his phantoblade. Riven's sword met his, and his shield slammed into the well-defined chest of the arrogant young man. "Oof!"
Riven toppled over, landing on his back. 'Brandon' moved to slice down, only for Riven to kick his feet out from under him. 'Brandon' landed on his side with a wince, before Riven rose, raising the blade high.
'Brandon's attention was caught by the color of the blade as the sun shined through it. For a moment, it wasn't a vivid magenta, but a fiery red-orange halo...blue sparkles, just like Bloom's hair and her pretty cyan eyes...fair skin...perfect kissable lips...
"BRANDON!" he burst out of the memory to see the magenta blade falling at his face like an executioner's axe falling.
He sprang and shoved all his body weight at Riven. Unexpecting the sudden attack, Riven was knocked down to the ground, phantoblade clattering away as Brandon pinned and held him against the ground, putting enough pressure to dissuade the bigger fighter from moving. "
That's ten seconds. Riven, run ten laps, then shower. Prince Sky, hit the showers. Brandon, a word."
'Brandon' got to his feet, swallowing. Sky tossed a sympathetic look his way before heading to the bunkers. Riven glared at him before starting his run around the track. "Walk with me, son." 'Brandon' knew that it wasn't a request. He fell into step with the older man.
They passed Saul Silva--another trainer--who was lecturing a group of newbies (males and a few females of various ethnicities, realms, and backgrounds) all dressed in black.
"--and so, after your classes--", he pointed a blue phantoblade at the tall structures of Red Fountain, "--you are all mine. And I like the things I own to work well. So you will train, every day." He put emphasis on the last part.
"Find your skill. Hone your skill. And eventually, you will be as good as that guy." He pointed at 'Brandon' as he walked past, and many of them whispered.
"Or that guy." He pointed at 'Sky'. "Prince Sky of Eraklyon had a legacy of admission. But he still showed up on the first day and did the work--"
"Brandon." The blonde young man looked up at Codatorta. "You are one of my prized students. Were it not simply that you refused to be bumped up to fight the rest at your skill level, you'd already be finished here at Red Fountain."
'Brandon' nodded. All of the instructors and professors, plus Headmaster Saladin were aware that he was not Brandon, but rather, that he was the real Prince Sky of Eraklyon, and his squire was pretending to play as him. Not only was it a clever switch, but he was under the Secrecy Program, designed to hide and protect the identities of young heirs to various realms from those who had a hostile rival, or any other coven, enclave, or group that would seek to get back at the throne through their progeny.
"That said, I cannot allow you to regress." 'Brandon's head snapped up. "Sir, I wasn't--"
"I'm not finished yet." Codatorta snapped. His arms were crossed and his bushy eyebrows were twitching. "You hold back when you fight, and in that duel with Riven, you hesitated while you were down. You will not be able to hesitate when someone raises a weapon or a hand imbued with a spell to kill you. You will have to fight, have to kill, if you want to survive."
"It won't happen again," 'Brandon' promised, embarrassed, thoroughly chastised. He couldn't himself as his mind unhelpfully summon up the image of the red-haired beauty and unleash a wave of fire that blasted back the ogre.
The man leaned back. "I hope so." he slapped 'Brandon's shoulder. "Go and shower kid. I'll see you back here tomorrow."
'Brandon' nodded, leaving his phantoblade and shield with the others on the maintenance racks. "So, what could be so interesting that it almost kept Mr. Righteous from finishing the job?"
"Riven." 'Brandon' greeted as he joined him on the walk to the showers.
"Got that girl still in your mind?" Riven asked casually. "I don't blame you. She's got a nice pair of tits. Her ass isn't that bad either."
Back at Alfea, a certain fire fairy suddenly got the inexplicable urge to set magenta hair on fire. And incinerate a dick.
"Don't speak about her that way." 'Brandon' ground out. He was surprised at himself--where had all that anger come from? He's only met her twice, why was he so protective of her?
