Walk A Mile In My Shoes :Closed-Victoria:

[Autumn Stanton]

If the busy past few months had taught Autumn Stanton anything, it was that one should never take advantage of the free time they are given when they have a tedious job or career. Since the battle at Gringotts, St. Everdines had been the busiest and most overcrowded it had ever been for a solid two months. Hundreds upon hundreds of patients had walked through the doors. A majority of them had been able to leave fairly quickly. Lots had to remain for several days for observation. Then there were the few that had gained an almost permanent residency in the hospital for injuries that had were incurable or bad reactions to treatments. The number that had died behind the doors had been very slim, fortunately, but the hospital morgue had been backed up for good week after the battle. Autumn had never worked so hard in her life. Nor had she ever been so frustrated. It seemed like the patients that had to remain in the hospital for extended periods of time were all under her care, which didn’t make her feel very good about herself. Many sleepless nights had been endured and practically all of her time was spent at St. Everdines tending to the sick and injured. Her fellow Healers had been forced to endure the same which had created a sometimes hostile work environment. One week, two male Healers had actually gotten into a fist fight after one disagreed with the diagnosis the other had given to a shared patient. Times were tough and the tension was thick. Often, it seemed like there was no end in sight

But after time, there was. The numbers of inpatient care had dwindled down significantly. Each level of the hospital had more than enough rooms available to those who had not been affected by the battle. Those who remained were on positive paths to being released and the ones who weren’t had been moved to rooms to better accommodate them. The usual atmosphere had returned and everyone’s moods had gone back to normal. No one longer had to walk on eggshells or be afraid that they would say or do the wrong thing. Most importantly for Autumn, her routine work schedule had gone back into effect. This meant, she once again had her one to two days off a week and was actually able to go back home to sleep or venture off somewhere to spend her break. Not to mention, she was extremely happy that her stress level had gone down. The hospital was stressful as it was without adding more to it. Even though she had never been so tired in her entire life, she never once regretted what she had chosen to do with her life. Autumn had frequently thrown up her hands out of frustration, but never once thought about quitting. These people needed her. They had looked to her for care and comfort. What kind of person would she have been if she just left them there? How awful would it have been to give even more work to her fellow Healers if she just gave up? To put it simply, quitting was not an option. Besides, even if she wanted to, Autumn probably didn’t even have it in her to be that person who screws everybody over. She had been subject to actions like that from others too often in the past to do the same.

Autumn had picked up an extra late night shift this week. Although her paycheck had not suffered in the slightest from working so much overtime, she had done it out of the kindness of her heart. A Healer had needed someone to work their shift and she had agreed. She had been wanting to renovate her entire apartment and the money from working so much, plus today’s shift, had given her enough to do just that. As she walked out of the doors of the hospital once her shift had ended, she smiled to herself and decided that now would be a better time than any to start purchasing things for her renovation. She knew she deserved it anyway. Autumn was usually very frugal with her money. She preferred saving it for emergencies and vital things instead of blowing it every week on the latest fashions or trends. It wouldn’t kill her to go a bit crazy with her spending. She had earned it. With that thought in mind, she walked towards Alzubra Alley and began scouring the shops for the items that would help her spruce up her tiny apartment. Fortunately, she seemed to have picked a good day for shopping because it felt like every furniture and decorative shop had some great bargains going on. Before she knew it, Autumn had purchased a number of items for delivery as well as a few to fill her arms. Walking out of an art shop, a large bag of frames and paintings were in her left hand, another steal from the shop’s special sales.

She had joined the crowds on the strip when she suddenly began feeling tired. Then Autumn remembered that she had been awake for twelve hours. If she expected to continue shopping and taking advantage of the great deals of the day, she would need to rest for a little bit or get some sort of pick me up. She had walked a bit further when a freshly painted sign stood out to her. Aldric’s Kaffee. That was new. Quickening her pace, she stopped once she was in front of the small coffee shop. Peering into it, the atmosphere looked inviting. She could see big armchairs scattered throughout the space and a few people taking advantage of the comfort. It was exciting to see that another shop had popped up. After the reveal of her old boss being the Dark Lord, Steaming Mugs had been closed to the public. She frequently visited her old shop for the delicious coffee that it brewed and was disappointed learning she couldn’t get her French vanilla cappuccinos anymore. She definitely had to give this place a try. Taking a few steps towards the door Autumn opened it as she got closer and entered. The shop was even cozier then it looked outside. Soft music played throughout the space. Paintings of coffee and landmarks lined the walls. The aroma of the air was intoxicating. While there was no mistaking the coffee, she could distinctly smell traces of lavender and lilac. She walked towards the counter and smiled at the barista as she looked at the menu. There were so many items to choose from that she had no clue what to even order. After taking longer than she thought necessary, she finally decided to try their cappuccino and see if it could hold a flame to her favorite one Steaming Mugs used to make.

