Chapter 13 : Wake-Up Calls and House Battles: Navigating the First Day

 Ring.....ring..... I woke up due to the ringing of my phone. who's calling me at this hour .

" Hello? who's with me "

" It's Elijah , James , rise and shine "

" Whoa , what time is it ? "

" It's time to wake up "

" Why exactly calling? "

" I just wanted to hear your voice, you know . I feel lonely." 

What a strange thing to say " really? "

" Nah, I'm just joking around . I wanted to say that we need to go to the main hall soon . "

" What's that for? "

" The principal called a freshman meeting . Be ready , I'll pick you up . Like . In ten minutes . Alright? "

" Ehmm...yeah . See you " 

I got up from my bed, changed my clothes, and as I stepped out of the room, I found Elijah waiting for me. Together, we went to the main hall, entered, and took our seats. Shortly thereafter, the headmaster made his entrance, initiating the commencement of his address.

" Students, hurry up and take your seats , our assembly is about to begin . We need to be quick if you want to be in time for your first classes. 

It's a joy to see our new students successfully joining houses. Nothing brings young wizards closer together than the house .

I hope everyone is happy with where they are placed ? "

I turned my head toward Elijah and spoke." why does he ask ? Is it possible to change house ? "

Elijah replied" I've never heard of such a thing , shhh . Let me listen "

" In my practice, though, the founders heve never been wrong. After all , they see those corners of your soul that you have never seen before. 

Anyway.... what I was saying...oh yes ! I'm sure you're all wondering why I gathered you here . 

The fact is that the educational process at our academy is quite unusual . So I thought I'd tell you about the main features of nortale "

Elijah turned towards me and uttered." oh , I remembered , he gave our course this kind of meeting too! "

" Yes ? So was that informative ? "

" I don't know, I slept through mine , let's hear it together."

" How'd you even get to be the head student? "

He chuckled and responded." I don't know . Arthur loves me for something "

The headmaster continued with the explanation." Now , as you all know, there are four houses . Leonheart. Martenden. Crowhive and adderin . Each house is unique and stands on the ideals and beliefs of its founder. 

And these houses are constantly competing with each other. This spirit of healthy competition among the four houses ...is the cornerstone of nortale academy. 

And now I will tell you the details of how this rivalry expressed."

It's probably worth listening to attentively.

" First , as at educational institution. Classes are the basis of everything . in the first year , you have basic magic and potions available to you. Unlike many other schools, we don't set any limits . You can attend class or you can make time for other activities. Instead. We encourage attendance with housepoints .

Secondly, you're probably wondering how you can earn housepoints. Besides attending classes.

 Well , I hear our charming librarian miss Amelie would be happy to reward you with points for a little help . Also you can apply to Mr. Frollo to join the dueling club . 

But be careful. There Are not only winners in duel , but also losers . And losing students lose housepoints. 

And the third and the final thing . Every week , on Saturday morning, we sum up the results of the house competition . And the house with the most points gets special privileges. Like a trip to the beautiful town of dale . After Wich our academy is partly named "

I gazed at Elijah with confusion and asked." what is that town ? "

He answered" oh believe me....dale is worth it. It's the closest thing to civilization that's within walking distance. There's plenty to do there"

The headmaster complete" there's no classes on the weekends and you're on your own. Well, well , what else I wanted to say....eh, being old isn't a joy .."

Elijah began to speak. "By the way James . I forgot to tell you that I need you on campus after the meeting "

" Okay , what for? "

He answered" to give you your student ID card , dummy . So you can start getting into this whole house battle. "

" Ah_ha_ha....all right " 

" And remember , wizards must behave with dignity , teachers have the right to remind you of this and to levy housepoints for undignified behavior. "

"Oh that's unpleasant "

Elijah replied " don't sweat it , you have to try really , really hard to get your points taken away. "

" I guess that's it . I won't hold you up on your first day of study . Hurry up so you're not late for class ." 

In the moment I wanted to move, I felt some discomfort. Damn, I was in such a hurry I forgot to put on my underwear. It's uncomfortable and chilly . Gotta back to the room . 

I returned to my room and wear . And now that's much better , it's much more cozy in under pants . Now let's get back to Elijah .