Riven raised his hands in surrender. "Relax mate. But seriously, what's got you all protective of her?" Seems Mr. Arrogant had used his brain cells today.
'Brandon' sighed as he grabbed a clean towel from the table outside of the showers. "I don't know, there's just something about her."
Riven scoffed as they undressed and moved to separate shower stalls (for privacy since males and females showered together). "What, you're smitten after one chat? Oh wait, that couldn't even be called a chat. It was an eye-fuck, and she looked interested. Did you rub one out thinking of her?"
'Brandon' flushed--though out of embarrassment (for himself and for her) or anger (on behalf of both of them), he couldn't decide. The two men started showering in silence until Riven broke it. "What is it with you and the crazy ones?"
Sky had courted Stella while their parents (really only his, as her parents told her that she could marry for love, so long as it benefitted the kingdom's future interests) decided on marriage contracts. They'd been in love, and just as his father was considering a marriage contract between the two, tragedy struck. Stella's friend Ricki had a bad breakup, and she couldn't reach Stella, so she went to him, as the two had stuck up a friendship.
Stella had come back after another lesson with her mother. He later learned that she had been using negative emotions to fuel her powers, which were toxic to fairies, which was why she reacted when she did when she saw them cuddling together on the couch. She lashed out, her mind not her own. While she felt betrayed by him, her rage at her best friend proved to be deadly. A bright light flashed--so bright that he could see it through closed eyes and with his hands over them--and when it clearly, Ricki was a sobbing wreck on the floor, blind as a bat.
Horrified by the lengths she would go to in a fit of jealousy (until he later learned what she'd endured under her Mother's training to snap like that), Sky had put their relationship on hold. Stella hadn't contacted him, though she had taken time and money to dedicate to Ricki to see if her eyes could be healed. They couldn't.
They officially broke up about a month after the accident, both agreeing that space was needed. Both kept tabs on each other, but neither spoke or interacted. That wasn't until Sky found himself getting a call from Stella. She was out of it, asking him to come pick her up.
He found her at a bar, inebriated (to this day, she still refused to say how she got in the bar, or how she'd been allowed to drink considering that she was clearly underage), and looking the worst he'd ever seen her. Her clothes were unwashed, her hair was a mess, and she had dark rings around her eyes and puffy bags underneath them. He took her back to his dorm and nursed her back to health.
Their interactions after that were more pleasant but both still held some distance. Slowly though, they were starting to reconnect. A year and some months later, they were friends again, although neither of them was as close as they had been. They still told each other things, but there was an awkward space between them that they had been unable to breach.
After that incident, Sky had been put off from dating, at least until he could get into Red Fountain. But then, his father surprised him by privately informing him that a marriage contract had been created. The Princess of Isis--the kingdom on Eraklyon's wealthiest moon--Princess Diaspro was to be wed to him as soon as he finished his schooling at Red Fountain.
Unlike Stella, her jealousy wasn't just obvious, but it was a constant factor. She moved into the palace a week after he was told of the marriage contract and would call him every week that he was in another realm to keep tabs on him.
While their engagement was to be kept a secret until he was out of school, Diaspro demanded that he spend every waking moment of his time with her. She didn't approve of the lingering friendship between him and Stella and had even tried to break it apart in every way she could. Her attempts of saboteur were not just obvious but easily failed.
That had the unintended effect of removing the hurdle that kept Sky and Stella from being true friends again. Diaspro's jealousy knew no limits, and she was obsessed with him. Between her and Stella, Diaspro was the crazy one. Stella had just made a horrible, but honest mistake, and was truly sorry for her actions.
But unlike how the previous relationship ended, Sky couldn't get away from Diaspro. Not without something scandalous happening that would force his father to terminate the contract to save face.
After their first year, King Erendor, Sky's father, and King of Eraklyon had given him permission to inform his other roommates about the swap. Timmy had been smug, while Riven had been annoyed, but now he found it amusing to tease the other every chance he got, knowing that he could get away with it while the real prince was posing as a 'lowly squire'.
