Beatrice spent a lot of time in the library with The Witches Three as the group of friends struggled to come to a decision on which of the games they should join and compete in. Hanan listed down the details from the announcement poster, along with the complete list of all the games that will be held within the month-long event. For that duration, a contingent of Hawkswood students would be housed on the grounds, though information on if they would be staying in their dorm buildings was still unsure.

"Hmm..." Beatrice looked over Hanan's list for the tenth time. "I could join the potion-making contest, but third and fourth years will definitely sign up and they have more experience."

"Is there anything that's for first-years only?" Sascha muttered from where they were lying face down on the table with their arms folded under their head. "No, but there are divisions by year. So that would be Fly Races for first, second, third, fourth years for example." Hanan said. "So it should be perfectly safe and even ground if we competed!"

"Yes, but... What do we enter?"

"And what is the Shifter Obstacle Course?" Beatrice peered at the list. "It says it’s open only to fourth-year students."

Adeline shrugged from where she was leaning her chair back to balance it precariously on its two back legs. "I've no idea darling, but if it's reserved for only the fourth-years, then it must involve some high level magic indeed. So we need to watch it!"

"It does sound interesting, but that doesn't really narrow down the options." Beatrice sighed. "Okay, I'll join the potion-making—"

"There's Wisdom Check as well, it's a trivia contest I think." Nova commented, approaching the group's table and pulling out a chair. She spun it around and sat with the back of the chair facing the table. "Games details have been updated, just thought you should know."

The tech witch put a flyer on the table, and The Witches Three crowded around to read it. Beatrice joined them, but not without noting that Nova chose to sit beside her.

"So the official games will be the Fly Races, Potion-Crafting, Duels, Shifter Obstacle Course, Illusion Tag, Skeet-Shooting, and Wisdom Check." Beatrice read aloud. Then she glanced at Nova. "Skeet-Shooting?"

"I'm joining that one." Nova smirked. "It’s just shooting clay targets out of the air, right? Doesn't sound so hard."

"Shooting targets in the air? You'd have to be really quick..." The earth witch's eyes widened in excitement as she realized, and Nova laughed. "Your lightning! You can zap the targets easily!"

"Exactly. Bet I'd sweep that competition, even with Hawkswood there." Nova smirked, confident in her skills, and leaned on the back of her chair. "Have you made up your mind with what to enter?"

Beatrice nodded. "Definitely potion-making, I've made up my mind. Don't let me back out of this one!"

"What if we're allowed to join several games?" Hanan piped up. "It doesn't say on either poster if we can or cannot."

"I suppose we'll have to ask the Headmistress about that, darling." Adeline looked over to Hanan and Sascha. "What are you thinking of joining?"

"I don't know what Illusion Tag is, but that sounds fun."

"Hmm..." Sascha sat up a bit straighter and stretched in their chair. "I'm not sure I'll join anything. Not really looking forward to fighting anyone, least of all Hawkswood. But I'll watch and cheer for you guys if that's alright."

"That's okay!" Hanan beamed. "It'll be great just knowing that you're there watching. I'll do my best for you guys!"

"Then that's settled! Let's go sign up!" Beatrice stood up and looked to the table with her friends. She had a good feeling about this.

The sign up process proved to be simple and quick, as it only involved filling out a form in the main hall and submitting it to the tired Destruction professor, Professor Atticus Arcturus. The older man sat behind a table that held the forms, and was locked in a long discussion with a first-year over the rules of the Fly Races.

"So I can use a broom?" The student asked.

Arcturus sighed. "Yes, as I have established, you may use a broom. The Hawkswood students are most likely going to use brooms as well."

"But I don't have to use a broom."

"No, you are not required to use a broom if you have another item that you would rather prefer to use."

"What if I had a flying carpet?"

"Flying carpets have been used in the Fly Races in previous years."

"So I can use the flying carpet?"

