Don't Mind Me, - Giovanni

[Victoria Abernathy]

The smell of books was something that she had been missing over the summer. Oh, her house in the country was perfectly nice and her parents did their best to keep her supplied with things to keep her busy. Her father was very much against Idle hands and all. Much to his dismay she had finished her summer reading and course work within the first three weeks. Which had meant that she had all this excess time for activities and travel, it was awful. They had gone to Rome this year, her family blissfully unaware of the happenings in the world. She wondered what the repercussions would have been if the events of 'her' world were to transpose into the world of her parents. Since the muggle population was so great, would it even matter? She supposed it was just her overly curious nature that made her wonder such ridiculous things like that. Running her fingers over the one row's book spines she plucked out a few titles that grabbed her attention as she walked. Her real course load didn't start until later in the week. She only had introductory classes so far, and they were easy enough for her to sleep through.

The week that she had gotten her new course list and shopping guide, she had practically jumped for joy. After hours of dancing around the house and pleading, she had finally convinced her family to give her enough money to go and get things taken care of. Of course, whenever she had arrived at Alzubra Alley, the bank had no longer been there. There was no way to convert her muggle money into the wizarding coin that she needed to purchase her school books. The situation had made her so cripplingly embarrassed that she couldn't find out a way to buy her things, she had been forced to return home empty handed, claiming that they had been 'all out' of the things that she had needed. It was situations like those where she really needed to have friends to go shopping with. She had never been in the situation where she had needed to borrow books before, but assumed that the professors would just have to have something for the likes of her in their stores. Couldn't have her sitting out on lessons could they? The fact that she was now going into her sixth year at Hogwarts Galaxia and she still didn't know the alternatives to converting money outside of the bank was just appalling. They needed to have a wizardry 101 for that sort of thing. She could only imagine the amounts of people that would like up to take it. Just an overview of all the laws and loopholes, how to properly wear a cloak without looking like a balloon, that sort of thing. Wobbling over in the direction of her chosen desk. Where already piles of books were waiting for her next to her bag and parchment. No doubt anybody who could see her would think her even more strange than she thought herself. She wasn't going to check all the books out, just going to make herself a reading list. Familiarize herself with the names from the paper and a little of their history.

“Oh!” She exclaimed as the books went toppling out of her hands and all over the table in front of her. Her foot must have caught on the bottom of her school robes or stumbled over one another. Either way she was toppling. She was going to seem like a total nerd and it was too late to do anything about it. Crimson flooded to her cheeks instantly as her hands scrambled to rather back up the pile that she had spent most of the morning picking out. She wanted to claim that it was just a little bit of light reading but then she would seem even more lowly than she did already. It was just, all of the names that had been plastering the covers of the Daily Timestopper all summer meant nothing to her. Her parents weren't involved in wizarding affairs, and given the negative inclination of the paper she was glad that they weren't. Victoria was only of average intelligence and she needed to brush up on all of the things that they were talking about. Brushing her auburn hair back behind her ear she tried to make neat little piles and remember which order she had been wanting to organize them in but it was hopeless. Kicking herself mentally for being such a klutz and eased herself into the small wooden chair with her messenger bag hanging off the back of it. She flashed a bright, but awkward smile to the gaggle of people looking at her for disrupting their silence and followed it with a almost honking half laugh. Oh Merlin she could die right now. Folding her arms on the table she dropped her head into the little basket that they formed. What a wonderful first impression for the new year.

[Deleted]

Classes had been going on for a week now and already the pile of assignments was a towering mess on Giovanni’s desk in the common room. One look at it was enough to make his head hurt. The week had started out simple enough. Upon coming in from the start of term feast, each student had their before class assignments and reviews lay out on their beds. Being the studious individual he was, he had grabbed Abby and the worked with her for several hours to give themselves the advantage for the start of classes the next day. The work hadn’t been difficult, but it was long and by the time they had finished the work for the first three days of classes, he was beat. The first day back hadn’t made things any better. Another half pile was added to the papers that still remained incomplete. Then it just got repetitive. This wasn’t Giovanni’s first year at Galaxia. He was familiar to the strenuous workload and never-ending homework, but even this seemed like a bit much. He had heard that sixth year was a tough one. Professors expected students to have five years of knowledge retained in their minds and to keep it there for the duration of the year. Besides that, their new textbooks weighed about twenty pounds apiece and the professors had every intention of going through every chapter and every page of each book. Giovanni realized very quickly that it was going to take more than being ahead of his deadlines. He was going to have to be ahead of being ahead of the deadlines. So much for having any form of social life.

