Chapter 43 Enchanted Proximity
The afternoon sunlight streamed through the high windows of the Charms classroom, casting golden patterns on the polished wooden floors. Liora adjusted her robes nervously, glancing at the assortment of spellbooks and enchanted objects arrayed before her. Today’s lesson was on basic levitation charms, but for her, even the simplest incantations seemed tricky.
Mattheo Riddle stood near the front of the room, his dark eyes observing the students with that ever-present intensity. He wasn’t assigned to assist her—officially—but somehow, she found herself noticing his presence more than any of the teachers.
“Ready?” a voice murmured beside her.
Liora jumped slightly, turning to see Mattheo leaning just a little too close, his voice low and teasing, but not unkind. “I—um, I think so,” she stammered, feeling heat rise to her cheeks.
The class began, wands flicking in practiced motions. Liora muttered the incantation for Wingardium Leviosa, but instead of the feather in front of her rising gracefully, it spun wildly, flopping to the floor with a soft thud.
Mattheo’s brow arched ever so slightly, and without a word, he stepped closer to adjust her stance. “You’re tensing your wrist,” he said quietly, demonstrating with his own wand. His hand brushed against hers briefly as he corrected her grip, and a spark of warmth shot through Liora, leaving her momentarily distracted.
“Sorry,” she whispered, heart racing, quickly looking away.
“No need,” he murmured, his gaze fixed on the feather floating gently now. “Just focus. Let the magic respond to you, not force it.”
She nodded, repeating the charm, and this time, the feather lifted smoothly into the air. A small smile of triumph appeared on her face.
“Good,” Mattheo said softly, the praise catching her off guard. “Better.”
As they continued practicing, a misfired spell from a classmate’s wand sent a small, swirling orb of light hurtling toward them. Liora’s eyes widened, and before she could react, Mattheo’s hand shot out instinctively, grabbing hers and pulling her behind him. The orb fizzled harmlessly against his robes, leaving a faint, lingering shimmer in the air.
They froze, just for a moment, faces inches apart. Liora’s breath caught, and she felt a subtle blush creeping across her cheeks. Mattheo’s eyes, dark and unreadable, held hers for a heartbeat longer than necessary.
“Are you alright?” he asked quietly, his voice low but firm.
“I… yes,” she stammered, though the racing of her heart said otherwise. “Thank you… for that.”
He only nodded, his expression careful, almost unreadable. Then, as though to break the tension, he flicked his wand at the feather, sending it spiralling into a perfect dance in the sunlight. “Focus on your charms, not on me,” he murmured, though the corner of his mouth betrayed a hint of amusement.
Liora swallowed, cheeks still warm. She tried to concentrate on the spell before her, but the lingering memory of his touch, of his presence so close, refused to fade. Every movement he made, every subtle shift of his body, seemed magnified in her awareness. She could feel the faint warmth where their hands had met, as though the magic itself had left an imprint on her skin.
“You’re distracted,” he said quietly, glancing at her with a subtle, knowing tilt of his head.
“I’m… not,” she protested softly, though her voice trembled.
Mattheo’s smirk was faint but unmistakable. “Not even a little?” he teased, though there was no malice in his tone. His gaze softened just slightly, revealing a hint of the vulnerability he rarely showed. “It’s alright. I understand.”
She bit her lip, looking down at her wand, trying to steady her thoughts. The classroom felt unusually warm, almost intimate, as if the air itself had changed around them. Every flick of his wrist, every quiet instruction, carried an intensity that made her pulse quicken.
Another spell misfired nearby, and without thinking, Mattheo’s hand brushed against hers again, steadying her wand. This time, neither of them pulled away immediately. Their eyes met, and Liora could feel the magnetic pull between them, subtle but undeniable. The blush on her cheeks deepened, and she forced herself to look at the feather floating gracefully, pretending the spell was the only thing in the room.
“Good,” he said finally, his voice low. “That’s perfect.”
She nodded, heart still hammering, and the moment passed, but neither could ignore the electricity that lingered. Liora felt an unfamiliar flutter in her chest—excitement, nervousness, and a growing awareness of something more than simple admiration for his magical skill.
As the lesson ended and students began packing up their things, Mattheo stepped back, giving her space, though his eyes lingered a moment longer than necessary. “You’re improving,” he said quietly, almost to himself. “Faster than I expected.”
“Thanks,” she murmured, shyly tucking her wand into her bag. “I… I had good help.”
He inclined his head, a subtle acknowledgment, then turned away to speak with another student, leaving Liora standing there, cheeks flushed and mind spinning.
As she walked back toward the Hufflepuff common room, she couldn’t stop replaying the accidental closeness, the brushes of their hands, and the subtle tension that had sparked between them. She felt a strange mixture of warmth and electricity, a feeling that lingered long after the classroom’s golden sunlight had faded.
Why does he affect me like this? she wondered, a smile tugging at her lips. And why… do I want it?
And somewhere, across the castle, Mattheo Riddle felt the pull of the same moment. The fleeting contact, the blush she had worn so innocently, stirred something in him he could neither ignore nor fully understand. A conflict of desire and caution, of protection and curiosity, warred silently within him, intensifying his awareness of her in ways he hadn’t anticipated.
Though neither spoke of it, both knew that something had shifted—a spark had ignited, subtle yet impossible to ignore. And in that quiet, lingering tension, Hogwarts itself seemed to hold its breath, waiting to see what would come next between them.