Autumn paid for her order and left two extra sickles on the counter for the woman who had made her drink. Taking the cup in hand she made her way over to an armchair in front of a fireplace. The temperature outside was a bit chilly so she figured it’d be nice to warm her bones for a bit before venturing back out into it. She sat her bags beside the chair and took a seat, nearly sighing in satisfaction at how comfortable the armchair was. This could absolutely become one of her new favorite places. Bringing her cups to her lips Autumn tilted her head back slightly to get the first taste of her already amazing smelling drink.

[Victoria Abernathy]

Thank Merlin for older friends. The kind of older friends that already knew how to apparate were the best. Without the few seventh year friends that she did have, she would have been forced to stay inside of the castle at all times, and live her life buried beneath a book. Of course, she felt that it would still be a wholly enriched life, since her books could take her places that she hadn't even dared dream of, but in the long run, having friends was better. Certainly did wonders to make her feel better. School had really been getting her down as of late. Between the abundance of homework in just about every subject and the rigorous Quidditch practices every night she was swamped and the stress was starting to effect her. Thankfully she didn't have to do any of the other chores that she would have had to do while she was at home on top of it. Her laundry was always done for her, the rooms cleaned and the beds made thanks to those wonderful house elves. Victoria had told herself whenever she had started this year that things were going to be different in so many ways, but yet she was still hardly managing to scrape by on her coursework. She wanted to be somebody impressive, somebody that had an impact on the people around her. She only had one year left after this to make her mark and she would be damned if she was going to just pass by like a blip, totally unnoticed like she had been doing for so long now. Perhaps that was why her friends had suggested this outing, as a form of pick me up. She certainly could have used a few more coats to wear out on days like this. Besides, they were wonderful enough to be helping her to sort out her currency issue. She needed to actually purchase all of the items that she should have bought before the start of term but hadn't been able to figure out how. They had already been into a half dozen shops since arriving here, and hopefully food would be coming soon. If nothing else, she was going to need some sort of pick me up. She had been since six am after only having three hours of sleep working on her damned Potions essay.

Then she spotted the new coffee shop. The walls didn't seem as weathered as most of the other shops in the area, so she just had to assume that it was new. Turning to her friends she smiled. “Just a minute, well...I'll catch up with you!” She waived off to the two girls who had been her company throughout the day and ducked inside of the small shop. They didn't seem to mind that she was taking a detour, so she took advantage of it, allowing the doors to slam closed behind her. The aroma was heavenly. There also wasn't a line so that was even better. “Caramel Frappachino Please” she said to the person behind the counter and off they went preparing her drink.

Pulling a wad of dollar bills out of her pockets she sorted through the brightly colored paper in an effort to find the right amount, before kicking herself. This was within the wizarding community, her money would be no good here. Fishing down into her pocket she extracted a handful of coins. Sifting through the euro's that were mixed in with what little wizarding coin that she had managed to procure since the start of term she dropped the euro back into her pocket and finally counted out the right amount of coin to pay for her drink. Giving her surroundings a brief once over she smiled. It was a charming little place, that just happened to pop up at the perfect time for optimum business. She had never been inside of the Dark Lord's coffee shop before, but now she was starting to wonder if it was anything like this one. The walls here had an intensely personal aura to them, and she couldn't bring herself to imagine that anything Darren Morgan could have come up with would have been anywhere near as comfortable and welcoming as this place was. She imagined that it had all been nothing but steel and grey walls, of course tainted with the smell of black coffee. That was all pure conjecture of course. The person behind the counter passed her drink over to her without another word and Victoria grabbed the cardboard cover to protect her hands before turning away. The smell of coffee and hints of caramel in the form of steam already warming her bones. She should have offered to get her friends something since she was already here, but the thought hadn't even occurred to her. In fact, she didn't even know where they might have been headed, it was going to take a fair amount of searching she figured before she was going to locate them again.

