"Ah, young love. So naive. Listen here. She might make you feel special now, but so would any other girl. Trust me, I had a dozen, and all were "special." I mean, she is indeed special, but you get what I mean, right? So go to her, apologize, and if she doesn’t want to talk, find the next girl. It's as easy as that. Don’t linger on a woman who doesn’t want you. You will die alone if you do that.“ Hey, "Archy” shouldn’t you be on my side? Why are you saying something like that? Should I just go to him before he tells Will even more stupid things?

“It’s not like that. She isn’t just a special girl. She is THE special girl, Archy. She is worth the risk. She is worth the wait. I mean, I tried to get close to her for years; I won’t let it all go to waste after she finally began to recognize me. Not because I made ONE stupid mistake. Even if I need to apologize a hundred times.” Ohh, Will. You are a fool. What if I hadn’t heard you now? I would probably... Well, let's not think about it. I should probably talk to him before he changes his mind. Or Archimedis changes his mind. I didn’t know the guy was such a chauvinist.

“Then you will probably die a virgin boy.”

“Shut up Archimedis.” Damned I was to late.

“Maybe I should place you next to the portraits of the sleeping farting orgre and the one-eyed cat lady.”

“Please don’t. You are the most beautiful, merciful, intelligent, gracious, elegant, wonderful, friendly, captivating, gentle, stylish, classy, kind-hearted…”

“Just stop, or I will really place you there,” I said, but was just staring at Will. He looked even paler than before, and I could see some sweat drops on his head.

“Thank the magic, I was running out of nice words anyway. Now you are on your own, little boy.”

“Will, I…I…”

“What happened to you? Whose blood is that? Are you hurt?” he looked at me, worried but also a little hesitant. But I guess considering my current outfit, that should have been expected. Should I change clothes before we talk?

“It’s fine. It’s just my own.” I sounded more downcast than expected. I felt even worse when I showed him my bloody bandage as "proof,” as I felt the need to justify myself. Why am I justifying myself? Shouldn’t he trust me? Wasn’t that the whole reason we were in this situation? Because he didn’t trust me? No, wait. I’m sure he would have asked the same questions if someone else appeared with a shirt drenched in blood. So I shouldn’t hold that one against him, right? Or should I, because he was my boyfriend and should trust me? Hold on. I still think of him as my boyfriend. That is a good sign, I hope. I mean, from what I heard, he wanted that I forgive him, so I think he wants me to stay his girlfriend too. At least, I hope. Damned hope.

“It’s not fine. We need to find a teacher. So much blood, how are you even walking right now?” He could be quite cute if he wanted to. I’m sure it just looks so bad because my shirt was white. I mean, I felt worse after using a little magic. I just needed to eat a bit of beefjerky, and I would be fine.

“It looks worse than it is. But that’s not important right now, Will. I’m sorry for running away. It was stupid, I know. I just thought for a moment that you, too, thought I was a monster. It made me feel so... so alone. I…”

“Charlotte stop. It’s not your fault. I should have been more sensible. You know, when you talked about it, talked about using magic, you looked so… so wanting, and for a short moment, I was scared that you would be unable to stop. Especially as you yourself said, it was addicting. When I tried to imagine it, I forgot for a moment that you are… well, you. You wouldn’t intentionally hurt someone. At least not without good reason. Can you forgive me?” He called me Charlotte again. That had to be a bad sign. Did I really look so frightening when I talked about it? And most importantly, do I want to end the topic here? I mean, looking back at the last few days, I was really happy. I still am somewhat, if I'm honest, but I won’t forget the pain either. Is it too much to ask for to be sure that he is the right one?

He now stood in front of me. Close enough that he just needed to stretch his arm out. He looked so exhausted that I was sure a small wind would blow him over, and yet he looked at me in a way that made me feel that he would always protect me if I let him. I didn’t need protection, but that feeling was just too comforting. How could I really say no to him now?

I took a step forward and hugged him. It wasn’t a tight hug. It was more like a soft embrace.

“Can you call me Charly again?” It felt strange when he called me Charlotte. As if he was getting away from me. I had to get him to call me Charly again before it was too late.

“Yes Charly. Definitely yes.” The embrace got a bit tighter, but the feeling of softness didn’t disappear.

