Defective Magic of Spooky Doom

"What's the big deal about these exams?" Zim asked his friends that evening during their 'study session' in their room.

"They're to check how much we've learned or if we learned anything at all." Bob murmured as he re-read all of his notes from Charms and Herbology.

"So they're important?"

"Very important! Getting high scores in exams will increase your chances of getting a good job." Skoodge stated. Bob bitterly added that the 'good job' would likely go to taller Irkens even if they got Ds in all of the subjects.

"If I get high scores, I can become an Almighty Tallest Mage?"

"You need to be at least eight feet tall-"

"Can I?"

"If you have a growth spurt, it might increase your chances-"

"Can I?!"

Skoodge sighed. "Yeah."

So Zim decided he'd have the highest scores in the exams. Unfortunately for him, his attention deficit made it hard to stay focused on a book for longer than thirty seconds without getting distracted over the tiniest external stimuli. Even if he somehow managed to do so for longer than that, GIR always ended up distracting him with his antics.

The first exam was Magic Linguistics. Professor Poki had her raven familiar caw, while the class had to transcribe its words on answer sheets accurately. Zim froze the first few minutes as he realized he couldn't understand a thing, then he started writing down guesses. This tactic proved to be anything but useful, as a quarter of his answers were wrong, barely earning him an A, Acceptable, the grade in-between pass and failure.

"Curse you, raven! Curse you!" Zim complained during lunchtime as he glared down at the A written on the paper.

"It's your first time, so it's normal," Skoodge said, trying to make Zim feel better.

"Easy for you to say, your familiar is a bird." Bob pointed out, frowning at Chocolate.

"How come the Ilk-smeet and Tak got perfect scores?" Zim asked. Ilk had just shown them her exam and the EE, Exceeds Expectations, in the corner, and Tak… Well, she's Tak. From what he heard, she's never had any grades below EE ever since her magical education began.

"Tak's one year above us, so she's got more experience. As for Ilk." Bob looked around, leaned in, and whispered. "I think Headmaster Red tutored her."

"Hey, that's cheating!" Zim cried out.

"Asking a Professor for help isn't cheating. It's their job to make sure that we learn. " Skoodge clarified.

Zim was so distracted that he didn't notice a raven flying towards them until he felt his exam being snatched from his hands. The bird flew back to Larb and his cronies, dropping the paper on its master's hands.

"'I'm getting hungry. Caw'." Larb read out loud in a mocking tone.

"'I wish I had some corn. Caw'." Alexovich added. The trio burst into laughter until Zim walked up to them and snatched the paper back.

"Shut up! So what if I'm not good at speaking bird?!"

"And just what are you good at, pray tell?" Alexovich inquired with a sneer.

"How odd, you barely have anything you are good at!" Flobee added.

"No, wait, he is good at something," Larb sneered. "Making a fool of himself. Oh, and let's not forget how good at failing you are!"

The three disappeared down the cafeteria in-between mocking laughter. Zim clenched his teeth and his grip on his exam as he glared in the direction they walked to while GIR waved his paw amicably at them. Just as he thought it couldn't get any worse, the female examiner approached. She was followed by the old Irken and a sleek, lavender-furred feline, probably her familiar.

"Hi!" GIR dropped into the ground and hugged Trina's familiar. The large cat frowned and pushed him off her paw in an elegant manner.

Trina stared at Larb's group as they sat at a table and then looked down at Zim.

"Are these… episodes frequent?" the Irkenette inquired.

"You could say so," Skoodge replied.

The Irkenette wrote in her datapad with a quill. "Have you seen anyone else being harassed in such a manner by other people?"

"Not that we know of. Larb's group is the primary 'harasser' in the school, but so far, they only seem to pick on us," Bob quickly pointed at Zim. "Especially him."

"Is that so?" Trina took a quick look at the student in question. Zim... That's odd, his surname is not registered in the school records, he merely appeared as Zim. Usually, this meant that the student has no family they knew of. "Tell me, Mr. Zim, do you ever provoke any fights?"

"Of course not!" Zim snapped.

Trina raised an eyebrow, looking through her papers. "That's a bold claim. Here it says you tore a girl's dress on your first day." Finnel chuckled.

