It took some time for Nova's laptop to be replaced. Every time Beatrice saw her roommate doing her nightly routine of talking to the black mirrors, she was talking to the smaller one — the tablet — instead of the laptop. Beatrice would always squeak an apology, and Nova would wave her off.

It was a month later when Beatrice realized that she was looking forward to seeing Nova at her bed with her gadgets, to apologize for breaking the laptop in a small voice, and to receive a half-hearted wave. It was a routine that both of them had fallen into without realizing, and without animosity. Nova herself began to feel warmer towards Beatrice, and she even spoke to her more outside of class. It was a nice feeling, Beatrice thought one Saturday, as she was sitting at her desk surrounded by her plants while she wrote down notes. Comfortable, even. But she got up from her desk to move to her rucksack, bookcase, and cabinet, Beau on the nightstand, her trunk, taking things out and putting other things back, all while delicately making sure everything is in the right place. Eventually, she went back to her desk and her notes.

"Hey, Bea." Nova's voice suddenly cut through Beatrice's thoughts.

"Yes, Nova?" The earth witch replied, looking over at her roommate. Nova was lying on her side in bed, her head propped up by her arm and her long legs stretched out. She met the tech witch's dark eyes and almost looked away. "Wait, I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"Bea." She said again. She pronounced it as 'bee.' "Do you mind if I call you that?"

"Well, I don't mind it," Beatrice shyly put a lock of hair behind her ear. "I'm just surprised, I guess. No one's ever called me anything other than Beatrice before. Why Bea though?"

Nova cocked her head to the side. "It's because you're like a bee. Busy, flitting around so much, loves plants." She turned back to her tablet, idly flicking her finger across the screen. "Thought it was appropriate."

"I kind of like it." Beatrice smiled. "What do I call you then?"

"Just Nova."

Beatrice chuckled and went back to her notes. "Alright, Nova."

After another few minutes of silence, Nova spoke up again. This time, she pressed a button on her tablet to turn it off and swung her legs out of bed. "Hey."

"Hmm?"

"Want to go have lunch?"

"Together?"

"Why, is that so bad?"

"No!" Beatrice stammered quickly. "I mean, I would love to."

Nova's mouth turned up in the barest hint of a smile before she turned away to get her shoes on and put on a jacket. Beatrice couldn't help but smile back, but she couldn't understand why.

The walk from the dormitory building back to the main hall was actually pleasant. The last time Beatrice had walked side by side with Nova like that was when they had to walk the several miles it took to reach Ravensburl the night that she got herself lost in the city. Today though, Nova seemed a lot more open and relaxed. It was like seeing a completely different person, though Beatrice didn't dare complain.

They sat together at a table in the great hall, sharing a plate of nachos between them alongside their individual orders of a burger and bowl of ramen. They talked lightly about homework, the professors, even life at Ravensburl. Small talk, but it was more than what Beatrice had been getting for the past three months.

"So, Nova. I can't stand it, I have to know," Beatrice started after their conversation had lulled. "What's changed?"

"What're you talking about?" The tech witch looked to Beatrice over her bowl of noodles.

"You're talking to me suddenly."

"Why, is that so bad?" Nova repeated, but before Beatrice's panic could set in, she chuckled. "No, I'm kidding. We've been roommates for three months now, so why shouldn't I? Besides..."

"Besides?"

"You're Beatrice Gaia—"

"—Of the Oakendale Gaias." Beatrice groaned."

"Yeah, but you didn't rub it in. Especially after what I told you about myself before, you didn't rub it in. And I guess I really appreciate that. You've been treating me like a roommate."

"Isn't that what we're supposed to do, at the very least?"

"Yes, but you've been treating me like a roommate, and not like Arnold who's been mocking and teasing Felix every time we have Illusion class." The tech witch looked pointedly at Beatrice. "I'm trying to say that you're pretty good, Bea. You're not a stuck-up ass like I thought you'd be."

"You thought I'd be a stuck-up ass?"

