Crowley clapped his hands sharply, cutting through the sounds of the impromptu battle. "Ghosts-- excellent work," he called. "I believe that should be sufficient, thank you."

The sounds of magical combat halted abruptly as the battling ghosts stopped mid-spell.

"Hey-- no problem, Headmaster!" One of them cackled. "If ya need anything else, we're always just a shout away!"

Another ghost slapped a slightly disheveled-looking and bewildered Deuce on the back. "Good work, kids!" It grinned, nodding in approval. "That was the best scrap I've had in a long time! You're gonna be some fine fightin' mages in the future, I'll bet!"

With various cheerful goodbyes, the ghosts started vanishing one by one. Without them, the office was oddly silent, and the temperature increased noticeably.

Blinking hard, Kat looked around.

Deuce, as mentioned before, was a little rumpled, looking around the room in bafflement. Ace was basically in the same state... Except his expression seemed to hold more bewildered anger than mere bewilderment.

Grim, meanwhile, stood up from his defensive crouch in front of her, dropping into a sitting position. "Haah... Haah..." He panted angrily, licking his lips. "Man-- what the heck was all THAT about?!"

"Very good-- VERY good!" Crowley beamed, clapping his hands again in a small round of applause as he strode towards the scattered group. "Magnificent performance-- especially for a group of first-years!"

Grim hopped back up onto his feet with an angry growl, scowling up at the approaching headmaster. "Rrrrgh... HEY! HEADMASTER! What's the big IDEA, huh?! What's this blot stuff got to do with siccin' a bunch a' GHOSTS on us outta the blue?!"

Kat huffed, glowering at Crowley as she smoothed her bangs back into place. "Uh, yeah-- I don't mean to be rude, but-- what the hell was THAT for?!"

Crowley ignored her, coming to a stop in front of Grim and folding his arms. "Grim-kun-- direct your attention to the magestone pendant around your neck," he said solemnly, nodding at Grim's chest.

"Huh?" Grim asked, twizzling his ears. "My pendant...?"

Looking down at himself, he bristled, tail puffing out. "MYAH! N-No way... My magestone looks all gross an' dingy now!"

Kat frowned, tilting her head.

Hurrying over to Grim, she scooped him up, turning him around to face her. "Here-- let me see," she ordered, touching the pendant lightly and squinting.

...He was right. The clear lavender gem had grown... Murky. Not by much, but definitely murky...

And, as she ran her thumb over the faceted surface, she could tell it wasn't from the outside, either. There was a faint, smoggy swirl of black inside the gem, drifting a little like ink in water.

"...Huh," she muttered, watching it swirl slowly for a moment.

Wriggling out of her grasp, Grim landed back on the floor, seizing one of the tails of his ribbon and trying to polish the pendant. "Myrgh... D-DAMMIT! No matter how hard I rub, it ain't comin' off..."

"Precisely," Crowley said, stepping back with his hands on his hips again. "And not only Grim-kun... Spade-kun, Trappola-kun-- if you would examine your own magestones, you should find that they have developed a faint black sheen. In short, that dark, ink-like stain is the byproduct created by the use of magic... That is to say, blot."

"Wh--!!" Deuce stiffened, staring in shock at his magical pen. "G-Geez-- now that I'm looking at it, there's actually some weird black shit on MY magical pen...!"

Baffled, he tried polishing the stone on his jacket like glasses, but apparently didn't have any more luck than Grim did.

Ace, meanwhile, was flipping his pen over and over, watching the murky substance float around with disgusted, morbid curiosity. "...Gross," he muttered.

"Gwehhh..." Dropping the pendant and the end of his ribbon, Grim threw his paws up, taking a few steps back as he looked down nervously at his chest. "Man-- s-somehow, this stuff is givin' me the creeps... I don't really wanna touch it, even!"

