Disclaimer: J.K.R Is the genius, not I. In clear text: I own nothing! Well except presumably my own characters I suppose…
Future Planning
10 September 2017
Marla Valiéere
"She was beautiful, for her ability to make other
people smile, even if she was sad. No, she wasn't
beautiful for something as temporary as her looks.
She was beautiful, deep down to her soul."
- F. Scott Fitzgerald
The first week always passed quickly. It was like a rule. The first evening back was worst of all, it was a whirlwind of impressions. First the welcome feast in the great hall and then the real welcome feast which location varied through the years, sometimes in an empty class room, sometimes in the room of requirement and every once in a while in the kitchens. Some people complained about the shifting location, why not have it in the room of requirement every year (since there was no risk of being discovered)? This question was always answered the same way (by the true believers) every year. What was the point of a party without a little excitement? Now, Marla wasn't a true believer. But she had to admit that the variation in reception was an interesting quirk to this kind of other ways predictable parties.
This year the party had been held in a large lecture hall on the third floor. A silencing charm had been but on the door and the corridor outside. Everything out there was dead silence, on the inside pandemonium ruled. A huge muggle disco-ball was levitated in the middle of the room, casting patches of silvery light around the otherwise dark room. Bodies where packed tight together on the dace floor, in a manner which would not be appreciate by the teachers. Around the edges students mingled more casually, alway with a drink in hand. The drinks where of course provided by the excellent bar at the far end of the room. This parties where however, despite the different locations, fairly predictable. Loud music providing splitting headache, far to much alcohol and you almost always kissed someone you really shouldn't kiss. That last part where luckily something Marla had managed to avoid this year.
So despite the excitement of the first day Marla strongly preferred the second. As had been tradition ever since their forth year Marla and her closest friends assembled one of their dorm rooms to catch up, drink something and play muggle board games. This year Marla's dorm room had been the chosen location, which did mean the difficulty of sneaking their male friends up to their dorm. But once you knew the trick it was quite simple, if perhaps a little uncomfortable for the boys. In any case at seven pm the second day they where all assembled in Marla and Angelica's dorm. Except Marla and Angelica the lucky invited where Eden, Amadeus, Cornelia and Dorian. Cornelia, whom had gotten O's at her transfiguration exams since first year, had transfigured one of the beds to a dining table with a matchin set of chairs.
Marla had poured everyone a glass of sparkling rosé, Angelica placed a plate of her homemade french chocolate tart on the table and Amadeus waved with a quite used pack of 'Cards Against Humanity'. This was definitely preferable compared to the party the day before. They sat in the dorm for several hours, catching up and laughing. The majority of the party goers first departed when Marla and Angelica's roommates returned from various locations. By then the clock was past two am.
The rest of the week had been continuing in a more relaxed manor. Non of the professors felt particularly cruel the frist week of term, but it was their seventh year so Marla didn't expect it to continue for very long. It was now the ninth of September, a Saturday which meant sleepy day. It was almost ten a clock and Marla laid on top of the covers in Angelicas four poster bed whit a glas of orange juice and turned the pages in Witch Weekly. Angelica sat cross legged beside her and moisturized her face with some ridiculously expensive product from Sunday Riley.
"Are you stressed over the charms assignment?" Angelica asket making a face while rubbing cream into her cheeks. Marla considered it for a moment, taking a sip of orange juice.
"Nah, I can't really say I am. I should probably be tough, considering I have just barely started. Are you stressed? You are far better then me at charms, so if you are stressed I should really reconsider!" Marla laughed and took another sip of orange juice.
"Well, I can't say I'm stressed. Not really! It's just this feeling of everything dawning on me, you know? That this really is our last year. It still feels kind of surreal!" Angelica said as she took the orange juice from Marla. "What are you still doing here by the way?"
"Um, last I checked I lived here! But if you are throwing me out I suppose I have to find a new place to live, perhaps I will ask the Bloody Baron if he vants to share a cosy cell with me!" Marla said as she rolled her eyes.
"I didn't mean that way! Don't you have your career meeting with professor Flitwick in like ten minutes? You told him you rater have it today then on Monday, which I assume got something to do with a date." Angelica laughed. Marla's eyes grew wide.
"Oh, bloody hell! I so don't need this right know!" Marla threw herself of the bed, hysterically spinning around. "Do you think professor Flitwick care if I wear muggle clothes? My favorite uniform parts is in the wash! I only have the ugly skirt and that blouse I haven't used since third year."
"I'm sure it's fine! It's the weekend after all! And if you say that you forgot about the time I'm sure you'll be fine!" Angelica said even as she returned to her skin care routine.
