Area 51

Professor Drake

The lot of them didn't end up getting to sleep until after midnight. Because of her lack of roommates, Tamera promised she would wake her up from school the next morning.

She showered, feeling strangely weak afterwards, and put on her new uniform for the first time. The fabric was slick, somewhere between silk and suede. The pants felt different than denim against her legs. They made her feel more professional. She didn't think she'd like wearing a uniform, but it really added to the sense of feeling at home that she had.

She didn't have her tie yet, she would get that this weekend. The colors of Ignis were orange and red. Helena had told Tamera the night before that she thought they would be orange and white.

"Like an orange creamsicle?" Tamera had questioned.

"No, because white is the color of really hot fire." Helena said.

Tamera had gone on to tell her that, technically, blue flame was the hottest, and white flame was just a different reaction.

"Then orange and blue instead."

"We can't. Blue is one of Aqua's colors. Can't take it from them. And white is one of Caeli's."

Helena just gave up after that, though she would have loved an orange and white striped tie. Red and orange was fine. She thought they complimented each other well.

After getting the rest of the way ready, Helena left her room to go get her schedule. Cici had told her they got delivered in the morning by some of the professor's, and the heads of the houses would pass them out that morning.

With her hair still wet from her shower, and dripping down her back, she went to the common room where Tree and Cici were passing out the schedules.

"Helena honey," Cici said after handing her her schedule. "Do you want me to dry your hair for you?"

"If you want to," Helena said. Cici for to work quickly. Helena felt a quick cyclone of hot air above her head, then nothing. Her hair was dry.

"There you go. It looks like you have charms first. I have class in the transfiguration classroom right down the hall. Do you want me to show you where the class is?" Cici asked.

"I would really appreciate that."

"Alright. Just gotta hand out two more schedules. Why don't you go get some breakfast, and I'll walk you to class after that.

"Okay."

Helena walked down the stairs and out of the dorm building. She couldn't remember exactly where anything was, but it was pretty easy to follow other people to the cafeteria. They had it set up in a line to get food. Today, they had some french toast sticks. They tasted better than the frozen ones her mom would buy from the no maj supermarket.

Once she had finished her breakfast of some french toast sticks a glass of orange juice and some hash browns, Helena went with Cici to the charms classroom.

She was the first one in there. The charms teacher was the only other one in there. He was a tall skinny man with a clean shaven face. He looked young, but not overly so, maybe thirty.

"Hello miss. What might your name be?" the man asked her.

"Helena Montgomery."

"Ah yes. I had your father and your brothers and your mother, and your Uncle Rick too." Helena felt a slight sting at the mention of her father, but pushed it down. It wasn't his fault for not knowing. She just hoped he didn't ask about him.

"You don't look old enough to have taught them," Helena said, trying to slowly steer the conversation away from her.

"I've looked the same for a very long time," he replied. "I supposed I haven't introduced myself. I'm Professor Drake. I didn't make it to the sorting ceremony. What house did you get sorted into?"

"Ignis," she said, her voice filled with pride.

"Ah, just like your father." Another sting. She hadn't known what house he was in. She knew her mother had been an Aqua, but she had never asked about her father.

"Yeah," was all she could think to say.

"Did you write home and tell your folks yet?" Professor Drake asked her, not catching her sad tone of voice.

"Not yet. Merlin probably already has. He's good about that."

"Perhaps he is. Are there more Ignis first years coming?" By then, the class had filled up some, with only a few minutes left before class started.

"No, I'm the only one this year," she said, glumly, though more from the mention of her father than having no roommates.

"That's a shame. I was an Ignis some time ago. We had six boys and seven girls in my year. I still have the scars from the stunts we pulled." He laughed, reminiscing. "We were quite the gang."

Helena tried to imagine, but she couldn't quite get any sort of imagine into her head of what it could've been like. The only image she could get was a flash of a bunch of kids with no faces around the same fire she had sat around the night before. She meant to ask him if the tradition was that old, but she had to sit down before that could happen.

Unlike Hogwarts, their class was small enough to be grouped into one classroom for everything they did. She went to go sit down, noticing that each pair was sitting next to each other. She then noticed Connor, his shade of brown hair was ordinary, yet distinct.

"Hey Connor!" Helena called.

"Hey Helena. Come sit with me and Phillip."

"Thanks." Helena took a seat next to Connor, relieved she wouldn't have to sit alone. Any other house, and she might've been told to leave. She had been told the night before to be careful around Aquas and Terras, even first years.

But luckily for her, air and fire were complimentary. Air kept fire going, sustained it. Almost like her and Connor. His offer to sit next to him in class was the only thing that helped her from falling apart. Her company with him and Phillip kept her from going crazy.