June 12th, 1891 — Padmore Park

Although the various relationships within their friend group still seemed strained in some regards, Alice was relieved to regain some sort of normalcy with Sloane. Several topics of conversation remained untouchable for the pair (most of them centering around Cameron) but as a whole they were closer to where they were at the start of the school year. A feat Alice never thought they would be able to accomplish again.

Even with their relationship being better, she was still reluctant to accept the early summer invitation to visit with Sloane. Alice was only able to escape the farm once or twice a summer usually, and to use one of her trips so soon was somewhat nerve wracking. However, she hadn't wished to insult Sloane by declining, so there the girls were as the hedges sprouted around them in the park. Alice instinctively gripped Sloane's arm in a vice-like grip, Sloane's brother had vanished from sight. "This park ought to be closed to the public," she exclaimed. First the squid last summer, now this. Merlin only knew what awaited them around the bends.

Slowly, too slowly, the initial panic faded as did her grip on Sloane's arm. They were fully enclosed on three sides, but a second ago the lake's shore was only a few meters to their right. They had to avoid any path that would lead them that way. "Of all days not to have your broom," Alice then lightly teased in a vain hope to distract from the fear. "Should we just stay here do you think? Someone has to drop the maze eventually."

  

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Amazing set by Bee!

Ahh summer, sweet summer. Sloane preferred the freedom of having the run about town to occupy her time rather than classes, but she did miss having all of her friends in one place. Most of them were easy enough to get to, Calla, Sisse and Lester the easiest, Ned not too hard either. Cam was easier than last summer, but nothing had come of it yet. Alice was the hard one and so Sloane had taken the initiative to invite her friend to town.

Things were still a little wonky, but Sloane was content with where they were at any rate. Nothing would be the way it was before and as much as it pained her, she was slowly starting to come to grips with it. At least there was no active drama to contend with when they were in small groups or one-on-one.

Of course until a random hedge maze pooped up out of nowhere during their stroll in the park. Her mother had been a few yards behind them and was now completely out of sight, as was the lake that had just been visible a moment ago. Guess there would be no squid shenanigans today after all. Alice's grip on her arm didn't phase her as she looked up toward the tops of the hedges.

"I'm starting to get the feeling I should carry it around everywhere with me these days." Sloane chuckled, not quite as jumpy as Alice, yet. "We should probably see if we can find Mum." Sloane suggested, looking back toward where they had come from. She couldn't be too far away.

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"I can teach you a charm so that it'll fit in your pocket." Alice replied offhandedly. Not now, obviously. It would've helped them both significantly though if Sloane had already known how to do so. Or, maybe Sloane did and she just wasn't confident enough for the spell to stick longterm. Either way, it was really all a moot point.

She glanced back towards where Mrs. Bixby was standing and noticed a path slightly off to the right. Somehow, turning back felt off to Alice. Her instincts screamed to head straight, but Sloane was right. They ought to at least try and find their chaperone. "That way then," she acknowledged. Hopefully finding Mrs. Bixby wouldn't be too difficult. "Maybe we should try yelling for her?"

  

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Amazing set by Bee!

"Eh, I won't need it much longer anyway," Sloane replied offhandedly. Sure she'd still use it recreationally, but not nearly as much as she had the last few years.

As Alice mentioned heading forward, Sloane shrugged. She really didn't feel all that worried yet, it couldn't be a permanent fixture of the park anyway. It had to drop eventually, once somebody had their fun. "I don't think that'll help, these shrubs are thick." Sloane was loud by nature, but she didn't think it would do them any good in this case. "That way is fine," Perhaps her mother hadn't even gotten caught up in the maze at all, she could be on the outside wondering what was going on.

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Her fear and curiosity towards the maze dropped to the back of Alice's mind as Sloane shrugged off her offer. Of course Sloane would need her broom for some time yet. There were still three years of quidditch to be had as well as a long professional career! Sloane's future was a predetermined path, one as sure as Edison's towards becoming an auror. "What does that mean?" Alice asked, stopping in her tracks to turn and look at her friend.

  

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Amazing set by Bee!

Sloane had yet to tell anyone but Cam about her intentions to quit the quidditch team. She'd tried to had in her resignation already, but he had made her promise to take the summer to think about it. The problem was, the more she thought about it, the less certain she was about it. Telling people would mean they would want to talk her out of it. They would all find out eventually though.

"I don't intend to play quidditch anymore, I tried to resign but—" She nearly said Cameron, but changed her mind at the last minute. "But it was turned down. I was asked to take the summer to think about it, but I'm still pretty sure what's what I should do." Not enough time. She had somehow become a bad friend and she needed time to fix that, quidditch was the only thing on her plate she could give up to make up the time.

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The last season hadn't gone well, Alice wasn't far enough removed from their friend group to be unaware of that. Hufflepuff's new seeker was something of a wonder kid this year. However, that didn't immediately lend itself to why Sloane would suddenly want to quit. Nor why she would have already given her resignation to Cameron (who else could they be referring to?)

"Oh," Alice replied, obviously stunned by the revelation. That Sloane would quit quidditch felt too similar to her own quiet resignation to leaving school next year. So much so that Alice had to look away from Sloane quickly to hide her own flash of sadness.

After a steadying breath, she looked back towards her friend. "That's - but why? Is it not fun anymore?"

  

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Amazing set by Bee!

Anybody who knew Sloane knew that she lived, ate and breathed quidditch and had since she could walk, but this was a necessary sacrifice she was willing to make. She didn't miss Alice's pause, but wasn't sure how to read it. "No, that's not it," Sloane wasn't sure anyone was going to understand her rationale, Cam certainly hadn't when she tried to resign which was why she'd had to compromise and say she would think about it some more.

