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The week following his transformation got progressively worse for Matthew. His condition never changed, for better or worse, but he did get rather stronger and faster physically. He had gotten the hang of his transformations and could do it on the run. His magical abilities had changed also, no longer confined to simply summoning, he could now utilise Holy, Time and even Energy Casting if he put his mind to it. This was partially thanks to the familiar that now resided in his head, but he could never have managed holy magics if he didn't spend every break period in the Paladin block. He had grown to become more like the furniture in the room to the Paladins rather than an invading creature, and so they didn't fuss over him anymore. His teacher, Miss Marble, had ignored any abuse he got from the other students, and almost encouraged it. He had become a thing to the other students. Almost a monster in their eyes. It wasn't enough that they now stole his foods and thew them away or simply took it for themselves, but they constantly attacked him, throwing things as small as marbles or as heavy as rocks. He wasn't eating at home, either. His parents had become quite concerned when they realised that their son spent day after day in his room, afraid to leave and never ate. They had informed the Headmaster, Master Greywell, and he had sent Matthew to the school councellor. But Matthew never showed up, instead never making it there, being beaten almost to death for the second time in a week, and had to be rushed back to the Paladin block by one of the paladins.

Today was Tuesday the week after he had decided to stop eating. He once again crawled into the Paladin block, ever wary of the other students who would be looking for him, and hid back in his corner, under covers. Or, at least, he got close, collapsing just short of the welcoming darkness. No one noticed him until it was time for next period, when Esmerelda May noticed a yellowish lump in the middle of the white tiled floor. She hurried over and tried to lift him when he weakly bared his teeth.

"Don't growl at me!" She snapped. "Are you alright?"

"What's wrong?" Her teacher, Master Greywell asked, hurrying over.

"It's Matthew, sir." she said. "He's barely breathing."

"Move back, move back!" Greywell said, pushing her to a safe distance. "Matthew? Matthew! When was the last time you ate? Tell me, dammit!"

"We have not eaten for seven days, five hours." Matthew's familiar, Zanobi called, his voice like echoes. Despite not having a body of his own, Zanobi had been refuged in Matthew's mind and the male Thylacine's body had been merged with his human master. Zanobi could communicate by manipulating magic through the air. "This twit decided to starve himself to death rather than live like this."

Greywell gritted his teeth and bunched up a fist. "So that's how you want to play things is it? Fine by me. Fredrick! Go and get a summoner to create a pound of Kangaroo flesh and then take it to the cafeteria, it needs to be cooked rare to medium rare, else his stomach may reject it, get it cut up into strips about an inch wide by three inches long. Zanobi, you need to take direct control over Matthew's body to eat, can you do that?"

"There is very little energy left in his body, but I should be able to manage it."

"You'll need to do little more than swallow, the meat cut up that small should be easy to swallow if you're hungry enough." Greywell said. He stood back up straight, grabbing a nearby phone. "Summoning block? It's me. Yeah, we're good. Listen, I need you to send Miss Marble to the Paladin block. Room 803. Thanks." He put the phone back down as Fredrick came running back in, the smell of meat following him.

"I've got the meat, sir!"

Esmerelda snatched it off him and put it directly infront of Matthew, the plate knocking heavily on the floor. Zanobi struggled to get Matthew's body to eat, his energy reserves quickly running too low to stand. There was just enough time for him to struggle down the pound of flesh before he slumped to the ground, falling into a deep sleep. Matthew's body instinctively curled up into a tight ball. Headmaster Greywell picked up the plate and gave it back to Fredrick, evidently telling him to go and wash it. Melissa Patrick started to push him under the dark corner when Greywell spoke up again.

"Don't put him down there, with his body as weak as it is he will freeze to death on the tile floor. We need something really warm to keep him in, and here comes our solution!" He said as Miss Marble walked in the door.

"Make it quick, I've got the students reading grimoires, and they tend to try things out." She snapped.

The headmaster walked over and put his hands on her shoulders. "Make me a blanket."

"You what?"

"Not just any blanket, mind, it has got to be really warm!"

"I cannot just create a blanket out of thin air, sir. I need materials to do it."

The headmaster opened a cupboard and pulled out a large roll of fabrics. Marble sighed and made a blanket that felt warm to the touch.

"Thankyou." Greyson said. "Now, I'm moving one of your students out of your classes."

"Oh?" Miss Marble said, feighning interest.

"Indeed, I'm taking Matthew Anderson off your hands." Greyson continued, pretending her mock interest was enthusiasm. "He's going to be joining me in here and become a paladin."

