Free Avis Blackthorn and the Magical Multicolour Jumper (The Wizard Magic School Series, Book 2) by Jack Simmonds

hated sprats (they are like rats, but bigger with red eyes and some say they have a modicum of magical power). Robin scoffed at Fry Ferry when they left and said he’d never heard such drivel in all his life. Hunter looked terrified as we walked to her lesson, his top lip wobbling.
    Outside number 27e we waited. Robin, Hunter, Joanna, Ellen, Gret and I lurked nervously. The others were in another class, which Gret wasn’t very happy about — she was always moody without her twin brother. Another form appeared looking apprehensive in the dimly lit corridor.
    “Is this the class with Magisteer Simone?” said a timid girl coming to face me in the grey light.
    I nodded. “Yes.”
    They all came forwards and lurked with us.
    “Oi?” called a voice. “Where did you guys go?” this voice wasn’t timid or scared. Around the corner came a girl — the first thing I saw was her hair. It nearly lit up the dim corridor all by itself, for it was bright white, curly and fell down to her waist. But now she was frowning. “Why didn’t you wait for me?” she berated her classmates, who shrugged sheepishly. “Hello!” she said waving around at us all. “We are the Snares form with Magisteer Blackthorn.”
    I blinked as my heart did a little jump. A part of me must of misheard her. “Who did you say your form tutor was?” I said.
    “Magisteer Blackthorn,” she said confidently. “He’s new I think. Who are you?” I didn’t say anything, I couldn’t. My breath caught in my throat.
    “He’s Avis Blackthorn,” said Robin and the girls face brightened.
    “I see, how nice for you.”
    I shook my head. “No, it’s not nice,” I managed. “Do you know his first name? What does he look like?”
    The new girl looked around at her classmates for reassurance. “Don’t know his first name… but he’s erm… tall, dark, confident, very clever, erm… he has nice skin and his eyes are dark?” she managed, shrugging at her lack of description. But I didn’t need any more, I knew exactly which brother this was after she said clever… it was the eldest of all my brothers, Harold. The one I was most scared of.
    This must be a wind up? I leaned on Robin for support. Yes, it was a wind up that’s all, David Starlight had come to scare me to death by getting someone to tell me my brother was working in the school. The white haired girl looked at Robin for an explanation, but not before Hunter said: “They don’t get on. The Blackthorn’s are an evil family. But Avis isn’t evil, so he’s an outcast and they don’t like him.” The girl frowned, before the boy just behind her stepped forwards.
    “Magisteer Blackthorn doesn’t seem that evil to me.”
    “Yeah,” said the white haired girl. “He seems really nice.”
    I didn’t say anything, I couldn’t. The shock had pulverised me. If it was true, then I was done for. I thought I was free from my family after Ross left last year, but now I had to deal with another — the cleverest, most cunning, out of all my family, except my parents. He’d come to get me hadn’t he? Come here to pull me out of school and take me home, let my parents deal with me.
    Suddenly a great booming voice erupted through the corridor causing us all to jump. “LINE UP AND WAIT QUIETLY!” It boomed from a shadow in the alcove of door to the classroom. It was a big shadow, about three normal people wide and two up. Hunter was holding his chest, panting and whimpering in equal measure. Magisteer Simone came out of the shadows slowly and stared down at us. “Well, why aren’t any of you MOVING!” she blasted.
    I jumped up and scrambled after Robin who’d made a bee line for a half-orderly line in front of her. She glanced up the line and smarted. “Did I say make the line in front of me? Make it by the DOOR!” She snapped. The line shuffled next to the door, images of being locked in a coffin made me submit to her barky commands. “And in we go…” I risked a glance at Robin who