"It's the only thing I can drop so I have more time. I dropped the ball on a lot of things, friendships, last year and then adding OWLs this year, I won't be able to handle it all." Just thinking about it overwhelmed her. She chanced a glance at her friend as they came to an intersection at the end of the path.

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Alice knew all too well the stress that accompanied their upcoming school year. From tutoring other OWL students to preparing for it herself (even a year plus out) she knew how time consuming the test preparations were. However, knowing that she had played a part in this decision gnawed at Alice's insides. Sloane shouldn't have felt so overwhelmed that she dropped her passion in order to maintain a friendship. Merlin, what a mess this all was.

She paused once more at the intersection, not wanting to press further and possibly come across others. Not when this conversation obviously needed to happen sooner than later. "You won't be adding OWLs, as long as you study consistently throughout the year it'll be the same as the past four years." This wasn't entirely true, but Alice was willing to fib some if it meant comforting her friend. "You've managed the last four years just fine. You can manage this upcoming year too. Please, don't quit."

  

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Amazing set by Bee!

Sloane snorted, trying not to sound too dismissive, but they both knew this year mattered more than the others. It was monumental to any kind of career after Hogwarts and if she wanted to have magizoology as an option, well it was the option now, she needed to do well in certain classes to pursue it.

"This year is too critical to be distracted." She passed Alice another shrug. "I need to take some more responsibility for my own education," So that her friends didn't need to tutor her all the time. "So I can go into magizoology." The conversation with Ned was her saving grace. Having that legitimate course to follow was lifesaving. "There's no time for quidditch." There just wasn't.

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"Of course there's time for quidditch!" Alice insisted. "Edison is a prefect and managed his duties along with his classes. You might not sleep much, but if you want to play we will find a way. We'll get you on a schedule so there's no uncertainty about this. Quitting would be the worst thing you could do." She was rambling, but already the repercussions for quitting were obvious in Alice's mind. Sloane would be withdrawn, unable to enjoy house games because she should be playing and not watching. Their friends wouldn't understand her decision well enough, especially not those who were on the team.

"You can't quit." She insisted again, quieter this time. "Magizoology is a wonderful path, one I could see you doing well in. But, Sloane quidditch is your dream. How often do people truly get to live out their dreams?" Alice nearly said she would do anything to live out her own dreams, but cut herself short. This wasn't the time for that, and just as their friends wouldn't understand Sloane, Sloane wouldn't understand Alice.

  

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Amazing set by Bee!

"Moony is three times as intelligent as I am." Sloane flat out laughed at that one. She was not even in the same league as Ned when it came to academics. "Possibly four times," Sloane added as she finished laughing, making an arbitrary decision to go left.

"And it's not on everyone else to make sure I pass my classes." It wasn't their problem, it was hers to deal with and she needed to get a handle on it. "It's fine. I'm good at creatures, almost as good as quidditch." It was different, but just as logical for her. "Quidditch isn't practical anyway." Sloane tried to keep her tone of voice light and airy so as not to betray the emotions bubbling up underneath.

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Sloane was laughing and all the carefully constructed lies Alice had told herself over the past year about her friends and their relationships with school began to crumble on the edges. "You can't quit," Alice repeated. "Tests aren't about intelligence but preparation, that's all. You drill and drill and drill until it's second nature. Besides, you only need to pass three classes. And you already have two of them down: creatures and transfig. What other classes do you need for Magizoology?"

The edges were crumbling, but now that she had shifted her focus from panic to planning Alice was in her element.

  

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Amazing set by Bee!

She'd been on Alice's end of this conversation with Hatch before school had gotten out, while he was having an existential crisis about OWLs himself. She had somewhat talked him off the ledge, but now Sloane had a better idea of what she was up against and it only strengthened her resolve.

Alice was right, she was fine in Creatures and Transfiguration. "I can probably pass Herbology without much fuss," Professor Skeeter only required an A to take the NEWT course. "I should probably take Charms and Defense too, both of which I am absolutely abysmal at." So that would require a lot of focus and determination on her part. "Passing five OWLs and then carrying five NEWTs is going to require more than I have to give without the extra time." Practice ate up so much time and games on the weekends she would need to study. It made sense.

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"Probably or is it required?" Sloane wasn't about to give up her dream without a fight from Alice. Not when Alice's own dreams were already gone. Not when there was still a chance that Sloane could have it all. "Have you spoken with a magizoolist? I would imagine much of what you need to know is taught on the job..." The basics Sloane would need to know, but she could learn as she went. That was why apprenticeships existed.

Squawking birds far in the distance caught her attention, and Alice quietly pushed them in the opposite direction. "If you really want to quit I'll support that, but if all you need is creatures, then there's no reason to quit. Go to the Irvingly Zoo, talk to someone there, find out what you need to do, and then decide."

  

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Amazing set by Bee!

It seemed Alice was going to dig in her heels on this just as much as Cameron was. It was putting her off telling anyone else until after she had officially resigned with their head of household. There was no other way to do it, she was starting to realize. Everybody was going to try to talk her out of it.

"I need at least three anyway, Herbology isn't so bad. Charms and Defense are practical when working with creatures." That had come up in class, obviously. She would need to be able to handle animals and herself when they got ornery, those classes made sense; she was just terrible. "Yeah I know, it's on my list to do this summer." Though not what she envisioned for a trip to Irvingly if she was going, it would be a good detour. If she'd been thinking she should have asked Irene when she'd gone to the Sandition earlier this week. Her father was a magizoologist.

Going to the zoo was a good idea, it would arm her with some more knowledge. "I'll go to the zoo," Sloane agreed as she turned another left. "But I still have my letter written to be handed in." It was still folded up the way Cam had handed it to her, tucked away for her return to school in September.

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