Chapter Six: The Journey

During Lily's final month with the Havenwoods, she felt like a ghost. Aunt Marie and George didn't mistreat her, but they didn't acknowledge her either. They went about their days as if Lily were invisible, never speaking to her or even looking in her direction. It was a strange improvement from their previous behavior, but it left Lily feeling lonely and isolated.

Lily kept to her room, with her new cat for company. She had decided to call her Jinx. She lay on her bed reading late into the night. Every night before she went to sleep, Lily ticked off another day on the piece of paper she had pinned to the wall, counting down to September the first.

As the days passed, Lily grew more and more excited for what was to come. She couldn't wait to go to Evermore and learn magic alongside other students just like her. She wondered what her classes would be like, what kind of spells she would learn.

Jinx would often curl up on Lily's lap and purr contentedly as she read her books.

On the last day of August, she thought she had better speak to her aunt and uncle about getting to the station the next day, so she went down to the living room where they were watching a show on television. She cleared her throat to let them know she was there, and Sarah screamed and ran from the room.

"Uncle George?"

George grunted to show he was listening.

"Er—I need to be at the transit tomorrow—to go to Evermore."

He grunted again.

"Would it be all right if you gave me a lift?"

Grunt. She supposed that meant yes.

"Thank you."

She was about to go back upstairs when he actually spoke.

"Where is this school, anyway?"

"I don't know," said Lily, realizing this for the first time.

***

Lily woke at five o'clock the next morning and was too excited and nervous to go back to sleep. She got up and pulled on her jeans because she didn't want to walk into the station in her robes. She checked her list yet again to make sure she had everything she needed, saw that Jinx was shut safely in her cage, and then paced the room, waiting for the Havenwoods to get up. Two hours later, Lily's huge, heavy trunk had been loaded into the car.

They reached the station at half past ten. George dumped her trunk onto a cart and wheeled it into the station for her.

He left without another word. Lily turned and saw them drive away. All three of them were laughing. Her mouth went rather dry. What on earth was she going to do? She was starting to attract a lot of funny looks, because of Jinx.

She wasn't even sure where she was supposed to be. All that her ticket read was to show up at the nearest station yet here she was surrounded by normies and no magical folk in sight.

At that moment a group of people passed just behind her and she caught a few words of what they were saying.

"The portal is over here darling."

As she turned, she saw a portly lady conversing with four young girls, all with strikingly black hair. They each had a large suitcase in tow and a majestic raven perched atop their luggage.

Heart hammering, she pushed her cart after them. They stopped and so did she, just near enough to hear what they were saying.

"Now, where did they leave that portal?" said the mother.

One of the girls spoke up, "I believe it's behind that painting, Mother."

The mother nodded, "Ah, yes. Thank you, Lila."

The group made their way toward a large, ornate painting hanging on the wall. As they approached, the mother whispered an incantation and the painting began to glow with a soft golden light.

Lily stayed a few paces behind out of sight.

The girls and their mother stepped through the portal, disappearing from sight. She hesitated for a moment, unsure if she should follow.

Lily swallowed hard and made a run for the portal as it closed up just as she passed through it.

As she stumbled through the other side, she found herself in a bustling courtyard filled with students, all carrying strange bags and trunks. The girls and their mother were nowhere in sight.

The Castle of Evermore Academy stood tall and proud, gleaming white in the sunlight. Its towers reached toward the sky as if trying to touch the clouds above. The walls were adorned with intricate carvings and beautiful stained-glass windows that shone with an ethereal light. The entrance was guarded by two enormous stone statues of winged lions, their eyes seemingly following the movements of any passerby.

Lily had been hoping that Magnus would pop out any moment. 

Instead Lily stood there while students and their parents rushed up the courtyard and entered the school.

The courtyard was bustling with activity, as students in colorful robes chatted excitedly with their families and hugged goodbye before entering the castle's towering doors.

As Lily approached the entrance, she noticed that the massive wooden doors were intricately carved with images of mythical creatures, their eyes seeming to glow with a mysterious energy. She took a deep breath and stepped inside, the cool air of the castle's interior washing over her.

The entrance hall was just as stunning as the exterior, with soaring ceilings and sparkling crystal chandeliers that cast a glittering light across the marble floors. Lily could see students hurrying off in different directions, some with books clutched tightly in their hands and others with magical objects levitating behind them.

As she turned a corner, she almost collided with a girl about her age who had short, curly brown hair and a friendly smile. "Sorry about that," the girl said, giggling. "I'm Marigold. Are you new here?"

Lily nodded, grateful for the friendly face. "Yes, I just arrived. My name is Lily."

Marigold's eyes widened. "You're the new student everyone's been talking about! Welcome to Evermore Academy."

"Would you like me to show you around?" Marigold asked, and Lily nodded eagerly. As they walked through the castle grounds, Marigold pointed out various sights and shared stories about the history of the academy.

Lily's head was spinning as she took in her new world.

As they passed by a small pond, Lily noticed a group of students gathered around, cheering and clapping. Curious, she approached them with Marigold by her side.

In the middle of the group, two students were engaged in a fierce battle of magic, sparks flying from their wands as they cast spell after spell. The rest of the students watched in awe, shouting encouragement and cheers.

"That's a wizard's duel," Marigold explained, seeing Lily's confusion. "It's one of the ways we practice our magic and learn to control it. Do you want to watch for a bit?"

Lily wanted to stay and find out who would win but she also wanted to explore more as anxiety bubbled up inside of her.

"We better get going to the great hall," Marigold said.

"Great hall?" Lily asked. 

"It's where they get everyone acquainted and go over the rules."

***

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