"Ohhh, bath, you don’t know how I missed you.” The water was hot, as I liked it, and the mermaid was "sleeping." I know she was pretending to, but it was better for both of us.

I used the time to do some nail filing. Breaking off the tip wasn’t really a clean thing, and I didn’t want to run around with an ugly nail like that.

Should I make me some braids? Lorain’s braids looked really nice, and I think they would look nice on me. But my hair was so long. It would take ages to make them. Maybe I could go with a crown braid. That would look pretty, I think. Or maybe I could go with a ponytail. I haven’t had one in quite a while, and it’s not much effort. I think I will keep the crown braid for something special. Like another date. Wait a moment. Since when do I care so much? Since when is letting my hair dry and just combing it a little not an option anymore? What has he done to me? I want my old life back. It was so simple.

Oh, the face I was making looks funny in the mirror. Now I’m curious. How do I look when I pout?

Did I really do that in front of him? Why does he like me? That looks so childish. Maybe I should train to make a different face. One that doesn’t make me look like a spoiled brat but still shows him what I want.

Is that the sun? But I did just make a few faces in the mirror. How can that be? That can at most have taken a few hours. Okay, my hair is all curly and dry; maybe I really let myself go too long. I should quickly take my dress and go before the spies come. They usually use the bath in the morning, and I don’t want to meet them here. No, I don’t want to meet them in general.

Okey, maybe I should start bringing spare clothes to the bath. Wearing a dress again that was ruined by milk and something that was probably droll on the shoulder made me feel dirty again. Still, I can’t run back naked, so I guess I just needed to bathe again. Do I have time for that? Probably not. I needed to bring Will his breakfast, and I also needed to talk with mom about how to prepare a lesson properly. I also hadn’t met my brother in the last two days. What a busy day. But what dress do I wear for that. The pink one? No, it makes me too girly. Not that I disliked being girly, but it made me look like the daughter of an old wizard family that was about to be sold off. I was more than just a girl to be sold off. I was... well, what was I? I couldn’t remain the cute daughter of one of the founders forever. Right, I was Uncle’s successor in potions. I would be a teacher. Maybe I should be careful when saying that. Mother or Uncle will put more classes on me, and I didn’t even hold my first lesson. Anyway, the turquoise dress looked good as well. Or maybe I could wear the school uniform. It would be far more comfortable when I visited Will. That reminds me. Do I even have one in my size? I can’t remember wearing one in the last three or four years, and I have grown since then. Not much, but still, the uniform wouldn’t fit anymore. Oh, it looks like mother has replaced my old one. It’s even brand new. So, school uniform it is. It didn’t even look too bad. I was just not used to wearing a skirt and tights, but the white shirt and the black robe did look good. I abstained from wearing a tie. I know it was good for people to notice in which house you were, but I think I was a little outside the regular system. I mean, unlike my brother, I didn’t even sleep in the regular dormitory.

I went to the great hall, and most tables were already used. They weren’r filled to the brim, but if there were any free tables, new groups would take them instead of sitting next to others.

Okay, I just noticed that I forgot to bring the basket with me. I guess I just needed to hurry then so that we don’t need to eat cold. I began to pack the plate when I remembered that he might want something besides just meat. But what would he like? The tomatoes didn’t really look like something that should be eaten. It felt far to squishy. Maybe an apple.

“Hello daughter.” I heard a voice in my back, but I ignored it. I had a mission to fulfill. So, an apple and the orange thingies looked okay too. Carrots, yes, he would want carrots, I’m sure.

“Hello daughter.” Can’t he see that I’m busy.

“So, I heard an interesting rumor and wanted to know if it’s true.” I can’t hear you, Lalala.

“Okay, just listen to me. I know we aren’t always on best terms, but I just want you to know that I’m happy for you. And if you are willing, I would be happy if you introduced him to me. I mean, I could probably ask around, but it would be nice if YOU introduced me to him.” Lalala. Lala. Oh, he is still talking. Lalala. Wait? Did he just say he wants me to introduce Will to him? Who does he think he is?

“Are you sure he wants to eat all that?” I stared at my plate and noticed that maybe I had packed too many apples and too much of everything on the plate. Okay, now keep ignoring him. Will will just need to eat a bit more.

I went away stoically, not glancing back. I didn’t want to introduce Will to him. If he wanted to, he could ask around all he wanted; I didn’t care.

“Carpe Diem.” This time, the fat girl didn’t comment on me and just opened the door. She was learning too, I guess.

