"Show me the stance for this spell."

Akko peered at the book, biting her lip in concentration. After a long moment, she arranged herself in a vague approximation of the pose, her wand arm extended as if to fling a spell while her other was lifted and held in front of her body at an angle. It was a passable attempt. Over the last week she had improved quite a bit in terms of remembering spells and the motions that accompanied them. Diana was fairly sure that she'd be fine after Diana's evenings were too busy for these little practice sessions.

"That's close, but not quite correct. Your free arm needs to be more resolute, as if you're attempting to block with it. Widen your stance a bit more but remember you need to be light on your feet." Diana gripped Akko's arm and tugged it into the correct position, even going as far as to rearrange her hand on her wand. Akko's hands were warmer than expected, she noted, and both the backs of her hands and upper arms were covered with little silvery scars. That hot beaker she exploded late in their first year? That was the likely cause. For all the mundane injuries magic could heal, it was far more difficult to deal with the aftereffects of magic itself.

Akko shivered and whined. "Your hands are cold."

"I'm sorry," Diana said with a wry twist to her lips, "Next time I'll be certain to warm them before touching you."

"Can you do that?" Akko's eyes were bright with interest, clearly assuming Diana meant some sort of spell. She was ever curious, which was probably why she was constantly in trouble.

"No." Yes, technically, but Diana wasn't going to do any such thing.

"Aww."

Akko slumped a little, but straightened again when Diana tapped the small of her back. "Keep your back straight!"

"Whyyyyy?"

Diana sniffed, "Good posture is important."

"What does it have to do with casting good spells?"

"Nothing, but it does prevent you from hunching like a werewolf."

Akko pouted, absurdly crossing her arms over her chest and purposefully hunching her back. Honestly, was she a child? Diana laughed into her hand, glad that Akko was turned away so she couldn't see. Akko's personality was the oddest combination of grating and endearing Diana ever had the pleasure to interact with. And it truly was a pleasure, despite the fact more than a few of their peers would call this a waste of her time. She was surprised to discover she enjoyed teaching, and that Akko was an eager student when her attention was engaged.

"I don't have much time this evening, Akko. Please focus."

That seemed to snap Akko out of her funk. She turned to meet Diana's eyes, gaze warm enough to do strange things to Diana's heart. There was an uncharacteristic hesitance to her sheepish smile. "Sorry, Diana. I know you've got lots of important things to do."

That shame was usually carefully hidden, but Diana was nothing else if not a master of reading subtleties of expression. It cut her to the bone every time she saw that emotion cross Akko's face. Did Akko think she didn't deserve the help? Diana was afraid to ask. There were many burdens she bore because of her family name, but this one truly felt like her fault. "…If I had anywhere else to be, you can rest assured I would be there."

Diana didn't give Akko a chance to respond, but instead plowed into the rest of the lesson. "Now that your posture is correct, let's see you try the spell. You remember how to cast the shield spell? This time you focus it to only cover your free arm. This allows you to both block and continue casting spells. The spell follows the same principle: focus on your internal power, and project it as an external manifestation of your will."

Akko just looked at her blankly.

Diana sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose to stave off an oncoming headache. "Imagine the shield really hard, Akko."

"Didn't have to say it like that." Akko muttered, but she closed her eyes dutifully. Diana could feel beginnings of Akko's magic swirl around them both, like a tiny whirlpool in a larger stream. "Munita Sum!"

There was a flicker of light on the tip of Akko's wand that slowly spiraled outward, forming a ghostly purple buckler on Akko's forearm. The shield gleamed with a six-pointed star on the opaque surface, like a star sapphire. Akko stared at it with big eyes and an even bigger goofy grin, momentarily struck speechless.

"Beautiful." Diana breathed, tapping the shield gently with her own wand. The surface rippled like the surface of a pond, but didn't give way under her probing. When Akko's spells went right they were the most beautiful Diana ever saw. "Well done, Akko. It appears solid enough for use, but I would be happier if you practiced more… first…"

Diana trailed off as she lifted her head and found Akko closer than expected. Akko's cheeks were flushed, and Diana found heat rushing to her face as if to follow suit. Diana only just managed to tug herself away, giving Akko's shield a firm whack with the flat of her hand. That snapped Akko out of her daze, and Diana pretended to ignore the way Akko's cheeks darkened further as she continued: "But I believe that you'll pass muster, at least if you continue the exercises Professor Ursula assigned along with my additions."

The shield dispersed with a murmured Factum, leaving Akko shuffling in place and looking everywhere but Diana. Then she lunged and gripped Diana's wrist, tugging her into a her into a tentative hug that tightened when Diana didn't immediately pull away. Perhaps she would have if Akko's voice weren't so hoarse with emotion when she finally spoke. "Thanks Diana. I know you said it was only for that one time, but you kept helping me and it - it really means a lot."

As Akko pulled back Diana hurried to school her expression into something she could live with Akko seeing. Her emotions warred between the feeling of that honest warmth, and the utter uncertainty on how to respond. Thankfully deeply engrained social graces kicked in, prompting her to smile faintly. "It's entirely the result of you own effort Akko, I merely facilitated."

Akko laughed, rubbing at the back of her neck. "You did a lot more than you think."

"I have an exam tomorrow evening." Diana continued finally, when Akko didn't say anything further. Her face was hot enough to light a candle, and she wasn't certain why. "I - I won't be available for a while after that so don't wait for me. Keep up with your reading and exercises, and you should be able to catch up all on your own."

Akko's face lit up with a broad grin. "Aww, I didn't know you had so much faith in me, Diana."

Diana's heart skipped a beat.

Oh. Oh no.