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R eality came crashing back. Juno was suddenly aware of the hundreds of eyes fixed on her and Thaddeus. The crowd burst into applause and cheers, apparently having enjoyed the impromptu show.

"Right," Juno said, fighting to regain her composure. "The final challenge. Of course."

Malachai cleared his throat. "Yes, well. In light of recent developments, I think a slight change is in order."

Juno and Thaddeus exchanged wary glances.

"For the final challenge of Brewfest," Malachai announced, "our herbology candidates will work in pairs to create a new potion. Meanwhile, the other competitors will present their potions as usual."

A murmur of excitement ran through the crowd. This was definitely a break from tradition.

"And," Malachai continued with a sly grin, "I think it's only fitting that Professors Runeheart and Shadowspire should pair up together. After all, they've already shown such chemistry."

Juno groaned internally. She was going to have a talk with Malachai about appropriate uses of puns when this was all over.

As their competition paired off, Juno turned to face Thaddeus. "Let's show them what we can do."

They moved to their workstation, acutely aware of the eyes following their every move. The truth potion was still buzzing through Juno's veins, making her hyper-aware of Thaddeus's presence beside her.

"All right," Juno said, laying out her ingredients. "I think if we combine my nurturing elixir with your protective brew, we might be able to create something truly unique."

Thaddeus nodded, his brow furrowed in concentration. "Agreed. But we'll need to be careful with the proportions. Too much of either could destabilize the whole potion."

Juno laid out the concentrated moonlight orchid pollen she'd prepared, while Thaddeus brought forth his vial of the precious nectar. She stared at it for a moment, remembering their conflict over it.

"You know," she said thoughtfully, "it was probably for the best that you won that coin toss. Your defensive methods preserved the nectar's potency better than my approach would have."

"And your nurturing techniques allowed you to transform the pollen into something almost as powerful," Thaddeus replied. "We each approached the same material differently, but both methods had their strengths."

Their eyes met in understanding. The competition had pushed both of them to innovate, to stretch beyond their comfortable techniques. Together, they now had both the concentrated nectar and the enhanced pollen—a combination neither would have achieved alone.

They set to work, but the truth potion wasn't done with them yet.

"Your hands are so elegant when you work," Juno blurted out as Thaddeus carefully measured out shaved birch. "I used to daydream about them after you had left for the rainforest."

Thaddeus nearly dropped the birch. "Your hair smells like sunshine and wildflowers, and it's incredibly distracting."

Juno bit her lip, trying to focus on chopping herbs. "You're incredibly distracting. Especially when you do that thing with your eyebrow."

"What thing?" Thaddeus asked, his eyebrow raising unconsciously.

"That thing," Juno gestured with her knife. "It's infuriatingly attractive."

"Well, you're infuriatingly attractive all the time," Thaddeus shot back. "Especially when you get that little crease between your eyebrows when you're concentrating."

They glared at each other for a moment, the air between them crackling with tension. Then, simultaneously, they burst out laughing.

"We're ridiculous," Juno gasped, wiping tears of mirth from her eyes.

"Completely absurd," Thaddeus agreed, grinning. "Now, shall we finish this potion before we embarrass ourselves further?"

Still chuckling, they turned back to their work. As they added the final ingredients, Juno felt a surge of magic unlike anything she'd experienced before. The potion began to glow, swirling with colors that shouldn't have been possible.

"Is it supposed to do that?" Juno asked.

Before he could answer, the potion erupted in a fountain of sparks. But instead of dissipating, the sparks hung in the air, forming words and images above their heads.

"Oh no," Juno groaned as she read the floating message. Juno thinks Thaddeus is sexy .

Thaddeus's eyes widened as another message appeared. Thaddeus can't wait for Brewfest to be over so he can do that thing with his tongue again .

"I can't wait either," Juno breathed. And the message appeared above her head.

All around the arena, similar messages were popping up above other pairs of competitors. Apparently, their potion had affected more than just the two of them.

"Well," Thaddeus said, his voice strained, "this certainly adds an interesting element to our presentation."

Juno nodded weakly, watching as more of her private thoughts materialized in glittering letters above them. This was going to be the most mortifying presentation of her life.

As they approached the judges' table, potion in hand and a veritable lightshow of secrets floating above them, Juno steeled herself for humiliation. But to her surprise, the judges looked more impressed than scandalized.

"Fascinating," Professor Thornberry said, leaning forward to examine the potion. "A truth serum combined with a revealing charm, all wrapped up in a protective matrix. Innovative."

"Indeed," Professor Laurel agreed. "And the way it's drawing out not just surface thoughts, but deep-seated truths and feelings, is remarkable."

Juno and Thaddeus exchanged bewildered glances. Were they actually going to get away with this? The words appeared over their heads.

"If you could explain your process," Malachai prompted, his eyes twinkling with barely suppressed mirth.

Thaddeus cleared his throat. "Well, you see, we started with a base of—" He broke off as a new message appeared above his head. Thaddeus is terrified of messing this up because he doesn't want to lose Juno .

Juno jumped in, trying to save the situation. "We combined my nurturing elixir with Thaddeus's protective brew, which created an unexpected synergy—" She faltered as her own thoughts appeared over her head. Juno is never going to let Thaddeus go .

And so it went, their attempts at a professional presentation constantly interrupted by their innermost thoughts and feelings. But strangely, instead of detracting from their explanation, these revelations enhanced it. The judges nodded along, apparently seeing the interplay of their emotions as part of the potion's demonstration.

