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Just out of curiosity, I was wondering if any of my readers were British? And if you are, are you planning on voting in the election? Or would you vote if you were old enough? You don't have to tell me who you would vote for, I'm just interested.

And already this year is drawing to a close - two more chapters of it left.

Chapter 34: Suddenly I See, This Is What I Want To Be

April 20th: Career Interviews

It's always hard to come back to school after a holiday and settle down to the daily grind, but it's even worse in your fifth or seventh year. Scorpius, who was the only student out of our eight who had gone home for the holidays, returned to revision timetables and notecards, whilst the others spent their holiday either enjoying the last days of freedom, procrastinating by tidying their trunks (for the first time in five years) or brought out their notes and settled down to revise, depending on their nature.

Albus and Lorcan were definitely part of the first group; Lysander and Alice were part of the second; Lia, Aisha and Rose made up the third group, although none of them were overly delighted to be there. After all, although the knowledge had been interesting the first time, rereading and relearning them wasn't nearly as fascinating.

They were given a sharp reminder of why they were revising, however, in the first week of their summer term. Career Advice Appointments were made with their Heads of House and a vast assortment of leaflets was spread over all the Common Rooms plus the InterHouse Common Room.

Lorcan was the first to have a meeting, in his case with Professor Longbottom, who looked up as Lorcan came in to the office.

"Lorcan, sit down." He invited. "Now, you do know why you're here? We're just going to talk about what you might want to do after leaving Hogwarts."

"I know."

Professor Longbottom remained silent, clearly expecting Lorcan to offer some suggestions of what he'd considered as careers. At last, when an awkward minute or so had passed, he spoke again.

"So do you have any ideas?"

"I know."

Neville blinked. Lorcan's eccentricity wasn't quite the same as Luna's, and it took him a few seconds to adjust.

Lorcan seemed to take pity on him. "I mean that I know what I am going to do. I'm going to work with my parents until I know everything I need to, and then I'm going to research Magical Creatures myself."

"Alright," Professor Longbottom said confidently. He felt back on solid ground now. "I expect you don't need any qualifications in particular to follow that, although no doubt OWLs and NEWTs in Care of Magical Creatures would be helpful. Of course, your other option is to leave as soon as you're seventeen instead of taking NEWTs and learn practically."

"I know," Lorcan said for the third time. "But I don't want to leave before my friends, so I'll stick around. I'm not in any hurry."

"That's good. Studying NEWTs gives you the opportunity to change your mind, for example working for the Department for The Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. " Longbottom replied. "As for NEWT choices, I'd also recommend Charms and Potions, and in your free time you might want to think about studying magizoology journals to see the style in which you'll be expected to write."

"I'm not a very good writer," Lorcan sighed. "But I suppose I'll improve."

"If you become very successful, you can always employ someone to write for you," Professor Longbottom suggested. "The leading journals tend to pay high amounts for good information. I presume you're planning on working freelance?"

Lorcan shrugged. "My grandfather's journal will probably employ me, but I think I'd prefer to go freelance."

"Well, good luck with your OWLs then, and thanks for this chat. Was there anything else you wanted to let me know? Any problems with revision, friends, professors?"

Lorcan frowned and remained seated.

"Is there something?" Neville asked.

He remained silent for a long second, then shook his head. "No. Just thinking. Thanks,"

With that, he took his leave and left.

Lia had her interview almost simultaneously, with the kindly Professor Samson. Most students were bewildered as to how such an easy-going man had ever been an Auror, but if you got into trouble then it was an entirely different matter. Last year, three seventh-year Hufflepuffs had been caught bullying a second-year. Samson didn't yell – he verbally dissected them until they were stammering their apologies and regretting their actions.

None of that was present on his face now as he beamed at Lia and welcomed her into his office.

"Come in, sit down," he indicated the chair. "So, you've looked at the leaflets?"

Lia nodded, a strange expression filling her face. It was a mixture of longing, indecisiveness, an apology and something else that Samson couldn't quite identify.

"So, that's clearly given you an idea." Six years of experience as the Hufflepuff Head had at least given Samson the knowledge to expect what might come after that expression. His House were a strange mix of being too humble to admit to high ambitions, too honest to lie about them and too hard-working to be unable to reach those heights.

