Victoire/Roxanne

Prompt: Study

Study

December 27, 2022

Who played an important part in the formation of the International Confederation of Wizards?

Roxanne groaned and slumped her head against the desk. Why did she have to do this? She knew going to Rose was a bad idea. All she wanted was some help, not a bloody practice exam. Her OWLs were in a few months, anyway. But of course, perfect Rose had written her an exam, actually written one, and forced her to complete it and hand it back once she was done so it could be marked. Roxanne couldn't believe her cousin. Who wrote exam papers on their Christmas holidays?

She didn't understand why her OWLs were so important. Her father and his brother had only gotten three each, yet Roxanne knew that if she didn't get at least six Exceeds Expectations, her parents would be extremely disappointed in her. Being the youngest, she had a lot of pressure on her, as Fred had completely bombed all of his exams and was set for a life of running the joke shop. It frustrated her to no end how there were different expectations for her as there were for her older brother. It just wasn't fair.

With a sigh, she pushed her paper to the side and began doodling on the wooden desk with her quill. Her mother would kill her for wrecking the furniture, but Roxanne didn't care. Her hand created smooth, elegant swirls in the wood, forming something of a flower and she smiled at her achievement. What she really wanted to do was be an artist. The way she could express herself with just her quill and a spare bit of parchment gave her a thrill that nothing else did, not even Quidditch. But, of course, her parents had other ideas. She was to become the perfect little Quidditch star, like her mother had been, and once she was retired, would conform to a life of journalism.

Gritting her teeth, Roxanne ran a hand through her curly, black hair and sighed deeply. Studying certainly wasn't her forte. It only left her angry and bitter. She leant back in her chair and tapped her fingers along the tabletop, her ears perking up as she heard the bell ring below. Who would be visiting at this hour?

Her question was soon answered when Victoire appeared in the doorway, dressed in elegant, black robes, with a bag slung over her shoulder.

"What're you doing here?" Roxanne asked rudely, not caring about her attitude.

"I just finished work and decided to pop in to say hello." She frowned when she noticed the sketch on the study desk and approached her young cousin, dropping her bag to the floor. "You really shouldn't draw on the desk, you know" she scolded and removed the artwork with a flick of her wand. Roxanne scowled up at her darkly but Victoire shook her head. "I'm just trying to keep you out of trouble," she reasoned.

Roxanne sank lower into her seat and rested her feet against the desk, making Victoire cringe. "I don't care what mum says. I don't want to study anymore."

Victoire sighed and leaned over her cousin's shoulder to read the exam paper that Rose had written for her. Roxanne wished she would leave; the last thing she needed was Victoire; her perfect, former Head Girl cousin, to make her feel stupid.

"Are you having trouble?" Victoire asked kindly, placing a hand on Roxanne's shoulder. "I could give you a hand, if you'd like?"

"No, thank you," Roxanne sneered, bitterly, standing up and brushing past her cousin brusquely. "I'd rather you didn't."

Victoire stared after her in confusion as she watched Roxanne storm downstairs and slam the door behind her.

A/N: A bit of angst in this one. Roxanne's going through a rough time, which you will find out more about when I get to her prompts. And please don't think George and Angelina are horrible parents... they aren't! Just, Roxanne feels like she's under a lot of pressure, because Fred failed his OWLs. It doesn't help that a lot of her cousins are extremely smart (Lucy, Rose, Victoire). And what teenager doesn't hate their parents at one point in their life?

Also, at this stage, Victoire is working at Madam Malkin's. She ends up starting her own witches' clothing boutique :)

Ages: Roxanne (15), Victoire (23).

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