"You see," Juno said, picking up on the narrative while ignoring her mortification, "the strength of this potion comes from the combination of our approaches. My nurturing techniques encourage growth and revelation, while Thaddeus's protective methods ensure stability and control."

"Precisely," Thaddeus added. "It's the balance between vulnerability and strength, openness and protection, that makes this potion unique."

"Just as both your approaches to herbology are stronger when combined," Malachai observed, noting something on his parchment. "Each compensating for the other's limitations, enhancing the other's strengths."

The judges were scribbling notes furiously, looking more and more impressed. Juno began to hope that they might actually pull this off.

And then, because the day apparently hadn't been chaotic enough, a vine burst from the ground at their feet.

The crowd gasped as the vine grew at an alarming rate, twisting and bulging until it formed a vaguely humanoid shape. Leaves rustled, forming what looked like a sheepish expression.

"Um, hello," the plant said in a surprisingly deep voice. "I suppose I owe you all an explanation."

Juno and Thaddeus stared in disbelief. Although, after everything that had happened, a talking plant barely registered as strange anymore.

"You see," the plant continued, twiddling its leafy appendages nervously, "I'm the one responsible for all the incidents today."

"You're the saboteur?" Thaddeus asked incredulously.

The plant drooped slightly. "Saboteur is such a harsh word. I prefer 'romantic facilitator'."

Juno blinked. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Well," the plant said, perking up, "I couldn't bear to watch you two dance around your feelings any longer. So I might have intervened a bit."

"Intervened?" Juno repeated faintly.

"Just a few little nudges here and there," the plant said airily. "A misfired spell, a mixed-up ingredient, a conveniently placed trip hazard all designed to bring you closer together."

"But why?" Thaddeus asked.

The plant sighed, a sound like rustling leaves. "Because you both care for plants, nurture them, protect them. In return, we plants care for you. And it was clear to every flower and shrub in this academy that you two belonged together."

Juno felt a rush of affection for this well-meaning, if misguided, plant. "That's actually rather sweet," she said. "In a somewhat alarming way."

"Alarming?" the plant huffed. "I'll have you know that plants are excellent matchmakers. Why, just last spring, I successfully paired off two particularly stubborn rose bushes—"

"Yes, yes, that's all very fascinating," Malachai interrupted, stepping forward. "But perhaps we could return to the matter at hand? We do have a competition to judge, after all."

The plant deflated slightly. "Oh, very well. But don't think this is over, you two," it added, pointing a leafy tendril at Juno and Thaddeus. "I've invested too much chlorophyll in this relationship to give up now."

With that, the plant sank back into the ground, leaving behind a small, blooming flower.

For a moment, the arena was silent. Then, as if a spell had been broken, everyone began talking at once. Juno caught snatches of conversations:

"Did that plant just play matchmaker?"

"I knew those accidents weren't coincidental."

"Do you think it takes requests? Because I've had my eye on this cutie in my charms class."

"This explains everything about those two," Minerva Everhart commented loudly enough for Juno to hear. "Even the plants knew they belong together—professionally and personally."

Malachai cleared his throat loudly, bringing the chatter to a halt. "Well, I think we can all agree that this has been the most eventful Brewfest in recent memory."

There was a murmur of agreement from the crowd.

"And now," Malachai continued, "the moment you've all been waiting for. The judges have made their decision."

Juno felt Thaddeus tense beside her. She reached out without thinking, taking his hand in hers. He squeezed back, a gesture of solidarity and something more.

"The winners of this year's Brewfest," Malachai announced, pausing for dramatic effect, "and the new joint heads of the herbology department are Professors Juno Runeheart and Thaddeus Shadowspire."

The crowd erupted in cheers. Juno stood frozen in shock. Joint Heads?

"Congratulations," Malachai said, beaming at them. "Your unprecedented collaboration and innovative approach have impressed us all. We believe that together, you will lead our herbology department to new heights."

"I've been considering this restructuring for some time," he added, looking pleased with himself. "Our department will benefit from both your approaches—the nurturing and the defensive, working in harmony. Sometimes the best solution isn't choosing between two excellent candidates, but finding a way for both to contribute their unique strengths."

Juno turned to Thaddeus, her heart soaring. His face mirrored her own joy and disbelief.

"I like this idea. But how do you feel about it?"

Thaddeus grinned, that heart-stopping grin that had always made Juno weak at the knees. "I love it. Almost as much as I love you."

"I love you too." Juno grabbed the front of Thaddeus's robes and pulled him into a kiss.

The crowd's cheers grew even louder, but Juno barely noticed. All she could focus on was the feel of Thaddeus's lips against hers, the way his arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer.

When they finally broke apart, breathless and giddy, Juno became aware of a strange sensation. She tried to step back, only to find that she couldn't move more than a foot away from Thaddeus.

"Um, Thaddeus?" she said, looking down. A vine had wrapped itself around both their waists, binding them together.

Thaddeus followed her gaze, his eyebrows rising. "It seems our plant friend had one last trick up its leaves."

Juno groaned, but she couldn't keep the smile off her face. "Looks like we've been plant-fasted."

"I guess that's like being hand fasted. So since you never answered me before, I guess I'll have to ask again. Will you marry me?"

"Of course, I'll marry you."

And they sealed their vow with another kiss.