Open Worry is as Worry Does

[Demetrius Wagner]

Demetrius was starting to get stressed. OWLs were a big deal, after all, and they were coming up fast. He didn't know what his parents would do if his grades weren't good. They'd been disappointed enough with him not making prefect, and not joining any clubs, but he just wasn't a very social person. Or really, not a very likeable person, he thought to himself morosely. Since the start of the year he'd been doing better, but the incident with Aine still left a mark. He'd messed up bad with that one.

He sat in the library with a book on charms open, trying to remember all the spells he was supposed to know. Their professor kept giving them pop quizzes and it was driving him nuts. It was just so difficult to remember everything. He wondered how Monday was coping, all the information he'd have to somehow retain just to get through exams. Demetrius sighed. He kind of wished he had a study buddy, or someone to distract him from his spiraling. He hadn't been confident enough to ask any of his newer 'friends' (were they friends? He didn't know) to hang out. The text on the page was becoming less and less interesting and his own negative thoughts more and more encompassing.

 

[Isadora Novak]

Isadora wasn't generally someone who got stressed about schoolwork or exams. She pretty much figured she was a disappointment to her parents anyway, and sometimes suspected they were happy she got bad grades so they could yell at her for it. But after being sent to Durmstrang for a year, she was a bit more nervous about their disapproval. Especially because she still had no idea what made them change their minds. Unfortunately, she already had the sinking feeling her OWL grades were going to be bleak. She wasn't the best student generally, and this year she hadn't really been able to keep her mind on her classes.

In an attempt to scrape at least some 'A's' out of the deal, Isadora had decided she would study for today. It was a decision she was starting to regret quickly. Isadora was trying her best to make sense of her book, but she kept on reading the same sentence over and over without it becoming any clearer. Eventually, she gave up. With a groan, she put her head down on her open book and closed her eyes. She was doomed.

 

[Demetrius Wagner]

Demetrius looked up, noticing Isadora with her head down on an open book. It took him a moment, deliberating whether to start a conversation, but he decided to in the end. "You alright?" he asked with concern. "Or is study getting the best of you?" he half-joked, trying a smile out. He definitely felt like study was getting the best of him - he couldn't remember ever studying this much and it was taking its toll. He felt crankier, yet he tried his best to be his version of approachable. Something new for him, but it was working out about eighty percent of the time. Good odds.

 

[Isadora Novak]

Isadora groaned slightly and lifted her face from her book as someone spoke to her. She gave Demetrius a slight smile and shrugged, sitting up again and pushing her hair out of her face. "I mean, I'm alive." She joked. "Studying is definitely getting the best of me, though. OWLS are going to kick my butt." She sighed, shaking her head slightly. "How about you? You seem like the type to have things together." She told him, gesturing at him vaguely. "Or are there 'P's in your future too?" She wasn't really exaggerating, Isadora expected a P for more than one subject. It was easier to joke about it than to freak out about it, so she tried to do the former.

 

[Demetrius Wagner]

"Alive is a good start," Demetrius replied, his lips twitching into a brief smile. He nodded sympathetically as Isadora talked about OWLs. He was so sick of them already, but if he just pushed through maybe - maybe he could make it. He had to laugh when Isadora suggested he had it all together. "You're looking at a straight P student," Demetrius replied, though that wasn't entire true. He'd gotten a few As in his time too. "I'm trying to change that. I started thinking about what I wanted to do after Hogwarts, and it kind of inspired me. But I'm kind of regretting it at the same time," he admitted. "OWLs are just...the worst." He felt like lowering his head into his book too, but only managed a go halfway.

 

[Isadora Novak]

Isadora raised her eyebrows in some surprise as Demetrius told her he was a straight P student. Somehow, she hadn't expected that. But as he talked about changing that, she got the feeling he had a good shot at doing okay at the OWLs. At the very least, he had a plan. "Having something to work towards must help." She said, picking up her quill and twirling it around. "I have no clue what I want to do." All she wanted was to get out of her parent's house, she hadn't thought about much else. She glanced at the boy curiously. "What it is you want to do after Hogwarts?" She asked him.

 

[Demetrius Wagner]

Demetrius was taken aback a bit at her surprise. Did he really seem like he had it together? "Yeah, it does help. It used to just be pressure from my parents but I don't think that helped. I think that made it worse. But uh, I want to be a magizoologist. I like magical creatures a lot, kinda more than I like people. Um, no offence," Demetrius said, rubbing the back of his head nervously. "I don't know if it'll work out though. We'll see." Demetrius paused, thinking for a moment. "You don't have a favourite subject or something that could help you choose? Or a hobby?"

 

[Isadora Novak]

Isadora propped her chin on her hand and looked over at the Hufflepuff as he spoke. He was making a lot of sense, Isadora also didn't really think parental pressure helped. It only seemed to make things worse. Though she hoped Demetrius' parents were nicer than hers. She laughed softly when he explained what he wanted to do and that he liked magical creatures more than people. "Fair and valid." She told him. "It's a good aspiration to have." He then asked her if she had a favorite subject or a hobby she could choose, and Isadora sighed and shook her head. "Nothing useful, I think..."

 

[Demetrius Wagner]

"If it falls through, I don't know what I'll do. But I guess I'll cross that bridge when I get to it." Demetrius paused in thought, considering Isadora's answer. He didn't believe that anyone had no prospects, that somebody could have nothing going for them. Everyone had something. It was maybe a bit cheesy, but he believed in it. "Hey, I bet there's something for you. You've got time to figure it out. I really believe that," he said with a sincerity his voice usually lacked. "Lessons and grades aren't everything. You'll find your path." His cheeks started to heat up now he was becoming aware of the sorts of things he was saying. He didn't know this girl that well, and he was giving her some kind of inspirational speech? A sense of embarrassment came over him that he just couldn't shake. He ducked his gaze, avoiding eye contact for a moment.

 

[Isadora Novak]

Isadora nodded in understanding as Demetrius said that he would deal with any issues if it fell through. "I bet it'll be fine." She told him encouragingly. He seemed a lot more sure of what he wanted to do than Isadora was, and it was impressive to her. She smiled at him as he reassured her, surprised to find his words actually helped a little. She nodded at him gratefully. "Thanks. That's... really nice of you." She said. She noticed he seemed embarrassed, and she tried to make him feel a bit better. "That actually helped. If you need another career option, maybe motivational speaker isn't a bad idea."