Concentrate on achieving your GOAL over the next few weeks

The next several weeks are a blur of studying and sleeping and feeding Sapienta and doing your extra studies with Miss Wormwood. While you see your suitemates when you wake and at breakfast time, you're often elsewhere when they're gathering to be sociable.

Even the Housemaster notices. "I'm surprised how we've seemed to have misplaced one of our most conspicuous first-years," Fergus Firetail quips, stroking his beard. "But Miss Wormwood tells me you're working hard. I'm glad you've found an area of study where you have personal interest."

"You shouldn't keep waiting up for me, Rebecca," you tell her late one night, finding her sitting at the study table when you return from the Infirmary. "YOU need your sleep too."

She just looks at you, her cheeks flushed pink. "G-goodnight," she says. She retreats to the bedroom she shares with Marina, quietly closing the door.

Marina disappears for a few days. Rebecca tells you she was in detention for getting caught repeatedly fornicating with Dorothy, Boarbristle's half-giant porter.

"It was the bruises," Rebecca says. She shakes her head. "Dorothy was so sad that Marina got in trouble."

Andrew Saltire keeps up his diligent twice-or-more-daily practice of wanking. Aside from the frequent groans of excitement and release through his door, which you're growing accustomed to, Andrew is a pleasant suitemate, and helps remind you of upcoming assignments and tests. He persists with his kilted Leontes robes in red-and-gold plaid, and laughs off any mockery from other students.

Peter Crisp has a more anxious temperament than your other suitemates, but after the mid-term examinations, he seems much relieved. "Minerva, my sis, she said I did very well," Peter reports.

Rebecca persists in waiting up nights for you and manages to drag you into a couple of late-evening group wanks with Marina. The first time, you throw yourself into it with a will, but the second time, you fall asleep before you get yourself over the top.

And then comes the moment of truth.

"Well, then, Golondrina, let's see how well you've learned," Miss Wormwood says. "Bathe, banish, and prepare a set of doses."

With iron resolve, you fight away the clouds of fatigue and go through every step of preparing the doses in an exacting way, as Miss Wormwood taught you.

"I'm pleased, Golondrina," Miss Wormwood tells you. "You've worked hard and learned a great deal. But I can tell you're tired. Let us talk later about your next object of study. Your Housemaster and Tutor will not be pleased if I exhaust you on lessons they haven't assigned." She lays a strong, sinewy hand on your shoulder. The green snakes growing from her head give you a rippling nod, or bow, or whatever it is they do. "Now go."

Roll to ACHIEVE A GOAL: +DILIGENCE(-1)(+0 Diligence, -2 Moderate Goal, +1 Forward).

⚁⚅ - 1 = 7.

On a 7-9, you ACHIEVE YOUR GOAL. Cross it off and choose one from
Having a GOAL.

• You overextended yourself, got hurt, or got embarrassed. Treat as a 10+ (Success, +1 XP), but take a CONSEQUENCE.

"Wake up, Golondrina," Rebecca says, shaking your shoulder. "Wake up."

"Ah?" you say.

"Time for Conjurations," she says.

You blink. You've fallen asleep at the table in your suite. From the light in the window, it's early afternoon. "Oh," you say.

Rebecca gives an impatient sigh. "Come ON, don't make me late."

Sapienta shifts on your forearm, sensing your wakefulness.

Rebecca looks angry with you in a sort of little-sister way. "Mrs. Travers is giving out the project assignments, you can't just sleep the afternoon away."

You've enjoyed Mrs. Travers' course, particularly her stories of Grand Conjurations, and it's Rebecca's favorite, but Peter has been most anxious about it. Peter had been sitting too close when Mrs. Travers had conjured an air elemental. His robes had been shredded and his notes scattered all over the class. Since then Peter had taken care to sit as far away as possible, lest Mrs. Travers' shining silver clockwork hands should slip and send another conjuration his way.

Mrs. Travers hasn't shared the reason why her hands were no longer her own, staring down any impertinent youth with a eagle-eyed glare from her noble face framed with silvering dark hair.

You rise, brush your hair back from your face, and follow Rebecca to Mrs. Travers' Conjurations class.

Dorothy the Porter, Marina Madeline, Fergus Firetail, and Nurse Wormwood are your FRIENDS and each will freely grant one FAVOR. Your familiar Sapienta also counts as a FRIEND with a FAVOR.

Rebecca Honeybee is your HANGER-ON (-1 to rolls against her) and owes you a FAVOR.

You have 4 XP, -1 AMBITION, +3 BRAVERY, +1 CUNNING, and +0 DILIGENCE.

You have a CONSEQUENCE (Exhausted from Overwork), -1 to all MOVE rolls.

Describe your project for Conjurations and choose a next Move.