Maybe he wouldn't fail Potions. Everyone seemed to balk at the idea. Alice was convinced he could do it, and so was Ned. At one point he thought Sloane was on the same level as resigned disappointment as him, but even she seemed to have confidence in him. Maybe they were just getting older and more responsible. The thought scared Cameron, who up until this year had thought responsibility was something that only adults should have to worry about. He needed to get himself together.

"Maybe I'll be able to get a new broom with the money, too," he joked. It had been a long time since Cameron had gotten a broom, but at fifteen he didn't think anyone ought to buy him one anymore. He regularly denied any gifts from the Bell family, except on holidays and when the school year rolled around. "Or maybe I should just start saving..." He'd need to if he wanted to get out of the Bell's home after graduation. He refused to be the moocher step-son, even if Greta was more than willing to play daughter to their step-father. "I'll figure it out," he dismissed with a shake of his head.

Getting to Irvingly would help with his goals. He wished it could have been Hogsmeade, but there was no helping that the magical world felt there was no place for muggles in Hogsmeade. His poor mother—if only she'd been born magical, too. And to think at one point she'd been so wary of his magic!

"Yeah," he said, a smile slipping onto his face as he looked up at her. "A lot more room on Irvingly lots than in Godric's Hollow, too." Lots of room to play quidditch. Lots of places to steal a few moments alone.

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Sloane tucked the broom comment away for another time; her brother was an apprentice broommaker after all. "How about we both pass Potions with at least an A, deal?" She wasn't sure what was really needed to move onto the NEWT class, but she didn't need it and hopefully she could push him to do better with a little healthy competition. Who knew having a secret relationship would be so good for her grades? Unexpected perk.

She was far more excited by the prospect of him moving closer, as evidenced by the pink at the end of her hair increasing in vibrancy and creeping higher up the braid itself as it hung over her shoulder. Her face visibly brightened too, wheels already turning about summer visits. She could easily convince her mother to let her take the floo to Irvingly over Godric's Hollow. It was the second-best news she'd gotten this year. 'That's... delightful." She settled on, though her smile likely betrayed what she was thinking.

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Pass Potions with an 'A'. It wouldn't be enough to get into the NEWT-level class, but it would be great enough growth to show Professor Valenduris that he was serious about pursuing his goals. That, along with inquiring about any extra credit or internships might be enough to earn his favor. "Deal," he said, both intrigued and curious about academic competition with Sloane. Out of everything they'd been competitive about, schoolwork had never made it onto the list. "We might as well add Herbology to that list, since I don't think I'll be able to look Calla in the face to ask her for Herbology help for a while," he snickered, feeling the rise of butterflies in his stomach at the memory of their more intimate moment in the Potts' greenhouse.

He watched as her smile grew, and his did, too, especially as he watched the pink at the tip overtake the brown of the rest of her braid. She was thinking exactly what he was thinking. He would have to write to his mother tonight, to make it clear that he'd love nothing more than to take up residence in Irvingly. "Maybe we'll have a house-warming party. I think Mr. Bell has friends in Irvingly. I'm sure he'd let Maddy and I invite a few friends..." he continued.

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   Sloane Bixby

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"I can't help you there, I feel zero guilt over it." She laughed knowing she really didn't and she wasn't as dreadful at Herbology as she was at Potions. At least they got to be messy in Herbology without remorse.  She would sneak Beatrice some treats next time she went to visit though. Hopefully the manx wouldn't have gotten in too much trouble over it. She was known for knockings things over, so it wasn't too far of a stretch. Sloane was learning from having Splash they were just like that sometimes; assholes.

"That would be lovely," She nodded. He might get his wish for a frilly dress sooner than anticipated. Her mother would most certainly attempt to pretty her up for a Christmas celebration. It was a double-edged sword, certainly. Now she had Hogsmeade weekends, the winter Holidays and summer shenanigans to look forward too. Maybe this year wouldn't be quite so torturous after all. They had to careful not to repeat past mistakes, but they'd get craftier with each new turn, she suspected. It was terrible to think that way, but she couldn't help it.

"Maybe I'll have to get a new dress after all." She couldn't help but to tease him, just a little. Sloane had no idea why it would matter, but she supposed she might be able to allow it to happen once, maybe twice.

