Finally, after climbing for quite a while, we reached an imposing double stone door. It was covered in ancient symbols and reliefs that seemed to shift slightly under the light, as if they were breathing. It felt like it could only be opened with magic… or with special permission.
The professor raised her wand in front of the carved eyes on the stone. They lit up with a soft red glow, and a deep voice emerged from the door itself:
"Enter, DaSilva."
With a slight tremor, the massive door began to slowly open.
"Silvia DaSilva?" I asked with a small, slightly teasing smile.
"My father had a great sense of humor," she replied gracefully, as if she was already used to the question.
We crossed the threshold and entered a spacious office, not too different from Headmaster Dumbledore's at Hogwarts. However, this one had an impressive feature: a large balcony at the far end that offered a privileged view of the jungle and much of the Castelobruxo campus. The morning mist still floated among the treetops.
"Welcome," said the headmaster in fairly decent English and with a calm voice.
The conversation that followed was rather monotonous — a sort of tropical version of the talk Dumbledore had given us before leaving for Brazil. The headmaster was kind and polite, but didn't say anything particularly new. He simply went over some basic rules and important recommendations: don't wander away from professors during outdoor lessons, avoid restricted areas, and other similar warnings usually given to first-years. Since we were starting directly in second year, they had to get us up to speed to avoid... unnecessary accidents.
We were let go shortly after, still with enough time before the start of our first class. Right then, Professor Silvia handed us our schedules.
Each academic year is divided into several groups to keep class sizes manageable. The subdivisions were simple: Group A, B, C, etc. For more special situations, like competitions or joint activities, more distinctive and appealing names were used, but for day-to-day life, the labeling was purely functional.
Each group had a different schedule. Some classes were in the morning for some, while others had that same subject in the afternoon. And when the number of students was particularly high, evening classes were added. Castelobruxo, at least in terms of students and teaching staff, was bigger than Hogwarts.
To keep things simple, Hannah, Neville, and I were assigned to the same group. At least for the core subjects, that would make everything easier. Later on, if we wanted, we could sign up for optional classes outside regular hours. Some were taught by official professors, others by external instructors collaborating with the school, and there were even courses offered by older students.
As we left the headmaster's office — after saying goodbye and receiving his good wishes — we ran into a girl walking toward us. She was already wearing the Castelobruxo uniform.
She looked about fifteen, with cinnamon-toned skin glowing in the soft morning light. Her wavy brown hair cascaded down her shoulders, her lips were lightly made up, and she was tall, with a noticeable physical development that the uniform barely concealed. Still, she didn't have the full presence of an adult woman — she retained that blend of teen and self-assured youth.
"García, justo a tiempo," said Professor Silvia with an approving nod.
"Aquí estoy, profesora!" the girl responded enthusiastically, her voice lively and sparkling.
"This is Malena García, a fifth-year student. She'll be your guide around Castelobruxo from here on," Silvia introduced her, then added with a smile, "I have to go prepare my class, but don't worry, we'll be seeing each other again very soon."
"Hi, everyone!" Malena greeted us with a contagious smile, speaking in slightly clumsy but perfectly understandable English. "Come! Let's see if we can grab some breakfast before the dining hall gets crowded."
With overwhelming energy, Malena began guiding us through the castle's hallways, placing her hands on our shoulders with such natural confidence it felt like she had known us forever. We walked through corridors we had seen before, but now we had an expert guide — or rather, one who never stopped talking… and clearly enjoyed it.
"Actually, a seventh-year student was supposed to guide you, but she ate too much yesterday and is sick today," she explained with a laugh. "I saw the chance and volunteered. Not gonna lie — at first, I felt lucky not to be picked… but then I saw you. What you did on the bus was amazing, so I got curious… Are all British wizards like you, or did they send the best?… If you're good at Divination," she said, looking at me, "what are your specialties?" She turned to the others. "Is it true you also have classes in fencing and etiquette besides magic?"
She spoke nonstop, and while her English had a few flaws here and there, she tried hard — and did a good job. Her enthusiasm was contagious; instead of annoying, she was actually energizing. And between questions, she also gave us useful information.
"And these reliefs here," she said, pointing at the walls as we walked, "they're relatively new. About seventy years ago, there was some sort of fight, and this hallway — boom. Blown to bits. The older carvings date back to when the castle was founded, but some were added later. Don't damage them, okay? The punishment is no joke. Since they're all connected by a magical network, repairs are super expensive. Seriously — you do not want the headmaster finding out you broke one..."
She carefully touched a carved figure shaped like a shaman and then added with a mischievous grin:
"Although, if you look closely, you might find stuff hidden by clever students… just know, a lot of them are gonna be penises."
She burst out laughing when she saw Neville go red as a tomato, and took the opportunity to throw an arm over his shoulders and pull him against her chest.
"Come on, we're almost there!" she said, laughing even harder.
Neville looked like he was about to collapse. His face couldn't be any redder, and his body language screamed discomfort. Malena, on the other hand, didn't seem to have a single notion of personal space… or simply didn't care. To her, all of this was perfectly normal.
Hannah, for her part, was amazed. She watched Malena with a mix of awe and admiration. Along the way, the girl cast several minor spells to show us secrets and curiosities of the castle—moving objects, revealing hidden inscriptions, or activating small magical mechanisms. She exuded a natural confidence that Hannah almost envied.