“I heard your talk with Archimedis just now. Am I really that special to you?” I wanted to hear it again. I wanted him to say it to my face. I wanted to see if he really thought that.

“You are Charly. You are the most special person to me. And you get more important to me with each day.” I saw that he wanted to kiss me. Was I ready for it again? Would it become awkward if I wanted him to wait a little? Oh, too late; his lips are already on mine.

The moment could have been perfect if I hadn’t seen Archimedis give Will thumbs up from the corner of my eyes. Why was I friendly to him in the past few days again?

“We should still find you one of the professors. Someone should look after that.” He was probably right. I didn’t want to have any more scars, so taking care of that should be a priority.

“You are right, but… but you should go back now. You are still ill and should be in bed. And Will… I won’t be visiting tomorrow. I think it was too much at once. The last few days felt like a rush. It was nice, but I realized that maybe I was wanting too much too quickly. So, let’s just start with a second date for now. Is that okay for you? I mean, mom said that good things take time, and I… I think we should go a little slower and get to know each other a little more. And as weird as it sounds, we should learn to trust each other. I mean, I shouldn’t have run away, but I wouldn’t have if I had been sure you… you know. And if you knew me better, you also wouldn’t have asked that question, right?” He looked at me a little hesitantly before sighing. Did I say something wrong? Did I ruin everything on the last step.

“Maybe you are right. I don’t like it, but you are right. And yes, a second date sounds good. In three days, on Friday again, right? But don’t forget it again.”

“That was just one time!” I protested.

“Which is every time till now.” Okay, fine, I guess that was right. Now, hush hush, before I change my mind.

“Okay, same time, but this time you show me your favorite place. And now go to bed; I don’t want you to be ill during the date.” I regretted a little that I had to wait for Friday to spend time with him now, but it was for the best. At least I hoped that.

“I will. But you go to find someone to treat you. I don’t want you to fall over because you lost so much blood.” He wanted to turn around and go, but I held him back and gave him one last long kiss before I let him go.

“Archimedis, you are on thin ice. Behave yourself the next time he is here, and don’t think I didn’t see what you showed him.”

“I’m sorry, my lady. When the boy sits crying in front of me again, I will just send him back.”

“Did he really cry?” I hope not, but I guess everything is fine now, right?

“A gentleman takes a brother's secrets to the tomb.” Did he really try to play the honor card after what he said to Will? Fine, I have different priorities now.

I went into my room to check mom's schedule. As it changes every year, I was unsure where she was at the moment. I mean, Uncle Severin only uses three classrooms that are all next to each other, so it would be easy to test all three, but mom sometimes taught in the greenhouse, and as amazing as Uncle was, I wanted to go to mom.

She has a divination curse right now with the fifth graders.

I thought for a short moment that maybe I should change clothes but decided that I could just cover the bloody spots with a towel. No need to ruin a perfectly good dress. I mean, mother could clean it easily, but she would have enough to do with cleaning up the bath and my current clothes.

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I sneaked to her classroom, awkwardly carrying my bag in front of me. The lesson was still ongoing, and I heard how mother taught them how to block scrying spells. The subject was called divination, but the real divination only started in the sixth year. The five previous years were just about scrying into the past or the present and how to block those things. Everyone could learn it. No, everyone who was able to use magic freely could learn it. Divination, on the other hand, required a natural talent that only a few people possessed. For that reason, the classes after the sixth are increadibly small. One time, there wasn’t even a class, as no student had the talent or wanted to attend the class.

I doubted that I had a talent for it, but we never really tested it. It wouldn’t change anything for me, even if I did, so it would just ruin my mood if we tested it.

When the lesson ended, the students left the classroom. A few students glared at me but non stayed to say something, which was good as I didn’t know how I would have reacted at the moment. By now, the blood loss was giving me a terrible headache, so my mood was at its lowest, even though my quarrel with Will was over. I grinned a little at the thought that we had had our first quarrel. But I didn’t need a second one too soon. I like it more if we cuddle instead of quarreling.

"Charlotte, what are you doing here?” mother looked a little worried, and I know she wouldn’t be pleased with me when I told her what happened.

"Charlotte, what happened? All this blood, are you okay? Let me take a look at you.” Yeah, that was to be expected. Mother pulled out her wand, and the blood in my clothes was sucked out, while she checked for the source of the problem.

