"We did it, we won!" Enid exclaimed excitedly with the flag pole in her hand, along with Wednesday's and Victoria's. She jumped happily as she declared victory.

Victoria had installed a net and spear inside with the help of Thing's scientific knowledge.

"You know, for a hand, Thing's a pretty big brain," Victoria mumbled to Wednesday with a grin.

Wednesday nodded, barely listening and said, "I don't understand why you'd rather sit on the sidelines instead when I can tell you want nothing more than to join the crowd."

"I'm not a swimmer," Victoria said half-truthfully. Truth be told, she was afraid of the way she looked in the silly cat costume. Especially in front of Xavier, rather than the entire school. She doubted she was made for the event's appearance.

Wednesday seemed to shrug it off as she nodded slightly with the celebrations still going on. "I've got to give it to you though, the magical spear was brilliant."

"Thanks, Wednesday."

"Except next time, I'd enchant it to never miss its target."

- - - ᡣ𐭩 - - -

"Got any plans today?" Tyler's message read as Victoria grinned at her screen.

They've been talking more over text than through the phone, as she was too afraid to talk to him. He made her feel many nameless emotions, but she at least knew he was able to make her smile.

"Just some shopping in Jericho before my appointment with Kinbott," Victoria responded before shutting off her phone to leave her dorm.

"I suppose I might accidentally run into you today then."

She'd already been to Jericho that morning though, as she made her early run that morning at five in the morning–unbothered by the fact that there may have been a monster lurking in the woods responsible for the "animal attacks." She'd rather have reached her goal before dying than not reaching it at all.

But what was her goal? Where would it end?

As she stepped out of her dorm, looking more dressed this morning unlike other occasions. For the first time since she attended Beauxbatons, she found herself wearing a dress.

It was a lilac purple corset top with spaghetti straps (but she wore a knitted white cardigan over it) with two thin layers of fabric that reacted down a little past her knees. To match her cardigan, she wore leg warmers that were appropriate for the weather before putting on some tennis shoes.

Her dark hair was lightly waved and in two loose braids, trailing over her shoulders as she made her way for the exit of the school.

Some part of her hoped that she'd run into Tyler today.

Although she was meant to be going on a date with Xavier–she quickly attempted to brush Tyler off her mind.

"Does this look flattering?" Victoria asked jokingly, revealing an old wooly cardigan littered with what looked like cat fur to Xavier.

The both of them wandered in an old clothing thrift store. The store was located near Doctor Kinbott's and her appointment started in thirty more minutes so for the rest of their date, Xavier agreed on last minute shopping.

"Yes, very flattering if you're the child of Bigfoot," Xavier said with an amused grin.

It was ten minutes before her appointment when she decided on a selection of her things. A couple of cool-toned tops and a new pair of white dancing shoes–which she decided she would need for special occasions. Though she knew she wouldn't wear them as much as she thought she would. Though they were extravagant, they were beautiful with baby breath flowers embroidered on the white mesh of the top sole.–finished with a pearl strap.

She took out her card to pay when she noticed Xavier insert his card into the card reader.

"Wait- those are my things," Victoria said, as he removed his hard with a grin on his face. "I can take care of myself, you know."

"Sure thing, Vicky," Xavier nodded with a grin as he continued his own payment.

"Godric, I hate that nickname, Xavier."

Victoria's eyes flickered towards the window as she watched a familiar figure walk past. She could recognize him from a mile away and knew it was Tyler, who didn't seem to notice her.

Once she and Xavier left the shop, he walked her to Doctor Kinbott's office, continuing his conversation about the Poe Cup event that had happened.

"So you've got magic?" he asked. "Is that how you got the spear installed?"

Victoria nodded with a smile. "I was better at it with a wand, but my parents would rather I learn without one."

"Why's that?" Xavier asked.

"So I don't limit my abilities," Victoria said acknowledgedly. "All the best sorcerers in the Wizarding World are known for their knowledge and fullest potential of magic."

"Like Merlin."

"How do you know of Merlin?"

"Victoria, everyone knows him," Xavier said.