Kat looked around at the others, then back to Crowley. "It's-- it's not permanent, is it?" She asked, worried. "Will it come off or-- go away by itself eventually, or...? "

"Ah! Right again, Miss Kat," Crowley nodded, folding his arms. "Indeed-- with sufficient rest, blot will soon enough disappear from your magestones."

He looked around at the other three. "You see, THIS is why the magic crystal-- or rather, magestone-- is an invaluable tool for any proper magic user. Not only does it help one channel one's magic properly, it also acts as a filter or lightning rod of sorts... Drawing the blot into itself, and thus preventing it from accumulating within the caster's body!"

He beamed widely, spreading his hands again. "Well? What do you think? A truly wonderful item, is it not?"

"Ohh... Okay, I- I see," Deuce said, tucking his pen back into his breast pocket as he, Ace, and Grim came over to stand next to Kat. "So... Basically, when the stone starts getting all cloudy, that's a sign that we should stop using magic and give our bodies a break, right?"

"Correct!" Crowley declared, beaming even brighter. "With proper diet, sufficient rest and a healthy body, most of the blot will clear right up without any problems. And, of course, as you continue your magical education, your spellcasting stamina will increase. Just as training one's body improves it, so too does exercising one's magical talents mean... As long as you're CAREFUL-- that that, too, will gradually improve!"

Kat bent down to scoop up Grim, who clambered eagerly onto her shoulder with a proud cackle. "Heheh-- I getcha!" He grinned, standing up on his hind legs. "So when I become an even GREATER magician, I'll be blastin' off spells like--"

Jumping up and down, he waved his paws in the air. "--PEW! PEW PEW!! No prob-- ACK--!!"

His excited jumping ended up making him tumble forward off Kat's shoulder. Luckily, she managed to catch him, holding him in her arms as he shook his head rapidly. "N-No problem?" He continued, ignoring the stifled snorts of laughter from Ace and Deuce. "After all, I already do PLENTY of sleepin' and eatin'!"

"Well-- yes and no," Crowley admitted, smile dropping away into another solemn expression. "You see, the innate magical capacity... That is to say, the amount of magical power that can be drawn upon at one time-- varies greatly from person to person. However-- save for a few key exceptions, that is-- there is very little variance in most mages' tolerance for blot itself."

"...Huh?" Grim asked, flicking an ear. "What's THAT s'posed ta' mean?"

With a long sigh, Crowley folded his arms, eyes going crescent-shaped again as he closed them. "In short, training with magic merely decreases the amount of magical energy necessary to cast spells. Think of it a bit like swimming-- one must train to be able to hold one's breath for longer and longer periods of time. And of course, the less magic used, the smaller the amount of blot produced. However..."

He opened his eyes again, giving them another somber look. "...Those who possess a great capacity for magic-- whether through training, naturally gifted, or some combination of the two-- must take great care to avoid an over-accumulation of blot. Take Rosehearts-kun, for example."

"...Okaaaay," Kat said slowly, nodding. "I think I get it... 'Cause, like, the blot... Too much of it all at once is the problem? And once it's in there, it's in there. Right?"

"Huh... So, like, even people who can use a ton of magic can't just go around firing it off like idiots... Otherwise the blot'll build up like nobody's business?" Ace asked, tilting his head as he crossed his arms. "Yeah, that seems simple enough..."

"Correct," Crowley said again, nodding.

Then he put the knuckle of his index finger to his chin, coughing a little. "Well-- all that being said, with the level of magical power YOU four are currently capable of, it... Doesn't seem to be that much of a concern..."

Then he turned that cheerful smile on them again. "Well! Isn't that a relief! Consider yourselves fortunate!"

Kat pressed her lips together tightly, trying to contain a snort of partly-amused, partly-insulted laughter. Jesus H. Christ-- what was WRONG with this man?!

"Rrr... No OFFENSE, Headmaster, but I don't really think there's much to be happy about with that line you just said," Ace grumbled, hands on his hips.

