March sixteenth is one of the first days for consultation, so Myr doesn't have any frame of reference from his friends on what to expect.

Even Charlie isn't totally sure, which Myr thinks is a bit ridiculous considering Bill has already been through the consultation, so really Charlie should know.

"I just already know what I want to do so I never felt the need to ask Bill about it." Charlie shrugs. "And I mean, he knew he wanted to be a Curse Breaker by fifth year anyway so he probably won't have anything useful either."

"Still, I'm sure Percy would appreciate a heads up." Myr grumbles, sinking into one of the chairs by the fireplace.

Charlie snorts. "Nah, he knows what he wants to do too. Has longer than any of us have, the kid is way too forward thinking sometimes I think."

Myr groans, unsurprised but still annoyed that Charlie is being so flippant about something that seems like it should be a much bigger deal than everyone is treating it as.

"I think Fiona is still thinking about it, you could talk to her?" Holly suggests from the other armchair, looking up from her Herbology textbook. "Actually, I don't think Drake and Evera know either? Remi I have no idea, I don't talk to him enough."

"Drake doesn't, but Evera is considering being a Hit Wizard like her dad." Charlie reports. "I don't know about Remi either though. Something with Quidditch maybe?"

Holly snorts. "That sounds like a bad idea considering he's never actually played a game." She points out with an amused grin. "Still, I can't say it would surprise me if that was the case."

"Though I can't imagine his grades are high enough to strive for any jobs that require NEWTs, and I'd think Quidditch doesn't require any." Myr adds with a faint smile, and both Charlie and Holly chuckle.

"That seems mean to Quidditch players. I'm sure plenty of them are quite bright." Charlie points out. Myr shrugs.

"I'm sure they are, I just can't think of what class you'd need other than Flying in order to qualify for a job as a professional Quidditch player. It's the same in the Muggle world, you don't really need any specific classes in order to pursue professional sports." Myr defends his observation lightly. At the very least, the conversation is somewhat easing the knot of tension in his gut, at least for the moment.

"You'd be surprised. Wandmaking requires both Transfiguration and Charms OWLs of at least E, and an outstanding Herbology NEWT." Holly muses. "The thing with magic jobs it can be kind of surprising what's required to do well in them."

"Herbology makes sense though." Charlie points out teasingly, and Holly sticks her tongue out.

"Well yeah, but Transfiguration isn't immediately obvious." She clarifies.

Myr hums. Holly has a point, though it's making him nervous again. What if he can't manage enough OWLs or NEWTs for any jobs? He's starting to think he might want to have Quidditch as a back up plan.

"It's not such a big deal anyway." Charlie says decisively, effectively cutting off Myr's train of thought from spiraling into panic. "We're only sixteen, we don't need to know everything right now. The consultations are mostly just to get you thinking about it." He grins over at Myr. "So don't sweat it too much, okay?"

It's easier said than done though, and when Thursday rolls around Myr is right back to fretting about how he has absolutely no idea what he's going to say to Professor McGonagall at the eleven fifteen meeting. He's so nervous that he actually stays after Defense Against the Dark Arts to ask his Uncle Cyril for advice.

His uncle has been better about not calling him out so much in class after Myr admitted that it bothered him over the Christmas break, so Myr is less stressed in his classes now.

"Myrddin!" His uncle is clearly surprised to see him, but he smiles nonetheless. "What can I do for you? I have the first years in a moment so it will need to be quick." He looks apologetic.

Myr smiles reassuringly. "I've got to go as well. I just wanted to know how important the career consultations are? I've got mine in fifteen minutes and I'm kind of nervous."

He's startled when his uncle bursts out laughing. "Oh goodness, I'd forgotten all about those! Well, let me put it this way: I said I wanted to be an Auror in my consultation, but I didn't make the grades I needed. This is just to get you thinking about the future, you're not setting anything in stone." He smiles. "I hope that helps?"

Myr nods. "That's the same thing Charlie said. I should get going so I'm not late, but thanks Uncle Cyril." He has to weave around the first year Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors who have started walking into the classroom in order to get out, and he sprints down the hall towards the Gryffindor Tower. He'd hate to be late to something that's already caused him enough undue stress.

He skids to a stop just outside the office and mentally thanks Laurel for getting him into such good shape, and Charlie for making sure he maintained it. He knocks on the door and struggles to get his breathing back under control.

"Come in." Professor McGonagall's voice comes almost immediately after his hand drops, and he cautiously pushes open the door, hoping his run allowed him to arrive on time.

His Head of House doesn't comment on his timing, so My assumes he must have made it. He steps into the room and settles in the chair that McGonagall gestures to, putting him directly across from the stern witch.

"Mr. Cadwallader, this meeting is to talk over any career ideas you might have, and to help you decide which subjects you should continue into sixth and seventh years." McGonagall says briskly. "Have you had any thoughts about what you would like to do after you leave Hogwarts?"

Myr clears his throat nervously. "I, uh, I actually haven't? Much? I was more worried about figuring out why I was so bad at magic for the first years so-" He cuts himself off, realizing he's about to start rambling. "No, I've not had any thoughts." He mumbles awkwardly to the desk.

McGonagall nods briskly. "Well then, let's take a look at your school work, shall we? From there we can determine which paths are potentially available to you, and you can decide which sounds most appealing."

Myr nods mutely, relief starting to bubble up inside him. Logically he's known his nerves were probably overreacting, but it's nice to finally get proper confirmation on that front.

McGonagall reads through the papers already spread across her desk, and Myr can make out his name along the top of each.

"Now then, your grades prior to fourth year were far from ideal, but in the past year you've shown a strong propensity for Transfiguration as well as a continued excellent showing in both Muggle Studies and History of Magic." McGonagall states, tapping at a few points on two of the parchments in front of her. "Of these three is there one that you enjoy the most?"

