Final Concoctions Finished

Date: May 30th, 2025	Speech | Thoughts
Time: Early Morning	Interacting with: @Avis Greymond, @Victoria Blythe
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"It's no trouble at all," Luca said reassuringly to his fellow Slytherin. He also wondered how Jobberknoll feathers ended up on their table in the potions classroom. Sauber had historically placed the ingredients in precise amounts on the table before class, so it was unlikely they were there before class started. The young wizard began to scan the classroom carefully, observing everyone to see if anyone looked like a prankster. After a few moments, Luca noticed two Slytherins at another table quietly snickering as they looked over in the direction of their table.

The boy took mental notes about who the students were and kept them to himself, faintly remembering that one of them had stopped by their table during his and Avis' quiet conversation. He hadn't noticed exactly what the Slytherin boy did, but his deductive skills suggested they probably put the wrong ingredient on their table to spoil someone's, anyone's, potion. Sure enough, they had tricked his fellow Slytherin. However, Luca suspected that the time and potion were too far gone at this point.

"I don't think there's a way to fix it, and we're too far into the brewing session to start over. I believe the best choice is to accept responsibility and tell Sauber you won't be able to finish the Muffling Draught on time. He might show mercy for your honesty," Luca explained quietly to his fellow Slytherin. After a moment of allowing her to decide what to do next, the wixard turned back to Avis and smiled.

"I think," he said, eyeing his final timer, "Our last brewing timer will be done in just a minute. We should only need to wave our wands over the cauldrons to finish the task," he said as the timer counted down. Luca reached for his wand, ready to complete the potion. But before he did, he looked between Avis and his fellow Slytherin, whom he had not yet officially met.

"I was thinking of exploring the castle or the grounds in a couple of days. Would either of you care to join me?" the boy said, inviting them.

interaction: @avis greymond,@luca corranado wc: 580 dialogue thoughts

Even the girl’s warm smile couldn’t melt away the cold knot of shame tightening in Victoria’s chest. If anything, it only made her want to sink through the floorboards faster, to vanish before anyone could commit this moment to memory. She swallowed, her throat dry and tight, as though the very air had thickened.

Her hands, resting awkwardly on the edge of the table, were beginning to grow damp with nervous sweat. She could feel the faint stickiness against the smooth grain of the wood, and it made her even more conscious of herself. The girl was still looking at her—patiently, expectantly. Victoria hesitated, caught in that fragile pause between silence and speech, and then realized with a flicker of alarm that she was meant to introduce herself. She drew a slow breath, as though bracing for something heavier than a name. For a fleeting second, she considered lying—giving some harmless, false name, so that Victoria Blythe wouldn’t become forever associated with a botched, laughably simple potion. But in the end, the truth tumbled out, quiet and reluctant. “…Victoria. Victoria Blythe. And… thank you again.”


Her voice was hushed, but still enough to carry across the space between them. She added after a beat, “…Though I don’t think there’s any real fixing it.”

A familiar voice cut across the low hum of the room—another student from her own house. She lifted her head just slightly, a cautious glance in his direction. That was… oddly reassuring. At least neither of them seemed inclined to sneer at her, nor to treat the accident as anything more than an inconvenience. “…Mhm. I suppose the only thing to do is tell the professor. Still—thank you,” she murmured again, her tone soft, edged with a careful politeness.

Something in their easy kindness steadied her, even if only a little. She turned her gaze back to her table, ready to retreat into the small, safe task of cleaning up the mess. Her plan was simple—tidy the workspace, avoid further embarrassment, and slip away unnoticed.

But then came the unexpected: an offer from the Slytherin boy whose name she still didn’t know. The words made her glance up again, her dark brows knitting faintly together. It wasn’t the sort of question she’d braced for—not here, not after this. Yet, strangely, it warmed her. Normally, she would have fled straight to the dormitory, shut the curtains around her bed, and buried her face in her pillow until the sting of humiliation dulled. But perhaps this was something else. Perhaps it was a chance to prove—to them, and maybe to herself—that she wasn’t entirely incompetent. Besides, if she was honest, Victoria had always liked meeting new people who seemed sweet. It wasn’t something she ever admitted aloud, but there was a quiet thrill in weaving herself into new threads of connection.