"Don't worry if you don't think you're good enough. We've got two years to get you there, and I promise that all of the Professors, myself included, will do whatever we can. We can provide tutors, extra study time, work experience. You just have to ask. So?"

"It sounds pretty amazing to be a Healer," Lia replied finally.

"Why?" Samson pressed. Healers were a career that far too many Hufflepuff Muggleborns applied for, just because it was recognisable, something you could explain to your parents. Lia might not fall into this category, but he had to be sure. Aurors were the same for Gryffindor House, he knew from conversations with Neville. They knew they were brave, they liked Defence – they inevitably thought they could be an Auror or a member of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

"Because people need me to be one," Lia replied. "And because I'd be able to help people completely."

"Well, you do need high grades – Exceeds Expectations in Potions, Transfiguration, Herbology, Charms and Defence Against the Dark Arts. And you won't be allowed to continue Defence Against the Dark Arts without Exceeds Expectations at least. Professor Bell normally does let Acceptable students into her class, although it's judged on a personal basis. Her notes on you suggest that she would, as you work hard and aren't known to mess up in the lesson. However, you will need to fit in some extensive work before seventh year, as you're currently averaging A's in Potions, Transfiguration and Herbology."

Lia nodded. "I have friends who can help me with most of those, sir."

"Are they good at helping though? Being intelligent isn't always the best way to help."

"She does a pretty good job though," Lia smiled. She was thinking of Alice. Strange how the normally impatient girl could become so helpful when she got the chance to explain something. It was different with Rose – she tried to help, but explaining the thought process was too hard for her. It just happened. This fact connected with that fact and if you remembered that condition then obviously it worked!

Aisha's interview wasn't going quite as well. Professor Pucey, like Professor Samson, had had his experience with years of students. He had the opposite problem, however. His students tended to reach for the moon, overshoot and end up on their face. It was his duty to always provide them with a back up along with a route to their destination.

"Can you tell me why you want to work for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement?" he asked.

Aisha couldn't exactly say that it was because she had studied her history and knew full well that of all the Departments whose Head had become a Minister, it had the highest percentage, a full seventy-two percent. And she knew that she'd be a good Minister.

"Because I want to help people, and do it the right way."

"But not a Healer."

"I want to prevent things happening, not clean up after them."

"And not an Auror. Your grades are certainly good enough."

"I know that they do an important job. I know that Dark Wizards are still a real threat. But the 'small' crimes, that don't get attention in the Prophet because they're all too common. They have victims too. Why is it fair that they don't get as much help?"

"Well, Miss Siddiqui. I think you should continue to work as hard as you are in everything that you do. Take the NEWTs in which you think you will accomplish most, although Defence and Charms would probably be of most help to you."

He paused for a second, and then added. "And History of Magic might be a wise choice. It would complement the research you seem to have done independently and aid you in your rise through the ranks."

"Thank you, sir." Aisha replied, smiling automatically and taking her leave. Wondering at the same time how Professor Pucey had picked up on her ambitions when she'd done nothing to indicate them. Meanwhile, Pucey was closing his office door, wondering at the logic that had the best candidate to be Minister sitting in his office and yet the only one of the few who had any chance for the position who had said nothing of her ambitions. And whether or not she had those ambitions, she would now.

Alice had been flicking through every leaflet in the pile, wondering what on earth to say to Professor Corner when it was time for her interview.

"I haven't got a clue," she announced, as she dropped into her seat. "I know that it's terrible, but I don't know. I don't want to run my Mum and Dad's pub though, so anything that'll get me out of inheriting that."

"Which classes do you enjoy most?"

"Ooh, that's hard. See, I love my lessons because of the people who are in them, not because of the content. Apart from Defence, I suppose. We have that with the Gryffindors, who I love, even if they can be annoying about it, but I don't like that. I love Divination, too. Muggle Studies is really interesting, but I think there'd be a limit to it. I just don't get how people can function like that."

Her tone was mixed – both patronising and impressed.

"I'd prefer not to take all 'easy' subjects, too. I got sick of people hearing what my options were in Third Year and doing that little sneer? Where they're obviously thinking how pointless and simple those OWLs are."