Now Miss Marble was worried. She could control how much abuse that little furball got in her own classroom, even add to it, but in the Headmaster's class he could expect a perfectly fair environment. Something she really didn't want Matthew in. "He can't become a paladin, sir, he does not know holy magics, nor has he shown any inclination to learn."

"Oh, I'm sure he knows a little. And I shall teach him some whilst he is here. I expect your paperwork on my desk by tomorrow morning." He finished, handing the blanket to Esmerelda, who promptly wrapped Matthew in it, practically cuddling him as she sat at her desk and opened a grimoire. Miss Marble simply grunted and walked out in a huff. "Hit a nerve there I think." Greywell said smugly. "I swear, that woman revels in other's misery." He checked on Matthew briefly before walking out of the room to the Archives, the largest of the many buildings that made up the school's campus. It housed over ten thousand different grimoires for different magics.

Matthew awoke a few hours later, wondering why he handn't died or been woken for lessons sooner, before he realised he was staring directly into a girl's stomach. He writhed, trying to get away before she swatted him.

"Hush. Don't make such a fuss, your body won't have recovered by now." She said, sternly. "Headmaster! He's awake!"

A moment later Greywell was looking directly into Matthew's face. "You gave me quite a scare kid." he said.

Matthew growled.

"Don't growl at me either, and don't do that again!"

Matthew tilted his head.

"You know exactly what I mean by that." Greywell continued. "Life is precious, don't waste it! Your father informed me that you had stopped eating at home, and none of us have seen you eat a single thing here, your familiar even told us that you had simply given up. Well today we turn that around. As of today you're in my class. You can hide in the corner and practice your magics all you like or you can read grimoires. You are not required to leave, but I advise mingling with the rest of the students at least once in a while, else you'll become a recluse." He said, poking Matthew between his eyes. "But the first thing you are to do is eat. I have had your father bring us a whole eski full of meat that is for you, and all that is required is for it to be cooked. There is a kitchen upstairs, and the meat is there as well."

Matthew sighed and tried to snuggle back into a ball, but his stomach rebelled against him. It had quickly gone through the pound of meat, and was demanding more.

'I swear to the fuzzy lord, if you do this again, I'm controlling the body and you can give out advice on spells.'

Matthew motioned that he wanted to be released and Esmerelda put him down on the floor, taking the blanket off him. He shivered as his body took off where the blanket left off. Slowly he stepped into the middle of the floor and changed back into his human self, his clothes ravelling around him and his hair tying itself back again. Hs backpack emerged, heavily slumping onto his back. He swung it off and onto a table, waling to the stairs, yawning heavily. He shivered again as he ascended the stairs, and grabbed an electric frying pan out of a cupboard. He plugged it in, switched it on and put some butter into the pan, warming his mitts over it. He kicked open the eski on the floor and double-took. There had to be a whole kangaroo in there at least! With unsteady hands and a growling stomach he pulled out the largest piece of meat he could find and slapped it into the pan. It sizzled happily as he grabbed a glass out of another cupboard and a bottle of water from the refrigerator. He quickly changed the water into orange juice with magic, and poured himself a glass. And then another. He didn't even notice drinking the first one, downing it too quickly to taste it. He returned to his meat, turning it over and cutting it slightly to see how cooked it was. Clicking his neck, he walked back down the stairs and into the classroom.

"I'm sure there is enough here for others, is anyone intersted?" He asked. None of the class seemed interested. "Alright, suit yourselves. I'm only going to cook myself some food then, but you're free to cook your own from the meat that is up here." He said, returning to the kitchen. Shivering once more, he cut the slab of meat open to check how cooked it was.

'How cooked does it need to be before I can eat it you think?' He thought to his familiar.

'It looks almost medium rare, and the meat we ate earlier was less cooked than this. I'd suggest cutting it up and eating it now, but that's just me.' Came the reply.

Matthew shrugged, lifting the meat onto a plate and slicing it into smaller bits. He sat at the table there and ate, completley unaware that Esmerelda had come up to the kitchen to check on him. She shuffled her feet and he stopped mid chew and looked apologetic, swallowing what he had in his mouth.

"I'm sorry, did you want some?" he asked. "I can cook it a bit more to make it safer for you?"

"No, thanks. I just came up to check on you and see if you wanted anything?"

"If you don't mind, could you get one of my grimoires from my bag?" He asked. "The White one. Careful, it's really heavy."

Esmerelda came back a moment later with the bulky grimoire in tow. She didn't seem even slightly burdoned by it.