"It wasn't me; it was GIR!"

"Then, you skipped detention and snuck out of school."

"Hey, it wasn't just me!"

"Tattletale!" Bob snapped at Zim, offended.

"And you vandalized the Headmasters' office."

"Oh, come on, I captured the Dib-beast to aid the Headmasters!"

"Dib-beast?"

"You know, the hyooman who snuck into school! The Headmasters were looking for him all over, and I, Zim, helped capture him!" Zim paused and noticed the Irkenette had opened her eyes and raised her lekku. She must be impressed by what he did. "Impressive, right?"

"A hyooman no-maj snuck into the school?"

-DMoSD-

Ilk had to admit: she wasn't sure about Headmaster Red's offer to tutor her in the signatures she was having trouble with at first. However, he turned out to be a good teacher: patient and encouraging. He taught her the basics of the avian language, which she had never been good at, but an hour and a half with him were enough for her to get an Exceeds Expectations in her first exam. She was so happy! Zee and Poot were teasing her over the 'special treatment' she got from the Headmaster himself. She made them stop by promising to help them study for Charms and Potions, in which she was very good at.

The next study session would take place in the library later that day during the free period. Ilk took her Transfiguration notes and book and picked a table near the bookshelves. Headmaster Red was yet to arrive, so Ilk distracted herself by looking around at the books. In silence, of course, as Miss Bar, the Librarian, was very strict about the 'silence in the library' rule and the books' condition. A few students had already been 'banned' for a week or more for being noisy or damaging a book.

Kuna directed Ilk's attention to a particular tome in the lower shelves: a yearbook from a few years ago. Curious, Ilk took it from the shelf and headed towards a table. She found none other than Dren sitting in it, hungrily reading through some of the books. She greeted him eagerly as she took a seat next to him; he smiled.

"Hi, Ilk. Studying for the exams?"

"You could say so. I'm supposed to meet Headmaster Red; he's going to help me study."

"I didn't imagine a smart girl such as you would require assistance."

Ilk blushed. "Well, I might be good at Potions, but I got my weak points. How about you?"

"I already read most of the books at home, so I figured I'd read something new. Irkharth has one of the biggest libraries in the magical teaching institutions found on Earth, and it permits books that other species find… inappropriate." He noticed the yearbook she was carrying. "Is that what I think it is?"

Ilk nodded as she skipped through it. She recognized some of the faces in there even if they looked far younger. Dren joined in, and would occasionally point out the identity of people in there she didn't find familiar. Kat Zitka, head magical surgeon of the St. Arya hospital, was the best of her class in Healing Magic. Swig Intora became a famed Quidirk player who has led the Irken Quidirk team to victory for the past fifty years. Ilk saw a few members of the House of Phynxak, Tak's family, always in the best student listings, and how most of them got high-ranked positions in the magic world. A few even worked in the I.R.K.M.A.C. as counselors or Almighty Tallest mages and archmages.

"Wow. I heard the Phynxak were powerful, but this takes the cake!"

"They got 3,000 human years of history, so it's natural. They are one of Irk's most ancient and highly-esteemed bloodlines both in the no-maj and magical worlds."

"Yeah, I've noticed. Everybody holds Tak on a high pedestal because she's from that family."

"Yes, but go give her credit. She's actually earned the praise given to her. Tak's a great witch." Dren added.

Ilk wondered if her parents were in there. She didn't have any pictures nor remembered their faces, but it was worth a try. She skipped the pages until she found the graduating class from a few years before she was born. There were many Irkens in that class, but none of them looked like they could be related to her. As she watched, she casually came across some more recently familiar faces.

Reddok Vermeillo

Top of the class, perfect N.E.I.W.T.s. 8.31 ft tall.

Ascended to Almighty Tallest Mage.

Purpurous Lavrendek.

Quidirk team captain. 6 'Exceeds Expectations' N.E.I.W.T.s. 8.30 ft tall.

Ascended to Almighty Tallest Mage.

"Would you look at that? The Headmasters don't seem to have changed much." Dren chuckled.

"Wow, they got top marks in the N.E.I.W.T.s. Headmaster Vermeillo even had the perfect scores!"