Myr has to think about it. If he's honest, none of them are his favorite class - in fact he's not sure he has a favorite at all - but of the three mentioned there is one that at least amuses him the most. "Um, I guess Muggle Studies?" He leaves it there, thinking McGonagall might not appreciate the reasoning behind his decision (namely that he finds how inaccurate so much of the material actually quite hilarious).

McGonagall hums and shuffles through a few pamphlets that she has at the side of her desk. "Well there are teaching jobs of course, and several positions in the Ministry call for a Muggle Studies OWL. Not many things require that particular class at a NEWT level however." She informs him, passing a few of the pamphlets over the desk.

Myr rather quickly puts the teaching jobs to the side. He really doesn't fancy being in school any longer than he has to be, even if it's on the opposite side of the teacher's desk.

"Misuse of Muggle artifacts?" He asks, holding up one of the pamphlets curiously. He flips it open, wondering how exactly 'Muggle artifacts' can be misused. He finds that the pamphlet doesn't actually have that particular detail, instead going on about all the interesting and wonderful Muggle contraptions people in the department will get to work with.

"That particular job requires at least an E on your OWL in Charms in addition to an OWL in Muggle Studies." McGonagall informs him. "The head of the department is rather flexible though, so I wouldn't be surprised if he accepted an A on the Charms OWL as well." She sounds reluctantly fond, and Myr scans the pamphlet again, curious to see who the head of the department is.

To his disappointment the head of the department isn't listed, so he puts the pamphlet down in what he's decided is a 'to be considered' pile and picks up another one.

"Muggle liaison could fit you well." McGonagall observes. "It only requires an OWL in Muggle Studies, so you'd be free to pursue the classes which you enjoy most for your final two years."

Myr skims the pamphlet with disinterest to start, but he stops and starts paying better attention when he catches sight of a section detailing interactions with certain Muggles working with the government of England. If he remembers correctly, that's what Cadi wants to do.

"Would those be the same requirements for the liaisons to the Prime Minister?" He asks. He's not sure he wants to work in government, but it could be fun to work opposite his sister.

McGonagall looks surprised. "I believe that particular subsection of the job requires an OWL in Defense Against the Dark Arts and NEWT levels for both Charms and Transfiguration." She says after a moment of thinking. "It's not often I have students interested in that level of Government work." She adds, almost as if she's defending her hesitation.

Myr hums. "My sister Cadi is working towards being a wizarding world liaison in the British Parliament. I was just thinking it could be fun working with her." He adds the pamphlet to his 'maybe' pile and scans through the rest.

Only one more of the job offerings jumps out at him as particularly intriguing. "What's needed for the Muggle-Worthy Excuse Committee?" He asks, not even trying to hide his amusement that such a department exists.

McGonagall rolls her eyes. "That would be a NEWT level in Muggle Studies and an OWL in History of Magic. If I may say so though Mr. Cadwallader, I believe you are intelligent enough to strive for something of greater prestige than that particular committee."

Myr can't help the snort he lets out. It's not often McGonagall breaks her prim and strict demeanor, and he's a bit startled that he's managed to briefly see past the usual exterior. "I... thank you, professor. I suppose I'll strive for the Prime Minister liaison position then. I think I'd be content in any of these roles so if I can't quite make that I'll have fall back plans."

McGonagall smiles. "I was going to suggest as much. Well then Mr. Cadwallader, I'll mark you down for continued studies in Charms and Transfiguration next year, and would you like to continue with Muggle Studies as well?"

Myr thinks for a moment before he nods. "And I'd also like to continue both Defense Against the Dark Arts and History of Magic as well." He adds. McGonagall hums in acknowledgement.

"Well we won't know for sure which classes you'll be able to take until your OWL results are reported, but I believe these will be good classes to take for you. If you have no further questions?"

Myr doesn't have any, so he leaves the meeting and heads straight for the Great Hall. Now that the consultation is over he's acutely aware of how incredibly hungry all the worrying he'd been doing has made him.

He's greeted by most of the rest of his class (Brandon is still in Ancient Runes) as he arrives at lunch, and he barely has time to sit down before he's bombarded with half a dozen questions.

"What was it like?" "Did you figure out what job you want?" "Was McGonagall mean?"

Fiona gives Remi a look as he asks his question. "McGonagall is never mean, she's just strict."

"She's mean to me." The brunette counters with no small amount of pouting, and Fiona merely rolls her eyes and lets the subject drop.

"Anyway, how was the consultation?" She prompts Myr once again, who had used the brief distraction to start eating. He glances up, and the pointedly chews his food earning several laughs from his friends.

"Okay fine, eat first. Brandon will be here soon anyway, I'm sure he'll want to hear as well." Fiona concedes with a smile.

Brandon does arrive less than fifteen minutes later, and he's quick to ask his own questions about the consultation.

"I've got mine tomorrow morning first thing - do we need to have anything specific prepared?" The American asks, poking Myr in the side to ensure he has the latter's attention.

Myr swats him away. "Just show up on time." He replies. "And I mean, if you know what you want to do have that at the front of your mind as well. But really it's not that bad once you're there. Professor McGonagall was really patient and I'm actually feeling good about my classes next year."

"Assuming you get the OWLs you need." Nabila adds, and Myr sighs.

"Yes, assuming that." He concedes. "At least I know which ones to focus on in particular though, so there's slightly less stress as far as those are concerned."

"What, you're not going to try for twelve OWLs?" Charlie jokes. "Bill claims it isn't so difficult if you time-manage it well."

Brandon groans. "My brain hurts just considering taking all twelve. I'm stressed enough about the nine I've got now."

Everyone voices agreement, except Nabila who merely shrugs.

"I have ten myself, but I believe you're allowed to opt out of any elective classes you're uninterested in pursuing." She says. "I have to check with Professor McGonagall of course, but I'm hoping to remove both Divination and Arithmancy from my exam schedule as neither is a requirement to be a Magizoologist."

This of course starts a debate about whether students should be able to opt out of core class OWLs as well, and whether unrelated OWLs on one's transcript actually looks good to future employers or not.

