Luna Void woke with a stretch and a yawn, squinting at the rising sun showing through one of the large windows of her room in the high tower. Webs of frost encrusted the outside of the window, and the entirety of the campus that sprawled and rose below her glimmered in the dawn light with a white dusting of frost or light snow. She smiled as she noted the winking lights of the sprites and will o' wisps flitting in the shadows of the Living Maze. Soon they would be playing and tricking arriving students. Catching the first wisp of the year was a tradition that she always competed heavily in when she was a student here.
As she dressed in the heavy ceremonial robes that she always wore on a first day, she checked the variety of magical indicators, clocks and monitors that festooned the small desk in the corner by the armoire. The school was currently deep in the Canadian wilderness, not that that would have much impact on the arrivals of the students. Much of the faculty and staff had already arrived over the last week, but she still hadn't heard anything from Isobel or Soibahn and she had what she hoped would be the final interview for a new Numerology professor. She placed the wide-brimmed and ridiculously tall witch's hat on her head and spared a moment to look in the mirror. The silver and gold embroidered stars and moons slowly danced across her robes and hat, highlighting constellation configurations and other notable alignments with a subtle flashing glint of soft white light. She smiled at the effect, picked up her wand from the desk and with a gesture vanished from the room.
The grand and impossible castle was buzzing and alive with activity, even this early in the day for today was Arrival Day! The day when the students, new and old, came to the campus. Classes wouldn't start until Monday, but the weekend would be full of old friends meeting up for the first time in a month, excited to show new things gained over the break or to talk about family vacations and drama. There would be new students trying to learn the flow and patterns of the castle and the school. Inevitably there would be interesting magical happenings occurring all over the place.
As the earliest of students arrived on the grounds, the kitchens have already been hard at work preparing breakfasts and snacks. Various human and non-human staff were working to make sure the dormitory rooms were ready for their occupants, and various brownies, domovoi, and killmouilis moved through the halls chasing out loose animator effects, smudges, and other housekeeping tasks. The branches of the Living Maze flexed and twisted as if in anticipation. A small heard of Catoblepas raised their heads from the partially frozen reeds at the edge of the lake, eyeing the approaching Magical Creatures Professor. A few other staff members were fanning out from behind him to help recapture the escapees while a flock of Frostwings drifted through the air overhead, a soft burst of snowflakes erupting with each slow wing beat.
Numerous flyers decorated the walls and small tables of pamphlets and refreshments had been setup near all the common entry points. These notices included information about the grand Welcoming Dinner planned for Sunday evening, as well as notices about last minute changes in course and club availability. The pamphlets included jaunty animated illustrations of generic students and professors performing spells, playing and laughing. Prominent on all of the notices was an alert that a flock of Chickcharney have taken up roost near the Defensive Magic classrooms and care should be taken from disturbing them for fear of the not-well-understood luck manipulation abilities.