"Well, the I.R.K.M.A.C. wouldn't put average wizards in charge of Irk's most prestigious magic school off-planet, though Reddok and Purpurous have made a bit of controversy."

"How so?" Ilk inquired.

"See, my father said that the I.R.K.M.A.C. originally was going to appoint only Reddok as Headmaster, as he was the best candidate. However, he insisted that he wanted Purpurous to be his co-Headmaster. It's the first time in Irkharth's history that it has not one Headmaster, but two."

"They must be very close, then."

"Very much, according to what my father said," Dren said. "Some used to think they were a couple until Reddok got married to Miyuki."

Ilk twitched her lekku. That name sounds familiar. "Miyuki?"

"She must be… Here." Dren pointed to another student in the same class as the Headmasters: an Irkenette with azure blue eyes, a rare color for Irkens. "That's her."

It was the first time she saw her, and yet Ilk couldn't help feeling a strange deja vu. She read the description under the picture.

Miyuki Hyacinthra.

Top marks in Astronomy. 5 'Exceeds Expectations' N.E.I.W.T.s. 8.15 ft tall.

Ascended to Almighty Tallest Mage.

"She's… Headmaster Vermeillo's wife?"

"Late wife."

"Oh, right… Do you happen to know what happened to her?"

"Not exactly. I mean, you know the media tends to exaggerate or omit specific details to make their stories more 'alluring.' They want people to buy more newspapers, after all. It doesn't help that Reddok didn't give many details about what happened, and he's refused to talk about it ever since," Dren explained. "But the most accepted theory is that an anti-alien hyooman entered their house and-"

"Good afternoon."

Ilk and Dren jumped, startled. Ilk momentarily lost her balance and nearly fell back; she would have if Headmaster Red hadn't caught the chair from behind.

"Are you alright?" He asked, visibly concerned. Ilk, of course, wanted nothing but to wear an invisibility cloak or something like that. Had he heard what they were talking about? Would he be mad?

"I'm s-sorry, Professor!" she stuttered, her face hot. Ilk was pretty sure her cheeks looked like someone smeared a pink amortentia potion on them.

Red chuckled. "Don't worry, I've had embarrassing episodes myself back in the day," he leaned in towards the table, particularly close to Dren. "Ah, I see you found a yearbook…" He smiled a bit. "I admit, it's been a while since I saw my picture in it."

Ilk noticed the Headmaster's familiar slithering up Dren's chair, staring at him with slit pupils. Uh-oh. He did hear what they were talking about. Does this mean he's mad at her too?

"SSSHH!" Miss Bar shushed sternly from her desk.

"Uh-oh." Headmaster Red chuckled again as he sat down in the chair next to Ilk. "Guess even I am not exempt from the rules."

"Professor, I'm sorry! I d-didn't mean to-! We didn't mean to gossip about your matters or anything like that! I was just curious, and Dren was telling me…!

"No, no, that's… that's okay." Red stared at Miyuki's photo. Had it been that long? Admittedly, she hadn't changed much either since that picture was taken. He couldn't help himself and stroked her cheek on the page with a finger.

"I offer you my apologies, Professor," Dren said, bowing his head. His familiar made a similar gesture. "As Ilk said, it wasn't my intention to meddle into your private affairs."

Red sighed solemnly. "You did nothing wrong, young Hakren. You were merely discussing something that happened a long time ago," he said sadly.

"I should be taking my leave now, sir. I wouldn't like to distract miss Ilk from her studies," Dren offered Ilk another friendly smile. "I guess I'll see you later."

Ilk nodded her head a bit too quickly. "Y-Yeah."

Once Dren walked off, Red centered his attention back on Ilk, smiling a bit. "So, shall we begin with the lesson?"

-DMoSD-

Throughout the week, Zim realized a terrible fact: he didn't have a strong point. For some reason, everyone seemed to be better at certain subjects except for him, no matter how hard he tried. Skoodge achieved an impressive Exceeds Expectations in Charms by levitating five items with wingardium leviosa. Bob scored Outstanding in Transfiguration because he didn't answer all the answers correctly in the written part of the exam despite successfully casting the Spongify spell on a rock. Stink is an ace when it comes to flying a broomstick, the only reason he scored Acceptable was that he didn't fly as Professor Krel had instructed, instead choosing to fly his way: fast and reckless. Gashloog, the third-grader Irken with the goggles, got the highest mark in Magizoology because he was the only one who successfully made a perfect sketch and report of a manticore. Grapa and Spleen did better than most in Herbology and DADA, respectively. Even Larb was pretty good at Potions, as much as Zim hated to admit it.

