I don’t know what Jamie looks like on a normal day, but he looks done in right now. His face is shiny, his eyes are puffy. He needs a shave. He’s having trouble following Headmistress Bunce’s instructions. “Sorry, Mitali. I’m so shagged out, I’m not sure I could cast a spell even if I had magic.”

The headmistress lowers her wand. She looks apologetic. (I’m not sure I’ve ever seen Penny’s mum look apologetic before.) “You should go home,” she says. “I’ll follow up in a few days—with both of you. Dr. Wellbelove will want to see you, as well. This could still all be temporary.”

“I’ll be at my mum’s,” Jamie says. Well, that’s good news.

“I’ll take you,” I say. “We should get you something to eat first.”

He nods. Headmistress Bunce walks us to the lift.

As we wait for it, Jamie says, “You don’t hear from her, do you, Mitali?”

“No,” she says quietly. “Do you?”

“Not once. My mum hoped that when he died…”

She nods. “Me, too.” The lift arrives. Headmistress Bunce looks at me. “Simon, please tell my daughter not to leave Watford without me.”

Baz is waiting in the courtyard. With Penelope and her dad and Shepard. Penny runs at me as soon as I walk out of the Tower, and wraps me in a tight hug. I’m just getting my arms around her when she shoves me away.

“What on earth were you thinking, Simon?!”

“Penny…” I say. Baz is just behind her. I reach for him. “Baz…”

His arms are folded, and his top lip is curled.

My wings flap out without my permission—it makes my cuts sting. “You guys can’t be mad at me about this.”

“Like hell,” Baz says. “You lied to us!”

“I wasn’t going to risk Smith casting that spell on you!”

“So you endangered yourself?” Penelope demands.

“He couldn’t hurt me!” I say. “I knew his spells would bounce off.”

“You couldn’t have known that, Simon.”

“Well, they did bounce off…”

Baz is still standing behind her, looking pale and furious.

“Baz…” I say.

“Are you hurt?” he asks.

“Only superficially; Penny’s mum cast a thousand spells on me to make sure. I’m fine.”

He shakes his head. “You lied to us, Snow.”

“I…” I did lie. But it was the right thing to do in the moment. I couldn’t risk either of them getting hurt. “I did what I had to do.”

“Oh, shit,” Penelope says. She’s looking past me. Her mum is walking out of the Weeping Tower. Penny tries to head her off. “Dad,” she calls over her shoulder, “don’t let Mum cast on Shepard!”

Baz steps closer to me. There’s a line between his eyebrows. He’s unfolded his arms, only to put his hands on his hips. He doesn’t say anything.