Magiana Imperial Academy - Volume 1: Path to Greatness
Chapter 15: May: Do or Die

Even with Miles’s added help, Phillip, Dominique and Trevor haven’t made a lot of progress in their investigation. Getting a hold of Professor Draut’s phone had been impossible; they couldn’t replace out where the teachers slept and he was with it constantly. They knew that Professor Windsor slept in House Sloane along with them, so the other house heads must stay in their own houses. Professor Draut was an ordinary teacher, so he slept elsewhere.

Wherever it was, it apparently was inside of the castle; the group never saw him leave when Windsor came back, or anytime later. There was no way he stayed that late to work, so they concluded that he stayed somewhere in the castle.

The weeks following the phone call Draut had weren’t completely fruitless, though. Miles had found out that Professor Draut’s parents did indeed win the lottery and that bought him a lot of things, or at least that he told the teachers that. When he relayed the information to them they began trying to figure out whether or not it was the truth or an alibi to explain him getting all sorts of new items.

Miles convinced Professor Rowen to show him some of the things Draut’s parents bought him. She showed him a picture of a large, cream colored mansion and a red sports car.

“So if he is behind it, he’s already began spending it.” Phillip said, crumpling a piece of paper in frustration.

“Trevor, Miles,” Dominique said slowly. She was clearly trying to think about something. “Would your parents do something like this for you?”

“No.” Miles said bluntly. “They’d either save up for retirement or my college.”

Trevor nodded in agreement.

“Hm… true, but that’s just your parents. For all we know, Professor Draut’s are actually like that.”

“But their son is a grown man.” Phillip said, ignoring the fact that Dominique didn’t ask him what his parents would do.

“That’s also true.” She began playing with her ponytail. “Are Professor Draut’s parents the type of people to buy their grown son such expensive things or not?”

“Personally, I’d just retire with that money and let the kid keep on working.” Miles said. He looked as if a lightbulb went off on his head. “I got an idea! We could go around asking people that question, and if most of them agree with me, then it’s an alibi!”

“No, that won’t work.” Dominique said shortly. “Even if our results showed that parents who would do that for their kids are the minority, his might just be in that minority.”

Phillip had written down everything they had found out and looked at it. As he scanned the information, something caught his eye, something he felt ashamed for disregarding.

“Professor Windsor!”

More people than just the three of them looked at him after he yelled his name. When he didn’t go on, they went back to whatever they were doing.

“So, what about Professor Windsor?” Miles asked.

“He was talking to Professor Draut back in January. We haven’t paid any attention to him since!”

“He said he didn’t want anything to do with it, didn’t he?” Miles asked.

Dominique, unlike Miles, was trying to figure out why Phillip brought it up. “Just because he’s not working with him doesn’t mean he knows nothing about it. He might have something to say. Getting him to talk isn’t going to be easy though.”

“I found out about Draut’s parents by talking to the other teachers,” Miles said. “So we could probably do the same with Professor Windsor.”

“That’s a good idea.” Dominique said. “But who should we ask, and when?”

“I think Professor Black would be a good person to ask.” Isaiah was sitting right next to them. “I’ve been here six years and I think that the two of them are quite close.”

“Would she talk to us about it?”

“If I’m there with you. She won’t mind if you go late, either.” The four looked at him quizzically. “I think it’d be safest to go at night, when the other students aren’t around.”

“Looks like you’ve gotten over your guilt.” Phillip said happily.

“Grandfather told me not to worry, so I’m not worrying.” He pulled Phillip’s notes over to him. “Whatever information Professor Black can give us about Professor Windsor might help fill some of the holes you have here. I’ll keep in touch. When I replace out when Professor Black has time, I’ll get in touch with you all.”

At the beginning of May, Substance Magic came to a close with the usual exam. Just like the Caster Magic and Potions exams, they were broken up into a written portion and practical portion. Since the class was one of few places in the school where Substance Magic could be used safely, everyone was given a pair of earmuffs to block out the noise while their classmates demonstrated their expertise with the spells they learned during the class. Just like the other two, Phillip was quite well off, but had his doubts on certain problems.

Many people were quite relieved after the end of the exam, including Phillip, but Miles seemed downcast.

“What’s wrong?” Phillip asked.

“Mass Casting and Ritual Magic are the only things we have left this year.” He said sadly. “Those classes are going to be super boring; I just know it.”

“They seem kinda cool, though, don’t they? Ritual Magic, at least. We’ve seen someone bring back a rat and saw Professor Wilson bring a watermelon from another planet!”

Phillip’s words seemed to have reassured Miles somewhat. He shrugged and said, “Maybe. I’ll try to look forward to them. They can’t be that bad.”