Then there are others, like the Ilk-smeet, who had not one, but many strong points. Ilk-smeet scored mostly Exceptionals, but she obtained the highest marks in Transfiguration, Magic Linguistics, and Charms, undoubtedly thanks to her additional tutelage under Headmaster Reddok. But when it came to Potions, Ilk-smeet was simply a natural. She was one of the few students whom Professor Sizz-Lorr seems to like.

Then there's Tak, who stood out in every class. Zim shivered in disgust. She scored perfectly in all the exams, never below that. It's almost like the Irkenette couldn't fail even if her life depended on it. All the Professors held her on a pedestal and almost acted as if she owned the school. The other students called her the 'marble Irken' due to her academic perfection as well as her cold, stoic demeanor.

The Astronomy exam took place after lunch break; it consisted of a primary star and planet alignment reading. The majority barely got to see a glimpse of something that would probably happen tomorrow. Zim didn't see anything; Lena-witch assured him not everyone got to read astral bodies at their first try. Even Ilk-smeet had trouble in this class and barely scored Outstanding. Tak, on the other hand, made an advanced astrology reading; being one grade above them, she was naturally more experienced. She held her wand forward with both arms, making a whole start chart, not of Earth, but Irk and its surrounding planets along with all the stars and celestial bodies. It almost looked like the holographic lights Zim had seen in brochures from the planetarium built by Professor Membrane.

"The alienation of stars and the planets in Irk's solar system speak: Irk, stay strong, for you shall go through difficult times, but should you prevail and remain as powerful as ever."

The rest of the class clapped their hands. Lena nodded approvingly at Tak's display. "Well done, Tak! You're the first witch your age to read such an advanced astronomy chart!"

Zim's eye twitched. "Big deal, she's just saying everyday stuff!"

Tak glanced at him. "Zim. Should I read your future?"

Zim puffed out his chest and crossed his arms, grinning. "Ha! I already know my future: I will become an Almighty Tallest Mage!"

Tak focused her attention on a tiny star formation in the seemingly endless sea of stars. "I see something…" Her head pulsated with pain as images flashed. They were brief and fuzzy, barely discernible. She saw a hyooman with an abnormally big head, a nightingale with crimson plumage, a flash of blue and silver speeding across a river of stars in the sky... The images moved taster to the point she could hardly discern them. She's never had this trouble in reading someone's fortune before: these cases were sporadic unless even the stars themselves were 'forbidden' to speak.

At long last, the images came to an abrupt halt. She saw Zim's wand being snapped in two. That could only mean one thing.

"...You'll be expelled from Irkharth."

There were multiple gasps across the room, followed by an angry yell.

"YOU'RE MAKING IT UP!" Zim snapped, pointing an accusing finger at Tak.

"You wish!" Larb sneered. "Tak's predictions are always accurate. And it's not that hard to believe. You'll probably get kicked out of school anytime soon."

"Why, you-!"

Zim felt his foot coming into contact with something, causing him to lose his balance as he tried to leap at Larb, and instead, his face hit the ground with a painful thud. It wouldn't have been that bad, as he's gotten worse injuries from Torque, but GIR had been sleeping right next to him. When he fell over, he unintentionally landed on top of him, causing his familiar to shriek and jump into his head.

He heard Ilk, Skoodge, and Bob coming forward to ask if he was okay, but Zim didn't pay attention to them. All he could hear was the laughter coming from Larb, his cronies, and the rest of their classmates. It brought back memories of when he was a smeet. The mocking laughter from the hyooman children, their fingers pointing at him, calling him 'Irken freak,' making fun of him for anything. Making him feel unwanted, driving him to tears until he ran to hide in Hecate's skirt.