'Brandon's head snapped up and he glared at the wall that separated him from Riven. "How do you know she's crazy? You only just met her, but you didn't even talk to her."
"She's a ginge'," Riven said as he scrubbed. "They're all nuts." He paused as he started to rinse again. "Great fucks though."
'Brandon' sighed. "Speaking from experience?" he asked dryly, resigned, as he shut off the water and started toweling off.
"You bet." Riven's tone was smug. Of course, he'd bedded several girls, but he was always careful when doing so. All of the girls he bedded weren't princesses, were of age (seventeen, two years before fairies became fertile), and were virgins.
'Brandon' rolled his eyes in exasperation, not that the playboy could see it.
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"So, I heard some of the other girls mentioning a 'Winx' while we were in the bleachers. What is a 'Winx'?" I asked Stella as we headed up the stairs toward the hall of our apartment, Kiko bouncing on our heels (as I heard dozens of girls gush and point at how cute he was).
Stella talked as we walked. "You learn about Winx over the course of Magiphysics, Defense, and Metamorphosis. I'll try to summarize it for you."
"Winx is essentially broken down into three things." She held up a finger as each was mentioned. "First, Winx is recognizing your magic core and the element of your power. You've technically accomplished that step when you channeled your fire against the Ogre, although you should try and feel for your core, preferably in a classroom or supervised setting. The more you tap into your core, the easier drawing and using magic becomes."
I nodded, it sounded similar enough to Augmency.
Stella held up a second finger. "Second, you have to acknowledge your emotions, positive, and negative. Positive emotions will generate positive energy, which is needed for your fairy transformation. While negative emotions create negative energy, which impairs your ability to transform. You want to release anything related to your negative emotions while funneling all your positive emotions into your magic."
I frowned. Negative as in angry? Because that had only fueled the Dragon Flame. Unless my power of origin was in the grey zone as far as magic was concerned, I just happened to get lucky these last few times.
We stopped outside of our dorm room, where there was now a list tacked up with all our names written in gold. "And thirdly, it's how you transform. A willed process of sorts. Plus, it's kinda your magical identity or signature."
"I think I got all that," I remarked as I sorted the knowledge.
Stella pointed at the list of names. "Our roommates!" Her expression soured as we read the alphabetized list aloud.
Bloom Peterson of Earth,
Stella Sol of Solaria,
Musa Sung of Melody,
Tecna Techne of Zenith,
Flora Vitale of Linphea.
She groaned aloud. "This is horrible."
I turned to her, confused. "Why?"
"We're rooming with girls from Linphea, Melody, and Zenith. Everyone from Melody religiously worships music to the point of sickening fanatics. Their fairies almost always are born with the powers of the mind, and will intrude in yours, listening to your thoughts and viewing your most private memories, regardless of what they claim."
I flinched at the very thought, and double-check my Occlumency barriers. The headmistress must be one as well, and what Stella said kind of fits.
"People from Zenith are insecure, have no humor, and are so out of touch with their emotions that just holding a simple conversation is frustrating beyond belief." Stella shook her head. "It gets to the point where I even want to tear out my own hair."
Sounds like she's actually interacted with Zenithians before.
"The only redeeming dormmate we have is from Linphea. Fairies from Linphea are decent, sweet, and kind. However, they're ridiculously shy and are weird geeks when it comes to anything related to nature."
"So we'll be rooming with a religious fanatic for music, an emotionless human robot, and an insecure flower lover." she summed up.
I scowled at her, shaking my head in disappointment. "By that logic, we should throw in a spoiled & arrogant princess with no regard for rules from Solaria and a clueless girl from a forbidden, magicless planet that faints from being around magic and is a pyromaniac."
I add a little heat to my glare. "Who also happens to be a flower lover."
