Fall in love in a weekwe get by

I went to a small restaurant with Italian cuisine. I didn’t take pizza – I decided to diversify the menu. I ordered a vegetable salad and lasagna. The portions turned out to be huge, I took tiramisu and the strongest coffee for dessert simply out of principle – not to leave such a delicious thing!

But now you can go to the Academy. Sit in on Dougal's lecture as a volunteer listener. He won't kick him out. Suddenly I’ll understand something.

I wanted to look at him. See another aspect of the terrifying Professor Norwood. It was interesting what kind of lecturer he was – certainly better than Herr Volger! Students don't worry about a lost lecture from a bad teacher.

I was going to get to the audience in advance – that is, if I didn’t have to look for it – and take a place somewhere in the corner behind a column. Or, if there are no columns there, in some other secluded corner. But since I arrived early, I finally decided to pick up my things from the toilet on the way to Maskelyne’s office. If they're still there, of course.

I don’t know how common it is here, but no one had their eye on Charlotte’s cloak and boots for two days. And I felt like a fool, standing in the middle of the toilet and looking at my own things, which there was nothing even to hide. Surely Charlotte knew how to conjure some kind of bag! But I had no idea how to approach this task. What little I could do gave no clues.

“Okay, keep it simple,” I decided. She took her boots, threw her cloak over her arm to at least cover this disgrace a little, and went to the pulpit. I'll leave it there for now. Sunday, the risk of meeting unwanted spectators in the Academy corridor is minimal.

I got to the department without incident – except for the strange look of the student who came my way and the strange sounds that seemed to be on the very edge of audibility and for some reason were very disturbing. Howl, not howl, whistling, not whistling… maybe the wind? But just now the weather was wonderful.

It seemed stupid to worry about such nonsense, so I put it out of my mind. Moreover, Dougal was sitting at the table in the office – just like on my first day in the new world, with a newspaper. And, like on the first day, I said:

– Good morning, Professor Norwood.

Here he really was a professor, maybe a doctor, but not Dougal. But for some reason I felt sad because I couldn’t call him by name. Not in this place, not now. Yesterday it was easier.

The newspaper rustled and slowly fell onto the table. And this was already strikingly different from the first day. And then I watched as Dougal’s right eyebrow creeped up just as slowly, and his gaze became mocking. In a good mocking way, without the desire to offend.

“Miss… Blair, what a surprise.” Am I missing something, or are we planning walks through the swamps again? It’s unlikely that you were walking like this,” he cast a fleeting glance at the window, behind which the sun was shining brightly, not like autumn. – Or did you decide to insure yourself in case of sudden disasters?

– I forgot this… the day before yesterday. I decided to pick it up since I ended up going to the academy anyway. Teach you how to conjure bags? We need to pack it in something.

“You don’t have to do any magic, the suitable packages are in the lower left drawer of the table in the laboratory.”

– Wonderful. “I found the bags, put my boots in one, and a folded raincoat in the other. I left them both at my desk. I looked at my watch – it was almost half an hour before the lecture started. There was no longer any point in going to the classroom early and looking for a place where Dougal wouldn't notice me right away. Asked:

– Coffee? “I wanted to offer a choice of tea or coffee, but I remembered in time that he doesn’t like tea.

– Did you come earlier for this?

I smiled.

– No. I wanted to take a seat somewhere in the back rows, closer to the door. But since I’m here anyway, and there’s no point in running to the classroom half an hour before the lecturer…

“It seemed to me that for an unprepared listener a lecture on alchemy would be no different from a lecture on tidal pebbles.”

– Why not compare?

“Commendable but senseless dedication.” Black without sugar.

Yesterday, when we were discussing Charlotte's ingenious methods of "training" Sabella showed some techniques for brewing coffee. Now I decided to repeat it. Dougal watched my manipulations, but did not interfere. The result… Hmm… It smelled good. I handed Dougal his cup and took mine. I tried it.

– OU. Not at all what… what it was.

Although Sabella's delicious coffee is still a long way off. Well… there is room to grow.

“That’s why I’ve never drunk Miss Blair’s coffee in my life.” So it’s not in vain. However, the smell was telling. – He also sipped my coffee with noticeable apprehension. I would also like to know what could be wrong with the smell. Why not ask?