Chapter 8: January
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David's three weeks at the management facility passed by slowly and uneventfully. He had read both of the books he'd gotten for Christmas, eaten all of Olissa's very tasty goodies, and had otherwise been bored out of his mind. He realized that he should have bought his books for next semester beforehand. He would then have at least had something to read.
Now, however, his time at NCCMF was coming to a close, at least for this trip. Garibaldi was expected to be here at any minute. David had packed up all his stuff, and had already requested his potion-making kit back.
David was staring out the window when his cell door opened, and Garibaldi entered. "My wife is not fond of you," Garibaldi said with a grin. "She doesn't like these long trips I keep having to take."
"Tell her not to blame me. You're the one who accepted the job as my case officer."
"I have very carefully not told her that, David. I'd rather have her mad at you than me!"
David laughed. "It's only for another... year and a fucking half," David said sourly.
"Try not to dwell on it. Are you ready to go?"
"I'm waiting on them to return my potion-making kit."
"We already put it in the carriage. The storage room is pretty close to the outer door, so no point in carrying it back here just to carry it all the way back up front."
"Makes sense. In that case, I'm ready to go."
"Let's do it, then."
-----
Their trip had been uneventful, as usual, and they entered the Slyther Inn just as night was setting in.
As they entered the inn, they waved to the innkeeper, who greeted them, then just motioned toward Bonnie, who was sitting at a table talking with someone.
On closer inspection, David recognized the someone in question.
"Prof. Stott!"
"Oh, hello, David. It's nice to see you, but... what are you doing here? School doesn't start until next week."
"I know. But the dean is allowing me to stay up at the school this week, since the RA's are back."
"I see," she said. Bonnie leaned over and whispered something in Prof. Stott's ear. Prof. Stott blushed crimson at whatever it was. She rose from the table. "Well, thank you, Bonnie, for the chat. What do I owe you for the meal?"
Bonnie told her, and Prof. Stott paid it. She turned to David. "It's good to see you again, David."
"You, too, Professor. And thank you, by the way, for the Christmas present."
"It arrived intact?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Good. Now, I hope you won't think me rude, but I do have something I need to do."
"No problem. Have a good night, Professor."
"You too, David." She waved to Bonnie, and breezed out the door.
"What was that about?" David asked Bonnie.
"Never you mind," Bonnie replied. "Your usual room?"
"Yes," Garibaldi said.
"Will you be wanting dinner?" she asked.
Garibaldi said, "Yes."
David stepped close to Bonnie and whispered, "Will you be wanting dessert?"
Bonnie gave him a sultry look, and replied softly, "Oh, yes."
~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~
"Welcome back, David!" the dean greeted him brightly. "Mr. Garibaldi," she said less enthusiastically.
"Madame Lengel. Do you accept custody of Mr. Stroud?" This was a semi-formal procedure, and he had to ask the question.
"Of course I do. Not that he needs looking after."
Garibaldi smiled, and nodded. "Then I'll take my leave. I have to go find my wife an apology gift for being gone."
"Take it easy, Mr. Garibaldi," David said.
"You, too, sport."
As Mr. Garibaldi walked away, David said, "I hate it when he calls me that."
"Don't let him know that. He'll call you that all the time," Dean Lengel warned. "Now," she said, switching subjects, "Let's walk down to your dorm and meet the RA. Wait, before we do that..." She pulled out her mirror, made a circle on it and said, "Misty Inverness."
Her mirror did not make a connection, but a somewhat loud pop was heard, and they both looked up to see a being floating in mid-air about five feet in front of them.
"You called, Madame Lengel?" the entity asked quietly.
"Yes, Misty. This is David."
"Hello," David said.
"Hi!" Misty said.
"Um... I don't mean to be rude or anything, but... what, exactly, are you? You're awful big to be a pixie..."
Misty giggled. "I'm a fairy. Wait a minute." Misty spun around in the air once and emitted several sparkles from her hand. In a flash of soft light, she suddenly appeared human size, but without wings.
"That's better. I know you had trouble hearing me, though you were too polite to say anything. Fairy voices are very hard for people to hear when we're small."
David nodded. He was having trouble hearing her, but he hadn't wanted to say so. David tried not to look at her too obviously, but she was a very pretty girl, even if she did have green hair.
"Misty is to be your new keeper, David," Dean Lengel said. "I'm sorry it took me so long, but finding a new escort for you was a bit difficult. I had chosen Sarah because her duties are so limited that if you had needed to interrupt her, it wouldn't have mattered. There are very few people on campus for whom that is true, and the others for whom it is true, you would not get along with well.
"Then I realized that there is an entire group of people for whom there is no schedule. The fairies come and go as they please. So, I asked Misty if she would take the job, and she said yes. I remember what you said about you and Sarah, but I figured, perhaps because Misty is not human, that would not be an issue. Further, since Misty can follow you around in her fairy form, or even invisibly, she'll be less intrusive on your actions."
David nodded at that. "It's nice to meet you, Misty." David reached out to shake hands. Misty hesitated for a minute, then gripped his hand firmly and shook.
When they broke contact, she said, "I'm sorry. We don't usually touch people."
"Don't worry about it," David said. To the dean, he asked, "How do I get in touch with Misty if I need her?"
"The same way I did. Just dial her up on your mirror."
"Oh. Okay."
"Now, we need to go down to the dorm. Thank you, Misty."
"No problem, Madame Lengel. See you later, David." Misty clapped her hands together, and amid another soft burst of light, she disappeared.
As they walked across the terrace, David said, "I want to thank you for the Christmas present, but... why did you send me that book in particular?"
"Because I want you to take Divination seriously. When I asked you about it, you made it sound like you were taking it strictly to be with your friends. While that's a perfectly legitimate reason to take some classes, Divination isn't one of them. It's too difficult. It's too... life-altering, if you do it right."
"How so?"
"When you can see things beyond what you can see, it both gives you a sense of power, and it gives you an almost continual sense of foreboding. Something is always going wrong somewhere, you see, and it seems as though you can sense that. Lots of students abandon Divination when they discover this side-effect. However, if you take the class long enough, you learn to submerge this feeling, and to only pay attention to it when it changes. For a while, though, it can be quite unpleasant.
"I also worry a little about your ability to focus well enough. With the difficulty you've been having with your wand, it calls into question your concentration. I'm not trying to belittle you, David, but I think you deserve to hear the truth."
"I appreciate that. And the whole concentration thing is a concern for me, too. Prof. Phillips is going to tutor me this semester, to help me with my wand. Hopefully whatever he shows me can carry over."
"Oh? That's good. I'm glad to hear that you are already looking after this problem. I'm also glad that Prof. Phillips agreed to help you."
"He didn't actually agree. He's the one that made the offer."
"Oh? Well, that's a point in his favor. He hasn't been here very long, so I don't know him as well as I would like. This is only his second year teaching at the Academy. I am glad to hear that he holds no ill for you."
"Except when I'm blinding him with a poorly done lux lucis, no ill will at all." David said. The dean chuckled.
Once they arrived at the dorm, Dean Lengel led David down to the end of his hallway, and knocked on the door of the closet-sized apartment that David now understood was his RA's home.
The door opened to reveal another fairy, this one with blue hair.
"I hope I'm not disturbing you, Selitha," Dean Lengel said. "I just wanted to let you know that David was back."
"Oh. Okay. Welcome back, David," Selitha said quietly. David realized it was because their voices were so high-pitched when they were small that he had trouble hearing them.
"Thank you."
"That was all I wanted," Dean Lengel told the fairy. "Have a good day."
"Good day to you both," she said, and went back into her room.
"Now, I'm going to hold you to your honor not to get into any trouble. Let's go down and make sure the brownies have already brought your stuff to your room."
A quick check showed that everything was, in fact, present and accounted for.
"Please don't make me regret letting you back," Dean Lengel said.
"I won't. Have I given you cause to think I would?"
"No, you haven't. But I worry. We are treating you differently from other students, and so if you get into trouble, people are going to immediately notice and comment."