Marla quickly changed out of her pyjamas and dragged on a pale blue knitted sweatshirt her mother had been wearing in the eighties, before scanning the room for some pants. Nothing even remotely similar to a pair of pants could be seen. Marla opened her trunk and started to dig trough it. Finally she found her sisters "going-back-to-Hogwarts" present, a pair of Acne jeans. Under normal circumstances Marla would consider them way to expensive for everyday wear, but at the moment they really where a savior in disguise. Quickly she dragged them on as well and started to franticly looking for a hair tie. No, luck there! Finally she found a black hairband and thought that it would have to do. She turned to the door and quickly checked herself in the mirror. Her socks where slightly mismatched (different shades of grey), she had stolen Angelica's slightly to small dress shoes and the state of her light blond hair was questionable but the hairband sort of helped. Well, there wasn't much else that could be done.
"Alright, bye! See you later!" She screamed to Angelica as she rushed out the door and through the Ravenclaw common room.
Exactly four minutes later she stood panting outside professor Flitwick's office. She took a deep breath before she kocked on the door. The door was quickly opened to reveal a very small wizard, with a beard whitening by the minute.
"Ah, Miss Valiéere! I just started to wonder whether or not you had forgotten about our appointment." The wizard said and raised his eyebrows, Marla almost thought they would disappear into his fluffy hair.
"Of course not professor Flitwick" Marla said and followed Flitwick into his office. He gestured for her to sit down infront of his large desk, filled with quills, books and bottles, as he want to sit down on the other side (atop a couple of books).
"So, Miss Valiéere! Do you remember what we talked about during your fifth year career meeting?" Professor Flitwick said as he examined a paper infront of him.
"Yes, I said that I wanted to be a healer." Marla hesitated a moment, before she continued. "I was very idealistic as a fifth year."
"So, you don't want to be a healer anymore?" Flitwick questioned, frowning slightly. Marla could feel her stomach twitch, she didn't know what to say. One part of her didn't want to give up her childhood dream, not when she had been holding on to it for so long. But still, she didn't know if it was what she wanted to do anymore.
"I… I honestly don't know. I have always wanted to be a healer, but lately I have wondered if it really suits me all that well. I still think healers are amazing in what they do, I just don't know if it's what I'm meant to do." Marla said slowly, almost hesitant.
"Well, I wont try to talk you out of it, but do you know what you want to do then?" Professor Flitwick asked, looking at her over the top of his hands. Marla just shrugged. "Seeing which subjects ju study, you have changed your mind about healing for quite sometime. At least since last year?"
"By then I started getting this feeling that I wasn't pressuring healing for myself anymore. So I just changed to the classes I really wanted to read. But I can't say I have a plan." Marla said and tugged on her sleeve.
"I can understand that. According to this chart you are reading Advanced Arithmancy Studies, Ancient Studies, Herbology, Charms, Muggle art and Astronomy. Which actually means that you are reading quite a wide variety of subjects, so you do have a lot of opportunities!" Flitwick said as he started going trough the brochures in front of him. "You see, I think you are a smart girl and you are going to figure something out. We will have another meeting in about a month, but meanwhile look through this brochures!"
Marla looked down at the four brochures Flitwick had handed to her as she walked out of his office. The first one was grey with thick white letters spelling out 'Do you have a talent for Curse Breaking'. The title almost made Marla roll her eyes. No, just no. She hadn't even cared for Defense Against Dark Arts last year, much less this year. The second brochure was light blue and shimmering and said: 'Are you of Maternity Healer quality'. Marla rounded a corner and continued up a flight of stairs, considering the shimmering brochure. It wasn't quite as ridicules as the thought of her being a Curse Breaker, but it sill didn't sound as something she wanted to do.
Continuing up another flight of stairs Marla realized that she was almost back at the Ravenclaw tower. Hurring to the door she managed to slip in behind a group of fifth years. She glanced down at the third brochure as she made her way to the dorm, it seemed mor professional then the previous brochures. It was white with cursive black letters spelling 'The Academic Path'. Admittedly that sounded quite interesting. Marla, pushed open the door to her dorm to find that Angelica hadn't moved two centimeters. She had exchanged the glas of orange juice to a cup of tea, and she had picked up her copy of the Great Gatsby.
"Well, you seem content with life!" Marla said and jumped down beside Angelica, causing her to almost spill some of the tea.
"Marla! Be careful, dear Merlin!" Angelica sat up and took a sip from the tea. "So how did it go? Did you tell him about giving up healing? What did he say?"
"Whoa, take it easy! Yes, I told him! He was all like, 'you're a smart girl, just take this brochures and you'll figure something out'. Then he gave me this brochures." Marla threw Angelica the brochures. Angelica managed to catch a light yellow one (the only one Marla hadn't been able to read on the way back) and started reading.
"Isn't this sort of interesting? It sounds a bit like you." Angelica said flipped it over to read the backside.
