Making Friends in Unlikely Circumstances (Zander & Victoria)

During his first year of university, Zander really learned what it was like to be out on his own without anything being given. There was nowhere there who would love you or make sure you weren't starving or dying of dehydration. There was nowhere there to hold your hand and pat your back and tell you that everything would be okay. This was the real world where you had to have a job if you wanted to be able to live comfortable and not die of starvation or cold.

The boy luckily, had the luck of finding a part time minimum wage job and lived well for his first year. Now, he was a month through his second year and he was feeling better than before.

That day, Zander had been out and about the town for a bit after class, visiting shops before his shift. Tonight's shift had been a bit longer, he wasn't to get off til midnight and when he had, he had the long trek across campus and upstairs to his dormitory. Usually, it wouldn't have been so bad, however, he was exhausted.

Typically when he worked this late, the corridors were quiet, due to all the students being responsible and going to bed, or at least ending their parties at a respectable time. Unlike most nights, tonight the boy walked down one of the girl's floors in order to get to his floor a bit quicker.

He didn't get halfway down the corridor before realising what was off. Zander stopped in his track, his eyes trailing to the girl who was hunched up at the bottom of a door. He could see her muttering, but he couldn't hear what she'd been saying. He found himself walking over and stooping down in front of her, all the while his heart was beating crazy due to the fact he was about to speak to a girl.

"Hey, what's wrong?" His voice was gentle as his ice blue eyes focused on her, brow furrowed.

The boy slid down the door until he was sitting aside the girl. He felt that from down on the floor, he'd be able to hear her better, plus to him, it seemed a more respectable thing to do as opposed to standing over her, hovering. He was sure it would make her a bit more comfortable, well, as comfortable as possible since there was a random guy sitting with her, outside her dorm, at midnight.

"I'll wait with you," the boy smiled to her, hoping he came off as nice and concerned as opposed to creepy. "I'm Zander," he introduced, assuming an introduction wouldn't hurt if they'd be spending all night together.

Her situation was a tough one, as he didn't believe alohamora would work on doors that weren't magically locked. Unless they broke in, they'd have to look for the guy that had access to all of the dorms. "Maybe we could try to pick the lock?" Zander's eyes focuses on the girls as he shrugged his shoulders, sort of as a way to show her it was only a suggestion.

"I insist," he said, looking eye to eye with her. Perhaps if he had been Veela, he could have been compelling, someone who could make her accept the fact that he'd stay with her no matter what. "I'm sure you'd enjoy the company," he added on, nudging her. If she wasn't okay with it then he'd leave, but he really preferred to sit and give her company, or perhaps, it'd be her giving him the company.

"Pleasure to meet you Miss Newbury," he greeted her, pretending to be a bit more proper than he actually was. In that moment, there had been a hint of German in his voice, but just as quickly as it'd come, it'd gone. She was a sweet girl, he'd admit, and to him, it was such a shame for her to be in this predicament.

"Then maybe, Alohamora would work, if there's magic on the door? Either way, it couldn't hurt to try," he smiled towards the girl. She seemed to be curious about his lock picking skills, which to be honest, he lacked. "Do you have a small hair pin?" He had seen people in movies pick locks with hair pins so maybe he could do the same thing?

When the girl smiled and lowered her voice, he couldn't help but give a little chuckle. "No, but I've seen it done in Muggle movies and I've read a book about it," his eyes lit up as he answered her.

"It's an honour, really," Zander insisted. For a pretty girl like her, he'd do whatever he could for her to make her life easier. The blush on her face was noticeable, in fact, there was no denying it, and for a moment, he wondered if he was blushing as well. It was odd behaviour for him to not be nervous from talking to her. Usually, girls made him extremely nervous, he wasn't exactly sure why, but they did. He'd start stuttering and he'd turn bright red before he'd have to turn away and forget the girl, but with Victoria, everything was different.

"Perhaps because you were just in distress," he said gently, cautious not to offend her in anyway but to merely inform her of his opinion. He watched as she fumbled in her bag to find her wand before she cast the simple spell. However, it did not work and he agreed with her. "It would make robbery extremely common and pranks too." At least now they both knew that security was not a need for the University.

He found himself a bit thankful when she handed him a pin, yet at the same time, he felt a bit nervous. Would she laugh at him if he couldn't pick the lock? Would she be upset? Mad? What if he did get it open, what happened next? Would they just go about their own business like the never met or would they talk for a bit longer? These were important questions that needed answers, but he couldn't find it in himself to ask.

Her chuckle was what brought the blush to his face as his thoughts shifted to thinking about how adorable she was. "I guess we will," he added as he turned to kneel in front of the lock once she had moved aside.

"It's okay," he reassured her, "it's after midnight and you didn't know what to do.I would've been the same way," the boy admitted. He stressed out over the smallest things and something like what Victoria was going through would have caused him great distress, to the point of panicking and pacing the hall. However, he wouldn't admit that much to her.

Zander chuckled, "I remember what that was like," he said, thinking back on his first year. Now, his age group didn't often play pranks, but usually, the first years take advantage of their first week of school. "First year, huh?" he directed towards her. "I'm a second, but it doesn't feel like it." The fact that the past year had passed by so quickly was a shocker for him.

The boy had all of his concentration on the lock when Victoria spoke. "Oh, uhm, I'm not sure there's anything you can do to help," he thought, his brow beginning to furrow, "but maybe you can sit here and keep me company?" He chuckled as he winked towards her, a huge grin across his face.