“Okay everyone,” Professor Rowen was sitting on her desk, one leg crossed over the other, as she usually did. “I have something very important to tell you.”

Everyone stopped working to look up at her.

“I’m sure that you’ve heard from your friends or the upperclassmen, but your exams are coming up at the beginning of June. These exams are very, very important.” She began looking around at them. “Not only do they count quite a bit towards your yearly grade, if you fail two or more of your classes, you’ll be expelled. If you failed one of your other magic exams earlier in the year, then you have to be even more careful.”

The class broke out into cries of distress. Phillip had some problems with certain subjects, but not problems so bad that he’d be in danger of expulsion. The expressions on the faces of some of the others made him think that they were fearing for their lives. With how expensive M.I.A’s tuition was, getting expelled definitely wasn’t something someone would want.

“Yes?” Professor Rowen called on someone who raised their hand.

“What happens if we fail only one subject?”

“Summer school, of course.” She said in a relaxed manner. “So don’t fail, alright?”

A lot of people couldn’t believe how unperturbed she was talking about something so serious. Phillip and Dominique had been studying while they weren’t investigating. He felt quite confident about his chances, but weren’t without his fears. Math and science were his worst subjects, and only after extensive studying could he pass their tests. It would take a lot more studying to prepare for his exams.

When class ended, Miles was dragging his feet, looking depressed. Phillip could understand his friend’s fear just fine. He fell back and promised to help him study, which cheered him up a bit.

During lunch, Phillip saw just how much the first-years were panicking about their exams. The older students were panicked as well, and even though they’ve been through it before, some looked even more afraid. Dominique kept her composure, studying while she ate. When some of the others, Phillip and Miles included, saw her, they took out their books and began studying as well. The multitasking made eating rather hard, but even a little bit of extra studying could make a big difference.

Looking over at the Lychester Table, Phillip saw that Reginald, who was usually very smug looking, looked very concerned and needed Luna to calm him down. Seeing him look troubled very much pleased Phillip.

“I don’t get it,” Lloyd said, flipping a page in his science book. “I was never so freaked out about my other exams.”

“There were long breaks in between those.” Phillip said. “Now we’ve got like four or five right after another and - for some of us anyway - another magic exam only a short time before those.”

“How can you look so calm?” Miles asked, gaping at Dominique.

“That’s just how I am.” She said. “That, and if I panic, Francisca will freak out even more than usual.”

The usually loud dining hall became much quieter now that a lot of people were studying instead of talking. The teachers up at the staff table were talking as they observed the students.

Phillip tried to absorb as much information as he could in the limited time they had to eat. When he finally finished eating he was able to dedicate the rest of his time to studying.

When the day finally ended and Phillip returned to the common room, everyone was studying. The television was on, but no one was paying much attention to it; either that or they had earmuffs on. He himself put on a pair of earmuffs so he could concentrate and sat in one of the bean bag chairs. He didn’t know how long he was studying for, but he spent time reviewing all of his subjects. Some time later, he was tapped on the shoulder. He looked up and saw Isaiah standing over him. He removed his earmuffs.

“We’re off to see Professor Black.”

Looking behind him, Phillip saw Dominique, Trevor and Miles. He put his books back in his bag and dropped it off in his dorm before the group left. The sun was beginning to set when they got outside, and there were very few students outside. They were all studying.

The castle was also mostly deserted. Aside from the teachers, only a handful of students were around, asking for extra help. Isaiah brought them up to the third floor and knocked on Professor Black’s door. The door handle made a few jerky movements before creeping open. Cait Sith pushed it and mewed up at them, ushering them inside. Isaiah, Trevor and Dominique walked right past him, but Phillip and Miles gaped at the small feline’s feat, following after when he moved towards his owner.

“Hello, Isaiah.” Professor Black smiled at the other four. “I thought that you’d be coming on your own.”

“Sorry, professor. I thought you’d be less willing to meet if I mentioned them.”

“You probably thought right.” Cait Sith jumped up on her desk and she began petting him. “So, what is it you wanted to talk about?”

Phillip explained everything they knew to her; the conversation he and Dominique overheard in the forest, the phone call he, Dominique and Trevor overheard, and what Miles could replace out. As he did, she petted her cat more and more slowly until she stopped completely, with her hand resting on his head. After processing the information, she intertwined her fingers and eyed the five before her.

“Arthur never mentioned anything of the sort to me. Or Amelia, or Gabriel, or anyone.”

“Professor Draut mentioned Professor Windsor having a sister. Does she need money for anything?” Said Phillip.