"I'm trying my best to keep my nose clean. Some of the other students are making that difficult, but I know you've gone out on a limb for me, so I don't want to cause you any more grief."
"Thank you. Anyway, I'll leave you to yourself now. Welcome back."
"Thanks."
~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~
David settled in for the first day, but after that, he figured it was time to get started preparing for the next semester. He headed to the bookstore to get his new books.
Just as he entered the bookstore, he saw the clerk, Jeff, being nearly buried under a mountain of textbooks, which had tipped and fallen on him. Jeff cursed repeatedly as he started restacking the texts.
David found most of what he needed, but two of his books appeared not to be on the shelves yet. David took his things up to the counter, where Jeff was now sitting on his stool.
"Are the books for Herbology and Enchantments and Curses in the back?"
"Yes. I haven't gotten them out yet," he said shortly.
And yet you're here sitting on your ass, rather than working, David thought to himself. Out loud, he said, "Can you go get them for me, please?"
After a heavy breath, Jeff said, "Hungh. Very well." He heaved himself off the stool and made his way toward the back of the store. On his way, David heard him mutter, "Worst birthday ever."
David felt a little bad now. He had not known it was the man's birthday, and while it didn't excuse his poor behavior, it certainly explained his bad mood.
"Here are your books," Jeff said, plopping them down on top of the others.
"What do I owe?"
"Seventy-five granas."
As Jeff put the books in a bag, David pulled out a 100-grana coin. He handed it to Jeff as he took the bag. "Keep the rest. Happy Birthday."
David didn't wait for a response, but instead took his books and left.
As David was waiting for a floating rock down to the terrace level, one of the professors came up beside him.
"David! Welcome back to school! You're here early."
"Hi, Prof. Phillips. Yes, sir. The dean allowed me to come back early. It's more pleasant staying here than in my other home."
"I can only imagine. Since you are here early, would you like to begin working on your wand control?"
"Sure. When would be good for you? I have my days completely open for the moment."
"Let's start tomorrow morning, around ten. We'll have a look at your schedule then and see when we can set a regular time."
"Okay. I want to thank you for helping me out."
"Nonsense. You've got the knack to be a good wizard. You just need to learn some control."
"I'm hoping that what you teach me will also help with my Divination class. Dean Lengel says that, also, requires a lot of concentration."
"Indeed it does. And you might also consider getting assistance from your Divination instructor, too."
"Maybe, but I don't know the Divination professor."
"Who do you have?"
"Zoroaster."
"Ah. Prof. Zoroaster is a good guy. He's very straightforward, and tries to rationalize Divination, instead of making it sound all mystical. I think you'll like him."
"Well, that's good to know."
"Anyway, I've got to go. I'll see you tomorrow at ten."
"Yes, sir. Thank you again."
"No problem! Take care, now."
The two separated, as the professor headed off toward the Herbology building, and David headed for his dorm. His semester was looking up already.
~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~
David tacked his new schedule up on his wall, so he could keep track. Prof. Phillips had scheduled their tutoring for Mondays, right after David's Metamorphosis class. He hoped that he would be able to gain the control he had lacked so far.
As David was putting his books in order, there was a knock at the door. David looked up in curiosity. The only people in the dorm were him and the RA's, and that was a clearly human knock.
David opened the door to find Prof. Stott standing on the other side. "Well, hello, Professor," David greeted happily. "What can I do for you today?"
"Mind if I come in?" she asked.
"Sure," he said, standing aside to allow her to enter the room. He closed the door, then mentally wondered whether he should have left it open. Then he realized that there was no one in the building, anyway, so it didn't matter.
Prof. Stott looked around the room. She had seen it the day David had been petrified, but hadn't taken much notice. Now, she took in his section of the room carefully, seeing what was there. She nodded politely to Jailla, who eyed her with interest from his perch, then went back to preening. As she looked around, she was pleased to note that her gift to him was prominently placed on a shelf, where it could be easily accessed.
"So, what brings you by?" David asked.
"There's just a couple things we need to take care of," Prof. Stott said, turning back to face him.
"Oh, okay," David said. "Then, would you like me to take your coat?" David asked politely.
"Among other things," she replied. David looked at her curiously until she opened her coat and slipped it off, revealing that she had on only lingerie beneath it. She held her coat out to David, who just kind of stared in awe.
"Weren't you going to take my coat?" she asked, grinning mischievously at him.
"Uh," David replied, reaching out somewhat mechanically and taking the coat from her hand. He tore his eyes from the sight long enough to find the hook on the back of the door, where he carefully hung the coat, and then, taking a deep breath, turned back to face his teacher, who was now nearly naked in front of him.
Prof. Stott approached David, who was still stunned at seeing his teacher this way. The lingerie she was wearing was little more than a few strips of cloth, and a heart pasted over each of her nipples. She wore stockings and high heels to emphasize her legs, not that they needed the help in the slightest.
"Do you like what you see, David?" she asked softly. David looked into her eyes. With the heels on, she was slightly taller than him, and so he had to look up slightly.
"Very much," he said. "You're incredibly beautiful."
Prof. Stott leaned in and softly pressed her lips to David's. David immediately kissed back, and then placed his hands on her hips, gently pulling her more tightly against his body. She came willingly, and her tongue snaked out and into his mouth, massaging his tongue as her arms wrapped around his neck.
David let his hands slip around to her back, feeling the silky flesh there which was exposed by the flimsy lingerie she was wearing. Slowly, he slid his hands down until they were cupping her ass cheeks. Prof. Stott moaned into his mouth, indicating that she was enjoying his touch.
David could not believe that he was French-kissing his professor, but he wasn't about to stop unless she made him. Eventually, she did break their kiss, and smiled at him.
"Something feels awfully hard down there," she said mischievously.
"Sexy women kissing me does that," David said with a smile and a raise of the eyebrows.
"Hmm. Flattery will get you everything but a good grade," she said. She let go of him, placing her hands on his chest and pushing him back against the door. Then, slowly, she knelt in front of him. As her hands deftly unfastened his pants, David held his breath in anticipation of what might come next.
Prof. Stott pulled David's pants and underwear down, exposing his rock-hard shaft to her hungry gaze. She took his prick gently in hand, and began to lick it, back and forth, getting it nice and wet.
Once she was happy with the job she'd done, she moved her mouth to the head of David's cock. She placed one hand on each of David's thighs, holding him in place, and then she pressed her mouth forward, continuing until she had engulfed his entire cock in her mouth.
"Holy shit," David murmured to himself. He rested his hands on Prof. Stott's head, tangling his fingers in her thick black hair. She held her mouth on him fully for the longest time before backing off, and then she began to bob on his shaft.
David was immediately grunting and holding back his orgasm. He couldn't believe how good she was making him feel. She continued to slide her lips up and down his prick, her tongue adding wet friction as she went.
"Gonna come," he hissed in warning, still doing his best to hold back.
Prof. Stott hummed in response. This did nothing to help David hold off his impending blow. In a few more seconds, he grunted his final warning. Prof. Stott pulled back, keeping the head of his dick firmly inside her mouth as his cum began to burst forth. She continued to suck on him throughout, until he had finally stopped. She licked off the tip of his cock, and then slowly let him loose.
As she rose to her feet, she could tell by the look in his eyes that she had done well. David leaned in and kissed her, and she happily kissed back. She let him guide her over to his bed, and then they both sank to a sitting position on it. While they kissed, David reached up and began to fondle her breast. She moaned in pleasure, loving the feel of his hands on her body.
After a moment, David broke their kiss, and looked down. He was fingering the heart covering her nipple. "Do these come off?" he asked.
"Just nudge your finger under the edge and peel," she replied with a smile. David returned to kissing her while his finger flicked at the heart until an edge came up. Then, he slowly peeled it off her skin, exposing her nipple to the air. The sudden coolness caused chills, but her nipple was soon warmed back up when David's palm covered it, rubbing it back and forth.