“It's just my hand, mom. I… I hit the mirror in the bathroom.” I flinched a little as mother removed my amateur-made bandage. I was glad that mother remained silent and didn’t immediately begin to question me. It was nice that mother always helped first and questioned later, but I know that I wouldn’t be able to escape the questioning.

It hurt a little when she pulled out the small and almost invisible splinters I had missed before, but the pain lessened immediately when a green light came from her wand. The freshly cut, open wounds were beginning to meld together. My skin looked like liquid copper that was reflecting the sun as it happened.

This time, it didn’t leave behind a scar. I guess that was the advantage of getting hurt without “transforming.” I just wish it would have been so easy for my arm.

“Are you feeling fine? Do you need to eat something?” I shook my head. I needed something to eat, but that could wait. I “wanted” to get over with it.

“I had a quarrel with Will. We are fine now, but I was so hurt, mom. I thought I was alone again.”

“I understand. It’s fine, Charlotte. It’s fine. I’m here; don’t worry. You are not alone.” Mother said and gave me a hug, pressing my head against her chest. “You know, Charlotte, it’s normal to sometimes feel hurt. It just means that you like the other person so much that it hurts so much more when he… when you quarrel. I’m sure whatever the reason was, he was as hurt as you.” He was. At least, I think he was. But that only makes me feel worse.

“I don’t want to feel hurt, mom. I don’t want him to feel hurt either. We were just… I think we just need time.” I know mom was still struggling with Uncle after all those years, and that she made up all kinds of reasons why he did what he did, but I didn’t want to have a relationship where hurting each other is something normal. It just shouldn’t be.

“I hope that for you too, Charlotte. I really do. But we need to finish our talk this evening. The next class is standing in front of the door. I will fix the bath, so don’t worry about it.”

“Thanks mom. You are the best.” I gave her a quick hug before I ran to the kitchen. I really needed something to eat. I could eat a whole cow.

Majestro wasn’t amused about me sneaking off with some food, as he was busy preparing dinner for everyone, and a whole chicken missing on the table would be against his perfectionism. Still, he knew that I was allowed to “sneak” everything off as long as it was within certain boundaries. I didn’t even wait till I was back in my room before I started to eat the chicken. Its crusty skin, its juicy meat, and the smell—by the magic, the smell of the chicken and the various spices was simply irresistable. From a certain perspective, I was honoring the chicken by not letting it grow cold along the way.

After eating the whole chicken, I felt a lot better. Stuffed, yes, but also better.

I laid on my bed, rubbing my belly in satisfaction, when I remembered that this time I should probably write the date into my calendar. Just in case, I also marked the New Year's Party and the Walpurgis Ball on April 20th. My mind drifted off a little, thinking about if Will would really ask me and what I should wear then and how far our relationship would have progressed till then, when I realized that I should probably look over the lesson I had to give the next day after breakfast.

I was quite satisfied with what I planned, but how well the lesson worked depended on how well my new students really were. I had assumed a few things based on their grades, but I knew that grades and real understanding were something different. Especially Morgana would need to show me that she understood what she learned. I knew she had perfect grades, but I also knew that Uncle Severin only started to challenge his students after they were competent enough to blow themselves up, which was after 5th grade. Before that, he tried to engrave the basic methods into their brains, like distilling, controlling the flames, weighing the ingredients, preparing them accordingly, etc. Only after the fifth grade did potions became a real science; before that, it was just fancy cooking. I was sure that his personal students were above average, even in their weakest subjects, so I could expect that they wouldn’t try to kill us all.

I remember when I was in my favorite uncle’s regular class, there were some students who almost killed the whole class because they were unable to follow simple instructions, and toxic gas formed because of their concoction. Luckily, Uncle noticed and evacuated the room before taking care of the matter. Remembering this, I grew a little nervous. What if my students were, against all odds, complete morons? What if I was unable to detect gas forming? What would I do if I detected gas forming?

Knock Knock

That was probably my mother, but just for confirmation, I asked beforehand. I should probably make this a habit. I mean, starting tomorrow, I had students that hopefully wouldn’t kill us all, and they might come to me with questions; I had a boyfriend that might want to come over; and Mother and Uncle also visited from time to time, even if I suspected that it wouldn’t be as much as in the past until that whole war thingy was taken care of.

