The office seemed relatively normal. Big bookshelves lined both of the walls and there wasn't a single space vacant. Both were filled to the ceiling with fat, bulgy books and I couldn't help but be curious about the content inside of them. On the opposite side of the room was a big oak desk, with two simple chairs in front of it. Miss Faragonda stood with her arms tucked behind her back as she observed the students below. That entire wall was made of glass, allowing view of the entire campus below.
"umm," I started awkwardly as I made my way towards her desk. "I believe Daphne sent me to get instructions..."
She looked around once more before sitting in her chair. "Yes, your sister told me all about you Bloom. You're very special," she stated.
"Thank you..." I chuckled.
Miss Faragonda opened a drawer in her desk and took a paper out. "I scheduled for you to take a freshman class, so you know how everything works around here. You're going to the Potionology class."
I took the paper from her and skimmed through the content. "Cool... When does it start?" I asked.
She looked up to the wall behind me. "In half an hour," she said.
"Thank you," I said as I stood up, but when I made my way towards the door, her words stopped me.
"Do you know about the company of light, my dear?"
I gulped and nodded, before turning around. Daphne had told me about the company of light when she showed me what had happened to my parents in Domino. They were the group my parents were a part of, who fought the Ancestral Witches.
"Yes, I'm very well associated with it," I said.
"Did you know that I was in it?" she responded.
Any coherent thoughts died out in my mind when I heard her. It just didn't seem possible that this frail, aged head mistress fought such strong wars next to my... parents.
Miss Faragonda was waiting for an answer, but all she got was a stunned expression for me. Taking my silence for a lack of an answer, she nodded and turned to a book on top of her desk.
"I was there in the battle of Domino... I'm so sorry for your parents' loss. It must be a burden not being able to see them," she apologized, "But even if you do Bloom, I must tell you that you can't despair," she responded with a smile.
I scrunched my eyebrows together in confusion. "How come?"
Miss Faragonda motioned to one of the seats, and I sat once again. With her finger, she summoned one of her many books from the bookshelves and it opened itself in front of me. In it, there were six silhouettes backed up by a gleam of light.
"Legend says, that a new company of light will form and will restore Domino to the place it once was. It's not just a legend, but a prophecy," she said with conviction.
"It's going to happen then?" I gasped.
She nodded. "Yes Bloom. So keep on going with your training and keep on moving forward! You might just be strong enough to be there in its time of fulfillment. Do it, for your sister and your parents," she encouraged me.
Without realizing it, I was already hugging my schedule very tightly against my chest and smiling, smiling a lot more than when I exited that dorm.
"Thank you Miss Faragonda, thank you," I thanked her breathlessly.
"You are more than welcome. Now off to class, you can't be late to your first lesson," Faragonda said, before straightening her posture again and opening the door from her desk.
***
I was guided to a lecture hall, full of whispering and gossiping fairies, who seemed to be really surprised about something. There were four empty seat all the way to the front. It seemed like no one was going to take those, so I sat down quietly.
"Did you hear what happened to professor Palladium this morning?" a girl snickered, leaning forward in her seat and putting her hand on my seat.
I turned to her and shook my head.
She giggled and covered her mouth before speaking again. "They say that the princess of Solaria was messing around with some potions, supposedly trying to create a new shade of pink, and that it exploded all over the west wing! Palladium must have been so mad," the girl giggled before leaning back into her seat. She continued gossiping with the girl next to her.
No more than five minutes later the elvish professor came into the classroom, and, confirming the girl's rumor, walked in completely covered in pink. A collective gasp was heard in the entire classroom, and a girl in the back threw in a surprised 'oh crap!'
"I hope this serves you as a lesson girls! If any of you attempt to do this foolish type of experiment, you'll be responding to me! And immediate punishment will ensue! Am I clear girls!" he boomed.
"Yes, Professor Palladium," responded the class in sync.