“Indeed she does. Arthur’s salary is able to support the two of them and her son, but not enough to cover college tuition.”

“So that’s it?” Isaiah asked. “Professor Draut was trying to appeal to his need for money to send her to school. In that case, why didn’t he help him? Being a Sloane means that you’d stick by and support your loved ones no matter the circumstances or consequences.”

“That’s true, but it’s not like those are the only two people Arthur loves. His students and his coworkers are all people he holds dear.”

“Then he’s in a pretty tight spot,” Miles said. “Family, or people who might as well be your family.”

“Then did he choose us over them?” Trevor asked.

“We’ve been dealing with this thief for months.” Professor Black said. “If he chose us, he’d have turned Earle in already. It must be some sort of middle ground; he’s not helping in the thefts, but he’s not reporting him since it’ll affect his family somehow.”

“Wouldn’t that mean,” Isaiah began, looking appalled. “That he’s threatening Professor Windsor’s family? I don’t see what else would be stopping him from reporting him and putting a stop to this.”

Phillip thought that he misheard Isaiah for a moment. Keeping Professor Windsor in the palm of his hand by threatening his family seemed beyond Draut, even though he never really showed himself to be a good person. Phillip looked at the other three, who looked as shocked as he was, even the typically stoic Trevor. Turning to Professor Black, she pondered Isaiah’s words before slowly nodding.

“It makes the most sense, but even then there’s something that just doesn’t add up.”

Phillip stepped forward, eager to hear her words. “What is it, professor?”

“The only people who know the spell that opens the vault are Isaiah, Arthur and Theodore. And Earle might be smart, but his ability with magic is abysmal; I’m surprised that he’s able to cast the few spells he can. There’s no way he’d be able to replicate it, even if Arthur told him. Which is highly unlikely in it of itself.”

Silence fell upon them all. It was clear to Phillip that they were trying to figure out how Professor Draut could’ve gotten inside the vault without knowing the spell. The only way, Phillip thought, is that the person he was talking to on the phone got inside. Even if that was right, it only produce more questions. Who were they, and were they another staff member or an outsider? And if they were an outsider, how did they get inside of the school and to the vault?

“Are there security cameras near the vault?” Dominique asked.

“It’s underground; there isn’t really any electricity down there.” Isaiah said.

Miles sighed. “Great… Now what’re we going to do?”

“I might be able to ask my father to look into people Professor Draut knows.” Phillip said. “There might be some skilled magic users among them that could get into the vault.”

“Yes,” Professor Black said. “That’s a good idea. I’ll talk to Arthur about the whole thing. I would imagine that he needs some support.”

“Thanks, professor.” Isaiah said. He led the four outside of her class and back to House Sloane.

Phillip had written to his father, asking for him to look into the friends and acquaintances of Earle Draut. He didn’t go into that much detail as to why he wanted the information. Only a week later, rather detailed results came back (his father didn’t ask any questions) and he reviewed them with the group.

“It looks like Professor Draut doesn’t know anyone that good with magic.” Isaiah flipped the page of the packet. “Only his sister, and she’s estranged. She said, and I quote, ‘I’d rather die than go anywhere near that f-’ ” He flipped the packet back to the first page. “Well, his parent’s bank account is seeing an influx.”

“Hold on,” Miles reached towards the packet, but Isaiah held it out of reach. “What were you about to say?”

“What about Professor Draut’s bank account?” Dominique asked. “Did it change at all?”

“No,” Isaiah looked at the second page for a moment. “No change noted.”

“Then wouldn’t that mean his parents are in on it as well? He takes the money and gives it to them to deposit. That way, no one will think something weird happened.”

“What about the bank tellers? Wouldn’t they think it’s weird that Draut’s parents start putting a ton of money in their accounts?”

“Bribery.” Trevor said quietly.

“Makes the most sense.” Phillip said. “So Professor Draut convinced his parents to take the money and say they won the lottery to draw suspicion away from himself. He got someone to open the vault and take out the money.”

Isaiah nodded in agreement. “Now we just need to figure out who he’s using and how they’re doing it so we can apprehend them.” He folded the packet and put it in his pocket. “We’ll meet again later and see if we found anything about this mysterious party.”

Mass Casting was by far the shortest class Phillip took that year. It was also the most boring of the magic classes he had. For the thirteen days that they took it, they took notes and did team building exercises.

On the first day of class Professor Pyke told the class, “Cooperation and teamwork are crucial in Mass Casting. So, before we do any actual magic, you need to form bonds with your classmates. Look around you, because for the seven years you have me, these people will be your teammates. That way, even in our limited time each year, you should be able to do wondrous things with Mass Casting by the time you graduate.”

