36. Careers, Crimes, and Company

"Please, Miss Ashford, take a seat," McGonagall greeted as Mora stepped into the Professor's office.

Mora nodded as she sat uneasily in the seat in front of the desk. A light spring breeze swept through the room, reminding Mora of the two short months she had left at Hogwarts. It seemed it was only yesterday she literally landed in the school, a complete stranger to the castle and all the insanity that lie inside it. Mora had very scarce memories of what her homes were like, but she knew Hogwarts had to be one of them.

In two short months, Mora would be thrown from the safety of her dear Hogwarts, out into the world awaiting her and the rest of her peers. She did not have the slightest idea what she would do once she was on her own. Mora had no family to fall back on and not even a single knut to her name. Mora knew her life was bound to end the moment she stepped outside of Hogwarts.

But I guess that's what today is for...Mora thought. Career counseling, looking off into the great future and what not.

Mora never imagined what career she wanted to pursue when she graduated. She always seemed to be preoccupied with other thoughts, like "So when is my ex-boyfriend going to find out I'm alive so he can blow my brains out?" or "When will I go all tempari-voodoo and end up in the twilight zone?" Mora never pictured herself with a normal job, with working hours and paychecks, probably because she did not expect to survive in hiding this long.

But here she was, alive, healthy, and her identity remained a secret. And now she had to face the next endeavor the world had to offer her: growing up.

"I usually speak to students for the first time in fifth year before their OWLS exams," McGonagall began, "Since we never had that opportunity, this is our first time to talk about what you plan to do once you leave Hogwarts."

Thanks for reminding me that I'm officially screwed... Mora groaned inwardly.

"Now, do you have any ideas of what career field you wish to pursue?" the professor asked.

"Well, er..." Mora stammered, "I haven't really decided on one, so...I love potions, something in that area -"

"Well then," McGonagall said as she flipped open a file before her with the "Ashford, M." scribbled over it, "You certainly have a true talent for the subject..."

So what? I should be some sort of potions-woman-thingie?

McGonagall shuffled through a few more sheets in the folder. "Yes, Professor Slughorn is very fond of you. Have you ever considered becoming a healer?"

"No, not really," Mora confessed.

"You meet all the requirements, Potions, Charms, Transfiguration, Herbology, all you need is to receive an E or higher on your NEWTs, which should not be a problem for a student of your capabilities." McGonagall handed Mora a thick pamphlet as she said, "There are many different areas of healing. You would start at an internship, I highly suggest at St. Mungo's, the have the best training program. Take a look at this, and if you feel healing is not your calling, come back."

"Thank you, Professor," Mora said as she hurried out of the office. Great, so now I have a calling? All I need now is to go on some epic quest for the good of mankind and I can die happy. Mora smiled as she walked down the corridor.

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"So this is where you lot have been..." Mora sighed as she strolled the grounds, spotting Lily, Sirius, and Reamus beneath the large willow tree. She threw her bookbag from her shoulder and plopped down beside Reamus, letting out a sigh of exhaustion. "Where are the others?"

"Emmeline's taking her test for charms," Lily said. "I told her she shouldn't have waited till the last minute to start studying..."

"Prongs and Wormtail are serving out their sentences," Sirius said, stretched out on his stomach across the grass.

"What they do this time?" Mora said, "That's the third time James as been locked up this week..."

"Was this for doubling the size of Bertram's egg head?" Lily asked, "Or when all four of you transfigured Slytherins dinner into plastic?"

"No, I thought it was slime avalanche in the dungeons," Reamus said, resting against the trunk of the tree.

"And the winner is," Sirius announced as he propped his head up with his arms, "Slime a la Slytherin."

"Oh yeah, I forgot you're the one who got busted for the plastic cuisine," Mora recalled.

"And I only got two detentions for that," Sirius bragged, "Those two have to scrape up every bit of goop out of that corridor, and it was pretty scummy before the prank..."

"Why do you four always do that to each other?" Lily asked as she plucked a weed out from the ground, dangling from her palm. "Let one or two take the fall for what you all did."

"Because, Miss Evans," Sirius said, leaning up to face her, "If all four of us served for our crimes each time, who would be out here, causing more mayhem?"

"Uggg," Lily moaned, tossing the weed at Sirius' head.

"How was your quality time with McGonagall?" Reamus asked Mora.

"Just peachy," Mora smiled, "She actually gave me some good ideas."

"And our dear Mora will be the next star..." Sirius began, eyeing the pamphlet in Mora's grasp. "Healer?"

"Yup," Mora said, "It actually makes sense, I can't believe I never thought of it before."

Lily squealed. Reaching over Reamus, she grabbed her bookbag, digging out a pamphlet identical to Mora's. "I got one two! Still, I haven't decided between healing, or code breaking, or being an unspeakable, but we could be work buddies!"