"'Helanisus Rangisun,'" she read off the cover. "You're learning holy magic?"

"It's just a beginning book to get me going, I can already do small cuts and bruises, otherwise you would have noticed my injuries every day when I come in, this is just some more advanced magic, gashes and bones. Nothing too serious yet."

Esmerelda looked stunned. "Nothing too serious? What do you consider serious?"

"Oh, you know, crushed limbs, impaled, heart attacks... The librarian said that the most advanced grimoire contains knowledge on using magic to shield a person's life, like a life raft, that could completley heal the person it is cast on right before they die."

Esmerelda shifted uncomfortably. "I hope you never need to use anything like that."

Matthew smiled. "I probrably won't, but it'd be better to be safe than sorry, eh?"

She nodded, waved to him, and returned back down the stairs.

'She's kind of cute.' Zanobi said, smugly.

'Oh be quiet, she'd never go for me.'

'What makes you say that?'

'It doesn't take a genius.' Matthew retorted. 'I'm a freak. She'd be much more interested in one of the other boys.'

'If you say so, Matthew.'

He finished eating and cleaned up his dishes before turning off the light and returning back to the classroom below, looking apologetic.

"I'm sorry to be such a fuss, Headmaster."

Greywell waved a hand at him dismissively. "Think nothing of it. Just remember that this is no free ride, you must learn our teachings and study well."

Matthew spent the rest of the week learning off the other students what a Paladin was about. Being fair to all, unjudging, skilled in healing magics as well as combat. He was required to be courteous, courageous and strong. He spent most of his time talking with Esmerelda; idle chatter, teaching her summoning magics... Anything really. What little time he did not spend with her or neck deep in a grimoire he spent on the roofs of the school buildings, jumping inbetween the blocks as if the hundred metre wide courtyards were only a few feet across. His reflexes had improved considerably, too. Many times he had narrowly dodged a well aimed fireball or rock, now weaving inbetween them as if they were stationary. The teaching staff, save Miss Marble, never bothered him. At least, not unless he damaged something, which was seldom rare. He also found that he was far faster in his animal shape, zipping along the massive rooftops at high speed. Today was different, though. The students who had so recently almost hospitalised him were on the prowl in a far larger group than before. He had asked the Headmaster what to do if attacked, and he was simply told not to kill, but use as much force as required to keep himself from harm. He had kept to the rooftops, avoiding direct eyesight so as not to tip anyone off as to where he was, but he had to eventually come down, and they knew that was when they could get him. Matthew landed in the middle of the courtyard directly outside the Paladin block, the students blocking his entrance to his classroom. He hadn't bothered to leave his animal form, and simply bared his teeth.

"Well, well, well." The ringleader called. "Looks like we caught ourselves what we wanted." He cracked his knuckled loudly. "I think it's time for ourselves to make a nice rug, eh guys?"

Matthew simply sighed and jumped up onto the roof, the distance barely a hop for him, but even there he encountered another student, who grabbed at him. Matthew leapt back off the roof, changing his shape in midair and landing on his feet. He glared at the dozen or more students baring down on him.

"How many are there?" He asked.

"Well, there's at least fourteen of us." the ringleader, Michael Luinski said smugly, a fireball forming in his hand.

Matthew grinned. "It won't be a fair fight then." he said, ducking the flame.

The students came from everywhere, all trying to get their hands on him. Matthew ducked and weaved, spun and sidestepped, never letting any one student get within an inch of him. He kept his eyes on the windows to his classroom all the time, Greywell watching passively.

'Zanobi, throw your voice in there and ask if I retaliate.'

'What should I say?'

' 'As a paladin, do I fight?' I want his response.'

Matthew kept avoiding blows and grabs, ducking fire, ice, Time and objects.

'He said, as a paladin, you defend those who need it most.'

'I guess that means I can fight back without severely injuring them then!' He almost triumphantly said, leaping into the air and weaving the light oddly.

"As a group, you challenge, as a Paladin, I accept!" he yells, slamming into the ground, light flying in all directions, throwing students off their feet.

'Matthew, Headmaster Greywell says to only retaliate, do not swing first and let them come to you. They cannot keep up their casting for long.'

