Uagadou

When the bridge appeared from nowhere, I couldn't help but mentally note that it didn't seem to have any pillars holding it in place. Instead, it gave the impression that the whole bridge was floating over the water, and with everything magic can do, I wouldn't be surprised if that were the case.

I half-expected a mass rush of students streaming forward towards the bridge. But, instead, everyone seemed to hang back.

Hodari called out, "First years. Come on. Come on. We don't got all day."

A thick steady stream of excited 11-year-olds started pushing through the crowd making their way down to the bridge.

I smiled at the eager energy the first years were projecting. I couldn't help but think back to my first trip to Hogwarts.

Hagrid looming over everyone calling for the first years to follow him, crossing the Black Lake in a small self-propelled wooden boat. Fred and George tipping their boat, sending themselves and Angelina Johnson into the lake. The amazed look on their faces when the giant squid plucked them from the water and returned them to their boat. The first glimpse I had of Hogwarts. Being sorted into Ravenclaw. I wouldn't trade those memories for anything.

Cedric brought me out of my thoughts when he asked, "How did we understand Hodari just now? I'm almost positive he wasn't speaking English and yet still understood him."

I stilled in surprise at Cedric's remark. Then, I quickly reviewed my memory of events confirming Cedric's theory.

"You're right." I agreed, "I totally missed that."

Omar laughed at our confusion.

"That's just the universal translation spell at work," he explained.

Omar waved towards his fellow students. "Think about it. Uagadou has over five thousand students from all corners of Africa. Between everyone here, that's hundreds of languages. That's where the spell comes into play. No matter what language you speak, the spell translates it into whatever language you think in. If you don't pay close attention, you won't even notice the effects."

I let out an appreciative whistle. That is a bloody useful spell. Immediately, my mind went to work, trying to puzzle out how the spell worked.

I assumed it was a charm of some sort, such a large area of effect narrowed the choices down. The two most apparent choices was a giant ward that covered the entirety of Uagadou or an enchantment that acted similarly.

Alicia interrupted my musing when she asked, "Why is Hodari leaving with the first years? Isn't he our guide?

Craning my neck, I saw Hodari being swallowed by mist as he followed behind the first years. Behind them, second-years slowly started making their way forward.

Shaking his head, Omar explained, "Hodari always travels with the first years."

Before any of us could say anything, Omar continued, "But, don't worry. Uagadou always assigns a fellow student to act as a sponsor."

"Where are they?" Anna asked as she looked around at the throng of students.

"You would think they would have already introduced themselves to us," she added waspishly.

Omar let out a nervous chuckle and awkwardly rubbed the back of his head.

Putting things together, I asked, "You're our sponsor, aren't you?"

Anna blushed in embarrassment as Omar sheepishly nodded.

Anna blurted out an apology, "I'm sorry, Omar. I didn't know."

"It's all right," Omar assured her. "Besides, technically, Alex is only half right. I'm not your sponsor."

Omar nodded towards Cedric and me, "I'm their sponsor. Your sponsor is a girl named Sanura. But it looks like she is running a tad late. Don't worry. I'm sure she'll be here soon."

Around the time the third years were making their way over the bridge, Omar's prediction was proven to be true. We all heard a faint voice pleadingly shout, "Slow down, Raza."

Turning towards the noise, I immediately noticed a strange sight. A girl with high cheekbones and onyx skin was hanging on for dear life on what seemed like an ostrich. That is, if ostriches had gleaming purple feathers and razor-sharp claws on the ends of their two feet.

Following behind the bird, a tight, leather-bound trunk bobbed in midair as if attached by an invisible tether.

As Raza approached at racing broom speed, I realized the bird was taller than I initially assumed. Its head hovered around 8 feet off the ground.

When it seemed like Raza would run into the crowd of students, Raza applied its breaks and screeched to a sudden halt. Not having the best grip, the girl screamed as she slipped forward off the bird. But, before she could go anywhere, Raza's beak shot forward like a snake attacking a mouse.

The beak latched firmly on the girl's robe, preventing her from flying off but also leaving her awkwardly dangling several feet off the ground.

"Don't you even think about it," the girl warned.