Seeing her move with ease, interact effortlessly with us, and speak without fear, Hannah wished she could be like that. In a new place, surrounded by strangers, she still felt nervous. But Malena… Malena was a lively and extroverted storm.
We arrived at a large hall filled with tables arranged in various ways: some rectangular, others round, and even a long counter with numerous seats along it.
"This is the school's indoor dining hall," Malena explained as we walked. "It's mainly used for breakfast on cold mornings or when the weather's too rough to eat outside. Usually, you can eat in the courtyards, like yesterday, though nothing as extravagant as that reception. Since different groups have different schedules, it's common for some to come in to eat just as others are leaving."
We chose an empty table and sat down. In the center of the table was a strange object, something like an ashtray or decorative piece, but its purpose became clear when Malena passed her wand over it: a small flame lit up for a moment with a soft "fup."
A few seconds later, a small door in the wall opened and a cart emerged from the kitchen, gliding smoothly to our table. It moved around it gracefully, setting a tray in front of each of us, and a few more in the center with various side items, before heading back the way it came.
"Interesting," I said, watching the enchanted cart. But when I used [Sense Presence], I realized it wasn't just an animated object… it was being guided by an invisible creature or something similar.
"Eat now, you still have to go put your uniforms on," Malena told us, beginning to eat casually.
Breakfast was simple, but no less comforting. Our trays had a large cup of some warm milk-based drink and several thick slices of bread. The trays in the center held the variety: jams, cheeses, hams, and other sweet and savory spreads to go with the bread.
"Breakfast isn't always the same," Malena continued with her mouth half full. "Though some weeks it repeats. If you want to know what's available each day, there's a sign next to the kitchen door. Of course, if you want something specific, there are ways to get it…"
"Like what?" asked Hannah curiously.
"Well, for example," she said, lowering her voice a bit as if revealing a secret, "we do have internal markets here. I don't know how it is at your school, but a friend of a friend told me that a girl who went to Hogwarts said they don't have anything like that there."
"Internal market?" we asked almost in unison.
"Yeah. Well, not necessarily internal... some are inside the castle, others in the courtyard. Remember the buildings that were closed yesterday because it was the first day? Some of those are shops, food stands, or places where you can buy snacks or anything else. It's not free like the dining hall, of course, but if you've got a bit of money and you're still hungry, or just want something different, they're your best bet." She paused for a moment to swallow and then added proudly, "Inside the castle, the shops are small—just a few meters across—but you can find everything from useful items to candy. A few years ago they even set up a little sweet stand I really recommend."
Malena went on to explain that all those shops are managed by individuals or small businesses that have a special contract with the school. Castelobruxo lets them operate on its grounds in exchange for a share of the profits. Apparently, some of those businesses are run by former students who didn't have much luck outside but managed to set up shop here. If they strike a good deal with the school, they can run a small business and live off it. It's not a millionaire venture, but it's stable—and very coveted. Plus, it allows them to stay close to the magical life of the school.
Breakfast ended quickly, and Malena urged us to return to our dorms to get our uniforms.
The Castelobruxo uniforms consisted mainly of bright green robes, decorated with yellow patterns and golden details. We had bought them in the Passage of Arches, but this would be the first time we wore them. The school had a certain ethic around uniforms: they weren't mandatory all the time, only from a certain hour in the morning—when classes began—until they ended, including the breaks. Outside of that time, or on non-school days, it wasn't necessary to wear them unless otherwise stated (though it was recommended or preferred).
I changed fairly quickly and left the dorm, leaving Neville behind, who seemed to have forgotten where he had put his. Shortly after, Hannah arrived, already dressed as well. We looked at each other with a mix of pride and strangeness, wrapped in that distinctive emerald green.
"I feel like I've turned into a Slytherin," Hannah joked, a little nervous but admiring her uniform. "Do you think my housemates would accuse me of betrayal?"
"You'd make a spectacular snake," I replied jokingly, taking her hand and spinning her around to see her full outfit. I didn't hide my gaze much.
"If you're gonna shag now, you won't make it to class. Just saying," Malena interrupted from the hallway, with a half-mocking smile.
"What?! We're not…!" Hannah jumped, turning even redder. "We wouldn't do something like that, it's not what it looks like! We're just friends, and we're..."
"Your friend doesn't seem to have an expression that says the same," Malena said, nodding her chin at me.
"No, it's not that! It's just that Red… he's…" Hannah stammered like a scared child falsely accused of something. She looked at me, almost pleading, as if asking for help.
"Leave her alone, you'll make her lock herself in the room," I finally said, siding with her. "Give her time to get used to things."
"Hmm… you still didn't deny anything," Malena replied, raising her eyebrows and glancing back and forth between Hannah and me.
I stayed silent. Unlike Neville or Hannah, I wasn't going to give her the satisfaction of a funny reaction. I simply crossed my arms and stared back. Though Hannah looked slightly annoyed by that.
"Heh… interesting," Malena muttered, with a crooked smile. "But take good care of her, alright? I've heard there are quite a few guys who'd love to date a British girl. They might have their eyes on her."
And then, in a lighter tone, she added with a laugh:
"Though I like you two, so if you have any trouble, either of you can come to the great Malena for protection."
Just then, Neville came running in, panting and with his uniform a bit wrinkled.
Malena just winked at us before turning around and leading us toward what would be our first class at Castelobruxo.