He had been in the common room for a good hour now. Classes were over and the rest of the day was his. Well, it was supposed to be his. Instead, Giovanni would be sharing it with his Transfiguration and Astronomy homework. If he was smart, he probably would have let his Charms homework join in the mix as well. Sighing to himself, he grabbed his folder designated for Charms and placed it on the pile that was now almost as tall as him when he was standing. He wasn’t a short guy either. The only progress he had been able to make was on a review sheet for Care of Magical Creatures. In his experience, that wasn’t enough. He should have had two assignments done by now. It didn’t help matters either that everyone was beginning to file in from their classes or talking loudly about the upcoming Quidditch games starting in two weeks. There was just too much distraction for him. If Giovanni planned on at least putting a dent in the workload, he needed to concentrate and that required someplace that he knew was quiet and that would allow him to focus. Seeing as how everyone was hyped up to see old friends again, the only place he could find that type of solitude was in the library. He hated being one of those library nerds but he didn’t really have much of a choice, not if he felt like sleeping tonight. So he had scooped all of his books up into his bag, slid the strap over his shoulder and left his spot in the common room. Once he stepped out of the common room, he began the descent down to the library.

It didn’t take him too long to reach it. During exams, the library was a second home to him. Giovanni could close his eyes and let his legs guide him to it without worrying about being led in the wrong direction. Plus, he was a Ravenclaw. He was sure that the library naturally was one of those places that were programmed in his mind. As he entered the library, his eyes roamed the space until they landed on an open table off to the side and by a window. Being by a window was dangerous since it was entirely possible he’d grow so bored of doing the same thing over and over that he’d be more invested in what people were doing outdoors then what he needed to be. It was a risk he was willing to take though. He had already been working hard as it was. Taking his seat, he placed his bag on a chair next to him and took a seat. Giovanni began digging through the bag, grabbing the folder with his Charms homework and laying it out in front of him. Next, he pulled out his ink bottle and quill and placed it to the side of his papers. Why did he have a feeling this was going to be a long day? Bringing his hand to the side of his head, he scratched at it as he used the other to open the folder. To his relief, the stuff looked easy enough. The assignment went over basically everything that they had studied in class that day, with some extra stuff for next week’s lesson. “Well, it’s either now or never,” he said to himself, leaning forward and picking up his quill. With that, he dipped the tip into the ink bottle and began working.

Giovanni was on a roll. Not only had he knocked out his Charms homework, but he finished reading the first two chapters of his Care of Magical Creatures book as well as doing the questions at the end of both. He had managed to succeed doing what he wanted, making a dent, but there was still plenty more to be done. Sliding his Astronomy book over to him, he opened the cover and thumbed his way to the first chapter. He had just begun reading when a loud commotion sounded from several feet away from him. Looking up, his eyes landed on a girl amongst a pile of books scattered across the floor. Even from where he was sitting he could see the rosy color of her cheeks, clearly embarrassed by what had transpired. Upon closer look, he saw that he recognized the girl. Sort of. Giovanni had seen her walking through the corridors every once in awhile, nothing more. They gave each other a small smile upon recognizing the other but continued on their way. His eyes followed her as she found her way to a table with the books she had managed to pick up but out of the corner he could see a mass underneath one of the tables. She probably hadn’t noticed that she missed one. He still had tons to do, but he supposed he could break away for a minute to retrieve the book for her. Sliding himself from underneath the table, he stood up and made his way towards the table. Placing his palm on it, he bent down and grabbed the lone book, standing back up as it was in his grasp. His gaze travelled back to the girl who had her head in her arms, probably still reeling from the scene she had made a minute earlier. Giovanni hoped his assistance wouldn’t make her anymore embarrassed. He just wanted to make sure she wasn’t forgetting about something she might have really needed. Approaching her, he cleared his throat. “You missed this one.”