Myr is content to let his friends chatter on. He's decided that after how stressed he made himself over the consultation, he deserves some time to not think about the OWLs. At least for the rest of the week.

Rajani's career consultation is on a Sunday, which she find decidedly irritating. Aside from having to wake up early on a Sunday, it's eating into the rare time she has to spend with her boyfriend.

"Consultation is important Raj, especially if you don't know what you want to do yet." Ed points out the Saturday before when the two of them are cuddled on the couch and watching Lenox and Clary teaching some of the first years how to play Exploding Snap. "Which I happen to know that you don't."

Rajani grumbles. "I know, but why Sunday? Why not during the week?" She points out. "I'm pretty sure the other Houses are doing their consultations during the week, I've seen both Gryffindors and Raveclaws coming into classes late with those job pamphlets."

"Professor Snape teaches potions, which has a double block." Gabi points out, causing both Ed and Rajani to jump as neither had noticed their fellow prefect returning from her early evening patrol. "So he's completely booked during the week. Same goes for Professor Sprout - you might have noticed you haven't seen any Hufflepuffs coming into class late." The sixth year continues as she claims the open space next to Ed.

Ed hums. "I hadn't even thought of that Gabs, but you're probably right. My consultation was on a Saturday."

Gabi nods sagely. "Of course I'm right. Hey, Lenox! Lenox's girlfriend!" She raises her voice to get the attention of the Exploding Snap players. "When are your career consultations?"

Clary grins. "Mine was a couple hours ago. Professor Snape says he'll give me personal Potions lessons if I need them in order to secure five NEWTs, assuming I can get the required E or higher on the OWL." She reports cheerfully.

Gabi looks impressed. "That's like a big hug in Snape speak, way to go kid. What about you Lenox?"

"Tomorrow, right after Rajani." Lenox reports. "I don't think Snape will be as impressed with my job selection though."

"At least you have one." Rajani sighs. "All I've got is 'probably in the Ministry' which is vague as ."

Gabi snorts. "Still better than Trevor. I'm pretty sure he still doesn't know what he's going to do after graduation, the idiot's only skillset is flirting."

"He's pretty good at that though." Rajani laughs at the memory of the first time she'd met the other sixth year prefect. "He could do well in any job that requires schmoozing."

"So every high level ministry job?" Ed jokes. Gabi remains with the two of them, chatting easily, until it's time for curfew and she starts shooing the younger students down the corridors to their dorms.

"You too." She says pointedly to Rajani and Ed. "I know your weird pre-set deadline thing is coming up but we have to set good examples as prefects."

Rajani whines in annoyance but stands nonetheless. "No one ever said anything about that. Being prefect is supposed to be about getting away with breaking rules."

"Not even close." Gabi elbows her lightly. "Come on, I think one of the second years is going to try sneaking out and I'd like to catch her before she gets anywhere."

They manage to catch the second year and her fellow conspirators, but Rajani has to admit that the plan had been rather ingenious. She waits until Gabi leaves for the dorms before asking the second year for her name.

"Audrey Caldwell. Next time you won't catch us." The girl promises confidently.

Rajani laughs. "Good luck with that." She can't help but feel like Audrey is similar to how Rajani had been in second year, and she kind of hopes the girl succeeds on her next rule-breaking attempt.

The next day Rajani is greeted by a letter being dropped nearly into her breakfast, which catches her rather off-guard.

"You almost never get letters Raj. Who's it from?" Clary asks around a mouthful of eggs. Lenox nudges her lightly and she swallows and smiles at him apologetically.

Rajani frowns as she flips over the envelope. "From my father. He never writes me." She tears open the letter uncertainly, concern starting to pool in her guts. The only reason she can think of that her father would write would be a death in the family or something equally horrible.

Rajani,

Your mother and I require your presence at home this coming Easter break. Be sure to complete your assignments ahead of time as we will have an important guest visiting and you will likely not have time to work on it at home.

Samaan Misra

Rajani blinks and rereads the letter. "I... guess I'm going home over the break next week?" She frowns. Her parents have never asked her to come home for Easter before - they don't even celebrate the holiday for religious reasons (the reasons of course being that they're Hindus). "How does that even work? Do we have to sign a form like for the Christmas break?"

"Nah, you can just go. So few people leave during this break that the House Elves can make the usual amount of food and not waste anything." Eugene reports. "Weird though, you'd think your parents would want you here so you can study for your OWLs."

Rajani nods in agreement. Still, there's nothing she can really do about it for the time being, so she tucks the letter into the inner pocket of her robe and returns to breakfast.

She whiles away the day finishing her assignments due on Monday and Tuesday and reviewing her Transfiguration notes from the year before as part of an ongoing system she's set up to prepare for the OWLs.

She also studies some Ancient Runes with Cadfael after lunch until one thirty, at which point she excuses herself to head for Professor Snape's office in the dungeons.

She arrives five minutes early and opts to wait outside the door, smoothing down her robes and practicing what she's going to say on the topic of her nonexistent job choice.

Finally, at exactly two, she taps her knuckles smartly on the door, twice to be sure she was heard but no more for risk of becoming irritating. Some of the details of politeness her father insists on can be useful at times.

"You may enter." Snape drawls, and Rajani lets herself in, closing the door briskly behind herself, and striding to the chair set up across from her Head of House's desk. She then folds her hands in her lap and lets Snape speak first.

He takes his time, long fingers brushing over the papers in front of him, which Rajani pretends she's not also eyeing. They're her transcripts from the past four years, and she can't help the twist of disappointment the grades always bring her. Sahana's had all been much higher.

"Well Ms. Misra. I suppose you already know what this is, so I'll forego formalities. I'll start by asking if there's anything you want to do." Snape states, finally looking up at Rajani.

She takes a careful breath. "I know I would like to work within the Ministry, however I have not had ample time to consider every option, nor do I know which departments would best match my strengths and allow me to excel. As such I was hoping-"

"Save the speech Misra." Snape sighs. "I've heard it a thousand times before."