But Hecate wasn't here, and he was no longer a smeet. He wasn't the crybaby pushover from back then. He was an Irken. And if there's one thing they are famous for, it's their temper.

Zim's vision went red as he released a high-pitched shriek and lunged at Larb; he didn't react in time and was tackled to the ground, but Larb was an Irken too. As such, he retaliated against Zim, returning his scratches and bites. The rest of their classmates, except for a few, cheered around them. Lena was about to intervene when the doors burst open.

So far, Councillor Finnel, the head examiner, hadn't uttered a word or even opened his eyes. He hadn't even touched his meal. Red couldn't help but wonder if he was still alive or died in his sleep, and nobody noticed.

"Headmasters, Lord Finnel doesn't appear to be hungry," Dren said in a smooth, regal voice. "I thought if you could show us around the campus. Perhaps it will open up his appetite."

"Why, of course, young Dren!" Purple looked around the dining hall, searching for a particular Irkenette. "Miss Phynxak!" He called out once he spotted her amongst the hundreds of students.

Tak reacted to her name being called. Placing her phlooka aside for a SIR to pick up, she made her way to Headmaster Purple's side.

"You called for me, sir?"

"Please take Dren and Lord Finnel on tour around the school."

Tak glanced at Dren briefly before nodding her head. "As you wish, Headmaster." She walked towards Lord Finnel's anti-gravity chair, hands neatly tucked behind her back. "If you'd be so kind as to follow me…"

Dren silently left his seat and pushed the chair from behind, following Tak towards the entrance.

"Phynxak? From the House of Phynxak?" Trina rubbed her chin. "So that's the daughter of Lord Wasabi and Lady Trik. It's been a while since I last saw her, she's certainly grown taller."

"And she's our best student!" Purple piped in happily. "She excels in all branches of magic so far!"

"That is to be expected, the House of Phynxak has produced powerful witches for centuries. I wouldn't be surprised if miss Tak turns out to be the greatest up-and-coming witch of her generation." Mauven added.

"Why, she may even be the best student in all the history of Irkharth!"

Trina took a sip from her wine. "Speaking of which, Red… I never got to give you my condolences over Miyuki and your smeet. It was such a tragedy. It's sad to think that she would be attending Irkharth if they didn't-"

Red inadvertently slammed his glass on the table. "Thank you, Trina," he said in-between clenched teeth.

A tense, uncomfortable silence hung in the table for a few minutes. Purple laughed nervously. "So… Have you tasted trimisu?"

                                                      -DM-

"It's been a long time, Tak."

The Irkenette didn't bother to look at her companion. "Indeed, Dren."

The two young Irkens silently walked down the school's halls, averting their gazes. Tak only spoke when she explained something to Councillor Finnel regarding the school grounds or a particular room. The older Irken didn't seem to be too interested, though, or it's only hard to tell due to his perpetually emotionless expression.

"I hear that you led Irkharth's Quidirk team to victory in last year's tournament. Congratulations." Dren said, breaking the tense silence with a chilly, formal voice.

"Thank you," Tak responded.

"Honestly, I was surprised. Not only getting into the Quidirk team but also being tutored by Headmaster Purple himself."

Tak raised her lekku, frowning. "I know what you're implying, Dren. One of the players had graduated and the Headmasters called for auditions to find his replacement. Headmaster Purple picked me because of my own merit and skill, not because of my family name."

Despite belonging to a prominent magical family, Tak was taught that she must earn the right to get what she wanted. During her first year, she mostly kept herself in the shadows; in fact, most people didn't know her surname unless the Professors checked their assistance lists.

"I never implied such a thing, Tak. I know you are a skilled flyer, just like your father-"

Tak stopped in her tracks and glanced at Dren for the first time during the conversation with a scowl on her face. "I'd thank you if you didn't meddle my parents into this," she said.

Dren recognized the look in her eyes. He knew her enough to tell she hid her feelings behind a mask of stone. "My apologies, Tak. I will not touch the issue again…" he trailed off as he caught a tiny movement from Councillor Finnel. "Tak…"

"What?"

"Lord Finnel just twitched a lekku."