Nova laughed shortly in response to the shocked expression on the earth witch's face. "Is that what you're going to focus on? Alright. It's not like I'm trying to say that you're a good person and I like you or anything."

"Nova!"

The tech witch burst out laughing, while her roommate turned redder and redder.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Hey, calm down. You don't talk to people much, do you?"

Beatrice pouted and shook her head. "No, just mostly my family and the villagers..."

"Alright, I'll say it really plainly then." Nova's dark eyes were unreadable, they always were, but now as Beatrice met her gaze there seemed to be something more there. "I'd like to get to know you a bit more, Bea. We're roommates, so we might as well get more comfortable with each other since we'll be living in together for the rest of the year. Maybe the rest of our stay in Ravensburl, even."

"So..." Beatrice said slowly, trying to understand Nova. "You want to be friends?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I would like that." Nova smirked. "At the very least so you can stop apologizing about my laptop every day. It's fine, Bea, how many times do I have to tell you?"

"But I'm still sorry I broke it!"

The tech witch smiled. "It's alright, Bea. I can't hold that against you anymore, it's fine. Seriously, stop worrying about it! No, don't cry on your burger. Bea. Bea, stop."

After that lunch with Nova, Beatrice's mood turned around completely. It was as if a huge weight was lifted from her shoulders, and she didn't feel the pressure to make herself quiet and keep out of her roommate's way anymore. And, as it turned out from just talking to Nova more, her fears were unfounded. What the earth witch gained from some simple communication and honesty was a friend.

And she was elated because of it. Her voice was louder, her shoulders and body language relaxed, and there was even a pep in her step. Nova caught Beatrice actually skipping down the hall once and smirked.

"You're skipping now, Bea?" The tech witch said, amusement in her voice.

"Of course! I'm in a good mood."

"That can't just be because of lunch; that burger was a seven at best."

"A...A seven?" Beatrice's brow furrowed as she thought about it, pausing mid-skip. "What do you mean? I only had one."

"It's a slang thing, sort of like a rating from one to ten." Nova struggled to explain, the fact that Beatrice grew up in a completely different culture from her coming into stark focus again.

"Oh, I see. In that case, I'd have to give it an eight instead. The burger was good! Nice bread, fresh tomatoes, crisp lettuce. The lunch lady's cooking is delicious!"

"Who's that?"

"The lunch lady? She's the one who serves us food from the cafeteria line. They say her expertise is in food magic, specifically sandwiches." Beatrice giggled. "Does that make her a sandwich witch? A...sandwich?"

"No!" Nova hissed suddenly. "Who is that?"

They had turned down the west hallway on their walk back to the dormitory room when Nova spotted a hooded figure standing in front of the glass cases of the Abjuration artifacts. Gloved hands were fiddling with the lock on the glass case, and when Beatrice gasped, the figure looked up and right at them.

Their face was hidden in shadow despite the sunshine that streamed in from the hallway's windows. Acting quickly, they reached into the folds of their robe and drew out a wand, and tapped the glass. It shattered with a loud bang, the figure snatched something from within it, and bolted down the hallway.

"Hey, no!" Beatrice started running towards the stranger, but they were too fast. Nova ran after Beatrice after a moment of shock, and the earth witch pulled out her wand just as she reached the other end of the hall. With a binding spell already on her lips, she looked up and down the hall but saw no sign of the hooded figure. "He's gone. What did he take?"

Nova looked back to the Abjuration artifact case. The whole front panel of the case was shattered, but most of the artifacts were still there. "I don't remember what was there. Could have been anything." She looked to her roommate curiously while Beatrice still searched the hallway for some sign of where the stranger went. Her eyes were sharp as they searched up and down.

"We need to tell Professor Hope and the Headmistress."

"We?"

"You're here too! You could help me explain the situation."

Nova could only raise a brow and nod. Her hand went to her pocket where her phone still stayed; she didn't even think to draw it. She looked back to her roommate as Beatrice swept past her with a strong sense of purpose and a tense jaw.

