Study Buddies Complete Issac Dou Virgil Lee

It’s been a rather chaotic morning for someone used to routine such as Virgil Lee. Not only did the Slytherin wake up late to Defense Against the Dark Arts and had to skip breakfast completely, but he had one of those weird dreams that made him very uncomfortable.

It was weird, and though he doesn’t remember much of it, the blurry images that pop in his head makes him feel a bit odd. But perhaps those were the consequences of staying up until late the night before, devouring every bit of the horror novel he could. Well, there’s no point in complaining now...

Friday’s supposed to be a good day, and despite all of that, the day’s going alright. The sun shines timidly from behind dark clouds, but the sky looks like a happier shade of blue. As Virgil leaves the last lesson of the day, around 12 am, his stomach growling, he walks towards the study room, even though he desperately wants to eat.

Adlai Rod, the first year Hufflepuff he met just two days ago, had owled him scheduling a study session for today. Virgil accepted since he’d found the girl rather nice and Astronomy had become a bigger nightmare than expected.

He makes his way towards the study room, eyes glued to the floor. Quite honestly, he’s very excited! Adlai mentioned another friend was coming, too. Sure, his excitement is mixed with a touch of fear and he might feel like throwing up later, but right now, Virgil feels sort of confident.

When he gets there, Virgil opens the door quietly, trying not to bother other students. He steps in, looking around — anxiety not as active as usual, thank Merlin! Most of the tables are taken, students from all years and Houses deep in their books, noses almost touching the pages. A few are writing fervently on their parchment and some are just pretending to study, whispering and laughing.

Finally, he spots Adlai Rod organizing her books on her own. She looks nice, as if she actually had the right amount of sleep. He’s certain he looks like he fell out of bed — his hair’s a
mess, his face probably swollen. Merlin’s beard, he must look terrible...

Suddenly, fear makes his stomach grow cold. What will Adlai and her friend — who hasn’t arrived yet — think of him? Biting his lower lip, Virgil walks towards her before his body can stop him.

“Hey...” Virge lets out, voice weak, smiling a little, putting his bag on the table. He sits in front of her. “Am I late?”

Opening his bag, taking all the parchments and books he needed, as well as his quill and ink, Virgil listens to her. Potions, Transfiguration, History of Magic, uh. Of all the three subjects Adlai's said, Transfiguration's the one troubling him the most. Not only are the lessons sort of boring, but he also has no interest in learning at all.

Transfiguration's the rigid side of magic. There's a lot of possible ways he can mess up a spell, and with that being said, his anxiety doesn't let him enjoy what the subject has to offer. Unlike Potions, that, sure, can be very time-consuming, as potion-making isn't something to be done to fool around, but makes him want to learn.

"That is if you're ok with it. You can tell me what you’d like to study," Adlai adds, abruptly ending her other train of thought, which makes Virgil smile a little bit because he can relate.

"I don't have any other lessons today, so I can stay for as long as I want. I, uh, I can help you two with History of Magic, if you want." He suggests simply with a quick shrug. Virge opens his Potion book, staring at the quick notes scattered around the pages. He's already read the full book, just so he could get a better understanding of the subject. "... I got back my Potions homework and, very surprisingly, I got an E."

Virgil still couldn't quite believe it — he worked very hard on it, sure, but since Potions don't come easily to him, he'd thought he'd get an A, at least. Hm, I guess Mum's right, hard work pays off.

"D-Doesn't mean I'm great at it!" He adds, not wanting to sound braggy, or anything like that, "I just researched a lot of books in the Library. I can't remember any answer, to be honest..." Virgil laughs weakly. "I'm, uh, I'm more scared about my Transfiguration homework, though. Professor Lian's known for being quite the harsh grader..."

He can't blame her, of course. The subject requires a lot of attention and precision, so, obviously, the professor couldn't just give out random grades. He still hoped for at least an Acceptable, to match his Astronomy grade...

Virge shakes his head, realizing he still didn't give Adlai a proper answer and was started to ramble. He shrugs once more, cheeks burning a little, "Let's start with Potions..." And adds, biting his lower lip, "At least I have some interest in learning it."

Sorry I'm late, says a male voice, What have I missed?

Virgil, who was flipping the pages of his Potions book, stop and turns his head at the sound of the unfamiliar voice. His tired eyes meet a pale boy with dark hair, holding up his pen. The boy does look a bit familiar — oh, a Slytherin, he notices. Maybe that's why... Even though he doesn't memorize who his classmates are, Virge's sure that he's shared lessons with him, or seen him around the Slytherin common room before.

Silently watching as Adlai talks to him and offers the empty place beside her for him to sit, Virgil notices that the boy's taller than him, just like her. He stops staring, shrugging at the Hufflepuff's suggestion for them to begin, busying himself in finding the correct page for the Antidote to Common Poisons and its proper ingredients.

On page 45, he finds it and scans the page, after giving both of his study buddies a quick glance... The Antidote to Common Poisons, its ingredients include bezoars, standard ingredient, ground unicorn horn, and mistletoe berries. Brewing instructions on page 47.

Virgil copies down what he's just read to his parchment, in the least messy way he can. It's still not legible. He skips to page 47, scanning the words again, dipping the tip of his quill into the inkwell.

Page 47.
The Antidote to Common Poisons: Brewing instructions.
First, add one (1) bezoar to the mortar...

"So... Do either of you have any pets?" asks Adlai, clicking her tongue, making Virgil look up, a bit surprised. He gives the other Slytherin a quick glance, then down to his book... He thought they were going to study.

Trent, his older cousin, used to say that study session like this was the perfect time to gossip and make new friends because no one actually wanted to study. Well... He thinks, considering it.

"I, uh, I had a cat for about two hours or so," says Virge simply, looking down, remembering the stray cat uncle Jay had decided to give him as a birthday present. "I-I've always wanted one, but I'm allergic, so I had to give it to my cousin." He turns to the pale boy, holding out his hand, an awkward but polite smile on his face. "I'm, uh, I'm Virgil, by the way. I don't think we've been properly introduced. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"O-Oh, I actually bumped into her a few days ago," tells Virgil in a very quiet tone, directing Adlai an apologetic smile, both cheeks, and ears burning. "Sorry about that..."

He tries to tell himself that she doesn't mind it — clearly not the type to hold grudges or things like that —, but he sure does. After all, there's no rest for his anxiety! Due to his very often negative thinking — the glass is definitely half-empty (that's the correct use of the muggle expression, right?) —, Virgil always thinks that minor details can make someone hate him forever. It's silly, and he knows it, but the thought of someone disliking him never leaves his head, no matter how much he tries not to worry about it.

Merlin, I'm so lame... "We're actually Potions partners," he adds a little late, looking down at his book, a silent way to express he's embarrassed, trying to focus on the words — doesn't work.

Friendship Potion brewing steps:
1) don't be Virgil Lee.

Virgil silently hopes they don't find him stupid or anything like that, hating the way he has to play with hair, trying to make it look decent, as a way to hide the violent blush on his cheeks. He changes the subject, voice soft, "What about you, Adlai, any pets?"