Tick tock tick tock tick tock...

Phantom hands counted away the seconds like a gong in her ear. Robust vines tickled her skin in the darkness. The only illumination was that of the moon, a blood moon. Fear trickled down her spine. Through the shadows and oppressive underbrush, somehow, she knew she was being watched. The forest was dead silent save for the hidden clockwork, not a living creature to be heard or seen.

"Lilly," she spun to face the owner of the voice only to find more empty forest. She squinted into the darkness from which she'd come. Her eyes played tricks on her, morphing the outlines of trees into menacing beasts prepared to devour her in one gulp. She turned away with a steadying breath and shake of her head, only to come face to face with a girl. Her heart was beating out of her chest, but curiosity overrode the instinct to run once she recognized who stood before her.

"Jane Chatwin?"

"Lilly," Jane countered. She was dressed in clothing indicative of the 1940s, her brown hair braided and tucked under a light blue beret. She looked just as the photos depicted, not a day older.

"Where are we? What's that noise?" Lilly asked.

"Don't ask questions you already know the answer to," Jane scolded, taking Lilly by surprise. It was odd to have a girl so many years her junior speak with the demeanor of an elder.

"Fillory?" She was unable to connect the beautiful world she'd read about in books to the monstrosity she stood in now, "what is that ticking?" She asked again, shaking her head in annoyance. The noise seemed to grow louder and more persistent by the second. She felt as if she had a grandfather clock rattling around in her head.

"You must learn to use your eyes if you're going to survive this," Jane was growing irritated.

"Wha-" Lilly looked away from Jane only to see that the clump of trees and brambles behind her had been replaced by a massive oak tree embedded with a clock face. Lilly was in the presence of the very tree that had first brought the Chatwins to Fillory.

"You're special, Lilly. He wants you, even more than me. I fear he's already found you in this life."

"Who wants me? What are you -"

"Silence! We don't have much time," Jane admonished, "your power is greater than you know, you must learn to control it if you are to stop him."

"Stop whom?"

"The Beast..."

➺➺➺➺

"Magic is real," Dean Fogg announced from across the ornate desk. Lilly had been summoned to his office for the meeting she was promised during her evaluation. Her dream had woken her up at dawn, and she'd been unable to get back to sleep. She tried her best to stifle her yawns during breakfast and failed miserably. She couldn't shake the vividness of Jane's warning.

"Yeah, I kinda figured that one out already."

"Brakebills offers a three-year program, graduate-level studies, program begins immediately."

"Sorry, but what am I supposed to do about my apartment? I still have two months left on my rent and I spent a lot of money on that place."

"Everything is being taken care of by the school. Your furniture and other valuables have been placed in a storage unit if they aren't already in your dorm," The Dean pulled out a form from his desk and placed it in front of her. "I need you to sign this waiver, basically stating that if anything goes wrong while practicing magic, the school will not be liable. Then, I will need you to sign a form confirming your official enrollment in Brakebills."

"How often do things go wrong?" Lilly eyed the Dean suspiciously.

"Not often, but it does happen. Magic is not something to be trifled with, Lilly. Every spell has risk and nothing is completely safe. That is why we are offering you the chance to learn to control it, to use it for greatness. We will teach you how to use your abilities to the fullest extent."

"That thing on the subway tracks, was it from Brakebills?" In the chaos of the past twenty-four hours, she'd completely forgotten to ask about the snarling creature she'd encountered just before arriving.

"Thing?"

"Growling, snarling, blue eyes, ring any bells?" The Dean pressed his lips into a thin line, his forehead creased with concern.

"Magic can do great things, Lilly, great good and great evil. Magicians are not the only magical beings out there. Whatever you encountered was not of Brakebills origin. But, I assure you, you are safe within our wards, and we will teach you to protect yourself in the outside world."

"What about that woman who gave us the Fillory manuscript?"

"Scout, freelance... sort of."

"She looked so familiar, have I seen her before?"