A rebellious gleam appeared in the bird's black eyes. Then, as if to prove that it didn't have to listen to the girl, Raza promptly opened its beak freeing the girl's robes and promptly dropping her on the ground.

A loud thud sounded out as the girl landed on the ground face first.

A muffled voice rang out, "You stupid bird."

Turning over with a groan, the girl glared daggers at Raza, "One of these days, I'm gonna pluck your feathers and cook you in a pot."

Raza didn't seem concerned with the girl's threat, completely ignoring her and moving to the lake to slate its thirst.

Omar rushed to the fallen girl.

"Sanura, are you ok?" He asked, helping Sanura to her feet.

"I'm fine," she huffed while still giving the bird the evil eye.

Brushing the dirt off her robes, Sanura complained, "Stupid bird took the long way here. I barely made it on time."

"That's the last time I will ride Raza to school," she grumbled to herself.

When the duo made their way back to our group, Omar happily introduced us to the new girl, "Everyone, this is Sanura. She is the other sponsor I was telling you about."

Anna and Alicia both gave the girl a look over, clearly unimpressed with Sanura. I couldn't help but agree. Arriving in the manner certainly didn't inspire confidence.

Soon, it was our turn to move across the bridge.

"Leave your luggage," Omar said. "It will be waiting for you in your rooms."

Leaving our luggage behind, we made our way to the bridge and started crossing the lake.

Sanura, perhaps trying to make up for her late entrance, began acting as a model tour guide on the bridge.

"If you were wondering, Uagadou's founder, Kiama Atieno, built and enchanted this bridge himself. He invented a ritual that requires the cooperation of many for it to appear."

I perked up upon hearing about the ritual. Rituals were ancient magic, not taught at Hogwarts.

Wanting to know more, I asked, "Has the bridge ever failed to appear?"

Sanura exchanged looks with Omar before reluctantly admitting, "Twice. But that was a long time ago, within the first century of Uagadou's founding. Since then, there has never been a problem."

When we got to the other side of the bridge, there was a path leading to the Mountain of Moon. However, when we got closer, I noticed the path diverging. One led up the mountain, and the other around.

Curious, I asked, "Where does the other path lead to?"

Sanura shot a questioning look at Omar, who shrugged, "They will find out in DEC."

"What's DEC?" Cedric asked.

"Defense, Evasion, and Combat," Sanura explained. "You guys will love it; it's a class where you will learn to defend yourselves from all manner of magical beasts or anyone wanting to harm you."

"That sounds similar to our Defense Against the Dark Arts class." Alicia mused out loud.

While I technically agreed with Alicia, I hoped Uagadou's DEC class would be better run than DADA. Hogwarts had a problem keeping a Professor for Defense Against the Dark Arts for more than one year. A lot of students thought the position was jinxed, and I happened to agree with them. I had done some research on the matter, for over two decades, not one person had lasted more than a year in the post.

If it was only a few teachers, I might dismiss the rumors. But, after going through more than twenty professors, Dumbledore still hadn't gotten a single teacher to stay on for more than one year.

I couldn't find any pattern that explained why the teachers left. Some found other jobs, others had children, and they wanted to spend more time at home. But, not all were as benign. A few had gotten seriously hurt and needed time to recuperate, and that's ignoring that last year where Quirrell died. If everything goes to plan this year, Lockhart would also be permanently losing his memory. So, yes, there was definitely something fishy about the teaching post for DADA.

Ignoring whether the position was cursed, that many teachers cycling through had left the class's syllabus chaotic and poorly managed. Each Professor had their own ideas about what the class should learn.

A few were ok, but others were horrible. Last year with Professor Quirrell, we didn't even use our wands in class. And not having to sit through Lockhart this year was a plus. But, I was looking forward to meeting Lupin next year. By all accounts in the books, he was one of the most competent professors Harry had in DADA.

Distracting me from my thoughts on DADA, Omar explained the other path. "You guys are going to love the paths we use in DEC.

Alicia cut in, "I think I heard my parents say something about paths. Something about the path of mind or body."

Omar nodded, "Yeah, but you missed one. There are three paths used in training. The Path of Mind, the Path of Body, and the Path of Spirit."

Before anyone could ask more, Sanura shushed Omar, "Don't tell them everything. It takes away from their first experience."