Professor Corner didn't bother to try get a word in edgewise. Although this was his first year of giving career advice, Neville had warned him that some students were like this. They just needed somebody to talk at, to try work out what they wanted to do. Some types of people just felt uncomfortable talking with their friends for such a length of time about such a serious subject.

"I want to give up Herbology, sort of. But not really. I only want to drop it because my Dad teaches it, and that would get such a reaction. I like it though, and it fits in well with Potions, which is so fun. It's like cooking, but the stuff lasts so much longer. With cooking, I've eaten the food generally before the day is out, but with Potions you can make a potion and then, when you use it, it's like reliving the day when you made it."

Professor Corner wondered, just briefly, if Alice had forgotten he was there. Or who he was. Or perhaps, he mused, she was trying to earn brownie points by sharing his enthusiasm for Potions.

"Transfiguration would be nice. I'd love to be an Animagus. Although I'm not sure if I'd like to know what my form is. It's probably nothing attractive. But I love Charms too, and I think that's more useful, whatever I decide I want to do. Divination….I want to carry on, but I don't. I enjoy my lessons, but I don't know if there's all that more I can learn. Every now and again, they tell us something useful. But now and again are pretty rare, unfortunately."

She paused for breath, frowned and began again. "Not Astronomy. Interesting, sure, but it has a limit. Same as History of Magic. It's a lot like Muggle Studies. It's been fascinating to get that little bit of knowledge that makes me understand more, but I don't really feel desperate to get any more knowledge in those areas. I can get by now, and that's fine."

"So Potions is a definite," she summarised. "And Herbology. And Divination. Then it's Charms or Transfiguration….or both, of course. But I'm not crazy like Rose. I don't want to take five NEWTs, I'm happy with four. I like my spare time, and I've got lots to do in it. Maybe I'll toss a coin. Although really, it's just a choice between the opportunity to become an Animagus and Charms."

She fell silent to muse over it, and Professor Corner seized his opportunity to speak.

"Do you want to continue in education or leave?" he asked.

She stared at him, slightly confused. "I've just talked at you for quite a while over what NEWTs I want to take," she reminded him.

"I meant after NEWTs. There are courses at Muggle universities you can take, both magical and Muggle ones. It's only open to those with the highest grades, and those who undertake a course of Muggle Orientation, so as to ensure our secrecy, but it's an option."

"Why don't I know about this? Sir." She added, to give the illusion of politeness after she'd just basically ignored the man in his own office. That was the problem with having your father as a Professor. Although Neville was too professional to gossip about his colleagues to future students, you could pick stuff up, overhear things mentioned to wives and just get to know your professors far better than otherwise.

"It's not publicised. It's offered, much like a scholarship, to those students who we consider capable. The Ministry pays for you, you see – Muggles have to pay their way in education after eighteen, and they want to be sure that the money goes to worthy causes. Between five and ten students go every year, to one of four partner universities."

"Oh. Well, no. I don't want to be part of a mass any more, whether it's in a lecture theatre, a training centre or a classroom. I want to be an individual."

"Have you considered apprentice-ship? Most jobs take them, other than Ministry employees."

Alice mused on it for a moment, then jumped up. "Thanks for your help, sir. I think things are a lot clearer now than they were before." She left, leaving behind a sudden calm, like a hurricane or a speedboat.

Lysander arrived for his appointment and waited outside the door, building up the courage to knock. Once he did manage it, though, he wasn't disappointed.

"I don't know what I want to do," he confessed, like he was confessing to a mortal crime. Among his fellow Slytherins, maybe he was.

"It's not that unusual, Mr Scamander," Pucey assured him. "Ambition can be undirected, after all. You want to be successful – you don't know where. Am I correct?"

"Pretty much," Lysander agreed.

"If you don't know, there's always the possibility of delaying the decision. You can do courses that will guarantee you a boost into any Ministry position you might choose, so that you don't have to start at the bottom."

"Do courses? Where?"

"After the War, a proposition was put forward by many of the new members of the Wizenmagot."

Every member of Dumbledore's Army had been made a member of the Wizenmagot after the war, in an attempt to restock severely depleted numbers with youth, youth who were experienced and at the same time still idealistic.

