“So are you going to travel to other schools after next
year?” Steve asked.
“Oh, yes! I can’t wait to go to Montana Mountain Academy and
see their dragon program, and California’s Big Sur is world-renowned for their leviathan
pods, I mean real sea monsters! How cool is that! The only problem I have is
there are more schools I want to go to than semesters.” Doug said.“Wow.” Steve said with amazement. “Are you sure you can get into all of those programs?”
Ronnie chuckled. “Boy Steve, you can always find the negative can’t you? Don’t mind him Doug, I’m sure you’ll be able to get in.”
“Well, there are benefits of being an orphan adopted by a
wizarding school,” Doug laughed.
Ronnie looked at him with surprise. “What do you mean? I
thought Professor Sampson was your mom.”
“She is now, but Mrs. Humphry, the head mistress at the
time, found me on the edge of the pond when I was only a baby. They tried for
months to find my family, to find anyone who knew anything about me, but
nothing ever surfaced. They were afraid to put me into a NEP orphanage in case
I was magical, or in case I had a curse or something on me. So they decided to
keep me at the school while they continued to figure out where I came from.
Eventually the head mistress asked if any of the professors were interested in
fostering me while they decided what to do with me. Lucky for me, Professor
Sampson, said she would, and a year later she legally adopted me as her own.”
He smiled proudly. “She really is the best mom I could have ever have asked
for, and even though I have no magic powers, I love living here!”
“Wow,” Steve and Ronnie said together, not knowing what else
to say. Doug didn’t seem at all upset by the fact that his biological mother
had abandoned him, or that he was a NEP surrounded by witches and wizards.
“So,” Doug continued.
“Being the son of a professor means I have grown up meeting all the professors
who have taught here. Many of them travel from school to school, so when I
asked my mom if I could go to Montana she told me to call Uncle Jake, better known as Professor Dragoon. Of course by the
time I get to make my final decisions I don’t really know who will be where.”
“Oh Doug, that’s wonderful!” Ronnie said, happy for her new
friend’s good fortune. “Yeah, that’s great.” Steve’s smile felt forced. He was happy for Doug, but he also knew he didn’t have any connections, family or otherwise, and it seemed so unfair that a huff-n-puffer had a better chance at choosing his next school than he did. He knew it wasn’t Doug’s fault, but he couldn’t help feeling a little jealous, and the disappointment showed clearly on his face.
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