The semester goes on. The Patronuses - the three of them that exist - are useful for remote communications, though they're too conspicuous for chatting in class. And even Bella can send return messages. Feral gets mauled by the carnivorous thorn plant and is sent to Healer Song with a disturbing grin on his face, and tells Bella all about the properties of the plant in question. Sherlock produces no further prophecies, but gets excellent grades in everything, including Divination. Bella gets him to read tarot for her and he gravely informs her that she is fated to be the ruler of the world, before sweeping up the cards and allowing her laughter to be contagious.

Tony draws brooms with jet engines, and jets with tail-twigs. Bella learns about Crups and Grindylows and dragons and unicorns and hippogriffs and Puffskeins (these are handled in-class; she likes them until they try to lick her). Feral works on Animagery and Bella collaborates with Tony on a Transfiguration project for a change and Sherlock gets cornered by Artemis Burberry's cousin and sends him to the infirmary with superficial cuts, stuck-shut eyelids, and a distinct case of unconsciousness.

Bella attempts to invent a broom-based sport that doesn't involve anything exploding or a disproportionate amount of scoring being performed by a single team position, but it turns out she's very bad at catching and throwing balls even when she's in the air and she gives up. The JROC courts the twins and gets nowhere. Feral's fire problem diminishes enough that between that and fire-suppression from the elves he can use magic in the kitchen; he learns to make cheese souffle. It is delicious. Bella loses her hazel wand for a day and a half before it turns up and feels very smug about her backup idea; she finds the missing one under the ingredient cupboard in Potions.

Renée meets her at the exit from the wizarding hideaway of the Bay Cauldron, and she goes roadtripping to Phoenix for the first half of the summer.