"It's very likely, we've been keeping an eye on you for quite some time, trying to determine your aptitude for magic," The Dean slid the papers towards her, "now, if you don't have any more questions," he gestured towards the documents.

"Of course," Lilly quickly looked over the paper, making sure that everything was in order. Once she deemed them safe, she signed each one and was officially a student at Brakebills University.

Back at the dorms, Lilly couldn't wait to finally see Quentin. She was positive that he would be ecstatic about being a Magician. She hoped that Julia had been accepted, for Quentin's sake at least. Quentin's door was slightly ajar, something shuffled within. Lilly lifted her hand to the door frame and knocked twice. She was surprised to see a very tall man standing in the middle of the room, his back to her. He turned, and she was less than pleased to see that he was the same man that'd knocked her over yesterday. A light orange scarf was wrapped around his neck with a subtly patterned vest to match. He wore nothing underneath, giving her an eyeful of his muscular chest and arms. A tattoo of a snake adorned his right bicep, curving around him in a perpetual embrace.

He had relatively angular features but still soft in places, she was sure lots of women would fall for him in an instant. He had just enough facial hair to perfectly shaped his face. Despite his attractiveness, Lilly could tell that they would not be getting along any time soon.

"Sorry, I was looking for Quentin. This is his room, right?" The man looked her up and down, an amused smirk danced across his lips, "excuse me?" Lilly snapped her fingers, "eyes up here."

"He went on a tour a while ago. The dumbass fainted after his exam, so they had to postpone till today," his use of language to describe Quentin ruffled a few of her feathers, but in an effort to keep the peace, she let it slide.

"Do you know when he'll be back?"

"Don't know, don't care," Lilly moved past him to sit on Quentin's bed, identifiable by the stack of Fillory and Further books on the nightstand. The mattress creaked as she leaned over to grab one of the books and opened it up on her lap.

"What do you think you're doing?" The man grew increasingly irritated and it gave Lilly a keen sense of satisfaction to know that she was the cause. After all, he was a total dick to her and Quentin.

"Waiting for Quentin to come back," Lilly replied innocently as she skimmed the first page of the book. She was far too entertained by his growing ire to pay attention to the words. Her blonde hair hung down, partially obscuring her vision. It wasn't enough to keep her from seeing his clenched jaw and crossed arms.

"Uh, no, you aren't. This is my room, get out Barbie," he expelled a breath of hot air.

"First of all," Lilly began, her patience wearing thin, "my name is not, 'Barbie', it's Lilly, and technically half of this room belongs to Quentin and I'm his friend, so I don't have to leave."

"Well, Barbie," he put extra emphasis on the infuriating nickname. Lilly ground her teeth at his impotence, "nerd boy, isn't here, so I suggest you get out before-"

"Lilly!" A familiar voice called from the doorway. Quentin strode towards and wrapped her in a relieved hug, "I'm glad I'm not the only one who got in."

"Julia?" Quentin simply shook his head in dismay, "I'm sorry Quentin," Lilly patted his arm sincerely, "at least we have each other." The man moved back over to his side of the room, an exasperated expression on his face.

"I have some bad news," Quentin declared, wringing his hands together bashfully, "I had the manuscript with me when I got here and it was right by my bed when I left to meet with Dean Fogg," he gestured towards the nightstand which was empty save for the stack of books.

"Where is it?" Lilly asked, her stomach already plummeting. Quentin sighed as he ran a hand over his face.

"I have no idea. It was gone when I got back."

"Well, who would've taken it? As much as I despise your roommate, I highly doubt it was him. He wouldn't have the brains to pull off such a heist," his roommate grunted in indignation from the other side of the room.

"You- you aren't mad?" Quentin recoiled, prepared for a tongue lashing,

"I mean, I'm not happy, but it's not like you spilled coffee on it or left it on the train, it was clearly stolen."

"Can you two take your nerd shit somewhere else?" The man asked, his tone hilariously close to a whine.