[Victoria Abernathy]

All that she could hope for was that the people around her would be decent enough to not comment on what had just transpired. She could only wish that they would be as self involved as they normally were and ignore her very existence. It was only the first week, she didn't need to already have put herself on the 'to be made fun of' list. She had spent so many years being invisible, and was determined to make this year different. Well, so far so good it just wasn't to impression that she had wanted to be making. She could feel herself sinking lower into arms. Her hair falling about her shoulders to cover her face. There was no doubt in Victoria's mind that her face had to be matching the burgundy red of her hair. Of course, in retrospect she was wishing that she had just laughed it off and acted cool. Maybe she could have even managed to make some sort of witty comment before collapsing to skim through her massive pile of books. Instead, now she was fairly certain that the ones who had seem her, were no doubt mistaking her for some second year. Heaving a sigh she figured that she was going to have to face the music at some time or another. Picking up her still flushed face she made a point not to look at any particular person and was very glad that she was here alone and not with a study group of any kind. Pushing her hair behind her ears and pulled the closest large book to her stomach and started to open the cover. She really needed to push what had just happened out of her mind or she was going to be in one of those situations where she would have to read the same page over and over again without actually reading a word. Or to Victoria, her own personal form of hell. She had rolls of parchment jutting out of her bag, she could always start on her Care of Magical Creatures essay. Upon second thought, she was likely to have the exact same problem. With her thumb, she started to flip through the pages of the book aimlessly, not wanting to start reading and further embarrass herself by not being effective at it.

Finally mustering up enough gumption to chance a look around the library, she was pleased to find that only a couple of younger students avert their gaze quickly. That was a good sign, meant people didn't care very much that she had made a fool of herself. Exhaling a long, steady breath she opened the book once more to actually do something productive. Dipping into her bag she pulled out a quill and some ink to give taking notes a decent shot. Much to her dismay, the book didn't seem like it was going to hold the information that she was going to need, but it also seemed interesting. So now it was going to just prove to be a distraction to her good efforts. Yet, she couldn't stop herself. Turning the page she unrolled a bit of parchment and started to take a couple of notes. The sound of a throat clearing next to her caused her to jump. Her head instantly whipping about to look at her new guest. Great. It would just have to be him “You missed this one.” She could feel the color coming back up to her cheeks at a steady pace. Her eyes widened as she dropped the quill to accept the book from him. She really had thought that she had gotten them all. Smiling nervously she nodded her thanks. One glance at the title told her it was exactly what she was going to need for her homework anyway. “Thanks, I would have been here all night if you hadn't found that.” And it was the truth. She could feel her stomach starting to flutter into subtle knots. She hadn't ever really been on a first name basis with Giovanni, but she had always wanted to. They had run into each other in the library countless times. It was like her second home after all, but she didn't want to use the fact that she liked seeing him as an excuse. She was really looking forward to his reaction to the new and improved her.

She had gotten contacts over the summer, but still opted for her glasses more often than not, she actually had learned how to use styling products, and apart from her still very humble shoe collection, she was becoming proud of her wardrobe and her accessories. It had just been a very long time coming. She turned her attention to the book in her hands for just a moment, letting her fingers drum against the cover as she racked her brain for something intelligent to say. This was her problem, she hadn't ever managed to hold a decent conversation with him because he made her so nervous. “So...uhm, Library why?” Her eyes widened and her grip on the book increased. Clearing her throat she managed a weak laugh “Uh, I mean...What brings you to the library?”

[Deleted]

Giovanni hoped he hadn’t made a bad decision by coming over to the Gryffindor girl. Females were unpredictable. While some would laugh off making a public scene, others might cry. He didn’t deal well with crying girls. Even when Abby was upset, he felt awkward trying to comfort her. Not because he didn’t want to, he just didn’t know how to. It felt strange patting them on the back or assuring them that everything was going to be okay when he didn’t know if it would be or not. He didn’t have the best way with words either. Back in his fourth year, he had been trying to console a first year who had missed a class because she hadn’t been able to find her way. He had tried to tell her that it wasn’t that big of a deal. That missing one class wasn’t going to affect seven years of education. He didn’t know if the girl was just overly emotional or had parents who didn’t believe in skipping class, but she had begun to sob hysterically, ranting on about how Herbology was her favorite class and that this day was the worst of her life before running off to the girl’s dorms. Giovanni had been left sitting on the common room couch with a dumbfounded look on his face. The small girl had apologized to him later on in the year after running away whenever he came in, but he had still been left baffled as the reason why she had been so upset. He often wondered if their brains were just wired differently. They took so many more things seriously then guys did. They didn’t let as much stuff brush off of their shoulders. It’s like they wanted bad things to linger for as long as possible.

