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Daphne smiles. "I wouldn't give it up for anything."
"Not even a perfectly brewed cup of tea?"
"I think that'd make me more British, not less."
The game of football draws closer, the guys getting more and more boisterous as they play.
I roll my eyes. If they're not careful, they're going to end up hurting someone with it.
"I wish they'd go play on the actual pitch." Daphne sighs.
"Wait, there's a pitch? Why aren't they there?"
"Probably waterlogged from the rain."
Ah. Right. Rain. As in, what it had done all last week, and probably all next week too. No wonder everyone's outside taking advantage of the sun. I mean, we're here doing exactly the same.
One of the guys kicks the ball and it comes flying towards us. At first, I duck, but the closer it comes, the more I'm certain it's going to be a problem.
"Daphne, duck." I tug on her sleeve and she finally moves.
But it's too late, and without thinking, I pull out my wand, pointing it towards the ball and thinking about how much I want it to turn into a stream of confetti. Maybe I should just send it back to the guys playing, but my first thought is not letting it hit Daphne in the head, not on whether or not they'll be upset with me for destroying the damn thing.
Magic zings up my arm, and seconds later, the ball implodes into a shower of tiny bits of coloured paper. It's a relief to know my magic is at least doing what I want it to in emergency situations. It's a step in the right direction, even if it's not quite what I want.
Because I know what I'll find at my feet, even without anyone pointing it out.
"Hello, little one," I say, crouching down so I'm closer to the ground, and the tortoiseshell kitten staring up at me with huge bewildered eyes. I scoop it up in my arms, knowing our time outside has come to an end. I need to get her back to my room so she can play with the others.
"Again?" Daphne asks.
"I think thank you is the better way of phrasing what you're trying to say," I retort.
"What are you going to call this one?"
"Why don't you name her?" I pass the kitten to my friend. This is definitely the easiest way of naming kittens without having a long list of cat names in my pocket. Come to think of it, that might not be the worst idea if this keeps happening.
"Isla," she says firmly.
"Isla?" I have no idea where she's got that one from. It's not what I consider a traditional cat's name.
"A character from a book I read. It seems to fit."
"Sure, Isla it is."
Just how many more kittens am I going to end up with? My room can't house an indefinite amount, especially if I want to keep them a secret from the academy. Then again, two professors and potentially hundreds of students have seen me conjuring them. I doubt it's much of a secret any more.
"Oi! You destroyed
our ball!" one of the football players shouts.
I turn around. "And you nearly broke my best friend's head. I call it even."
We don't wait for them to respond and head back inside. To the safety of a sport free zone.
Chapter Thirteen
"What about dragons?" Caspian asks.