Stella blushed, embarrassed, before glaring at me though I could tell that there was no real heat behind it. She then eyed me curiously. "Are you a pyromaniac?"
I huffed and rolled my eyes. "The point I'm trying to make is that we shouldn't make assumptions and let the biases we grew up with blind us. Let first impressions speak for themselves. Save the judgment for later, after you've spent a few days around them."
Stella muttered a prayer to someone called 'Arcadia' before nodding at me. She brightened up and put on one of her blinding smiles--which by now I knew were half-fake--and pushed open the door. "Alright. I just hope that they have better wardrobe choices than the roommates I had. Their wardrobe choices were monumental disasters--"
I tuned her out, more interested in the decor of our apartment, which I really didn't get a good look at before. There was our quaint little common room. Plush chairs, a coffee table, an 'L' couch, a four-seater couch, and some wall decorations.
The doors to Stella's room were closed, as was the one that belonged to this 'Tecna' and 'Musa'. The door to my room was open, as was the other, unused room. And the last room had no doors, as it led to a large bathroom, sink, and commune showers. Guess I'd likely be getting an eyeful of the other girls for the remainder of my time here.
"This is my room. It's actually the same one I had last year." Stella pushed open the doors to her room, revealing a big room--at least three times the size of my bedroom.
Against the opposite wall was a King-sized bed with linen & silk sheets with pink closing drapes around the top part of the bed. The headboard alone looked like an expanded part of the couch, and there were at least a dozen pillows on the bed. The walls were golden, orange, pink, and yellow--the colors of sunset, which I felt fit Stella's room nicely.
There were four dressers and two closets (which I suspected were walk-in closets), plus no less than three mirrors. Two makeup tables with stools stood next to each other, and there were two nightstands on either side of the bed. Clearly, Stella had been busy customizing her room during my family's meeting with Headmistress Dowling.
"Wow. You get a big room." I murmured as I looked around. Based on what I knew of Stella since I met her, this room seemed to fit her personality.
She shrugged, before groaning again as she peeked into one of the massive closets. "I wasted two months getting that petition to expand the wardrobe spaces."
I cocked my head and raised a brow. "Why? Isn't this enough space?"
Stella pretended to scoff. "Darling, there's no such thing as too much space. You know you need it when you're likely to buy too many clothes."
I blinked, before shrugging it off. What were you supposed to say to the 'fashion queen' of this generation to change her mind?
I looked around before noticing a distinct lack of bookcases or desks. "Uh, Stella?"
"Hm?" she said while rummaging through the clothes in one of her closets.
"Where are you going to put your books and study?"
Stella waved off my question with a hand. "I study on my bed of course. And the books can stay right where they should be. On the floor."
The way she said that made me think of some tyrant showing mocking mercy to a minority, as though they were being generous for even allowing this some small thing.
"Are you even planning to study?" I asked with some hesitance. Stella sniffed and studied her nails. Seeing that she wasn't going to budge I dropped this line of discussion. "Well, I'm gonna check out my room. Want to come?"
"In a sec. I need to find a place where I can store my jewelry chest," she said. I left her to it, leaving her room and letting the doors shut behind me. The common room was silent, the only sound being my breathing and my soft footsteps as I approached my door. I noticed that there was gold writing on the doors. The jade green door on the left said 'Flora Vitale' in gold cursive while the right one had my name.
'I guess we're roommates'. I thought. I entered mine, glancing around the room, and stopped to stare in mild surprise as I tried to block out the pain. It looked like someone had grabbed one of Fred & George's portable swamps and detonated it in here. And filled it to the brim with magic.
The window between our two beds was covered with small pots filled with various types of flowers. There were vines hanging from the walls, and on the floor and desk around the other bed were more plants. Two of them even had oddly shaped trees.
I stepped forward, only to leap back as I heard a squeal of pain. I looked down and saw that I'd accidentally stepped on a vine, the vine an extension of a potted plant resting on a stool, multiple vines spread out and on the floor. The thing was, this little thing had a mouth and sounded like it was crying.
