“How far in do we have to go?” asked Samantha, shortly after the group had entered the forest.

  “I think we’re here,” said Clara, looking at the map. “Anyone want to go first?”

  “I will,” suggested Lilith.

  After nobody objected, she took a summoning chip out of her bag and chanted “Producite amicos” while holding it between her thumb and index finger. Her chip went from being dark brown to bright silver as Professor Hathaway had said it would. As a matter of fact, it was such a bright silver that it actually seemed to glow. She dropped the chip to the ground. Very quickly the air filled with a sweet aroma that resembled that of cinnamon and herbs. However, while those herbs ordinarily would have clashed with cinnamon, this time they somehow complemented each other to produce an even sweeter smell.

  Within moments, all kinds of creatures approached into view — deer, a few foxes, wolves, rabbits, other four-legged animals, and birds of various kinds. As though hypnotized, Lilith walked toward an owl that sat perched on a low branch a few feet above her eye level.

  “Excuse me, Magnificent Owl,” she said. “My name is Lilith Collins. I am a first-year student at Misty Peaks.” The owl hooted, and Lilith continued. “I would really appreciate it if you were to give me something that I could use as the core of my first wand — which I need to make this coming week in class.”

  The owl hooted, and flew swiftly toward Lilith, vigorously fluttering its wings. As it flew back, a single feather floated down to Lilith’s hands, where she caught it. She held it up by the stem and beheld it, along with Simon, Samantha, and Clara. It glowed with a not-too-bright yet distinctive blue aura - just as Professor Hathaway had described.

  “Thank you very much,” said Lilith, bowing toward the bird which then hooted and flew off. Lilith placed the feather in the main compartment of her collection bag as Professor Hathaway had instructed before looking at the other two. “Who’s next?” she asked.

  After a little more time walking, it was Samantha’s turn to try. She held her summoning chip and said the required chant. A very short time later, the group was again surrounded by all manners of creatures. She looked around for a moment and finally approached something perched on a branch twenty feet up that looked a lot like a small baboon with large wings growing out of its back similar to those of a bat.

  “Excuse me, Magnificent Winged Monkey,” she said. “It’s me, Samantha Rogers. I’m a student at Misty Peaks Academy and need to make my first wand — and I’d be real glad if you could give me something of yourself to use in it. Could you help me out?”

  The monkey geckered and flew down from the branch and landed on Samantha’s shoulder. It snapped the claw off of one of the lower tips on its right wing and handed it to her before flying off.

  Samantha looked at the claw. As Lilith’s owl feather had earlier, this claw had the blue aura signifying that she had what she needed — but she still seemed crestfallen.

  “What is it?” asked Lilith. “A winged monkey’s claw is a perfectly good core!”

  “It may be,” said Samantha, morosely, “but now every time I use my wand, I’ll be thinking of this poor monkey missing the claw of its wing.”

  “Naw,” said Clara. “Don’t worry about it! They lose those all the time! And they grow back real quick.”

  After the group walked for a little bit more, Clara turned to Simon. “Do you want to go next?” she asked.

  “You sure you don’t want to?” he replied.

  “Nah,” she said. “I want to see what you get.”

  “Okay,” said Simon, taking a summoning chip out of his bag. He held it as Professor Hathaway had instructed and chanted “Producite amicos.” He waited for it to take on the bright silver glow and for the smell of cinnamon and herbs to fill the air. As soon as all this happened, he placed the chip on the ground. Within moments, creatures of all kinds could be seen, attracted by the sweet aroma. One bobcat caught his attention more than any other.

  “Excuse me, Magnificent Wildcat,” he said, approaching it. The bobcat tiptoed forward. “My name is Simon Cor-.”

  Before he could even finish saying his last name, the cat’s expression had completely changed to a sneer. It hissed at him savagely and ran off.

  “What did I do?” asked Simon.

  “I don’t know,” said Clara. “You can try another one.”

  Simon turned to his left and saw another felid — one somewhat larger than the bobcat, whose species he did not recognize.

  “Excuse me, Magnificent Big Cat,” he said. “My name is Simon Co-.”

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  Again, this felid did not wait for him to finish. It growled at him, swung its paw threateningly, and ran off.

  “I don’t get it!” complained Simon, a bit frustrated.

  “How about you start with the school and then go for your name?” suggested Lilith.

  “Okay,” said Simon. He turned to the right and saw something that looked like a rabbit with the horns of a deer. “What’s that?” he asked.

  “Looks like a jackalope,” answered Clara.

  “Excuse me, Magnificent Jackalope,” said Simon, approaching the creature. “I am a student at Misty Peaks Academy of the Magical Arts. My name is Simon Corbin.”

  He managed to get to the end of his name — but before he could say anything more, the jackalope was hopping away as fast as its feet could manage.

  “I don’t get it!” he complained.

  “That’s okay,” said Clara. “You still have two more cones.”

  “But Professor Hathaway said we shouldn’t need them!” he protested.

  “She did,” affirmed Clara, “but she knew that there was the possibility that you might. That’s why she included them. I’ll just take my turn, and then you can try again.”