Rajani frowns. She'd like to think her speech was rather well done, but apparently her innovation needs work.

"Your best courses are Charms, Potions, and History of Magic. Perhaps the Department of Magical Catastrophes may house something of interest." He gestures to a stack of pamphlets which Rajani uncertainly reaches out for and begins flipping through.

Snape sits silently, scanning through another bunch of papers - likely Lenox's transcripts Rajani thinks - as she goes through the pile.

Nothing in particular jumps out at her, other than the Invisibility Task Force which she'd be willing to bet she'd become bored with rather quickly. She goes to put the pamphlets back down when another one catches her attention.

"What would be required by the Department of International Magical Cooperation?" She asks aloud as she skims through the pamphlet.

Snape's lip curls. "A rather low-ranking job Ms. Misra. I do believe you capable of better than that."

She raises an eyebrow defiantly. "Coveting a spot on the International Confederation of Wizards hardly seems low-ranking." She counters. "And regardless, we oughtn't leave cooperation just to the Hufflepuffs, they'll surely compromise far too much. I think a Slytherin would do quite well there."

Now Snape looks intrigued. "Very well then. I suppose you do have History of Magic as a strength already." If Rajani was more certain of her ability to read the sour Potions professor, she'd almost think Snape was impressed.

She decides to interpret his expression that way regardless - she thinks her little spiel was quite impressive, if she says so herself, especially considering she hadn't planned it at all in advance.

"Most jobs in that Department require a NEWT level for History of Magic." Snape informs her. "So you'll be continuing that class for the next two years."

Rajani nods. It's simple enough - History may be incredibly boring but it's not difficult to study for when she puts her mind to it. "Is that all?"

Snape gives her a withering look. "You want to be on the International Confederation of Wizards Ms. Misra. Of course that isn't all."

Rajani frowns slightly, but doesn't allow the tone to phase her. 

Snape continues speaking. "You would do well to gain a NEWT in Muggle Studies though an O on the OWL would suffice as well, and I would recommend continuing your work in Ancient Runes. Several of the oldest laws are derived from writings in the ancient languages so understanding them can be quite helpful in International work."

Something in Rajani freezes as Snape speaks. She'll have to continue Ancient Runes. The one class she's not completely confident she can actually get even an A on her OWL for.

But that's fine. She can figure this out.

Snape either doesn't notice her stiffen or doesn't care as he continues speaking. "I'd also suggest continuing your Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts classes. Knowing self-defense would be quite valuable skills to have within the higher levels of International politics."

"Why not Transfiguration?" Rajani can't help but ask. It's not her best class, but she does enjoy it.

Snape looks rather unimpressed by the question. "Transfiguration is not a particularly useful branch of magic for defending oneself. Too complex, and most people cannot execute human transfigurations with enough speed for them to be of much use in a duel."

Rajani nods. It makes sense, though her pride does sting at the implications that she's not skilled enough to make good use of the subject.

That's probably what goads her into saying, "Well I'd still like to continue it into sixth year, along with the rest."

"Including Ancient Runes?" Snape probes, and Rajani knows he knows that she struggles in that class.

She meets his gaze defiantly. "Including Ancient Runes. Muggle Studies, Ancient Runes, History of Magic, Charms, Transfiguration, and Defense Against the Dark Arts." She feels a big smug leaving Potions off her list of classes - serves him right for not having any faith in her abilities.

Snape mutters something under his breath as he looks over yet another paper. "Most of those classes only require an A on the OWL, except for Transfiguration and Ancient Runes, which both require an E or higher." He hands her the parchment with the requirements on it. "That will be all Ms. Misra, you are dismissed."

Rajani strides out of the room with purpose, nodding to Lenox who's already waiting in the hall outside the room, but as soon as she's a few corridors down from the office her heart jumps straight up into , her steps stop entirely, and she has to lean against the wall. An E. She needs to get an E on the Ancient Runes OWL and she's not even confident she can pass at all.

She really doesn't want to go home for Easter Break now, but perhaps she can convince her parents to give her some time to study while she's at home. OWLs are inarguably very important, she just needs to work out how to phrase things so that her father thinks it's his idea.

Then she remembers that she might have an untapped resource at her disposal, and she pushes off the wall and hurries to the Slytherin common room with a new determination.

Clary is in the common room reading through her Charms textbook when Rajani walks in. The brunette grins as she enters. "Hey, how did it go?"

Rajani shrugs. "I have a goal now, which is admittedly nice, but my OWL studying may have just gotten more complicated.

Clary makes a sympathetic face. "Tough. Well, you'll figure it out one way or another." She grins. "We'll help you study after all, you won't be completely on your own."

Rajani grins at her in response. "I know, trust me I'll be taking advantage. I've got to write my sister though, I'm hoping she'll help me out over Easter."

Clary nods. "Oh yeah, you're not staying this year are you? Well, Sahana is probably better equipped anyway, she's actually taken the OWLs already."

"My thoughts exactly." Rajani agrees as she heads down the tunnel to their dorms. Once there she's quick to grab a quill and clean parchment, and she immediately begins scratching out a letter to her sister. Hopefully Sahana won't be too busy during the break to come by and help her with their parents.

Sahana,

I hope work is going well. I don't know if mother and father have told you yet that I will be at home this Easter break, but I had hoped you might be willing to assist me in securing time to study for my OWLs. I also recall you did quite well on them and perhaps might lend me some advice on the best way to study?

Your sister,

Rajani

It's a short letter, and not as formal as it probably should be, but Rajani figures her sister's girlfriend Mayra is just as likely to read it as Sahana is so she's a bit less pressed about phrasing everything just perfectly.

She waves to Clary as she passes back through the common room on her way up to the Owlery.

Lakshmi seems rather pleased to see her, the barn owl fluffing her feathers and happily stretching out her wings as soon as she's released from her perch.

Rajani ties the letter to her owl's leg. "For Sahana. Mayra can take it as well, obviously." Her owl butts her hand impatiently, and Rajani smiles and grabs one of the treats kept in the Tower and hands it to her owl.

