It was a Wednesday morning, and the common room seemed busier than ever. Since they only had two classes that day, Arya had slept in more than usual. Still drowsy, she stumbled down the dormitory stairs while slipping on her robes. The weather was quite pleasant that day—no sign of cold winds, and the sun beamed proudly in the sky.
Their first class was Herbology. Arya followed the Slytherin students. Herbology was one of the most important subjects at Ilvermorny, though it seemed Hogwarts didn't treat it as seriously. When they reached the greenhouse, Ravenclaw students had already taken their places. Arya spotted Rosata and found a spot near her.
Professor Longbottom entered—a tall man with short black hair who looked younger than most professors. Arya knew he had participated in the Battle of Hogwarts. Holding a pale cactus-like plant in his hands, he said:
"Hello, everyone. Welcome to your first Herbology class of the new term. You all know this year is a crucial one, so please listen very carefully to what I say."
He introduced the plant:
- the White Cactus. A very rare species, its rarity was due to the fact that its growth takes between 100 to 500 years. Most don't survive to full maturity, which made them incredibly scarce.
Smiling, he added:
"Luckily, thanks to some special arrangements this year, we've managed to get a few. But because we only have a limited number, you'll need to wait your turn to work with them."
Arya glanced at Rosata, who was furiously taking notes. Arya grabbed her own quill, intending to copy from her. But Professor Longbottom caught her in the act and said:
"Miss Calderon, please don't take notes—just listen to me for now."
Arya put her quill down.
The professor continued, explaining that the white cactus secreted a vital fluid called Ziasta, which was extremely important for nullifying dark curses and keeping creatures alive. Though it couldn't prevent death, it could delay it.
He showed the cactus, pointing out the blue veins along its body.
"Alright, pair up. Each pair will extract the fluid and store it in a bottle."
Rosata was clearly disgusted by the sticky fluid, and Arya saw the revulsion in her eyes. Nevertheless, they managed to extract the thick white liquid and bottle it. It shimmered in the vial and was evidently valuable for combating dark magic. Tempted to keep some for herself, Arya resisted—better not to get into trouble so early in the year.
After class, Arya separated from the others to head to Ancient Spellwork.
Meanwhile, Albus and Scorpius had already arrived at the Great Hall, having just come from Care of Magical Creatures with Professor Turing, who was teaching them about Manticore handling. Scorpius grew worried:
"Arya still hasn't shown up. Do you think she's lost in the castle again? Maybe we should go look for her."
Albus replied lazily:
"I'm sure she's fine. She can always ask the portraits for help—if they let her, that is."
Scorpius, not waiting for Albus, stood up. "I'm going, with or without you. The Ancient Spellwork classroom is in the North Tower, and it's hard to find."
Albus sighed. "Alright, I'll come. But I bet even if we help her, she won't thank us."
Just as they were about to leave the entrance hall, they heard a voice.
"Scorpius!"
He turned. It was Rose Weasley, who approached them, blushing slightly.
"I wanted to tell you something—about Hogsmeade..."
Scorpius exchanged a glance with Albus and said, "You go on ahead. I'll catch up in a few minutes."
Albus smirked and walked away. He always found the idea of a Malfoy-Weasley friendship amusing—especially since even their grandfathers had been enemies.
Albus searched the North Tower twice but found no one. He figured she must've returned to the common room or maybe gotten lost again.
Then he heard something unusual from the second-floor girls' bathroom. Curious, he stepped in and was stunned.
The room was damp and smelled musty. Arya was sitting on the floor with chalk in her hand, drawing a complex circular design. Intricate patterns spiraled inward to a single point.
"What are you doing here? I've been searching the whole castle for you."
"Really? Why?"
"Scorpius thought you got lost again."
Arya smiled and pointed to the circle proudly.
"I was designing this."
"What is it?"
"A wizard tracker."
"A wizard tracker?"
"Yeah. Imagine you're working for the Ministry and trying to find a fugitive hiding in a Muggle area. How do you track them?"
"Magic leaves a trace," Albus said confidently. "There's always the foe-glass too."
"But what if it's a very powerful wizard who knows every trick in the book? Then this comes in handy. It pinpoints hidden magical presences, even if they're shapeshifted."
"But what if the person is hiding among other wizards?"
Arya thought for a moment. "Most criminals don't hide in crowds of wizards—it's risky. But even if they do, this tracker highlights concealed magical signatures."
Albus leaned in. "And how exactly do you plan to build it?"
"I don't know yet. I've embedded a foe-glass and a magical jammer in the design... but something's still missing."
"So this is something you got from Muggle tech?"
"Yeah. You know, Muggles have gadgets that do similar things—tracking, locating objects."
"My grandfather loves Muggle inventions too," Albus said.
