Off You Go, 1st Years

As soon at is appeared the students were stuffed and sleepy, the Headmistress stood and called all students to their coven towers. She waited a bit longer than normal tonight, Holoč thought. He would have preferred getting everyone off to sleep sooner, but one didn't run the Headmistress.

Pointing to the Prefects he instructed them to take the 2nd Years and up and get them situated, then he called along the 2 1st Years at the table. "Wait . . ." He looked around, realizing he was missing a couple of students. "Oh, yes: they went to the Hospital."

Holoč commanded the students to follow, then readied a Message Charm. "Malibey, Krum; please report to the Atrium. We're going to the Tower."

And with that he joined the other heads in the Atrium.

Kerry waltzed into the Atrium through the main entrance, which he held for Annie. The coven heads and the Headmistress were already there with a collection of 1st Years, but it seemed that they were waiting for others to show. At least I hope they are, he thought as Annie and he walked quickly towards the group. I'd hate to think they're waiting on us.

They fell in next to a girl who looked more scared than Annie had only an hour or so back. Professor Semplen looked to them as they snapped to, but didn't seem upset. "We're here, Professor," Kerry said.

The atrium was buzzing as Annie and Kerry rejoined their coven. There were quite a lot of students, but somehow it was more intimate than it had been at Hogwarts.

She leaned closer to Kerry and whispered, "This is going to be a load of fun."

After the Headmistress gave the command to head off to bed, Holoč turned to his assembled students. "All right, children," he said, "please, follow me." He spun on his heels and began walking north along the corridor that only an hour before Annie and Kerry had been in on their way to the hospital--

This was all traveled territory to Kerry. The four of them--Annie, Professor Holoč, this new, quiet girl, and he--walked quickly down the hallway, with another group right behind them. Kerry knew this area very well, considering only an hour before he was helping Annie down the then-silent hall.

They reached the junction where the stairs to the second floor library met the corridor they'd take outside. Professor Holoč turned left, leaving the other group to go to their right and disappear north down a hall that appeared to be directly under the library. The professor opened the door, and, once more, Kerry and Annie were right back outside in the covered path they'd found only 15 minutes earlier.

But they weren't stopping here. Professor Holoč quickly returned to the head of the group and continued onward to one of the towers itself. He flung open a large door and motioned everyone to step inside.

They entered a circular corridor. Kerry hadn't noticed this when they were outside before, but at that time he had something else on his mind . . . the corridor was high but not very wide, maybe 3 or 4 meters. Directly before then on the inner wall was another door, this one emblazoned with with a snake on a green shield. Professor Holoč opened that door and granted everyone entry.

Inside was a large, open area, with a ceiling probably 20 high. A huge chandelier hung off-center over a grouping of sofas and chairs in the middle of the room, placed not far from a large fireplace. A large stone staircase followed the line of the tower across the room, and Kerry saw, as they walked out from under the overhang, there was another just to his left.

Professor Holoč walked into the room and stood amidst the warm greens of the furniture and sofas. "Children, welcome to your new home. Welcome to Cernunnos."