"Oh! Sorry." I moved closer, unsure of what I could do.
I'd seen a lot of magical plants in Herbology: Devil's Snare, Nymph's Grasp, Venomous Tentacula, Treebeard, and Mandrakes, but nothing like this.
I considered trying to channel some healing magic (something that came to me easier with the Dragon Flame) before deciding against it. At the current rate of control I had over the Dragon Flame, I was just as likely to heal it as I was to set it on fire.
"What happened?" I snapped my head up to see a girl with a stunning tan approach.
She had caramel hair with streaks of honey color on her bangs that fell around her heart-shaped face. Around her neck was a choker made from leaves with a small pink flower under her chin. Her body was curvier than Stella or myself: wider hips, a tiny waist, toned legs, slender shoulders, and at least triple C or D cup breasts. She had a gorgeous flush on her cheeks and her jade eyes reminded me of nature, full and kind.
She wore a pinkish-purple skirt with dark pink strawberries in a random pattern all over. Her light green top--that stretched tight over her breasts--ended just over her diaphragm and left her shoulders bare. Her one-inch heels were the same pinkish-purple as her skirt, and she had a flower attached to a small pink string that went around each of her ankles. She had two gold hooped earrings, and two gold rings around each of her wrists. I will say this as a bisexual girl, she looks absolutely yummy.
"Sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going and I accidentally stepped on the little guy's vine." Usually, it takes a while for me to apologize, and I never apologize to strangers. But, I'm in a new world where I can't out-magic anyone with a wave of my hand. Yet.
Although, I admit there is a certain irony to putting a nature fairy and a fire fairy in the same dorm together.
"I think that it's more of my fault. I brought quite a bit of my home, Linphea with me here," she said as she gestured to all of the flora (no pun, I'm being honest) that was set up.
She looked around sheepishly at all of the plants that she'd set up. "I started unpacking and lost track of time. And space, it seems."
I waved a hand carelessly, keeping an eye on Kiko to ensure that he didn't bite any of Flora's other plants. "It's fine, I don't mind. Although if you wanted to add some more lilies and roses, I wouldn't object. My folks run a flower shop back home that I sometimes work at, so I can claim to have a bit of a green thumb."
The girl gave me a kind smile. "Are you Bloom?"
I nodded. "And you're Flora. We're roommates, right?" She dipped her head slightly.
"So, does this little one have a name?" I asked as I knelt down in front of the strange plant. It didn't have any eyes, but it definitely had a mouth. It was cradling the vine I stepped on with two of its other vines.
Flora smiled at it as a mother smiles at her children. She knelt down at my side before her hand glowed pink and green. I sensed magic and I felt slight pain building in my skull but managed to block it out this time; watching as her magic healed the slight break in the vine.
She tickled the little guy under his chin. It released some cute chirps and giggles. "Not yet. This is my talking plant, although he doesn't talk like you and I do. He's a magical creature that I found abandoned in Magix."
"Let me guess, he speaks to you through some energy or sound wave that only plants and those attuned to plants can pick up on?" I surmised.
Flora's head twisted in my direction with surprise visible on every aspect of her features. "How do you--"
"Where I come from, they have some wild theories on plants, animals, and magic," I said with a smirk.
Actually, it wasn't a theory, but DC Comics lore. Seems that I found Poison Ivy's counterpart here, although she's rather cute, curvy as hell, peaceful to be around, and isn't murderous (that I can tell).
"Where are you from?" she asked me curiously.
I paused. Faragonda hadn't told me that I couldn't say where I'd been raised, but she never gave me permission to say either. "I'll tell if you can keep it a secret."
Flora raised a brow. "It's nothing...bad, is it?"
I shrugged. "Depending on your point of view." I couldn't blame Flora for her sudden look of hesitancy.
I decided to just go for it. "I'm from Earth." Cue the audible gasp. "But, I thought that--" she lowered her voice, "Earth, was a banned topic?"