Turning to leave the store and start on her quest the sight of somebody familiar stopped her in her tracks. She had to do a double take, well, more than one double take just to be certain she was seeing the woman that she had admired for so long. Ever since she had graduated they had just drifted apart. Of course, Victoria never assumed that Autumn thought they were very close to begin with, she always felt like she was just a thorn in her side. Not that Autumn would ever say anything like that, even if it was the truth. She was far too kind. Hoisting her bag up over her shoulder she took a step closer to the woman. “Autumn?” She inquired, waiting for the woman to lift her face so that Victoria could be sure. “Autumn!” She moved forward and threw and awkward hug around the sitting figure before stumbling backward into a seat across from her friend. “How have you been?”

[Autumn Stanton]

The drink failed to disappoint. From the moment the drink had left her lips, a satisfied smile perched on them. The cappuccino was magnificent. The single shot of espresso provided a perfect thick consistency to make it the base of the drink. The hot milky foam layered on top of it perfectly. The temperature of the steam milk was exactly what it needed to be to rest on the layer of hot milk without mixing in. Finally, the dash of cinnamon on top gave the hot drink the right amount of spice to make the liquid in her hand heavenly. Autumn had never thought it possible, but she may have just found a place with a cappuccino that topped Steaming Mugs. The girlish excitement was refreshing. The little things always gave her such peace. Kind smiles from strangers, being complimented on a job well done, finding a flower in her apartment’s small garden that was the sole bloomer in a bush full of weeds, they were all examples of things that could really make her day. It was long ago that she had learned to never take advantage of them. Especially in such harrowing times as these, any sense of hope needed to be recognized. Anything that could put even the smallest smile on a gloomy face was worth being grateful for. It was a message she wished the whole world could understand. Anything was better than nothing. Too much time was wasted dwelling on things of the past and things beyond an individual’s control. Allowing oneself to open up at the simple pleasures of life could expose themselves to an entirely different world. Perhaps even provide a different outlook on life. It had absolutely helped Autumn to never get lost in the dark.

Sampling this exquisite mixture was the cherry on top of Autumn’s perfect day of shopping and great deals. She doubted much else could make the rest of the time she had awake any better though she certainly was not against setting herself up for something else. Taking another sip of the cappuccino, she wiggled herself deeper into the lush armchair, nearly wanting to let it absorb her into its soft backing. Sighing, she closed her eyes and allowed her thoughts to wander. So much progress on redecorating the apartment had been made already. Now she needed to think of where she wanted things to go. Every room would be reorganized, that she was sure of. Change often made her antsy, but she knew this would be good for the soul. She really did need to make more space in her tiny home anyway. Autumn still had boxes in certain rooms full of books that needed to go on bookshelves or various odds and ends that needed to be put somewhere or kept in some form of storage. It just so happened that she purchased yet another bookshelf at a furniture shop today that would be delivered within the next few days. She could place that on the opposite end of her living room to hold her boxed-up books and trinkets. Turning the couch to the left would free up more space in front of the television which would make the room look bigger. Exchanging her small dinky old rug for the new larger one she had bought would help with the illusion even more. Autumn’s mind began to then examine all the other rooms to figure out what else could be done to aid in her redecorating quest. She wasn’t sure if it was the cappuccino or the good mood the day had put her in, but ideas kept jumping out at her. Perhaps this process wouldn’t be as tedious as she thought.