“…That works for me. Thank you for the invitation,” she said at last. Her lips didn’t curve into a smile, but a subtle brightness flickered in the deep blue of her eyes, betraying more than her voice did. Out of the corner of her gaze, she glanced at the girl again. She found herself hoping—almost urgently—that she would come too. If it ended up being just her and the boy, she would almost certainly fail to start any real conversation. But with the girl there, the rhythm would be easier; Victoria could listen as they talked, letting herself be drawn in only when she had something to say.

tag: @Luca Corranado & @Victoria Blythe| date: 30-05-2025 | fit: x | notes: avis has left the thread.

Avis followed Luca's inquiring glance to the two snickering Slytherins in the corner and indignant anger instantly flared. Merlin, this class was full of assholes.

She burned a hole through each of the ill-wishing students' faces with a withering glare, barely registering her companion's next words.

"Oi! Keep your grubby hands to yourselves, idiots!" she shouted across the room, gaining a few stares from the tables around them. The students only quieted for a moment and began making faces but Avis had done her part. The Ravenclaw turned back around and nodded along to Luca's assessment in grim agreement, giving Victoria a sympathetic look. It hadn't been her fault after all. She shot another venomous glance at the culprits. She'd just met the other girl but some sort of protective fire had flared up instantly when she'd approached them with soft but persistent quiet earlier. It wasn't pity, no, it was simply just an urge to help someone with pure intentions and that seemed like the Slytherin girl, despite her distance. Avis flared her nostrils, still a bit heated about the snickers behind them.

"Don't you worry. Everyone knows it wasn't your fault," she muttered almost to Victoria and eyed the other students pointedly.

After Luca's helpful instruction, Avis angrily waved her wand over her cauldron to finish up another successful potion. She studied it quickly, making sure everything was in order before picking it up to present it up front. The Ravenclaw began to move forward but stopped when she heard Luca's question and met Victoria's inquiring glance.

"Alright. Maybe we can look for all the secret passageways my brother's told me about," she agreed, giving them both a quick smile. She doubted he'd told her anything useful but it didn't hurt to check. Besides doing it with new friends might be fun. The Ravenclaw started walking again only to come to a stop, glancing at Victoria who'd missed her earlier introduction. "Oi, sorry. I never introduced myself. I'm Avis," she said hastily and then made her way over to the professor's desk where a line had begun to gather, each student standing there with finished cauldrons in hand.

Date: May 30th, 2025	Speech | Thoughts
Time: Early Morning	Interacting with: @Avis Greymond, @Victoria Blythe
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"You're welcome, Victoria," Luca confidently said to the embarrassed first year. His eyes moved smoothly from his fellow Slytherin to their identical cauldrons, each with very different results. The young wizard was not naturally skilled at potions, but his interest in becoming an Auror motivated him to study the subject extra hard. Luca wanted to learn and develop a collection of offensive and defensive potions he could use while catching dark wizards, so potions were a priority. To date, he had received nothing less than Exceeds Expectations on his homework, so he believed he was in a good place. However, the first year's determination to be the best was internally frustrated by the three 'Es' he had received. Luca's expectations for himself included all 'Os,' so his drive remained strong throughout his first year at Hogwarts.

"I'm Luca Corranado, by the way. I will leave it completely up to you whether or not to tell Professor Sauber, but I would bet on the small chance that he won't notice with everything going on,” the wizard said without much sincerity. He fully expected Sauber's wrath to fall on the pranksters, Victoria, and maybe even himself for being connected to the incident. The Potions Professor was sharp and observant when something was wrong, an essential quality in potion-making.

“Excellent, look out for an owl in a few days! I plan to explore for a day a couple of days before the train home,” Luca said as he gathered his books, as the end of their final class approached. Suddenly, his head snapped in Avis’ direction as she directly challenged the two boys who ruined Victoria’s potion. Without much control, the first year's face flushed slightly, but he reasonably kept it in check. The boy cleared his throat and looked at Avis with a reassuring smile.

“I would hate to meet anyone who crosses you, Miss Greymond,” the wizard said after his facial expression shifted to a smirk. “But I might advise a bit of discretion, as that could bring Sauber down on us all,” Luca added after a few moments. He then smiled as she accepted his invitation to explore, and his interest was piqued when Avis mentioned secret passages.

“Secret passages? Interesting. I'll send you an owl as well then! That settles it. And just in time too, as class seemed to have been dismissed,” he said as everyone started to funnel out of the dungeon classroom.

His story continues: March To Your Own Beat