Chapter Text
Luz had come to love school. Unlike back in the Human Realm, he had friends here at Hexside. She was learning things she was actually interested in. She got good grades and the teachers actually loved to teach her all they knew.
So, on the day she learned that Hexside was going to get a new student just few weeks after she had entered, she was excited.
From what everyone had learned, the new student was sixteen, a boy and apparently not like anyone else. Principal Bump actually told Luz personally that she and the new student might be more alike than anyone else, since the boy couldn’t do magic on his own, but instead needed his palisman.
Luz felt a little weird thinking that there was going to be a student that had a palisman already, since none of the other students had.
When the day arrived, Luz was happily flying with Eda to the school.
‘’You sure are excited. It’s almost like you’re meeting your best friend.’’ Eda snorted.
‘’Can you blame me? Bump said we might get along great!’’ Luz said.
‘’Don’t get your hopes up too high. Bump has been wrong before.’’ Eda rolled her eyes.
Luz looked down at her sleeves and pants and nodded. The only reason she had such a colorful school outfit was because she had proven Bump wrong. And that just made Luz even more excited to think what the new student was going to study.
Will he be on one track like most? Or will he have more classes with Luz?
‘’Okay, kiddo. Remember to punch bullies and draw all over the lockers.’’ Eda said as they landed.
‘’Eda!’’ Luz hissed.
‘’Alright, alright… spoilsport.’’ Eda snorted.
‘’Good luck selling your potions.’’ Luz said and waved Eda goodbye.
Eda smiled, but tensed up suddenly. She grabbed Luz and they hid behind trees.
‘’Eda, wha-?’’
‘’Shh!’’ Eda hissed and looked from behind the tree.
Confused, Luz just watched her and noticed that Eda’s body language was a mix of anger and paranoia.
‘’This is a big deal. You need to be careful.’’ a voice, that was disturbingly familiar to Luz, said in a calm tone. Luz couldn’t connect the voice to anyone she knew, and she had to look over.
There were two people walking pass them. One was tall and wearing a cape to hide their face and body. They were looking away from Luz, so she didn’t even get a glimpse at their face. But the boy beside this person was in full view of Luz.
A young man, not older than sixteen, smiled at the person. ‘’Uncle said the same thing.’’
The person sighed. ‘’Yes, I’m aware. Can you just promise me that you’ll keep your head down and not cause trouble?’’
‘’When have I even caused trouble?’’ the boy asked.
‘’The day you got lost in the forest, the time you climbed to the house’s roof, and… that scar on your cheek…’’
The boy seemed to get serious for a second, but then he smiled again. ‘’Okay, I promise not to get lost, climb to any roofs or get any new scars.’’
‘’Hunter, I’m serious.’’
‘’So am I! Look, I know you’re worried, but I’m already sixteen. I don’t wanna stay away from everything forever. And besides, if I get good grades and get a job here, I could be able to be more at use to uncle.’’
The person shook their head. ’’I know, I know.’’ they said and patted the boy’s head. ‘’I’ll come pick you up at four.’’
‘’Okay. Have fun at work!’’ the boy smiled and turned towards the school.
The person laughed. ‘’Have fun at school.’’
Eda and Luz watched the person walk away and the boy got into the school.
‘’That must be the new student.’’ Luz said.
‘’Yeah. They didn’t have any colors on their uniform.’’ Eda said and stepped out of the trees.
‘’Eda, why did we have to hide?’’ Luz asked, and Eda looked at her for a second.
There was a moment where Luz was certain that Eda was going to say something serious, but then a mischievous grin appeared on the older witch’s face.
‘’Luz, you better make sure that new student loves you. Invite him to the Owl House, if you can.’’
‘’What?’’
‘’Oh, look! The wind’s picking me up!’’ Eda said while getting back on her staff and she flied away. ‘’Bye!’’
Luz blinked and then she rushed to the school. She tried to look for the new student, but it was already crowded. She had already forgotten most of the details about the new student. The only thing she could recall was his short blonde hair, and that wasn’t much to go on.
But Luz got her chance to meet the new student on her first lesson, which was potions.
The teacher got in front of the class and waited for everyone to sit before he spoke.
‘’Now, as you are all aware, there is a new student here at Hexside. And I have the pleasure of introducing him to you.’’ the teacher said and looked at the door. ‘’Come on in!’’
Luz and everyone watched as a blonde-haired boy walked in. Unlike this morning when Luz had seen him for the first time, now his sleeves and pants had colors to show what kind of tracks he wants to study. There were five different colors. Luz took in everything she could from the boy and studied the way he held himself up.
This young man walked confidently but there was no air of cockiness about him. His pure magenta eyes seemed to look around in awe of everything around him, as if he had never been inside of a building like this. When the boy turned to face the class, they all saw a scar on his right cheek.
‘’Now, why don’t you tell your name and something about yourself?’’ the teacher asked kindly.