Autumn had just begun to envision the guest bathroom when she heard her name being called. Her eyes snapped open, looking around curiously to see where the voice had come from. It was a rare occurrence for her to be recognized in public. Outside of her co-workers, she never hung out with anyone from her school days or met from a casual bump-in. The voice didn’t sound like anyone she knew either. It was a female who didn’t at all sound threatening. Actually, she sounded excited. She had raised her head upwards in enough time to come face-to-face with a smiling and young red-headed girl. “Autumn!” The girl engulfed her in a hug, much to her confusion, though she was too polite to ask who she was. “Hello,” she greeted, returning the awkward hug before the girl pulled away. Autumn wasn’t a firm believer in personal space, but she couldn’t help but to get a bit nervous when it was invaded unexpectedly or by someone she didn’t know. Her eyes focused intently as the beaming girl stepped backwards to take the armchair across from her. She was thankful to have done that otherwise more time would have been wasted in discovering the girl’s identity. “Victoria,” she said slowly, giving her a genuine smile when she sat down. That red hair was unmistakable. Victoria Abernathy had been a younger year Gryffindor when Autumn was still at Galaxia. The two had bonded over their love of books and studious nature. She had always gotten along well with her, despite never really having a reason not to. She had always been very sweet, well-mannered and polite. If there was anybody she wished to have run into again after years of not seeing, Victoria was definitely a wonderful individual to take the role. Bringing the cup up to her lips she took another sip of her hot drink. It was possible for this day to keep getting better.

She lowered her cup to the top of her knee as Victoria asked about her well being. Autumn chuckled and nodded slightly. “I’ve been wonderful Victoria. It is so nice to see you. How about yourself? Is the school year starting off on a good note for you?” To her knowledge, the girl still should have been at school and a sixth year considering her age when Autumn had graduated. She looked politely at the girl as she waited for her to answer, honestly interested in what she had to say. She had no communications within Galaxia once it had been reopened after the DeathEater threat that had loomed darkly over the magical castle. She had so many questions to ask, not only about the school, but because she was interested in finding out what Victoria had been up to, how she was doing and how her plans for the future had changed, if at all.

[Victoria Abernathy]

The seat was wonderful, after walking around for hours like she had been to get off her feet for a little while was a very welcome change. In hindsight, the hug might have been a tad inappropriate, perhaps it was her coffee....which...she hadn't yet consumed. Well, hopefully Autumn wouldn't mind. Victoria's arms stretched out over the arms of the chair, feeling the fabric of the chair under her fingers and palms. It was impossibly soft, and yet had a good coarse texture to it so that if she were to lean back into the chair too far she still wouldn't be in danger of slouching against her will. Pulling her small purse from her body and wedged it between the cushion and the arm of the chair, careful not to let the cup in her hand tip over so that she didn't accidentally get scalded by any liquid that would get poured out in the process. She had had that happen to her so many times over the past few years, well, since she had started drinking coffee actually. She was so blindingly scatterbrained sometimes that she just forgot that things were in her hands, or that they could burn the every living crap out of her if she wasn't careful. Her skin was already so pale as it was, she really didn't need nasty red blisters mucking it up further. Then again, she was sitting across from a healer that she trusted so she should be in pretty good hands. At least, she assumed that she would be, more often than not people were too busy laughing at whatever stupid mistake that she had made to attempt to help her. She couldn't even count how many times she had tripped and fallen on her face, or tripped and sent the contents of her purse or book bag flying and nobody even bothered to attempt to make sure she was alright, or pick up the contents because they were always doubled over in laughter. People could be cruel, but Autumn wasn't like that. At least, she didn't used to be, who knew how she was now? Vic just wanted to think the best of her.

“Hello,” She watched Autumn's face with a bright, excited smile. Victoria didn't know very many people in her life, and the older woman sitting in front of her had always been an idol of sorts of Victoria's. Back in school, Autumn might have not been miss popularity by the common definition of the word but she was a bright light to those similar to her. She had the super hot boyfriend, the confidence and then she had gone on to do such wonderful, impressive things. At least, that was what the rumor mill was churning out. What if Autumn didn't remember her? She knew that she had changed since Autumn had been in school but she didn't think that it had been that much. She could have been wrong, Merlin that was going to be so humiliating. Bringing her feet up to sit Indian style in her plush chair she toyed with the black lid on her coffee cup. ”Victoria,” The tone was hesitant, but Vic choose to ignore it, renewing her smile with an enthusiastic nod. She took a tentative sip of her coffee, not thinking to check if it was hot or not. Luckily, she just seemed to have gotten a little bit of caramel that had been clinging to the lid, which wasn't hot at all. Well. You have her attention V, now you need to keep it yet, as always, words failed her. One of these days conversation will be easier for her...it would have to be. These things just came with age didn't they? One could only hope. “I’ve been wonderful Victoria. It is so nice to see you. How about yourself? Is the school year starting off on a good note for you?” Nodding once her dopey smile finally started to fade a little bit but her expression was still very positive. “It's so great to see you!” great, now she was gushing...it was only going to get worse from here “I've heard so much about what you have been up to” Realizing how stalker-ish that sounded she quickly averted her gaze “With the hospital I mean...” taking a drink to calm herself and getting more than just caramel this time she straightened herself up higher in the chair, fiddling with a lace on one of her shoes. “School is going alright, I had heard how hard sixth year was but I think people undersold it”

