Page 83 of Malcroix Bones Academy

My pretty, now blonde, and very smart friend only shook her head, smiling. “Let’s do it together. I’d like to see how you do it, if that’s okay.”

“Of course!”

The monocerus tossed its horn and stamped when the corgi tried to pounce on it again.

“Stop it!” Miranda stomped her own foot at the corgi. “He doesn’t like hugs!”

As much asI hated to admit it, my first term schedulewasproving to be brutal, just like Miranda warned. I also was reluctantly forced to admit, as I neared the end of my secondweek and after receiving increasingly complex assignments, I might have bitten off more than I could chew.

When I sat down and wrote it all out, it occurred to me that maybe Icouldhave done what most first-years did, and stick to the required courses. I could’ve focused on knocking out one or two flexible requirements, at least until I got my bearings.

As it was, I didtechnicallyhave ten courses, like Miranda said.

And it did look rather intimidating when it was all listed out, even if actual lectures only took place once or twice week.

Autumn Term:

THEURGY 01 ∞ (Mon/Fri 10:15-11:45AM)

ALCHEMY 01 ∞ (Monday 2-3:30PM)

MAGISTORY STUDIES / MAGICAL PEOPLES 01 Ω (Tuesday 10-11:30AM)

MAGICAL OBJECTS 01 ? (Tuesday 4-5:30PM)

FLYING 01 (practical) ? (Wednesday/Friday 8AM-10AM)

OFFENSIVE AND DEFENSIVE MAGIC (practical) 01 ? (Thursday/Saturday 4PM-6PM)

OFFENSIVE AND DEFENSIVE MAGIC (theory) 01 † (Wednesday 1PM-2:30PM)

MAGICAL ETHICS AND PHILOSOPHY 01 † (Thursday 9AM-10:30PM)

PRAECUROLOGY 01 ø (Monday 4PM-5:30PM)

SEEING ARTS 01 ø (Friday 1PM-3PM)

COURSE KEY:

∞ required every term/year

Ω required every term/year, but student chooses topic/specialization

? required that specific term/year

§ required for more than 1 term, student chooses which terms/year

† required for 1 term, student chooses which term

ø elective (not req’d)

I’d worked out the course key while going through options, just to keep it all straight in my head. Looking at it now, I couldn’t help but feel a little queasy.

Most of the Magicals I’d spoken to were maxing out at six or seven classes, tops, including the required flying course, which would only be in the Autumn term, unless I failed my qualification exam and had to take it again.

If I were at Oxford, or any human university really, I’d only be taking three or four classes per term. I’d been told that Magicals were expected to take roughly twice that, in part because of the structure of coursework, but also given there were so many magical study aids that reduced the time a human would have to spend learning the material.

Memorization spells were a particular favorite, but most students also used spells that increased their reading speed, and spells that read texts aloud to them while they were doing other things, even sleeping or taking baths.