The normal studies of potions and charms went by achingly slow. But in the afternoons on Tuesdays and Fridays and then almost all of Sunday were occupied by dragonry issues. What kinds of dragons there were, their needs and care issues, how to ride them, how to bond to them, how not to get yourself squished by them... It was like a whole other world opened up.

"Just like becoming a Witch," Daphne said, her big red eyes still wide with pleased wonder. "It was like when I first saw Diagon Alley, first held my wand. My wand. And now ..."

"And now," Cressida said, having become genuinely good friends with her and the others in the two months they were there together, "now it's like that again... I remember my first broom ride."

"Me too," Adrian let his slow smile do the talking.

"I do too," Ambrose said, and his expression said it all. Cepheus laughed.

"I suspect my first flight was worse than yours, Ambrose," he held up his dark arm, which displayed a jagged pale scar. "You won't find me on one, that's for sure..."

"Well what about a dragon though?" Lyra said, "are you going to be afraid to fly on a dragon?"

It was clear that Cepheus didn't want to look like he was a coward, but Gideon came to his rescue - as he'd been doing a lot lately when his dark partner would stick his foot in his mouth.

"There are flightless ones, too," the duelist said. "Runners, creepers, leapers... Burrowers!"

"I don't think I want to go underground on one," Cepheus said, "what about you Joseline? Too busy taking notes?"

She was a bit distracted, but gave her little finger-wave indicating she was listening, just concentrating on something else.

"I would put her on a fast, little one," Daphne said. "She could be in plenty of places quickly."

"Oh no, no" Lyra smirked and looked at their blonde reporter companion. "A hydragon would be good for her, if only it'd be a good kind."

They often chatted about what might come their way, and unlike some of the places which they studied about regarding dragons, they were encouraged to do so. Rather than taught that disappointment was the norm, it was true that they might have to wait a bit or go from nest to nest, but Zora proclaimed that she wanted them in particular for a reason, and that reason turned out to be a bit of scrying into the future. But she only said she could see that they had the potential for riding or bonding, befriending or being caretakers. Not which kind or where, or for that matter, how many.

"Magic is convenient," Zora would say, "but it's not perfect. No one can really see into the future, and be right one-hundred-percent."

Two other students had come from faraway lands as well, just after these arrived, and were getting settled into the weird routines of schooling and 'extra-curricular' activities with dragon kind. One who had been at Domina for a few years was selected from a lineup early on, and had returned with a young dragonet already - so the group from Hogwarts knew they stood a chance.

The one thing they did agree upon was that they hoped they'd all befriend their dragons right around the same time. It would be sad for one or a couple not to, or be in the spotlight while the others waited. Apparently, though, there was a way to get around that somehow, involving one of those weird Pernese dragon tricks of heading through time. But though they knew about this, since some of the mixed-breed dragons they'd met could do it, they weren't going to count on something as iffy as time travel to keep them together! If they bonded apart, they bonded apart.

"It would give us time to learn more too," Lyra said. "I mean, helping out and getting closer, while still waiting for your chance." They all figured that Lyra might bond first, anyway, given her animal-types of spell and class concentration.

While they were now used to each other and the other students to an extent, they were still learning the ropes of this weird little school. The professors were ... odd. Photha who taught a very sharp dueling class and his DADA training was second to none... He also had those adorable little fluttery head wings, and collected plushy toys in his campus roost. Professor Kalkin often left campus on longish trips with Iris in tow, and they came back looking a bit worse for wear. Daphne asked once, what it was they were doing, and got an answer that she really didn't want to hear. Then there was Queen Sean, the bunny girl and her handful of bunny-eared and tailed kids (and some others who weren't her children, coming to this school from across the dimensions from their own world?) who could bring dead things back to life at whim but also looked like she could kick some ass sparring with traditional weapons. Urbane who kept the wolves and dogs was a flight fanatic, an excellent Quidditch player who was encouraged by both Adrian and Cressida to get up in the air with them to practice.

The school would never quite be the same as their home of four years, Hogwarts. But it was going to be a great place to stay while they waited for dragons.