Enchanted by a Messy Love Spell

Ana’s POV

"You failed, Miss Moonvale."

I stared at Professor Eldrin from across his desk, but the words didn't hurt as much as they had the first time. Maybe because I had already heard them twice before.

"How many subjects?"

"Most of your major subjects."

My stomach sank. "But I passed Magical Theory and Ancient Spells."

"With excellent marks. Your practical subjects are the problem, Ana."

Of course, they were. I understood magic perfectly in theory, but the moment I had to summon it myself, everything fell apart. My transformation spell had turned a teacup blue instead of changing its shape, my protection barrier had lasted less than thirty seconds, and the healing potion I spent three nights perfecting had produced tiny yellow flowers instead of healing magic.

Pretty flowers, but completely useless.

Professor Eldrin folded his hands on the desk. "I think you should repeat second year."

I almost laughed. "Again? I've already repeated it twice."

"I know, but you've improved."

"Not where it matters."

I looked toward the window where students crossed the university courtyard below. "My original batch is graduating this year, Professor. They're finishing fourth year while I've just failed second year for the third time."

When I first entered the University of Magic, I imagined graduating beside them, wearing ceremonial robes and seeing Grandmother smiling proudly from the audience. Instead, everyone I had started with had moved forward while I remained stuck in the same year, struggling with spells students younger than me performed easily.

"Maybe I'm simply not meant to be here."

"You understand magic remarkably well," Professor Eldrin said. "Your difficulty is applying conventional magic."

"That sounds like a polite way of saying I'm a terrible witch."

A reluctant smile touched his lips. "I would never call one of my students terrible."

"I turned a healing potion into flowers."

"They were very healthy flowers."

A laugh escaped me before I could stop it, but his expression quickly grew serious again.

"Your grandmother possesses an extraordinarily rare gift. I don't believe you lack ability."

"Everyone else does."

"Everyone else can be wrong."

I wanted to believe him, but I had spent years telling myself the next attempt would be different. If I studied harder or practiced longer, perhaps my magic would finally cooperate.

I was tired of perhaps.

"I think I'm done."

"You don't have to decide today."

"I think I already have."

I stood and thanked him, but his voice stopped me at the door.

"Failing here doesn't mean you've failed at everything."

I forced a smile. "Tell that to my grandmother."

Outside, the university looked painfully beautiful. Ancient towers rose above the campus, protective enchantments shimmered over the windows, and students practiced spells beneath the silver trees. I had dreamed of belonging here since I was a child, but now all I wanted was to leave.

Laughter caught my attention, and I looked across the courtyard before immediately wishing I hadn't.

Theo Silvershade stood beneath one of the silver trees with several students from my original batch, all wearing the silver insignias of fourth years preparing to graduate. He was tall, devastatingly handsome, ridiculously powerful, and annoyingly perfect. Several beautiful witches surrounded him, and one rested a hand on his arm while laughing.

Women had been chasing Theo since our first year, and it wasn't surprising. Born into one of the most powerful magical bloodlines in our world, he had entered the university with everyone already knowing the Silvershade name. 

It hadn't taken long for him to prove he deserved the attention. His magic surpassed students years above him, professors praised him constantly, and prestigious magical institutions were already competing for him.

Theo was everything a mage was supposed to be.

And he knew exactly who I was.

We had been classmates during our first year, back when I still believed I would graduate alongside him. Theo had witnessed enough of my magical disasters to know precisely how little power I seemed to possess, and he had never been kind about it.

Theo couldn't stand low-ranking witches. Maybe when someone possessed as much magic as he did, weakness was impossible to understand. Whatever the reason, he had made it painfully clear that witches like me didn't belong at the university.

I could still remember my protection spell collapsing during our first year.

"Why are you even here, Moonvale?" Theo had asked.

I had glared at him while trying to rebuild the barrier. "Same reason you are."

His gaze had moved over my pathetic attempt at a spell. "I seriously doubt that."

Another time, my levitation spell failed and sent three books crashing to the floor.

Theo had watched from the next table. "You've been practicing that for weeks."

"Thank you for noticing."

"First-years should be able to do it in their sleep."

"Then perhaps you should close your eyes."

His friends had laughed. Theo hadn't. He had simply looked at me with that infuriating expression that said my presence at the university personally offended him.

But the worst had come after another failed practical examination.

"The university lowers its standards every year."

He hadn't said my name, but he hadn't needed to. He had been looking directly at me.

Theo Silvershade had made an already miserable university experience even worse. I should have hated him, but instead, like an absolute idiot, I'd developed a hopeless crush on him for reasons I still couldn't explain.

