After Lorain left, I stayed for a little longer. I even missed dinner, but I wanted to think a bit longer about what Lorain had told me about the perverted stuff and about the whole marriage thing. It had overwhelmed me previously as the topic came up without any real warning, and I had the feeling of being pressured into something—into a role I didn’t know I would fit into—but now I realize that it doesn’t really matter. At least until Will and I had a few more dates and got to know each other better. I also decided to let him bring up the topic. I wasn’t under any pressure. He was. Besides, it was the man’s duty to start the talk about marriage, and it would feel wrong if I did it.
After leaving the bath I realized that I not only forgot dinner, but I also forgot to speak to my brother, or at least Helena, to see if she had talked with him.
With no way to remedy anything now, I decided that I should spend my time more productively and work out the next lesson. It was quite a lot easier this time. I had a much clearer picture of what they were capable of and how I could teach them what they needed to learn to eventually create their own potion. If they really wanted to, of course. I couldn’t exactly guide them to a “new” recipe, as it wouldn’t be new anymore if I already knew it. But I would teach them how uncle taught me before the whole war thingy, so that they have enough understanding to create something new from scratch. Which reminded me that I should probably start to think about what potion I wanted to create to get my potion master title. I wanted to do something that showed my abilities, and how much work I put into improving them. I wanted something that could perhaps benefit the school and my family. The easiest path to the title would be to test if my tears could be diluted and sell the solution as a brew to eternal youth, but even I knew about the dangers that could bring, even if I didn’t need to make my recipe public to gain the title. But maybe I should delay thinking about it for a bit longer, as I still haven’t finished all potion-related books in the library.
The night was almost over when I finished preparing the lesson, and the only reason I took so long was because I wrote a little manual for Augustus to give him an overview of all basic procedures in potion brewing, and what signaled if a step was completed, or what the signs were that it was still ongoing. I got a little carried away doing that, as I started with one or two important procedures that he would need quite often, but then I kept adding a few more and more and more. I just hoped he would take the time to read it thoroughly, as it could save us much time. The other option was to beat these things into him by letting him practice them over and over, but that would probably cost us half of the year, and I wanted him to achieve more in that time.
I went a little early to breakfast today as I hoped to catch my brother. I wanted to talk to him, preferably not in the great hall, but it was the easiest location to find someone you wanted to talk to. And since my little brother decided that he wanted to sleep in the dormitories with the others, I couldn’t just go to his room. I mean, I could, but I didn’t want to make it too public for him, and it was less notable for me to grab him for a talk before breakfast.
I stayed at the entrance as the first people rushed past me. What I hated at breakfast was that some people hadn’t cleaned up yet. They just went from bed into their robes and then towards the great hall. Was it too much to ask for to use a simple cleaning spell on themselves?
“Good morning, Charly. Were you waiting for me?” Oh, Will was healthy again. What do I do now? Do I kiss him as a greeting? Do we eat together? Do I keep my distance?
“G…Good morning, Will. It’s good to see you. But I was waiting for my brother, but if you want too we can talk later.” Sorry Will. My brother had priority. At least when I did something bad.
“Oh fine. Should I wait here with you?” Mmmh, that was a good question. I would like to talk with Will, but how would my brother react to that? I mean, I would like to introduce Will to him, but it would also rub it under his nose that I had someone and he didn’t.
"No, I don’t think that would be good. I will come to you after I talk with my brother.” Oh noo, he looked a little concerned. I should probably give him a sign that it’s not because I don’t want to spend time with him.
"Wait, come closer for a moment.” His expression changed a little, and he looked at me a little hopeful.
I gave him a small peck on the lips. “I’m looking forward to tomorrow.” Yes, he is smiling again. I did the right thing.
“Me too, Charly. I will wait in there then.” My eyes followed his figure into the great hall, and I realized how much I had missed him. It felt weird considering that last week I couldn’t have cared less for him, and now I was happy just to see him smile. Maybe I was judging mother too harshly for her affection for HIM, if she felt the same for him. I could maybe understand why she just wanted it to work out, even though he was so unfaithful. I mean, I would probably beat the crap out of Will if he ever did something like that, but I was sure he would never do something like that. Even Lorain said it was unlikely. Ohh there is my brother.