Tak stopped in her tracks and glanced at the elder Irken. As Dren said, he had raised one of his long lekku and twitched it every few seconds. She almost jumped when he slowly cracked a golden eye open. Councillor Finnel was known to be so old that he didn't react to anything anymore, but whenever he did, it meant that he was very interested in something.

"Tak, do you hear that?"

The purple-eyed Irkenette twitched her own lekku. Dren was right; someone was yelling up ahead in the corridor, accompanied by echoes of footsteps. She recognized Zim's voice, and Professor Sizz-Lorr's, and Stink Mag'ok's.

"Catch it!"

"Mag'ok, Zim, if that stuffed lizard breaks something, I'll personally make sure that you are both expelled!"

"Big deal, it's not like it can break anything, it's a stuffed doll!"

"Mr. Scales, come back!"

A small creature turned around the corner, with the three Irkens mentioned above hot in its trail. Mimi reacted and went after it, followed by Dren's raven familiar. But the stuffed dragon was faster and skipped out of their reach, moving towards Lord Finnel's chair and hopping unto his lap, to Tak and Dren's shock and Sizz-Lorr's horror.

"C-Councillor Finnel, my apologies!"

Zim, having no idea as to who Finnel was or his importance in the magical world, spoke to him like he'd talk to a regular person. "Hey, old man, would you mind giving me Mr. Scales back?" he cried out in pain as Sizz-Lorr smacked the back of his head.

"Show more respect to Councillor Finnel!"

"Who?"

"Councillor Finnel is part of the Irken Magical Congress," Tak explained sternly. "He's one of Irk's oldest, wisest and tallest wizards."

"Yeah, he's very old indeed- OW!" another smack, this time from Tak.

To everyone's shock, Councillor Finnel started laughing. It wasn't a raspy old laugh but amused, hearty one. No one had heard him laughing for years, so they were pretty apprehensive, except for Zim, that is. Instead, he stared at Finnel with a deep scowl.

"Don't laugh at Zim, old man!"

"Why, what an interesting boy! I haven't laughed this hard ever since the Plookesians accidentally set a hyooman minister on fire!"

"Lord Finnel…?" Dren whispered.

Finnel lifted Mr. Scales and took a look at it. "And puppet magic. Mm, I used to cast it on my grandson's toys." Mr. Scales snapped its teeth at his finger. "Though this one is tampered to make it anything but kid-friendly."

"Can you give me my stuffed dragon, old man?"

"ZIM!" Sizz-Lorr hissed.

"Ah, so your name is Zim, young man?" Finnel took out his wand and pointed it at Mr. Scales.

"Hey, what are you-?!"

"Aquamenti." A small stream of water flowed out of the wand's top and soaked the stuffed dragon to Zim's mortification.

"STOP!" Tak held out an arm and stopped Zim before he could intervene. "Get out of my way, Tak!"

"Puppet magic is cast through potion. You have to wash the item with a little water to make the effects disappear." She said.

Indeed, Mr. Scales had gone limp and unmoving. When Finnel shook a bit of the water, the stuffed dragon hung lifelessly from his hold, still dripping a bit as Zim snatched it back.

"Well, what is such a funny child doing here? Shouldn't you be at the party?"

"We wanted to, but we got detention." Stink murmured bitterly.

"Lord Finnel, these two nearly destroyed the classroom during a fight, and they were punished accordingly," Sizz-Lorr explained.

"Ah, I remember my first fight. Our Professor made us stand in the middle of the classroom holding piles of books in each hand," Lord Finnel chuckled. "Compared to that, kids have it far easier these days." He glanced at Zim. "How about you join us at the party, young Zim? I bet you'd make it more lively; it's far too boring!"

"Sir, with all due respect, Zim is grounded and-"

"No worry, Professor, I'll have a word with the Headmasters about that."

Zim had no idea of why the old Irken was so interested in him, but if it meant he got to get away from Sizz-Lorr far earlier, then he'd happily be the old Irken's chaperone.

"Yeah, yeah, come on, old man!"

"ZIM!"

                                                            -DM-

Ever since the announcement that the examiners would stay at Irkharth for two weeks until the end of the exam period, the tension level skyrocketed. Trina and Mauven, the younger examiners, would come into class and keep an eye on them for about twenty minutes, taking notes in datapads, and then leave. Everyone whispered, and rumors of who they were going to rake over the coals spread throughout the school like plasma.