They continued like this for just a minute, but then David broke their kiss. He leaned down and took her nipple into his mouth, sucking on it while he fondled her other breast, which still had its heart on it. He slipped off the bed, kneeling before her. David let loose her nipple, and then looked down at her pussy, which showed through the opening in the crotchless lingerie. He leaned down and slid his tongue softly along the entire length of her pussy lips.
Prof. Stott moaned loudly and leaned back, supporting herself on her arms. She put one leg over David's shoulder to encourage him to do that again.
David did, and Prof. Stott moaned again. Then he began to flick his tongue against the hood of her clit. As he did so, he reached up to gently pinch and twist her nipple. She was in complete ecstasy as he worked her over. Her heat was rising quickly.
When David stiffened his tongue and slid it into her pussy, Prof. Stott couldn't resist. She began to roll her hips into his face, forcing his tongue further inside of her. David pressed in, wiggling his tongue as she moved, fucking her with the writhing appendage. He used his free hand to rub her clit, while his other hand continued to play with her nipple and breast.
Prof. Stott was very quickly on the verge of coming, and then past it. She screamed out in pleasure, and coated David's tongue with her juices. He continued to lap at her pussy until she could take no more, and pushed him gently away.
While David was waiting for her to settle, he removed his shirt. He was now completely nude, having shed his other clothes earlier by the door. Once he thought that she could take it, David rose from his position. He kept her leg over his shoulder, letting it straighten as he rose. Once he was standing, her pussy was open, wet, and waiting, and his cock was as hard as he could ever remember it being.
David put the head of his dick against her pussy lips, and didn't even wait for approval, but slowly began to sink into her depths. Prof. Stott, who was still reeling from her orgasm, let out a guttural moan, and looked up at him with something akin to awe.
"God, that feels good," she said.
David smiled down at her, and continued to slowly press in until his dick was fully buried inside her. He held on to her ankle, which was now by his head, and he began to slowly rock in and out of her.
"Oh, shit, yes," Prof. Stott said. It was the first time he'd ever heard her cuss, and he smiled at the thought. He knew he was doing something she liked, and he kept it up, rocking his hips and occasionally twisting them, to press his dick against a different part of her pussy.
The pair fucked like this for several minutes, and Prof. Stott was heading for another climax. David increased his pace, pushing her closer and closer. She finally peaked, her body shuddering. David loved watching her tits jiggle on her chest as she shuddered in pleasure.
As Prof. Stott started to calm down, David pulled out of her. She groaned at the loss, but he wasn't nearly through with her yet. Instead, he gently moved her around on the bed so that she was lying on her side, fully on the bed, and then he slid in behind her. She felt far too good to argue with anything he did at this point, and so she just let him do whatever he wanted.
David lifted her top leg, and then pressed his dick into her pussy from behind. She mewled at the return of his cock, and she wiggled her hips to help him penetrate her. He let go of her leg, letting it rest on top of his, as he caressed her hip and thigh.
Soon, David was fully inside his professor once again, and then he began to slowly rock back and forth, sliding his dick ever so slightly in and out of her cunt. Prof. Stott loved the feel of that, and she moaned approvingly.
David let his hand roam up her side, and then forward, cupping her breast. He pulled off the remaining nipple heart, and gently tugged and twisted that nipple until it was standing proud. He molded the flesh of her tit, giving her wonderful feelings as they fucked slowly.
After a long while of coupling in this position, Prof. Stott turned her head to look at David over her shoulder. He smiled at her, and she smiled back in a way that told him how happy she was with him.
"I need you to go a little faster now," she said softly.
"We'll have to change positions," he said.
"I know."
David slid his prick into her to the hilt, and then stopped. She sighed in contentment, and waited. She would continue to let him take the lead.
David gently pulled her top leg up, and then rolled and twisted their bodies until she was lying beneath him. This had been especially tricky because he refused to take his cock out of her warm cunt. Once they were in their new position, David began to stroke into her harder than he had.
Prof. Stott was immediately immersed in bliss. She wrapped her legs around the back of his thighs, to encourage him to thrust harder and faster. David slowly increased his pace, not wanting to go too fast just yet. He knew that they were both close to orgasm, and he didn't want this to be over just yet. It was like a dream he had no desire to wake up from.
Inevitably, however, they both grew closer and closer to their peaks. Prof. Stott started to pant and moan, calling his name over and over again as he thrust into her. David was grunting with each thrust now, holding back his climax as hard as he could.
Finally, Prof. Stott arched her back, screamed "Oh, fuck, David, I'm coming!" and froze, her body doing nothing more than shuddering. The feel of her tits pressed firmly into his chest, and the squeezing of her pussy, was more than David could take, and he blasted load after load of cum deep into her cunt until his balls were empty.
By the time he had regained his senses from his own orgasm, David noted that Prof. Stott had either passed out, or fallen asleep. Either way, she was not conscious.
A few moments later, after he had reluctantly withdrawn from her pussy and lain down beside her, he was, too.
-----
David was the first to awaken, wondering for a second if he had been dreaming. The warm body next to him made it clear, however, that he had not. He could feel her shivering slightly in her sleep. While he couldn't possibly cover her with a blanket, he could use his own body. He didn't generate any body heat anymore, but he could at least insulate her.
A few minutes later, she began to stir. She felt David's body pressed against her back, his arm over her side. She smiled before she opened her eyes, just enjoying the feel of the moment.
Finally, though, she did have to wake and face the situation, not that it was a bad one to be facing. She wiggled her entire body against him, and then turned over to face him. As she did, he rolled onto his back. It allowed her to rest her hand on his chest. His was a cold body, no more than room temperature, but she hadn't even noticed while he had been giving her the best ride she'd had in years.
David leaned up, and they kissed again. She was happy that he was pleased with her performance, as well.
When they broke the kiss, David looked across the room and out the window. Prof. Stott asked, "Are you upset?"
He turned back to look at her, and smiled. "No. Just confused."
She grinned. "I guess this was a bit sudden."
"A bit," he replied. "Not that I'm complaining, mind you. It's a good day when a beautiful woman wants to have sex with you. I just... didn't expect it."
She settled herself a little more tightly against him. "Do you remember last month, we talked for just a second about why I don't have a husband?"
After a second of thought, David said, "Yeah."
"I didn't really give you the whole reason. I am kind of married to my job... but that's not really why I'm not married. I don't believe that kind of relationship is right for me."
"What do you mean by 'that kind of relationship'?"
"That one-to-one, long-term commitment kind of thing."
"So you just go from boyfriend to boyfriend?" David asked.
"No, I don't do that, either. I don't think that's fair to the men. They would expect something to build, and that's not what they're going to get."
David was puzzled, and his look showed it. "So... do you not date at all?"
"I have friends with whom I socialize," she said slowly. She hadn't ever grown good at explaining how this worked in her mind. "My relationships are all non-exclusive, and with no commitment except as friends."
"I see. So you just have several friends with benefits?"
"Benefits?" Prof. Stott asked. She'd not heard the term before. "Oh! 'Benefits'! I like that. Yes, I have had several 'friends with benefits' over the years.
"And... if you'd be amenable, I'd like you and I to have such a relationship. Normally, I'd just let things happen naturally, and if we were compatible, the inevitable would happen. But I'm pretty sure that, even if you were interested in me, you'd never approach me physically, so I'm being more... direct than I normally would be. Would you be interested in that kind of friendship?"
David was shocked. He figured, after what she had been telling him, that he was simply a target of opportunity, that she had been horny, much like Bonnie had been. "I'd... I'd be happy to," David said.
'You seem a bit shocked," she said.
"I wouldn't think you'd want to hang around a student, quite frankly. But then, I didn't think you'd want to have sex with me, either."
"You came highly recommended in that regard," Prof. Stott admitted.
"What?" David asked incredulously.
"Bonnie and I are good friends," Prof. Stott said.
"So... what did she say that night in the inn? When you blushed?"
"She said, 'I'll warm him up for you.'" Prof. Stott replied, blushing again.
David shook his head in disbelief. "I didn't think women bragged like that. I thought that was a guy thing."