Other than crying, Giovanni hoped she wouldn’t be mad at him for interrupting her. He wasn’t quite sure he’d know what to do if she started berating him in the middle of the library. Looking around, he saw that the room was fairly populated for this time of day. Perhaps his fellow students were overburdened with the amount of schoolwork that had been assigned as he was. This was the only place that guaranteed enough quiet for concentration after all. Turning his head back to the girl, the anticipation was starting to get to him. He wished she would hurry and say something so he would know how to react. He had no problem with leaving if that’s what she wanted him to do. She just needed to say the word and he’d be gone just as quickly as he came. Then again, he wouldn’t say no to have such attractive company for as long as he was able to. She would sure beat the textbooks still waiting for him to open their pages and read what they had to offer. Giovanni took a sharp intake of breath as he watched her start to move. An awkward smile weaseled its way on his face as he extended the book more in her direction. That way, if she did react in a way that was dramatic, he could drop it and run. As soon as her face came into view though he had a feeling that he had been worrying for nothing. He was a bit nervous as he saw the red color in her cheeks, but when she returned the same smile he was giving her his nerves felt more at ease. “Thanks, I would have been here all night if you hadn't found that.” That was definitely better than nothing. “Of course,” he responded, “I know that feeling better than anyone.”

Once her face fully came into view, he was able to see the true extent of her beauty. Giovanni had never been close enough to the girl to study her features, but he wished that time hadn’t been wasted for him to do so. She was beautiful. Her eyes were free of the glasses he specifically remembered seeing on occasion. Her burgundy hair was styled, not looking as if her brush had missed a few places. The blue color of her eyes was piercing. He had forgotten how much he liked girls with blue eyes. The light freckles underneath her eyes were cute as well. Overall, she was a fine specimen. This was the perfect opportunity to finally say more than a simple greeting. He hoped she had more to her then just looks. Giovanni hated being disappointed by a girl who didn’t have a brain to match her attractiveness. He considered himself to be a fairly patient person, but even he couldn’t be in a room long with a girl who couldn’t figure out the results of casting a wingardium leviosia charm. His eyes quickly scanned the papers and books that surrounded her. They were a good sign. The amount of work she had around her resembled his own and she looked just as frustrated with it as he had been earlier. Next to her was a roll of parchment with neat writing on it. He swallowed nervously. Maybe he had interrupted her. Personally, he knew he was often irritated when he was trying to get work done and was bothered by anybody who had whatever reason that required his attention. She hadn’t pushed him away yet, which was good but he sincerely hoped she wasn’t setting him up for humiliation. Giovanni had already dealt with enough Slytherin girls keen on doing that to him to last him the rest of the school year.

“So...uhm, Library why?” His eyebrow raised in question, not sure what she was trying to say. “Uh, I mean...What brings you to the library?” Giovanni copied her laugh. More positivity. Bringing his hand to his head, he scratched at the back of it as he nodded in the direction he had just come from. “I’ve having a study date with some of my friends over there,” he responded, referring to the folders, books and parchment that he had left to guard his table. “They’ve been more respectful then some of my house mates, though I wish I didn’t have to see them as often as I’ve had to already.” He chuckled lightly at his joke, hoping she’d catch his drift. Dropping his hand from his head, he kept the one that previously had her book in it towards her. “I’m Giovanni by the way.” Whenever she had accepted it, he brought his arms to his chest and looked down at her workload. “What about you? Each subject trying to get some their own one-on-one time in?"

[Victoria Abernathy]

If she could melt into a puddle on the floor right about now, she would. Not only was one of the kinder, more handsome men in her year talking to her, it was only because she had made an idiot out of herself. Victoria could only hope that she wasn't showing any outward signs of her humiliation other than her bright pink cheeks. She could blame that on something else, couldn't she? She wasn't very good at lying on her feet...tending to spew off the most outrageous stories that involved made up animals and things that never could have possibly happened. Those people that liked to dig themselves deeper, and deeper holes once panicked? That was her. On any other occasion, she would have been blissful that somebody like him had taken the time to bring her a book. Yet, this was just not her day out of all her bad days. Her shoes had gone missing from her dorm room last night and she had been forced to find another pair, which were clunky and outdated. Thus, she had spent the better part of the morning avoiding all of the Slytherins and more fashionable students so that they wouldn't tease her for the large shoes that she was wearing, and tucking her feet out of view at every moment. She hadn't been able to find her lucky earrings and that just ensured that she was going to have a horrible Quidditch practice later on in the day and now this. She hadn't even had a chance to eat lunch yet. She was far too swamped with other things. Reaching up to her face she tucked her long red hair back behind her ears, smoothing the strands down behind her shoulders as she did so. Returning his awkward smile was the least she could do, he was no doubt looking for an exit strategy, some way to get out of this area and return to whatever he had been doing before her clumsiness had distracted him.