"Go on then, and I do expect a response so wait for one, okay?"

Lakshmi tilts her head and then takes off, heading for London. Rajani waits in the owlery a moment longer, and then heads back down to the library.

She has a lot of studying to do.

All of the Hufflepuff career consultations are on the weekend, and Franziska is unlucky enough to be the very last one on Sunday evening.

This means she has to keep studying intently for all her OWLs instead of focusing on the ones she'll need to be a Muggle liaison like her mother.

"I mean, obviously you'll need Muggle Studies." Henry jokes when she whines about it on Sunday afternoon during a common room study session with most of their class. "So why not just focus on that?"

"I obviously am going to need more than that." Franziska flicks a bit of ink in his direction. "But until I know what exactly 'more' means I have to study for everything. And I don't just want to take one class for the next two years, that would be really boring."

Henry laughs. "I think you're the only teenager I know who wants more work Frannie. I'm content with my three classes for the next two years, thank you very much."

Kiera snorts. "You would pick a job that doesn't require much effort on your part. What will Amelia think?" She teases.

Henry actually looks nervous. "I'm not sure, I haven't told her yet. Do you think she'll be mad? She could definitely do better than me smarts-wise." He frowns, and Franziska quickly steps in to try and smooth things over.

"You've always been openly laid-back Henry. If she did have a problem with it she wouldn't have started dating you to begin with." Franziska points out.

Henry smiles at her a bit, but she can tell he's still nervous. She wishes Jemma would hurry up and return from her career consultation - she's way better at this than Franziska is.

Jemma's fellow prefect Aidan isn't helping at all, too buried in his own studying. No one is quite sure which profession he's pursuing since he's apparently planning on continuing as many classes into the NEWT level as possible. Franziska does think that it's slightly insane - she may want more than one class, but ten seems like far too many. She's thinking maybe four or five for herself.

She sighs and pushes her transfiguration textbook away and fishes out her wand.

"Ooh, what spell are you doing?"

Franziska grimaces. The one major downside to studying in the Hufflepuff common room is that there's no guarantee that you'll be left alone to work in peace.

She looks over at Saundra Caldwell, who's eagerly leaning over the back of the coach to watch her. "It's just a Tempus spell, I want to see how long I have until my consultation." She informs the fourth year, who pouts.

"Aw, I was hoping you'd do some cool fifth-year transfiguration." Saundra states. "Even firsties can do a simple tempus charm."

"Because it's useful, so they teach it early." Aidan points out, not even glancing up from his notes. "Magic isn't just about flash and pizzaz, you need practicality as well."

Saundra actually looks thoughtful. "Fair enough. Still, flash is more entertaining." She declares after a moment's contemplation.

Kiera laughs. "You've got that right."

Franziska thinks it's probably not a great idea to encourage the student who to date has caused at least one minor catastrophe every year due to her 'flashy' spells going awry, but she opts to ignore the situation entirely and go back to checking the time.

She's glad she does - she has ten minutes to get to Professor Sprout's office before it's time for her consultation.

"Alright, I'm off. See you guys later." She quickly packs up her things, waves to Tyler and Leona when they bid her good luck, and crawls out of the common room.

The barrel that serves as the entryway has gotten more and more uncomfortable to squeeze through as she's gotten older, but Franziska still thinks it's a rather fun way to get in and out despite some complaints that she's heard. She does a somersault on the other side of the tunnel and hops to her feet, brushing at her robes to straighten them and then heading up towards Professor Sprout's office.

She's about three minutes early and she can hear Professor Sprout and Jemma still talking behind the door, so she sits on the ground of the hallway and pulls out her Muggle Studies notes. No harm in going through them a few more times. It is the one class she knows for certain she has to take after OWLs are finished after all.

Jemma leaves the office almost seven minutes later, looking a bit flushed. "Sorry Frannie, I didn't know we'd be in there for so long." She apologizes. "Professor Sprout says to give her about five minutes." She grimaces slightly.

Franziska waves her hand lightly. "No worries Jem. Did you get everything in order for next year at least?"

Jemma smiles. "I have yeah. There's a lot more that goes into child care than you'd think, and I'm also taking stuff for St. Mungo's just in case. So getting all that together was a little more complicated than I'd expected." She slides down the wall to sit next to Franziska "You know what you want to do though, so it should be pretty quick once you're in there."

Franziska hums. "My mom gave me some suggestions over the summer but she mentioned that liaison is a pretty flexible job in terms of what classes you take. So it could be longer than all that."

Jemma shrugs. "I certainly wasn't expecting to take so long." She agrees with a smile.

Professor Sprout's door swings open then, and Franziska and Jemma both stand up. The blonde heads for the Hufflepuff common room and Franziska steps into their Head of House's office.

"Terribly sorry for the wait dear, but you mustn't rush these things." Professor Sprout smiles at Franziska as the teacher gestures for her to take a seat. "Now then, Ms. Chalida-Reinhardt, did you have a career path in mind already?" Her expression is warm and Franziska can't help but beam back.

"I do! I want to be a Muggle liaison like my mother." She confirms excitedly. "I know I need Muggle Studies for that but I don't know what else."

Professor Sprout flips through several pamphlets before extracting one triumphantly. "Ah ha! Here we are, Muggle liaison." She flips it over. "Well it seems all they require is an OWL in Muggle Studies!"

Franziska blinks. "Wait, really? That can't be it." She reaches out for the pamphlet and Professor Sprout passes it to her. She scans the requirement and laughs slightly. "Okay wow, that's it." She looks up at her Head of House. "What now then? Can I just choose my favorite classes and take those?"

Professor Sprout smiles. "Absolutely! If you'd like you can also take a look at the other job pamphlets and see if anything there catches your eye. That way if in two, three years you change your mind about Muggle Liaison you'll have the skills for something else of interest."

Franziska smiles. "Thank you, but I don't think I'll be changing my mind." She admits. "I've wanted to do what my mom does since I was nine years old."

