Contract magic

Contract magic is the force behind every story contract in the world. It needs a constant flow of signees to express itself as strongly as it does. It is also behind Ever After High, through the Headmaster and the Administrators, who are themselves signees.

Powers

The magic can exert influence over signees in multiple ways, forcing their actions and emotions if they are not already willingly following the contract. This is generally seamless, meaning that unless it would be useful otherwise, the signee will fully believe that these actions and emotions have come about of their own free will.

Underage signees

Underage signees are signees younger than the normal signing age of 16, for various reasons. Usually, their contracts require them to be young children, and therefore they are given simple training programs rather than a full high school program.

Hidden information

Many contracts (e.g. Evil Queen) require the signee to fail to realize they are being decieved, fail to solve an issue whose solution is outlined later in the contract, or otherwise be unaware of some piece of information.

Similar to other influence over the actions and emotions of signees, the magic can temporarily remove access to certain information from a signee's mind, until the narrative calls for them to be aware of it. If there is no specific point where they would be made aware of it, they are typically made aware at the end of the story, unless they are dead.

Sentience

The sentience of the contract magic is certainly debatable, with plenty of evidence on both sides.

According to one argument, the magic is magic, which on its own has never been recorded to have been sentient. It can often provide convincing facsimiles of sentience, especially if the magic is as old and as divorced from its creation as this magic is. It has grown extensively since the early days, and is able to essentially take over anyone who has signed a contract. However, this takeover is used only to further the contracts and the magic's survival, much in the way a non-sentient parasitic mushroom might take over an insect's body for its own use.

According to the other argument, the magic's use of signees goes beyond the contracts and shows intent and planning. It also modified many species to serve its goals, and has altered many things about the world over the time it has existed. Besides that, it created Ever After High and still controls it, through the contracts it created for the Headmaster and the Administrators.