“Of course, I know that feeling better than anyone.” Merlin it was hard to keep eye contact with him. It seemed like every time that she finally managed to muster up the gumption to meet his gaze she quickly diverted her view from the intensity of his stare. Awkward, Awkward, Awkward she thought to herself, why was she being so weird? Just say something V, you can do it, just say something Yet, no words were coming to mind. Her lips parted like she was going to say something but nothing more than a hoarse squeak came out. “I’ve having a study date with some of my friends over there,” Friends. She was going to have to get her some of those. She was keeping him from his social life. Of course she was. Her eyes followed in the direction that he had intoned only to see not people, but books like hers. A real laugh left her lips at how foolish she was being. “I think our 'friends' must run in the same circles” she chimed, her sing song voice brightening even though her words didn't make much sense even to her. She had only meant the copious amounts of books that she had keeping her table company. “They’ve been more respectful then some of my house mates, though I wish I didn’t have to see them as often as I’ve had to already.” She nodded, he was so much better at talking that she was. He had an interesting twang to his voice that kept her interested, and thankfully his easy smile was making it easier to look at him without blushing her cheeks off every five seconds. Truthfully, she didn't know too many people outside of her house, the only other Ravenclaw that she even kind of knew was Marcus since she tended to be so cripplingly shy outside of the Quidditch world. So, he was just going to take him at his word, she did know what it was like to lose one's self within the world of books.

She wanted to invite him to study with her, to have their 'friends' meet but the words wouldn't leave her mouth. She didn't want to seem to eager, nor did she want to get rejected. He seemed too nice to turn her down, but forcing him to sit at the same table as the weird Gryffindor girl hardly seemed the nice thing for her to do. Whenever he extended his hand she looked at it stupidly “I’m Giovanni by the way.” Her eyes widened and let go of the book that she had been clinging to, slipping her hand inside of his own and shaking it with a little too much excitement. “I know-erm I mean..” Closing her eyes she smiled, calming herself. Stop being so weird you twit she lectured herself “I'm Victoria” she finally admitted, pulling her hand back into her lap and opening her eyes once more. “What about you? Each subject trying to get some their own one-on-one time in?" She nodded, hoping that he would notice the empty seat across from her. Her hands moved across the table, stacking up the books and parchment accordingly until the wooden surface of the table was once again visible and thus giving him a place to sit without books blocking them from one other if he so choose. “Yeah, I think I overdid it this year...” her eyes roaming over the various half finished assignments “The classes just looked so interested...I never imagined that they would be so difficult as well” She wasn't really an academic over achiever, but given her background she wanted to soak up as much of this world as was possible to give herself a better chance whenever she was out of school. She loved magic and everything that came with it, glancing back at his books she shrugged “Can I assume you did the same thing?”

[Deleted]

This girl was peculiar. She was doing an excellent job of making Giovanni feel as if he were invading her privacy. Perhaps he was. Perhaps her awkward body language and stuttering was her anxious way of trying to figure out how to politely ask him to take a hint. No way would anything that she was doing suggest that she had any interest in him. He was too oblivious to girls to know that. Even if he did, he probably would have copied her actions and found some way to run off, making her feel as if she had done something wrong. Not that she wasn’t an attractive girl, because she definitely was. Giovanni just wasn’t a Don Juan when it came to females. He didn’t completely shut down around one that he knew liked him, he was just incapable of reflecting the same emotions, especially when put on the spot. Memories of times girls had approached him to confess their adoration were always ones he wished he could lock away forever and never be haunted by again. Three of them included him getting slapped in the face. Two of them had ended with girls crying by his eye widened silence. And one, the worst of them all, had been a first year girl who had approached him in his fourth year. Giovanni had been sitting outside by his usual tree near the Lake when she had come up with three of her friends. After telling him she liked him, and giggling with her friends, his eyes widened and his mouth dropped open as if he was in shock. He wasn’t, really, but the look he gave made the girl burst into tears, exclaim that this life wasn’t worth living and then transferred schools the next week.