Matthew nodded, ducking a fist and swinging his foot up, catching the student under his chin, knocking him off his feet. Most students seemed to want to stand back, would rather pelt him with fireballs than actually risk fighting him one on one. He wove his hand through the light, catching as much as possible, constantly dodging rocks and fists. His eyes were set on a group of students who had decided to work together to fuse their magics into a more potent bolt of energy. As they discharged their combined magic, Matthew swung his hand up, light forming into a shield light as a feather, yet as large as he was. The headmaster's eyes widened as the massive fireball exploded on the shield, several cheers erupting from the crowd before the smoke cleared. the shield came flying out of nowhere and smacked another student off his feet, vanishing when it entered the shadows near the classroom door. The smoke cleared and Matthew still stood strong, the ground showing a definite impression of where the fire had seared the ground around him. Most of the students left fighting up and ran away, figuring it wasn't worth the effort, but Michael stayed. He grabbed a metal downpipe and changed its shape, creating a sword. Matthew weaved another, smaller shield shaped like a bird's wing out of the light and stood ready.

'Remember, use only enough force to protect yourself.' Zanobi reminded him. 'Let him make the first move and just stop him from making contact.'

'Right.'

Michael charged as thunder rolled overhead, his freshly made sword bouncing off Matthew's shield harmlessly. Matthew danced around him, blocking swings and catching fists. He finally pinned down the sword, swinging his other arm around and planting a stop spell right into Michael's shocked face. He slowly removed the sword from his opponent's grasp.

"Checkmate." he said, triumphantly, turning his gaze back to the headmaster. "No serious injuries and I emerge victorious." he said, before a blow to the back of his head knocked him out.

"Not quite!" Michael roared, lifting the sword once more.

Another sword, golden, parried his swing inches from Matthew's chest. Esmerelda kicked out, knocking Michael on his ass.

"You would defend this thing?!"

"I would defend anyone who needs it most." She said, shakily. Unknown to her, Matthew had woken at this moment, these words filling his mind.

"Fine then!" Michael roared, swinging his sword once more. Esmerelda couldn't react in time, unable to get her sword in a defensive position in time. The blade never connected with her, however. Matthew had caught it, the sharp edges cutting into the palm of his hand.

"Those who play with swords often get hurt!" He declared, wrenching the weapon from the unprepared hands. Michael panicked as Matthew lifted him off his feet and carried him over to his classroom, where Greywell promptly opened the door and let Matthew dump Michael onto the floor. Matthew leaned down until his muzzle was level with Michael's ear. "Don't attack my friends." he warned.

"You've been hunting me all day, I've seen it. Was it worth the effort?"

Michael lashed out, missing Matthew by inches.

"I think he's angry at you, Matthew." Greywell said. "Well, he should know how I feel right now then, hm?" Michael gave the Headmaster a panicked look. "Whilst I cannot expel you from this school, I must still punish you, and it seems a week's worth of suspension did little, so increasing the duration will probrably also do little. A good ole-fashioned ass kickin will land me in trouble with your parents... Oh yes, your parents! Mayhap they can come up with a viable solution." He went to the phone nearby, talking quietly to Michael's parents as his students got back to their usual routine of quietly studying, practicing their magic, or sparring. Matthew, distracted from his grimoire, was watching Esmerelda and Fredrick spar. He had to admit to himself, he was watching Esmerelda more than Fredrick. None of the other students in his class would fight Matthew, either out of fear of accidentally hurting him or him overwhelming them completley. The ability to create armour and weaponary out of thin air sort of did give him an advantage, but it took concentration, and he couldn't do it as easily in his animal form.

'You're really focusing on her, you know.' Zanobi said to him. 'I'd turn away now if you don't want to creep her out by staring.'

Matthew turned his face away, thankful that his fur masked his bright red face. He then noticed Michael, standing with his cellphone out, who promptly hung up and grinned. There was a scream outside, to which the Headmaster went running. Not a minute had passed before people, all dressed in black body armour and carrying large guns, came smashing through the door and windows, pinning Matthew's fellow paladins down. A woman strode in and stood infront of Michael.

"Thanks for that." Michael said, smugly. "Your target is the furry one, obviously."

Matthew stood up, the people aiming directly at him.

"What do you want?!"

The woman, tall with red hair and a glare that would frighten a lion, turned her attention to him.

"Surely you did not think you could escape the attention of the science beureu? No, no, no!" She said, her voice like iron. "I shall make you a deal. You shall come with us quietly, and we shall not kill your little friends. Sound fair?"

Matthew stood, anger almost blinding him before he nodded, changing shape into his animal self. He felt a sharp stab in his back, a dart making its prescence known as his world started to blur.

