Night and Day

Reject the opportunity

Jade's POV:

During the ride, I sat at the back of the carriage near the window, and Mr. Dumbledore sat at the front, letting the situation kick in.

The thought of where this place is still lingers in my mind. The beauty of the non-merciful cold itching in my skin as I put my hand out the window to catch the falling snow.

I feel uneasy. I want to speak, but I cannot utter a word. I cannot find the words to describe what I want to say. Seeing red at the corner of my eye-something was presented to me. A red jacket. The hand coming from the old guy basked in white tresses.

I sheepishly accepted and took the jacket from him. It was large and almost enveloped my whole body. It provided enough warmth for me for the last remaining hours inside the carriage.

—

After a few hours, we finally arrived at the place the professor had mentioned. Since I had seen the silhouette of the building earlier, it did not surprise me with its colossal height. What surprised me was the aesthetic. It looks haunted with a gloomy ambiance.

A gust of wind made me look at the sky and witness an indescribable sight. Was that kid riding a flying broom!? It took me a while to get down the carriage because of my disbelief. As if sensing my hesitation, the old professor assisted me on my way out of the carriage. "We're here!" he claimed. In response, I made eye contact with him, confusion written on my face.

Disregarding my non-verbal question, he proceeded to the gate. There, multiple guards welcomed him and opened the gate. We had to walk up a hill to go to the castle-looking building. The headmaster let me go first while we climbed up the stairs. Step after step, the two of us encounter an enormous gate. After a seemingly long hour of seeing gates and gates all over, the two of us faced another. Only this time, it opened up into a portal.

Various colors swirled as me and the professor proceeded to the portal. What greets us is a tenebrous and vast hallway. It was overcast, yet there is something about it that feels poetic. Littered in the hallway are kids wearing a uniform of dark robe and a necktie. The color of their robe and necktie consists of red and yellow. They all appear to be in the same age bracket as me.

This castle wasn't too lively but also not annoying or noisy since there were a lot of students. Mr. Dumbledore then walked upstairs, and so I followed suit. My mind traced back to the orphanage. I wonder what time it is back there? Curiosity continued to eat me, so I questioned the professor. "Sir, may I ask what time it is?" The question seemed to take him aback as he stopped to face me.

He took out a pocket watch connected to something inside his robe. "It seems to be 5 in the afternoon." He answered my question, then continued his walk again. "If you're worried that your guardians are looking for you, shouldn't you be more concerned that they might have been trapping you inside that orphanage for thirteen years?" He states, not once looking back at me.

Third Person's POV:

What he said made Jade silent for a while. It made her ponder. The way her life is routine and scheduled. Sure, the orphanage has constructed her whole day, from waking to eating until nightfall, but it has never felt constricting to Jade. "I've never felt trapped back there in the orphanage." She hurled back at him.

Without turning his head, the professor raised a condescending eyebrow at her reply. "Jade, you belong here in this place. Your mother's a musician, a witch, a very creative one."

Huh

Too shocked to speak, Jade can only express her mix of surprise and confusion through her expression. There on the stairs, she stood still, her brain seemingly fried to function. Hearing no reply, Mr. Dumbledore faced Jade, curious since there was no more another set of footsteps following him up the stairs. The dumbfounded look on her face almost made him snicker if not for her suddenly fainting. On alarm, Mr. Dumbledore reached to her side to avoid her falling.