So it was safe to say that Giovanni wasn’t a connoisseur of the ladies. It was why he was becoming so confused as he stood there, waiting for the girl to say something else. If he was bothering her, all she had to do was come out and say it. He wasn’t going to be rude since he was used to rejection by this point in his life, but he just wanted to stop feeling as if he were doing something wrong. “I think our 'friends' must run in the same circles.” Finally. A lopsided grin formed at the corner of his lips. Her comment was relieving, though not as quite as her laugh was. It was genuine, not forced. At least it didn’t seem to be. “Seems that way,” Giovanni responded. He felt more at ease about introducing himself to her now. He figured they had moved past her telling him that she didn’t care once he gave her name. And if she did, well he hoped the embarrassment would be minimal. “I know-erm I mean..” She was cute, the way she seemed so flustered. Wanting to avoid any more awkward silence, he joked, “What? Have the Slytherins plastered posters of my face with a red cross covering it around the Gryffindor common room that read BEWARE?” He thought it was funny. He hoped she would too. Though he wasn’t one hundred percent sure if the whole school knew of how much Slytherin house hated him. Giovanni just always assumed that it was a given considering how they continued to act the same way around him whenever students of other houses were around. Instead of commenting, she brought her hands to his and shook it. “I’m Victoria.” He smiled again at her. “Well then,” he started, dropping his hand back down to his side. “It’s nice to meet you.”

That was another step in the right direction. Victoria had been willing to give him her name. Giovanni was doing something right. He was just trying to have a normal conversation with someone who wasn’t from his house or wishing him dead. It was nice to see that she appeared interested in the same thing. He watched as she beginning decluttering her table top as best as she could. For what, he wasn’t sure, but she seemed keen on getting it organized. Hopefully she didn’t think that he cared about the mess. If she did, clearly she hadn’t looked across the way from where he had just come from long enough. It was when she finished that Giovanni noticed how she had arranged all her things closer to her, leaving a clear space for the spot across from her. Was that invitation? “Yeah, I think I overdid it this year...” He chuckled. The ridiculously high stack of books was evident of that. “The classes just looked so interested...I never imagined that they would be so difficult as well.” His eyes continued to dart from the empty chair to Victoria. “Ahh. Rookie mistake,” he said, as if he was filled with wisdom on the subject. “Never expect a class at the infamous Hogwarts Galaxia to be a walk in the park. No matter how much candy and house points the professors give you, it’s always a trick. They lure you in just to lock the door behind you and then take all the fun and happiness away.” He could speak from experience. In his third year, Giovanni had decided to take Arithmancy. The first day of the class had been great with the professor bringing them chocolate frogs and licorice wands. However, the second day, once the door had locked, the woman turned into a strict old hag obsessed with numbers. He had barely passed that year.

Should he sit? Or should he stand? The questions kept plaguing Giovanni’s mind. Was he rude if he didn’t? Was he interpreting it wrong? Merlin he wished he knew the answer to everything. Then he wouldn’t have to be in situations like this. “Can I assume you did the same thing?” Asking him a question meant that Victoria wanted to continue talking to him. Right? Growing tired of the war in his brain, he knew a decision had to be made. Taking the two steps it took to the chair, he pulled it out and took a seat. If she was going to yell at him, then he’d take it and get right back up. He had a feeling she wasn’t going to. Not this far into things. “Many a time. That very last thing I told you…it happened. Third year Arithmancy. Worst decision of my life.” Bringing his hands up to the table, Giovanni began to drum his fingertips on the table. He craned his neck over to look at the notes she had been working on. Nodding to it, he asked, “What’s it today?”

[Victoria Abernathy]

