Gradual Change

[Amber Chou Wilson]

The exams were coming up, and Amber now spent nearly every day studying until she went to bed. She knew it was maybe a bit excessive, but there was no way she was going to slack in her Sixth year after having near-perfect grades until now. She liked how well she had done so far, so she had to keep it up. Compared to the OWLs last year, this year was a little less stressful even though the material was a little more advanced. At least the exams were spread out again, instead of all bunched at the end of the year.

Today, she had a free afternoon and planned to spend it in the library to go over Charms. Her girlfriend had walked her to the library, which wasn't that far from their common room, but she wouldn't join Amber for studying. Ainsley had some sort of thing to do at the Wild Patch club, one of the few things the girls didn't share. Once they arrived, Amber smiled up at Ainsley and let go of her hand. "Meet me in the common room in two hours?" She asked, already eager to see Ainsley again after what would be their brief time apart. She leaned up to peck her on the lips, no longer self-conscious about doing that in public.

 

[Ainsley Lynch]

Ainsley couldn't help but be concerned about her upcoming exams, but the pressure didn't compare to OWLs last year. She still had enough mental space left to be concerned about her raspberries in the Wild Patch garden, which birds seemed to be getting at no matter what she did to protect them. She had covered them with netting, but it wasn't quite doing the job, so after doing a bit of reading she wanted to see if a shielding charm on the netting would help. She was nervous about blocking bees from getting to the flowers though, and it was definitely going to take a bit of fine tuning. Ainsley was preoccupied considering her options as she walked Amber to the library, but quickly turned her attention back to her girlfriend when it was time for them to part, leaning down to kiss Amber sweetly, heart still thumping slightly. "See you then." She promised, smiling brightly before turning to head down to the gardens, lightness in her step despite the weight of the problem she was considering.

 

[October Alcott]

OWLs were a long time away still but with each day they only drew closer, and October had never seen the point in leaving things last minute. So since returning to school, she had spent more and more of her time in the library, head down to focus on everything she had to remember for her exams at the end of the year. It was easier with only the subjects she enjoyed to worry about, but there was still a lot of material to learn, and October didn't want anything to get left behind.

Making her way to the library, October was pleasantly surprised to see one of her friends also heading the same way. Amber was always good to study with, and maybe if they could get a table together October could pick her brain a little about what to expect from the OWLs. She started speeding up a little to catch up to the other girl, but her step faltered slightly when she realised who Amber was with. Oh. Amber's girlfriend was difficult to miss, of course, towering over everyone in her scruffy clothes, and always looking slightly dirty. October couldn't help but wrinkle her nose as she saw the taller girl kiss Amber goodbye, rolling her eyes as she realised there was a dead leaf tangled into the girl's hair. Disgusting... what drew Amber to her, October couldn't fathom. She had always thought Amber had better taste than that. As the giant skipped obliviously away October quickly forced a smile onto her face, approaching Amber. "Amber, hi. Are you going in to study?" She asked a little too quickly, eager to get Amber away from her bizarre dryad of a girlfriend.

 

[Amber Chou Wilson]

Amber smiled up at Ainsley and waved at her, then watched her leave. She was so uniquely beautiful, easily standing out in any crowd. Amber loved how tall she was, and how red her hair was. Sometimes she wished she was more creative, that maybe she could write a poem about her girlfriend or something. But she knew that wasn't her thing, she had to show her appreciation in other gestures. Amber headed over to a table to study, and was surprised to see October there. She smiled and nodded at her question. "Yes, exams are so soon... I feel like I spend all my time studying." But then she frowned slightly as she noticed something off about the way October had asked. She took a seat. "Is everything okay?" She asked the girl. Her tone was strange, as was the smile on her face. She looked like something was bothering her but she was trying to hide it. Amber worried something was wrong, and hoped she would be able to help her friend out. But maybe it was just exam stress. Amber could relate to that, but there wasn't much she could do to help.