Wow! Over 100 followers already? Seriously, you guys are really great. This story wouldn't have gotten as far as it has without all your words of encouragement. Thank you so much, and I hope you all enjoy this next chapter of Conjuring up smiles!


The next week of classes consisted of more introductory material, though many teachers were beginning to transition into the harder parts of the curriculum. Ruby, as luck would have it, shared many classes with her teammates, being split between fighting and science. Yang was always happy to go hand-to-hand against her sister, though Ruby could give her a run for her money when they were using their weapons. Both sisters were somewhat wary around Nora, whose advantage came from her unpredictability. Pyrrha was a wild card as well. Everyone in the class had been absolutely flattened by the red-haired woman at least once, and nobody could tell if the times they had beaten her afterward were simply Pyrrha going easy on them.

When it came to science classes, Ruby was the odd one out when they were assigned lab partners. She tended to split up her time between her friends in team JNPR and her other teammates, focusing more heavily on the latter. When she worked with Jaune and Ren, she found that she and Jaune ended up goofing off most of the time and Ren did all the work, which Ruby felt guilty about. Despite the fact that Ruby liked having fun, she had gotten lucky being allowed to attend the school as early as she did, and didn't want to squander the opportunity. Besides, both Jaune and her could use some more practice when it came to science. Especially Jaune. The poor fellow broke a test tube almost once every class, whether they were doing a lab that day or not.

When it came to team RWBY (or team RWB, to be more specific) Weiss was proving to be the harder nut to crack, though that was no surprise to anyone. Blake was stern too, but more likely to flash a quick smile when Ruby made a joke. And boy, was Ruby full of those.

"Hey guys, what do you call a substance you can't figure out through testing? A chemystery!"

"So helium walks into a bar. The bartender says, 'We can't serve you.' Helium doesn't react."

"One atom bumps into another. They say, 'I've lost my electrons!' The other one says, 'Are you sure?' 'Yes, I'm positive!'" That one got Blake to chuckle a little, an all-time best for Ruby, though for whatever reason Yang could get Blake to smile within minutes of the two meeting up. Weiss was stubbornly avoiding Ruby as best she could, but the team leader was determined to get on the heiress's good side. Surprisingly enough, it was working.

While Ruby did have a tendency to doze off during lectures, Weiss was genuinely surprised by the brunette's aptitude for science. She grasped certain concepts with ease that left Weiss baffled, and at one point the eldest Schnee found herself in an argument of sorts with the magician about a certain topic.

"I just don't understand it. How can the cat be alive and dead at the same time?" Weiss muttered. For whatever reason, this discussion seemed to put Blake slightly on edge, so the heiress was left asking Ruby. Ruby sat back in her chair a smile on her face as she patiently explained.

"It's simple, Weiss! Once Schrodinger's cat goes in the box, you don't know if it's alive or dead. That means that it's not alive or dead. It's in a suspended state where it's both!" Weiss's frown grew more pronounced.

"But that doesn't make any sense." Ruby shrugged at this point, leaning forward and beginning to draw on her paper.

"It's just an analogy to explain how electrons are particles with wave properties. It's supposed to make things easier." Weiss glanced at Ruby's paper, where she had doodled a cartoon cat stuck in a box. The brunette had hardly taken any notes. Weiss had to say she was impressed and disapproving at the same time. Ruby seemed absentminded most of the time, but as much as Weiss hated to say it, she was very talented at remembering science. Still, she should take more notes.

"Focus on the lecture." She snapped, finding nothing else to say. Even with her unreasonable anger, Ruby's smile never wavered.

"You got it, Weiss!" The magician replied as professor Peach droned on about the visible light spectrum. As boring as the lectures were, the labs were certainly exciting. They had already done two this week, and while they were introductory, professor Peach had told them that they would start actual experimentation soon, with real Grimm DNA samples! Ruby couldn't wait, and while Blake and Weiss tried to mask their excitement with indifference or frustration, she could tell they were excited too.

The bell rang shortly after professor Peach finished the lecture. The professor certainly had an aptitude for finishing the classes right on time...Unlike another teacher. "Ugh, I'm off to professor Port's again." Ruby grumbled as she packed up her books. "You guys have to take Grimm Studies too, right? Does he bore you guys with tales of his hunts too?" As usual, Weiss didn't reply. Blake usually sped off as soon as the bell rang-her next class was on the other side of the campus, and she had to act fast if she was going to get there on time. Weiss, however, was always accompanied by a chattering Ruby whenever she left class. She just couldn't seem to shake her off, though, to be fair, she hadn't tried that hard.

Ruby had made a significant effort to get back into Weiss's good graces. One way or another, she always got Weiss's rose to her every day, and the compliments, while less over the top and dramatic, were more personalized, which she enjoyed. As previously mentioned, Ruby tended to walk with Weiss whenever they left chemistry, and also did most of the talking. After realizing the heiress wasn't going to hold up her end of the conversation, Ruby had taken to talking for the two of them. While irritating at first, Weiss had to say she had grown fond of the babbling. It was comforting, in a way.