Omar shrugged and dropped the subject.

As we ascended the mountains, I realized we were gaining altitude at an abnormal rate. It took a few seconds, but I figured out what was happening. The ground seemed to be slowly moving. It was propelling us up the mountain, but if you weren't paying attention, it was easy to miss.

It was a good thing the mountain was helping out. If it weren't, we would be at this half the night.

Sometime later, the path ended, and I got my first look at the entrance to Uagadou. It was a large rectangular entrance carved right into the sturdy rock of the mountain. Etched on the sides of the opening were ancient runes. Most I recognized from The Study of Ancient Ruins, But a few were foreign to me.

Even though I didn't understand everything, I got the gist of what the runes meant. They described the founder's journey to the mountain, of a bargain made with something I didn't recognize the rune.

Above the opening, there was another set of runes. The message had two parts, a warm welcome for students and a warning against enemies.

The runes warned about something's wrath and included a warning about eating/swallowing/crushing any who threatened something.

Ancient ruins weren't always exact. A single symbol could have multiple meanings.

I tapped Omar on the shoulder and pointed at the unknown tune.

"What does that symbol mean?"

Omar looked in the direction I was pointing.

"Oh," he responded. "That represents Uagadou."

My eyes widened as my mind filled in the blanks.

The runes roughly translate as "Enemies of Uagadou will be swallowed by Uagadou."

Hodari's explanation that Uagadou was the mountain took on a whole new meaning to me, and an idea bloomed in my head. I wanted to stay and study the runes more, but I was pushed forward by the eager crowd of students wanting to get inside.

Just before we entered the mountain, I whispered a question to "Omar, is Uagadou alive?"

Omar gave me an evaluating glance before rolling his eyes, "Not even here five minutes, and your already trying to uncover secrets. Yes, Uagadou is alive. It's home to a Mzuka. A mountain spirit."

"Millennia ago, our founder discovered the Mzuka when he was searching for the perfect place to build a magic school. The mountain spirit was lonely, it didn't even have a name. You see, Mzuka can't leave their mountain. So a bargain was struck, the mountain would gain a name and family of never-ending students. In return, the mountain would protect us. And so, Uagadou was born."

I fell silent in thought as we made our way into the Uagadou. The idea that the school was alive didn't surprise me as much as I would have thought. Maybe it's because I've spent too much time around weirdos like my paranoid ancestor and grumpy eagle statues who constantly make snide remarks.

A mountain that was alive, that's just par for the course.

The entrance led us right into a long hallway. The polished stone that made up the walls, ceiling, and floor didn't seem to have any markings on them. It was as if the stone had melted into place, leaving behind a perfectly smooth hallway.

Along the walls were ever-burning torches that chased away all the shadows. Staggered on both sides of the walls were large glass panes that showed the outside of the mountain. The effect seemed to make one forget that they were deep in a mountain.

At the end of the hallway was an arch built into the wall with over a dozen symbols. Every so often, a student would put their hand on a particular symbol, and a shimmering blue veil would appear inside the archway. After a few students passed through, the veil disappeared, and the process would start all over again. Having been through similar portals, I didn't hesitate when it was my turn.

The portal spat me out in a large circular chamber, easily five times the size of the Great Hall at Hogwarts, and like Hogwarts, the ceiling was a reflection of the sky.

Seeing all the students seated in different areas indicated that the chamber seemed to have a similar function. But, unlike Hogwarts, where the students are divided by their houses. Uagadou seemed to do things differently.

The circular chamber was divided like a pie with seven sections. At the back of each section on the wall was a numeric rune. The runes numbered 1-7. It was easy to see that students were divided by their year rather than a house.

What really stoked my curiosity was the runes weren't in proper order. Section one and two were next to each other, but then it went up to seven. Then back down to three, followed by six, four, and five. Section five was on the other side of section one.

Ignoring the runes, I turned my attention to the center of the room. There was a raised circular platform filled with long tables filled by those I assumed were Professors.

The only thing that surprised me about them was the numbers; there seemed to be around seven to eight times as many professors compared to Hogwarts.

Omar and Sanura motioned for us to follow them, and we made our way to section four. I raised an eyebrow when they sat with us.

