Area 51

Gratissium

Though Helena wished there were, there were no snacks on the bus. Though it only took about thirty minutes to get to the school, it felt like a lot longer. Connor was a welcomed distraction from her hunger.

He told her all about what his life had been like in Ireland. He lived in a small house in a place called Blarney, which Helena thought was fun to say.

Their house was in the outskirts of town with over grown grass that no one ever felt like cutting. They had a fire pit that sat in the middle of then land they owned behind the house. Connor said his father was very adept at fire magic.

"Hmm, maybe that's why he sent you to this school," Helena pointed out. "To get really good at fire magic."

"Maybe, but I don't think I want to do fire magic. I kind of want to do air magic."

"You don't seem like a Caeli to me. My oldest brother is one, and he's always got his head in the clouds. He's never really that present. He comes out a lot.  You're not like that. Personalities do depend on the magic you can control." Helena explained.

"Well, where you think I would go then?" Connor demanded.

"Hmmm," Helena mused, and after some time said, "You seem like a Terra to me."

"Whatever you say. We only have five more minutes before we find out though," Connor said after a quick glance at his watch.

"Huh," Helena thought out loud. "It seems like it's been a lot shorter than that." Connor smiled.

"I'm just grateful I don't have to ride the Hogwarts Express-" Connor barely got that out before Helena interrupted him.

"Why would you be grateful to not go to Hogwarts?" Helena asked. "That's the world's best school to go to!"

"I just meant because I train ride is long, and I'm impatient," he said, before entering a sort of sorrowful tone. "I wanted to go there too, you know. Like all of my other friends are."

"I'm sorry you had to come here," Helena told him, feeling bad, as if it were somehow her fault, though she knew it wasn't.

"No, I'm glad I met you. That makes this better than Hogwarts. I've met practically all the people who I would be friends with there already."

"Why did you sit over here anyway?" Helena asked him. He grinned.

"Because she looked lonely, and I wanted to give you some company," Connor said.

It wasn't until years later that Helena found out that statement was a lie.

"That makes sense. I was hoping no one would it next to me," Helena said.

"You want me to move?" Connor asked, obviously not expecting her to say he should.

"No, of course not," Helena said, shaking her head. "Besides, even if I did, we're about to get off anyway," Helena said, gesturing at the view of the school, or rather a sign with the school's name on it in

"What do you mean? There's no school here. Are you sure we're in the right place?" Connor looked absolutely puzzled as Helena shrugged her shoulders.

"I mean, I'm not entirely sure, but my brother and his friends are getting off, so I think we can follow them," Helena said. Conner stood up first, and got out of his seat. Helena followed behind him. Merlin was at the back of the line of his friends, so he ended up right next Connor.

"Who's this?" Merlin asked Helena, looking puzzled.

"This is Connor Finnegan," Helena introduced him as soon as they got off the bus, and it sped off into the distance.

"Is Seamus your dad?" Merlin asked. Connor groaned, but only Helena seemed to notice.

"Yes, I am," Connor answered, not seeming happy people knew who he was.

"Don't worry," Helena whispered in his ear as they headed towards the sign. "We don't have many reporters that I know of. We have one tiny wizarding newspaper in Nevada, and that's it." That seemed to make him feel better.

The group of seven walked towards the sign labeled Area 51. A building stood behind the sign, but Helena hadn't noticed it before.

"Did that building appear out of nowhere?" Connor whispered back in Helena's ear.

"I think so. Magic is so weird." The building looked similar to a government facility, which Helena guessed it probably would be. But Helena couldn't help but wish that the school was a castle instead, which would be so much cooler.

Helena saw Merlin out of the corner of her eye still standing at the sign. She turned to face him and saw all of his other friends were there too. Julie, Connor, and Helena stood farther away from the sign. Julie didn't seem to care about what was going on, but both Connor and Helena were pretty confused.

More students started to show up. Some wearing uniforms, and some wearing T-shirts advertising their home town. She saw a few Las Vegas guys, and a set of triplets from Carson City. All the students gathered around the sign.

Helena grabbed Conners's hand and pulled him towards the sign. They didn't get to Merlin in time, so they ended up in a sea of people.

Helena could barely see what looked to be a seventh year girl wave her wand at the sign in a complicated formation filled with slashes and lines and flicks. After a minute of wand waving, she shouted at the top of her lungs.

"GRATTISIUM!"

With her shout, the landscape of the building began to change. The sand and bits of dead grass changed into grass as green as a field of clovers on Saint Patrick's Day. Wild flowers in every color imaginable sprang from the landscape, and maple trees spring from the ground.

A boy went to the front. He waved his wand in another complicated pattern, this time with complicated swirls. After his wand waving was done. He shouted as well.

"GRATTISIUM!"

With his shout, Helena felt a breeze move through the air. Looking above her, she saw the filthy air that had been there before flowing out of the area, leaving a clear sky, and the smell of flowers and grass carried through the breeze.

Another girl stood up, waving another pattern, similar to the boy's, but with more waves moving to the side than swirls. He shouted as well.

"GRATTISIUM!" Helena wondered more than ever what it meant. Maybe it was just a spell, but why would it work in such a different way each time?

This time, a stream started to flow through the grounds, cutting through the Earth and flowing rapidly. The water was clearer than anything Helena could ever imagine. As if it wasn't there at all, because you could see right through it with no refraction.

A boy went to the front. His wand moved in forceful ways. He struck the air with such strength, Helena made herself promise not to get him angry.

"GRATTISIUM!" he shouted louder than any of the other three.

His screams caused various lanterns scattered across the school to light up, and a large fire pit to appear and catch fire. The boy stepped aside, not seeming very happy, despite the clapping from the student body.