"Bonnie and I have been friends for a long time. We do kind of compare notes. You're not offended, are you?"
"No. How could I be, when her saying something led to today? I'm just kind of surprised, is all."
"I'm glad you're not upset. I'll be honest, my last friend got a steady girlfriend about six months ago, and I've been a bit lonely since. You have no idea how much I needed today."
"My pleasure."
"Hmm." she said. She grew quiet for a long moment, and in fact rolled onto her back to stare up at the ceiling. David rolled onto his side now, so he could continue to look at her.
"There is something else I wanted to ask you," Prof. Stott said finally. "I probably should have asked you this first, but I just... well, I couldn't wait." She looked him in the eyes, to make sure that he was paying full attention, which he was. "I want you to know that what I'm about to ask, and what just happened... they're completely unrelated. I'm asking them at the same time simply because that's how the timing worked out. Do you understand?"
"Well, I think so, but since I don't know what you're about to ask..."
She smiled at him. "I want you to become my apprentice, David."
"Your what?"
"My apprentice. Master wizards often take apprentices, a young wizard who they take under their wing and guide them along, teaching them, giving them counsel, helping them when they need it. I haven't had an apprentice in a while, because I haven't found anyone in my field that was worth the effort.
"You are the first person I've seen who ever managed a base potion on the second try. It's almost unheard of to get it right that quickly."
David did not say that he hadn't found the process to be all that hard, just requiring a lot of precision. He asked, "What would this mean to my schoolwork?"
"It would be an extension of the Advanced class you started last semester. You're the only one of the four who has any need to continue the class, anyway. The others might have eventually succeeded, but none of them was showing an aptitude for it. That is kind of why I have the advanced class; to look for people with real talent in potion making. I don't apprentice every good student I find, but... you are really good at it. More than that. I think you'd be wasting your talent if you didn't pursue potions as a central skill. Even if you don't apprentice with me."
"Wow, you're just heaping all sorts of compliments on me today."
Prof. Stott blushed, but she said, "And you deserve every one of them. Will you at least think about it?"
"Professor, there's nothing to think about. Potions is my favorite class. If you think that highly of me, I'd be downright stupid not to accept the offer."
"Well, good then. I'm glad. We'll work out schedules and such later, when we're not naked."
David chuckled. Then a thought struck him, and he laughed a little harder.
"What?" Prof. Stott asked.
"If my roommate ever finds out about today, he'll kill me."
"Why?" she asked.
"He's had a crush on you since the first time he saw you."
Prof. Stott giggled softly. "Hey, you know, that raises a question I had about you. Most men undress me with their eyes. I've grown used to it. I actually enjoy it, kind of. You don't do that. Why not?"
"Well, I did the first couple days, I admit," David said. "After that... well... what you had to say was more interesting to me than something I thought I was never going to get to see anyway."
"That is why I want you as my apprentice," she said, looking at him seriously. Growing a bit subdued, she asked, "And... did I live up to your imagination?"
"And then some," he replied. She smiled up at him in thanks for the compliment. She looked a little confused as David gently took hold of her and rolled her to face away from him.
"What are we doing?" she asked softly.
David slid in close behind her, and she could now feel how hard he had gotten. "You can't lie in front of me naked like that, and not expect me to react," he said.
"Oh," she said with a grin. As his cock penetrated her pussy, she said, "Mmm. Maybe we'll conduct all your apprentice sessions in the nude."
~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~
"Good morning, Professor," David said, greeting Prof. Stott as he walked into her private work room. She had told him that they would be doing his apprenticeship here, so that no one would accidentally see what they were working on.
"Good morning, David," she replied. "You know, when we're alone, you can call me Sam. Part of us being friends is that you shouldn't feel the need to be so formal with me."
"I'd like to do that, but I'm afraid to," David replied.
Prof. Stott cocked an eyebrow at him. "Afraid? Why?"
"I'm worried that if I start calling you Sam in private, I will slip and do it in class. I don't want to get you into trouble."
"Trouble?" she asked, still confused.
"For sleeping with a student."
Prof. Stott snorted. "There's no rule against that. I doubt there's a professor on this campus who hasn't slept with at least one of their students, David."
"Really? Where I come from, it is highly frowned upon. The whole 'taking advantage of your power over them' issue."
Prof. Stott nodded. "Well, there's two things there. First off, I don't really have any power over your school work. Your important tests, such as licensure, are handled by people you have never even met, and won't, until the day of your testing. Second, if I were to ever try to coerce a student, that could get me sent to prison, and I have no desire to see the inside of one of those. So long as you came willingly, no rules have been bent, let alone broken." She walked over to him and stood close.
"I very much appreciate that you would be that concerned for my safety, however. I will reward you for that later." She gave him a brief but passionate kiss, just to let him know what she meant. When she broke the kiss, she said, "So, don't worry about getting me into trouble."
"Still, I could embarrass you..."
Prof. Stott shook her head at him. "You do what you think is best, David. But I have the feeling that as soon as your apprenticeship becomes known, people are going to assume we're sleeping together, anyway, so really, it's not that important."
David could tell that she actually wanted him to call her Sam. He was still worried about it, but he didn't want to hurt her feelings. "Okay, Sam, if you're okay with my possibly slipping up..."
She smiled and gave him another brief kiss.
"Does this also mean that you wouldn't mind if I told my roommate?" David asked. He honestly didn't think he could keep himself from blurting it out to Jim.
Prof. Stott smiled widely. "If you think you'll survive the experience."
David laughed. Once he settled back down, he asked, "So, what are we going to do today?"
"We're just going to look over your schedule, and see when a good time to set up your apprenticeship would be. I don't want to keep you from doing your school work."
"I appreciate that. Oh... should I bring my potion-making kit with me to my sessions?"
"No. I will provide everything you need. That is for your own use, however you see fit."
"Okay."
"Now, let's see what your schedule looks like."
~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~
"Let's start off by just showing me a charm. Please, not lux lucis. I already have a slight headache," Prof. Phillips said with a chuckle.
David considered, then decided. He held up his wand, and said, in a normal tone of voice, "Titali junda." A single monarch butterfly appeared at the tip of his wand, actually sitting on it.
Prof. Phillips said, "Well, you got a buttefly..."
"Yes, sir, but as you know, titali junda should produce a whole swarm of them, not just one."
"Can you make a swarm?"
"Do you really want me to do it indoors?"
"Um... maybe not. Okay, let's take a step outside, so I can see the difference."
The two walked out of Sabrina Hall, and crossed the Academy moat to the rim of the Academy Level. Prof. Phillips turned to David and said, "Okay, now give it your best shot."
David held up his wand and said, very firmly, "Titali junda." A massive swarm of butterflies burst forth from his wand. Thousands upon thousands of butterflies kept pouring forth. Finally, David said, "Peractus!" and the butterflies stopped immediately. So many had been created, however, that the sky above them was darkened, until at last they started to disappear, one by one. They were, after all, only a trick of magic, and not real butterflies.
"Hmm," Prof. Phillips said. "So the trouble is finding the happy medium. You have no trouble creating an overpowering spell, what you need is a spell at its 'normal' level."
"Yes, sir."
"I want you to try something for me. Close your eyes." David did so. "Now, I want you to picture a stream of butterflies coming out of your wand, one at a time. Not thousands, like before, just one at a time. Say, one a second. Do you have this image in your head?"
"Yes."
"Now, without opening your eyes or losing the image, cast your spell."
David held up his wand, steadied the image firmly in his mind, and said, "Titali junda."
"Now, open your eyes."
When David opened his eyes, it was exactly as he had envisioned it. Each second, a single monarch butterfly would emerge from his wand tip and fly off. They were all circling around the two. Prof Phillips smiled at David.
"You can make it stop now." As David did, the professor said, "So your issue is not the ability to craft the spell with the proper strength, it is the ability to craft the image in your mind."
"I have the image in my head before I go to cast the spell," David said, "but somehow, in the process of casting, it gets lost."