"Come on, Q, Margo showed me a coffee shop on campus, let's go there. That way we don't have to deal with all this negative energy."

The walk to the coffee shop was filled with Quentin and Lilly's excited chatter about the existence of actual magic. Not the kind they were constantly reading about in books, but the kind that they could see and feel for themselves. They'd gotten into the real-life Hogwarts; the only problem now was how they were going to stay in it. Eliot had mentioned how easy it was to get kicked out, so they would both be sure to do some vigorous studying.

"Do you know what classes you have?" Quentin asked her as they settled into a small corner table. It seemed that many of the newbies had the same idea and Lilly recognized a few from the dorm or exam. She still pulled out the schedule Dean Fogg had given her earlier that morning, placing it on the table between them. She proceeded to list off her classes while Quentin compared it with his own.

"Intro to Spell Casting with Professor Caldwell, History of Magic with Professor Weatherly, Control and Magical Ethics with Professor Zaccaria, and last but not least, Fundamentals of Alchemy with Professor Navar." At the very bottom of her schedule in fine print was a message that read, 'Classes are subject to change after Discipline placement.'

"I have the same," Quentin confirmed, "I can't believe how amazing all these classes are going to be! They're all about magic, real magic!"

"It's funny, Quentin," Lilly smiled fondly, "even though we just met yesterday, I feel like we've known each other for years. I'm just happy we both made it in and get to experience this together."

"I guess finding a dead body does that to people," Lilly chuckled at the truth of his words, "I'm glad I have a friend in all this. I just hope you're real and I'm not just having some sort of psychotic break."

"I promise you, I'm real," they both looked up at the door when the bell rang, Lilly's smile widened when she saw Dani, beside her stood Alex, the second year she'd met on her tour. She raised her hand and waved them over to their table.

"Who's that?" Quentin wondered aloud, the newcomers waved back and made their way over.

"Hey!" Dani plopped down in the chair beside Lilly without a second thought. Alex shook Quentin's hand and introduced himself before sitting across from her.

"Quentin, this is Dani, we met last night at the dorms. Alex is actually a second year," Quentin nodded in greeting, obviously uncomfortable with this much socialization. He'd been awkward when she'd first met him, but the two became fast friends. She hoped he'd feel the same about Dani and Alex.

"Nice to meet you, Quentin," Dani rounded the table and engulfed him in a bone-crushing hug. He stiffened and looked to Lilly with pleading eyes. Mercifully, Dani pulled away, none the wiser to Quentin's discomfort.

"So," Lilly looked between Alex and Dani curiously, "how did you two meet?"

"I'm her student guide," Alex waved over a server while he spoke and ordered them drinks of their own.

"I asked him to show me all the best hangouts on campus, so here we are."

"This isn't exactly at the top of my list, but it's worth mentioning," he shrugged and sat back with crossed arms.

"You excited about classes tomorrow?" Lilly inquired and Dani groaned.

"How are you not excited? It's literally a magic school!"

"I've grown up around magic, it doesn't have the same appeal to me as it does to you muggle-borns."

"You grew up knowing about magic?" Quentin perked up for the first time since they'd joined, "what was it like?"

"It was just a part of life, like you guys and not having magic, it was the norm. It wasn't the unattainable myth that Muggles make it out to be. My mom's an Alchemist, so I've learned a few things from her."

"I'd have given anything to switch lives with you," Quentin confessed, to which Dani shook her head, forlorn.

"I had magic, but my life wasn't a fairytale. I still have the same problems you do," Quentin's cheeks reddened with shame, "the grass is always greener on the other side, we've all got our demons."

"So, Alex, are you a muggle-born?" Lilly changed the subject for Quentin's sake, who'd retreated into the neck of his sweater like a turtle. She propped her elbows on the table and rested her chin in the palms of her hands.

