Chapter 11: The More, The...

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The next morning, Harriet's eyes were half-shut with her chin planted on the desk among the other alert students in Room 217.

"Now, if you recall from yesterday..." recited Miss Hazelnut. "...we were discussing the art of instant self-transportation. The art of disappearing into another area of the globe and reappearing at that spot in no time at all. Useful for heading into different time zones to get extra hours of sleep."

"Wh-I-giv-ta-be-in-anot'er-time-zone-rite-now..." Harriet murmured incoherently, her lips barely moving.

As Miss Hazelnut goes on on her lecture, Harriet slumps her head on the desk as she begins to snore.

"Now, to demonstrate self-transportation, I'll need a volunteer," she then points her wand to Harriet. "Harriet, you could use some attention."

She doesn't respond as her snoring starts to get louder.

"Miss Jinjur..."

A peeved Miss Hazelnut then points her wand to the ceiling, "Ignis onomatopoeia."

Her wand illuminates on the tip, then releases up into the air a huge ball of light, and then when it stops mid-point, it explodes into a frenzy of harmless. The noise, on the other wand...

BANG! BOOM! CRACKLE! FOO-HEE!

Those did the trick as Harriet jumps back up, "YOU THE MAN! Huh?" She looks around her and notices Miss Hazelnut in front, who looks like she's quite unpleased.

"Miss Jinjur..." Henrietta began. "We no longer live in the dark ages. We don't boil our cats for an elixir for invisibility, and we certainly don't sleep in class!"

"Good to know," Harriet groggily states.

"If I had my way, Harriet, I'd send you to a padded cell. At least in there, you can unnecessary rest all you want."

Her student could clean her left ear with her finger, "There's about 37 kids here. Why not give them a chance?"

"Because they don't happen to be the..."

"...the Chosen One," she interrupts drolly. "Yeah, yeah." She then mumbles a slur under her breath, too tired to even make it out.

"Of course," Miss Hazelnut then clears her throat. "Despite all the trouble you keep causing, I'm grateful you're getting acquainted with everything."

"Don't really have a choice...or feel that way to me."

"If that's so, then why don't you come up the front for a demonstration?"

"You mean a punishment?" grumbles Harriet.

"You know that's not what I meant."

"Transporting me to who knows where sounds like a punishment to me," Harriet's eyes lit up. "See? I have been paying attention."

"Still debatable. Now, see if you can actually walk without tripping over yourself."

Harriet scowls as she gets up and walks towards Miss Hazelnut, standing behind the chalkboard and then turns around to face the class.

"Now what?" she asked. "Did you painstakingly make a trap door for me?"

"I wish," said Hazelnut. "Now, tell everyone where you'd like to be right now? Besides Slumberland."

"I don't know. Slumberland seems like a picnic compared to this."

"You know the Dreꜵmain are off-limits to students," she told her.

"Do I?"

"Just pick a place."

"What are my options? It can't be Gretna. So, what is it?" Harriet thought aloud. "Swampland? The deep blue abyss? Six feet under?"

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