“Pev, good to see you. I want to talk with you.” He looked at me with his charamel colored eyes, which didn’t look eager to see me.
“Come on, Pev, I’m sorry for what happened yesterday, but we should really talk about it.”
He sighed before nodding at me. We went to a side corridor where at this time no one usually walked through.
“Has Helena talked with you?” I needed to know before I would just repeat what she probably told him. Luckily, he nodded, and he looked a little teary.
“I know it’s hard, Pev. Helena is a nice girl, but she is four years older than you. I’m sorry if I embarrassed you yesterday, but it’s better than hoping for a long time and getting disappointed later on. I’m sure there are quite a few nice girls your age or just one year older or younger. I’m sure the girls will form lines just to talk to you later on. So while it's okay if you are sad now, in a few weeks we can probably laugh about it.” He didn’t look as if he would laugh any time soon so I thought about sharing a bit of my past.
“You know, when I was your age, there was this boy, Edward. Our age difference was even greater than yours and Helenas. He was the first school speaker the school had, and he was brilliant in everything he did. Even Seraphina admitted that he wasn’t too bad. And he was nice, too. And after he cheered me up after I was sitting in the corridor crying because I left the dancing class because I couldn’t find a partner, he cheered me up. We even danced a few steps in the corridor. I mean, I stepped on his feet for a few minutes.” That got a small but notable smile on his depressed face. “And then, as you can guess, I started to like him. I tried to talk to him multiple times, but after that one time, he didn’t seem to notice me, with the exception of a few times I tried to play pranks on people or did some other shenanigans. So for a few weeks, I became the most annoying student the school had ever seen, just so that he would catch me. He must have hated me for that. But I guess it wasn’t too long until I stopped. The main reason was that I saw him kissing that girl in his grade. Do you know what I realized at that moment?”
“That you were just a kid? Helena told me the same thing. But she doesn’t have someone she likes. Not like your “Edward”. So why can’t she just wait until…” Oh, poor Pev, he isn’t over her yet. Why couldn’t Helena just say that she liked someone else? A little lie in that situation would have been appreciated.
“Until when, Pev? Until you are 15? 16? 20? Do you know what you are asking of her? And even if she waited just to give you a chance, what would happen if you realize during the time she waits for you that you like someone else? You can’t expect her to wait just for the eventuality that you would still like her then, and that is not even considering if she feels the same for you.” I hated to be so hard on him, but I believed it was for the best. I know mother would just do it in a half-baked way because she doesn’t like to see us sad, so I had to act as the hard older sister. Considering this topic started because of my carelessness, I was glad we could talk about it earlier rather than later. It would have been even worse if we only talked about it after he spent a year fantasizing about her, so in a way, what I did was a good thing, even though I was unable to be really happy about it.
“But… But what if she doesn’t want to marry? She isn’t interested in anyone right now, and if it stays that way… maybe…” Damned Pev, you idiot brother, why do you want to go through that suffering.
“Pev, I know you just want it to somehow work out, but don’t force yourself or her to act on your hope. Did you even try to get to know the girls your age? Okay, I know that will lead to nothing. Can you at least be fair to Helena and don’t ask her to wait for you? She already has it hard enough with that pesky pig around her, and if she always has in mind that there is a little boy hoping for her to not find someone, she will be even less likely to do what she wants. Helena is too kind to make you sad just to talk to a stranger she might or might not like.” I realized that no matter what I said, I wouldn’t get my brother to change his feelings. The only thing I could do was guide him to a path that wouldn’t lead to ruin.
He looked at me like he was thinking hard about it, but from his face, I could see that he was still a little unwilling.
“Pev, you know that I love you, right? I don’t want you to get hurt because of something like that. But if it really is so important to you, I will support you. I will even help you if I can. After you turn at least fifteen, that is. But please, don’t tell her now. It wouldn’t be fair to her.” I think I finally got through him, as he gave me a barely noticeable nod.
“Good. And now let's get something to eat.” I said and led us back to the great hall.