"This is, as I suspected, an issue with concentration. You know how to cast spells, but because so much of magic is about intent, you really have to maintain your focus throughout the casting process. You cannot let your attention waver from your intent."
"I'm not sure how to do that."
"That's what I'm going to try to help you with. This may take us several weeks."
"Only weeks? I was expecting to take all semester."
"Hopefully not, but we shall see. It all depends on how well you listen and take my instructions."
"I'll do the best I can, Professor."
"Good. Now, let's get started with some basic meditation. You must learn to focus your mind, and if you can't do it when things are calm, you'll never be able to do it when life is chaos."
~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~
"Welcome back, David," Penny said when she found him within the castle grounds.
"Hi, Penny. How was your Christmas, er, I mean your Yule?" He could already see that she was wearing the hair comb he'd gotten her.
"It was very pleasant. And thank you so much for the present. I'm sorry I did not get you anything."
David shook his head. "It's all right. I just wanted to say thanks for all your help."
"Jacob also sends his thanks... though I think he's probably already finished the book you sent him."
David nodded. "I'll have to send him another one soon, then."
"We were both curious to know how you found a vendor for Haven goods."
"Madame Barbonne," David said simply.
"She doesn't..." Penny said, then stopped. "But her husband is a trader. Yes, I see. But how did you get hold of Haven money?"
"I promised a favor to be named at a later date."
"That could be risky."
David shrugged. "I'll worry about it when the time comes. So, did anything happen while I was away?"
~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~
By the time the other students started showing up on Sunday, David was already bored enough to be reading ahead in his textbooks. He was practicing the meditation that Prof. Phillips had taught him when Jim arrived.
"Hey, dude... what in the hell are you doing?" he asked. During his magical meditation, David's aura would become visible. He was currently surrounded by a shifting orange mist. Jim's voice penetrated his consciousness, however, and the meditation was broken. The mist faded instantly as David opened his eyes.
"Hey. I was meditating."
"That was freaky," Jim said. "Since when do you meditate?"
"Prof. Phillips thinks it will help me with my wand control. Or, actually, he thinks I need to learn to meditate well before I can learn wand control."
"Ah. Well, I see you got your Christmas present." David had set the magical display on his desk.
"Yeah, thanks for that. How did you get that? I don't remember anyone taking pictures..."
"Actually, it's just an artist's recreation. I gave them a picture of you, and they knew what the kelpie looked like... the rest is just magic."
"Oh. Well, that's cool."
Melissa suddenly tugged on Jim's coat. He looked down at her, and then smiled. "Oh, yeah. Melissa wanted me to thank you for her present."
"You're welcome, Melissa." To Jim, he asked, "And how are you liking your subscription?"
"I'll try to keep them on my side of the curtain," Jim said in response. David laughed. As Jim was glancing at David's schedule on the wall, he asked, "Hey, what's this section? You have it blocked off, but you don't have it marked as a class."
"That's my tutoring with Prof. Phillips." He was about to say something else, but Jim had already moved on.
"Nice telescope. You taking up astronomy?"
"I guess I am now. Gwen gave me that."
"Cool. What's in here?"
"You're a nosy one, aren't you?" David said with a grin.
"Hey, you know me..."
"That's a potion-making kit that Prof. Stott gave me for Christmas."
"You got a present from Prof. Stott?"
"Yeah."
"Must be nice."
"That wasn't the only thing I got from her, either."
"What do you mean?"
"She asked me to be her apprentice."
"Whoa! Damn, dude! She must really like you."
"You have no idea."
"Now what the hell is that supposed to mean?" Jim demanded.
"Let's just say she's not as far out of my league as I thought she was," David replied with a grin.
"You didn't... no fucking way! You got in her pants?"
"Actually, she wasn't wearing pants when she showed up here."
"I hate you, dude," Jim said with a grin. "I fucking hate you. So, is that why she's apprenticing you?"
"No. She swore up and down the two things were not related."
"Whether they are or not, dude... man, now I'm really bummed. I can't get a girl, period, and you get the hottest teacher at the school!"
"You'll find someone. Maybe this semester will be better for you."
"Yeah, maybe. So, did you spend your week screwing Prof. Stott, or what?"
"No, we only did it that once. I worked out my schedules with Prof. Phillips and Prof. Stott, and began my tutoring with Prof. Phillips... and started reading my textbooks. It's boring as all hell around here with no one to talk to."
"Yeah, well, tomorrow the fun begins again."
"Hey, I like it here."
"That's because you're good at this shit."
"You'd be better if you tried a little harder."
"Maybe. I don't want to end up like my mom. She worked her ass off, studied all hours, and still didn't pass the damn test. Three times she took it, and three times, she was short of the mark."
"I'm sure you'll do fine. Don't be worrying about that test yet. We've still got a year and a half to go before we have to do that."
"Yeah, I know. But it's a big thing to me, you know?"
"Yeah." After an uncomfortable pause in the conversation, David asked, "So what all did you get for Christmas?"
-----
The gang all gathered in the dining hall that evening for dinner. Classes began the next day, so everyone was back by now.
"And you won't believe what this bastard's been doing while we were all on vacation," Jim said quietly. "Or rather, who."
"What's he babbling about?" Gwen asked David.
"I really have no idea," David said, winking at Gwen so she'd realize he was twisting Jim's tail.
Jim sputtered. "If you're not gonna tell them, I will, dude. I mean, come on!"
"I would think the apprenticeship was more important," he said to Jim.
"Apprenticeship?" Gwen asked.
"Prof. Stott asked me to be her apprentice."
"Wow," Gwen asked. "Novices almost never get apprenticed. Congratulations!"
"Thanks."
Jim was nearly crazed. "But tell them what happened after that!"
"Actually, it came beforehand," David said. He was enjoying watching Jim go insane.
"Whatever!" Jim nearly screamed. He lowered his voice, and said, "Are you going to..."
"Okay, okay. Geez, you'd think it was the end of the world, just because I slept with a teacher."
"You what?" Olissa asked, quietly but earnestly.
"Prof. Stott and I had sex," David said bluntly.
"Good Lord, no wonder he's going crazy," Gwen said with a giggle.
After a moment, Olissa said, "So, what will you do as her apprentice?"
Jim stared at Olissa. "Wait. He just admitted to sleeping with Prof. Stott... Prof World's Best Body, and you want to know about the apprentice thing?"
"Well, other than details that I have no right to, and wouldn't want if I did, there's not much more to say about that. 'Congratulations' seems inappropriate, and 'Be careful' is unwarranted. On the other hand, the apprenticeship, I'm not really familiar with, and there are probably more useful details there."
Jim threw up his hands and ate his dinner, muttering into his mashed potatoes.
David chuckled and said, "I think you effectively burst his bubble." Olissa smiled. David said, "The apprenticeship is kind of a continuation of the Advanced class from last semester. I'll be learning things that she doesn't teach in class."
"You must really have impressed her," Devyn said.
"She said it was almost unheard of - her words - for someone to get a base potion right as fast as I did. I don't understand the big deal. Other than the measuring, it really wasn't that hard."
Gwen stared at him murderously, and even Olissa looked a little shocked. Gwen said, "Not that hard?"
"Well, okay, to me it wasn't that hard."
"I guess that's why she chose you as an apprentice," Olissa said. "I don't think too many people find potion making easy."
"Speaking of things you find easy," Jim said, trying to get back at David, "how long do you think you'll be training with Prof. Phillips?"
David rolled his eyes at Jim. "He said probably several weeks."
"You've already been to see him?" Olissa asked.
"I have been here for a week," he said with a grin. "He's having me learn to meditate. He hopes it'll help me with my concentration."
"Good luck," Gwen said.
"Thanks."
~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~
David was awake already when the noises started. He was studying his Divination book. Jim was snoring away, but when the loud noises began right outside their room, he was startled to consciousness.
"What the fuck is that?" he muttered.
"I don't know," David responded. As the noise persisted, it sounded like people trying to sound like ghosts. David rolled his eyes at the stupidity of it.