"Partly set up for Magical and Muggle co-operation, partly to further the education of our children. Possibly to give children the opportunity to extend their youth in a way that my generation could not. The Ministry responded to the petition, and set up links with four universities in Britain. York, Durham, Oxford and Cambridge. They chose those universities with the collegiate system – it was easier to hide, that way."

Lysander listened to the explanation with growing delight. He'd just found his plan.

Rose was next, and she was looking forward to it. She wanted the help that a seasoned professional could give her, having tried her luck with all of her friends and occasionally her parents. Not as much, though. Whatever path she did go down, she didn't want them to think she wasn't 100% certain about it.

Professor Corner was the new Head of Ravenclaw, succeeding Professor Flitwick when he left last year. Many would have expected that his problem with career interviews, like Pucey's, would be determined, intelligent students with bright futures ahead of them. But in reality, brains didn't mean that you had a direction. All too often, it meant the opposite. If you were good at everything, how did you pick one?

This was exactly what Rose was saying to him now. Which was when he made the same offer that he had to Alice, with an entirely different response.

"Keep learning? And learn how to find out my own stuff along the way? Wow." Rose crossed her legs, leaning back. "That'd be perfect."

"Although your marks and your professors seem to consider you capable of following any course, I'd judge from your previous comments that you feel one of the more research-based courses to be suitable. Whether it's Spell Development, which is a mix of Defence and Charms, Transfiguration or Potions, or any of the three combined."

"I think I'd like Spell Development. Although I'd like to do some more work on how different charms work on objects."

Were this her parents with whom she was having a conversation, she would have continued into a long ramble about how she had always wondered several things – precisely what charms were on a broomstick to make it stay up, how did people enchant quills to be never-inking or self-correcting – basically, how do you imprint magic onto a perfectly ordinary object. Ron had smiled the first time he'd brought it up, and told her to ask the car. That had never made any sense to her.

Albus rushed along to Professor Longbottom's office, hoping he wasn't late. In truth, he'd forgotten all about it.

"I want to be an Auror," he said firmly.

"Why?" Professor Longbottom countered, no trace of Neville in him.

"Not because Dad's one, if that's what you think. I almost didn't want to, since I'd rather be out of his shadow. I don't really understand why. I just know that it's right."

"Gut instinct can sometimes be right." Longbottom allowed. "You, of all people, should know what's involved."

"I know I need to work on my Charms grade," Albus admitted. "But it'll get there."

Seeing the determination in Al's face, there was little Neville could do to disagree. "If you need any help, let me know. Although Victoire might be better in that department."

"I guess I might be able to lean on her," Albus agreed. "I know her weakness, after all."

"Teddy?" Neville asked, amused.

"No. Fizzing Whizbees."

Scorpius was the last. Unlike Albus, he hadn't forgotten his appointment. He'd been planning what to say for days.

"Scorpius," Neville welcomed him. "How are you?"

Scorpius knew why he was asking. In a week's time, he would be getting back on a broom for a proper match for the first time since his accident. True, he'd been to training, but the atmosphere wasn't the same.

"Fine, sir. And I'll be fine. I don't really remember anything that happened, so I expect it'll be more scary for the rest of the team."

"As long as Albus doesn't spend all of his time checking on you. The Cup's been missing from my office now for two years, and it really leaves a gap."

They both sat down. "So, any ideas?" Neville asked.

Scorpius nodded, then glanced around. He seemed almost paranoid, a rare trait in Neville's House.

"What I say won't leave this room, Professor, will it?"

"Not if you don't want it to," Neville said. That was a rare promise. Normally the Professors had to say 'not if it doesn't need to' – after all, a student could admit anything, including things that it was their Professor's duty to report.

"Only Albus knows this. And I had to swear him to secrecy too, otherwise he would have gone to his Dad, and everyone else. I didn't want to tell him. He's going to get his hopes up now that we'll be able to train together, and if I don't get in…" Scorpius grimaced. "I don't want to disappoint him. Plus, if I don't get offered a place then he will go to his Dad and everyone else, asking why."

"Don't get in...."

"To train to be an Auror, of course!"

"And why wouldn't you be offered a place, Scorpius?" Neville asked, his tone challenging.

"You know why, sir."

"I know why you think that you won't get one. And I can assure you that the Ministry does not discriminate on that basis. We're past all that now."