"I didn't have time to read that one! What does it say?" Marla, leaned over and tried to read over Angelicas shoulder.
"Take it easy! It says: 'Are you a practicer of fine art', and on the inside it specifies saying muggle art and that they have connections to several prestigious muggle art schools." Angelica continued reading. "It started as a group of muggleborn students whom wanted to attend art school, and they also wanted to give other wizards and witches the opportunity."
At this point Marla practically ripped the brochure out of Angelicas and causing the other girl to lose the grip of her tea mug. The mug flew through the air, Marla fell backwards of the bed and Angelica shrieked loudly. Then the tea mug landed in the middle of the bed splashing tea all over the place. Marla carefully peaked up from the floor, Angelica sat in the middle of the bed positively drenched. Their eyes meet a short second before both of them broke down laughing. They laughed so hard Marla felt like she needed to chip for breath, and her stomach hurt. Taking a deep breath Marla finally made an attempt at speaking.
"Sorry, I got a bit over exited! Let me fix that." Marla said as she tried to control her giggling and brought out her wand. With a flick of her wrist the tea dried up and evaporated, leaving behind an empty tea cup. Angelica on other hand just shook her head.
"Don't worry about that now. Do you want to go for a walk? I need to return a book to the library and I just really need some fresh air." Angelica asked picking up the book in question from the floor.
"Yeah sure, why not!" Marla said as she grabbed the light yellow brochure and proceeded to followed Angelica out the room.
The girls walked side by side, as they talked about the little non-important things of life. The non-important, and still so extremely vital things. About boys, sunshine, picnics, and getaways. When they reached the library it was practically empty. Angelica handed the long nosed librarian her book and Marla turned to leave.
"Wait, I want to see if I can find a book on autumn herbs. They are good for colds." Angelica said and gestured to a number of bookshelf close to one of the large windows.
The light fell slightly from above, reviling small particles of dust in the air. It was a beautiful, golden and sort of crisp light. They reached the last bookshelf on the right, Angelica had dragged her finger along the edge of the shelf. Marla leaned against the bookshelf on the other side and watch while Angelica tried to reach a book just a bit to high up. The book wobbled and finally fell down. On the wrong side of the shelf. A loud 'uff' could be heard from the other side. Angelica panicked turned around and stared at Marla with wide eyes. Marla tried to keep herself from laughing, she really did. But she had to admit that this kind of situation was quite typical when it came to Angelica.
Before either of them could do anything someone stepped around the corner of the bookshelf, this someone turned out to be Samuel Avery. Samuel Avery was quite a hart throb. Some people claimed that he resembled his father as a young man, with his hight, his curly chocolate brown hair and thick eyebrows. But, temperamentally he was nothing like his father. Samuel where a Ravenclaw for starters, his father had been in Slytherin. Samuel also had the habit of tutoring first years instead of looking them in the dungeons, which was preferable. Tutoring them, not the dungeon part. Now he casually held up a herbology book.
"I think you might have dropped this. Or perhaps you intended to use it as a weapon?" He smiled and raised his eyebrows questioningly towards Angelica.
"Oh, Merlin I'm so sorry Samuel! I really didn't mean to!" Angelica said and held out a hand to take the book back. Marla found the whole situation rather amusing. She was used to saving Angelica from awkward situations, but honestly, this was rather comical.
"No worries, I'm quite alright. I however propose a deal." Samuel said as he examined the book closer. Angelica looked just a tiny bit confused. Marla seriously wanted to laugh, and tell their Angelica just how profoundly innocent she was.
"And what kind of deal do you propose?" Angelica wondered as she studied Samuels face. Marla made a mental correction, perhaps Angelica wasn't all that blind after all.
"In a week it's the first Hogsmead weekend this year, and I wondered if you wanted to go with me? In return I will of course give you your book back." The question was thrown out quite casually, but Marla could see that he was nervous.
"I would love to! But right now, I would like to have my book back please." Angelica put her hand out again and this time Samuel handed her the book.
"Alright then, see you next Saturday at breakfast." He said, smiling broadly. Angelica smiled back and nodded, before tuggin at Marla's sleeve.
They where out of the library and some corridors away when Angelica gripped Marla's wrist and stood still for a moment. Then Angelica sighed before sinking down on the cold floor and leaning against the stone wall. Marla cautiously sat down beside her, this because she was still wearing does way to expensive Acne jeans. And she might be a good friend, but there was a line to be drawn at these jeans.
"I, so need a psychologist! How come you wizards don't have any?" Angelica said leaning her head against her knees.
At this Marla could do nothing but laugh.
But deep down, her stomach felt hollow.
Authors Note: I'm aware that this chapter was slightly boring, but I promise it gets more exiting very soon. I'm sot of tying to mimic everyday life and not everyday are all that interesting.
Please review
/WigglyWednesday
