Page 10 of Witchful Thinking

"My favorite," Thaddeus chimed in, "was when Principal Starcatcher came in for his hemorrhoid cream and the cabinet started singing 'Ring of Fire.'"

Ceries nearly choked on her water while Alarick dissolved into laughter.

Grimcrack returned, placing slabs of glowing stone before them."Volcanic rocks ready.Put raw meat on top."He slammed down plates of thinly sliced steak."Meat cooks while you eat."

The rocks emanated intense heat.

"Oh, and steak knife charmed to cut perfectly every time," Grimcrack added proudly, handing Alarick an enormous, slightly rusty knife."Just like Grimcrack's heart when see beautiful love story beginning at table seven."

"Table seven would be us," Thaddeus explained helpfully, raising his glass toward Diana and Alarick.

Diana pointedly ignored this and placed a slice of steak on her volcanic rock, watching it sizzle."So, about those herbs..."

The conversation flowed more easily as they ate, the excellent food and Bubbling Cauldron Cocktail (which tasted like jalapeno spiced mango juice with an absinthe kick) creating a relaxed atmosphere.Diana laughed at Alarick's story about accidentally turning a door into plaid instead of plywood.

"It's not my fault," he insisted."The magical hardware store gave me enchanted wood stain instead of sealer."

"Is that why the east wing bathrooms still lock and unlock based on people's zodiac signs?"Thaddeus asked.

Alarick looked momentarily embarrassed."I'm still working on a fix for that."

"Capricorns have been holding it for days," Ceries added with mock seriousness.

Their laughter was interrupted by a crash from the kitchen, followed by Grimcrack's booming voice: "NO EXPLOSION!EVERYTHING FINE!SMOKE PART OF AUTHENTIC EXPERIENCE!"

Diana caught Alarick's eye across the table and found herself unable to look away.The warm light from the volcanic rocks cast a glow across his features, highlighting the humor in his eyes and his sexy smile.

"You've got sauce," he said softly, gesturing to the corner of his own mouth.

"Oh."Diana quickly dabbed her napkin against her lips, only to have the napkin fold itself into a tiny heart.She crumpled it immediately.

As dinner progressed, Diana found it increasingly difficult to maintain emotional distance.Alarick was intelligent, charming, and frustratingly easy to talk to.Worse, he seemed genuinely interested in her perspectives, asking thoughtful questions and actually listening to her answers.

By the time they were finishing dessert—a confection that occasionally levitated above the plate and had to be caught quickly before it floated away—Diana had consumed just enough of the Bubbling Cauldron Cocktail to feel pleasantly warm and dangerously relaxed.

"We should probably head back," she suggested, noticing how Ceries and Thaddeus kept exchanging steamy glances. The cocktail and the volcanic rock steak seemed to be working on that side of the table.

"Good idea," Alarick agreed."I've got an early lumber delivery tomorrow."

Thaddeus and Ceries barely noticed they had left.Outside, the night air was cool and refreshing after the warmth of the restaurant.Stars twinkled overhead in formations that occasionally rearranged themselves into new constellations.

"That was...not terrible," Diana admitted as they walked back toward the academy.

"Such enthusiasm," Alarick laughed."But I'll take it."

As they walked back from The Grumble and Brew, Diana noticed a small group of garden gnomes following at a distance, carrying what appeared to be a miniature collection of medical supplies and warding tools arranged in a peculiar pattern.

"Is that...are they making some sort of shrine?"she asked, bewildered.

Alarick glanced back and chuckled."Garden gnomes are sensitive to magical harmonies.Professor Winterbloom says they can detect compatible magical signatures before humans notice anything."

"Compatible magical signatures?"Diana repeated, suddenly remembering the strange warmth she'd felt when their hands touched."That's ridiculous.Garden gnomes collect shiny objects, not...relationship predictions."

"Of course," Alarick agreed too quickly, but Diana didn't miss how he watched the gnomes with curious interest before they ducked behind a bush, whispering among themselves.

As they got closer to the school, a thunderous crash from made them pick up the pace.Hurrying onto school grounds, they saw the practice hall doorway billowing purplish smoke.A student staggered out, coughing violently.

"What happened?"Diana demanded, already casting diagnostic spells.

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