10 years ago.

Peter

Peter stood in front of the large mirror in his mother's bedroom and looked at his reflection. He wore a hat with a large, white feather on his head and a colorful silk scarf tied around his neck. But something was still missing. After all, a great magician had to stand out!

He went to his mother's jewelry cabinet and opened one of the drawers. She kept brooches in various boxes. He opened each box until he found a brooch he liked. A large turtle with a golden shell and shimmering diamonds as eyes. He tucked the brooch into his green linen jacket, looked at his reflection again, and smiled contentedly. This is exactly what a great wizard looked like.

"Peeeeeteer? Where are you?" he heard his little sister call.

"Here!" he shouted back and hurried to the door to open it. "Here I am!"

His six-year-old sister stood just a few meters from the door and looked at him with big, gray eyes. "Mom says we can't play dressed up with her things."

"I don't play dress up." Peter adjusted the silk scarf because it had slipped. "I do much more important things!"

"What are you going to do with Mommy's things?", Julia wanted to know. She wore white, stained trousers and over them a light-yellow linen tunic with large, colorful flowers, which was a bit too big for her. Peter thought that she looked like a flower fairy.

"To be a magician, of course."

"But you can't do magic. You're only 10. Paul says magic doesn't show itself until you're 12 or older."

"I'm sure I'm going to be a great magician!" Peter took off the hat with the big feather and put it on Julia's head. The hat was way too big for her. "And you become a great witch. And then we both go to the academy and learn... All! And then we can do what we want!"  Mom said I don't get magic, but she must have been wrong. She'll see! I'll be the best wizard of them all!

"Really everything?"

"Everything!"

"Will you show me how to climb a tree? I tried, but I fell." Julia pointed to her knees. There were dark green patches of grass on her white pants.

"Which tree did you want to climb?"

"The big tree!" Julia stretched her arms upwards. "The giant one!"

"Then let's go! Let’s see which of us will be there faster!" Peter ran. The silk scarf fluttered.

"That's mean!" he heard Julia shout. "You're much faster than me!"

The little girl ran after him. Together they hurried down the corridors, past Ingried, who sat on a wide windowsill and read, and past Paul, who was playing chess against himself at a table outside until they reached the largest tree. It was the perfect climbing tree. Peter had climbed up many times, but he had never dared to climb to the top.

"Ok, I'll go ahead and then I'll help you up, yes?" he suggested to Julia, who had lost the hat somewhere on the way to the tree.

"And if I fall again?"

"I hold your hand."

"And you don't let go?"

Peter shook his head. "Never."

"Good. But you can’t let go!" announced Julia, while Peter was already climbing up the tree and holding out his hand to her.

The two climbed up the tree together, up to a wide branch where they could sit. Peter held his sister's hand whenever she needed it and showed her how to climb. He hadn't noticed how he tore his mother's side scarf. The fine fabric had stuck to the branches.

"I still want to go to the top!" Julia pointed to the dense, thick branches above them.

"I don't know... That's very high." Peter looked up.

"I'm sure I can do it! And if I fall, you just catch me!" Seized by courage, Julia climbed up more branches. Peter watched her.

"Look, now I'm almost at the top!" she shouted cheerfully a few moments later. "It's even better up here!"

"Weren't you afraid to climb alone?", Peter reminded her, somewhat irritated.

"But I won’t be afraid alone. You are with me. And you'll help me down again, yes?"

"Yes, I do." Peter smiled. He was proud, but he also felt a bit strange... As if he were sad, even though he wasn't sad.

"What are you two doing up the tree?" he heard Paul call. Peter looked down. There stood his older brother. "Dad forbade you to climb, Peter. And isn't that Mom's favorite scarf? That one that hangs between the branches?"

"Peter is a great magician and I'm up on the tree! Look Paul! I'm up here!", Julia answered the question triumphantly. Peter pulled the silk scarf from one of the branches. It now had a few large holes and was torn open at one end. I hope mom doesn't get angry...

"Yes, I can see that, but now you better come down again. Before you get into trouble," Paul shouted to them, who hadn't noticed that the scarf was broken.

"But I don't want to! And Peter doesn't want either!" Julia stuck out her tongue at Paul.

"And if I tell you that cookies are baked in the kitchen today? Vanilla cookies?", Paul tried again. "There are no cookies on trees!"

"There will be cookies!" Julia stuck out her tongue again. "Peter just conjures them up! Right, Peter?"

Peter laughed. "Exactly, I just use a spell to get some. And then Julia and I go to the academy together."

Paul shook his head. "You're not going to go to the academy. You are not a magician. Just like Ingried and I. And even if you went to the academy, you would be done with the school if Julia started her schooling there... If she is a witch. But I think mom is very sure."

"I want to be a wizard, so I'll become one! You'll see! And Julia and I go to the academy together! I just fail the classes again and again, so that I'm still be at the academy when Julia starts. We're going there together!"

"Yes! Together!" Julia agreed. "But now I want cookies... Will you help me climb down, Peter? Will you hold my hand again?"

Peter nodded. "Of course. Always. I won't let go. Don't worry."