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The following 1 user Likes Sloane Bixby's post:1 user Likes Sloane Bixby's post
   Cameron Gillenwater

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He stuck his tongue out childishly in response. Maybe he'd have to get Calla's help after all, or maybe he'd finally have to approach Alice for help. He wasn't sure how long he could hide his potential career aspirations, but he supposed it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world for her to know if it meant she could take over some of the tutoring that he no longer could look to Sisse for. He'd think on it more later.

"Seems like I'll get what I wanted after all," he teased. Seems like he'd gotten mostly everything he wanted this year after all—his quidditch captain badge, Selwyn off the team, Sloane by his side, and the potential for better grades under the guise of competition. Seemed like a win. Now if only he could repair their friend group so he didn't feel so guilty about getting everything he wanted. "You in a dress, me with my hair slicked back. The horrors of growing up" he lamented over-dramatically, though he really saw nothing wrong with that at all. As much as he loved to run around looking like he'd just woken up, he thought it would be fun to get dressed up (as long as nobody expected him to stay that way for too long.)

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Sloane nearly snorted at his comment about getting what he wanted. She supposed he deserved it after everything that had happened over the last couple years. She certainly hadn't made it easy.

"It's actually kind of terrifying." She sighed. Sitting here at fourteen and fifteen trying to vaguely plot out their lives from here on out was at impossible as it was exhausting. Sloane barely thought about tomorrow, unless there was something to be excited about, let alone next year or five years from now.

Bringing herself out of that spiral of concerns, she shook her head a little and tried to will then away. Chuckling she finally said, "Don't get used to it." She would totally start wearing pants if she could.

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"Definitely." But even more terrifying than worrying about his future now was having it smack him in the face when he got there. He couldn't go into adulthood without a plan to support himself, and that meant starting today. Literally. He took comfort in the fact that Sloane's future would be easier for her to navigate than his; he didn't know where he'd be in five years, but he could be sure that she'd be playing quidditch for some professional team, probably the Harpies.

He only hoped that he would still be in her life then. It was a silly thing to worry about now, and he recognized it. He may have been academically disinclined, but he wasn't daft. In the short time they'd been a couple they'd already been faced with a number of trials. Still, he didn't like the thought of a future without her (and by extension, all of their other friends) in it. He kept that to himself, though.

"Getting used to it would take the fun out of it, anyways," he teased, subtly shifting his book in her direction so he could wind his pinky finger around hers. He let go and looked back down at his textbook, knowing how she felt about being too close in public. How many days was it until their next weekend?

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Sloane could only smile in response. She understood exactly what he was thinking, even if neither one of them could voice their thoughts aloud at the moment. Sloane wouldn't be able to articulate it properly right now anyway, anything she was thinking sounded ridiculous coming out of a fourteen years old mouth and so she just held onto it for another time.

The brush of his fingers against hers sent a little jolt through her system and then it was gone all too soon. She honestly wouldn't mind the "accidental" touches if didn't send her into a tailspin of wanting more than she could currently have. Sloane had always been a physical creature, in quidditch, rough housing with her brothers, affectionate with her family and friends where allowed, but this added level of affection was something she craved, even in its simplest, most innocent form. Of course somebody catching wind of them being too familiar was always in the back of her mind, but it was really the self preservation of her own inability to keep it to the bare minimum that she was really after.

"Alright an A in Potions, let's get back to it. I was on number four, did you get that one yet?" She'd have to double check the answers with Ned later, but hopefully she and Cam could get the basics.

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He watched her smile out of the corner of his eye and entirely too pleased with himself. It had been difficult to go day by day without being able to squeeze her hand or give her a hug, but he knew that the little moments like these would only make their alone time that more exciting. He'd have to plan ahead for November; he didn't want to be in a situation where Sloane started to freak out again. She still hadn't brought up his tumultuous emotions during that brief period of miscommunication, and for that he was grateful. He didn't want to explain why he'd been upset, especially when in hindsight it was such a silly assumption to make.

"Number four, hmmm..." he said, rearranging his papers in search of his answer. This was going to be a long journey.

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