Du Nord: The Believing heart lost years (EN)

The enchanted parade

Monday 3 April 2006, Luna Nova

"You didn't get it, a lot because of me, but the students who didn't manage to get a very good grade in the year with the start of the last weeks of school after the spring holidays had to do something called the enchanted parade, which was not enchanted at all, even Professor Finnelan wanted to revive it to affect Akko, but anyway, my trio had a very low mark because of me, even though I started to improve from the beginning of the year, it still wasn't enough to get a good enough mark, my group was below the others in marks, unfortunately, so it was our turn."

We were called to the board today, but how strange, what did we do this time? Did they find out about my running away? I hope not, I didn't steal any food, everything I take is with my own money, so this is getting weirder and weirder.
We reach Principal Holbrook's office, where I take a deep breath, because there I am with Professor Finnelan, I'm sure it's going to be a heavy thing just because she's here, what the hell, I really hope it's nothing to do with the concerts or my escapes with Croix to Woodward.

"Very well, now that you're all here, we can begin" said the headmistress.

"You're the first-year students with the worst grades in the class, we've put together what the trio did and you're going to have to take part in an event for Luna Nova, the enchanted parade" the name sounds nice, which makes my eyes light up a bit.

"The enchanted parade?" I say with a little twinkle in my eye.

"The enchanted parade is a serious event about the times in which witches were persecuted from the late Middle Ages to the early modern period, even leading to the torture of many of them and even the burning of Luna Nova in 1517, so it's important to remember these people from those times, you may have learnt this in my history lessons, but that's basically what the enchanted parade consists of - she went on to show me and I became a little wary, it seems like a silly thing to do.

"Wait a minute, do you mean we're offering to humiliate the whole town to remind them that we've been oppressed?" I ask her and she nods.

"If you'd paid attention in class you wouldn't be there Chariot Du Nord, I've already mentioned the enchanted parade, we witches go through these humiliations, we're given balls and we're tested, but that's just for sport, there's nothing harmful about it, the population then remembers what the witches did and feels the weight on their conscience, it's like remembering the..." I hit the table and completely deny this idea.

"Now I remember what it is, not because of you, but because my mum remembers something like this about the students with the lowest grades and it's tremendously unfair and in bad taste, it's like making a black person parade in the street being whipped and receiving racist slurs, how could you see something like that and think it's okay? People won't be aware of it, in fact they'll have to wait all year for it to happen again" I tell them angrily.

"Oh, how dare you! Have some respect for tradition, this is a way of punishing students who don't get the required marks, you're completely to blame for doing this, don't play the smart arse on us, either don't do it, or you and your team will suffer the consequences..." I stared even more closely at the teacher.

"Let's take it easy, you two, since that's the way Miss Du Nord thinks, then let's do what she wants, if she wants to change tradition so much and thinks she's good enough, we'll let her do it and organise the enchanted parade, you have two weeks to get everything ready, no delays, when the 22nd comes I want to see it all ready, if you do it your way we'll accept it, but if not you and your friends will be risking being expelled from Luna Nova" I get motivated and feel like throwing it in this teacher's face, so much so that I shake her hand.