The freshmen made their way up to the fourth floor Enchantment class. The size and shape of the room was identical to the History of Arcana one, but the shelves along each wall held more than just books - also present were small stones, wooden rods, bottles of paint, brushes, and woodcarving tools. In the center of the room sat long workshop tables with chairs on each side. 

As the students picked out seats, Miss Bailey walked into the room. She was wearing a long purple dress with the sleeves rolled up and smiled as she greeted everyone. 

“Those of ya’ll from Tamreon Hall already know little ole me,” she flashed a toothy grin, “but for those who don’t, I am Miss Bailey. I’ll be teachin’ ya’ll how to enchant items using the Arcane Tongue. In this semester, we’ll be coverin’ two basic methods - Markin’ and Engravin’. For Markin’, we’ll be painting runes on stones. For Engravin’, we’ll be embedding the runes into wooden rods. I reckon I don’t need to tell ya’ll which one is permanent and thus more effective, right?”

She smirked as the class nodded. “Of course, certain kinds of paints and inks can make Markin’ last longer, but unless you need somethin’ enchanted in a jiffy, Engravin’ is the way to go. Now, I can assume Mr. Vee gave ya’ll a basic understandin’ of what the Arcane Tongue is, right? Splendid! We’ll be startin’ out with short incantations and then expand into more complex ones as we progress through the semester.”

Miss Bailey twirled her finger and books began flying from the shelves and landing in front of each student. The first few pages detailed simple runic symbols for basic effects such as making items glow different colors and changing the texture and temperature of surfaces. Once they had familiarized themselves with a few of the runes, they began painting them onto the stones. 

“Concentrate on what the runes mean,” Miss Bailey instructed as she walked up and down the classroom, observing the students. “See the effects in your mind’s eye. Perceive the brush as an extension of your soul. Channel Mana into the paint with each stroke. 

“Once you are done, set the brush down and hold the stone in your hand. On the count of three, you will utter the word Azurai while channelin’ Mana directly into the stone. In the Arcane Tongue, this means Activate. If you envisioned the effect properly and the enchantment was successful, your stones should all glow for a few seconds. And… one, two, three!”

The entire class chanted out “Azurai!” and the stones began glowing bright blue, lighting up like lamps. A moment later, the painted runes began to crack and evaporated into the air, leaving the stones blank again as the light rapidly faded. 

“Now as you can see, this type of Markin’ produces a single-use enchantment,” Miss Bailey explained. “Great for learnin’ and tryin’ out new effects. Engravin’ takes much longer, and requires more focus and channellin’ Mana for an extended period of time. But by the end of this semester ya’ll gon be Engravin’ like champs!”

Soon the bell sounded, and the students made their way to the final class of the day - Magibotany. They walked out to the courtyard and followed one of the stone paths that led to a cul de sac surrounded by seven greenhouses. 

A short and stout woman came out to greet them, a huge smile planted on her round face. Her skin was light green, her bright orange hair was pulled into a top bun, and her yellow eyes were abnormally large. Her blue jean overalls and blue-and-pink plaid shirt were covered in fresh dirt. She was wearing brown gardener’s gloves and had her sleeves rolled up.

“Hello, everyone! You can call me Madam Ysaughra!” She greeted them cheerfully as she slipped off her gloves and pulled out a handkerchief to wipe sweat off her forehead. A moment later, a man walked out who looked very similar to her, except for a long braided beard. He was wearing jean overalls as well and a red-and-black flannel shirt.“And this is me dear husband, Mhiccad!”

“Afternoon! Now don’t yeh youngins be lobbing ‘em formalities at me, yeh hear? Call me ‘mister’ or ‘sir’ and yeh’ll get a boot to the arse!” he said with a wide grin that caused his bushy orange mustache to curl up. 

“Oh, he’s positively harmless!” Ysaughra added with a chuckle as she swatted his shoulder playfully.  He feigned outrage and then they both laughed. “You’ll see him ‘round plenty, he’s the groundskeeper after all!”

Mhiccad bade them farewell and headed in the opposite direction as Madam Ysaughra led them into one of the greenhouses. Inside were rows of tables with planter pots, gardening tools, and bags of seeds. 

“I hope you are all excited to start your journey in Magibotany! As some of you may know, this is a freshman-only class. When you come back next Fall as sophomores, you will advance into Alchemy Basics. It’s my job to ensure you have a deep understanding of herbs and flowers and what properties they can bestow upon alchemical potions and formulas. You’ll learn growing techniques, harvesting methods, and proper care and upkeep.”

Madam Ysaughra guided them through soil preparation and planting of several common flowers, as well as the addition of magically-amplified fertilizer made from unicorn feces. She explained that they would monitor the growth over the following week while working on other projects. 

And soon, classes for the day came to a close. The students made their way to the Dining Hall for dinner, looking forward to what the rest of the school year would bring. Mallory was so preoccupied talking with his new friends as they walked back to Tamreon Hall that he didn’t even notice a hooded figure at the edge of the forest watching him closely with narrowed, greenish-yellow dragon eyes…