The Lionhearts also didn’t really notice me. Or at least most didn’t notice me. I think it was the advantage of wearing the school uniform.

Knock knock.

“Wait a moment.” That was close. I was about to open the door.

“You can come in now.” He was in his bed as yesterday, but he wore a different pyjama. I’m sure he had even cleaned up a little.

“Sorry, I just came back from the bath. I thought that even though I am a little ill, that doesn’t mean that I can become a savage.” Damned right you are. You were stinking yesterday. I just didn’t say anything because you are ill. That I drolled on his pillow was probably also another reason. Still, I think a nod would be enough of a comment to him taking the much-needed bath.

“I brought you breakfast. With vegetables and everything this time.”

“I can see that. Is that a whole onion on the plate?” He sounded like there shouldn’t be a whole onion on the plate. Can I throw the second one away before he notices? Nope, he was totally focused on me. Damned. Another embarrassing moment. Maybe I should just stop the whole farce and burry myself in the garden.

“Don’t worry. That can happen.” At least he was understanding. So I will save the garden for another time.

I gave him the plate and took off my shoes before I wanted to climb into his bed.

That reminded me of something.

“Give me one of your shirts.” Oh no, he started choking. What do I do? Would patting on the back be enough?

“Sorry, I’m fine now. Why do you want one of my shirts?” Stupid question.

“So that you can wash the pillow.”

“What has that to do with my pillow?” he looked genuinely confused. Was he not like the boys Loraine had described? Or did he want the shirt and the pillow? Was he worse than the boys Lorain talked about?

“Lorain told me… She told me that… you know… that boys like to keep something that smells like the girls they like. And I don’t want you to not wash that stinky pillow for two weeks.” Lorain, I swear, if you pranked me, your life will become living hell.

He giggled. Was that a good or a bad sign?

“I cleaned the pillow yesterday right after you left, so you don’t need to worry about it.” Lorain I’m going to kill you.

“I don’t know what Lorain told you, but I clean everything in my room every second day, so even if THAT didn’t happen, I would have cleaned it today. Okay, maybe tomorrow. I don’t feel fit enough to clean everything today, even if it just takes a few minutes with magic.”

“So you don’t want me to wear a shirt for you?” I asked just to be sure.

“I didn’t say that.” So he was like the boys Lorain told me about.

“You need to relax, Charly. You are overthinking things. Can you promise me something?” What did he mean by overthinking things? I always think like that. And I am relaxed. Okay, maybe not. Maybe meeting HIM had put me more on edge than I thought. But I don’t think it should have been really noticeable. And what did he want me to promise him? I nodded to him to show him that I was at least listening.

“I want you to promise me that you won’t do anything that you feel uncomfortable with just because you think it might please me.” Why was he so serious about it? It was just about wearing a shirt. I would have survived it.

“I didn’t…”

“You did. You have been doing it since you came here yesterday. Listen Charly. I have tried to invite you for a date more times than I can count, but when I did, I never tried to change who I was to please you. I was always me. And at the moment, you are just trying to find ways just so that you would look good in front of me. At least it feels that way to me. I really appreciate that, but I don’t want you to become unhappy because of that.” What was he talking about? I was 100% me. I was more me than I had been in years. I mean, it’s a different side of me, but I think I did nothing; I did little I would have liked to avoid.

“But I thought… But I really don’t care. If you want a shirt that smells like me, you just need to ask. I…”

“It’s not about the shirt. I mean, not only. But I think you don’t even realize how tense you are all the time.” Was it really that obvious? And I mean, wasn’t it normal to be a little tense? I mean, most of the things are things I do for the first time, and I’m really unsure if I’m doing them right, but they don’t make me unhappy, even if they're not really relaxing.

“What if that’s the real me?” I mean, I was unsure about that, but at the moment, it did feel right. Who was he to tell me who I am? Oh, that took him off-guard. He looked… well, he looked still tired and ill, but he also looked as if he were thinking about what I said. He blinks more when he does that. I least I think he does.

“So you are telling me that you bringing me food, cuddling with me all day, wearing a shirt for me, and even dressing differently than usual is the real you? I mean, I won’t stop you. I like it, I really do, but if you don’t want to do anything of these things, you can just say it.”

“I have the feeling you really don’t know me well.” I said it with a grin. It was nice that he worried, even if I was a little offended by the way he said it.

“That’s because you didn’t tell me much about yourself yet. I could only make my own observations.” Okey, that was fair, but still, it wasn’t like I knew more about him.