Everyone was allowed to choose their seat, and encouraged to sit near friends, people they’d be likely to interact with even after Mass Casting ended. The exam, which was on the 22nd of May, was just a written test on the history and basics of Mass Casting. It was by far the easiest magic exam Phillip had taken until then, and it was clear to see that the others thought the same.

The next day Ritual Magic began, and students were told that they’d be taking notes for the first ten days before focusing on practice during the second half with their exam on the final day of the year.

As much as Phillip wanted to try and replace out about this mysterious accomplice, he had to dedicate more and more time to studying as exams drew ever closer. There was only a week until the first exam, and people were far more ragged than they ever had been. Even Isaiah, who was calm and collected at almost all times was stressing out. Phillip and Miles walked into the common room one day to replace Isaiah clutching his head, groaning loudly over a large pile of notes.

“Whoa.” Miles silently said. “I wonder what’s gotten into him.”

Phillip only assumed that exams for sixth-years like Isaiah were that bad, and if they were, he very much wasn’t looking forward to them.

“A.Es.” Dominique said. She was sitting in a bean bag chair near the door, holding a graphic novel. Both of them wanted to ask what ‘A.Es’ were, but she beat them to it. “It stands for Advanced Exams.”

“Advanced?” Miles asked. He looked at Phillip, hoping he knew, but was met with a shrug.

“More complicated spells.” Dominique said absentmindedly. “Harder to master, so more work.”

Taking another look, Phillip saw the only people wearing the superb noise canceling earmuffs fifth-, sixth-, or seventh-years. “W-we won’t have to worry about those, will we?”

“Depends. There’s no guarantee that you’ll get placed in an advanced class. Don’t know what you have to do to get in, though.”

“Well, I hope I don’t have to deal wi-” Miles pointed at Dominique with an accusing finger. “What’re reading for?”

“Well, I’m taking a,” She turned the page of her graphic novel. “well deserved break.”

Miles looked at the bookshelf and made to walk towards the television. Miles had done less studying than Phillip, and he had done less studying that Dominique. If anyone deserved a break, it wasn’t him. He was about to speak, but Dominique beat him once again.

“Do you really believe you deserve a break, Miles?”

Miles kept on walking, but changed his destination from the couch across the television to the tables everyone was studying at. Letting out a small laugh, Phillip followed right after.

At breakfast on the first day of exams, Phillip expected to see people doing some last minute studying while they ate. Instead, he walked in to see everyone rushing with their food. It made sense to him; after all, studying while eating was slower. Miles didn’t waste any time rushing to House Sloane’s table and wolfing down food, which he grabbed at random.

“Don’t follow their example.” Isaiah said, walking into the dining hall. “Getting in some extra studying is good and all, but they’re clearly panicked; just stay calm.”

Phillip wanted to take those words to heart, but he could clearly see that Isaiah himself was nervous.

Nonetheless, Phillip tried his best to take his time eating and remain at ease. When he was done, he took out his books. The weeks exams were for the four main subjects: grammar, math, history and science. He didn’t have an exam in his elective or gym and his magic classes were already counted for.

As he left the dining hall he made his way to his grammar class. The halls were full of fearful whispers of people expecting the worst. There weren’t many who tried being optimistic. Taking his seat in class, Phillip took out a book and his pencil, taking out another just in case. Checking that they were adequately sharpened and had erasers good enough to last the entire exam, Phillip waited patiently for their teacher to pass out their materials.

When they finally did, they read out to them the rules of the exam. When they were finally told to begin, the room was filled with the sound of pencils scratching on paper. As Phillip worked, he found that most of the work was very simple. After a plethora of multiple choice questions, Phillip was presented with an excerpt from a book and told to write a response. This, by far, took the most time of anything on the exam, but Phillip still found it a lot less troublesome than he thought it would be. When he was finally finished he put his materials in the corner of his desk and began reading.

Soon, the teacher was collecting their materials and everyone was rejoicing. They had a free period up next. It was intended to be used studying, but Phillip had a feeling that people would be goofing off, judging from what he heard.

Fortunately for Phillip, there was no temptation to waste his free period, but unfortunately it was because he was in Professor Draut’s class. As soon as everyone was inside, he closed the door and ordered them to take out their studying materials. Anyone who was caught talking, he said, would lose five points for their house. He allowed them to talk only as they went out for lunch and when they came back.

Consequently, class was silent - as was usual with Draut - but Phillip found it very productive. He had a very good grasp of everything they had covered in history that year by the end of the period.

