Every first-year family received a storm report. Most replied immediately. Some called. Jasper's mother did both. Her letter reached breakfast. Her mirror appointment was scheduled after dinner. Harper read the top line upside down. JASPER HOLLOWAY IF YOU EVER WRITE "STORM WAS FINE" AGAIN I WILL PERSONALLY COME TO TIDEFALL AND DEFINE FINE FOR YOU. Harper burst out laughing. Jasper covered the page.

"Privacy."

"Your mum is terrifying."

Ava said, "Reasonably." Jasper's original letter had said:, His mother disagreed. The surface clouded. Then his kitchen appeared. Big storm. Harbour got damaged but everyone was fine. I told staff something was happening before a big wave and it helped. School is okay. He had considered that accurate. The communication mirror room sat near administration. At seven thirty, Jasper sat before a silver-framed glass panel while Professor Elowen activated the connection. His mum and dad sat at the table. Seeing home inside Tidefall always felt wrong.

"Hi," Jasper said.

His mum leaned forward.

"Everyone was fine?"

"Yes."

"Continuous alarm?"

"For a bit."

"Harbour evacuation?"

"Nobody got hurt."

His father said, "Your mother's issue is not whether the ending was good." Jasper knew.

"I didn't want you to worry."

His mum's face softened.

"Remember our conversation?"

Scared isn't secret. Jasper nodded.

"Worry is not something you protect me from by making information smaller."

"I know."

"Do you?"

"More now."

His father smiled.

"Acceptable answer."

Jasper told them the full version. Not every sensory detail. But the shelter. The gate. The staff crossing. His attempt to communicate not yet. The surge. His mother went very quiet when he described reaching.

"Did that hurt you?"

"No. It was a lot."

"Can it hurt you?"

"They don't know."

She closed her eyes briefly. Jasper hated causing that expression. Then remembered he was not causing the uncertainty. He was sharing it. His father asked, "Did you choose to reach?" Jasper thought.

"The first time kind of happened. I was scared the staff weren't clear. The second time I didn't push. I just showed what I knew."

"And the sea thing chose what happened?"

"Yes."

Jasper was firm there. His mum looked at Professor Elowen, visible at the side of the mirror.

"What stops the school from using him every time there's bad weather now?"

Jasper's chest tightened. Good question. Elowen answered.

"Policy, for one. Ethics, for another. Jasper's reports can inform decisions. He is not emergency infrastructure."

"Is that written?"

Elowen smiled slightly.

"It will be."

His mum nodded.

"Good."

Jasper stared at her.

"You just made a school rule."

"Excellent."

His father said, "Your mother has always wanted administrative power."

"Correct."

The call became easier after that. They talked about exams. Choosing Tide. Whether Jasper had enough clean socks. His mum asked which Order he wanted.

"Don't know."

"Can you choose?"

"No."

"I dislike that already."

Jasper laughed.

"Harper agrees."

"I like Harper."

The mirror dimmed after forty minutes. Jasper sat in the quiet room afterward. Professor Elowen packed away the activation card.

"Your mother is right."

"About what?"

"We need explicit policy."

"Because of me?"

"Because institutions should not rely on goodwill when power differences exist."

Jasper stared.

"What does that mean?"

Elowen simplified.

"It shouldn't depend on whether the current Headmaster is nice. Rules should protect you from being treated like equipment."

"Oh."

That made sense. By the following week, Tidefall had drafted an internal guideline for unusual student magical sensitivities. Consent where possible. No deliberate provocation for testing without formal safety review. No requirement that a student reproduce an experience for staff curiosity. Emergency reports treated as information, not commands. Jasper was not named. He liked that even more. Something strange about him had improved the school without turning him into the school. His mother approved. Her next letter began: BETTER. Then asked about socks.