“Okay, then I will tell you something you seem to not know about me.” I grinned, I wanted him to understand that I was really sure about one thing. “I never do something I don’t want to do.”

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“That’s the girl I know.” He returned my smile. That wasn’t what I was expecting, but fine.

“And do you want to know what I want to do right now?” If he wanted me to be me, I would just be me. Take it or leave it, but that’s what you wanted.

“No?” he looked interested and even a little expecting. I could feel my heart beating faster. What was he thinking about? I was sure he was thinking about something different than me. Would he tell me? I went closer to his head so that our lips almost touched.

“So what were you thinking about just now?” I really wanted to know. Maybe he had an even more "exciting" idea than mine.

“I uhhhm, I would rather not say.” Hey that wasn’t fair. I was always honest. Why was he acting like that now.

“And if I want you to tell me?” speak now. I want to know. I really, really wanna know.

“Promise me that you don’t get angry.” Okay, did I really want to know it now? Yes, I wanted to.

“I promise.” He was basically blackmailing me, so that promise didn’t count.

“I wanted too…, well let's just say I was inspired by the good view.” Good view? What was he talking about? I didn’t make a fake promise for that answer.

“What are you talking about?” In that position, he couldn’t have seen anything besides me and maybe a bit of the room, so what was he talking about?

"Answer,” he was looking away now. Was it really so embarrassing to say it? I mean, at this point, I was sure it was something perverted, but was there really a need to make so much drama about it?

“The top bottoms of your shirt are open. What do you think I would think about in that moment?” Ups. That wasn’t intended. I guess I didn’t close them properly this morning because I wanted to get here fast. But was it really so bad that he was even unable to look into my eyes? I mean, he has already seen my breast once. I mean, it was just for a moment, but he was making a much bigger deal out of it than it needed to be. Oh wait. I was his first girlfriend, right? Did breasts really make all men go dump? I mean, HE got dump when he saw someone with big breasts, but mine weren’t so big. The question was now: did I still want to do what I wanted to do with him or should I be upset about it? Mother always said I shouldn’t let anyone do perverted things with me, but I was sure that didn’t include my boyfriend. I mean, she did it with HIM too, and more.

“I’m sorry, I couldn’t stop myself from looking.” He looked really sorry. But I wasn’t really mad at him. I mean, I didn’t even know if I should be. If we ever wanted to do IT he would see it anyway, right?

“It’s fine, I guess. I mean, don’t do it again without asking, but I guess I should have closed the buttons properly.” I tried to be reasonable here. I mean, I know that Aunt Seraphina was quite prudish, and she was still single, so I didn’t want to end up like her. Wait a moment. How did she get Helena? Who was her father? I mean, she got pregnant during the year they founded the school, but I have never seen her with a man. I mean, I was quite little back then. Only four years old, and I don’t remember everything, but I’m sure I would remember if Aunt had a man following her around. I mean, besides the ones that came to the school and wanted to marry her because she was the smartest witch alive. I mean, a man she didn’t send away the moment they even came up with the topic. Anyway, I didn’t want to end up like her, so I guess being a bit more open wouldn’t hurt. Still my mood was a little runined.

“What do you mean without asking?” What is he… Oh no, that’s not how I meant it.

“Just don’t look.” Did he need to make it so complicated?

“I can’t promise that.” What? Why not. It’s not so hard to behave yourself. Okey mother told me the same, but that is something different, and her definition of behaving is boring.

“Is it really so difficult not to look?” I wanted to understand what went through his head.

“Have you seen yourself in the mirror? That I’m not drooling is all I can manage.” Okey, I could feel how my head was heating up. I could even feel my heart beat in my ears.

“If you drool, you need to find yourself a new girlfriend.” My heart was still beating like crazy. Was I a pervert as well because I liked what he said?

Suddenly, the door to the dormity opened. A boy of Will’s age came in, threw his bag in a corner, and threw himself on one of the empty beds.

He didn’t seem to have noticed me.

“Hey Red, why are you back already?” Why are you talking to him, Will? I don’t want to be seen like that. I found cover under the blanket again. If I don’t move, wait till the night, he will never see me lying here.”

“Professor Nightquill threw me out of her classroom after I had blown up one of her gadgets. I mean, why was she putting something into the classroom that a repair spell couldn’t fix?”

“What did you do?” I poked Will in the side. He should give me an opportunity to get out.

“We were training with shield charms to deflect incoming spells. Well, turns out you can use multiple at the same time, and the spells get a little accelerated when deflected, so Jordan and I built a loop. After around five seconds, the spell flew out of the loop and hit her desk.” That sounded surprisingly funny. Man, I wish I could use magic as well. It would be so awesome.