They stopped outside the doors of the building with an awkward smile. Typically, like in all romances, their ways part with a kiss. But this was no romance, as Victoria was too awkward and in too much denial for that.

"Thank you for today, Xavier."

They exchanged numbers before Xavier only waved her off with an unavoidable smile as he disappeared down the street, making his way towards Stanley's taxi. She strapped her bags over her shoulders as she walked inside the building, finding herself sitting before Kinbott within minutes.

"Have you got your tracker with you?" Kinbott asked as Victoria nodded, revealing it.

Kinbott's eyes skimmed down the sheet.

"It hasn't improved much."

"I know."

"Tell me how it feels to eat," Kinbott said. "I'll go first. For me, it feels like a wondrous appetite has been heavenly fulfilled. My favorite food is most especially potatoes in cobb salad, as my grandparents always made that for me when I was in college. On top of that, poppy seed dressing. But that was during the day before night struck and I always snuck into the fridge to microwave myself a few slices of steak I'd avoided during the day."

Kinbott laughed at her own recollection of her fond memories. Of the two, they both seemed to know where her relationship stood with food. But only one of them was not willing to change.

"Now, what would yours be?" Kinbott asked kindly.

Victoria didn't say much, as Kinbott was a patient woman. After a few moments, she answered, "Well, my father made a great stew before I started attending Beauxbatons and then I kind of lost an appetite for it."

"For anything really," Victoria thought to herself.

Doctor quickly jotted down some notes with a nod before clearing her throat for the question she'd been meaning to ask. She'd just never had a way to jump into the conversation.

"Why don't you tell me about your time at Beauxbatons?"

Victoria could barely move, as she never even spoke to her parents about what happened within the walls of Beauxbatons. She never peeped a word to anyone, including Enid. Including Doctor Kinbott. Until now.

Her brain brought her back to the beginning of last school year. When she was sixteen and twenty-five pounds of difference. It was a difference she had not cared to acknowledge.

Victoria found herself in the music room of Beauxbatons. There was a large performance coming up on the same night as she sat on the piano bench, reciting her piece while everyone was at lunch. Not by reading the notes, but by memory–this large performance was not one she could risk when coming to the page turning.

It was the one performance that would grant her the scholarship she wanted–not into a school of music, but a school of talent and magic.

Though her mother and father told her she played as well as Beethoven himself, she sat for hours in the music room with a silencing charm on the door, and stayed dedicated to her fingers' rhythm.

The music room was a glass-like room, with mirrors along one wall so one could watch themself and know their mistakes. So one could fix their posture and notice every bit of their imperfection. It worked well, creating an illusion that Victoria was not enough, no matter how many hours she sat in the room.

Her piano playing slowly came to a stop when she heard the door open and a handful of girls joined the room. They were there for only one reason: to see Blaise Zabini (the second) play his piano.

But he was absent, disappointing the girls.

Like the rest of the school, Victoria was also foolishly head over heels for the beautiful man with reassuring dark eyes that could melt her inside. She quietly continued to play as she tried to avoid one of the girls from the crowd. Her name was Juliana Bulstrode.

She was the description of a French girl with a perfect status in the Wizarding World with long blonde hair. Many even rumored that she was perhaps part veela because of her incomparable beauty–though it couldn't be said the same about her personality.

"Merlin, I can't believe you outplayed Blaise," Juliana complained, a couple of her friends banding behind her like they were to pounce at any moment. "You're just an attention seeker, aren't you, Big Vicky?"

Victoria abruptly stopped playing the piano and gave the girl a calm look, hurt on the inside though she refused to give Juliana the satisfaction of knowing. "You just love to complain, don't you? After all, you couldn't buy the position with your body this time."

Juliana's friends eyed each other as her face seemed to steam. "At least I've got something to offer, unlike you, Big Vicky."

Victoria ignored her, going back to her recital as Juliana whipped her head to walk away. As she did, she shut the lid as it quickly fell–just in time for Victoria to catch it. She saw it coming.

What she didn't see coming was the tragedy of that night.

She loved the stage. It'd never made her feel too exposed, as she could truly express herself through music. In front of the entire school and some academy scouts, she filled the room with music they could taste.