I snorted. "Earth is my home, I'll talk about the place where I was raised, rules and laws made by old men in ivory towers be damned." Kiko hopped next to her foot and nuzzled her leg, to the other girl's surprise.
Flora cooed at him before looking up at me. "I've never met an Earth fairy before. Are there Earth fairies in your family as well?"
I nodded. My instincts told me that I could trust this girl, despite the fact that we only just met. The last time my gut gave me this kind of nudge was when I met Luna Lovegood. "Technically not my birth family, but yes. My sister and mother are also Earth fairies. Stella--the blonde girl in the dorm across from us--met them already. Kiko, my rabbit familiar is nudging your leg."
"Wow." Flora breathed. She leaned down and Kiko hopped into her hands. She slowly raised him up until she was standing again, and rubbed her cheek against his soft furry one.
I smiled at the adorable moment before turning to my side of the room. I'd unpacked most of my stuff, and Alfea came with furniture already in stock. There was a kind of redwood here that I'd requested, along with draping for around my Queen-sized bed.
"You're the fairy from Earth?"
We turned to see the girl with the pink pixie cut and purple & green top & matching pants. She was pale, like me, and her eyes were a lighter shade of blue. I could only nod dumbly.
"Earth was a banned topic, decreed by the Council of Light nineteen years, six months, twelve days, twenty hours, thirty-six minutes, and forty-two seconds ago." I'm going to assume by the total monotone, the almost text-to-speech response that this was Tecna.
"You're Tecna." I identified.
"Close. Less emphasis on the 'na', and more on the 'c'", She said. "And you're Bloom, the fairy of a classified realm, with an unknown power. An anomaly."
Flora looked confused. "I looked up everyone's bios when I found out who my roommates were going to be," Tecna explained.
She glanced at me with the gaze of a being who wanted to dissect me. Honestly, it sent a shiver through me, and another followed when she said, "I must analyze you."
My lip twitched. "At least buy me a drink first."
Tecna cocked her head, now puzzled. "Why would I do that? Liquids limit the focus of concentration, which wouldn't benefit a scientist during the duration of the study. It is better to conduct research on a body with an empty stomach."
Seems Stella was right about Zenithians having no humor. And being emotionless. "It was humor."
"Humor is illogical, apart from enhancing a conversation. Why should I partake in it?" Tecna asked.
Seems like nothing here was the same as home. "Earth is nothing like here," I slipped. "No ambient magic, actually, pretty much no magic at all."
The two girl's eyes widened. "Wow." Flora breathed.
Tecna was slightly more alarmed. "You would be suffering the effects of high magic exposure then, wouldn't you?"
Flora stiffened and turned to look at me. I maintained my composure for the most part (that's a lie, I simply slammed up all my Occlumency shields, so that I was blocking out emotion. "Somewhat. I'm fine."
Stella then bounced into our dorm. Apparently, we had an open-door policy. Who knew? "Hey, Bloom! Hi girls! I'm Stella."
The other two girls introduced themselves. I noticed that Stella eyed the pink-haired girl's cloth style with distaste. Tecna turned to her and studied her face. "You seem familiar."
"That's not the word I'd use." We all heard a musical voice call from the common room. Seems that our fifth and last dormmate had arrived. We exited Flora's & my room (it was getting cramped) and found ourselves face-to-face with a petite girl.
She had her black bangs cut short, hanging over her forehead, and the rest of her hair pulled into two bunches that stuck sideways on her head (kinda like the style I used to have as a little girl) with red ribbons. Around her neck, resting on her collarbone was a headset, the kind that you would expect to see a gamer use, minus the adjustable speaker. Over her shoulder was the strap connected to a wooden guitar.