The founders were once again sitting at a separate table, discussing something. I was thrilled to just go there and crash their discussion just to get to know what it was about, but I was still following the project of showing mother that I can be responsible, and right now I was one bloody hand in the red. I also had more important things to do right now.
I looked a little around and saw Will sitting on a table with Keith, Joshua, and Red. It looked like they were in a discussion, but I already told Will that I would come to him, so it should be alright, right?
I filled my plate and walked over to their table. As soon as Will saw me getting closer, he smiled, and their discussion came to a close. I sat down next to Will and looked at the two unreadable expressions of Keith and Joshua.
Why are they so silent now? Should I say something? But I don’t know what they were talking about.
“Ahm. Hi.” Okey still an awkward silence. “Ahm, nice to meet you.”
"Guys, please, be nice. That is Charlotte, my girlfriend. You know her, so please don’t act like you just saw a unicorn.”
“Knowing is an overstatement, Will. And with how long you have been following her around, I would say that seeing her at the same table as you is rarer than a unicorn. In my time here, I have seen two.” said Keith while gesticulating wildly with his arms.
"Yeah, he is right. I still suspect that this is a prank you and Red discussed while you were in bed all day long. How much is he paying you to play along?” said Joshua with a serious expression.
Were they serious, or did they just try to play a prank on me? Should I play along, or would Will be angry?
“Ten gold coins just for the meal and much, much more for the daycare.” I said, trying to suppress my laughter as I saw Will’s betrayed expression.
That suppression only lasted until Keith started to laugh. His laugh was really nasty, but it just made the situation perfect.
“Hey, it was just a joke; don’t look at me like that. You know it’s not like that.” I said and kissed Will in front of his face, causing his friends to grow silent.
I was sure I grew redder by the second with how they looked at me.
“Do you even do… no, you are rich, you wouldn’t need to... So it's really true? You and our little Willi?” said Joshua, grinning brightly, and I refrained from correcting the part about me being rich.
“Hey, you are not much larger than me, and don’t call me Willi!”
"Yes, it's true. So we will probably eat together more often from now on.” I said, ignoring Will's intention to protect his standing among his friends.
“Haha, I don’t mind. It’s always nice to have a beautiful lady visiting our humble table.” Oh, a little flatterer. I think I like him. He strikes me as more sympathetic than Keith, but that could just be because of Keith annoying laughter.
“Yes, I like to sit with a handsome, cultured, and lovely gentlemen too. And I guess you guys, just happen to sit with one.” I said, playfully hugging Will, while Joshua and Red were laughing a bit.
“She is awesome, Will; you should keep her.” Said Joshua.
“I intend too.” Wait a moment. They are not talking about his parents wanting him to find a marriage partner, right? What do I say now? I better stay silent for now.
“Okay, now that we all know each other, can we get back to the important topic?” said Red.
“What’s so important about you getting rejected by Morgana again? Just get over it.” Said Keith.
Oh no. What do I do now? I should probably stay silent. She is my student, and I shouldn’t talk about what she told me in secret.
“Come on, man, we also needed to endure your endless whining about Alicia.” Alicia? That name rang a bell, but where have I heard that name before? Oh, right, Lorain told me she would be interested in Will. Was that the reason she broke up with Keith? I mean, Will told me that Keith’s ex-girlfriend also found his laugh nasty, but that couldn’t have been the only reason, right?
“That’s different. She was actually my girlfriend for some time. You are almost as hopeless as Will. Wait correction, Will isn’t hopeless anymore.” I think I don’t like Keith. Even if what he said held some truth to it, there was no need to rub it under Red’s nose. And from the sound of it, he was used to doing it to Will too.
“Calm down, guys. Keith, we also listened to your whining before you got together with her, so give Red a little break.”
We listened to Red’s story, but I could already see the problem. He had asked her after Defence against mundane weapons. That subject was bound to make you sweat. Sure, they probably were both sweaty, but that only made it worse. In the end, I remained silent and was glad I wasn’t asked. I tried to stay out of it by actually starting to eat. I couldn’t help but notice that Will had completely different things on his plate than the things I had delivered to him. He probably was just polite when taking the food I brought him.
After breakfast, they needed to go to their lesson. They had dark magic with my favorite uncle, and I know he didn’t like it if someone was late.