“By the way, your girlfriend can come out; I have seen her. I mean, what’s the great deal? Yesterday she was sleeping without a care in the world.” Ouch. Another embarrassing moment to add to the long list of embarrassing moments from the past week.

"Hi, I’m Charlotte,” I came out from under the blanket. No need to stay there if he knew I was there.

“Hello Charlotte, I’m Brian, but you can call me Red.” Okay, I was confused. How do you get to Red from Brian?

“He made a mistake in the first year and brewed a potion that turned him red, but he tells the younger students that he gets called that because he fought a gryffon and got covered in its blood when he was out on an adventure.” Wow, that was sooo lame. Should I call him Red the Lame? Red the fraud?

“Hey, don’t ruin my image. I never did something like that.” Okey, I know that sound in his voice. He definitely did it.

“Anyway, Charlotte, what about you? There are so many theories about you, and I’m curious. Are you really a werecat? Or is the demon story true? Do you drink blood like wine? Are you really unable to use magic? Did Professor Humblehill make a deal with the devil because she thought she couldn't get children? Can you really mind-control people that look into your eyes?”

“Stop it, Red. That’s rude.” Yes, it definitely was. But I honestly could deal with such bluntness better than with those spinless cowards who only talked behind my back.

“It’s fine, Will. I guess only the magic part is somewhat true. When did they come up with that mind control crap?” It wasn’t as if I didn’t know what people said about me. I mean, as a child, it really bothered me, but after a few years, I got used to it. I mean, most people didn’t even know I could hear them because my hearing is a little more sensitive, and it wasn’t the first time someone asked me so directly either. But it was the first time someone asked out of curiosity and not out of fear. So I was inclined to answer his questions. And it had nothing to do with me wanting to stay in Will's bed any longer instead of leaving to avoid the talk. Not in the least.

“Is that really new? I mean, I was told about it in my second year, so I don’t really know. I mean, the theory got a lot more popular in the last two days, but I guess you know the reason for that.” Yeah, I get it. I’m an ugly, evil girl that can only get Will’s attention because I mind-control him. I would bet that these rumors are spread by some jealous bitches. If I ever find out which one of them is spreading those rumors, I will throw them from the highest tower. They always forget that my fist is the best tool to “mind control” someone.

“So, Will, when do you think you are fit enough to go to the lessons again? Or did you start to get comfortable with getting treated like a little prince by your girlfriend?” Hey, I didn’t treat him like a prince. Princes have competent personnel. I brought him an onion and drolled on his pillow. He would surely want to get healthy as soon as possible. I mean, it's not that I would mind… I mean, I’m getting better at it, aren’t I? I mean, at least he got his vegetables. The onion was just a small mistake.

“Why? Do you miss me? Or are you jealous? Maybe you just don’t want to work with Keith and Joshua anymore?” Miss him? Jealous? No, Nonono, I need to get these pictures out of my head. He isn’t like that. I’m sure. Not after what he said about my breast. Should I test it again just to be sure? No, I will give him the benefit of the doubt here. It’s probably just a boy thing. Are Keith and Joshua the guys that sleep in the other two empty beds?

“What if I am? So when are you coming back?” Why is he looking at me? “I feel much better already. Maybe tomorrow or the day after.” Did that mean I won’t be able to visit him that much after he is healthy again? I mean, we still just had one date, and this was just first-date healthcare, right? But maybe he wouldn’t mind me visiting either way. But he would have much more to do then, too.

“He needs to stay in bed for two more days.” I wouldn’t let him take that away from me. I wanted to do it. I wanted to spend as much time with him as I wanted.

“Look how she cares about you. You lucky devil.” Hehe, right. He was a lucky devil. But he was my lucky devil. Wait a moment. Was I his lucky charm? Oh, he kissed me. That came as a surprise. Was that the first public kiss? Semi-public, we only had Red looking at us.

“Yes, I’m lucky. Really lucky. How is it working with Morgana? Is she still rejecting you?” Wait a moment. Are they talking about Morgana Fay? My new student? Red had a crush on her?

“Don’t ask. She doesn’t even look at me. I mean, I tried everything, and I believed she would slowly open up a little, but now she has become his personal student, so we don’t even have lessons together anymore. I mean, besides Defence against Mundane Weapons. But in our first lessons, she picked that gigolo Augustus as a partner. I mean, she totally trashed him, and I was glad she beat him up instead of me, but still.” Okay, they were definitely talking about my students. Should I tell them? Should I stay silent? And Augustus is really what I took him for, it seems. Even the boys think that.