Professor Sprout nods. "Fair enough. Still, if I may recommend History of Magic as a continued course? It's often useful to have if you decide later on to pursue social justice causes. If you know where we've been and why we're where we are today, you can more effectively push to make changes in the future."

Franiska hadn't even considered social justice, but her Head of House makes good points, and when her mind drifts to Rosalinde and her secret girlfriend she nods firmly.

"You're right, I probably will want to fight for some changes later on." She agrees. "History of Magic it is. And maybe Charms as well?" She suggests. "I've seen some things about the Squib rights movement and knowing how to defend myself in a duel might be useful."

"Unfortunate but true." Professor Sprout sighs. "So that's two, and would you be interested in continuing Muggle Studies?" 

Franziska nods eagerly. "I admit that some of the things taught are a bit different than my experiences, but like you said it's good to know where we come from, or in this case where we are now." She grins, and then sits up a bit straighter. "Oh, and I'd like to continue Herbology as well!" She adds. "If that's alright?"

Professor Sprout beams. "Of course it is! I'm always happy to see my Hufflepuffs in the NEWT levels." She quickly writes a few things down and then looks up at Franziska again.

"For Muggle Studies, Charms, and History of Magic you only need an A on the OWLs to proceed to the NEWT levels. For Herbology I do require and E - after all you'll be handling plants that could seriously injure or even kill so I prefer more solid knowledge than an A requires."

Franziska nods. "That makes perfect sense." She agrees cheerfully. Four classes then, and not very high pressure for her OWLs overall.

Professor Sprout hands her a list of her classes and the OWL requirement. "Well then, that was efficient! Do you have any other questions I can help you with?"

"Nothing I can think of at the moment." Franziska replies cheerfully. "Thank you so much Professor!"

Professor Sprout smiles warmly. "Of course dear! If you do come up with any questions don't hesitate to stop by the greenhouse to ask."

Franziska practically skips out of the consultation, already trying to formulate the best way to study. Herbology is easy enough - she's certain if she asks Professor Sprout for a few hours on Saturdays to work in the greenhouse her Head of House will be happy to oblige her - and she's certain she can set up a study group for History of Magic and Muggle Studies with her friends. Most of Hufflepuff House is taking both classes, so maybe she can even combine the two.

Which of course leaves charms. Franziska is a bit less confident about Charms, but if it only requires an A to proceed to NEWT she thinks she ought to be able to manage it well enough.

"How did it go?" Leona greets as Franziska crawls back into the common room. Her friends seem to have barely moved since she'd left, and Jemma has taken her previous spot.

Franziska beams and squeezes in between Tyler and Kiera. "Fantastic! I'm really excited about my classes next year." She looks at her friends. "Also who wants to study for Muggle Studies and or History of Magic with me for the next hour until dinner?"

"You're continuing History?" Kiera looks appalled. "For Merlin's sake why?"

Franziska shrugs. "It's good to know where you come from." She replies, remembering how Professor Sprout had phrased it. "And anyway I do enjoy learning about history. Plus NEWT level deals with a lot more of the modern political aspects of it which I find pretty interesting."

"I agree." Aidan finally looks up from his textbook (and really Franziska wouldn't be surprised if it was the first time he'd done so since she'd last seen him thirty minutes earlier) to add his own two cents. "I'm continuing with History as well, despite not technically needing it for spell research."

"I'm only taking it because we start giving oral presentations in seventh year." Leona declares. "I need to practice my announcing as much as possible after all."

"What are you doing anyway Leona?" Henry asks curiously, abandoning the notes he'd been (poorly) pretending to read and looking over at the brunette.

Leona flicks one long curl out of her face as she confidently replies, "You're looking at the next top correspondent for the Wizarding Wireless Network!"

Tyler grins. "You'll be reporting on sports I assume?" He guesses.

Leona shrugs. "I'm going to report on whatever they need me to. Everyone has to start somewhere and if you're not picky you're more likely to be hired." She grins. "Credit to my sister on that bit of wisdom - it's useful having older siblings on occasion."

"But do you have a preference?" Aidan asks curiously.

Leona shrugs. "I mean, I have background in sports reporting." She grins, and then continues, "But as you would say, there's not enough data to work with. I need to try other kinds of reporting before I decide which one I like."

"Spoken like a Ravenclaw." Henry jokes.

Aidan taps Franziska lightly on the shoulder as the group begins chatting about their job ambitions. "I would be interested in studying for History, if you were serious." He offers. He looks a bit on edge, but it's the first time he's properly acknowledged Franziska directly since she'd broken up with Brandon, and she latches onto the offer like a lifeline.

"I was! That would be awesome, if you really don't mind." She says quickly. "Did you want to go to the library? It might be a little more conducive to actually focusing." She grins, looking over at their friends talking over each other.

Aidan glances at them as well with a small smile. "That may be for the best, yes. I know not everyone focuses as well as I do in loud environments."

They walk in silence for a few minutes before Franziska can't take it. "So are you done being mad at me? About Brandon?"

The corners of Aidan's mouth flick downwards, and Franziska immediately starts regretting that she asked.

The red-head sighs. "I wasn't mad at you so much, more at the situation?" He laughs. "Okay, a little at you. But you've both had time to move on and Brandon is more focused on his... stuff now and you seem to be cheering up as well. So I figured I really should let bygones be bygones. Relationships don't work out. The world keeps spinning."

"You keep philosophizing like an eagle." Franziska risks joking, and to her relief Aidan laughs.

"I suppose so. Sorry I was kind of a jerk about the whole thing, in retrospect you clearly weren't thrilled about the breakup either." He pauses, hesitates, and then adds, "Why did you break up with him? I thought you guys were doing well."

Franziska chews at her lip. On the one hand, Aidan has been nothing but honest so far, and she knows he's not the type to be weird over her Veela heritage. On the other she doesn't really think Aidan is someone she wants to tell about that very personal part of her life.