This was her problem. Whenever she finally did manage to start talking, she never knew how to stop herself from saying things that nobody in their right mind would care about at all “All the extra herbology lessons are really going over my head” her hand started to move around of it's own volition as she spoke “I just don't know what I'm going to do whenever end of year exams come around-” she cut herself off, suddenly realizing exactly what she was talking about. Autumn was out of school..she had a real life now with real responsibilities. The last thing that she was going to want to hear about was teenaged girl issues. Sadly, Victoria didn't really have too much else to talk about other than her classes, or boys, or Quidditch. She really ought to consider expanding her knowledge base a little bit more. Once she graduated...she was just going to be in an awkward free fall until she figured something else out...since those things weren't going to carry her anywhere important. She loved the game of Quidditch, but she didn't hold any delusions about going pro on any level. It would never be more of a hobby for her. Holding her open palm out toward Autumn she smiled “What have you been doing? I would love to hear about your life. I'm sure it's so glamorous” She had always idolized the healers at St. Everdine's. They could do so many wonderful things with just their hands, she could only ever dream of being able to have that much raw power within her. She had seen healers working on her whenever she had broken a bone or something else silly, but couldn't even begin to imagine the skill and practice that it must take to perfect such things. The fact that Autumn had time off like this only further cemented the idea that healers really did get to have it all.

[Autumn Stanton]

Autumn was a bit taken aback by the girl’s enthusiasm. She had never seen someone so excited to see her. It was strange, but nice. Though she doubted that anyone could say they didn’t enjoy having someone happy to be in their company. She was just so used to not associating with anyone outside of work that it was a nice change to see someone who she hadn’t in awhile. She liked even more that Victoria didn’t appear to have changed at all. She remembered that the girl had been very similar to her. Quiet and shy, but with a bright personality and very intelligent. They had bonded over their mutual love of reading one day in the library of Galaxia. Autumn had been walking past Victoria’s table with a stack of books and happened to notice the title of the book in the girl’s hand. It had been one of her favorite novels. She had never been one to speak to someone who wasn’t speaking to her, but she had just loved the book so much she felt compelled to share her adoration with the girl. Victoria had been taken aback a bit, but once Autumn had finished speaking, a smile appeared on her face and the two girls started conversing about the text. From then on, the two became friends. She was a few years ahead of Victoria, but she had never been one to treat another differently because of their age. They had also become study buddies. The younger Gryffindor had been unable to do much except quiz her from her notes or textbooks because of the year difference, but Victoria had really helped her. She also enjoyed being able to help the girl with her own studies as her knowledge of the subjects never really dissipated.

“It’s so great to see you!” She couldn’t help but to chuckle. She really was such a sweetheart. “I’ve heard so much about what you’ve been up to. With the hospital I mean.” It was so nice of Victoria to have taken an interest in her work. Most students her age could have cared less what the adult population of the wizarding world did for a living. Then again, she had been a very inquisitive girl. “Have you? It’s nice to see Galaxia still talks about the alumni every now and then,” she laughed. “I’ve been very fortunate since I’ve left school. I’m very happy with where I am.” Autumn wasn’t trying to brag by any means. She was simply being honest. St. Everdines had opened up so many opportunities for her. She had been able to open up her mind further than she even dreamed possible. Plus, if she could help Victoria realize that being successful after graduation in this world wasn’t a far-fetched idea, she’d talk about it as long as the girl would allow her to. “School is going alright, I had heard how hard sixth year was but I think people undersold it.” She laughed again. For those unprepared for the ridiculous course load, sixth year really was a make it or break it year for some. Bringing her Styrofoam cup up to her mouth, Autumn took a sip of her cappuccino before responding. “It is very challenging,” she agreed once she had swallowed the drink. “It’s when students have to really start buckling down and thinking about what they want to do with themselves after graduation. NEWTs aren’t until the seventh year, but the professors start preparing everyone for them early on. They really dig deep to help students realize if their subject is worth wanting to pursue.” She hated sounding like an adult, but she had never fully understood why sixth year was so difficult until she had been a seventh year.

