The first batch of trainees arrived one after another.
They were dressed strangely.
Some wore borrowed suits.
The cuffs hung too long.
Some had polished their leather shoes until they shone.
But one sock was red and the other black.
Several witches had pinned their hair up tightly.
Yet their collars were folded inward the wrong way.
A stubbly wizard tugged at his tie.
"This thing really chokes you."
The witch beside him spoke quietly.
"Stop complaining."
"I heard there's a clerk right by the entrance."
"Any mistakes today will go on your record."
The stubbly wizard drew a breath.
"I wasn't this nervous when I was hiding from Aurors in the Forbidden Forest."
A short, stout wizard ahead turned to look at him.
"Then you'd better not mention that today."
"I saw people from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement."
Two Ministry of Magic officials sat behind the sign-in desk at the entrance.
They did not collect wands.
They only handed out trainee handbooks.
The handbooks were thick.
The first page contained the school rules.
The second was the class schedule.
The third listed the graduation requirements.
One requirement was underlined in red.
Anyone who failed the practical assessment could not complete the course.
A young witch flipped to that page.
"Who grades the practical assessment?"
The clerk did not even look up.
"You'll find out in a moment."
She turned back to the class schedule.
"Dress and grooming."
"Basic cooking and food preservation."
"Renting and bills."
"Maps, buses, and the underground."
"Telephones, fax machines, and photocopiers."
"Computer basics and typing."
"Factory safety rules."
"Payslips and employment contracts."
She stared at it, dumbfounded.
"This counts as schooling too?"
The old woman behind her took the handbook.
"Anything that teaches you how to put food on the table counts."
"If