Arya ignored that. "I've always wanted to work in MACUSA's Magical Innovations Division. But most of my experiments don't work out. Once, I tried making a wand protector... ended up snapping my wand in half. Got suspended for a few days."
Albus chuckled. He admired her. Last year, he and Scorpius had nearly endangered the entire wizarding world with a Time-Turner—not his proudest moment.
"So, Ilvermorny had its own challenges, huh?"
"Definitely. But everyone there was a true wizard. Not like Hogwarts..."
Albus frowned. "So you think Ilvermorny is better than Hogwarts? Prove it."
She narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean?"
"I mean—let's duel." He pulled out his wand.
Arya smirked. "I'm not dueling you."
"Why not?"
"Because you're way weaker than me!"
"Try proving that."
After a pause, she said, "Fine," and drew her wand.
They bowed, stepped back—and Arya shouted: "Expelliarmus!"
Albus dodged and responded, "Stupefy!"
Arya blocked it. She decided to switch to nonverbal spells for faster reactions.
She focused: Impedimenta!
Albus ducked behind a stall.
They kept casting for several minutes, each hiding behind bathroom stalls, panting from the effort. Arya's hands were sweaty. It surprised her that Albus hadn't lost yet—he was stronger than she thought.
Then she noticed something: Albus was pinned behind a stall. She gathered her strength, aimed at the stalls, and shouted: "Reducto!"
A loud explosion echoed. The doors shattered and collapsed onto Albus.
Arya gasped. "Are you okay?" She rushed to him, panic rising in her chest.
Albus was unharmed, though a small scratch marred his arm. His wand had fallen to the floor. Arya let out a shaky breath, relieved.
"I'm sorry," she said, her voice soft. "Didn't mean to hit you."
Albus smiled, his calm demeanor returning. "I'm fine."
She sighed in relief.
Albus added, "Though technically, you had the advantage. I was cornered by wooden stalls—you had a solid stone wall behind you. We'll need a rematch somewhere open to see who's really stronger."
Arya wasn't listening. Her gaze had shifted—behind Albus stood Professors McGonagall, Salavar, and Weasley, along with a group of curious students peering in.
McGonagall asked, in disbelief:
"Miss Calderon, Mr. Potter—care to explain what happened here?"
Arya froze. McGonagall swiftly instructed:
"Professor Salavar, please escort the students to their dormitories. Tell them nothing's going on. Bill, please fix this mess. You two—follow me."
As Albus went to retrieve his wand, McGonagall called out, "Mr. Potter, bring your wand with you, please."
Arya and Albus followed her nervously. Arya dreaded visiting the headmistress's office for the first time—especially for blowing up part of the school. She wasn't sure what the rules were like here.
At Ilvermorny, she wasn't usually a rulebreaker. But she did have a secret hideout in a basement with two friends. Once, they'd even had to erase a Pukwudgie guard's memory. The thought of that always made her laugh.
"What's so funny?" Albus asked.
"Nothing. Do you think we'll get expelled?"
"Nah. Last year, Scorpius and I used a Time-Turner and we didn't get expelled."
Arya nodded. "Yeah, Scorpius told me. That was reckless."
"Reckless but brave," Albus replied.
They reached McGonagall's office. She sat behind her desk and said, "Alright. Which of you would like to explain what happened?"
Arya said honestly, "We were dueling."
McGonagall frowned. "I do hope you understand a public bathroom is no place for dueling, Miss Calderon."
Albus quickly added, "It wasn't her fault, Professor. I insisted."
"Mr. Potter, your record isn't exactly spotless. I still haven't forgotten your little stunt last year."
Albus opened his mouth to speak, but Arya interrupted: "Actually, Professor, I think the real issue is the building's structural integrity. That ceiling was ancient—it probably needed renovation."
McGonagall was unmoved. "I'm quite confident Hogwarts's architecture isn't the problem. If you had angled your wand lower when shouting Reducto, the ceiling wouldn't have collapsed."
She paused. "Both of your parents will be notified, and as punishment, you're banned from visiting Hogsmeade next time."
"And—fifty points from Slytherin."
Albus sighed, but Arya protested, "But I've never even been to Hogsmeade! This punishment isn't fair."
McGonagall smiled thinly. "Sorry, Miss Calderon—this isn't Ilvermorny."
As they left the office, Arya spotted a silver chest inside McGonagall's half-open cabinet. It had intricate metalwork and a griffin etched onto its lock. She whispered to Albus:
"I've seen that chest before."
"Where?"
"At home."
They said nothing more as they reentered the Slytherin common room.
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Phew, it's been a bit crazy these past few days! Big thanks to everyone who's been reading — I really hope you're enjoying it! And hey, if you drop a comment, it'll give me that extra push to keep going. Pretty please?