"I'll go see who it is," David said, and faded to invisibility. He pushed through the wall, and saw, as expected, Marcus Savolar and three of his friends. They were holding eggs, and facing the dorm room door as they made their ghoulish noises.
David moved around behind them, and then he faded to visibility, but not solidity. He waited for them to notice, or to at least pause in their noise-making. When they did, he spoke.
"You morons are aware," he said, causing them all to jump and spin around, "that, as a demighost, I am already awake? The only ones who are losing sleep over this are you and my roommate. However, as you were dumb enough to let me see your faces, if you don't knock this crap off, I will have to report you to the dean."
"Who's going to believe you?" one of the other boys spat.
"I'm reasonably certain, the dean," David replied calmly.
One of the others hurled an egg right at David's head. It sailed right through, of course, impacting the wall behind him.
"You don't comprehend physics very well, do you?" David said. He was enjoying making fun of these twits.
"This isn't over, Stroud," Marcus sneered, and then the group moved away. David turned to look at the egg on the wall.
"No, it most certainly isn't."
-----
David and Olissa walked down to Alton Hall together after breakfast. Jailla was with David, but Olissa still didn't dare bring Bispy.
"What do you know about our Herbology teacher?" David asked. Olissa always seemed to know more than he did about the teachers.
"Nothing. She's new this semester. The last teacher turned out to be too unreliable."
"Oh."
They made their way into Alton Hall, and found the right room and took their seats. As they sat talking, they saw a soft flash of light, and then David saw a fairy sitting on the teacher's desk.
"Teacher's assistant?" David asked Olissa quietly.
"Maybe," she said. "I don't know."
The fairy turned to face the class, and it seemed like she was saying something, but from where he sat, David didn't hear a word of it. The fairy tried again, but still, to no avail.
A girl in the front row said, "We can't hear you."
The fairy raised one hand, finger in the air, and nodded in understanding. She then spun around, emitting sparkles. In a flash of soft light, she was sitting, human-sized, on the edge of the desk.
"Can you hear me now?" she asked. Receiving nods, she said, "Good!
"My name is Prof. J. Qwellyn. I'd tell you what the J. stands for, but it's a fairy name that humans cannot pronounce. I will be your Herbology instructor for the semester.
"Herbology is important to two... no, three classes of people. First, and probably most obvious, are potion makers. You can't make a potion without potion ingredients, and most of those are herbs and plants.
"Secondly are the healers. Many plants contain healing properties that can be very helpful in the field of magical medicine.
"Finally come the herbologists. These are the businesspeople who grow herbs for the other two groups. Not every potion maker or healer wants to devote the necessary time and energy to having a thriving herb garden, and so many of them simply buy their supplies. Growing magical herbs is a time-consuming and tricky business, as you will find over the course of the next weeks, and years, if you pursue the subject. It is not something you do as a hobby. In fact, doing it haphazardly can be quite dangerous.
"Our class time will be split. We will meet here, first, to go over our lesson. On those days when greenhouse time is necessary, we will walk next door to the greenhouse during class. On a few occasions, I will have you meet next door. I will make those announcements on the prior class day.
"Are there any questions?" There were none. "Very well. Please open your books to page 18, and we'll get started with a breakdown of the basic groups of magical herbs."
-----
"So what do you think of her?" Olissa asked as they left Herbology.
"Seems to know her stuff. I guess a fairy would. Nice to look at, too."
Olissa said, "Sheesh, David. Isn't one teacher enough for you?"
David chuckled. "I can still look!" After a bit, he asked, "At dinner last night, one of the two things you said you weren't going to say was, 'Be careful.' Why would you tell me that?"
"Getting involved with a teacher can make your life more unpleasant. Especially if you two break up. I mean, once the student body finds out, you're both probably going to get hell for it, but if you two break up, then it's going to screw with your classes."
"Well, we're not going together, as such, so there's no way for us to break up." David explained the relationship to Olissa.
"That's a plus. Still, you should be careful. You have your schoolwork, and your apprenticeship, at stake."
David nodded. Then, as they walked, he reached over and put his arm around her shoulders, squeezing, and then letting go.
"What was that for?" she asked.
"For caring."
"You're my best friend. Of course I care. Now, c'mon, I want to get to E&C."
-----
"Good morning, students. My name is Prof. Endora Thropp. I am here to teach Enchantments and Curses 102. If you are not here for that purpose, please leave." No one left. "Very well. You will find little use for your wand in this class, and you will find precious little frivolity. Enchantments and curses are serious business, requiring attention to detail and patience to master.
"I will call the roll today, to make sure that all of you are here. As with any other class, attendance in this one is mandatory. Missing a day will leave you seriously handicapped, as I do not do reviews."
As the professor called off the roll, David leaned over to Olissa, who was sitting next to him. "Charming woman."
"But she's kind of pretty," Olissa objected, nudging him.
"In my book, bitchy completely nullifies pretty."
Once the roll was finished, Prof. Thropp said, "Now, let us begin. Open your books to page 212. We are not going to move through the book from front to back, as I don't like the way they've organized their lessons. Now, follow along."
David groaned inwardly, and flipped open his book.
-----
"Well, that was about as pleasant as having a root canal," David said.
"A what?" Gwen asked.
"You don't know what a root canal is?"
"Never heard of it."
"Does Dugerra have no dentists?"
Olissa stopped this routine before it got started. "No, they don't, David. People go to healers for tooth problems, too."
"Oh. A root canal is an Earth procedure. It's very unpleasant. Imagine... oh, say, jabbing an ice pick into your gums."
"Ouch!"
"Yeah."
"She wasn't that bad," Olissa said, getting back on point. "She's just very... abrupt."
"I guess the real test will come down to when we actually have to do spells in her class," Gwen said. The others agreed. "I'm starving. Let's get lunch."
-----
"To most of you, welcome back. For the rest of you, it's nice to see new faces. I am Prof. Louisa Fibblebitz, and this is Metamorphosis 102. This semester, we'll be looking at morphing more living things than we did last semester. We will not be doing much work on people, however, instead focusing on animals and plants."
David whispered to Jim, "Thank God." Jim just grinned.
"Also, I want to let you all know now that there is a Morphing Tournament at the end of the year. The contest is broken up by levels, so you will only be competing against other level one students. If you're interested in participating, the sign-up sheet will be posted outside my office for the entire semester."
"Now, let's get started, shall we?"
-----
"That was cool. Turning a rabbit into a fox!" Jim enthused.
"Wow, something he might actually pay attention to," David said to Gwen, who was in the class with them. Gwen giggled.
"You going to sign up for the competition, David?" Gwen asked.
"No way. My morphing sucks."
"Aw, c'mon! We'll all do it!" Jim said. "Let's go practice now!"
"I can't. I have tutoring with Prof. Phillips. I'll see you guys later."
"Okay. Good luck," Jim said. Jim and Gwen walked off, and David headed for Prof. Phillips' office.
"Good afternoon, David. How have you been doing with your meditations?"
"I think it's been going okay. I still seem to get interrupted too easily, though."
"Okay, well, that gives us something to work on. C'mon in and we'll get started."
~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~
"You look confused," David said when he saw Olissa at breakfast the next morning.
"I am. This Umbrasocius stuff makes no sense to me."
"You're taking Umbrasocius this semester?"
"We all are," Gwen said as she joined them at the table. "Kind of figured we ought to, what with a ghost for a friend." Devyn, who had accompanied Gwen, nodded.
"You don't need a class to try to understand me guys. Just ask," he said with a smile. "Anyway, what are you having trouble with? I did okay in 101."
"Um... everything? I don't get the need for the whole spiel. Why do we have to go through this ritual just to say hello?"
David shrugged. "Remember that you are quite possibly talking to someone who doesn't like you. You're in a diplomatic exchange. Those always have rules to be followed."
"But why don't they like us?" Gwen asked.
"Because you're still living."
"Well, I'm not about to die just to improve their opinion of me!" Gwen asserted. The rest of the group laughed.
-----
"Hey, David!" Amanda said as she approached him.