The Professors were particularly curious about Councillor Finnel. For some reason, he had a sort of interest in Zim. Ever since the party, he insisted on supervising the classes Zim would take, but it was evident he was only interested in Zim himself. The old Irken found his shenanigans funny. No one understood why, but as long as it kept Finnel happy, no one protested.

Then there was young Dren Hakren. All female students were fawning over him ever since his arrival, Zee and Poot included. Ilk didn't understand what the big deal about him was. Sure, he came from a renowned Irken wizards' family, was the grandson of an Archmage, and was tall, but that's nothing to boast about. At least, I'm her opinion. If he was such a talented wizard, why didn't he attend Irkharth?

"Nobody knows," Zee said when Ilk brought up the question. "I heard he got letters from a few magic schools throughout Urth and even from other planets, but for some reason, he didn't pick one.

"And yet people think he's got talent when he's not studying in any magic school?" Ilk pointed out matter-of-factly. "That doesn't even make sense!"

"I guess you're right when you put it that way…"

"But come on, Ilk, you have to admit he's very handsome!" Poot squealed in delight.

Ilk rolled her eyes, smiling. "If you say so, Poot."

"Man, I'm worried about the Potions exam! I heard Professor Sizz-Lor takes points away just for miswriting a word!"

"Or if he simply doesn't like you," Zee added quickly.

"You're lucky to have grown up with a potion maker, Ilk! You must know a lot about potions!"

"A bit," Ilk said, shrugging. "Lard Nar insisted that I learn the basic potions since I was a smeet. He said it would be useful during my first year."

"And he wasn't wrong."

"I'm kinda worried about Magic Linguistics, Transfiguration, and Charms, though. I'm a bit of trouble with those, especially linguistics."

Kuna climbed up on Ilk's shoulder and whispered into her lekku. "Mistress, I recommend asking a Professor for help."

"Who could I ask for help?"

"Who knows? Maybe someone whose name starts with an H and ends with 'eadmaster Red.'"

"The Headmaster? I wouldn't want to bother him right now. He's surely swamped right now, with the examinations, the examiners, and all that."

"Ilk, he helped you with the alchemy elective. What makes you think he wouldn't agree to help you study?" Poot inquired.

"Besides, it's pretty evident he likes you. You've got nothing to lose."

Ilk hated to admit it, but they were right. Perhaps he wouldn't mind hearing her out. He had been kind to her in the past, hadn't he?

On the way to the Headmasters' office, she spotted their snake familiars curled up on the two plants on the side of the doorway, hissing loudly and baring their fangs at whoever came too close. Ever since Zim 'vandalized' their office, the Headmasters left their snakes to guard it when they weren't in there; guess they didn't want another incident like that. Ilk couldn't blame them for that.

She was about to look for Headmaster Red somewhere else when his familiar hissed loudly at her. He didn't seem hostile when she glanced at it, though. Instead, it flew off the plant and hovered right in front of her for a few seconds before darting off down the corridor.

"He wants you to follow him, mistress," Kuna announced. Ilk guessed she was right, especially when the snake stopped in mid-air to look back at her, almost expectantly.

Ilk followed the winged snake back down to the ground floor, outside and past the exterior walls towards the area where Magizoology classes were held. It consisted of a wide grassy field with a big fence used for big animals, a small hut where supplies were kept, and a neatly painted mauve barn which acted as housing for Irkharth's irkorses.

Irkorses were furless equine-like animals native to Irk. Their anatomy was almost similar to an earthen horse, except their silky skin was of strictly green shades; their tails and manes were short and spiny, and instead of ears, they had a long pair of black lekku. They had big eyes reminiscent of Irken eyes, further proving their relation to Irkens.

This breed, in particular, could fly without wings, galloping through the air as if they were running on a solid surface. This function was not fully understood and was still being studied upon by Magizoologists. Flying irkorses were exclusive to the magical community, but as they were identical to no-maj irkorses, every once in a while, someone made a mistake, and a few specimens got mixed up with regular irkorses. Ilk heard those cases regularly cause the IRKMAC a good amount of headaches.