"Run now, Mora," Reamus joked, "Before she buys matching scrubs."

"And what do you plan on doing after Hogwarts, Reamus?" Lily asked, placing her pamphlet back into her bag.

"Well, nothing's certain yet," Reamus started, grinning with enthusiasm, "But I applied for a spot with the ACE, and they must like something about me, since they asked me for an interview for next week."

"Reamus that's amazing!" Lily said excitedly.

"Not to rain on your parade, Moony...what's a ace?" Sirius asked.

"Advocates for Creature Equality," Lily explained, "The most influential organization working for magical creature rights."

"That's perfect for you!" Mora said, "Congratulations, Reamus."

"I don't know if I've got the job yet, guys," Reamus said, "But if I do, there's an entire employee confidentiality, which means I have to tell my boss my furry little problem, but they are required to keep it confidential if I ask them too."

Mora beamed as she watched Reamus glow from his near accomplishment. She knew Reamus was not ready to be publicly outted as a werewolf. Life would become exceedingly difficult for Reamus being branded as outcast. He had no reason to be ashamed; Reamus had no control over what happened to him. But in the world they now lived in, where people were murdered everyday for being different or impure, Reamus needed to protect himself. But working at ACE could help Reamus reach out to others who lived with the same fear he did. It gave Reamus the chance to make a difference for others who lived with his pain, his condition, his life. Not only werewolves, but so many other people and creatures alike who lived in the same oppression.

Reamus was truly a noble person. Mora knew the world would never be perfect. There would always be prejudice, there would always be closed minded, ignorant people whose self proclaimed purpose is to "put others in their place." Mora knew Reamus understood that too. But that could not stop Reamus from wanting to help make the world a little brighter for others who were thrown into the shadows.

Just like me...Mora thought.

Mora realized she wanted to be a healer for the same reason Reamus needed to be at ACE. Mora lived with one of the most unknown and incurable conditions known to wizards. Hardly anyone remembered what a Temparious was, and no modern medicine could ever help Mora live with it. All she could do was sit and wait to be pulled into a new dimension, stolen away from the new life she fought so hard to hold on to. Mora knew there was most likely no chance in the world she would ever meet another Temparious, but millions of people lived with medical problems.

Millions of people died from magical illnesses, some because they had no medicine or no cure available. Mora knew what it was like to live with that helplessness. She had been in the hospital wing a few too many times for comfort. Mora remembered the list of pleasant little side effects for her condition, like internal bleeding, suffocation of the lungs, and heart failure, all of which could kill Mora very easily. And there was also her not-remembering-her-entire-childhood-and-family situation. Mora knew some many people suffered from symptoms even worse than her own, and it grieved her to think so many died without hope.

Mora knew she had to do something than just sit and hide for the rest of her life, or whatever time she had left before she had another tempari. If she could help one person live a little longer or happier, it was all that mattered.

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Mora shoveled the letter back into her pocket, still puzzled over its purpose. Your presence is requested at a meeting on the fifth of May in the Headmaster's office at precisely ten o'clock in the evening.

Her presence was requested? It must have been Dumbledore who sent the letter, why else would this meeting be in his office? But why would Mora be called to speak with Dumbledore late one Tuesday evening? It seemed completely random, yet the vagueness of the letter irritated Mora. She had no idea why her presence was requested, after all, she couldn't be in any sort of trouble, right?

The letters had arrived earlier that morning. Mora's had been beside her bed on her nightstand when she awoke. Lily and Emmeline also received letters, each addressed to them personally. Yet the other three Gryffindors in their room did not, which meant this meeting was exclusive.

At breakfast, Mora found out all four Marauders also received letters. "Maybe their dumping all seven of us at once," Sirius had said, "And right before graduation too. Figured they'd do it eventually."

Of course, Lily was distraught over it all day, convinced they were all about to be expelled. But Mora did not honestly believe they received these letters just so they could be reprimanded. After all, the Marauders hadn't pulled a stunt worthy of expulsion since March. There was too much secrecy around this meeting, and the letter indicated this meeting was not to be discussed with anyone not attending. Why would there be so much security around this meeting?

And even more questions consumed Mora's mind throughout the morning. Was anyone else invited to this meeting? Were they Gryffindors? Were they seventh years? Would it just be Dumbledore there, or would other staff members be present? Mora puzzled over her ideas throughout her classes, simply drooling over her blank charms notes as she mindlessly sat through the lecture.

Mora sighed. She didn't want to obsess over this letter like Lily was, but she didn't want to simply blow it off like James was. Waiting for either our execution or something more, Mora thought to herself, I guess I just have to wait and see.