Enchanted

Learning progress

"Are you sure you picked up the silver ring?" Eddy asked skeptically, scrunching his eyebrows. 

"Yeah, you saw it too, right? It was glistening and shining and looked pretty expensive..." 

Surprisingly, Brett has managed to survive the first competition and was now wrapped up in warm blankets and dry clothes in Eddy's office. The schools have announced that the treasure will hold some hints for the next competition and Eddy assumed it has to do something with the presumable eloquent letterings engraved on the ring.  The only problem was that, well - 

"...but this looks like a piece of tortoise tard." Eddy rolled the ring in his hand, now rusty brown and disgusting. The ring looked like it was banished to the deep arse of a volcano for hundreds of years until it has lost all of its integrity. 

"It looked like a real treasure when I picked it up. Silver with a green big gem in the middle," Brett shrugged his shoulder. "Like the one from that story where the boy threw the family ring to the ocean in the end to follow his soulmate? I forgot the name of the story though." 

"Huh, sounds like a cheesy fanfic," Eddy dunk the ring into the cup of mercury to see if it made any difference. No difference. "Well, if it doesn't respond to water or any of the potions anymore, let's see if this will do anything." 

Eddy threw the ring to the crackling fireplace next to Brett. Brett yelped as the ring suddenly let out a blazing light, suddenly bursting into flames. The flickering flames licked and screamed at the walls as they roared up to the chimney like a tornado. 

"...what was that?" Brett squeaked. 

"Your next mission, little badger," Eddy sighed. "Now they want you to play with fire." 

***

"I think I told you to practice the spells until dinner." 

Brett jolted when Eddy's low voice hit him from the back. 

Eddy has been drilling the flame-freezing spell into Brett for days now to no visible improvement. Sure, Eddy could always lather up Brett with Ice potion but the potion needed a good incantation charm to be in full effect. 

"I was practicing," Brett's eyes darted to the floor anxiously. 

"You better be if you don't want to be on a K-BBQ grill in front of the crowd."

"That doesn't sound too bad. I like K-BBQ." 

"Brett, I just don't find you to be a tasty option." 

Eddy was just about to return to his desk when he saw a small book sticking out behind Brett's cloak. Brett quickly hid the book deeper into the pocket, noticing Eddy's gaze. 

"What was that?" Eddy asked.

"Nothing."

"Apparently, it was not 'nothing.' I just saw you hiding it." 

"You see, I got so entranced from the spell you taught me, Eddy - so I went to the library and was studying - and I mean I was really studying and was concentrating and all that - and I found this gorgeous old spellbook for the flame-freezing charm-" 

 "-Accio," Eddy sternly aimed his wand at Brett's pocket, immediately sensing Brett's bullshit. 

"No!" 

Despite Brett's protest, the book flew from the badger's pocket to Eddy's hand. Eddy flipped the book from top to bottom, scrutinizing it. 

"...The art of wonderful bedtime technique...what is this?" 

"It's...nothing," Brett stuttered. 

"If you say nothing one more time, badgerhead-"

"Gosh, ok, it's just some dumb book about how to have a really good night's sleep."

"Do you think I'm a fucking idiot or something? Is this some pornographic shit?" Eddy stopped flipping, landing on one of the pages with a graphic description of french kissing. 

"I mean, you, me, uh-" Brett squeezed his hands nervously, scrambling for words. "-you know, we kissed- like once or twice - and- I wasn't sure - you know, if you liked it and-or- if you would want to try something else-" 

Brett shut his mouth as Eddy threw the book into a brewing potion on a hot cauldron, instantly incinerating it into ashes. 

"...so any last words?" Eddy asked quietly. 

"That was a library book. I need to return it." 

Brett's eyes turned wide as Eddy suddenly closed the distance between them, trapping him to the corner of the room. Brett's back hit the stone wall behind him. The young Hufflepuff gulped, looking up to the cold eyes staring down at him.  

"Brett, I should find this attitude pretty endearing but your life is in literal danger right now and I cannot deal with this crap while trying to save you. I need you to focus on that spell, every minute of your day."

"Calm down, I bet I can figure it out some way or another." 

"The world isn't all sunshine and rainbows, HUFFLEPUFF! You have only have what - like TWO days left until the tournament-" 

"You want me to be negative? Fine! I'm never going to master the spell! And I will die a virgin in front of all Hogwarts and all I wanted was be a mediocre background Hufflepuff and make YOU  happy and appreciated-" 

Brett's rant was muffled by Eddy's coat as Eddy embraced Brett into a warm bear hug. Brett, taken back, almost bit his tongue in confusion and surprise. 

"Don't get me wrong. You do make my life...enjoyable," Eddy muttered. 

Brett felt the warmth radiating from Eddy's chest, a stark comparison between his cold analyzing eyes. Deep inside, Brett also knew, Eddy really had Brett's best interest in mind. 

"...and I swear what you fear, won't happen, ever," Eddy said, firmly. 

"You won't let me die a virgin?" Brett squeaked between Eddy's cloak. 

"That was not what I was going for."

"It's ok. Just let me enjoy this, right now, you snakehead," Brett buried himself deeper into Eddy's chest. "This is romantic. This is heart-warming. I feel like I can fit the whole world in my hand."

"You know that is physically impossible."

"Are you sure?" Brett smiled, cupping Eddy's face into his small hands. 

"Stop it, I have a reputation." 

Eddy looked away, blushing. He knew, in regards to this messy Hufflepuff, there was no way he can win a single fight.