Note after note, she found herself not even having to look at the pages before her as she sat on the piano bench with a medium length red dress that her mother had passed down to her. After all, the theme of the performance was "Blood Moon Magic."

She abruptly felt an unsteadiness beneath her as the piano bench's hind legs began to crack. Before she could stand, she fell, snapping the bench even more as it created a horrible scraping sound against the marble floor of the stage.

Her fingers hit the piano with screeching keys as the lid fell over her fingers. Her hand retreated from the piano as it clapped loudly. She struggled to stand in her dress, stumbling from the movement of the bench.

As if things could not get worse, a familiar voice shouted from the crowd.

"Give it up for Big Vicky!"

Her heart dropped.

The audience clapped and cheered.

But not in the way she wanted.

It was a mocking wave of giggles and not the ovation she had worked so hard on. To her dismay, the scouts themselves seemed to have been eyeing each other with wide eyes and unimpressed expressions. She could've sworn she spotted a smile.

And beyond her dismay, Blaise sat beside Juliana, his lips slightly curved as he stared at the ground. But she could still see that his eyes were no longer reassuring but truly cruel.

"There was no investigation for foul play," Victoria told Doctor Kinbott with tears for the first time again as she told the story. "But I had my ideas because since that day, students began to record me eating and even went to the extent of forcing me to eat on camera..."

Doctor Kinbott sat quietly, listening.

"My mother says to ignore what others say, but it's more about what they did to me," Victoria continued. "I stopped playing piano after I lost the scholarship. I always thought I'd lose my passion if it began to feel like a chore, but it immediately became a sign of who I used to be. I don't want to be that person anymore."

Before Kinbott could say anything, the alarm on Victoria's phone went off–to limit her vulnerability.

She stood from her seat as she cleaned her face of tears and Kinbott stopped her at the door before she left the office.

"My time's up," Victoria said.

"There's just one thing I'd like you to be prepared for next time," Kinbott said. "Know where it ends."

"Where what ends?"

"This cycle of yours," Kinbott said. "You've gone down thirty pounds now since you've left Beauxbatons. That isn't all water weight so what're you even trying to achieve? I'm afraid that if you don't know, it may just be an addiction sparked by trauma. I'm ready to categorize it as orthorexia nervosa."

Victoria gathered herself together calmly, unsure, and sighed. "May I leave now?"

Kinbott lowered her head as she opened the door for her. Victoria stepped out of the office and down the hall. When she came to a corner, she passed someone, unaware that he was a familiar friend.

"Victoria?"

She turned around, coming eye to eye with Tyler's evergreen orbs. She was taken aback, fixing her slouched and saddened posture as she cleared her throat.

"You see Doctor Kinbott too?" Tyler asked.

She nodded, unsure how her quakey voice from before would sound.

"Small town, I guess. Even the other new girl, Wednesday, is seeing Kinbott-"

Her ears stopped working after that.

She clutched onto her bag tighter, her arms around her stomach becoming more tense.

"So what're you here for?" Tyler asked, his hands in his pocket.

"Addiction," Victoria stated calmly but quietly. "But I like to think it's ambition."

Tyler's eyes flickered widely for a second before revealing a grin of amusement.

"But..." Tyler continued, eyeing her up and down. "You look great. I've never seen you out of school attire besides the first day we met,"-he grinned, remembering their first encounter-"Did you have a date or something?"

Some part of his question and tone told her he already knew. His unnatural smile and questioning gaze was more intense than genuinely curious.

"Or something," Victoria finally answered, feeling a rise of frustration towards Tyler. She had barely even noticed his compliment.

His mixed feelings were the last thing she needed on her plate. Especially if he was already sounding like Rowan when he compared the two girls.

Tyler, himself, felt a rise of confusion from her. Remembering the couple he saw through the window of the thrift shop earlier only made him more tense as he stood before her.

He couldn't bring himself to carry the conversation, as they both knew the answer as to why she was like a beautiful fish out of water on that particular day.

And it certainly wasn't because she couldn't swim.

- - - - - - -