Victoria knew that she wasn't the easiest person to like, she was so awkward, but she couldn't help the person that she was. She just, liked what she liked and didn't pretend to be somebody that she wasn't. Admittedly, sometimes she came on a little too strong, and the few rare times that she felt at ease, she talked far too much. Luckily, she didn't have that problem around the opposite gender, they just made her so uneasy and she didn't know how to stop it. So many other girls in her house made it look so darn easy, with the way that they laughed and flipped their hair over their shoulders. Their perfectly shiny and well coiffed hair. Her own, she could barely get the tangles out of her mass of curls that sat on her head. Not Victoria, poor, awkward, clumsy, stuttering Victoria. It was enough to make her want to pinch herself. It didn't help that Giovanni looked the way that he did, and that he seemed to have the whole curly hair thing on lock. Lucky. “What? Have the Slytherins plastered posters of my face with a red cross covering it around the Gryffindor common room that read BEWARE?” Again she smiled, shaking her head no, not like they could have actually gotten into the Gryffindor common room in the first place,Victoria would have been among the first to hex any intruder, that was their private space. Cozy. She didn't like it being disrupted. Brandishing her pen at him with a curt laugh she laughed “Funny. I don't think that they have progressed to full on breaking and entering yet, not enough smarts between the lot of them” she was talking too fast, rambling really. She just didn't want him to run off because she was too quiet. There had to be a happy medium, somewhere...she could figure out this whole talking thing sooner or later.

Her breath just kept hitching in her chest, those people that she tended to surround herself with had known her long enough to just write off her shy tendencies, moving forward like they didn't even notice them. Bless their hearts. She didn't have to try much with them, as they all bordered on the outgoing anyway. It was so much easier for her before she had actually noticed boys, before they had this strange effect on her, some were worse than others of course, but she wished she could just go back to thinking that they all had cooties. “Ahh. Rookie mistake,” Pulling her hands into her lap she began to fiddle with the hem of her uniform skirt, her black tights serving to keep her legs toasty warm despite the cold seeping in from the window. Finding a loose thread, she began to pull on it, her feet shifting nervously under the table, but she didn't think that he could see any of that, since her torso was keeping so very still. “Never expect a class at the infamous Hogwarts Galaxia to be a walk in the park. No matter how much candy and house points the professors give you, it’s always a trick. They lure you in just to lock the door behind you and then take all the fun and happiness away.” Didn't infamy imply something bad? She wasn't going to correct him, but his use of the word surprised her. They way he spoke made him sound so much older than she was, like he had done all this before and was reflecting, which she didn't see how that was possible since they were in the same year, unless he had been held back? She certainly didn't think so, he appeared to be far too focused for something like that. She personally was of the opinion that the classes were very fun, but taxing. She didn't like the fact that all the time that she had available outside of class, was usually dominated by the work that she needed to do to keep from falling behind in those same classes. Was he inferring that he didn't like doing classwork or that he didn't enjoy his time here at school? Yet, she smiled anyway, she wasn't one to judge somebody for their opinions, he was being perfectly nice. She just, was in far over her head. “It's always the candy that gets me” she admitted, it seemed fitting.

Whenever he sat down opposite of her, she felt herself perk up, sitting just a little straighter in her chair. That was a good sign right? That she hadn't managed to scare him off just yet, that maybe, just maybe he was enjoying her company? Smiling at the table she pulled her feet closer to her chair, she didn't want to risk kicking him with all her fidgeting. She head the chair screech against the marble floor as he scooted closer to the table, eliciting a dirty look from the students at the next table over. Letting out a snort of laughter she turned her bright blue eyes up at Giovanni, laughing at the other student's expense. Served them right if they were so into their books that such a small noise would startle them so. Crossing one leg over the other she shifted in her chair, attempting to mimic the posture that she had seen other girls using whenever engaged in conversation. “Many a time. That very last thing I told you…it happened. Third year Arithmacy. Worst decision of my life.” Arithmacy, she didn't think that she had taken that more than once. During fourth year, she tried to block out all memories of that professor if at all possible. She really had been an old hag. It was a shame though, she could picture herself in that situation, clawing at the back of the door like some deranged animal, crying and screaming 'why' over and over again. Of course, that might just be her being dramatic. Her imagination snapped her psyche back to the present, the boy sitting so very close to her. “What’s it today?” Looking down at her notes she attempted to push the images of his face out of her mind and focus on the question he had asked. She had to read the first line four times before she realized what it said. “Alchemy” he breathed, it was something that she was hoping would help land her an internship after she graduated, every healer that she had ever spoken too said it was a good background to have, so it was very important to her, she needed to pass it. Waving the pen in her hand to accentuate her speaking she shrugged “I want to be a Healer” flushing a light pink shade she pushed her notes aside, realizing that he had never asked that, nor did he have a reason to be interested in her personal life or aspirations. Slow it down V, he's going to run away screaming Smiling nervously she shrugged “Did you, uh, ever take it? -Do you have to suffer through a course you don't really like for an internship?”