A vein in Arcturus's temple started to visibly twitch. "Yes."

Beatrice quickly approached the professor's table and cleared her throat. "Excuse me, professor?"

"Ah, Beatrice!" Arcturus breathed a sigh of relief. "Beg pardon my boy, I will be but a moment." He held a hand up to politely silence the student then turned to the earth witch. "How may I help you?"

"My friends and I would like to sign up for some of the games." Beatrice smiled. "Don't worry, we've already made up our minds on which we'd like to join."

"Ah, wonderful! How wonderful indeed." Arcturus handed the five students some forms, and gestured to a box at the end of the table. "Once you've filled them up, please place them in this box."

"A box?" Nova raised her brow incredulously. "They're just slips of paper that go into a box?"

"Oh no, not at all. Actually, they go into a much more special box in the Headmistress's office. This is just the vehicle they take to get there." Arcturus smiled and steeped his fingers. "Quickly now, fill out your form so that I may show you."

The tech witch shrugged, but she filled out her form and made sure to check the 'Skeet-Shooting' event for first-years as the one she'll be participating in. She folded the paper so that it would fit into the slit that was cut into the cardboard box, and slipped her entry in.

Suddenly, the box shook and hopped for just a second, and a flap opened up in its side. A small bird made of folded paper confidently stepped out, spread its thin wings, and took off into the air to fly through the main hall and disappear around a corner, presumably to travel up to the Headmistress's office.

"Oh." Nova blinked. "So that's what you meant."

"Yes indeed, and that spell never gets old." Arcturus smiled and turned back to the friends once the paper bird flew out of sight. "It's always quite a joy to man the Inter-School Games sign-up booth because of it. That particular spell has many more uses aside from sending forms up several flights of stairs, of course."

"It is nice to see, but you never let me catch one, Arcturus," said a voice from somewhere near their feet.

Beatrice paused in her writing to look around and smiled as a cat jumped up onto the table. "Professor Meowstaff!"

Meowstaff purred. "Hello there. It's so nice to see you two around together, especially after the rocky first day of Botany."

"Together?" Nova repeated, glancing at Beatrice who sheepishly smiled back.

"We've worked a few differences out, professor." The earth witch replied. "Oh, but we're signing up for the Games! Which ones are your favorite?"

"The Games don't interest me as much, but lying about and pretending to be a normal cat when the Hawkswood students explore the castle is always a favorite pastime." The cat yawned, and when he closed his mouth there was a hint of a smirk.

"Ah, yes, what game will you be participating in, Beatrice?" Arcturus chimed in. "Will you be entering the duels?"

"Oh, no professor. I was thinking of entering potion-making. But if I change my mind, could I send in another entry if I wanted to try my hand at the Wisdom Check?"

"Of course, you may! Headmistress Cassandra is very lenient with these things, after all. She knows well how we could change our minds at the last minute due to a sudden stroke of inspiration. But if I may ask, why aren't you entering the duels?" Arcturus leaned back, and his speech became more animated. "Why, I remember when your father joined the fourth-year duels! It was Hawkswood against Avibrush Academy, and old Murdoch all but decimated the competition!"

"Wait, what?" Beatrice's eyes went wide. "My dad dueled?"

"Oh, you didn't know? Why, Murdoch was quite the fighter! We went to Hawkswood together, you could even say we were rivals!" Arcturus chuckled. "We butted heads so often in duels that I suppose I can credit him for my passion for Destruction magic!"

"Wow... This is so strange to hear. My father had always been such a pacifist, the only times he would fight is when we really needed the help, like a last resort. Like when the nearby village was attacked by vampires, he led the charge, but otherwise, he would rather apply poultices and feed potions." Beatrice furrowed her brow. "Are you sure you're talking about the same person?"

