After the hall had fully settled, Assistant Headmistress Lucia Greydon walked toward the pulpit.
The movement was enough to sharpen the silence. Every second-year sat facing the elevated stage, watching as she approached with her magic clipboard held neatly in one hand. The academy board and instructors had taken their places behind and beside the pulpit, their presence making the hall feel less like a simple announcement and more like a judgment chamber dressed in polished wood and banners.
Lucia placed her clipboard against the pulpit's surface, lifted her gaze toward the students, and offered a composed smile that did absolutely nothing to ease the pressure sitting in the room.
"Good morning, second-years," she said.
"Good morning, Assistant Headmistress," the students answered, some more confidently than others.
