Lily thoughtfully, and opened the pretty embroidered bag that was hanging at her waist, bringing out a tiny blue glass bottle like the guard’s. She fingered it lovingly. ‘All the staff have these. And others, should we need them. But no spells are cast at Fell Hall, Lily. All the magic in this house is dead.’
Lily blinked. Fell Hall! She had suddenly remembered where she’d heard the name. The Fells had been one of the greatest magical families. The great last battle of the Talish War had been fought from here, by magic – how could she have forgotten? After the Decree, the house must have been seized by the Crown, and turned into the reform school. It was a cruel way to show how far the magical families had fallen.
‘Only these bottled spells are used here – but don’t make the mistake of thinking that they’re not as strong as fresh ones.’ Miss Merganser put her head on one side, like a little smiling bird. ‘Or perhaps you won’t. You felt our spells, didn’t you? Mr Berryford said he had to use a remarkably strong dose on you, Lily dear. The sooner you understand that magic is wrong, the better you will find your time at Fell Hall. Perhaps, eventually, when you’re older and wiser, you’ll be able to leave.’
Lily swallowed. Perhaps… What did that mean? She had a horrible sense of the white stone walls closing in around her.
M iss Merganser delivered them to a classroom, which Lily was sure had once been the house’s library. It was lined with shelves, but they were almost all empty. Perhaps the books had been burned, Lily thought with a shiver. The shelf nearest to the large desk at the front held a few tattered atlases, and something that looked very like Aunt Clara’s embroidery book, but that was all.
A foxy-faced young man with a large reddish moustache was marching up and down at the front of the room, waving at the blackboard, on which was drawn a squiggly sort of map. ‘Treachery! Defection to Talis, you see? Typical of magicians.’ He was practically spitting with disgust. He glared at the front row of children. The littlest ones, who were sitting on a bench at the front, had clearly been trying not to fall asleep. Several of them had been hastily woken by their neighbours, or the older ones sitting in desks behind them, when Miss Merganser came in. Now they were all quite awake, their eyes flicking between the schoolmaster and the warden, as though they didn’t know which one it was safer to offend.
Lily scanned the rows of weary-looking boys for Peter, but she couldn’t see him. Where was he? Were there more boys elsewhere?
‘This is what we have to weed out of you! Stand up !’ the foxy man roared, finally noticing Miss Merganser and the girls.
One of the smallest children fell over instead, sprawling at Miss Merganser’s feet. She looked up with a frightened gasp, and curled herself into a ball, clearly expecting to be struck down with something awful.
Lily picked her up. ‘Had your feet gone to sleep?’ she asked sympathetically. The same thing had happened to her, when she’d been curled up reading.
She could hear the indrawn breath from the rest of the class, and as the little girl scuttled back into her place, Lily glanced up at them, and then at Miss Merganser, who was still smiling.
‘How very kind, Lily. But we do not encourage talking during lessons. You will soon come to see how we do things, I’m sure. Mr Fanshawe, these are Lily and Georgiana Powers. Go and sit down over there, girls.’ She drew the master aside, speaking to him in a low voice. She gestured to the bag at her waist, Lily noticed, more than once. Clearly she was telling him to beware.
Lily squeezed on to the bench seat of a long wooden desk, with Georgie next to her, and looked along the row of children. It was separated, girls on one side, and boys on the other. The rows of desks extended back all the way along the room, so that about forty children were squashed in.
Lily glanced
Lily blinked. Fell Hall! She had suddenly remembered where she’d heard the name. The Fells had been one of the greatest magical families. The great last battle of the Talish War had been fought from here, by magic – how could she have forgotten? After the Decree, the house must have been seized by the Crown, and turned into the reform school. It was a cruel way to show how far the magical families had fallen.
‘Only these bottled spells are used here – but don’t make the mistake of thinking that they’re not as strong as fresh ones.’ Miss Merganser put her head on one side, like a little smiling bird. ‘Or perhaps you won’t. You felt our spells, didn’t you? Mr Berryford said he had to use a remarkably strong dose on you, Lily dear. The sooner you understand that magic is wrong, the better you will find your time at Fell Hall. Perhaps, eventually, when you’re older and wiser, you’ll be able to leave.’
Lily swallowed. Perhaps… What did that mean? She had a horrible sense of the white stone walls closing in around her.
M iss Merganser delivered them to a classroom, which Lily was sure had once been the house’s library. It was lined with shelves, but they were almost all empty. Perhaps the books had been burned, Lily thought with a shiver. The shelf nearest to the large desk at the front held a few tattered atlases, and something that looked very like Aunt Clara’s embroidery book, but that was all.
A foxy-faced young man with a large reddish moustache was marching up and down at the front of the room, waving at the blackboard, on which was drawn a squiggly sort of map. ‘Treachery! Defection to Talis, you see? Typical of magicians.’ He was practically spitting with disgust. He glared at the front row of children. The littlest ones, who were sitting on a bench at the front, had clearly been trying not to fall asleep. Several of them had been hastily woken by their neighbours, or the older ones sitting in desks behind them, when Miss Merganser came in. Now they were all quite awake, their eyes flicking between the schoolmaster and the warden, as though they didn’t know which one it was safer to offend.
Lily scanned the rows of weary-looking boys for Peter, but she couldn’t see him. Where was he? Were there more boys elsewhere?
‘This is what we have to weed out of you! Stand up !’ the foxy man roared, finally noticing Miss Merganser and the girls.
One of the smallest children fell over instead, sprawling at Miss Merganser’s feet. She looked up with a frightened gasp, and curled herself into a ball, clearly expecting to be struck down with something awful.
Lily picked her up. ‘Had your feet gone to sleep?’ she asked sympathetically. The same thing had happened to her, when she’d been curled up reading.
She could hear the indrawn breath from the rest of the class, and as the little girl scuttled back into her place, Lily glanced up at them, and then at Miss Merganser, who was still smiling.
‘How very kind, Lily. But we do not encourage talking during lessons. You will soon come to see how we do things, I’m sure. Mr Fanshawe, these are Lily and Georgiana Powers. Go and sit down over there, girls.’ She drew the master aside, speaking to him in a low voice. She gestured to the bag at her waist, Lily noticed, more than once. Clearly she was telling him to beware.
Lily squeezed on to the bench seat of a long wooden desk, with Georgie next to her, and looked along the row of children. It was separated, girls on one side, and boys on the other. The rows of desks extended back all the way along the room, so that about forty children were squashed in.
Lily glanced
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