"Good boy." The woman said. She turned to the armoured platoon. "Kill them all." She smugly ordered. A gun went off, killing Esmerelda. Greywell had chosen that moment to walk back in, and used his teleportation magic on the only students he could reach, Fredrick and Melissa. The soliders seemed baffled by their sudden dissapearence. the woman turned around. "Ah, the great Headmaster Greywell. It is an honor to meet you at last. Sadly, you are forgetting that you hold no jurisdiction over my orders and as such shall leave well enough alone."

Greywell stared her down. "And you forget that I am one of the most potent mages known to mankind!" He roared. "You also forget that holy magic can cure any poison!"

Matthew rose, his shape changing in disturbing ways as white mist swirled around him. His eyes shone through, two red beacons indicating his current intentions. The soldiers opened fire, their bullets stopping dead inside the mist before being torn apart, molecule by molecule. Zanobi's voice rang out loud and clear.

'I believe that my master told young mister Michael something really important that has just now become more important than ever.'

"Don't. Hurt. My. Friends!!" Matthew's roaring voice louder and more threatening than a chorus of lions. Lightning snapped off the metal in the room, soldiers throwing down their guns before they became electrocuted.

Greywell grimaced. "The worst part of being a paladin is that we are friends to all." He announced. "We humans tend to get a little upset when we lose friends, don't we? Matthew, kill no one, but don't be gentle."

Matthew nodded, his shape finally returning to his more human form. He slapped the ground with his hand, the mist of light spun off in all directions, becoming more solid and slamming into soldiers as lumps of glowing white metal. He was almost covered in plate metal, made of the same shadowless material. He held another shield, like the one he used to fight Michael, only this one had flecks of gold throughout it. "As a group, you challenge." He announced, growling. "As a paladin, I accept!"

As a solid blur of white, he moved through the soldiers, landing punches and blows that floored them almost instantly. He quickly dispatched the soldiers, rushing towards Michael with blinding speed.

"Stop!" The woman called, holding a gun to Greywell's head. Matthew's clawed hand stopped within milimetres of Michael's face. "Good boy." She smugly snapped.

Greywell's face never flickered to fear, instead staying perfectly calm and collected, even pulling a cigarrette out, lighting it and putting it in his mouth. "Stop?" He said. "That's a curious thing to say is Stop. Personally I would have chosen something different." An eagle flew in and landed on the far side of the room, watching carefully.

"What would you have said then? Hmm?"

"Oh, I dunno, something a little more potent." He replied, putting a hand to her hip. "Something like CASSO!"

The woman was thrown to the ground, her thigh bursting open and spilling blood across the floor. She swung the gun up to shoot Greywell, but he caught her by the wrist.

"Casso is latin for Destroy." The eagle sitting on the other side of the room said. "Summoning magic is cast around the target and is released, the magic pulls the target to shreds, and total destruction is accomplished."

"Thank you, Lucius." Greywell says bluntly. "Now, if you don't want me to destroy another limb, I'd reccommend dropping the gun." She complied.

Michael placed a hand against Matthew's chestpiece. "VERNIELEN!" The Lightweave chestpiece exploded, its sheer concussive force pushing Matthew back. Matthew glared, pulling the chestpiece off and throwing it aside.

"If that's how you want to play." He mumbled. "Sir! Lethal magic has been used against me, how do I react?"

"It's simple." Do only what you must to survive. Do not kill another student, however."

Michael glared. "You deny teaching me how to turn light and shadow into matter, humiliate me infront of the entire school and still you do not get it. I want you gone, freak!"

"You attack me for knowledge you could learn from a book, attack me because I'm different, and have an armoured platoon kill my friend and you think you are still doing what's right?" Matthew's form blurred again as blows came out of nowhere, stomach, back, arms and feet, Michael fell before he even had time to move. Matthew reappeared next to his falled opponent. "Paladins are friends to all; and yet you are not deserving. I've gone easy on you this day." Matthew plowed his shield into the tiles infront of Michael's face. "May the police be as forgiving."