"Of course not," Scorpius agreed. "Officially."

"Officially or any other way," Neville retorted.

"Then why, when my mother applied for MF treatment, was she refused?"

MF, or Magical Fertilisation, had to be requested by letter, stating why you would be a fit parent. An employee of the Department of Magical Society – basically the department which covered families, child welfare, marriages, divorce and population numbers – would receive it.

"Your parents told you that?"

Scorpius barked a short laugh, the question reminiscent of one Professor Longbottom had asked him back in second year, and one which he'd been asked by other people before.

"Did your generation just not eavesdrop at all?" he asked. "There are other ways to know what's going on than to ask. And my parents are awful at noticing when other people are around."

"That was the actions of one individual," Neville stated firmly.

"Two individuals, at least. They were turned down twice. First time, it was for me. They ended up getting Muggle MF, whatever that's called. But with the exchange rate being what it was when they tried to apply the second time, they couldn't have afforded another round. Not without selling the house, and nobody would have bought it. Not to mention there'd be nothing left for me."

Scorpius didn't bring up the many other ways in which members of the wizarding community let his family know that they were not welcome, from shop assistants to members of the MLE. The Manor had more security spells on it than most bank vaults, since they couldn't count on the Ministry's support if they were robbed....or worse. All post was delivered to a secure building located a mile from the Manor, which Draco visited to sort out the important letters from the half-dozen hate letters that arrived daily, with at least one a week containing a curse that ought to be considered Dark, although the caster would no doubt never have thought of it that way.

"Regardless," Neville managed to continue, although he knew his cheeks were red. He wondered briefly how the Malfoys would react if they knew how many of their secrets Scorpius could reveal as a way to win an argument. And then the train of thought continued, to how little Scorpius managed to reveal about himself in his rants. He'd not said when Katie Bell had deliberately been dismissive to him during the first week, although she'd been professional enough to admit her conduct to Neville and remedy it. He'd not mentioned when, in third year, a group of bullies had decided to target him, although the story had eventually reached Neville's ears. He must have endured worse over the years, either directed at himself or at his parents, with him just standing by. 'How 'noble''Neville thought, memories sparked of another boy who'd said as little, when Dolores Umbridge had hurt him, whose childhood, so Neville had eventually heard from Ginny Weasley during that seventh year, had been pretty dire. (Neville being Neville, of course, he didn't remember another boy who'd never mentioned the exact reason why he lived with his grandmother and had reacted so badly to first witnessing the Cruciatus.)

Neville shook himself and brought his attention back to the here and now. "If your application arrives at the Auror office and is turned down, there'll be several of us demanding to know why. They wouldn't dare, and Harry just wouldn't. Do you really think that the man who brought up Albus and Lily would do that?"

Scorpius shrugged.

"I'll take that as a no. And back to the topic of being an Auror. Do you know what NEWTs and what grades you need?"

Scorpius nodded.

"You're currently predicted them all…..there's a training program after you leave school, that-"

"Is intensive and lasts for a few years. I know. I'm serious about this. But, also…is there an alternative I could follow at the same time? Just in case?"

The risk-taking Gryffindor seemed to have subsided for a moment in favour of sensible tactics.

"Of course. Your best bet would probably be to apply to another Ministry office…or if you'd rather avoid the Ministry, there are independent research organisations, Healers, Muggle liasons, family liasons. Your highest marks are in Defence Against the Dark Arts. Hit-wizard, or personal security?"

"What about Arithmancer?" Scorpius asked tentatively. He'd found that he'd enjoyed the subject immensely since taking it up, even if Rose did beat him in every aspect.

"That's certainly an option. I wouldn't recommend applying to Gringotts as a back-up though. Goblins can hold a grudge if you then turn them down…"

As Scorpius left, Neville blurted out the question he'd wanting to ask.

"Did you want a sibling?"

Scorpius only shrugged.

"Great time for him to discover his emotion-masking Slytherin roots," Neville thought.

By the end of the week, the students were still in the midst of their revision. But for some of them, they'd been given a new purpose for it. Not that it made any difference to their enjoyment of the task.

Chapter title: Suddenly I See, by KT Tunstall.

OWLs next! Shudder!

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