#16 Private Study

Sticking her bottom lip out, she pouted at Anjay, taunting him with a pretend-tear by tracing a finger from eye to cheek. She wasn't offended, half-expecting the retort. He was as predictable as he was uptight, but Victoria had been bored. More than any other student, she loved picking on him, pressing his buttons, getting under his skin. Not because it was easy, but because she could always count on him having something to say. It was an excuse for them to interact.

As he made way for the exit, she blew him an exaggerated kiss and she giggled. She avoided sharing glances with her friends, knowing they would disapprove of her antics, and kept her eyes on the Gryffindor. Victoria hated to see Anjay leave, but loved to watch him walk away.

'I can't bloody cook, okay?' She breathed out forcefully, trying to hide her embarrassment behind the sleeves of Amara's robe. 'I'm going to burn the kitchens down. Just watch. If you see flames, run for the ground floor. I'm telling you, it's not going to be pretty.'

The idea of someone refusing something that Amara made, made Victoria laugh, and not just a small laugh, it was a snort that was startling in nature. It lingered loudly in the air and she tried to bury it in a book about Wizarding events of the twentieth century. She brought the corner of the cover to her mouth, but her grin peeked from either side. 'Lucas will eat it, won't he?'

Her laughter didn't last, not when she was forced the recipe for meat pastries. Of course she was stuck with cutting and chopping meat for something she didn't want to make. Meat was greasy, and grease could cause grease fires. This was going to play out like her last futile attempt at cooking, wasn't it? Victoria's stomach churned in a circle and she flung her arms in an attempt to grab the back of a chair, hovering Nyx as she finished copying the recipes.

'Do we have to?' Vicky uttered a low, complaining cry sound. 'Fine. But promise me you won't let me burn the place down, okay? I'm serious.' The vow was for both of them, but her eyes stayed on her roommate longer. Rolling up the recipe into her hand, Victoria followed Nyx down the stairs with Amara not too far behind, where a fiery death assuredly awaited.