Grim clambered back up onto Kat's shoulder, sitting down and crossing his forelegs. "Anyway-- I think I kinda get it," he mused. "Use too much magic, an' your stone's gonna turn black... An' when THAT happens, you go all 'evil villain berserker mode'-- just like Riddle?!"

He shuddered, pinning his ears back with a small whine. "Geez-- even though he was usin' some seriously big magic, it was still SUPER scary... B-But, hey-- ain't he supposed to be, like, the top guy in the whole school? Shouldn't he be used to using lots a' magic all at once? Why'd he get all that blot, then?"

Crowley put his index finger to his chin again, and this time the sigh was even longer, and the look even more serious. "...The truth is," he admitted. "The accumulation rate of blot is also seriously affected by the mage's mental state."

He sighed one more time, shaking his head. "Anger, fear, sorrow, despair, pain... Harboring those sorts of negative energies and emotions hastens the accumulation of blot to a significant degree."

With one final shake of the head, he turned to face them, hands on his hips again. "All these factors, in turn, contribute to the occurrence of the terrifying condition known as 'overblot'."

Everyone fell silent, shifting uncomfortably.

"...'Negative energy', huh...?" Deuce murmured after a moment. "G-Geez..."

Nodding again, Crowley folded his arms. "...Surely, you all recall the great, terrifying shadow that appeared behind Rosehearts-kun?"

"Uh... You mean that-- that big thing with the bottle for a head?" Kat asked, frowning. "That-- wasn't so much a 'shadow', that was, like... A straight-up, actual, physical monster."

Crowley nodded again. "Such apparitions are believed to be created from the negative energies of the affected mage and the blot itself combining," he said. "At this time, however... That is the extent of what current research and studies have revealed to us."

Stepping back, he put his hands on his hips, looking back and forth along the row of students. "Very little is known about overblot-- even less than is known about blot itself. The truth is, a full-blown overblot incident is exceedingly rare... Less than one in a million; in fact, far, FAR less. As such, there are hardly any opportunities for further study and research... Thus, many mysteries remain."

Ace scowled, crossing his arms. "Tch-- well, as far as I'm concerned, it can STAY that way! I don't EVER wanna have to go through something like that again... If it never happens for the rest of my life, it'll STILL be too soon!"

Kat shot him a look, then turned her attention back to Crowley as he continued to speak.

"Indeed-- and it is nothing short of a miracle that we were able to snap Rosehearts-kun out of it in such a timely manner. If that were allowed to continue, then..."

He looked down at his claw-gloved hands for a moment, as if in deep thought. Then he yelled suddenly. "AAAAGH! I DON'T EVEN WANT TO THINK ABOUT IT!! IT'S TOO TERRIFYING-- FAR TOO TERRIFYING TO EVEN CONSIDER!!!"

All four of them jumped back, staring at him in shock.

"WAGH--!!" Grim yelped, fur puffing out like he'd just been electrocuted. "H-Hey-- what's your PROBLEM?! Yellin' at the top of your lungs suddenly like that-- you scared the CRAP outta me!"

"Ah! A-Ahem--" Crowley blinked, giving an embarrassed cough. "Do excuse me-- I lost my composure for a moment there."

Stepping back, he adjusted his tie, brushing down the front of his vest before folding his hands behind his back. "In short-- the use of magic is always accompanied by a certain amount of risk..."

Turning his head again, he gave the small group one last long, solemn look. "...And I expect you all, as mages in training, to keep this fact at the forefront of your minds. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," Ace, Deuce and Grim chorused, nodding quickly.

"Y-Yes," Kat added, nodding as well.

"Hmm..." Crowley looked at them, then perked up, smiling happily again. "...Very well! That concludes your special lesson from none other than your kind, generous Headmaster himself! Now, go on, go on--"

He flapped his hands at them in a shooing motion, still smiling. "Off with you. It's the end of the school day, after all-- go on! Be young, have fun-- ah, but don't forget your club activities. Or your homework!"