"It's a good thing we have a lab. Otherwise i'd be like this for the rest of class..." Palladium muttered before stepping into a small bucket in the corner. As if it were worked by magic, water appeared out of nowhere and washed all the pink out of him. Afterwards, some wind appeared and dried him in mere seconds.
"Now that that's over with," he stepped out of the bucket and straightened his vest, "let's get class started."
He clapped his hands together and looked around the classroom, before his eyes landed on me. "Oh! I see we have a visitor here. I seem to have given off the wrong impression, I apologize. I am Professor Palladium," he introduced himself.
"You girls are lucky this young lady is here. Projects will be due and presented next class. But until then, let's review the basics of Potionology," he addressed the class, earning a happy cheer from all of them.
From there on, he taught everything he could about potions, most of it being addressed towards me. And to tell that I was interested was an understatement; I was completely and utterly entranced by all the science and the magic that involved Potionology. The teacher made sure to demonstrate and explain everything, and I took it in as if it was any regular earth class.
"Now, you must always know how important it is to thoroughly follow instructions. In things as delicate as potions, any little mistake cannot be allowed. Why? Take today's incident for example." He was pacing back and forth in the room, with his hands behind his back, only occasionally bringing them forward to motion anything he described.
"Something as small as an extra drop of an ingredient can affect the entire outcome of the potion. Let me do a small demonstration on this mannequin," he said before getting behind the table and mixing a couple of ingredients.
"This potion is supposed to change skin color. Simple, right? Well let's say you were carelessly mixing with your 'girls' and instead of putting 23 drops, you put 22."
He filled the dropper with some red liquid and put twenty two drops into the mix, making it turn lilac purple. He lifted the beaker and showed it around before completely dropping it on the dummy, and instead of turning purple, its original color got stained with nasty brown colors.
"A volunteer, please," Professor Palladium petitioned as he prepared a new mix.
"I'll do it Professor," said some random girl and she used a spell to make the dummy disappear and a new one took its place.
"Now, I'll put 23 drops instead."
He proceeded to do the same with the new dummy, but this time it turned to a beautiful Lilac purple instead.
"This was an intended mistake, a small one at that, but know that if this happens with anything else, the result could be catastrophic. Take it as a serious warning," he emphasized.
With a flick of the wrist, all the instruments flew from his table and inside the storage. No one seemed fazed about it, they were surely used to it, but my eyes widened at the action. I was used to the teacher making the students clean and put away the beakers after a science experiment on earth.
Professor Palladium checked his watch and clapped his hands once again. "There's one minute left so, girls, remember your projects are due next class and don't try any shenanigans please, it'll save me a big headache."
The bell rang.
"Class is dismissed."
Immediately, all the girls started putting on bags and leaving the classroom in bunches, as expected of our generation. But instead, I stood and made my way towards the teacher, who greeted me with a polite smile.
"Welcome, I take it you're a new student?"
I nodded. "Yes, I'm bloom. I was just visiting, seeing how things are. I might enroll in a couple of years," I responded.
"Why not now?"
His question startled me and I started stammering, not sure on how to answer him. I didn't know how to explain all about earth and Daphne and my training and...
"It's okay, you don't have to answer, this isn't a test," the professor answered with a chuckle.
"Oh... yeah," I responded with a nervous laugh.
"Have you gotten your Winx yet by any chance, Bloom?" he asked me as he arranged papers on his desk.
"No sir, I haven't yet. But according to my sister, I seem to show a great amount of power. Almost as much as a freshman student here at Alfea, sir."
Palladium nodded in approval. "Good. Well, we hope to have you here soon Bloom, it was nice to meet you."
"As well, sir."
"Have a nice day."
"As well."
Afterwards, I wandered around the campus, filled with a new kind of energy. I had seen all the classrooms, dined at the cafeteria with some nice girls, and basically breathed in the wonderful, magical aura of the college.
By the time my sister picked me up, I was determined to do something to change my life. I had to get everything together.
I owed it to my family.