“Sorry Bro. I can’t help you there. But persistence might pay off. Maybe just talk to her during dinner?” Oh noo. William is really the last person who should give advice on that. I hated it when he disturbed me during my meals. Maybe I should say something. But do I really want to meddle in one of my students' relationships?

“She always sits with Professor Snake, and you know… He and I. That would end in chaos?” Hey, what did he have against uncle? Uncle is awesome. I’m sure Red is in the wrong there. Or maybe he is just a terrible student. I mean, even Aunt Seraphina threw him out of class. Yeah, it has to be that.

“Then try your luck during the Walpurgis Ball, or if you can’t wait, ask her to be your date for the New Year's party. I know that she didn’t go last year, but that also means that she also had no partner last year. Try your luck.” Oh shit. I totally forgot about those things as I never attended them, but Will would surely want to go there. I mean, even Aunt Seraphina said those parties were not so terrible, and she really wasn’t the social type. I mean, she hated to stop her research for anything she deemed unnecessary, and parties definitely counted towards that. So saying that it was not terrible was the greatest compliment she could give to a party. I mean, she was forced to attend one of the noble houses’ parties, and for one week she complained about how much time she had lost. Walpurgisnight was even more highly celebrated, and for some reason, it became a thing that people invited each other as dance partners for the whole evening. It was heavily frowned upon attending without a date and would make you an outcast. It was an incredibly judgy event, and I heard a story about a couple that became a laughingstock because they slipped up during a dance. I couldn’t dance. I never learned to. Never saw the reason too. And now? I knew that Will would want to attend. It was practically expected of him to attend, as he has a girlfriend now. In this case, me. Okey, don’t panic, I can manage that. I still have... around three months for the New Year's party and almost seven months for the Walpurgis night. So seven months to learn how to dance. But I needed someone to teach me. Would my mother show me? She was so busy recently that I would feel bad asking her. Uncle was also busy, which was a pity, because I heard he was an incredibly good dancer. Could I ask Will? Would he laugh because I don’t know? I mean, everyone learns how to dance in year one or two. There was just never someone who was willing to dance with me. Okey never might be an overstatement because I only visited the first lesson, but it wouldn’t have changed anything.

“I don’t know, man. I mean, would she really accept if I just asked her? If it were so easy, she would have accepted to go on a date months ago.” Poor Red.

“Do you have an idea?” I was surprised that Will even considered asking me. This looked more like a discussion between him and his friend. At least he whispered so that Red wouldn’t expect me to have a solution. But was that normal? I mean, that I as his girlfriend, needed to advise his friends on how to get their crushes' attention? If yes, was I really qualified to do that? I didn’t even know Morgana that well. Please let me just stay out of this. She will also become my student, so I don’t want to have anything to do with that.

“No, and I need to go now. I still have work to do. I still need to take a closer look at Merlin’s homework.” Nice, perfect. Now he thinks that work is more important to me than him or his friend. But I still hadn’t figured out how I could teach Merlin in the best way possible, so I needed to figure out the similarities between the potions he didn’t do perfectly.

“Oh, okay, I didn’t know you had plans today. Who is Merlin?” Could I hear a little jealousy in his voice? Yes, that definitely was jealousy. Hihi.

“Oh, he is just one of Uncle’s students and I help him with his potion studies. And he needs a lot of attention.” Hehe. A little tease can never hurt. Now he will think about me until I come back. The look on his face was also priceless. Maybe I should compensate him later on. I still wanted to try that thing. But I don’t know if he dares to.

“See you later, Charlotte.”

“See you later Red.”

“Hey, don’t I get a goodbye-kiss?”

“Fine.” Ups, forgot about it because of the teasing.

“Do I get one too?” What? Red, what are you talking about? Not cool. Did he have some brain damage? Why would I kiss him? He didn’t even look as good as Will. He didn’t have cute little frickles; he had boring brown hair, and compared to Will, he was a twig. And HE WASN'T MY BOYFRIEND.

“Shut up, Red. See you later, Charly.” Okey, I definitely needed to get used to their interactions. It was just too different from what I was used to. Boys were strange. It reminded me of what Lorain said. Boys do stupid, sometimes disgusting, and sometimes cute things. I guess I was beginning to understand what she meant there.

The Lionhearts just gave me the usual glare, but I could hear them returning to their usual business before I even left the door.