"Right, sir," Deuce agreed, bowing his head briefly. Turning, he and Ace started to make the long walk back across the room while the headmaster bustled back to his desk.

Grim hopped down off her shoulder, starting to follow them. "Hey, Kat-- you comin' or what?" He called, pausing to look back up at her.

Kat, however, stayed where she was. "Um," she said after a second.

"Hm?" Crowley, sitting back down at his desk, perusing a sheaf of papers as he twiddled a pen between his gold-clawed fingers, looked up. "...Ah-- Miss Prefect. Yes? What is it?"

Kat glanced back at Ace and Deuce, who had stopped by the door, watching curiously. Stepping forward, she held her elbow nervously, biting her lip. "Well, it's about-- um... S-Sending me home? Have you figured anything out about that yet?"

"...Eh?" He blinked comically back at her for a second. "...Ah! Ah-- ahhhhhh, yes, o-of course..."

He coughed a few more times, putting the papers and pen down hurriedly. "Yes, yes-- a way to return you to your former world, correct?"

"...Yes," Kat said slowly after a second, like she was talking to someone a little dense. She... Didn't have a very good feeling about this.

"Of course, of course!" Crowley nodded, spreading his hands again with another beam... One that, she couldn't help but notice, seemed a little more strained than usual. "Why, naturally, I've been diligently searching for any scrap of information that might lead to a way to return you home! I certainly haven't forgotten, I assure you! It's just that-- well..."

He tapped his fingers on the desktop, claws making a clacking sound against the varnished wood.

"The truth is, I've been quite busy lately... It really is just one thing after another for me. Once one pressing matter is laid to rest, another pops up in its place! Oh, dear..." With a slightly theatrical sigh, he put the claws of his other hand on his mask's forehead, shaking his head.

...Are you fucking kidding me? Kat just barely managed to hold herself back from saying out loud. Screwing up her mouth into a sour expression, she crossed her arms, giving the Headmaster a flat, disgusted stare that he wasn't even looking at.

Grim came back up next to her ankle, standing up on his back paws and giving the headmaster a suspicious look. "...Your eyes got all shifty all of a sudden," he said flatly.

"Wh-Wh... Why, Grim-kun!" Crowley protested, pushing his chair back and standing up, giving him a sharp look. "Are you implying that you believe I'm LYING?! Why, the very idea! I'll have you know, preparations for the upcoming October inter-dorm Magical Shift tournament are proving extremely taxing this year! In fact, I have a meeting with the housewardens regarding it in less than ten minutes' time!"

"...Huh?" Grim asked, twizzling his ears. "Magical... Shift? Tournament? What's that?"

Author's Notes:

'You criticize the Headmaster?? You criticize the Headmaster like the naysayer??? Oh! Oh! Jail! Jail for Grim and MC! Jail for Grim and MC for Ten Thousand Years!'

...Why is he like this? Why, why, why is he like this?

(I'm... Actually getting more and more on-board with the 'crowley is too sus to not be involved somehow' train the more I write this, lol. At first, I was kinda like 'eh, whatever, he's just an obnoxious, incompetent slacker' but now...)

(It's like, he's either up to something, or he's legitimately that incompetent, which, like... How. How even.)

(Bro, idk. But I've got my eye on you, birdbrain.)

'Overblot is exceedingly rare, less than one in a million chance' ha. Haha. Hahahaha. Ha.

...Hm.

this_is_fine.png*

Going a little more in-depth with the explanations of magic and blot, like, fleshing it out a little more, IG. What I came up with just... Feels right. Yeah.

It was hard to explain, though. Sometimes, I-- I have the concepts in my head, but trying to jam words together to explain it just... Doesn't seem to work.

If only I could, like, Professor X telepath-commune some of the things in my head, I feel like I'd have at least a FEW less problems, in both writing and general communication.

Next time: SPORTS! AKA the lore dump on Quidditch, But Make It Football With A Frisbee.