Chapter 1
I must have misheard Headmaster Lee.
There was no other explanation.
He couldn’t possibly have said that Jason Mathers and I were to be Headboy and Headgirl.
And he certainly couldn’t have said we were expected to share an apartment dorm for the entire school year.
I stared at him from across the headmaster’s office, waiting for the punchline.
It never came.
“You aren’t serious, right?” Jason asked.
His Irish accent came through thicker than usual, each word sharpened by his growing irritation. “Me? Headboy? Next to this know-it-all swot? And living in the same apartment where I’ll constantly have to run into her?”
My mouth fell open.
“Excuse me?”
Jason finally looked at me.
That was a mistake.
Because the smug expression on his face was exactly the one I’d spent the better part of the last six years wanting to wipe off it.
“Did I stutter, Ellington?”
“Unfortunately.”
His jaw tightened.
Headmaster Lee sighed.
“Wonderful. It’s been less than five minutes and you’re already proving my point.”
I folded my arms.
“This is a terrible idea.”
“Agreed,” Jason said.
I turned toward him. “For once, Mathers, we agree on something.”
His eyes narrowed.
“I wouldn’t get too comfortable with it.”
“Trust me. I couldn’t be comfortable around you if I tried.”
Headmaster Lee pinched the bridge of his nose.
I had a feeling he was already regretting this decision.
"That will be enough," he said, lowering his hand and looking between us. "The decision has been made, and neither of you is changing it."
Jason opened his mouth.
"Don't," Headmaster Lee warned.
Jason closed it again, although the look on his face made it clear that he had plenty he wanted to say.
"Your accommodations are prepared. You will find the apartment at the end of the east corridor, past the old astronomy tower. Your belongings have already been moved."
I stared at him.
"You moved our things?"
"Of course."
"Without asking us?"
"Amara, you were informed of your appointment as Headgirl this morning. When exactly did you expect the academy to wait for your approval before making arrangements?"
I had no answer for that.
Mostly because he was right.
That didn't mean I had to like it.
Jason pushed himself away from the wall he'd been leaning against. "And what exactly are the rules for this arrangement?"
"The usual academy rules apply."
"I meant the apartment."
Headmaster Lee gave him a tired look. "Two bedrooms. Two bathrooms. A shared living area, kitchen, dining room and study. The apartment is private to the Headboy and Headgirl. You are both expected to treat it as a shared space and behave accordingly."
Jason scoffed.
"Behave accordingly?"
I glanced at him. "That might be difficult for you."
"And yet somehow I think you'll be the bigger problem."
"Children," Headmaster Lee muttered.
"We are not children," Jason and I said at the same time.
Headmaster Lee stared at us.
I looked at Jason.
He looked at me.
"This is going to be a long year," I muttered.
Headmaster Lee stood, signalling that the meeting was over. "You may go. Your first duties as Headboy and Headgirl begin tomorrow morning. Until then, I suggest you familiarise yourselves with the apartment and try to survive one afternoon without arguing."
Jason walked towards the door.
"No promises."
I followed him, shaking my head.
The moment we stepped out of the office, the door closed behind us.
For a few seconds, neither of us said anything.
Then we started walking.
There was a chill rolling off Jason, something angry and tiring. My mind began drifting towards what I was going to tell Elara. We had been in the same dorm since we got to Rethearns. We had been inseparable since forever.
Damn Headmaster Lee and damn the fact that I wanted to learn.
"You seem very much engrossed in whatever is going on in that swotty little head of yours, Ellington. More studying?"
The Irish voice came through, making me jump and reminding me that I wasn't walking alone.
"What makes you so curious about what is going on in my head, Mathers?" I responded with more snark than necessary. He was getting on my nerves just by walking next to me.
I looked at him through my lashes, trying not to make it obvious that I was looking at him. I saw the smirk forming before the insult came my way.
"Now what makes you think I am curious about a half-blood like you? Someone so below my blood status that means nothing?" he sneered, keeping the smirk firmly in place.
At one point, his insults did hurt me. They hurt because I had started caring for the boy who sat with me in Astrological Science. The boy who told me more about who he was than he had ever told anyone, and then everything changed.
He got meaner, moved seats, and distanced himself from me because of whatever happened at home after first year.
I never knew what had happened. I had spent years wondering about it, even though I would never admit that to anyone. Especially not Jason.
The boy who had once made me laugh. The boy who had trusted me. The boy I had—
"Have you finally run out of thoughts?"
Jason's voice pulled me back.
I blinked and looked at him. "No."
"Shame."
"You know, for someone who apparently isn't interested in what's going on in my head, you seem rather invested in making sure I'm not thinking too much."
His mouth twitched.
It wasn't quite a smile, but it was close enough that I noticed.
And I hated that I noticed.
"You've always talked too much," he said.