"As sure as I ever was about anything, Beatrice." Arcturus's voice was steady and stern. "I'm not so old as I would forget such an important detail about my best friend, you know. Although, I haven't heard from old Murdoch in many years." The professor paused to stroke his beard, or rather to go through the motions of stroking his beard, as he was clean-shaven. "Maybe something had happened after he left Hawkswood. Life does have a tendency of being unexpected after all."

"I guess so..."

"But do you guess if I will be seeing another of the birds take flight soon?" Meowstaff interjected with a wide yawn that showed all of his teeth. "I may not be allowed to catch any of them, but at least allow a cat to watch."

"Oh! Right, sorry professor!" Beatrice snapped out of her reverie and folded up her entry into the Games as well, and slipped the paper into the box. It hopped and shook just as before, and now Meowstaff stalked around to its side to watch for the flap. Once the flap opened and the paper bird appeared, the cat's pupils went wide as he watched it with a laser focus, and Beatrice couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Professor Meowstaff leaped off the table and chased the paper bird down the hallway and out of sight, leaving Beatrice and her friends at the table. "I'm glad he's having fun!" The earth witch said. "With all the preparations for the Games, I assume you're all busy. Right professor?"

Arcturus made a wide gesture and a loud huff. "Oh dear, you've no idea! The location for Inter-School Games switches every year, but every time it's Ravensburl's turn to host we scramble about terribly! A new building will be constructed in time for the arrival of the players and their professors, but still! So much work. Not to mention all the paperwork!"

"Good thing spells like this handle most of them, right?"

"That is true, but all must be double, triple checked, and noted down." Arcturus clapped his hands. "What about you three back there? Will you be entering a game as well?"

"Oh, yes professor!" Adeline said, stepping forward and slipping her entry into the box. "I don't know what Illusion Tag is, but Hanan and I are excited for it."

"That's the spirit!" Arcturus said with a large smile as Adeline's entry hopped out of the box. Hanan followed soon after and added her own entry. A loud meow followed by a second yowl from down the hall signaled to the group that Meowstaff had found these entries as well. "There are prizes for the winners, of course, in the form of tokens and trophies."

"Any cash prizes?" Nova asked.

"None, unfortunately, but the bragging rights should more than make up for it."

Sascha raised their hand. "Why, are the Games really that big a deal?"

"Well... Let me put it this way." Arcturus steepled his fingers mischievously. "Don't you want to be able to say that you beat Hawkswood at their own games? Outplayed them, outmaneuvered them, and the like?" The professor laughed.

"Wow. The schools are really competitive, huh."

"You have no idea!"

The day proceeded without problem or excitement, and all too soon Beatrice realized that it was evening. She had gotten so caught up in the idea of the Inter-School Games and the thought of meeting students from Hawkswood filled her with both nervous energy and trepidation. What were they like? Would all the students really be as arrogant as everyone at Ravensburl seemed to believe? Her whole family had gone to Hawkswood in their youth and they were all mild-mannered and nice. But then she chalked that up to just being the Gaias, the way the healers had always been and hopefully would always be. However, the more she thought about it, she couldn't get what professor Arcturus said about her father out of her mind. Her dad, Murdoch Gaia, a duelist? She knew him to be a capable fighter if it came down to it, and he was a fiercer protector than anyone she knew, but obsessed with dueling?

She mulled the thought over as she lay in her bed, counting the leaves of the ivy that began to latch onto the walls of her side of the dorm room. Could she do well at dueling? Should she give it a try?

"Hey, Bee?" Nova's voice broke into her thoughts, even though the tech witch spoke softly. "What are you thinking about?"

Beatrice looked over at her roommate. The Asian witch had changed into a pair of pajama pants and a fitted tank top, and even let her long dark hair down. Clearly, she meant to go to bed, but as she always did, she had her laptop open and its light was casting a harsh white glow on her face. Her dark eyes cut through the glare of the light and stared back at Beatrice.

The earth witch couldn't seem to look away, though she had seen Nova like this, scrolling through the internet casually in her sleepwear, many times before. There was something about those sharp eyes.

