Chapter nine. First day of classes

The next day, there were two classes on the schedule: making potions and fighting magic.
In the morning, after a hearty Breakfast, the freshmen set off for the first floor along a long, malachite-lined passageway lit by torches. The tunnel was very ancient, and in some places there was moss in the joints of the stones, which made the surrounding area even more archaic.
Finally, the students came to a door that immediately swung open, revealing the classroom. In the study room filled with various flasks, boxes and other attributes, in the center of the lectern on a leather chair sat a hunched old woman, who looked at the children over the glasses with a quick glance, hurried everyone to sit down.
-My name is Zinaida Tikhonovna, I'm the oldest here, but I have an excellent hearing, you two are from the back of the Desk, but as you said, I really am older than this castle, and if it wasn't for my skills, I would have long been pouring sand, so in this matter, you are not mistaken!
The children whispered, and someone laughed.
-For several years, we will study the manufacture of medicines for various purposes, to begin with, today we will make a simple potion of beauty and youth, and then my supplies ran out, and I'm a little shy to walk in my natural appearance,- with these words, the old woman smiled with her toothless mouth.
"So break up into groups and get started. Everything you need is already on your tables. She waved her wand, and the words of the ingredients and their sequence lit up in the air above her.
Kolya, Ira and Sasha began to make a potion: Sasha was diligently chopping Holly grass, Ira was kneading snail paste, and Kolya was measuring dragon bile by drops....
Zinaida Tikhonovna conjured over her portion of the potion, its ingredients were chopped themselves, rubbed in mashed potatoes and jumped into the pot, from which the brew changed color and periodically emitted a sheaf of green steam. After half an hour, it acquired the color and aroma of dandelions, scenting the entire audience.
"Well, that's it," said Zinaida, pouring some of the potion into a glass and drinking it. At the same moment, there was a sound of tearing clothing, and she began to change shape and instead of a hunched old woman turned into a young girl of about twenty, with dark hair long to the waist, although the clothes were now clearly not her size and hung in clumps.
"I'll go change and come back," said Zinaida, and went into another room. After a short period of time, she came out dressed in a beautiful long scarlet dress, tied with a black jeweled belt, and a large brooch also decorated with gems sparkled in her hair.
"Now it's different!" I feel rejuvenated by a couple of thousand years!"I'm sorry," she said, smiling.
"Now we'll check your potions.
After examining the pots, she said that so far these potions to drink even insects is not humane, because even if they are not so intelligent, it does not mean that it is worth mocking them, but she praises everyone for their efforts.
Then she went to Arina's pot and stopped.
"Oh, I like that! Of course, it's not good for a human, but it's made great for the first time, my child, and we'll try it on that bald rat over there.
She took the animal cage from the shelf, extracted it, and poured some of the potion into her mouth.
After a second, the rat's fur was shiny and it cheered up, but after a couple of seconds, its tail fell off.....
- N Yes! An unexpected effect!- laughed Zinaida Tikhonovna, - apparently the dragon's bile was still stored not properly.... well, nothing, the main thing is that we have achieved success on most of the rat! she gave another infectious laugh.
Arina, very proud that her potion was praised, smiled.
- Upstart!- whispered Ira Kolya in the ear, - accidentally managed to make a potion better than others, and already he is arrogant!
"Come on, IR! She's just happy that she did it!
"You're protecting her because you like her," Ira persisted, " and what you find in her..."
"I don't know," Kolya said, and shrugged.
After a short break, everyone went to the courtyard of the castle, where Vasilisa Petrovna was waiting for them on the green lawn, and several staffs stood near the wall.
"You and I have already met, and I will be teaching combat magic.
"But you're a woman!"- said a couple of voices from behind, - we thought combat magic was taught by men!
"So you don't think a woman is good for anything!"? smiled Vasilisa - fine ...
She took the staff and with a light movement of her hand began to rotate it in all possible directions at a speed that would have made any Shaolin monk envious.- in an instant, the staff began to emit bright short flashes and exactly five seconds later all the children were immobilized.
Vasilisa stopped, waved her staff, removing all spells and said:
-I hope now no one doubts my skills!
Although the spell of immobility had long since been lifted from the children, they stood amazed at the skill they now saw.
"So who's going to tell me the difference between a staff and a magic wand?"
Arina raised her hand:
- The wand hits more accurately, single spells, the staff hits many spells in all directions at once and it is more difficult to aim them, in addition, the wand chooses a wizard, and the staff as well as the broom serve any wizard in the same way and everything depends only on the skill of management.
-You are absolutely right, Arina, thank you for your answer.
- That's it, - Ira muttered,-I told you that she's an upstart, but she's learned a textbook and now she's showing off in front of everyone that she's very smart...!
