Roar, Hiss!

[Pruedence Kidd]

Things were definitely looking up, and Prue was lately in a better mood than she had been in a while. She missed Chastity, but it was hard to miss her too much when she'd been married for years prior to her death. She still wasn't too keen on standing out as much as she did, but there wasn't much else to be done for it. She was already taller than some of the teachers, and she had secrets that didn't seem fair for a twelve year old.

She'd never be anything but different.

For once those difference did not weigh too heavily on her; Prue could not help but smile as she watched Sir Mac chase Lady Fusty around over her head. She was laying on her back on the common room floor near the fire, just existing as a child. The two miniature dragons, a Hebridean Black and a Welsh Green, were her favorite toys, and at the moment she couldn't be more content.

  

[Hieronymus Potgieter]

Things were looking up, indeed! Hiero had not only found his way back to the room where the red house slept--without getting lost on staircases even once!--he had also gotten through the portrait-man on his first try! He'd been at this new school exactly a week, and this was the first time he'd come away so lucky. Maybe he was finally figuring things out here! With that thought in mind, he nearly strutted into the room they called the Common Room. He didn't know why they called it that, because to him it seemed more of a parlor or a study, but the British were strange in their naming conventions. Hiero still couldn't remember the name of the red house--or any of the houses--and so he usually just avoided saying them in any conversation.

Upon his arrival in the Common Room (wait! An epiphany! Maybe they called it the Common Room because it was the room the poor students were allowed access to. It would not surprise him if, as a foreigner, Hiero had not been granted access to the nicer, UnCommoner rooms), he looked about and saw the usual boring things; people reading, people studying, people writing papers, people watching tiny dragons...

Struck with an idea, Hiero walked to the bookcase and found a loose piece of paper (maybe someone's homework, but he couldn't be fussed to care) and began to fold it into something vaguely ressembling an eagle. His sisters were better at this, but he was passable; besides, it didn't need to be great. Once he had the basic shape, a flick of his wand did the rest, animating the little bird. Guiding it with his wand, Hiero sent the paper eagle, which was roughly the size of the girl's dragons, flapping quietly in her direction--then, suddenly, he made it swoop towards one of the flying toys, to see what she'd do.

  

[Pruedence Kidd]

Prue barely had time to register that there was a little paper bird flying towards her when Sir Mac spit out a miniature tongue of flame at the offending object. Prue surged up to her full height, batting at the suddenly flaming paper bird.

"Merlin's drawers!" she exclaimed, managing to put out the fire — but ruining the folded bird. Grabbing the toy dragons, she looked around for who could have done something that SILLY!

  

[Hieronymus Potgieter]

A piece of paper catching fire was not exactly what Hiero would consider an emergency. Even he could put out small fires with magic. There were lots of older students in the room if anything did get out of hand, and the staff were only a shout or two away. Really, even if the worst should happen, they were in a tower made of stone--a fire couldn't get far! The girl beneath the dragons was obviously more anxious about that possiblity, though, because her reaction was really priceless. Hiero couldn't help but burst into laughter as she jumped up and started swatting at it. Didn't she have a wand? Why was she using her hand like that? She was quite a spectacle, and between her jumping and batting, and his laughing, a few of the other students had turned their eyes in their direction to see what the fuss was.

Hiero was really the only one laughing--everyone else, who hadn't seen the whole thing, were really more confused than anything else--so he knew it would be fairly obvious to her who had made the little paper bird. The way she was looking around seemed as though she'd want an explanation, but Hiero couldn't think of anything at all to say--especially not in English!--so all he managed was, "Hello."

  

[Pruedence Kidd]

Prue was rather annoyed that she was getting used to being taller than people years older than herself. That was the case with the foreign student who had laughed, and who said hello.

"Hello," she said, her tone reproachful. "Sorry about your bird." She wasn't, not at all, and her tone made that obvious.