Sophia Brandt and the Brooch of Isolt Sayre

The Race

This week's dedication goes out to @katerbate for voting on my other story! Hope you're still reading!

It was a Friday night, and everyone in the Thunderbird common room was jittery with nerves. Saturday was the day of the first event of the Quadrennial Magical Championships--the QMCs, as Sophia and her friends now called it--and no one knew what to expect.

"I heard that there are five sorts of events they like to choose from," Callum said matter-of-factly. Sophia and Rosie leaned forward to hear him from their spots on the floor. "They almost always choose a team event, which makes sense. From there, they decide between an academic, athletic, problem-solving, and magical creatures test."

While Sophia and Noah listened to Callum with fascination, Rosie was less impressed.

"Where are you getting all of this information, Callum?" She asked quizzically. "There's no way your brother knows all of this stuff."

Callum looked almost embarrassed when he replied. "We can all go to the library, Rosie."

Noah broke out in laughter. "You went to the library?"

"What's so wrong with that?"

"I didn't think you knew where it was," Sophia said. Callum, feigning hurt, lightly shoved her shoulder with his arm.

She was about to ask him more about the possible events when the other students in the common room went silent, all at once. Sophia and her friends followed their eyes to the left doorway, where Grace Lewis and the three other Ilvermorny champions were standing.

Morgana Nettles said something to Grace before she and the other two champions walked back to their own dormitories. When Grace turned around to enter the common room, Sophia realized that her face was much paler than normal.

The room stayed deathly silent as Grace walked up to the spiral staircase to her dormitory, but was quickly filled with whispers when she was out of sight again.

"Well," Callum broke the silence. "She looks excited."

"Don't be ridiculous, Callum."

"It was sarcasm," he pointed out, rolling his eyes. "Haven't you gotten enough of it from Sophia to recognize it by now?"

"She looked scared," Sophia said bluntly. "The events aren't...dangerous, are they?"

Now Callum was silent.

"They can't be," Noah said reassuringly. Though it sounded like he was only trying to convince himself.

Although they went up to their dormitories to sleep a few minutes later, when Sophia awoke in the morning, she felt like she hadn't slept at all.

Breakfast the next morning was loud. The Ilvermorny students were wearing their best robes, scarves, hats, and some even had their faces painted blue or cranberry. Sophia was used to dressing up in this crazy fashion on the days of quidditch matches, but had never seen everyone from Ilvermorny dressed up at the same time.

She let someone paint streaks of blue on her cheeks before sliding in next to Rosie at the breakfast table. Her friend smiled when she sat, her cheeks puffy from the food she'd just stuffed in her mouth.

"Good morning," Callum greeted her cheerfully. His face was covered in cranberry and blue stripes, and his curly blonde hair was covered by an Ilvermorny beanie emblazoned with a Wampus, to represent his house. Next to him, Noah sat quietly--he'd only worn a scarf.