Magic Isn't Always Beautiful

The Selection: Day One

Zara and the rest of her fellow first years followed Professor Briar out the door and into the pouring rain. They stopped at the bridge in front of them and then Professor Briar whipped out her wand.

"Immobulus!" Professor Briar said.

At once, the bridge stopped and they were able to get across without the need of balancing, wobbling, and worst of all, possibly falling.

"Damn you Flora," Professor Briar mumbled under her breath.

Zara seemed to be the only one heard the old woman curse the Headmistress. Zara felt almost that Professor Briar would be an ally and friend to Zara if Flora did anything to her. However, Zara couldn't imagine the headmistress hurting one of her students.

Once they made it across the roof and over to the ladder, they decided, carefully placing there feet on each metal pole in the pitch black. Finally, they arrived at the hole in the ceiling. Bright light hit them in the face, peircing their eyes. This made it much easier to climb down the ladder, and Zara was able to stop her hands from shaking.

Still following Professor Briar, they went down a long hallway, until they turned right and climbed up a flight of marble stairs. Once they made it to the top, the had arrived in a large room with no windows, just mirrors surrounding them.

"Welcome to the first day of the Feuincendie selection. People who fail to complete these tasks will be exiled from Beauxbatons. Good luck," Professor Briar said. "If it were up to me this wouldn't be happening, so I'm very sorry. Flora has changed everything."

Everyone looked around at each other. Professors didn't talk about other professors like this, especially the headmistress. This must be a desperate time.

"You will complete three days of selection from 9:07am to 2:07pm. Today will be the day of combat. You will be facing multiple challenges, trying to complete each and every one of them. This will test your bravery to see if you belong in Feuincendie. You will have a lunch break at 12:07 with all the other Manoirs. Good luck," Professor Briar said.

Zara and the first years heard a rattle in a lone cabinet at the end of the long room.

"Your first task will be to face a boggart. For those of you who don't know what that is, it is a creature that takes the form of whatever you fear most. Each of you will have a turn at fighting it. You must drive it back into the cabinet. You must recite the spell Riddikulus and think of the something funny, and your greatest fear will become a target of laughter. But remember, you must defeat it or you will be sent home, with no form of transportation, just your wand and your personal belongings. First up, Penelope Amberstone. You may begin."

Penelope, one of the girls she shared her room with, got up and entered the floor for evaluation. Professor Briar waved her wand at the cabinet and it burst open, revealing a creature that could only be a basilisk. Everyone closed their eyes, not wanting to gaze into the yellow orbs, which would instantly kill you, well, if it was actually a basilisk. Penelope opened her eyes and so did Zara. Then, Penelope pointed her wand and shouted Riddikulus.

The boggart warped into a tail and then a cat. Penelope then waved her wand and the cat ran back into the cabinet.

"Penelope! You have passed!" Professor Briar said approvingly.

One after another, the Feuincendie students completed their task, thank god it wasn't too hard right now. But then, it was Zara's turn, and she was the last one to complete the task.

Zara walked up to the floor and the cabinet burst open. There was a spiral of flesh and blood, and then her father appeared on the floor, but he was dead. Blood began to ooze out of him, causing all the Feuincendie students to turn their heads the other direction in an attempt not to be sick.

"Riddikulus!" Zara shouted.

The boggart spiralled into Flora, who was dancing around in a strange fashion.

The class laughed. Zara waved her wand and the boggart was forced back into the cabinet where it shut behind it. Smoke erupted from the cabinet and she knew that the boggart was finally dead.

For a few more hours, they faced simple challenges like fighting semi-dangerous creatures. Then, it was time for lunch. Zara and the rest of the first years ran out of the room and down to the Dining Room. As they sat down, food appeared in front of them, and they began to eat. Eventually Archer and the rest of his Manoir entered the room.

"Hey Zara!" Archer said.

"Hey! Come sit down with us," Zara said.

The tables had splitted from seven large tables, to many small ones. This must be what it is like for lunch. She wished breakfast was like this, but it was ate in the Mansion.

Together, Zara, Clara, and Archer began to talk. It was clear that this was the start of an amazing friendship between the three of them.

Eventually, it was time to go. It was now 1:07 and they had to go back to their Selection. Once they had made it back to that long hall, it was clear it was going to be a difficult task. There were was one large creature attached to a chain, clearly taken from the gardens. It had a lion's head, a goat's body, a dragon's tail. It was a chimera, a vicious beast from Greece.

Professor Briar began to speak.

"This will be your final task of the day. All of you will fight this Chimera, don't get killed, good luck."

All the students looked at her with wide eyes. This was very dangerous indeed. They weren't prepared so how could they fight it?

"Wands at the ready," Professor Briar said.

Everyone pulled out their wands.

"You may begin."

The chimera that had been pacing turned its head at the first years and lunged. The chain was long enough that it could get to the students and kill. Together, all of the first years casted all the curses that they knew at the beast.

"Stupefy!" Penelope called.

"Confringo!" Clara screamed.

Fire and bright light burd=sted from the two witches wands and slammed into the chimera. It fell to the ground, shaken. But then, it got right back up to its feet.

For at least forty minutes, the students fought the beast with as much power and force as they could.

Finally, they all aimed their wands at the beast and shouted one curse.

"Reducto!"

Zara watched as light burst out of her wand and slammed into the Chimera. Seven flashes of light hit the beast at the same time as Zara's spell. The chimera slumped to the ground, dead. The first day of The Selection was over. So far, no one had been exiled yet. Well, at least in Feuincendie.