Two days later, rain fell heavily. Matthew's mother drove him to Esmerelda's funeral. Their car pulled up to the massive church and Matthew stepped out into the rain, pulling an umbrella out and keeping his new black suit dry. He had been away from school the last forty eight hours, working and practicing his lightweaving as much as he could. He had brought a special rose plant with him, it was almost in bloom and had small rosebuds already beginning to open. He worked up his courage and stepped into the church, dozens of faces turning to stare at him. Esmerelda's mother was seated at the front and smiled at him through tears, his other students nodded to him, but Esmerelda's father had walked up to the young boy. Matthew was almost thrown out the doors before he could say anything, the heavy oak wood slamming in his face. His ears and tail drooped down and he lowered the umbrella, no longer caring if he got wet. He didn't care anymore. His work had been continuously interrupted by people calling his mobile phone and calling him 'monster' or 'butcher,' and this was the last blow that his already weakened morale could take. He put his umbrella and potted rose plant on the ground, had Zanobi tell his mother to just leave and return when he called, turned into his animal self and hid under a nearby bush. He was there for what felt like hours. All he wanted was for it to end. He hated his life, hated his school, classmates and teachers, hated his old job, which had fired him for being what he was. The only person who had shown true friendship to him in the last few weeks had been Esmerelda, and now she was gone. It soon stopped raining, not that the weather could pull him from his depression. A shoe scuffed the gravel outside his hideaway.

"I know you're there, Matthew." came the voice of his Headmaster.

"Go away." Zanobi said. "He wants to be alone."

His headmaster sighed heavily and reached into the bush, pulling Matthew out by the back of his neck. Matthew made a feeble attempt to snap at him and growled through sobs.

"Look, kid, you're not getting into her funeral as an animal." He said to Matthew. "Change back, stay under your umbrella and come in. If this is your final gift, bring it with you. We're seated up the front with the rest of the class."

Matthew obliged, his clothes completley dry when he had changed back, picked up the little rose plant and followed Mr. Greywell into the church. He sat on the other side of Esmerelda's mother from Esmerelda's father, who he knew would kick him out at first opportunity. He sat and listened to the speakers, trying hard not to completley lose his composure until the funeral ended and the rest of the mourners had left. When he stood to leave, Esmerelda's father stood with him, bearing down upon him.

"What nerve you have showing your face here!" he growled.

"Andrew!" His wife called.

"How could you stoop so low as to come here, knowing what your existance has done to my daughter?!"

Matthew gulped, forcing back a tear. "A paladin is friend to all."

"You're no paladin!"

"I... I..." Matthew stammered. "I failed. I'm sorry." He finished, falling to his knees as he started to cry. "I'm sorry! She was my best friend and I failed to save her when she needed me most. I'm sorry!"

Esmerelda's father simply watched him practically fold in on himself, almot taking pleasure from watching Matthew suffer.

"I've been working these last two days solid to find some way to tribute to her." Matthew said.

"And the best you could do is a rose plant that doesn't even have any blooms?"

Matthew slid the plant over and held his hands over the two budding flowers. The room seemed to grow darker, as if the sun were blocking out, the stripes adorning Matthew's body began to glow; first dimly but slowly almost blinding. The glow cut off, light returned, and Matthew removed his hands. Two white roses, glowing as if made of light remained where his hands had covered.

"Flowers made of Lightweave. Light as a feather, yet they will never wilt." Matthew explained, his tear and rain soaked face dripping slightly. "Shadow shall have no power to destroy them as long as they remain on this living plant. I'm sorry for what has happened and ask your forgiveness; even though you cannot give it."

He pulled out his cell phone, took it out of its plasic bag and called his mother, he didn't wait for an answer, simply hung up when she picked up, letting her know that he wanted to go home. He walked to the door, his head still hung low. Esmerelda's mother stopped him at the door.

"We cannot give you our forgiveness." she said. "Your friends told me what had happened, and Headmaster Greywell told me how brave you were. You do not get our forgiveness. There is nothing to forgive." she finished, brushing a loose twig out of his hair. Matthew nodded slightly.

"Thankyou." he said, opening the door and walking out. The rest of the guests had gathered around the path, all watching him. Greywell stood at the other end, glowing sword in hand. Matthew walked past all the guests, their heads turning to watch him pass and right up to Greywell.

"Matthew Anderson." he started. "As Headmaster of the Australian University of Magical Studies, I hereby announce you the full title of Paladin."

Matthew's jaw dropped. Greywell raised the sword to hand it to him, but Matthew held out a hand.

"I cannot accept."

Greywell looked confused. "Why not?"

"I am not a paladin until my training is complete." Matthew said. "And that means more school."

"But this means you've completed your training!"

"I would rather stay at school, sir. If I must become a paladin, I request to remain at your school."

Greywell's jaw dropped this time, and he stammered for a moment. "I guess I could give you a teaching position..." he said, then a cheeky smile formed on his face. "Miss Marble is going to be retiring from her position soon..." he said.

"But sir, Miss Marble is only thirty two." Matthew pointed out, tilting his head.

"Who said anything about her going willingly?"