The boy inhaled deeply and looked around. ‘’Okay… I’m Hunter Wittebane and, uh… I hope we’ll get along.’’ there was a bit of nervousness seeping from the boy’s voice, which made some of the students coo.
The teacher nodded. ‘’Well, Hunter. You may go sit now. Hmm… There is an empty spot next to Luz. She’s the one with the round ears.’’
‘’Round ears?’’ Hunter blinked and looked over.
Luz waved her hand so that Hunter could find her, and he smiled at her.
Hunter sat down next to Luz. ‘’Nice to meet you.’’
‘’You too. Luz Noceda.’’ Luz went to shake his hand.
Hunter shook hers gently. ‘’Hunter Wittebane.’’
‘’Now! For today’s lesson, we’ll be studying a very tricky potion. And I advise all of you to pay attention. This will be in your test and you will have to be able to make it to pass this class.’’ the teacher said.
The class went on as normal.
Luz looked over at Hunter every once in a while and found him either taking notes or reading something in the books. She wondered if she could start a conversation, but she couldn’t think of anything to say.
When the class ended, and everyone got up, Hunter was the one to speak to Luz.
‘’So, what’s up with the round ears?’’
Luz blinked. ‘’Uh… I’m a human.’’
Hunter smiled. ‘’No kidding? Cool.’’
‘’Is it?’’ Luz asked. ‘’Normally witches would freak out or…’’
‘’Hey human!’’ Boscha’s voice came from the classes entrance. ‘’You lost your magic! Oh, wait! You never had it!’’
Some students laughed.
Luz bit her teeth together.
‘’Hey third eye! You dropped something!’’ Hunter called back to everyone’s surprise.
Boscha gasped. Being the only person with three eyes, she was the obvious target for Hunter’s name calling.
‘’How dare you, new kid!’’ Boscha hissed.
‘’No, I mean it. You did drop something.’’ Hunter rolled his eyes.
Boscha got really quiet after that and looked around on the floor. And as she did, something slammed behind her knee and made her fell on the floor.
‘’Your butt.’’ Hunter smirked as a red bird flied to his shoulder.
Some students started to laugh and Boscha got up with her face red. She ran out of the class.
Hunter turned to Luz. ‘’You were saying?’’
Luz blinked. ‘’How… What is…?’’ she pointed at the bird.
‘’This is Flapjack, my palisman.’’ Hunter petted the bird’s head gently. ‘’And I thought I told him to stay by the locker.’’
Flapjack chirped and jumped around a bit.
Hunter laughed. ‘’Yeah, well… I don’t think the teachers would like for a student to have their palisman out in the open like this. They might think I’m cheating.’’ he said and turned to Luz. ‘’What’s your next class?’’
‘’It’s illusion.’’ Luz said.
‘’Aw, bummer. I’m having gardening.’’ Hunter said.
‘’You choose the tracks.’’ Luz said as they walked out of the class together.
‘’Yeah, that’s not what’s a bummer. I’m just a bit upset that when I think I’ve made a new friend, we have to go separate ways.’’
Luz smiled. ‘’I’m sure we’ll see each other all around the school. Tell you what? Come with me!’’ she practically pulled Hunter by the arm.
‘’Woah! Where are we going?’’ Hunter asked.
Luz spotted two very familiar people at the end of the hallway. A girl with a round face and black hair with a single green line on it was laughing at something the boy next to her said. He was shorter than most students in Hexside and undoubtedly the most underestimated one.
Willow and Gus were in a middle of laughing when Luz ran to them. ‘’Hola, amigos!’’
‘’Hi, Luz!’’ Gus held out his hand for a high-five, which Luz was more than happy to provide.
Augustus Porter was a brilliant young witch, who had dark skin and skinny frame. He had a habit of being dramatic and a bit childish, but he was a good person and a loyal friend.
‘’Hey, Luz.’’ Willow said and looked at Hunter, who waved at her nervously. ‘’Who’s this?’’
Willow Park was bit on a chubby side, but she was very caring and the most reliable person Luz had ever had the pleasure to befriend. She was also surprisingly strong and, although she looked cute and harmless, she could be ruthless.
‘’Guys, this is Hunter. He’s the new student. We just had potion together.’’ Luz explained and turned to Hunter. ‘’These are Willow and Gus. They’ve been my best friends since the first day.’’
‘’Aw, shucks. Luz, I’m blushing.’’ Gus covered his face jokingly.
Willow shook her head. ‘’Luz, you have a quick way to make friends. Sometimes I envy you.’’
‘’Well, you’re in luck, Willow. Coz Hunter here will be in plants with you!’’ Luz said.
‘’Huh?’’ Hunter blinked.
‘’Oh, you’re going to the garden next?’’ Willow smiled at Hunter and she seemed to notice the different colors he had on his uniform.
‘’I-I am.’’ Hunter seemed a bit more nervous and his pointy ears turned red.
‘’Okay! I can help you to get there.’’ Willow smiled.
‘’Oh! Cool. Thanks.’’ Hunter smiled.
‘’We still have time before classes starts.’’ Gus smiled.