"Today's class was hard! Theoretical chemistry was something I thought I was good at, but I'm really not sure about it now...I wonder how hard the test will be?"

"I met one of the upperclassmen the other day! Her name's Velvet, and she's genuinely one of the cutest people I've ever met. She's a bit quiet too, kind of like you, but it's a different kind of quiet...More peaceful, I guess. Not to say you're not peaceful in your own way!"

"Yang's been heading to the library a lot...The one in downtown Vale, not the school one. I wonder why. Wait, Blake works at the library, right?"

"Well, this is where we part ways, I suppose." Ruby stopped in front of professor Port's lecture hall, turning on her heel to face Weiss. She bowed in a joking fashion, stating in an overdramatic voice, "Until we meet again, my fair lady. But until then, a rose for a princess." With that, she pulled a paper rose from her hood and handed it to Weiss, darting inside her Grimm Studies class. Weiss turned it over. Scribbled on the back was a drawing of a cat with a heart next to it.


The first test of Grimm Studies was tomorrow, and despite her seemingly effortless grasp on the subject, Ruby was nervous.

"I don't see why you don't just ask her to study with you." Yang mentioned during a sparring match. "I asked Blake and she said yes! It's that easy." The brawler continued, throwing a punch at Ruby's stomach. Ruby twisted away and aimed a fist at her sister's head, one which Yang dodged easily.

"It's not that simple with Weiss." Ruby replied, sidestepping another one of her half-sister's powerful punches. "I think she's still angry at me. She doesn't talk to me very much." The brunette finally made contact with Yang's shoulder and was disappointed to see the blonde stumble only a little before attempting another hit aimed at her chest.

"I think you should try. You might be surprised." In one fluid move, Yang swept Ruby's feet out from under her. The magician hit the floor with a thud, and Yang smiled, extending a hand towards Ruby to help her up.

"Good match."


Weiss and Blake were walking back to their dorm when it happened. Blake glanced at her watch, eyes widening slightly.

"It's later than I expected." She noted. "I should get going." Weiss tilted her head to one side.

"Where are you going?" Blake pulled her bag higher over her shoulder.

"I'm going to study for the test tomorrow with Yang. She's not the best at Grimm Studies, and wanted me to help her out." The dark woman explained. "Are you going to study with anyone, Weiss?" Blake asked, eyes flashing as she fixed the heiress with an inquisitive glare. Weiss felt like a deer in headlights.

"No...I...I study better on my own." Weiss stuttered out, mentally chastising herself for stumbling over her own words. It was true to some extent, but at the same time Weiss didn't know if she was better on her own or not. She had never really had anyone around to help her study before. Anyways, there was no point in fretting about that now. Besides Blake, there was really only one person she would want to study with.

Like clockwork, one Ruby Rose appeared, sprinting towards Weiss with her backpack slung over her shoulders.

"Hi Weiss! Hi Blake!" The magician greeted the two, a broad grin on her face. "Um...Weiss, I was going to ask you something, if you didn't mind..." Blake's eyes widened slightly.

"I'll leave you two to it." The black-haired woman commented, disappearing into the shadows without another word.

"Anyways, Weiss, I was wondering if you wanted to maybe...Study with me?" Ruby asked, a hint of nervousness showing in her voice.

"Yes." Weiss blurted out. Ruby's face brightened instantly.

"Really?" The heiress blushed, glad it was dark so Ruby couldn't see the reddening of her face.

"I...Don't think anything of it, okay? It's just that I study better with someone else." Weiss added in an attempt to keep her cool. Ruby was undaunted.

"All right! Come on, we should get to the library before it closes!" Ruby grabbed Weiss's hand, dragging a flustered heiress off into the night.

Overall, it was a rather fruitful session. Weiss found that she did in fact study better with someone else, and while she spent most of the time chastising the magician for her immaturity and almost wrote down 'Ruby' as one of the answers to a question, they both got good grades on the test anyways. At least, in Ruby's opinion.

"Weiss, what are you so upset about? You got a 98!" Weiss's expression was a bit more sour than usual.

"Yes, a 98! That's two whole points that I shouldn't have gotten wrong. I should have known better." The heiress grumbled angrily.

"Hey, you got a really good grade, okay? And you'll know for next time!" Ruby reassured her, making a silent promise not to reveal her perfect score to her teammate.


And there we are! Sorry if this seems like a bit of a filler chapter. I just want to show the progression of their relationship a little before I start getting into the more major events. Anyways, as always, leave a review if you're so inclined to or if there's anything I messed up on. I hope you all have happy and safe holidays, whatever you may celebrate at this time of year.

As always, thanks for reading and have a great day.