The next Monday, I found out that Virginia was going to be missing the first week of classes due to being ill again. I was sad not to see her, at least not for a little while, but I was assured by a letter from William and a visit from Donald that she was definitely okay, and they just wanted to keep her at home a little longer as a precaution. It was weird not having her peppiness around. Ellen had been vanishing for long stretches of time to do work in the library or hang out more with Donald, leaving me by myself in the dorm alone for most of the week.

Regardless, the first week of classes came quickly. At Ellen's urging, I took a mixture of white and green magic the first week. My white magic was nowhere near as good as hers, and the book I had been reading prompted more of an interest in learning more about green magic. If all our magic really did stem from green magic, then shouldn't a high proficiency in green magic also boost our other skills? It was an interesting theory, and one I was anxious to test. Professor Potsdam was again teaching both classes, so I was glad to have her as a professor again. It was a lot better than classes with Grabby-pants, who constantly yelled and barked at everyone and liked to taunt people into answering trick questions when he felt they weren't paying attention.

After Wednesday's lesson on white magic, though, it was Professor Grabiner that grabbed my arm when I was talking to Ellen out in the hallway and steered me into an empty classroom. I shifted my weight uncomfortably as he closed the door behind us. He turned around to look at me, although he seemed to have lost his usual edge. He didn't look nearly as crabby or mean as he usually did. Maybe he finally found a girlfriend or something this summer.

"Well?" He is unusually close to me, almost in my face.

"Well, what sir?" I ask blankly, taking a step back from him. My mind races with reasons why he would be mad at me. I had been to all of his classes at least once a week last year, maybe he's mad that I haven't been in attendance this year? "Umm, are you mad that I didn't take blue magic this week? Ellen told me you were teaching it for sophomores this year, but I was already pretty far ahead last year, so this year I wanted to balance it out with-"

"No you stupid girl." He took a deep breath in and then let it out again, as if trying to control himself. "Where were you on Saturday?"

"Um," I hesitate, thinking back to Saturday. "Just in my room." He stares at me like he just tasted something sour. "What? I didn't have detention on Saturday."

"Detention?" he asks. He looks as confused as I feel.

I pull at a strand of hair, trying to figure out what he wants. "Um, I had the final test for my independent study on green magic last Thursday with Professor Potsdam, but she never told me I was supposed to see you on Saturday."

He hesitates for a moment, as if he's considering how to phrase his question the right way. "Do you remember what you said to me last week?"

"Last week?" I repeat blankly. "Um, no sir. I don't believe I've seen you all summer."

He stares me down, like he's trying to size me up. Did I do something to get detention and then just forget about it? That doesn't sound like me at all, but there's obviously a reason that he's angry with me. I remember last year, he was the first person I met on campus. I accidently bumped into him looking for my dorm and he gave me ten demerits. But I haven't seen him all summer. I mean, I'd seen him around campus and stuff while I was going from building to building for my independent study, but I don't recall ever actually speaking to him about anything.

He stares at me, his usual grumpiness back. "Must be my mistake."

"It's um, okay, sir," I say as I push past him. "And I'll, uh, see you in class next week, Professor."

I can see him nod, but he doesn't turn around to look at me. I quickly let myself out of the room, into the corridor streaming with other students. That was so weird. Seriously. What got into him this summer?

As soon as she was out of the room, he teleported outside Potsdam's office. He knocked the only way he knew how, rapping against the door loudly with the side of his fist. "Oh come in, Hieronymous." Somehow, she always knew exactly who it was.

"Did you do something?" Usually he managed to draw better answers from her when he was "civil," as she put it, but he had no time for pleasantries today.

"Oh heavens," she laughed. "I might have done something or I might not have, depending on the context to which you are referring."

"The girl," he said, narrowing his eyes.

"The girl," Potsdam repeated. "Yes, we have a lot of girls on campus, particularly the new freshman. A lot more girls than boys this year. Which one of them are you talking about?"

"Tori. Brown." He could barely get the words out. "Did you do something to her?"

She smiled sweetly. "I have not spoken to her extensively since we had our little chat about her parents and, other things of interest, when she first came back early this summer, although I did proctor her exam on Thursday. She did extremely well."

"Oh," he raised his eyebrows in mock belief. "Then it would of course interest you to know that she has seemingly lost all memories of what she has been doing all summer, specifically her memories involving me."

Potsdam forced a smile, although she found it particularly difficult to do so. "Oh, I'm sure she was just playing a joke on you-"

"It would seem that she remembers nothing about me aside from the fact that I'm her teacher," he continued, unable to hide the underlying tone of frustration in his voice. "Which would include she remembers nothing about the marriage or the vows that she made. I trust you know the complications that could arise-"

"And you think I had something to do with it?" Potsdam asked again.

"I don't know if this is one of your little schemes," Grabiner retorted. "Distance makes the heart grow fonder, but it is a danger to both Ms. Brown and myself to lose any memories at all. That is advanced and highly complicated magic and there's no telling-"

"I just had her in class this morning," Potsdam said. "All of her memories, at least, as far as magic is concerned, are intact. Now if there is some question of her memories regarding you-" Grabiner crossed his arms across his chest and huffed. "First I must ask, do you believe she may have done this to herself intentionally?"

"Her magic isn't advanced enough," he retorted. "She's only a second year."

"If that's your argument, I can only assume that you've given her some reason to want to forget you," Potsdam replied. Grabiner's face flushed and he looked away.

"No. I was perfectly civil to her during our last encounter. And you know how that girl is. She is probably the only person on this campus besides yourself that is not so easily dissuaded by my temper."

"True. Regardless, I have been keeping an eye on her and she has seemed nothing short of overjoyed after leaving your company on Saturday afternoons, and I highly doubt you'd be able to upset her enough for her to try to take her own memories. But, rest assured, a student's memory lapse, however specific, is one for investigation. I will see to it personally." She smiled reassuringly at him.

"See that you do," he said darkly as he turned to leave her office. He didn't honestly believe that Professor Potsdam was behind this, why would she be? He and Tori had been getting along better that summer than they had all year, and Potsdam clearly had no incentive to unravel all that progress. So who would want to wipe away her happy memories of him? Who would have the motive? Who would even have the skill? Most memory charms were outside the skill range of most fourth year students. Was it another teacher? Someone from outside the campus? He gritted his teeth. As far as he knew, she didn't have any enemies, but he did. He had many enemies, which meant it could only stand to reason that someone was trying to exact revenge on him through her. But who? And why?

Professor Petunia Potsdam waited a moment to make sure he was truly gone before she let her happy demeanor slip, her lips twisting to a grimace. Memory charms were not to be messed with. There were many different types of memory charms and they were all forbidden and extremely dangerous. Only the senior students began to get a glimpse of that magic, and even then, they were only taught the basics. If someone truly did wipe Tori Brown's memories, there could only be sinister motives at play. She paused for a brief moment to discern her next location, then teleported away.