Page 23 of Hex Appeal

FRIDAY'S OUTDOOR DEMONSTRATIONof weather-control hexes was proceeding flawlessly until Malachai appeared in the courtyard.The moment Ceries spotted him watching from the edge of the gathering, her concentration wavered, and the gentle snow she'd been producing shifted from perfect crystalline flakes to distinctly heart-shaped ones.

"Just a creative teaching technique," she announced to her giggling students, trying to ignore how the wind seemed determined to push her closer to him.The temperature rose and fell unpredictably, mirroring her flustered internal state.

Then disaster struck.Their hands brushed as they both reached to help a student adjust their wand position.The resulting magical surge created a blizzard that would have been impressive even without its blatantly romantic theme.Scarves developed minds of their own, wrapping couples together.Steaming cups of hot chocolate materialized from thin air.Worst of all, magical snowmen began dramatically reenacting scenes from romance novels.

"'Oh Mr.Darcy,'" one snowwoman declared passionately to her newly-formed companion."'Your frozen heart has melted mine.'"

Ceries vacillated between mortification and amusement as she and Malachai worked to contain the magical storm, dodging enchanted icicles that were writing love poetry in midair.

"This is entirely your fault," she told him as they worked back-to-back, their magic synchronizing perfectly despite their words.

"My fault?I'm not the one who created a romantic blizzard."

"You're the one who showed up looking all..."she gestured vaguely at his entire being, struggling to find words that wouldn't reveal too much."Principally."

He turned to face her, snowflakes caught in his dark hair like stars."Principally?"

"You know what I mean.All authoritative and composed and..."she trailed off as she realized how close they were standing.

A perfect snowflake landed on his lips, drawing her attention to his mouth.For a moment, the world narrowed to just the two of them, surrounded by swirling snow that seemed to dance to music only they could hear.

The sound of students cheering as the last snowman couple got engaged broke the spell.They jumped apart, but the damage was done.The entire courtyard had transformed into a romantic winter wonderland that would have made even the most jaded cynic sigh with approval.

"You're good at this,” she said as they contained the last of the animated snowmen.

“I used to teach crisis response,” he said.

“At Windermoore?”

His nod was tight.“Advanced Defense Against Unstable Magic.I was considered somewhat of an expert.Until I wasn't."

She wanted to know more, but surrounded by students and the winter wonderland, she knew the time wasn’t right. When the crisis had been settled into whatever amounted to normal at the Grimm Mawr Academy, they parted ways.

Ceries nearly collided with Headmistress Raven when she walked back inside.The imposing woman was talking in hushed tones with an officially-robed witch Ceries didn't recognize.

“Professor Frostwind,” Raven acknowledged with a nod.'This is Inspector Shropshire from the Educational Standards Authority.We were just discussing supply chain irregularities.”

“Magical equipment suppliers with exclusive school contracts,” the inspector clarified with a meaningful look at Raven.“Quite fascinating financial arrangements."

***

THAT EVENING, CERIESwas attempting to grade papers when Malachai entered her classroom without knocking.The atmosphere shifted immediately.Desks began sliding toward the walls as if making space for a dance floor.Practice dummies paired up and began a waltz that was surprisingly graceful for creatures made of straw and magic.

"We need to talk," he said, closing the door with a decisive click.

"About the hexes?"She kept her eyes on her papers, pretending fascination with an essay on defensive charm theory.

"About the fact that every magical item in this school seems determined to play matchmaker."He moved closer as protective wards shimmered into existence around them."About the fact that I can't seem to think straight whenever you're in the room."

Magical theory books on nearby shelves began flipping themselves open to chapters on attraction spells and eternal bonds.Ceries tried to maintain her professional composure, but every step he took toward her scattered her thoughts like startled birds.

"I was simply demonstrating creative applications of basic hexes," she said, standing to face him."The romantic undertones are purely coincidental."

"Coincidental?"His eyebrow rose as a practice dummy executed a perfect dramatic dip with its partner."Like the snowmen performing Pride and Prejudice?"

"That was clearly the wind's artistic interpretation."She couldn't help smiling."Though I'll admit, they had excellent dramatic timing."

"Ceries."The way he said her name—like it was something precious he was allowing himself to taste for the first time—sent a shiver down her spine."We can't keep pretending this is just about professional differences."

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