"Good morning, Amanda. Are you in this class?"
"Yeah. Do you have a partner yet?"
"Nope."
"Mind if I join you, then?"
"Pull up a stool." After she was settled, David asked, "How was your break?"
"Pretty good. Dull, really. Didn't do much except stay at home."
"Better than where I spent my break," David reminded her.
"Yeah, I guess so. You're gonna help me with this potions stuff, right?"
"Don't tell me you have trouble with it, too?"
"Too? I thought you were good at it."
"But no one else seems to be."
"Potions are hard."
"Well, I'll give you a hand when you have a problem."
"Thanks."
The two sat quietly for a minute, and then the teacher walked in. "Good morning, class. For those of you who don't know me, I'm Prof. Sam Stott, and this is Potions 102. If you're not here for Potions 102, you're in the wrong classroom." This time, no one got up and left. "Since everyone here should be fairly well versed in the basics of potions by now, we're going to jump right in. Please get your cauldrons set up, and we'll get started."
The class worked on their potion for quite some time. David's was going well, but Amanda seemed to be struggling. He stepped over to her cauldron to see if he could give her a hand. When he walked back to his own after several minutes, he gave it a stir. Suddenly, the cauldron started to bubble and pop. The mixture fountained upward, and only a quick spell from Prof. Stott managed to keep it from going everywhere. While the class laughed, she wrangled the goo back into David's cauldron, and then examined it.
"Ferketsel musk? Why in the world did you put ferketsel musk into this?" she asked David, keeping her voice low, because she didn't want to seem as though she was berating him in public.
"I didn't," David replied crossly. He wasn't mad at Prof. Stott, but at the person he was staring at, who was laughing with his buddy and watching them. Prof. Stott looked where David was looking.
"Oh. I see. Okay, well, let's get this cleaned up, so you can start over." As the two walked to the front sink, Prof. Stott whispered quietly, "Do you want me to do something about them? I can talk to the dean..."
"Again, I can't prove they did it. It's not like the egg-throwing that Marcus and his friends got in trouble for yesterday. I saw them do that. This... I'm only making an assumption."
"But you know they did it," Prof. Stott said.
"In the same way that people know there's a God, yes. I certainly believe they did it."
Prof. Stott shook her head at him. "You have more patience than I do."
As they cleaned the cauldron out, he replied, "No I don't. I simply don't want to cause Dean Lengel any more trouble." David was tired of being praised for not lashing out at his tormentors. He wanted nothing better than to beat every last one of them into pulp. But he wasn't going to get himself and the school into trouble over it.
They were finally done cleaning the cauldron, and David headed back to his table.
"I'm sorry," Amanda said to him.
"For what?"
"Distracting you. If you hadn't been helping me, they wouldn't have been able to mess with your potion."
David shrugged. "No big deal. How's yours coming, anyway?"
"Badly," she replied with a shamefaced grin.
"You'll figure it out," he said, putting his hand on her arm, and then getting restarted on his own potion.
-----
"Good afternoon, ladies and gentleman," the man said as he entered the room. He spoke in a voice that was smooth, yet clearly audible. The pace of his speech was unhurried and careful. The man himself mimicked that; his clothing was proper, but not severe. He wore a long coat that was midnight blue, and beneath, a dress shirt and slacks. He was tall and thin, standing perhaps six feet in height. His black hair was tinged with the slightest of gray at the edges, and he wore thin spectacles.
"My name is Prof. Casie Zoroaster, and I will be your Divination instructor for this semester. Divination is, simply put, the art of seeing what you cannot see. From the past, to the future, to things at a distance or obscured from sight.
"Although there are perhaps dozens of specialized divinatory methods, there are seven primary methods, each used for a different purpose.
"Astrology uses the current position of the stars at the time as a focal medium. Please note that, unlike the astrology you may be used to, we do not calculate charts and positions, and the date of birth of anyone is unimportant. The stars are used as a medium; they are not foretelling anything in and of themselves. Astrology is mostly used to foretell wider events, such as political movements and wars and the like.
"Cartomancy, or the use of cards to foretell futures, is a common form of divination, both because it is easy to carry around a deck of cards, and because it is used to foretell personal futures, which is the kind of thing that lots of people want to know. Please be aware that, though cartomancy can see into your personal future, the results are always vague, not revealing specific events but more the trend of events.
"Crystallomancy is perhaps the basic pre-conceived notion of the fortune teller. It uses a crystal ball, into which the diviner gazes, in the hopes that an image will appear. Crystallomancy gives accurate, and usually quite precise, predictions, but they are always short-term. That is to say, it can tell you what may happen next month, but predictions further out than about a year are extremely rare through this method.
"Hydromancy is the next common type. This uses a water surface to divine events that are happening at a distance. That is, the events are happening now, but far away from you. The water helps carry this message because water is everywhere. Such divination is very precise, but is limited by the fact that you cannot see what is about to happen, you can only see what is happening.
"Oneiromancy is one of the more difficult forms of divination. Also called dream interpretation, the oneiromancer will either take a description of the dream from the dreamer, or, in the case of recurring dreams, will actually join the dreamer at night to experience the dream directly. Then, having that knowledge, the oneiromancer will enter a trance state, where they will have their own dream which, if they know their craft, will explain the meaning of the original dream. This can foretell the future, as some people can only tap into their divinatory powers while asleep. It can also reveal things to the dreamer that they were simply not conscious of. The precision and range of oneiromancy is dictated mostly by the dreamer themselves. That is, they are the one actually telling the future, so it is their own talent that determines what is seen. The oneiromancer is merely an interpreter. It is also possible for you to interpret your own dreams, of course, thus making you both seer and interpreter.
"Pyromancy is number six on our list of common divinatory methods. In pyromancy, one uses a flame or fire to predict natural events, such as floods or earthquakes... or if it's going to rain next Tuesday. Pyromancy has no affinity for predicting the actions of people, however, so you will find it of little use if you want to know if Sally is going to ask you out to the dance." The class chuckled at this joke.
"Finally, we have Runic Interpretation. This is used... well, when you find runes. Runic interpretation can be used to divine the history of the place where the runes are found. Some people can create runes about a person or place, and then use their created runes to divine a history. This is, however, a very advanced skill, and you wouldn't learn it until your fifth year or so.
"In this first semester, we will not focus on any one form of divination. We will spend a little time with each one. This will give you enough chance to familiarize yourself with the various divination methods, and to see if you have an affinity for one or more of them. Some of you may have trouble with any method of divination. A rare one or two of you might find that you are good at all forms of divination. Most of you, however, will find just one, or maybe two, types that you are especially good at, while you may be able to do others with difficulty, and some maybe not at all.
"Now, I'm not going to feed you a lot of mystical drudgery about how your spirit must be in the right place for this to work. The fact is, however, that you must concentrate, and you need to keep your mind open to the experiences in order for you to ever divine anything.
"So, let's begin by opening our books to page 1, and start at the beginning."
-----
"Good evening, class," Prof. Edgars said. "Hmm. I can hardly call this a class." There were a total of three people in David's Umbrasocius class, and he and Amanda were two of them. "Clearly this subject is becoming even less popular than it has been." The professor sighed.
"Well, this semester, we will be focusing more on the negotiation aspect of Umbrasocius. Last semester, I taught you how to politely communicate with ghosts, just in general conversation, or in ways to retrieve information from them. This semester, we will focus on how to get what you want out of them."
"Why can't we just ask, Professor?" the third person in the class - his name was Phil - wanted to know.
"Because, to their way of thinking, it is rude. You must understand that you are not dealing with a living human culture. You are dealing with people who have been deceased for, in some cases hundreds, even thousands of years."
Amanda asked, "Professor, what's the oldest ghost you know of?"
"That," Professor Edgars said with a frown, "is precisely the kind of question you would never ask a ghost. However, the answer to your question is that I don't know his exact age. He is at least four thousand years old."
"Where are all the older ghosts?" Phil wanted to know.