My mother walked in with a soft smile.

“Are you better now? You lost quite a lot of blood. If I had known how much beforehand, I would have escorted you to the kitchen.” Mother didn’t look angry at me, but a little stressed. She was taking care of so many things, and I just handed her some extra work. Unnecessary extra work and worry. Sometimes I asked myself why she put herself through so much suffering, as she could have a pretty relaxed life with her abilities.

“Yes mom. Everything is fine now.” She looked as if some of her burden was taken off when I said that. I wasn’t sure if she wanted to ask for a more detailed explanation of what exactly happened, and now that I was feeling better, I didn’t want to add a new burden to her. She shouldn’t need to worry about my love life. If she should worry about someone's love life, it would be her own. She didn’t have a new boyfriend since HIM and I was worried that she would not change it unless someone pushed her towards it. There had to be a nice guy out there who was her age and not married yet. Okey, that was unlikely, as most people married at sixteen or seventeen. I think the main reason was that parents were able to marry off their children before they turned seventeen. After that, it wasn’t as easy anymore as they were officially adults, and most parents needed to resort to some other pressure to get their children to marry. But even if the parents had a hands-off approach, most got married before eighteen or nineteen. So the probability of finding a decent single man at mother's age was increadibly slim. Maybe a widower was an option. Preferably without kids. I didn’t need any additional siblings. Uncle Severin was, in my opinion, also an option, but I assume if that were a possibility, then it would have happened years ago.

“That is good to hear. I’m sorry I didn’t have time for you... the time you would have needed. Do you want to talk about it?” Mother was like my best friend, so I normally would want to discuss everything with her, but I had decided that I needed to become a little more independent, or, as Uncle said, responsible. So I wouldn’t take hours of her time unless absolutely necessary.

“If you change your mind, I will always have an open door for you. Before I forget it, I have prepared a bottle and a small vial for you. They are enchanted to preserve anything in them, and they are nearly unbreakable. But please don’t limit-test that charm; it was not so easy to make.” I looked at the vial; it was easy to carry around, and in case I needed to cry, it would be enough to catch the tears even if I cried a lot. The bottle was so big that I honestly hoped that I would never need to cry so much. That “bottle” was larger than my head. But even with these things prepared, I realized another problem. Would I really be willing to collect tears when I was sad? Would I be willing to collect tears for Will when I was angry at him? I know that I didn’t even think about collecting tears this morning. Damnit, I probably lost months worth of tears just by not collecting them today. I packed the long vial where other wizards usually placed their wands, just in case.

“Thanks mom. I have another topic I want to talk about. Tomorrow is my first lesson, and I’m unsure if what I planned would even work. Can you look over my plan?”

“The potion lesson for Severin’s students, right?” Ups, I forgot that I hadn’t told mother about it officially. I just know that she knows from Uncle Severin, but she looked at me a bit judgingly because I hadn’t told her personally. Anyway, this is the perfect time to show mother that I can take on some responsibilities.

“Yes, Mother, I want to help too. You all are doing so much, and even if I can’t do as much as you, I can certainly help. Even if it's just by teaching Severins students.” She looked at me like she wanted to scold an unruly student, and I was relieved when her expression softened.

“Fine. Show me your plan.” I showed her a bit proudly what I had planned, and she carefully read through my plan. After around five minutes, she put the plan down and thought about it for a minute.

“It's too stuffed. I know that you mean well, but they are still just students. If you really try to go through with the plan, you will only archive half of what is on the list. If I’m correct, you want to test their abilities and show them their weaknesses. That in itself is fine, but you need to consider that they have less practice than you and need more time to do certain things. I’m not the most versed person in potions, but even I know that five minutes to find and weigh so many ingredients is just too short of a timeframe for a normal class. Even if the class only has three people. The rest of the class looks good, even if I would say that investing the time to make an individual plan for all three students will not be sustainable for a long time. Unless of course, you plan to invest multiple hours each day just to prepare the lessons...” Wow, that was more critique than I expected. I honestly thought the lesson was perfect as it was, but maybe mother had a few valid points. So I guess I will have another busy night instead of a relaxed bath.