She finally decides on a middle ground. "I did really like him, but I started to realize that it didn't go very deep? Sort of a surface attraction. And that isn't fair to him to string him alone like that when I'm not completely in, you know?"

Aidan hums in acknowledgement. "Makes sense. Sorry again for being unreasonable."

Franziska smiles at him, somewhat shaky but relieved that the conversation didn't go worse. She's honestly rather sick of drama - she has enough to worry about with OWLs without personal concerns taking up her energy after all.

Ana's consultation is the Wednesday before the Easter Break, and she's rather less than pleased with that time slot.

This is because the Wednesday before Easter Break also happens to be when a very important Arithmancy essay is due, and her consultation is scheduled for smack in the middle of the period.

The most frustrating aspect of the entire situation is that she'd had the entire morning free, but Professor Flitwick had still managed to interrupt a class with the consultation.

Both Jerome and Finn had been late to classes because of their consultations the week before, so Ana had known it was a possibility. And yet somehow her brain had refused to accept that she would have to miss part of one of her more difficult classes in the lead up to OWLs.

She tells Professor Vector about the consultation at the start of the class, and she's very understanding.

"You can give me your essay now and sit by the door so you don't distract anyone, alright?" She suggests.

Ana is honestly not alright with that - she likes sitting at the front of class and comparing notes and understandings with Aidan - but she can't really do much other than nod in agreement. She doesn't want to disrupt the class after all.

Ana decides very quickly that she rather loathes sitting at the back of the classroom, and she has no idea how anyone else handles it.

She gets a few odd looks from the other students, but she simply glares at them until they move on and take their usual seats.

Ana does her best to take particularly thorough notes for the thirty minutes of class that she's able to stay for, though she's less than pleased with them when she's forced to pack up her bag and slip out of the room as quietly as she can manage. She resigns herself to having to ask to use Aidan's notes later, if she can track him down. He's been proving difficult to locate outside of classes since the new year started.

She arrives in front of Professor Flitwick's office shortly before her appointed time, and she doesn't bother with waiting in the hall. She knows the rest of the class has already completed their consultations, so she won't be interrupting anything important as far as she's concerned.

So she raps at the door with one hand and opens it with the other. Professor Flitwick, to his credit, seems to remain unruffled despite the intrusion.

"Ana! Wonderful, right on time. Just give me a moment to get everything in order - you can go on and take a seat." He waves to the rather comfortable looking armchair pulled up across from his desk.

Ana wordlessly complies, placing her bag next to the chair and looking around the office to entertain herself while her Head of House finishes whatever it is she's interrupted.

She's admittedly surprised when she spots several dueling awards lining his shelves - while she had vaguely been aware that Professor Flitwick was once a professional dueler she had always thought he must not have been very good considering he'd ended up as a teacher.

A cough draws her attention back to the short professor, who now has a small sheaf of papers in front of him as well as several pamphlets that Ana recognizes as advertising for several jobs.

"Now then, Ms. Vulchanova. Based on your current grades you could pursue any job you so desired. I have here a selection of options which I think would suit you well, but I must say I presume you already have put some thought into this particular question." The Ravenclaw Head of House smiles at her, and Ana is a bit surprised.

"Well, yes, I have. I intend to be a Curse-Breaker. I've already researched the requirements for the job and I'm confident I can achieve them." She pauses for breath. "However I would like to continue all ten of my current classes into sixth and seventh year. I intend to take as many NEWTs as is possible."

Professor Flitwick nods easily. "I would expect nothing less from the top of the class. Would you like a list of the OWL grades required to continue into each course?" He clearly already knows the answer as he offers her the list almost before he's finished speaking.

She replies regardless as she accepts it. "That would be quite helpful, thank you." She scans the sheet briefly, mentally starting to recalibrate her study schedule in order to place more focus on the classes which require higher OWL scores.

She's about ready to grab her bag and leave - maybe she can catch the end of Arithmancy - when Professor Flitwick holds up a hand.

"One last thing Ms. Vulchanova." He holds out the pamphlets he'd collected at the start of the meeting. "I would suggest giving these a read. It never goes well to focus too intently on one thing and lose sight of the bigger picture. Don't lock yourself into one job so young." He smiles.

Ana doesn't return the smile - in fact she frowns - but she accepts the pamphlets nonetheless. She puts them into her bag along with the list of OWL scores, thanks Professor Flitwick, and then heads out of the office.

She's very closely followed by her Head of House. "You know I'd nearly forgotten I have you for charms now!" He says cheerfully. "I do think curse-breaking will be a job you enjoy, it poses quite a challenge. But you do know you'll be required to have a partner?" He checks.

Ana would be insulted by the assumption she'd rather work alone, except it's an accurate assumption. And she hadn't actually known about the partner requirement.

"I admittedly was unaware of that." She replies. "But I'm sure I can manage. From my understanding it's common to work excavations in large groups." She mentally, and somewhat reluctantly, makes a mental note to send Alec a note asking about it. He's unfortunately her only resource on the subject other than library books, which she's found rarely accurately convey the real experience.

Professor Flitwick hums, striding rapidly in order to keep up with her. "Oh indeed, indeed, but I'd imagine you'd want to engage with new tombs and ruins rather than the ones already picked over time and again. More of a thought puzzle, those ones." He looks up at her encouragingly. "But don't you worry too much about that, you'll likely meet someone during your training."

Technically I've already met someone. Ana's brain reminds her, and she reaches up to fiddle with Alec's necklace. "I suppose that's true. Thank you for telling me Professor, it's something I'll have to keep in mind as I get closer to applying for positions."

They arrive at the Charms classroom shortly after that and Ana takes her seat at the front of the class.

Jerome appears shortly after, dropping himself cheerfully into the seat next to her and nearly knocking her wand off the desk,

"Ana! Ana you had your consultation right? How did it go?" He asks eagerly. Ever since his own career meeting the week before Jerome has been almost insufferable in his constant questions about everyone else's job choices. More irritating is his own refusal to clearly say what he's angling for.

