Professor Grabiner was frustrated. The "search" of the student's minds led nowhere, as he quite expected he would. Anyone who did this to Tori definitely had a lot more magical knowledge than any of the students here.

Even though Tori was the one who's life was in imminent danger, he couldn't help but feel sorry for himself, especially after seeing her running around the quad on the back of a freshman boy, shrieking and wooping and having a grand old time. He wasn't jealous, no, not so much as hurt. And confused. That was one word that accurately described his feelings right now. Everything about their situation was wrong. Their marriage had been a means to an end, a way to save her life and nothing more. And yet during her final exam, her roommates had indicated that she may have harbored feelings for him even before that incident. And she seemed resolute to make things work, both the night of the May Day ball and when she returned. He figured when she returned home for the summer she would cast off her childish affections for him, but she seemed to return with more resolve than ever.

But that wasn't it. The fact was that they had spent the past few months of summer getting to know each other, even if it was just for brief Saturday afternoon visits that got longer and longer as the weeks passed. He had started to open up to her, in ways that he hadn't opened up to anyone else in over a decade. And just when he had started to feel comfortable with her, she was gone. Not even gone. She didn't remember him. Well, at least not the him that she had come to know. Now he was back to being the crabby old professor that the students hated. He thought he would have an easier time putting up with it this semester, knowing that she was there to understand why he was so hard on them, but the fact that she didn't even remember what she seemed to figure out for herself was daunting. Was it only her silly romantic notions that allowed her to see the good in him? Or, more fearfully, perhaps she never saw the good in him at all, simply because there was no good to be had. He was a grouchy mean teacher who was mean simply for the sake of it, and that was it. That was all he was.

He shook his head. He had never really questioned or burdened himself as to how students saw him the way they did until she came along. The whole thing was ridiculous anyway: she was his student, he was her professor. He shouldn't be feeling anything towards her and yet…how had she put it…? That he was her professor for three more years, but would be her husband for life. He found the whole concept ridiculous and yet…sweet. No one wanted him. No one expressed interest in his life. Not that he really invited anyone to, he had pushed them all away after he watched Violet's life get sucked away in the most gruesome way possible. How was he supposed to talk to people after that? How could they understand? They all seemed to move on so quickly, but he vowed to never move on. And for the past ten or so years he had done just that, pushing away anyone that got close…

…and now he was married. He honestly felt pity for that poor girl at first. She was very pretty, very bright, and very smart. She worked hard and had a natural talent for magic. She would have undoubtedly ended up with a nice young boy at some point, if the whole school didn't know their affairs. Although, he stopped to think, none of the school did remember now. Once Tori's memories were set straight and the marriage was dissolved, she was free to pursue other romantic interests without concern that they would be tainted by their previous connection. Tori's mind would have to be wiped of the whole affair, safely, of course, but now that he could see that she would be happy and get along fine without him, it honestly made the blow so much easier to take. He had his wounded pride, but that was all. So he had opened up to her? It would scarcely matter, as she would no longer remember anything he had said to her anyway. His privacy and personal life would once again be left to the vicious speculations of bitter students, as it should be. He learned a valuable lesson about not playing around with his Manus with students so nearby, and he would never get close to anyone ever again.

He stopped just short of making that a solemn vow.

He was proctoring the freshman student's first exams when in came that little red-headed boy that Tori was playing around with. He sneered as he teleported the boy into the dungeon, already preparing what to say to make this boy cry when he failed. The boy looked around at the walls and ceiling curiously before focusing on the main wall in front of him as Grabiner waited with disinterest to see which magic the boy would choose to free him of the dungeon. The girl who had taken the test before him had tried to use white magic to convince the spirits to help her out. Foolish girl…

Suddenly he was distracted as the boy muttered something under his breath and the wall blasted out in front of him. A look of shock and alarm crossed over Professor Grabiner's face. He should not have been able to do that. The boy didn't investigate into the darkness further; just seemed to sit back and wait to be teleported back out. Professor Grabiner hesitated a moment before he did just that.

"How did I do?" The boy asked. He seemed to be looking for some sort of praise, some sort of a reaction. "Did I pass?"

"You passed." Grabiner was determined not to give anything away. He said nothing more than that.

"But did I like, do good? Did I get an A?"

"An A?" Grabiner mused. "You are a wildseed, then, to expect us to use such an archaic grading system?"

"I, uh, I am," Thomas replied.

"Then that was an adequate display of your skill," Grabiner said. "Now get out."

"But-"

"Out. Unless you would like to spend your Saturday afternoon in detention with me, trying to dig through that wall with a spoon."

Thomas sulked but left the room. Gardiner quickly finished up with the rest of the students and then rushed off to find Potsdam...

…who did not seem to share his concerns. "So he blasted through the wall? Many of the students have already attacked it; it was probably weakened from their collective blow and then just gave in when it was his turn. Two students were able to do it last year, it's nothing new."

"Those two students were already raised with magical ability," Grabiner argued. "And I have seen them both in all of my classes. But I have rarely seen this boy, and he doesn't seem the type to pay attention. This is too advanced magic for a wildseed to grasp a few weeks into classes."

"Perhaps he received extra tutoring assistance from Professor Coleman," Potsdam suggested. "Or maybe Ms. Brown." Grabiner's eyes snap up to meet hers. "Oh, come now. You know I have eyes on that girl at all times."

"Then you know-"

"That they have been spending a healthy amount of time together," Potsdam replied. "I have already compelled him, and there was nothing strange about him. He's a normal wildseed boy from a normal family. He just seems to have a healthy natural dose of red magic, is all."

Grabiner huffed. "I still don't trust him."

"Then by all means don't," Potsdam exclaimed. "Keep a closer eye on him, if you want. We still don't have any leads as to who did this to Tori, or why, but in the meantime, you need to keep your jealousy in check around the other students."

"My jealousy-" Grabiner gritted his teeth. "I am not jealous of-"

"Yes, yes, of course, you're just as bitter and broody as always." She crossed her arms over her chest. "Honestly, I would have thought your relationship with Ms. Brown would have boosted your mood slightly, despite all this."

"It might have, if she could remember it," he snarled. "It doesn't matter. Come January this whole thing will be over and then we can wipe her mind too so everyone in this school forgets that it ever happened."

With that, he turned on his heel and stormed out of the room. Potsdam hesitated, but decided it was best to just let him go. She should probably tell him soon, but it wasn't time yet. Hopefully they would get this whole thing sorted out by Christmas, and then she wouldn't need to tell him at all.