December 2nd, 1891 - Gryffindor Common Room

The thing about N.E.W.T. classes was that they were hard. Everyone said that, but Lester hadn't entirely believed them until he was in the N.E.W.T. classes. He felt like this semester had passed in a heartbeat, and it was because he'd been so busy the whole time. The trouble with that was that now the semester was nearly over, and when it was over he'd only have three left. And then — what, he'd have to go and be an adult?

But tonight he'd actually finished in the library earlier than he'd expected, and headed back to the Common Room. Lester bounced in and almost immediately spotted Sloane.

"Do you want to review anything for your classes?" Lester asked, dropping into the armchair next to Sloane. He wasn't as worried about her exams as he'd been about Cameron's — ahem — but he was a little worried about her exams. And, hey — for once, he had a little bit of extra time.

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These tests might just be the death of her.

Either that or her social life.

Sloane was pretty sure she'd prefer the former, actually. At least that would be less stressful. Maybe. Right?

Things were just... weird right now and she didn't know what to do about it. She felt like she and Cam were just stuck in an endless loop of trying to get a few minutes together and then never following through. She almost felt like he was avoiding her? Maybe? At least that was what it felt like. What was she even doing with her life? Why was she having existential crises left and right at fifteen. Why? What was she doing wrong?

Curled up with an untouched potions book and Splash hanging behind her head on her armchair, she was staring into the fireplace without much going on in her head besides daydreams when Hatch showed up. "Hmm?" She managed as she looked at him somewhat blankly.

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Oh, dear. Sloane looked blank, which was a classic sign that she was not doing much work. It was good that he'd come back to the Common Room, because this very much meant that he should stage an intervention for her work ethic. (Not that he would call it an intervention. She'd hate that.)

Lester inclined his head towards her potions book. "Wanna review anything together?" he asked again.

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"Oh, no, I'd rather not." Sloane couldn't imagine trying to cram anything else into her brain tonight. There was too much floating around in there now, academic things, personal things, worries, uncertainties. How it all even fit up there was beyond her. Growing up sucked.

Closing her book, she traced the title of the book's embossed lettering with one finger slowly. "I think I'm going to leave it all up to fate at this point." She sighed, feeling entirely unlike herself and hating it. Feeling melancholy and down was not her generally. Maybe her monthlies were coming up again. Her mother had finally told her what to really expect and apparently changes in mood were common. Great, she could go back to being a walk sign with her hair colors. Suddenly aware of the possibily, she looked at the end of her braid, but it was thankfully still brown.

"You surviving alright?" His classes must have been horrendously hard, but since she knew he had goals for after school, he would stick to it and be just fine.

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"You have a whole semester to get a better handle on things," Lester said gently. He pulled his knees up onto the chair and wrapped his arms around them. Sloane was going to make it through OWLs with enough classes to continue at the NEWT level — she might just metaphorically kick and scream the whole way. He didn't have to push too hard tonight, though — they were so close to winter break.

"I'm surviving," Lester said. "N.E.W.T. level is hard, but — it's different hard." The pressure of OWLs would feel more familiar next year, when he needed good exam scores. Right now, it was mostly just a lot to learn.

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Her only response was to shrug. She didn't particularly remember Harry or Wally exhibiting such focus, but school had been far easier for Harrison and Wally, well, he must be getting along alright. Lester was smarter than all of them, he would be just fine.

"I should think you'll manage." She added by way of offering support, for whatever it was worth. "If you'd focus on you and let the rest of us handle our own." He and Ned would only get distracted from their own studies and suffer the consequences if they kept trying to help everyone else. Sloane knew this is why she should have stuck to her decision to quit quidditch, but lesson learned. If she got through this year, it would be it; she would be nobody's burden aside from her own.

Fixing him with a knowing smile, she reached a hand up to scratch Splash behind the ears. "End of term is always the worst, at least we get a break soon." Even these midyear exams were a lot.

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"Helping you is good review," Lester said, a sentence he'd been leaning on again and again over the course of their friendship. It wasn't untrue — although truthfully, it was more helpful to study with Cameron, as their courses were at the same level. Still, he wasn't going to tell Sloane that.

"Are you excited for Christmas?" Lester asked. He gave up on trying to get her to study, at least for now. They could come back to it in January.

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Sloane snorted derisively. He was onto more advanced things, he'd passed his OWLs, he didn't need to review with her. She would be fine. Ish. Pending her OWL scores she may have to keep quidditch just so she had a career path to look for. Three. She just had to have three classes right? She could do that already, Creatures, Herbology and Muggle Studies were a breeze. Professor Skeeter would probably even let her continue on with a D if she pleaded her case. If she could just get through Transfiguration with a little extra help that would be perfect.

"Ah yeah, it'll be nice to go home for a little break. Will you guys be around?" Lester was the one she pestered the most outside of school, but he was also her most reliable friend. He was saddled with all of her secrets and fortunately he was generally a good sport about it. She was once again approaching January however, and it was Tough.

"Will you be seeing all of your siblings?" She also knew he understood that part of life as well, being the youngest.

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"We'll be around," Lester answered. The Hatchitts usually spent Christmas in Hogsmeade; he was used to everyone crowding into the home in Bartonburg, laughter, the inherent joy of being with his whole family. He knew things were tougher for Sloane, because the holidays meant the approach of January, but hopefully she'd manage. He would be there to help her, too.

"Everyone'll be there, I think," he added, "Including Jesse's new wife." Fallon was an auror, and therefor pretty cool — and also rather pretty, although Lester wouldn't admit it.

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"Good, I'll be over." Sloane announced like he had a choice. His mother might not have been his biggest fan, but Sloane thought that secretly her presence was welcome, most of the time in the Hatchitt home. Plus she needed distractions around the holidays and nobody understood that better than Lester.

"Oh that's right." Lester was obviously handling his brother getting married much better than Sloane had, but then again he had a couple of already-married siblings and hadn't mysteriously eloped without warning. "We should do something for New Year's." She said absentmindedly. The festival in town was always fun and began her month-long need for constant distraction and companionship.

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Lester visibly perked up at the mention of New Year's; it would be nice to have plans, and it would be nice to do something to cheer Sloane at the start of the month she struggled with so much. "We could go explore the Hogsmeade festivities together," he suggested, "They usually have good fireworks, at least." They were also accessible to two people who couldn't apparate yet — although Lester would be able to get licensed once he took lessons this spring, since he was already seventeen — and the Hogsmeade festivities were inherently so close to home that Lester didn't expect either of their parents to have serious problems with the idea.

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Bless Lester and his month-long January vigil and his willingness to start right as the month did. "It's a date." Something to look forward to as the holidays, while happy, were also always stained with sadness around the edges. Not to mention it would help get her through these exams.

"And good food," She chuckled, passing him a look that she hoped conveyed her gratitude. "I'm looking forward to it, far more than these exams." She conceded, trying to return the mood to semblance if its former airiness. "Maybe you should walk through this antidote with me," Sloane sighed, just tired enough of her mess of a personal life to give potions another honest go.

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   Lester Hatchitt

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Lester grinned at her; he was delighted that she'd come around to working on Potions, and didn't bother hiding it. "Alright, let's do it," he said. The important thing was to capitalize on Sloane's momentum, he'd learned — otherwise she would get distracted and they'd never actually be able to get through the work.

"So one of the most essential parts of antidotes is a mandrake root..."

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