“All the extra herbology lessons are really going over my head.” Autumn smiled sympathetically. She couldn’t say much considering Herbology had been one of her strongest subjects. She had been fortunate enough to have a natural ability with it, which helped so much in the medical field. She never had to grind plants into potions, but she did have to understand many, many different types to know how to properly medicate ailing patients. She also needed to understand how certain plants reacted when combined with one another and what sort of results they produced. “I just don't know what I'm going to do whenever end of year exams come around-“ Autumn remembered Victoria’s frustration. She had always been very studious but always felt the pressure when it came to end of the year exams. They impacted whether or not you moved on to the next year. “I wouldn’t worry if I were you Victoria. You’ve got a good head on your shoulders. You’re going to do just fine. Plus, you’ve still got months before you even need to start fretting. Enjoy this semester. Don’t burden yourself with things you can’t control.” Yet that was easier said than done. Being the bookworm she was, she always wanted to make sure she was ahead of the game. Then again, she had never been very social. Actually, if it hadn’t been for Marlon or Erich she might not have ever done things a normal teenager partook in, like Somerset visits or Quidditch spectacting. “But if you’re really worried about it, I am more than happy to offer any assistance you might need when that time comes around. It would be interesting to see if you’re being taught any differently then I was.”

Autumn offered another kind smile to Victoria once she finished speaking. She had meant every word of her offer. She knew how difficult it was to study for exams. That and she really liked Victoria. She didn’t want the girl stressing over anything she didn’t need to be. Sometimes all it took was some help. “What have you been doing? I would love to hear about your life. I'm sure it's so glamorous.” She shook her head while taking another sip of her drink. “Glamorous? It’s anything but! Rewarding, but maybe not so glamorous.” She didn’t consider the scrubs and sanitation to be ritzy, or the extended work hours and one day off a week. The lifestyle suited her though. Due to the lack of social skills, Autumn had easily taken to the career once she had dived head first into it. It wasn’t for everyone. It took a lot of commitment and devotion. “The hours are long, the people are more difficult than not and I get a lot of headaches. However, the sense of fulfillment is indescribable. Being able to help people is nothing like anything I have ever experienced. It can be very tiring, but I can honestly say that I love what I do and wouldn’t change anything about it.” Her fingertips began to drum along the side of the cup. “Have you found anything that you’re interested in?” she asked with a nod. “Or at least any ideas in what you’d like to look into?”

[Victoria Abernathy]

Perhaps she was coming off as annoying. After all, Autumn might have wanted to be alone for the afternoon, and Victoria had just charged her way right into her plans. She certainly hoped not, it wasn't often that Vic found herself being this excited. Or was it that she was this excited because she didn't do it often enough? Like an overload. Their meeting had been strange, given that most people didn't like to talk to the girl covered in books all the time, but apparently it was their common bond. It gave Victoria hope, if Autumn could love books as much as she did, and turn out as stunning and amazing as it seemed that she had...perhaps Victoria could as well. Then again, Autumn had always had that stunning older boyfriend, that had to of helped at least a little. Victoria had never been burdened with one of those, she wouldn't even know the first thing about getting one's attention, for anything other than homework help anyway. The whole world of dating was still a mystery to her. Of course, she was of the personal belief that women like Autumn and herself deserved boyfriends more than the vapid women who tended to have their pick of the litter...even if she wasn't in pursuit of one. She sure did develop crushes readily enough. If only she could learn Autumns secret to bagging a super popular and attractive blonde who was eternally devoted to her, then things would be set. Were they still together? She had to hope so, they were so amazing together, like something out of a romance novel. During more than one of their study sessions together (she gave Autumn credit for why she was so prepared to face her schools years, as she provided priceless tips) the boyfriend had come to whisk Autumn away. Even though Vic couldn't remember his name, he certainly had been dreamy.