"What's the deal with all the professors. Surely you don't need that many."

Omar shook his head at my confusion, "We do," he said. "This isn't Hogwarts. There are over five thousand students here.

Weighing in on the conversation, Cedric inquired, "Does each year have its own professors?"

"No, except for the teachers for the first-year students, each professor is responsible for two years worth of students."

Omar pointed around the room, "Do you see those numeric runes at the back. There is a reason why they are out of order. Two and seven, three and six, and four and five are grouped for several reasons. The first of which is that they share professors."

"What's the other reason?" Alcica asked.

Omar smirked, "Challenges. You'll find out more about those later."

I ran the mental math, "That doesn't account for all the professors up there." I argued.

Omar held up a hand as if he were revealing a secret, "Ah, but you forget something really important."

Seeing my confusion, Omar explained, "Wands. Only around half of the students use them. When you first come to Uagadou, you have to decide on if you are going to use a wand or not. What you decide determines what set of classes you attend."

Anna waded into the conversation, "Why wouldn't they want to use wands? They are clearly the most effective way to use magic."

"Is that so?" A sneering voice cut in. "It sounds to me like you're speaking out your ass."

Anna's blond hair flapped, and her purple eyes blazed as she spun to see who had rudely interrupted her.

The voice belonged to an athletic teenager, whose veins pulsed against his rich black skin. His wiry black hair was threaded tightly in neat rows running down the back of his head.

He might have been considered good-looking if it weren't for the angry scowl plastered across his face. His dark brown eyes challenged Anna, utterly unapologetic about his remarks.

"Balondemu," Omar rebuked. "These are guests. They don't understand. She didn't mean any offense."

For a second, it seemed like everything would calm down. But unfortunately, Balondemu had picked the worst person to insult among the four of us. Anna wasn't one to back down.

"Seems like you should pay less attention to my ass and more time worrying about all the troll dung coming from your mouth."

Everyone paused, digesting what Anna had just uttered.

I closed my eyes and palmed my hand to my forehead, trying to prevent the headache I knew was coming.

Any hope of the incident fading was destroyed when an uncontrollable burst of laughter burst out from Sanura.

Hearing Sanura's gleeful laughter, Balondemu's eyes darkened with hate.

Hoping to avoid an incident, I tried to intervene.

"Anna," I chided. "That's hardly diplomatic."

"But Alex," She stomped his foot and whined. "He started it."

"You should listen to your friend." Blondeau mocked. "Why don't you be a good little girl and sit down and shut up."

Cedric and Alicia both winced while I shot Balondemu an annoyed look. Didn't this jackass know I was trying to help him? Don't come whining to me when Anna hits you with her diarrhea hex. Having seen the spell in action before, I can honestly say that hex has given me nightmares. Thankfully, even when we were fighting, Anna never crossed that line.

Seeing my look, Balondemu spat, "What, you want to take this to the ring."

Suddenly, I realized I couldn't care less what happened to this jackass. It will be amusing to see him shitting his underwear.

Perhaps sensing the change in my mood, Omar quickly said, "You don't want to do that, Bal. This is my cousin, the one who took first place in the International Dueling Competition last year."

Blondeau gave me another look before dismissing me as a threat. "That's only because I was too ill to compete last year. If I were there, I would have won the whole thing."

Omar shook his head, "You misunderstand. You wouldn't have faced Alex even if you competed. Alex won competing in the fourth year bracket when he was in his third year."

I could see from the look in Balondemu's eye that he wasn't entirely convinced. So Omar added a final detail, "He beat Abeda."

Disbelief appeared on Balondemu's face as he reevaluated me. "Him, there's no way he beat her."

Deciding I wasn't worth the trouble, Balondemu turned his attention back to Anna. Which only showed his ignorance. Sure, I would have beat him. But, I would have done it quickly. Anna's like a cat, she likes to play with her food, and she happens to be way more vindictive than I am. And judging from the glare in her purple eyes, Anna hasn't forgiven him for his previous comment. Nothing drives Anna crazy than when people underestimate her. If Professor Trelawney were here, she would predict that there was some explosive diarrhea in this guy's future.

Thankfully, everything was put on hold when the Headmaster stood up. It seems as though no matter what school you went to, there was always a speech.