❝ i'm chaos walking . . . ❞
❝ then i'll walk with you.❞
「 Liliana Granger knew chaos like the back of her hand.
It confronted her, challenging her to find calm wherever she could.
But some days...
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❝ It's... it's water under the bridge. ❞
⋅☾☼☽⋅
The black lake rippled as the stone Liliana had tossed skipped across its surface. She watched with a small smile as it completed three successful bounces, her mind falling back to memories from her summers spent at the forest of dean.
"My dad taught me to skip stones," she told Professor McGonagall, staring out at the water as her stone sank into its dark depths.
"As did mine," the older woman said, her tone bittersweet.
The pair continued their walk around the lake as the autumn winds rolled in. Liliana found her mind to be calmer as the minutes passed; the chaos from her week lifted like a dreaded weight out here. Professor McGonagall had suggested the idea of taking a stroll outside when Liliana arrived at her study an hour earlier, and what an idea it was.
Liliana had talked a lot at the start of their walk, all her pent up ire toward her peers' bursting like a dam. At times Professor McGonagall would reiterate the importance of emotional control to her, and Liliana would take deep breaths to calm herself. What she didn't know was that those reminders were because of the amber that had started to dot her iris'.
As the sun started to retreat behind the mountainside, Liliana and Professor McGonagall headed back inside. There were students here and there in the corridors, some whispering as Liliana passed, others unaware that she was there. She appreciated the ones that had overlooked her.
When they reached Professor McGonagall's study, Liliana gathered her satchel to leave for dinner but paused at the door.
"Are we going to continue our lessons?" she asked her professor.
Professor McGonagall looked up from the assignments in her hands. "I don't think there's a need to." Liliana frowned, ready to argue her point, but the professor beat her to it. "Our lessons were meant to improve your confidence and understanding as a legilimens, but you've already accomplished that. I understand this week has made you doubt that, but remember, our emotions are reminders that we are human, and that certain words and actions can still hurt us — our strength lies in what we do with that hurt. And you, Miss Granger, held your head high."
"I tried."
"I know." Professor McGonagall stood from her desk-chair and walked over to Liliana. "I promise, as time passes, a legilimens will be the least of your peers' concerns."
Liliana looked hopeful. "Really?"
"Really. And you can bet on it once Quidditch starts up."
Liliana laughed a bit then, having learned how important the sport was in the wizarding world, and the sound warmed Professor McGonagall's heart much more than the hearth in the corner of her study could.
