On the final Wednesday of term, first-year teachers left their classroom doors open.

Not literally every door.

Professor Ashcroft argued that leaving his open ruined the temperature control.

The tradition was called Open Doors anyway.

Students could visit teachers without an assignment, return borrowed things, look at next year's materials or ask questions they had never managed to ask during class.

Harper disliked the emotional premise.

"We see them next year."

Ava said, "Not necessarily for the same classes."

"Still alive in the building."

"Presumably."

Jasper visited Professor Ward first.

The Foundations room looked wrong without rows of students.

Practice objects had been boxed.

Feather jars were empty.

Three damaged training shields leaned against a cupboard waiting for repair.

Ward sat on the edge of her desk with a mug of tea.

"Mr Holloway."

"Professor."

"You appear to have arrived voluntarily."

"Don't ruin it."

She smiled.

Jasper walked to the first-term practice shelf. One wooden disk remained.

"Do you remember our first levitation lesson?"

"Teachers remember every first levitation lesson. It is when we discover who has patience and who will launch stationery."

"Harper."

"Several Harpers."

Jasper laughed.

He wanted to ask something important.

Instead he said, "Was I bad?"

Ward understood.

"At magic?"

"At the start."

"You were seven."

"I am still seven."

"Exactly."

Jasper waited.

Ward set down her mug. "You were a beginner. Beginners are not failed experts."

That answer stayed with him.

At Professor Ilyan's room, Ancient Selari charts were being rolled for storage.

Ava was already there.

Of course.

She was asking whether Year Two studied older inscription grammar.

"Some," Ilyan said. "And no, that does not mean you may read the restricted Deepwater originals."

"I did not ask."

"You were about to."

Ava considered this unfair.

Jasper looked at the Selari alphabet on the wall.

At the beginning of the year, *sael* and *saeli* had felt ancient.

Now he could recognise dozens of ordinary words.

Storage.

Water.

Door.

Warning.

And one word that had changed the whole shape of the mystery.

*Taira.*

Titan.

Ilyan followed Jasper's gaze.

"Languages make old things look simple when you only learn the translation."

Jasper looked at him.

"What do you mean?"

"Taira is one word. Titans are not one simple thing."

That felt like enough homework for next year.

Professor Elowen's room was crowded when they arrived.

Harper was already there asking about Ocean Studies.

"Will we actually go in the ocean more next year?"

"Under supervision."

"Properly?"

"That word worries me."

Harper grinned.

When the room emptied, Jasper stayed behind.

Elowen waited.

He asked, "Do you think I made the year harder?"

"For whom?"

"Everyone."

"No."

"Because of Water."

Elowen thought before answering.

"The school changed some procedures because we learned things. That is what schools are supposed to do."

Jasper looked down.

"I caused work."

"You existed near a problem and reported what you experienced. Those are not the same thing."

Harper had returned to the doorway.

She said, "Also I caused more work."

Elowen looked at her. "Factually correct."

Harper seemed pleased.

Their final stop was Thorne.

His office door was open too.

Jasper found this suspicious.

"Do Headmasters have to participate?"

"No," Thorne said.

"Then why are you?"

"Terrible judgment."

Harper wandered to the window.

Ava studied the shelves without touching anything.

Jasper looked at Thorne.

"Do you know what happens next year?"

"Generally."

"With Water."

"No."

That answer came without drama.

Jasper realised he preferred it.

Thorne added, "I know more than I did at the beginning of this year. So do you. That does not make the unknown part smaller enough to ignore."

Ava nodded.

Harper said, "That sounded like an Ava sentence."

Thorne looked alarmed.

The three left before he could recover.

Open Doors ended without speeches.

Teachers packed rooms.

Students packed trunks.

Tidefall kept moving toward summer.

Goodbyes, Jasper was discovering, did not always need to sound final.