“Have you? It’s nice to see Galaxia still talks about the alumni every now and then,” Had she said something wrong? It was very possible after all, she wouldn't be surprised in the slightest if she was being too nosy for her own good. “I’ve been very fortunate since I’ve left school. I’m very happy with where I am.” there was no word of her boyfriend. Perhaps they had broken up after all. What a shame, they had been the ones that Vic would have been rooting for, given the option. It wasn't so much that they talked about the Alumni, most of the students were too self obsessed to worry about anybody else's lives. Victoria was just nosy, and she actually read the paper whenever it was delivered. Of course, Autumn hadn't been in it as often as the ministry hunks, but her work at St. Everdine's was impressive. She wanted to know everything about Healers that she could. She could only hope to be as lucky in her career as the woman in front of her. Yeah, right Vic, like you have that sort of work ethic Of course, it would really be her inner diatribe that would ruin it for her. She studied more than almost anybody that she knew. She might have done well in Ravenclaw, if it weren't for the fact that Quidditch and nerves tended to distract her all the time. Her grades weren't nearly as great as she hoped that she would be. “It is very challenging, It’s when students have to really start buckling down and thinking about what they want to do with themselves after graduation. NEWTs aren’t until the seventh year, but the professors start preparing everyone for them early on. They really dig deep to help students realize if their subject is worth wanting to pursue.” She sounded like a professor. It brought a large smile onto Victoria's face, nodding along with the words. “Don't I know it!” she breathed “I can only hope to get into the classes that I want if I get good enough scores on my O.W.Ls”

“I wouldn’t worry if I were you Victoria. You’ve got a good head on your shoulders. You’re going to do just fine. Plus, you’ve still got months before you even need to start fretting. Enjoy this semester. Don’t burden yourself with things you can’t control.” That oddly did make her feel better, for whatever reason. It couldn't have been that much different than whenever Autumn was helping her study. Of course, since she had graduated, Vic had been all on her own to study. Which of course, subjected her to more teasing than she normally had for her red hair or any of the other nonsense that students found to be cruel about. The best that she could hope for, was to attempting to take the advice to heart and do the least amount of panicking that she could do. Yeah, like that's going to happen She thought snarkily to herself. “But if you’re really worried about it, I am more than happy to offer any assistance you might need when that time comes around. It would be interesting to see if you’re being taught any differently then I was.” Her eyes might have just bugged out of her head. Like Autumn actually had time to help the young woman. She could see the learning aspect, but then again to actually have her time stolen whenever she could be helping people? We both know that you're that selfish Shaking her head in spite of herself “I couldn't possibly ask that of you” but it was obvious how thrilled about the idea that she was. “Glamorous? It’s anything but! Rewarding, but maybe not so glamorous.” that had to be the very first time that she hadn't believed something that Autumn said. Taking a sip of her own drink cautiously she shrugged, not wanting to see too eager to hear everything that she could.

“The hours are long, the people are more difficult than not and I get a lot of headaches. However, the sense of fulfillment is indescribable. Being able to help people is nothing like anything I have ever experienced. It can be very tiring, but I can honestly say that I love what I do and wouldn’t change anything about it.” It all seemed fairly reasonable, Victoria had been raised with the knowledge that you don't get something for nothing, so there was no way to have a wonderful job without some consequences. Yet, to have something so important to do every hour of every day? That had to be absolutely amazing. Merlin what she wouldn't give to trade lives with her for just a day even. “Have you found anything that you’re interested in?” Her cheeks flooded with red, of course she had. How embarrassing. “Or at least any ideas in what you’d like to look into?” Of course, it had always been in fleeting whenever she had thought about it, not exactly positive that it was really what she wanted to do for the rest of her life, but it was also the only thing that made sense to her. “Healing” she admitted in a small voice, suddenly very interested in the rim of her cup, her thumb running along the edge. A shy smile crept onto her face as she shrugged “it's just the only thing that I feel I would be good at” shaking her head she looked around the rest of the patrons in their company “I mean, I love Quidditch but I'm not exactly going pro now am I?”