‘’Yeah, we can get to know each other.’’ Willow said and looked over at Hunter. ‘’Are you feeling alright?’’
‘’Me? Of course.’’ Hunter laughed and looked away. ‘’Just, uh… I don’t get to talk to that many people often.’’
‘’You don’t?’’ Gus asked.
‘’Now that you mention it… I haven’t seen you around.’’ Willow said slowly and looked Hunter up and down. ‘’Did you transfer from somewhere?’’
Hunter shifted a little. ‘’You could say that. I’ve always lived around here, but uncle wasn’t really allowing me to go anywhere.’’
‘’Your uncle? What about your parents?’’ Gus asked.
Hunter glanced down. ‘’I… never knew them.’’ he said slowly and that got all of them to jump in surprise. ‘’There was an accident when I was little, and my uncle took me in.’’
‘’Oh… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…’’ Gus started.
‘’No, no. It’s fine, really! I get that it’s kind of weird to not have parents.’’ Hunter smiled and sighed. ‘’Uncle usually tells me that our family might be a weird one, but that doesn’t mean we’re any different from the others.’’
Willow smiled. ‘’Your uncle sounds like a nice person.’’
‘’He is! Taught me everything I know. Well, except anything about wild magic. It makes him… nervous to talk about it.’’
Luz, knowing all too well how some people view wild magic, decided to ask: ‘’And what do you think of it?’’
‘’Wild magic?’’ Hunter asked and an excited smile appeared on his face. ‘’I think it’s fascinating! I’ve read so much about it, but I’ve never actually seen it being used.’’
‘’Luz knows all about it.’’ Willow said.
‘’Willow!’’ Luz hissed.
‘’Yeah, I figured as much.’’ Hunter shrugged.
It surprised all of them.
‘’You did?’’ Gus blinked.
‘’Well… Luz is a human. Humans can’t do magic, can they? And since she doesn’t have a palisman, wild magic is the only option left.’’ Hunter said.
‘’You figured that out all on your own?’’ Willow asked.
‘’I had days to think about it, really. And actually, it was one of the reasons I begged for my uncle to let me study here.’’ Hunter said.
‘’Huh?’’ Luz and Willow gasped.
‘’Lily told me and uncle about a human that came to Hexside to study magic, and you can’t enter the program without knowing at least two spells. I’ve always been… Well, let’s say… unable to do magic by myself. Which was one the many reasons uncle didn’t like the idea of me leaving home. But I figured, if a human can do it, surely, I can too.’’
‘’Gosh… I heard that you couldn’t do magic on your own, but I didn’t think I was the reason you came here.’’ Luz said.
‘’Yeah, and I was hoping to meet you. I just didn’t think it would be this soon.’’ Hunter rubbed his neck. ‘’Lily told me to stay clear from you, but… she says a lot of weird things now-a-days.’’
‘’Who’s Lily?’’ Gus asked.
‘’An old friend of my uncle’s. She’s usually the one getting us stuff from the markets or delivering news. She’s been acting weird lately, though… And she doesn’t wanna talk about it. It’s kind of worrisome.’’
‘’Why would Lily tell you to stay clear from Luz?’’ Willow asked.
‘’Dunno. Maybe she doesn’t like humans.’’
Luz thought about it. ‘’But you still wanted to meet me?’’
‘’Yeah. For one, I’ve never seen a human before. And two, I was curious about the way you do magic.’’
‘’Ugh! She can’t do magic!’’ someone called out from behind them and they turned to look at Boscha. ‘’She’s a human! A magicless, pathetic, smelly creature! Why did they even let someone like that in?’’
Hunter raised an eyebrow. ‘’Do you have a habit of listening to other people’s conversations?’’
‘’Do you have a habit of talking with half of witches?’’ Boscha asked.
‘’And if I did?’’ Hunter pushed back.
‘’You… Then you’re an idiot, who doesn’t understand how the world works.’’ Boscha hissed.
‘’An idiot, you say… Well, I suppose that’s better than being a nosy know-it-all.’’ Hunter smirked.
Boscha gasped. ‘’Are you… calling me names?’’
‘’So if I am?’’ Hunter said softly.
‘’You have no idea who you’re messing with!’’ Boscha warned.
Hunter rolled his eyes. ‘’Yeah, but I was taught that I shouldn’t dedicate my time and energy on people who bully other instead of introducing themselves to me first.’’
‘’Oh…’’ Luz gasped.
‘’Wow…’’ Gus was clearly impressed.
Boscha just stood still and stared at Hunter in muted shock.
‘’So, are you gonna fire back an insult or are you gonna tell your name? Which one will it be, third eye?’’ Hunter offered.
Boscha just turned around and left.
‘’Some people…’’ Hunter shook his head.
‘’Okay, dude. You are officially one of my favorite people.’’ Gus said.
Hunter seemed surprised at first, and then he jokingly covered his cheeks and said sarcastically: ‘’Aw, shucks. I’m blushing.’’