To the Opening Ceremonies

You do your best to stay upright in the hurly-burly of the entrance hall. Boarbristle's students stream in by ones and twos and fives, pressing through the doors and toward the refreshment tables. The students, in their robes of black or brown or red or green, the first-years wide-eyed, the returning students avid, voices raised, echoing off the stone-arched walls and ceiling as they greet their friends. If this isn't the best place to restore your equilibrium, it's certainly good at impressing you with the liveliness of the place as well as the venerable age of the academy.

Students stuff their faces with little jam tarts, or shortbreads, or petits-fours; though each petit-four is iced like a wrapped present, and opens to a surprise when bitten into. There's much laughter over these -- ones that open to little golden birds that chirp and fly round the room, or glowing moths scattering glitter, or transparent green frogs of mint jelly. Some open to candied versions of wizard's tools -- wand, cup, knife, and sigil-board -- and a few, to another petit-four a tiny bit smaller.

Beyond the entrance hall is the grand hall, used for celebrations and banquets and assemblies of the whole school. You join a growing cluster under the Green Dragon banner of House Draconis. The House's patron symbol looks down upon you all with affirmation: you have chosen the path of Significance, of doing that which is important. The whole school looks to your House as leaders.

Not everyone is assembled perfectly under their banners. The red and brown robes of Leontes and Beavertail seem to be more mixed amongst the rest, while Minerval's black is mostly a great shadowy cluster unto itself. Well, to each their own. The paths of Valour, of Perseverance, or of Obsessive Cleverness are better matches for some.

"Godwyne!" you hear. "Good on you, you dodged the Tarn!"

You look round with a smile to see your big sister Anastasia. You still have hope that you'll follow your father in attaining your full height late, but for now, you're looking up to Anastasia in every way, including simple height. Flanking Anastasia are two of her classmates in Draconis green. Not as tall as Anastasia, at least.

"Lilith, Zara, this is my brother Godwyne I've been telling you about," Anastasia says. "We have a chance now against Leontes on broom!"

You feel your cheeks color. Though the praise is warranted, you'll allow, you still feel a bit off-balance from bearding that rude upperclassman, Fredrick Hasdrubal. You slip easily into your well-practiced charm.

"So pleased to meet you," you say, bowing to Lilith and Zara. "I hope my sister has only been telling you good things about me."

Lilith smiles broadly. "Well, I suppose we can put that to the test," she says. She holds her smile for a moment, then clarifies. "At broom practice, of course," she adds with a laugh.

"Lilith, be good," Anastasia says.

Zara inclines her head. "And to meet you, Godwyne," she says. She searches your eyes, then looks sidelong to Anastasia. "You didn't tell us everything, I see."

"Well, you're a diviner," Anastasia says, "I'd expect you see things I don't."

Zara gives you a little smile and bats her eyelashes. "Indeed," she says.

There's a roll of unseen drums and a blast of trumpets. The Headmistress, your Housemistress, Pernilla Porcinilla, steps forth at the head of the room. Her round, fleshy face, short nose and generous curves support the rumor that her affectionate nickname among the students is "Mistress Piggy."

"WELCOME, WELCOME!" she cries out. "WELCOME to the FOUR-HUNDRED-TWENTY-FIRST YEAR of the BOARBRISTLE ACADEMY of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY!"

There follows a brief discourse on the founding of the Academy, its notable graduates, its good and bad years, leading up to the accession of the Headmistress.

"And I say, that upon the ELEVENTH YEAR of my HEADMISTRESSSHIP, the BOARBRISTLE ACADEMY of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY has NEVER BEEN GRANDER!"

You can hardly argue with that, as far as appearances are concerned.

You nod along through speeches from the Housemasters of Leontes and of Minerval, and the Housemistress of Beavertail. You brighten on hearing that broom polo try-outs will be starting directly next week, but that the field is open immediately for individual broom practice.

"And LAST," the Headmistress says, "I have a WORD of CAUTION from the WARDRESS," she says. "Please give your ATTENTION to EURYALE, WARDRESS of MINERVAL, who is also WARDRESS for the ACADEMY."

A gaunt figure, robed, hooded, and veiled, steps up to the lectern, taking the place of the Headmistress, and begins to speak. Her hood undulates peculiarly as if her hair rests uneasily upon her head. A little greyish-brown snake head peeps from under the veil, then withdraws, and another on the other side. Perhaps Euryale has excellent reason to go hooded and veiled.

After it's clear that the Wardress is inaudible, the Headmistress lifts her wand. "AMPLIFICATIO", she intones.

"Students of Boarbristle," comes a low dry voice, audible with the help of the Headmistress' spell. "In light of the events of last term, I am compelled as part of the responsibilities of my office to give you a strong and specific caution, so that they will not be repeated."

You have 1 XP, a Consequence (Embarrassed), and an ENEMY (Fredrick Hasdrubal of Leontes).