what a little baby

Jenna leaned her head from behind the map when she saw us coming down.

"Ah! Finally, you guys came down. Everyone was already leaving for breakfast. Abby already went ahead; she doesn't want to be late for class if we eat too slow. You know how she is, a massive geek when anything related to duelling or battling is involved." She said with a smile as she stood in front of us.

I noticed that Robert seemed to be imagining something and blushed from time to time. The poor fool was completely lost.

We all grouped up and walked out of the tower. The bright sun shone down on our bodies in greeting as the vibrant green grass in the surroundings swayed with the gentle wind. I inhaled a lung full of fresh air and felt alive and full of energy. Beyond the small field of grass, a wall of trees could be seen. The depths quickly faded into complete darkness even while under a bright sun.

Jenna noticed my stare and smiled before leaning in, "we call it nightmare forest. A part of the mountain that stretches almost infinitely within the expanded space of the castle. Magical creatures are everywhere in there. It's incredibly dangerous. But apparently, in order to graduate from school, every student will be sent into the forest and must survive for 3 days. The mortality rate is not high since the teachers are around to make sure nothing incredibly dangerous appears. But there are always some students who die due to carelessness." She said casually.

I was surprised at the revelation. Who knew this school was so intense. But at the same time, it was understandable, from what I had gathered from the notes in the house common room, this school provided top-notch education pertaining to defence against the dark arts and defence in general. Every student who graduates from this school is very versatile in their magic knowledge and can more than definitely defend themselves.

After all, they were exposed to the arena since the start of their first year. And although they would most definitely not face anything incredibly dangerous, from the words of the older girls back in the coffee shop, dragons could be introduced. It was a very impressive curriculum and one that put Hogwarts to utter shame.

"Fascinating, so I assume that nobody is allowed inside?" I asked. Percival shook his head this time, "Nah man, this school is very laid back with its students. They are given strict warnings and are educated on the dangers. But nobody will stop you from going in there. After all, fortune goes hand in hand with danger. Who knows what's in that forest?" He explained.

I was stunned, no restrictions? This school was insane!

"How is this school still standing? Parents would have complained due to the mortality rate, wouldn't they?" I asked

Jenna laughed, "Nope because all students are forced to sign a contract that absolves the school of any liability during our first class in the first year. You'll probably be asked to sign in shortly when class starts. But in any case, the school has provided the students with all the tools and knowledge. The rest is in our hands." She said

I frowned slightly, "what about those who don't want to sign it?" I asked.

Percival shrugged, "Adios amigo, back the way you came." He said with a chuckle. I understood, either you sign, or you leave. Although tyrannical, it was something this school had all the power to do since they monopolised the magical education in America.

"Why? Do you not want to sign?" he asked casually.

"Ha! Nah I have no problem with signing. I was just curious to know how the school solved the problem." I answered equally as causally. I could burn the whole forest down if I wanted to. My flames eat anything they touch and cannot be extinguished unless I will them to. So, there was no threat whatsoever from this forest.

Our idle conversation continued as we descended the steps until we reached the small stadium we had entered from. It didn't have a roof, so the sun shone directly on the grass that plagued the floor. Inside, I saw the majestic thunderbird statues that adorned the stadium. Several small stages were placed evenly around the stadium floor. Each had a door in the middle with a plaque on the door.

____

Library

Cafeteria

Main Castle

Arena

Quidditch stadium

Pool area

____

As I looked at the names on all the doors, I understood that the school made it simple for the students to access anything that required a lot of walking. Since the expanded area was massive and the castle was huge. The extra areas such as the arena and quidditch stadium would be placed pretty far away. This way, it made it much easier.

There was the main castle door which probably contained all the classrooms for all the students. I assumed that the cafeteria and library were in the castle too, but it gave the students who were leaving their houses an easier and faster access point. Something I knew Hermione would drool over.

And finally, the last door, 'pool area'. I looked at it with a puzzled expression. Percival noticed it and smiled.

"We learn to deal with the open ocean. Since most wizards are incompetent when it comes to dealing with the non-Maj, and can therefore not use planes, they are taught how to deal with the oceanic environment. The pools recreate the sensation of being in the middle of the ocean. We learn how to use relevant spells and charms to save our life in the event that we fall off our brooms or have an accident. Since we don't have an established connection point with other countries, we are forced to do it the old way. That's why most people refrain from travelling. Only those who are accustomed to the non-Maj ways can travel a lot. Travelling by broom to another continent would simply be a nightmare. Something very few have the courage to do " he explained.

But I instantly dreaded that door. Under no circumstances will I step through that door. The image of that hideous, creepy, scary and nightmarish monster coming from the depths made me shake slightly. Percival's eyes widened when he saw me acting like this. He then looked at the door and then back at me with a massive grin that threatened to split his skin.

"Who knew the great Thomas Knight was scared of water. What a little baabyyy," He mocked while nudging me on the arm before running through the cafeteria door. I glared at his back which made him run faster. I took one last look at the pool door and quickly followed after Percival.