Chapter 16

Alastair stood in the doorway, but hadn’t yet turned to face Sebastian.

“Don’t you think this is a bit much, Meade?”

Alastair turned, frowning. “What is a bit much?”

“All this—” Sebastian held out his hands. “Observing us and taking notes? Evaluating whether or not we can handle our jobs. You’re only here for a year, you know. Ozelius placed us in these positions for a reason.”

“Oh, I—” Alastair genuinely hadn’t thought about it that way. “You’ve got it all wrong.”

“Oh, do I?” Sebastian said, crossing his arms. “Enlighten me.”

“I am new here, as you said. This is for me. I feel out of touch. I… I was just trying to be involved. See how everyone was doing; what everyone was teaching. Trying to meet more of the students.”

“Right. To what end? Are you going to write up a report and send it to Ozelius?”

“Well…” He was planning to write a report, though he really had nothing negative to say. However, he had no way of sending it to Ozelius even if he wanted to. There was no forwarding address attached to the letter Alastair received before the start of term, and so far, none of the teachers knew where Ozelius was. All Alastair could do was leave his summary on the old man’s desk and hope he read it upon his return.

“That’s what I thought. You’re overstepping, Meade,” Sebastian said, shaking his head. “Things are great at Emberstone. We like our work. The headmaster’s happy.”

“In case you forgot, I am the headmaster.” Perhaps it wasn’t a good idea to prod Sebastian at the moment, but Alastair had years of pent up frustration at the guy. Besides, things did not seem to be great at Emberstone.

“You know bloody well who I meant,” Sebastian argued.

“The only one overstepping right now is you, Mr. Shelley,” Alastair said. “Until two minutes ago, I only planned to write good things about you. The truth is, I found your class to be great. Best Alchemy lecture I’ve seen.”

Sebastian seemed unconvinced, but Alastair could see him consciously make the decision to button his lip. Much like his fists, which remained clenched at his side.

“Fine. Do what you want to.” Sebastian turned to walk back to his desk.

“I’m not trying to make things difficult,” Alastair said to Sebastian’s back. “If there’s one thing today taught me, it’s I have big shoes to fill. And I don’t just mean Ozelius. You… the other teachers. You’re all doing a phenomenal job, and I simply don’t want to fall short.”

Sebastian kept walking without saying a word. Alastair stood there a moment longer, but when Sebastian reached his desk and sat to grade the students’ work, he gave up and returned to his quarters.

***

“Welcome back, fake headmaster,” the gargoyle knocker said.

“Not in the mood,” Alastair said as he opened the door and stepped inside. He plopped down on one of the armchairs by the fireplace and let his head roll back.

“What a horrible end to a rather good day,” he said aloud.

His hand drifted to his pocket where he’d stored the letter from his Glimmerglass students. He’d be back with them next year where he belonged. Leadership of Primordium would fall to Montgomery again, assuming the was able to find his way back from the Groulgir.

He rose, went to his desk, and pulled out a large piece of parchment. There, he started drafting his response to Glimmerglass. He’d been able to get some good photos of the Emberstone castle and grounds, and had fun going through them and deciding which to send now and which to save for a later correspondence. He decided on three: one of the monumental front door, one of the Main Hall at breakfast, and one of the Formal Gardens after the rains passed. All together, they were a good introduction to the school.

Hi, students!

Feels like it’s been forever. Emberstone is alright, but you’re correct: there’s no place as good as Glimmerglass. Miss you all, and can’t wait to get back.

Things are going fine here. Classes are well underway and everyone’s doing well. No forests here, though (see attached photo). Those gardens are about as close as any of us get to nature. I know… ridiculous. The other pictures are of the castle. As you can see… a little different from where you are. I’ll send some photos of the city with my next letter.

How are classes? Oh, how I miss the bonfires! Has it gotten really cold yet? We’re just hitting fall now down here. Hoping we still get snow this far south.

More soon (and don’t forget to write),

Headmaster Meade

He folded the parchment and sealed it in an envelope, planning to mail it when he was next in the city. Then, he spent the remainder of the evening writing his report for Ozelius—not that he really expected the old man to read it. Doing so was more about finishing the job and summarizing what he’d seen.

Attention: Sylvester Ozelius

I’ve been observing classes these past few days. You’ve assembled a fantastic team, and the students are lucky to have them.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

He paused, trying to think of what else to write. Sebastian’s words echoed in his mind. Was he making some veiled effort to evaluate them? Trying to tell Ozelius who was or wasn’t fit for their position at Emberstone?

Your Non-Magical staff are particularly to be commended. Despite them not teaching magic, they’re every bit as dedicated as the others and the school benefits greatly from their work.

He continued, making small mentions of individual teachers and the lessons he’d observed, then ended the report and signed it with a flourish.

Sebastian had a point. Alastair was here to fill in and do his best, not make recommendations. Once Ozelius was back, things would continue much as they were, and the school’s permanent headmaster could make his own decisions.

This, too, he sealed with wax and an old brass seal he found in the headmaster’s desk. This one would not be taken to post. Instead, he stuck it in the long drawer in the center of the desk, then sat back in his plush chair and watched the night sky through the office’s tall windows. The evening was clear, and the stars twinkled brightly against the darkness.

Glimmerglass sees the same sky.