Stepping into Professor Rowen’s class, Phillip saw that a lot of people looked confident. Evidently, they were as confident in their abilities as he was his. Just like in grammar, he took out two pencils and a book, waiting patiently. Professor Rowen passed out their materials and read them the instructions, which were the same as those for the grammar exam.

Just like it, Phillip found the majority of the problems quite easy. To him, having a good enough memory to remember facts was all he needed. The only part of the exam that would’ve caused him trouble was the response at the end. Luckily, it was about one of his most favorite subjects - the comeback of the Magianan emperor while he was on his global conquest after a crippling defeat in the overseas nation of Archos - and he added a lot of random facts he remembered about the subject that could be related to it. Putting down his pencil, Phillip saw that had he kept on writing for even a few more sentences, he’d have run out of space. Smiling to himself, he once again put his materials in the corner and read.

“Sweet release!” Miles threw himself onto one of the bean bags, having barely walked into the common room. The others acted very similarly, throwing themselves haphazardly in the chairs around the room. Dominique walked over to one of the tables and sat down, continuing to study. Unsurprisingly, Victoria walked inside of the room, completely unfazed and began studying just like Dominique.

Phillip’s final two exams were in his least favorite subjects, but he couldn’t bring himself to study. Even though the two he had taken weren’t too bad, they were still taxing. Those who Phillip thought took the Advanced Exams were absent from the common room, either basking in the sunlight outside or resting in their rooms.

“Only one more day…” He heard Victoria say. “Then we’re so close to the end of the year.” She had a dreamy tone in her voice.

“I’m kinda surprised to hear that you want to leave.” Phillip whispered to nobody in particular.

“I enjoy summer just as much as you do.” He heard her reply grumpily. “And why aren’t you studying? With the way I’ve been hearing you over these last few weeks, it’s irresponsible of you to laze around like this when our math and science exams are all that’s left.”

He found it a bit humorous that Victoria called him irresponsible, considering how she often didn’t think before boasting excessively. Still she had a point, but Phillip couldn’t bring himself to move from the cushiony bean bag chair in which he sat.

Phillip’s first exam the next day was science, something he wasn’t looking forward to. Like the previous two exams, he took out reading material and a pair of pencils. When the test itself was passed out and they began, Phillip gulped before starting.

Just like he expected, a lot of the material he had trouble recalling. He found science extremely boring, which he thought made remembering things that much more difficult. Spending a lot of time on each problem, Phillip started the second part, reading and interpreting graphs, only a few minutes before he was warned that he had only twenty minutes. Trying to remain calm, he took his time on the problems, which worked. When he was given his five minute warning, he was just about to finish his last question, feeling confident about all his other answers.

From his science class, Phillip made his way to Professor Wilson’s class on the third floor to study for his most dreaded exam. He tuned out everything around him as he studied, trying to take in as much as possible. When the free period ended and Phillip made his way back to the first floor, his palms were sweaty. Walking into Draut’s class, the two looked at each other for a moment. He could’ve sworn that Draut’s gaze was full of malice, but he couldn’t tell.

For the fourth and final time that year, Phillip set aside his book and pencils. This time, he took a calculator out of his bag. Draut passed out the tests, wishing the students good luck, something he didn’t do often. Clutching his pencil, Phillip thought very much that he’d need it.

Remembering formulas was one thing, putting everything in correctly to prevent screwing something up was another. Several times throughout the year had Phillip gotten things wrong on tests because he put something wrong in his calculator. To prevent that, he checked him answer several times just to make sure. He didn’t care how long it took; he just wanted to make sure his answers made sense.

Just like in his science exam, he started the second portion right before being warned that he had twenty minutes left. The problems in this portion were very similar to the others on the first part, only much harder. Phillip finished the last problem right before Draut told them to put down their pencils, his heart pounding in his chest.

He made his way back to the common room, feeling exhausted. He had a feeling that was how Miles felt the day before. He expected to replace a very similar scene when he returned, but opened the door to be greeted by loud cheers. Everyone was celebrating and eating copious amounts of junk food.

“What’s going on?” He asked.

“It’s finally over!” Tamara shouted, slapping his back. “We’re celebrating our freedom!” She shoved a can of soda into his hand. “C’mon, have one; enjoy yourself!”

She walked off, hollering, and a large smile broke across Phillip’s face. He found Miles, Lloyd, Trevor, and the rest of their friends and joined them. He saw Miles shaking a can of soda and went to open it before having his hand grabbed by Dominique; he tried to break free, but she wouldn’t let go.”

“Come on, Dom!” He called. “There’s two weeks left of school! Let me have this!”

As the two struggled, something dawned on Phillip. There was just a bit over a week left of school, and yet there was still something that had to be done; something very important.