"What happened here?" Professor Hope's normally uninterested voice took on a tinge of concern and worry. She saw the tense expressions of the two students first, then the shards of glass littering her hallway, then the glass case. "You two, what did you do?"

"Professor Hope! It's good you're here already." The earth with was suddenly all business; it was a shocking change for her roommate. "Nova and I were turning down this hall when we saw someone fiddling with the lock on the artifact case."

"Did you see who, exactly?"

"No, professor. They wore a long cloak, had gloves on, and their face was in shadow. When they saw us, they spelled the glass to shatter and took something. I don't know what it was."

Beatrice glanced at Nova, and her roommate's face was a cloud of confusion. She turned back to Professor Hope. "I'm sorry, I didn't react fast enough."

Hope looked back at the young witch with tired eyes, but Beatrice could see the suspicion there. "You two were the only ones here that saw it?"

"Yes, professor."

Hope was silent for a few seconds before taking out her wand and casting a repairing spell on the artifact case. The glass that lay shattered all over the stone floor flew up into the air and back to their original places, till the front panel was whole again. As if nothing happened. "Very well," Hope muttered. "Both of you, come to me to the Headmistress's office. I'll need you to explain everything you saw to her."

"Of course, professor. We were just about to find you and go to the Headmistress ourselves." Beatrice couldn't stop the nagging feeling that was eating at her in the back of her mind. "Would you happen to remember what was stolen from the case?"

Hope simply raised an eyebrow at her, and turned away. The Abjuration professor silently led the way through the castle up to the Headmistress's office, with two confused first-years trailing behind her. It was clear Hope didn't want to carry a conversation as they walked.

"What was that about?" Nova asked after a while. Her hands were in her pockets and the look on her face was unreadable.

"What do you mean?"

The tech witch looked to Beatrice, her sharp eyes scanning every inch of her roommate's face. "It was like you turned into a different person back there. One second you were laughing, giggling even, about the lunch lady being a sandwich-witch. Next, you were chasing a thief down the hall, wand at the ready. What was that about?"

"I-I don't know what you mean." Beatrice's brows were furrowed. 'There was an intruder, a crime and I just tried to stop it."

Nova tilted her head and studied her roommate as they walked. The earth witch couldn't help but try to hide behind her wavy hair and shied away from Nova's scrutiny.

Soon they were at the Headmistress's office. Hope didn't bother knocking, opting instead to barge in and startle Headmistress Cassandra at her desk.

"Marian!" The Headmistress gasped. "Please, knock next time!"

"Pray that next time I come here it will not be because someone attempted to steal an artifact from outside my classroom," was Hope's terse reply. "These two claim to have seen someone."

"Wait, attempted?" Beatrice interjected. "They didn't attempt, they actually stole something from the case! We saw them! Right, Nova?"

"Yes. Snatched something and stashed it in their cloak."

Hope stared back at the two students with half-lidded eyes. "You both were in the tour of the west hallway that I gave at the start of the year, weren't you?"

"Yes, we were, professor—"

"But did you pay attention?"

"Yes, we did!" Beatrice was indignant.

Hope scoffed. "Evidently not. If you did pay attention, you may recall that I mentioned how the artifacts in the cases in the hallways are all recreations. Dummies. Fakes."

"They're not real?" The earth witch's eyes went wide. "I do remember, you said—"

"And the real ones were kept inside the classroom," Nova added. "But the classroom was locked even when we passed by, the thief never even touched the door."

"Precisely why I am not worried. Good that you noticed the state of the door, Nova. I am impressed with your observational skills.”

Both Nova and Beatrice were silent, with one feeling she had received a back-handed compliment for the bar was so low, and the other feeling indirectly insulted. The roommates shared a quick look, both thinking the same thing: Professor Hope was definitely low on their list of best-to-worst professors at Ravensburl.

"Marian, why are you here?" The Headmistress asked softly. "Was it to report the thief and the theft?"

"No."

The Headmistress bit her lip, visibly straining her patience. Her voice was carefully measured. "Then why?"