"I don't know." The earth witch sighed after a while. She took her glasses off and set them on her nightstand table, just beside Beau's pot. "The Inter-School Games, mostly."

"Having second thoughts about that trivia contest?"

"No, about the dueling."

"Why don't you join it anyway? You're a fighter. Pretty fierce one."

Beatrice looked over to Nova again, but she couldn't see her roommate properly. "Do you really think so? I mean, I haven't done any actual fighting at Ravensburl, and you haven't seen me back home. How are you so sure?"

"I just have a good feeling about it." Beatrice couldn't see Nova's confident smile. "You chased after the intruder at the Abjuration classroom like you were ready for anything. And Arcturus said your dad was into dueling, so maybe it runs in the blood or something."

"Well..." Beatrice sighed. "I've already signed up for a game. They might not allow a second let alone a third entry if I join the Wisdom Check too."

"Why not give it a shot anyway? I didn't see anything on the poster about a sign-up limit. And you have until the games actually start to make up your mind." Nova yawned and stretched her long body out on her bed. Beatrice heard the soft click of Nova's laptop being folded and closed. "Besides, Meowstaff would like the extra bird to chase."

The earth witch laughed at that. "That would be fun to see again though. I'll figure it out tomorrow."

"Mm, good night Bee."

"Good night, Nova."

The next day, professors and staff of Ravensburl were hard at work at the north field, just to the side of the main doors. And with all the professors busy on the field, a crowd of students gathered to see what they were all up to and to be generally loud and in the way. Beatrice and Nova, on their way to the library, heard about the commotion and decided to take the detour to the castle's front entrance.

Branching off from the large fountain and raven statue that stood guard at the entrance to Ravensburl and heading in the opposite direction from the tram that brought visitors in from the base of the hill, Beatrice could just make out the sight of large building blocks being levitated through the air. Shouts of directions and many more calls for students to make room cut above the general din of conversation as the Headmistress directed the construction of a new building. It was coming together smoothly but carefully, with large amounts of earth being moved, heavy stones being levitated into position to form the foundation, and smaller cut stones being manipulated into place. It was a huge concentrated effort, but a new dormitory building was forming right before Beatrice and Nova's eyes.

"I guess that's where the Hawkswood people are going to stay," Nova said, stifling a yawn. "How many are going to stay there? It doesn't look as big as our dorm."

"That is simply because it is much large on the inside." A voice from near their feet spoke up, and both young women looked down. It was Meowstaff.

"Good morning, professor!" Beatrice beamed. "So the dormitory has the same spell on it as the Ravensburl bus?"

"Something like that, yes." The cat purred. "Such spells are of an incredibly high difficulty, hence why the Headmistress must be present to cast it. And she is the boss, after all, it's her say what manner of spells go where on Ravensburl property."

"That's fair." Nova shrugged. "So professor, any idea how many students we should be expecting."

"Well..." Meowstaff paused to yawn widely. "Headmistress has already expanded the main hall and the dining areas, library, and indoor recreational areas. We are expecting at least a hundred, maybe two."

"What!" Beatrice gasped. "That many? Why?"

"Just as how you and your friends were so excited to sign up for the games, so are the Hawkswood students. An additional two hundred students is a significant bump in population for the castle, so all the necessary measures have to be put into place so that it doesn't feel crowded. That, and..."

"And?" Nova prompted the cat, raising an eyebrow.

"No expense is being spared for the decor, food, amenities, various..." Meowstaff moved his paw in a vague swirling motion. "Luxuries, I suppose."

"That's a lot of effort just to impress the Hawkswood students."

"Oh it is, but it is not just to impress the Hawkswood students. It is to impress one particular student." The feline professor craned his neck and looked up at the two young witches. His eyes were thin slits, and his expression was guarded. "Circe Amelia Hawkswood herself is said to be coming to Ravensburl."