Ana sighs. "It went well Jerome." She replies flatly. "They always go well."

Jerome at least gets the hint and sags back into his chair, pulling out his Charms textbook and some parchment with no further questions.

Shaun joins them a few minutes later, taking the seat next to Jerome. "Amelia is going to sit with Henry." He explains despite the fact Ana honestly doesn't care all that much about where the other girl is. "So Ana, I can lend you my notes from the end of Arithmancy if you like? I tried to be a little more detailed today since I knew you'd be missing part of class."

Ana blinks. She hadn't even considered asking Shaun (or Amelia who, now that she thinks about it, is also in Arithmancy) for their notes - they're not as good in the class as she is and she always sits with Aidan rather than either of them.

"That would be greatly appreciated, thank you Shaun." She replies after a moment, when her guilty surprise has abated somewhat.

He smiles. "I'll give them to you after Transfiguration?" He suggests.

Ana can only nod, as Professor Flitwick has started class.

Charms and Transfiguration afterwards go by rather quickly, and Ana and Shaun end up in the library at one of the smaller corner tables. Shaun is going through his Potions notes while Ana studies the Arithmancy notes  he'd lended her and adds to her own parchment from the class. She refuses to simply copy - she knows she won't learn anything from doing that.

It's a bit odd with just the two of them, but Jerome had run off after class and Amelia is off somewhere with Henry. Ana doesn't let it bother her too much - once she's finished with Shaun's notes she hands them back and pulls the parchment with the OWL requirements out of her bag so she can start properly writing up an optimized study schedule for the OWLs. Yes she has two full months left before the exams, but if she wants all twelve OWLs she knows she needs to start early.

Shaun looks at the paper curiously. "Which classes are you planning to continue? If you don't mind my asking."

Ana spares him a brief glance before she continues working. "All of them if I can manage it. I've got a focus on Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Transfiguration, Ancient Runes, and Potions though, since those are required NEWTs for Curse-Breakers. I also need an E level OWL in Astronomy though I do intend to continue to the NEWT so if I can achieve an A in that the OWL will be unnecessary."

"You're continuing Astronomy?" Shaun asks. "If you only need an OWL why bother?"

Ana now turns her full attention to him, a bit insulted both on her own behalf but also on the behalf of Hannah and her coworkers at the observatory. "Astronomy is an incredibly useful practical tool for magicians. Did you know that the location of stars and proximity of the planets can cause minute effects in the ability to cast certain spells? Not to mention that understanding the sky allows for understanding of the many creatures which react to celestial movement, the least of which being werewolves." She pauses. "It also helps with Divination, which I also intend to pursue for my own interest."

Shaun looks a bit taken aback. "I apologize if it was a rude question. That is an interesting observation, I had no idea the stars were all that important."

Ana huffs out an irritated breath. "Well you wouldn't Muggles have never been good at recognizing their more mystical properties after all." She grumbles.

They don't speak again and Ana manages to put together a rough study schedule before dinner time, which she's somewhat happy with. She thinks she'll need more time to work on Potions, but she can rework it later.

Jerome has reappeared when they arrive in the Great Hall, already sitting and chatting with Fitzwilliam and Amelia when Shaun and Ana arrive.

"Where did you rush off too?" Shaun asks curiously as he sits next to his friend.

Jerome looks slightly embarrassed. "Oh, nowhere in particular. I was just doing some, hands on learning." Ana doesn't miss the slight hesitation in the explanation but she doesn't comment on it. If Jerome wants to keep secrets he's free to do so, as long as they don't affect her ability to study.

Which she rather doubts they will.

She knows there's no way Shaun missed the hesitation either, but he also lets it slide and starts taking about the Arithmancy lesson with Amelia instead.

"I'm honestly not as worried about Arithmancy, I don't need it to be a Magizoologist." Amelia admits. "I took it more for curiosity, but right now I'm more worried about Potions."

"You mentioned you were continuing that class, and I still fail to understand why you would do that to yourself." Jerome jokes. Whatever tension he'd had when Shaun and Ana first arrived it's long gone and he seems more than happy to throw himself haphazardly into the conversation like he always does.

"It's a required OWL for the Magizoologist program, and I want to get a NEWT since it's just a useful skill in general." Amelia responds. "It's the same reason I'm continuing Astronomy."

Ana looks up interest. "I'm continuing that class as well. Good to know I won't be alone."

Amelia smiles faintly. "It may be underestimated, that's true."

"What about you Jerome, are you doing Astronomy too? I'm starting to feel outnumbered." Shaun jokes.

Jerome shakes his head awkwardly. "Probably not? It depends I guess." He smiles a bit awkwardly. "I need to see which OWLs I pass first."

Amelia frowns. "But surely you must have a layout of which classes you're aiming to take next year? That's the entire point of the career consultations."

Jerome shrugs awkwardly. "I mean, I'm not really good at any subjects? So yeah." It's weird seeing the normally bubbly boy looking so self-conscious, but Ana can't blame him. It is rather embarrassing to be a Ravenclaw not smart enough to guarantee his own class schedule.

"We'll help you study." Shaun smiles, putting a hand onto Jerome's shoulder supportively. "You've got to give yourself more credit Jerry, you have a lot of potential."

Ana swears Jerome flushes at the compliment, which is weird since she's never seen him get flustered about anything, but she supposes he's already feeling down - it's natural he's a bit more sensitive at the moment.

She mostly keeps quiet during the rest of the meal, letting her friends chat while she formulates the letter she needs to write before going to bed, much as she doesn't much want to write it. But it's a Hogsmeade weekend and she needs to have it finished in time to send with one of the international owls.

That night she settles at the desk in their dorm room and pulls out a fresh quill and parchment.

Alec,

It was recently brought to my attention that certain curse-breakers are required to have partners due to the delicate nature of the job. I wished to confirm what that process looks like and how likely it might be for someone to work alone if they so desired.

Thank you in advance for your response,

Ana