"Yeah, my brother goes here too, actually, he's a third-year," Dani and Alex received their drinks and Lilly watched mesmerized as he stirred his coffee with an invisible force, one finger twirling above his steaming cup. The action was unconscious for him as he hadn't once glanced away from his company, or paused his words. "We have three younger sisters, but the oldest, Norah, is only sixteen, so it'll be a while before we find out if she's got magical potential. Mom and Dad don't know anything about Brakebills and it's kinda nice to have a bit of normalcy in our lives. Magic can get a little overwhelming at times." The next half hour was spent getting to know each other, and after a few icebreakers, Quentin recovered from his embarrassment and joined the conversation. Alex had every intention of pursuing a career in Marine Biology when Brakebills recruited him. He was charming, with a smile that seemed to light up the room. Lilly found herself liking him more and more as time went on, and she understood Margo's affection for the redhead now. Her eyes flicked automatically to the doorway as the bell chimed again.

"Who's the hottie?" Dani asked, fanning herself. The newcomer sadly was no one of interest to Lilly, only Quentin Coldwater's repulsive roommate. She let out an indignant groan, taking Dani by surprise.

"What's up with you? Are you not seeing what I'm seeing?"

"Unfortunately, I am. Sorry to burst your bubble, but he's a total dick."

"You've met the hottie?" She gaped, eyes filled with envy.

"Yeah, he's my roommate," Quentin pouted.

"He has an interesting aura, brooding, but soft and warm -- a man with hidden depths. What's his name?" Lilly shrugged, and Dani gasped comically, "you call him a dick and you don't even know his name?"

"His name's Penny," Quentin supplied as he attempted to hide behind Alex.

"Well, I'm going to go meet Penny for myself, and we'll see if he really is a dick," Lilly and Quentin shook their heads simultaneously, they knew exactly how this would end. Dani stood and sauntered over to where Penny sat alone, drinking a cup of coffee, and scanning the screen of his laptop. They were too far away to hear the conversation, but through their body language, they could see it didn't go very well. Dani's movements went from seductive to livid in ten seconds flat. She turned away almost as quickly as she'd gone, stomping back to the table.

"You were right, he is a dick."

➺➺➺➺

Classes commenced the following morning and Lilly could barely contain her excitement. She'd spent the evening with Quentin in the library, reading anything they could get their hands on for a head start on their studies. She learned a bit about the history of Brakebills, which was even more fascinating than she thought, and started to explore spell casting.

"At the exam, each of you did magic, what is inside you was coaxed. The question is, who can grow this magic into something more? Who can be a Magician?" Professor Caldwell addressed the class from the front of the room. She made a point to look into the eyes of every student, pausing on the blonde sitting to Lilly's right.

"Alice, please," Caldwell gestured for Alice to stand, to which the woman complied stiffly. Alice strode to the front with her head bowed, giving the impression that she would rather not be the center of attention. She came to stand before a small glass marble readily at the demonstration table. She hovered her hands delicately above it and the class sat forward in anticipation. Alice began to mutter incantations under her breath, closing her eyes to concentration. Gradually, the marble began to glow, small beams of light shining out from within as it gradually melted down to a puddle at her will. The students had begun to whisper, but Lilly couldn't seem to look away. The puddle was beginning to form a shape, unrecognizable from so far away, but once Alice animated it, the creature was unmistakable. A miniature horse galloped freely around the table. A collective gasp swept through the spectators before Alice gathered up her creation and rushed back to her seat. The room erupted in applause as Alice sat beside Lilly once more.

"That was amazing," Alice shot her a sidelong glance, lips pursed, "I'm Lilly"

"Alice," her tone was curt and disinterested. The rest of the class was a dream come true for Lilly. They learned how to levitate small objects and cast basic protective spells. Many of the students had struggled, but to Lilly, it felt like second nature. After class, she found herself a spot on a grassy knoll, away from the rest of the practicing students and reviewed every spell and technique she had learned until she was able to produce a full shield before her. Things would be anything but boring at this school.