  After a few more minutes of walking, Clara activated her summoning chip. Moments later, she approached a very strange bird. It looked like a hawk, but was much larger than one. It stood eight feet tall, and was not perched on a tree-branch, but stood on the ground. Simon did not know what kind of bird this was — but apparently, Clara did.

  “Magnificent Thunderbird,” she said. “I am Clara Lawson, first-year student at Misty Peaks. This week, I am going to need to put together my first wand. Would you give me something of yourself that I could use when I do that?”

  The bird flapped its wings and there was a clap of thunder. It blinked its eyes, bringing a flash of lightning. When the light faded, Clara was holding a magnificent brown feather in her hand emitting the same blue aura that had surrounded Lilith’s owl feather and Samantha’s claw from the winged monkey’s wing. The great bird that had given it to her, though, was nowhere to be seen.

  “Thank you, Magnificent Thunderbird,” she said quietly, curtseying.

  A few minutes later, it was once again time for Simon to try. Once again, he activated a summoning chip and placed it on the ground. Again, the sweet aroma of cinnamon and all sorts of herbs filled the air, drawing out of the woods all kinds of creatures, ordinary and fantastic. This time, it was a bright red songbird with a red crest on its head and a black mask-like patch over its eyes that caught his attention.

  “Hello, Mister Cardinal,” he said. “I am a student at Misty Peaks Academy of the Magical Arts about to make my first wand and wonder if you could give me something of yourself to use for it.”

  The bird jumped a few inches downward on the branch, chirped, and tilted its head to one side.

  “Asking it for something without even telling it your name?” asked Lilith, incredulously.

  “My name is Simon Corbin,” said Simon. But as with previous times, before he could finish saying his name, the bird had flown away.

  At this point, Simon was beginning to feel desperate. He had used up his first summoning chip, and had lost every potential donor upon mentioning his name. Now, he was seeing the same thing happen with his second chip. If this kept up, he would fail the assignment and would not be able to build his wand. Desperately, he looked for another potential donor for his wand core.

  This time, his eye turned to a dove that was on a higher branch to his left.

  “Hello, Magnificent Dove,” said Simon, approaching the dove. “I am a student at Misty Peaks Academy of the Magical Arts — and I need something in order to build my first wand. Can you give me something of yourself for that?”

  The dove cooed and flew down to Simon, perching on his arm. He began petting the dove. “So, will you help me?” he asked.

  “You have to tell it your name,” insisted Lilith.

  “I’m working toward that,” said Simon, continuing to pet the bird.

  “Let me guess,” he said. “You’re not going to help me unless I tell you my name.”

  The dove just cooed again. Simon’s heart sunk.

  “Okay,” he said, despondently. “I’m Simon Corbin.”

  The dove cooed and flew off.

  “Did it give you anything?” asked Clara.

  “No!” said Simon, taking off his bag and angrily throwing it to the ground. “I don’t get it!” he said, throwing himself down as well. “I’m doing everything I’m supposed to be doing, and they always fly off! Why?”

  “Well, it always happens when you say your name,” pointed out Clara. “Maybe it’s not your true name?”

  “So you think my mom and dad lied to me about what my name is?” asked Simon, with a snarl.

  “I don’t think so,” explained Clara, “but sometimes, the name someone gets from their parents — well — doesn’t fit them. Maybe you’re like that?”

  “Just my luck,” said Simon, picking a stick up off the ground and throwing it into the forest.

  “Well,” said Clara, “if that name doesn’t fit you — surely you can sense it, and know a name that does.”

  Simon was pretty sure that Clara had no idea what she was on to. “I do,” he said, picking up his bag and putting it back on as he got up off the ground. “But I can’t say it,” he continued, before stomping off angrily, pulling the strap of his bag tight over and over again.

  “Let’s talk about this,” called Clara, coming after him. “You’ve got another chip left — and if that doesn’t work, we’ve all got spares.”

  “You saw what happened,” said Simon, turning back for a moment to see that Lilith and Samantha were following him as well. “They’re going to fly off when I mention my name no matter how many chips I have!”

  “Then tell them your true name!” said Lilith.

  “I can’t,” said Simon, as he continued to storm off. “You’ll hate me if you know what it is.” He wasn’t sure that they’d hate him — but felt there was a good chance that they would.

  “Trust us!” cried Clara. “We’re your friends!”

  “You’re saying that now!” said Simon, “but I don’t know that you’ll still say that if you know this about me.”

  “Give us a chance!” pleaded Samantha.

  “I’m the one who everyone’s gonna hate if it doesn’t work!” he insisted.

  “You’ll be the one without a core if you don’t try!” shouted Lilith.

  Simon said nothing, but continued stomping away in anger — Clara, Lilith, and Samantha following. Eventually, they found themselves in a place of the forest where the trees just didn’t look right. Even though it was the end of summer, none of them had any leaves on them. And the fresh smell of the forest was replaced by a somewhat faint garbage-dump smell. It was a lot like the stench that had blown into the North Wing Courtyard the day before at the time of Mika’s mishap with her broom — only it was somewhat stronger.

  “What’s wrong with these trees?” asked Samantha.

  “You wretches are what is wrong!” called a raspy voice from above.