"And you've always been insufferable."
"Yet here we are."
"Unfortunately."
We continued walking through the corridors of Rethearns, surrounded by students returning to their dormitories and classrooms. The familiar sounds of the academy filled the halls around us, but I barely noticed them. My thoughts kept returning to the same problem.
Jason Mathers.
My Headboy.
My rival.
And now, apparently, my roommate.
I had imagined my final year at Rethearns very differently. Elara and I had been in the same dorm since we first arrived, and we'd been inseparable ever since. She was the person I expected to spend my final year with, the person I expected to complain to about exams, teachers and everything else that came with surviving another year at Rethearns.
Instead, I was going to be sharing an apartment with the one person at the academy who could irritate me simply by existing.
"Something wrong, Ellington?"
I glanced at him.
"No."
"You look annoyed."
"I am annoyed."
"Because of me?"
"Mostly."
That earned me an actual smile.
It was quick, barely there, but it changed his face enough that for half a second I saw the boy from Astrological Science again.
The boy who had once made me laugh. The boy who had trusted me. The boy I had—
I looked away before the thought could finish.
"Here we are," Jason said.
I looked up.
The door to our new accommodation stood at the end of the corridor.
It was larger than the other doors along the hallway, made from dark wood with intricate silver markings running along the edges. Above the handle was a small plaque bearing two words.
**Headboy & Headgirl.**
I stared at it.
"This is ridiculous."
Jason looked at the plaque and then at me.
"For once, Ellington, I agree."
He reached for the handle.
"After you, Headgirl."
I narrowed my eyes at him.
"Don't call me that."
His smirk returned.
"Whatever you say, Headgirl."
He opened the door.
I stepped inside and immediately stopped.
The apartment was nothing like I had expected.
It was enormous, with a large living room opening into a dining area and a fully equipped kitchen. Tall windows stretched along the far wall, overlooking the academy grounds, while another doorway led towards what appeared to be a private study and library. Beyond the living room was a set of glass doors that opened onto a balcony overlooking Rethearns.
I slowly looked around.
"This is supposed to be a dorm?"
Jason stepped past me, his eyes moving over the apartment.
"I think dorm is being used rather loosely."
I ignored him and walked further inside.
The place wasn't simply luxurious. There was magic woven into everything, subtle enough that I might not have noticed it if I hadn't grown up around magic my entire life.
The lights brightened as we entered, responding to our presence. The curtains moved slightly even though there was no breeze, and the books arranged on the shelves shifted themselves into neater rows. Somewhere beneath the floorboards, I could hear the faint hum of an enchantment.
The six wizards who founded Rethearns had created this apartment specifically for the students who held the positions of Headboy and Headgirl. They had wanted the two students who represented the academy to have somewhere comfortable to live during their final year.
It had nothing to do with blood status or wealth.
The rooms were simply meant to be luxurious for both students, regardless of who they were or where they came from.
I turned towards the hallway.
"Bedrooms?"
Jason followed me.
"Unless you were planning on sleeping in the kitchen."
I ignored him and opened the first door.
I stopped again.
My bedroom was enormous.
A large four-poster bed stood against the far wall, covered in dark purple blankets and an unreasonable number of pillows. A tall wardrobe stood beside the bed, and when I opened it, I discovered that the inside was far larger than the outside should have allowed. Shelves and drawers stretched back into what seemed like another room entirely.
I ran my hand along one of the shelves.
"That's definitely enchanted."
Jason leaned against the doorway.
"Obviously."
I looked over my shoulder.
"Do you have to comment on everything?"
"Do you have to ask obvious questions?"
I rolled my eyes and turned back towards the room.
There was another door beside the wardrobe.
I opened it and found my own bathroom.
I stared at it for a moment.
"Okay. This is definitely not a normal dorm."
"Clearly."
I turned around.
"And this one is mine."
"Apparently."
I pointed towards the opposite door.
"Then that's yours."
He raised an eyebrow.
"You sound disappointed."
"I am."
"Don't worry. I'm devastated too."
I gave him a look before walking into the second bedroom.
It was just as luxurious as mine.
The bed was almost identical, the wardrobe was enchanted in exactly the same way, and there was another private bathroom attached to the room.
I looked between the two rooms.
Two bedrooms.
Two bathrooms.
A shared living room, kitchen, dining room, study and library.
I slowly turned towards Jason.
"This is going to be a very long year."
He gave me that familiar smirk.
"At least you'll have plenty of room for all your books, swot."
"At least I know how to read them."
He laughed under his breath.
For a second, I just stared at him.
That laugh.
It was the same one I remembered.
The one I'd heard before everything changed.
And for the first time since Headmaster Lee had announced our new arrangement, I wondered if spending an entire year with Jason Mathers might be more complicated than simply learning how to tolerate him.
