When the Circle Burns

The wind was sharp when they stepped beyond the edge of the Forest that evening. Late spring had brought longer days, but the air had a way of cutting through wool and spell-warmed cloaks alike. The circle awaited them, pulsing faintly in the gloom like a heartbeat beneath the moss and stone.

Severus arrived first, his cloak snapping behind him as he paced just outside the boundary. He had been here twice this week already, watching the runes, tracing his fingers across the grooves. They had not calmed. If anything, the magic was more restless now—impatient.

He heard the sound of her boots before he saw her. Elara emerged from the darkness between trees like a memory: silver hair half-bound, charm back in place but dimmed, translucent enough to show the faintest curve of her cheekbone. He didn't realize he was holding his breath until she stepped beside him.

"No professors tonight," she murmured.

"No."

They stared at the circle in silence. It was glowing softly, the red-gold light pulsing as though sensing them. Calling to them.

Elara folded her arms. "What do you think it wants?"

Severus scoffed under his breath. "Beyond the obvious?"

Her gaze shifted sideways. "You mean intimacy."

He met her eyes. "You disagree?"

"No." Her voice was too quiet. "But it's not just that. It wants a bond. Something binding. Something permanent."

He frowned. "You think it wants us to..."

"Marry? Perhaps." She shrugged one shoulder. "Or perhaps it only wants vulnerability. Union. Surrender. The kind of magic that isn't forged in spells but in... acceptance."

Severus flinched slightly. Not at her words, but at how they echoed his own thoughts. Thoughts he hadn't voiced.

"If that were true," he said carefully, "it would mean this magic is older than any tradition we've studied. It's sentient. It understands us better than we understand ourselves."

Elara let out a faint laugh. "Which is unsettling. Because it means it already knows what we're afraid to admit."

They didn't look at each other then. The fire in the circle flared slightly.

"You've had the dreams, haven't you?" she asked suddenly.

He turned to her, startled. "Dreams?"

"Of us. Together. In the circle. Of fire. Of heat."

The flush that threatened his cheeks made him want to scowl, but he didn't deny it. Not now. "Yes."

She took a step forward. The runes flickered. "We can't ignore this anymore. Even if it frightens us."

"You think I'm frightened?"

She smiled, sharp and soft at once. "I think we both are."

The fire cracked within the circle.

Severus hesitated, then followed her as she stepped inside. The temperature shifted. Warmer. Tighter. The air seemed to hum.

She glanced at him. "What if we pushed it? Not all the way. Just... a step further."

His brows rose. "What does a step further mean, precisely?"

"Touch. Sincerity. Honesty. Maybe more." She studied the runes, then turned to him fully. "Let's talk about what this could mean. Honestly."

He watched her for a moment, then nodded. "Fine. But if we're being honest, then let me start. I don't know where I stand with you anymore. One moment, you're cold. The next, you're... looking at me like you did in your chambers."