Kolya did not answer, he did not want to get involved in an argument with Ira, although of course he did not share her dislike for Arina.
"Now everyone will take a staff and repeat the movements after me.
The children stood in a row and began to repeat the movements slowly.
It was not so easy to control the staff: first, it was quite heavy, and second, they clung to each other unaccustomed.
But after an hour, some of them began to turn out quite passably.
This time the best student was Kolya, perhaps this was due to the fact that he was taller and more physically prepared than the others.
Vasilisa Petrovna gave him a reassuring slap on the shoulder and said that if things went on like this, she would sign him up for the fencing team.
When they went to the castle after the lesson, tired and hungry, but happy with their success, Irka suggested that they take a walk after lunch to the lake and look at the ship closer, Kolya agreed.
The dinner was held in joyous fun, Kolya's sister and brother asked the trio about their progress in the lessons and what they were asked, and also told them that in a week there would be a trip to the forest that is at the foot of the mountains to collect
herbs, minerals and other ingredients for potions, and that they invite Kolya, Ira and Sasha with them, they gladly agreed, they were impatient to see the surroundings of the castle.
After lunch, the boys went to the lake, which stretched out half a kilometer from the castle in a glittering smoothness in the lowlands, its banks are sometimes covered with trees and covered with stones of various sizes and bizarre shapes.
The sun was shining brightly, and its rays, reflecting from the crystal blue water of the lake, glittered with sunbeams everywhere.
Suddenly something jumped out of the lake water, and deftly perched on a smooth granite boulder, lay down to bask in the warm sun.
Friends were afraid and hid behind the trunk of a nearby spruce,
and began to watch.
She was half a girl with long greenish hair that had shells for ornaments, thin, with sinewy arms, looking like a teenager of about fifteen, but with a long scaly green tail for legs.
"It's a mermaid!" They are dangerous!"let's go back to the castle before she sees us."
"She's alone and she's still a teenager," Kolya told her.
"Let's creep up and take a look at her, because none of us have ever seen a mermaid, and we don't know if we'll get another chance!"
"I warned you!"- pouting, Irka muttered, but crawled after her friends.
They crawled through the bushes closer to the Bank and poked their heads out of the growing grass.
Friends were not mistaken, the mermaid was about fourteen years old in appearance, she had a pleasant face and large eyes like anime characters, from which tears flowed.
"Is she crying?"- Ira asked in a whisper, - maybe something happened to her?
"I don't know, let's watch it," Kolya replied.
Suddenly the mermaid looked at the trio with a piercing gaze, hesitated for a second, deciding whether to jump into the water or stay, and suddenly Kolya heard words in his head that conveyed her thoughts.
"Get up!" Don't be afraid! I will do you no harm!
He glanced at Sasha and Ira, and they must have heard the same thing.
They got up, slowly and cautiously, and came closer.
"What's your name?"- asked the mermaid, - my name is Verena.
"Kolya, Ira, and Sasha," the children said.
"You've only just arrived, haven't you?" Those who have been studying for a long time do not come so close to these stones, my people sometimes rest here, and some of its representatives treat people poorly, considering that they encroach on our sacred lake, and are angry at your ...
"But you didn't show any hostility to us!"?
-I treat people with tolerance! "They didn't do anything wrong to me or my family..."
-I personally quite well relate to the mermaids, - said Ira, - and I did not even think of harming you...
"I know!"I read your mind..."
"Can you read minds?"Sasha was surprised.
"Of course, it's as natural to me as it is to you
walk.
"Why were you crying?" Ira asked sympathetically.
- I don't like the guy I like back.
"I understand you very well," Kolya said, and thought of Arina.
-She is very beautiful-the girl you just thought of, although she does not have a tail, but you people have slightly different tastes, we have a mermaid tail is the main attribute of female beauty.
"Do you come here often?" Ira asked.
-Sometimes I come out to bask in the sun when I'm sad, or just want to be alone.
"Would you mind if we came over to your house sometime to talk?"- said Ira, - we would love to hear your stories about your people, and we would tell about our own?-No, I will be happy to see you, you are so unusual, and think completely different from what mermaids do, you do not hide your thoughts....
"How do we know you're here?"
"Just go to the lake and call my name in your mind, and I'll come to you."
-Well.
"Now, if you'll excuse me, I can't be out in the air for very long. It was nice to meet you - she jumped off a boulder, pirouetted, and without splashing, gracefully entered the water.
Children still a few minutes stood silently on the Bank amazed by what they saw, and when they came off the stupor Irka said:
"Perhaps we shouldn't tell everyone in the castle that we've made friends with the mermaid, because they won't let us in here, or they won't believe us and will think we made it up."
"I agree," said Kolya, " let's keep this between us.
The friends hurried to the castle and got there just in time for dinner.