She wore blue cargo pants that looked big on her legs & the bottom of her pants looked to have been rolled up a few times. Her pants were big enough (oversized) that her pink panties were peeking out. She wore maroon shoes with white soles & laces. An armband was around her bicep, and like almost every other girl she wore a modified top that wrapped over one shoulder and concealed the area where her breasts would be (they were small bumps, not even enough to warrant a bra).
Her facial features were a mix of Asian and white European. Her eyes were a deep blue with indigo flecks. If I thought that Tecna's skin was pale, Musa's was even paler. She looked shorter than me, but overall, she looked exotic despite being dressed like a tomboy.
"She's infamous. Stella is the one who destroyed the potions lab." Stella scowled (likely from being outed) as the other girls realized just who she was.
"Next time you decide to blow up a classroom, or better yet, your own room, give us some warning beforehand." Musa teased, her eyes twinkling with laughter. I winced (this was a sore subject), seeing Stella's eyes harden when the other three girls laughed.
"It was an accident," she muttered. Tecna's eyes sharpened. "An accident that got you expelled? How did you get readmitted?"
Stella shrugged. "To be truthful, they couldn't do without someone as beautiful as me." Cue her pretending to swoon.
"Negative," Tecna replied. "While you radiate beauty on a scale that is attractive by Solarian standards, Bloom here has a well-balanced and developed figure with a well-defined feminine voice pitch. By Zenithian standards, her beauty would outdo yours."
Stella scowled before pretending to faint, clutching her heart (doing all of this while moving as gracefully as a princess of her station, mind you). Musa rolled her eyes. "To be that dramatic, you'd have to be from Solaria."
"And you're from Melody." Stella shot back. I blinked at the sudden hostility between the two girls.
"There is tension between you two." It was actually Tecna who spoke. "High emotions due to a history of brutal warfare orchestrated from the subjugation and occupation over trade and music restrictions imposed by Solaria on Melody four and three-quarter centuries ago."
I huffed. "Please tell me that you both aren't going to fight over something that happened at least six generations ago."
Flora stepped forward, glancing between the blonde and pig-tailed girl nervously. I get the impression that she didn't do well in negatively-charged environments. "I agree with Bloom. Can we, not all get along? We are here to learn, to make friends, and to grow as Headmistress Dowling said. Do our backgrounds and history truly matter over making peace?"
"Not to mention that we'll all be living together for the next quarter to half a decade." I pointed out. "Fighting is only going to make you two angry, and the rest of us miserable. Can we put aside our differences and judgments? Or at least, work to be civil with each other?"
Both girls mumbled their agreement, but I could see that both girls were still unhappy to be in each other's presence. "I cannot comprehend why anyone would get upset over a historical fact," Tecna commented.
Despite myself, I grinned. "Don't worry Tecna. We all have at least three years to get to know each other and become good friends. We'll teach you how to get in tune with your emotions soon enough."
Tecna blinked, while Musa and Stella glared at each other, crossed their arms, turned their backs to each other, raised their heads into the air, and said, "Doubt it." at the same time. It was rather comical how it happened.
Timidly, Flora made a suggestion. "Why don't we all eat out in Magix? Get to know each other better?"
"I'm down," I said. When the other girls looked at me strangely, I elaborated, "Sorry. Earth slang. It means that I'm willing to do it."
The other girls all 'ah'ed at the same time. "Are you sure Bloom? Magic will be in a higher concentration in the city." Stella looked concerned again. I was amazed at how quickly she could go from holding prejudice against a group to turning into a mother hen for a lost girl.
"If I can walk through the gates of Alfea, I can take a stroll in Magix," I argued. "Besides, I've never been there before."
Stella looked unconvinced. "I don't think that Headmistress Faragonda or Ofelia will be happy--"
"Come on Stella! Where's the girl who breaks school rules?" I teased. "The one who kicked a you-know-what in the face?"
She huffed, though her cheeks turned pink. Our new roommates looked at us, confused. "Fine. But if we're all going to Magix, we must be presentable." Then she vanished into our room, and we all had the same feeling of dread.