Originally Posted by MadAlice

Violet mused on the idea of there being two separate schools in America, and yet they were both in the same small area of what seemed to her to be a very large country. She was actually surprised there were only two. "It's funny that the two schools you have should be so close together--I always imagined there to be lots of schools over there, all different. I mean you have so many different cultures and histories over in America, you would think there would be be schools for all of those." Actually, Violet wondered if there actually were some more schools and they just preferred to remain hidden.

She glanced over to the window, where a small group of students were talking quietly and looking steadily at the Lake. She thought of how she had been out at the Great Lake herself a short while ago, looking for the Giant Squid with some other girls, and wondered if she would see it swimming by now under the water. She thought gloomily of the fact that there was a Hogsmeade weekend planned and she would not be able to go, because her grandfather had refused to sign the permission slip after her escapades last year. But most of all, she thought of the fact that Miss Howard had found her beloved magpie, Mack, and managed to sent her a letter with him. That was not permitted by her family, of course, but Miss Howard wouldn't let a little thing like that stop her--Jane should have known the woman would find a way to reach her. She placed her hand on the pocket where the letter lay and wondered what Miss Howard had to say to her.