"I've come to bring the only two witnesses to give their description of the thief, Headmistress." Hope's eyebrow twitched. "Because what the thief attempted to steal from my Abjuration artifacts was not one for Abjuration, but a leftover from the Necromancy class. The Hand of Glory."

Beatrice gasped. "What!"

"It was fake, of course, but nothing else in the case was stolen and therefore the Hand of Glory was the intended target." Hope continued.

"Wait, hold on, what's a Hand of Glory?" Nova looked to Beatrice, confused and desperately trying to keep up with the conversation.

In an instant, Headmistress Cassandra's expression turned serious and hard. She rose from her desk and strode across her large office to another of the raven statues that were scattered throughout the Academy.

"The Hand of Glory is a magical instrument from the 18th century," Headmistress Cassandra began to explain. Her voice was level, but her hands worked quickly to weave the spell to wake the raven. Ropes of multi-colored light swirled and shimmered around the statue as her magic activated the dormant spells. "It is a candle made with wax and fat from the hand of a hanged man. It was usually the left hand, called "sinister" in those days, of a thief sentenced to death at the gallows. The dead man's hair formed the wick."

"What was it for?" Nova asked, trying to sound unbothered and only curious, but hearing that magic tools were made from the dead turned her stomach.

"When lit, it would render motionless anyone upon whom its light fell..." The Headmistress trailed off as she finished her spell. The ropes of light shattered into hundreds of tiny star-like pinpricks of light and sank into the very stone of the statue. The raven shuddered to life with the heavy creak of stone on stone and shook itself for a moment. Blades of rocky feathers stuck out here and there till it smoothed them down. "It was a tool made from a thief, for a thief. I've heard that you could light it at night when everyone was asleep and enter a house to find everyone sleeping soundly. No noise or amount of shaking would rouse them till the candle was put out," she continued.

"So, what does this all mean?" Nova asked again, feeling so far out of her depth at the moment. Beatrice looked to Hope whose expression was unreadable. But after a moment of careful observation, the earth witch noticed a tightening around Hope's eyes. The professor was worried.

"What it means, little dears, is that someone may be planning to do harm against our young school." Headmistress Cassandra turned to the two roommates, and her expression was grave. "The Hand of Glory that was stolen may have been a completely innocent wax replica, but once the thief realizes that, they might try to find the real one. And rendering one or a group of people motionless for an indefinite time can be used for much more ill intent than just theft. You understand, I'm sure."

Beatrice shakily nodded. "I'll tell you everything I know, Headmistress."

"Good, good. I'll need both of your help to keep watch for this intruder again or any other suspicious characters you might see within the grounds." The Headmistress smiled at them. "You both did the right thing. But if something like this happens again and you are in danger, don't engage. Promise me?"

"But Headmistress!" Beatrice started. "It's my duty that if I see something, I need to act. And I know how to defend myself, I'll be fine!"

"The Oakendale Gaias have always been healer and protectors both, but while you are in Ravensburl, you will leave it to the professors." The Headmistress patted the stone wing of the raven, who nudged her back softly. "The safety of my students is my priority, you understand. And while I have no doubt that you can handle yourself, I need your cooperation, Beatrice. Quite a lot of your fellow first-years might not be able to protect themselves in a fight. That will have to be up to you. Can I trust you to cooperate, Beatrice?"

The earth witch gulped under the scrutinizing weight of the Headmistress’s gaze. The blonde woman’s eyes were sharp, just as sharp as the eyes of the stone raven who was now staring at her out of one eye. There was an intelligence in the stone eyes that looked familiar, and a realization clicked in Beatrice’s mind. She nodded. “I will, Headmistress. I’ll let you know if I see anything again, and I’ll prioritize protecting other students and myself.”

The Headmistress smiled and leaned back a little, the movement being copied by the stone raven. She turned to Hope and proceeded to discuss the specifics of the artifact, while Nova glanced sideways at her roommate. The tech witch came to a conclusion with startling confidence.

There was no way Beatrice wasn’t going to chase this thief down.