𝑫𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝑺𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓, 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐄𝐫𝐚

Chapter 44

The O.W.L.S. were just a day away, and students were scrambling to cram in every last bit of knowledge they could. It was no different for Victoria. She had been spending all her waking hours buried in her textbooks, her determination to excel bordering on obsession. Her dormitory, usually bustling with activity, now lay eerily quiet, the absence of her fellow students only amplifying the weight of her responsibilities.

Pandora was the only constant presence in the room, but even with all her tries to make conversation ended in failure. The stress had taken a toll on her physical well-being as well; her once perfectly manicured nails were now bitten down to the quick, all from Victoria's mounting anxiety.

Victoria's workspace, once a model of organization, had devolved into chaos, with piles of books and parchment strewn haphazardly across her desk. Each corner of the room was cluttered with notes, quills, and half-empty ink bottles, reflecting the chaotic state of her mind. Especially now when she was most alone. 

Feeling suffocated by the oppressive silence of the dormitory, Victoria decided to escape to the the Black Lake. Making her way down to the winding path, lost in her thoughts, she collided with Lily Evans, a fellow student whose calm demeanor stood in contrast to Victoria's frazzled state.

"Oh hey Evans," Victoria muttered, forcing a smile yet avoiding Lily's eyes. With her books clenched on her side, the pressure in her hands began to betray her inner tension. 

Lily burrowed her eyebrows with concern, "Hey, Potter. You okay?" 

Presenting her with her tightest smile Victoria said, "Yeah, just...stress from the O.W.L.S. coming up," her hands fidgeting by her side. 

Lily nodded sympathetically, her gaze falling towards Victoria's anxious demeanor. "Tell me about it. I remember taking the O.W.L.S. The library practically became my home." 

Chuckling weakly, Victoria felt a sense of relief, "Glad to know it's natural." 

As they walked side by side, Victoria's anxious thoughts suddenly began to race with self doubt and worry. What if I'm not smart enough? Lily's incredibly smart, but am I? It was a whirlwind of anxiety. 

Lily's eyes landed on the bunched up books settled in Victoria's hand. "You've got a lot of material, huh?"

Not paying much attention to Lily, Victoria looked down at the books, now leaving marks on her hands from being clenched so hard. "Oh, right," she replied, her voice sounding monotone, a result of the sleepless nights she'd been enduring.

"I was never the best in that," Lily said, attempting to break the awkward silence.

"Me neither, if I'm being completely honest," Victoria admitted, her gaze fixed on the ground.

"You're too modest. Not sure how your brother didn't get your intelligence," Lily remarked, trying to lighten the mood.

They both stood there for a minute, the silence stretching uncomfortably between them.

"I should get going. It was nice seeing you," Lily said, giving Victoria her brightest smile before beginning to take off.

Victoria hesitated for a moment before turning around. "Wait," she called out, stopping Lily in her tracks. "Could you tutor me?"

***

"Hey, Padfoot, check this out," James said, nudging Sirius with his elbow as he gestured towards Lily and Victoria.

Sirius didn't hear James at first because he was busy looking at a Hufflepuff wearing a Slytherin tie out in the open. "I am checking it out. You'd think they could've at least tied it correctly."