The library smelled faintly of ink, parchment, and candle smoke, and I loved it. I spent so much time here that the castle almost felt like it had stopped noticing me — except for Rowena, of course.
"Okay," I said, brushing a lock of hair behind my ear as I laid my wand across the table. "We're going to try combining two defensive spells into one. If it works, we could create a ward that adapts dynamically to any attack."
Rowena's eyes lit up with curiosity, that familiar spark I always fell for. "Dynamic wards? That sounds…ambitious."
I smirked, trying to sound confident, but I felt my heartbeat speed up anyway. "We're ambitious people, aren't we?" I teased lightly.
She laughed, that soft, melodic sound that always made me feel like my chest was too small for my heart. "Fine. Show me how."
I handed her a small crystal focus. "We'll start with the standard Protego and Protego Diabolica combination. You control the base, I'll manipulate the overlay. Timing is everything."
Her hands brushed mine as I passed her the crystal, and I nearly dropped it. Heat flooded my face. Focus, Seraphina. This is magic, not feelings.
"Ready?" I asked, stepping back to allow her the first move.
She nodded. "Ready."
With a flick of her wand, a pale blue shield erupted from the crystal. It pulsed softly, steady and calm. My wand lit with green energy as I layered the more aggressive Protego Diabolica over it, twisting the spell to feed off her base shield's energy rather than conflict with it.
The air thickened. Sparks of magic danced like fireflies between us, illuminating our faces in flickering light.
"Careful," I warned, voice a little tighter than I wanted. "The timing has to be perfect, or it could—"
"—explode?" Rowena finished for me, smirking.
I groaned. "Exactly. Or that."
We leaned closer, synchronizing our movements. My wand mirrored hers as if reading her intentions, and for a moment, nothing else existed. No castle. No golems. No chaotic stairs. Just her, just the spell, just this…connection.
The shield flared, momentarily blinding in its brilliance, then stabilized into something beautiful. A shimmering barrier, layered and flowing, reactive and alive. It hummed softly, almost sentient, perfectly balanced between defense and counter.
Rowena blinked, awe in her eyes. "It…worked."
I exhaled, letting my wand lower. My chest felt like it had been squeezed and released at the same time. "We…did it."
She leaned back, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "I think…we make a pretty good team, Sera."
I swallowed hard, trying not to make my blush obvious. "Yeah…we do."
A comfortable silence fell over the library. Sparks of residual magic twinkled faintly around us, illuminating our faces. And though I tried to tell myself it was just the thrill of spellwork, I couldn't stop noticing the way her eyes caught the light, the tilt of her lips when she smiled, or how close we'd been without even realizing it.
I'm completely gone for her, I thought, a quiet confession in my own mind.
"Want to try another?" I asked, forcing casualness into my voice.
She grinned, holding her wand out. "Of course. Let's see what else we can break… I mean, create."
And as our wands moved together, weaving spells side by side, I realized that magic wasn't the only thing igniting between us.