Maybe it was because watching Theo perform magic was breathtaking. Everything I struggled to accomplish came effortlessly to him. Or maybe I had simply been young and stupid. Whatever the reason, Theo knew I existed. He just didn't know I'd ever wanted him.

At least I had managed to keep that humiliation to myself.

Now, while I remained trapped in second year, Theo was about to graduate at the top of our original batch. One of the witches beside him leaned closer, and my heart gave the same stupid little ache it always did.

I hated myself for it.

Then Theo looked across the courtyard, straight at me, and recognition appeared immediately. Our eyes held for a second before his gaze dropped to the examination results in my hand.

Wonderful.

Knowing my luck, he had probably already heard that I'd failed again. I lifted my chin and looked away before he could come over and offer another opinion about my magical abilities.

I had suffered enough humiliation for one day.

That afternoon, I packed my things and left the magical capital.

By evening, I was walking through the familiar streets of my hometown. The bakery still made cinnamon buns float when they were fresh, children tossed enchanted coins into the fountain, and the crooked clock tower was still five minutes late.

Near the end of the main street stood the Moonvale Memory Shop, my childhood home.

Through the window, I saw Grandmother surrounded by hundreds of enchanted bottles glowing in shades of gold, blue, pink, and silver. Each one held a memory.

That was Grandmother's rare gift. She could preserve someone's most precious moment so it could be experienced again. A wedding, a first kiss, a childhood birthday, or one final afternoon with someone who was gone.

People traveled from across the magical world for her gift.

Meanwhile, her granddaughter couldn't make a healing potion without growing flowers.

I opened the door, and the bell chimed. Grandmother looked up, and her smile disappeared when she saw my face.

"Oh, Ana. What happened?"

"I failed again."

She carefully returned the bottle she was holding to its shelf and came around the counter.

"Professor Eldrin wants me to repeat second year again, but I can't do it, Grandma. My batch is graduating, and I've just failed the same year for the third time."

She reached for my hands.

"I really tried."

"I know you did."

"Aren't you disappointed?"

Her eyebrows drew together. "In you? Never."

"But you're one of the most gifted witches in our family, and I can barely perform basic magic."

"Your ability to perform a spell doesn't determine your worth."

"That doesn't make me a good witch."

"Perhaps being a good witch isn't about performing the same magic as everyone else."

I looked around at the glowing bottles. "I'll never be able to do what you do."

Something changed in her expression. "You don't know that."

"I can barely do ordinary magic."

"Perhaps ordinary magic isn't what you're meant for."

I frowned. "What does that mean?"

"Maybe you're trying too hard to become the wrong kind of witch."

That made even less sense.

Grandmother smiled at my expression. "You'll understand someday."

There was something harder I needed to tell her.

"I don't want to go back to the university."

She studied me quietly.

"I want to quit."

"Then don't go back."

I stared at her. "But you wanted me to graduate."

"I wanted you to be happy."

My throat tightened. "I don't think I can be happy there anymore."

Grandmother brushed a strand of hair from my face. "Then perhaps it's time you discovered where you can be."

That night, I found her upstairs reading beside the window.

"Grandma, I've made a decision."

She closed her book.

"I want to go to the human world."

Surprise crossed her face.

"I want to know what it's like to live somewhere without magical rankings or people caring how powerful I am. Somewhere I don't have to keep proving I deserve to belong."

"And you think the human world can give you that?"

"I don't know. But I want the chance to find out."

For several seconds, she simply looked at me before smiling.

"If that's truly what you want, I'll help you."

"You're not angry?"

"Why would I be? You're not leaving me, Ana. You're finding your own life."

I crossed the room and hugged her.

Within weeks, Grandmother helped me prepare. She found me a small apartment in the human world and taught me what I needed to know about human money, transportation, and technology.

Apparently, humans had invented several impressive things to compensate for not having spells.

She came with me to help me settle in and made me promise I would visit whenever I could.

I promised.

When she finally returned home, I stood alone in my tiny apartment and thought about everything I had left behind: the Memory Shop, the university, my failures, and Theo Silvershade.

The ridiculously powerful mage who had spent years making me feel as though someone like me had no right to exist in the same magical world as someone like him was also the boy I had been foolish enough to secretly want.

I wanted to forget both versions of him.

Theo Silvershade belonged to a world where I had never felt powerful enough to belong. But here, I didn't have to be Ana Moonvale, the low-ranking witch who had spent years failing while everyone else moved ahead.

I could simply be Ana.

As I looked around at the ordinary human life waiting for me, I made myself one promise.

I was never going back.