Ilk found Headmaster Red sitting on a bench under a tree, leaning back against the tree bark, his eyes blissfully closed. The snake landed on the empty spot next to him and slithered up his arm.

Ilk took a deep breath. "Excuse me, Professor?"

The Headmaster opened his eyes and glanced at her. "Oh, miss Nar." He offered her a friendly smile. "What brings you here?"

"I went to your office to talk to you, but your familiar led me here…"

Headmaster Red sat up properly to look at her. "Is there anything you need?"

"Well…I wanted to… Well..." Ilk hesitated, but gathered her courage and spoke before Kuna could nip on her lekku to force it out again. "Could you help me study for the exams?" The Headmaster raised his lekku.

"Is everything okay?" he inquired, concerned.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine, Professor, it's just that there are certain subjects that I'm not very good at. I'm having a bit of trouble with a few subjects, particularly Magic Linguistics. I know it's my first time, and I shouldn't expect to understand exactly what the birds say, but I don't want to get a low grade either."

"I see," Headmaster Red chuckled. He sat back down on the bench, inviting her to sit by him. Ilk shyly climbed into the seat and sat down a few inches away from him. "You know, you remind me of a certain student from a few years ago. He, too, wasn't very good at Magic linguistics, but he didn't want to fail the course either, so he asked someone for help."

"Who?" Ilk inquired curiously.

"A friend whose familiar was a bird." The Headmaster offered her a kind smile. "Tell you what: I can help you study for the exams if you promise me you'll work very hard."

Ilk couldn't believe it. She would have probably gaped if Kuna hadn't nibbled her lekku to snap her out of it. "Y-Yes, Professor!"

"Good. I'll meet you in the library tomorrow during the free period, then."

After thanking the Headmaster a hundred times, Ilk hurried back into the castle with a broad, ear-to-ear grin. Sadly, she was so happy that she didn't see where she was going and bumped into someone just as she was turning around a corner. Ilk fell to the floor with a loud thud, knocking Kuna off her head. Ilk bit her lip and rubbed her side.

"Ouch…" Ilk panicked when she heard the other person groan in pain.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!" Ilk apologized frantically as she proceeded to pick up all the books on the ground. "I didn't see where I was going and-!"

She froze as she came face to face with Dren Hakren himself as he rubbed his back. Oh, shi-! Of all the people she had to bump into, it had to be precisely him! He looked at her, lekku raised. To her surprise, she offered her a hand.

"Are you alright, miss?" He asked, concerned.

Ilk swallowed hard as she accepted his hand, and he helped her up. "Y-Yeah." She went back to 'apology mode.' "I'm sorry about that! I d-didn't see you-!"

Dren smiled politely. "That's quite alright, miss…"

"Ilk Nar."

"Oh, it's an interesting surname," Dren pointed out. "I guess you already know who I am, but allow me to introduce myself. I'm Dren Hakren."

"Y-Yeah, I've heard about you. You're the main topic in all girls' conversation."

"Indeed," Dren sighed. "I apologize for that. It's one of the downs of being… well, tall and coming from a renowned family."

"Yeah…"

There was an awkward silence afterward. Ilk tried to think of something to say, but she wasn't used to talking with handsomely tall boys- oh, great, the 'Dren effect' was starting to affect her too. Ilk averted her gaze before he could notice her pink cheeks.

"Were you heading somewhere in particular?" Dren inquired shortly after.

"N-not really. How about you?"

"I was looking for Councillor Finnel. He has the habit of sneaking away and explore on his own. That usually wouldn't be a problem, except that he's a bit… well, senile if he doesn't take his Sharpwit Potion."

"Well, he's probably gone to the classroom Zim is in right now. From what I've seen, he's fond of him."

"And where would Zim be right now?"

"We're having a free period right now. Knowing Zim, he's probably in the courtyard, trying to get his familiar unto a broomstick."

"Would you mind guiding me to his spot? I'm not precisely familiar around here, and Irkharth is quite a big castle."

Ilk felt a shiver down her spine when he offered her yet another friendly smile. "S-Sure, young Hakren…"

Dren tipped his hat. "Please, you may call me Dren, miss Nar."