"They have all discorporated," Prof. Edgars said. "You will recall that a ghost may, at their own choice, discorporate their consciousness. This is, in essence, the death of a ghost. Most ghosts do this eventually."
"Why?" David wanted to know.
"Because," Prof. Edgars said, looking at David with meaning, "living forever is not all it's cracked up to be."
~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~
David walked into Prof. Stott's workroom. It was Friday afternoon, and time for his apprenticeship session. Prof. Stott was already working on a potion when he walked in. She turned to him as he walked over to her.
David leaned in and gave her a short, soft kiss. "Good afternoon, Sam," he said.
"Hello, David. How was your first week back?"
"Decent. Still putting up with crap from Marcus and his friends, but other than that, it's going well."
"I wish there was something we could do about them," she said, voicing her own frustration.
David nodded his thanks at the sentiment. After a pause, he asked, "So, what are we doing today?"
"Since you breezed through that potion I had you make on Wednesday, I think we'll start you on a second base potion."
"You want me to make Sevat's again?" he asked.
"No. You clearly know how to do that one. I want you to create Dendal's Base this time. It's a bit harder than Sevat's, and it handles different things."
"Okay. Where do we start?"
She passed over a scroll to him, so he could look it over. He did so, and then set the scroll on the table, holding it open with a couple of jars so that he could read it. He turned to pick up the first ingredient, and then he asked, "Prof...er, I mean, Sam, why are some things on flat parchment, and some things on scrolls?"
Sam smiled at his slip. To answer his question, she said, "Mainly, personal choice. But scrolls are less prone to damage than a flat piece of parchment is. Also, you'll note that most scrolls are empty for a few inches at the bottom. This allows the scroll to have a protective outer covering when it's rolled up. I store all my potion recipes this way, unless they're in a book."
David nodded. "That makes sense." He added the next ingredient, and then began to stir.
After watching him a while, Sam said, "I owe you an apology, by the way."
"What for?" he asked.
"Not giving you enough credit. I honestly expected that I would have to scold you to get you to keep your hands off me, since we are intimate now. Not that I don't want you to touch me, mind you, but we have work to do." She smiled at him.
"I've been kind of afraid to touch you, actually," David admitted. "For just that reason. I even hesitated to give you a kiss."
"Oh, don't ever hesitate to do that when we're alone. And you don't need to be afraid of touching me... but do realize that your apprenticeship and your schoolwork come before any sort of fun we might want to have."
David nodded seriously. He added the next ingredient to his potion, then turned back to her as he stirred. "There is a question I've been meaning to ask you, but... it might be a little rude."
"Go ahead," she said with a grin.
"You mentioned that you hadn't had an apprentice for 'a while'. But you don't look old enough to have been out of school for more than five or ten years at the very most..."
Sam blushed slightly. "Thank you. To answer your question, I'm older than I look. Youth potions are a wonderful thing."
David nodded, and raised a hand. "Fair enough. I won't ask further."
"I knew I liked you," Sam said, and leaned over to give him another soft kiss. Growing serious, she said, "This next ingredient is going to be difficult. Let me show you how it needs to be prepared."
~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~
"David... help," Amanda said plaintively. They were in Potions class again, and she was faltering.
David lowered the flame in his fire pit, and then walked over to see what her problem was.
"No, not like that. You've cut them wrong. I think you may have to start over."
"How am I supposed to cut them, then?" she asked with exasperation.
"Hand me the knife, and I'll show you." She did, and he proceeded to demonstrate the proper way to cut up the herb, as opposed to the way she had done it.
"Oh, I get it now. You're trying to expose the insides as much as possible."
"Right."
"Why not just grind it up into paste, then?"
"What do I look like, a Potions instructor?" he said with a grin. "I don't know, but I'm sure there's a reason."
Amanda nodded. "Thanks."
David put his hand on her shoulder in support, then headed back to his own potion. He saw something floating in it. He reached in with a ladle to try to pull it out before it dissolved, but he was too late. Just as his ladle hit the surface, the sprig of herb dissolved into the potion.
A second later, a loud flash and bang occurred, and David went hurtling through the air. He smashed into the cauldron of the person behind him, and then the person to whom it belonged. He was not aware of this, however, as the shockwave from the magical explosion had knocked him out instantly.
Amanda screamed, and Prof. Stott cursed. She pointed to one student she knew she could trust. "Contact the infirmary." The girl nodded and pulled out her mirror. Prof. Stott moved over to where David and the other student lay.
To the conscious student, she asked, "Are you okay?"
He shook his head. "I think something's broken."
"Don't move. Simon, help me move David off him." She and Simon lifted David carefully, and set him gently on the floor. She then moved over to the injured student. She could see that his arm lay at an unnatural angle. "Oh, dear. This looks like a broken arm. We'll have to wait for Healer Hall to arrive, I'm afraid."
"What the hell happened?" the student asked, angry.
"Somebody's practical joke backfired," Prof. Stott said irately. "And they're not going to get away with it this time," she continued.
-----
David awoke slowly. His first conscious thought was that his head hurt. This was followed quickly by thoughts concerning his neck, arms, back, and legs also hurting. He opened his eyes, and was thankful that someone had drawn the curtains in Belleci Hall. He knew that the bright sunlight would have only made his headache worse.
As his eyes managed to focus, he could tell there were several people around him. The first one he recognized was Amanda. She was sitting in the chair closest to him. Turning his head the other way, he saw Prof. Stott leaning against the wall, her eyes focused on him.
"He's awake, Anne," she said out loud.
As Healer Hall came closer to him, he looked around to find Olissa and Gwen were also there. Devyn was standing behind Gwen. Jim was relaxing in a chair in the corner.
"How do you feel, David?" Healer Hall asked him.
"Like I got run over by a pegasus," he said, wincing. "Or indeed, several pegasuses."
"I'm sorry for that," she said. "Of course you know there's no point in my giving you anything for the pain."
"I am aware," he replied.
"You're not going to do an anti-pain spell?" Amanda asked incredulously.
David told her, "It doesn't work on me. Nothing does."
"So... you just have to lie there and hurt?"
David winced again as he shifted positions. "Pretty much."
"That's just not right!" she demanded.
David smiled at her. He turned to Prof. Stott. "What, exactly, happened?"
"Your potion exploded. You were knocked out and blown backwards. You were thrown into Theo."
"Is he okay?" David asked.
"He's got a broken arm, but he'll be fine," Healer Hall assured him.
Olissa asked, "How are you feeling, other than the pain?"
David chuckled, "You mean, there is something other than the pain?"
She looked at him with chagrin. "Sorry." David waved it off.
"I'll be all right, I guess. Won't I?" he asked Healer Hall.
"You'll be fine by the end of the day. You may have to spend tonight as a ghost, though."
"Fun."
Jim stood up. "Well, dude, I'm glad you're all right. If it's okay with you, I've got to get to class."
"Yeah, no problem. Thanks, guys, for sticking around."
They all said their well-wishes, and then everyone except for Amanda and Prof. Stott left. Amanda looked down at him and said, "I was really worried that you'd gotten seriously hurt."
"Thanks." He reached out and took her hand. She squeezed his hand in return, then she leaned in and gave him a quick kiss. After that, she blushed, then left quickly. Prof. Stott came over with a grin.
"I think she forgot I was here," she said to him.
"If I ever figure out which bastard did this..."
"The bastard in question has already been expelled," Prof. Stott replied. "One of the other students turned him in. They didn't mind you getting hurt, but when Theo got hurt as well, they were upset."
"Damn. So I don't even get to beat the crap out of him."
"No, sorry. He'll be gone before you ever get out of this bed." She put her hand on his chest. "You are all right, aren't you?"
"Just really, really sore," he confirmed.
"Good. I was worried, too." She leaned down and kissed him rather more passionately than Amanda had. When she broke their kiss, she blushed, too. "Please get well quickly. I'll see you tomorrow."
As she left, Healer Hall came back over. To twist David's tail, she said, "Don't expect any kisses from me!"
David laughed, though it hurt like hell to do so.
~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~
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