Violet complained all through lunch about Laura's idea to follow Aaina and Maggie to the graveyard.

"It's forbidden to leave the grounds when unsupervised or without permission!" Violet kept saying. It was true, everybody knows it, the graveyard being especially off limits as it was thought as disrespectful to wonder through it at night as it might disturb the spirits.

"If we do anything, it should be telling someone what they're planning!" she added. Laura thought about it honestly.

"You know what? No. Aaina's parents are some of the richest in the school, do you really think they'll get off with more than a half-assed telling off?" The look on Violet's face said it all, "we'll film whatever they're up to as proof, and to make sure we don't get in the same hot water, I'll come up with some kind of protection spell and we can bring offerings for the spirits."

"I'm just not sure about this Laura, it seems counterproductive... and what's your beef with them anyway? Why does it matter if we catch them in the act?" Laura thought about whether she should tell her best friend the real reason she was so committed to catching them out, and decided she couldn't drag Violet out of the school grounds in the middle of the night without a decent explanation.

"Well," she began, "a few years before you and I became friends, Aaina and I were really close. We'd been best friends since we both arrived at this school, and as you know, Aaina's family is wealthy. They never really paid much attention to her, unless it had to do with what people thought of them. It was really sad, I think they're still like that. Anyway, when we turned 12, Aaina started to act out. Like, badly. You wouldn't know it now, as she seems like such a golden girl".

"What kind of acting out?" Violet asked.

"The magic kind, dark things. Casting spells that would negatively affect other people, she even killed a field mouse to get back at a girl she was jealous of. She doesn't go here anymore, that's how bad it was. And well, she kept trying to get me to join in with her, to be her back up. And now I'm worried she's doing the same thing to Maggie, and she doesn't deserve that."

"Wow, okay. I didn't know that" Violet said shocked.

"Nobody does. The school really hushed it up, probably with her parents money no doubt." Laura said with sadness in her tone.

"Okay," said Violet firmly, "I'll help you, but only if it's for the greater good." She held out her little finger to Laura, and Laura gladly pinky promised without any doubt in her heart.

*

At one thirty Laura headed off to the other side of the school for her time in the greenhouses. It was, in Laura's opinion, one of the best periods on her timetable. At Greenstern, once you've completed year 11, the students get to pick their own classes, aside from Potions and Mathematics of course. Laura had been working on her greenhouse for months now, and it was starting to really flourish. The greenhouse itself isn't that big, but the many different plants growing gave it the appearance of a jungle. Every now and then Mrs. Myers the botany and gardening teacher gently knocks on the door, gives some words of encouragement and some advice on how to best get pine saplings to flourish or how best to encourage pea vines to climb, before heading over to another student's greenhouse. Mrs. Myers was Laura's favourite teacher, she was older than most of the others and was constantly covered in soil and sporting a large unflattering sunhat. She spoke kindly and was incredibly patient, even when dealing with the chaotic first years. As Laura slowly walks around the hot room, watering and caring for the many plants she'd grown, she thinks about how she probably has everything she needs right here for ingredients for a protection spell of some kind. Flipping open her text book, Gardening and the Witch, she quickly found what she was looking for. Her soil covered finger skims down the page titled Sauvegarde, a spell she had done only once before in class. It was a simple protection spell, with a broad amount of uses.

After gathering all the ingredients, Laura just needed to do the spell. It was quite a common one, but she didn't want anyone to see what she was doing, or questions would be asked. And the thing about greenhouses is that they are literally made of glass. She looked around as discreetly as possible, and stuck her head outside the door to look along the path to make sure Mrs. Myers wasn't coming back any time soon. It was time.

She prepared everything she needed, took a deep breath and cleared her mind, she was ready. Ingredients are to be placed into a cloth bag and cupped between the hands whilst saying "protection from the day and night, from everything within and behind my sight. A safe passage through thick and thin, to bring everything back home safe again." Laura read along. If the spell has worked, it will grow warm for 30 seconds. Laura felt the small bag of herbs grow warm, having been so easy she decided she should make another for Violet too. It was like a weight had been lifted, calm flooded through her like a cold river taking turns down a brook. She had never felt such relief in all her life, only, she had. Every time she did a spell, she had this same sensation, everybody does. It's euphoric. Looking down at the little parcel in her hands, she felt proud of her work and knew she had performed well. If this had been a test she would have gotten an A, too bad it had to go unnoticed. Hopefully she will be able to perform half this well at the end of year finals. Laura looks over at her watch, she still has another hour to go, and tucks the small packages into her backpack and continues tending to her plants that hum with life around her. Because when night came, she was going to be ready.