Careers Day 1996
Thanks be to JKR, for letting us play in her sandbox.
AN: I don't speak nowt but English. All foreign languages are google translated.
Minerva McGonagall, et al.
Minerva McGonagall office. Late afternoon.
Gregory Goyle sat down.
"Mister Goyle. Have you any idea of a career." asked Professor McGonagall.
"Dunno" said Goyle.
Minerva sighed "Well, Can you join you father's business?"
Goyle's forehead furrowed "Work wif my dad?"
"Yes" said Professor McGonagall.
"Dad says I'm too little" said Goyle, hulking in the chair.
"Is there anything you might like to do?"
"I… I'd like to compose music" said Goyle.
"Music?" asked Professor McGonagall, voice cracking.
"Yeah. I like music." said Goyle.
Minerva McGonagall blinked. "Have you any training in music, Gregory?"
"Jus tutors. I can sort of play the harpsichord, and the recorder" said Goyle.
"The harpsichord?"
"It's tinkly innit" said Goyle. "It's nice"
"Well, best of luck" said Professor McGonagall.
Gregory left the room, to be collected by his best friend, Vincent Crabbe.
They lurched off "Did she buy it" asked Crabbe.
"Yeah. Finks I like Harpsichord, just like mum" said Goyle.
"Draco says our band is gonna be bigger than the Weird Sisters" said Crabbe.
Goyle nodded. Just a few more years, then everyone would see.
They slouched along towards the dungeons, smaller children running to avoid getting into the reach of Slytherin's bruisers.
"We gonna get guitars soon?" asked Goyle.
"Draco says next year. His father will buy us all the instruments, but Potter has to die first." said Vince.
"Fucking Potter" said Gregory. "He ruins everything"
-==0==-
Careers Day 1998
Just after lunch.
A flustered Susan Bones enters Professor McGonagall's office.
"Professor" says Susan, sitting down.
"Miss Bones" said Professor McGonagall.
"Sorry I'm late" said Susan.
"Late?" asked Professor McGonagall.
"You did say after lunch" said Susan, looking at the floor.
"It is, just after lunch" said Minerva. "Now, have you any ideas of a Career?"
"Auror office" said Susan bluntly, looking up at Minerva McGonagall, blue eyes watering. "I'm going to the Auror office."
"Ahem" said Professor McGonagall. "Is this something you want to do, or do you fell pressured into it?"
"They killed my Aunt. They're all going to Azkaban, or through the veil" said Susan, her hands white knuckled fists.
"Your grades in potions are, how do I say this, not up to the Auror standards" said Minerva kindly.
"I'm re-sitting after summer. Along with DADA. I've got a couple of Aunties old friends to tutor me." said Susan. "I can do this, I'm not some weak little girl"
"Miss Bones, while your…. Colleagues in Hufflepuff may have concealed Most of your escapades, do not for a second think that as Headmistress I am not aware of your, Hobby of exploring cursed vaults"
"There's no proof I did that" said Susan.
"Yes, Mister Macmillan is very good at cleaning charms." said Minerva.
Susan blinked "You knew?"
"About you and the Hufflepuff three. Yes. Headmaster Dumbledore told me in nineteen ninety two" said Minerva.
"But… we didn't get detentions" said Susan.
"It would hardly be fair to let Harry and co rampage about and not let your four, who were remarkably discreet, continue to have adventures." said Professor McGonagall.
"We never did anything like Harry's crew" said Susan.
"Yes, your team kept Out of the hospital wing. Now that you're not going to be here much longer, I can say, well done. Unofficially, of course"
"Professor McGonagall" asked Susan, who'd straightened up.
"Yes?"
"Why didn't you join the Aurors.. after … after they wiped out your family?" Susan asked.
Professor McGonagall looked down over her glasses at Susan "Unlike my late Husband, I am a schoolteacher, not an Auror. I have always wanted to teach, and thought I could do more good here." said Professor McGonagall.
The Professor took a deep breath and exhaled . "As we are asking personal questions, are you sure you want to follow in your aunts shoes?"
Susan bit her lip "Fifteen" she said. "When I was born, there were fifteen of us in the Bones family. Now, there's just me. Harry bloody Potter has his Godfather, who he hardly knew die, and sulks for a year. My aunt died and only Hufflepuff cared. I'm going to the Aurors, then I'm going to run the DMLE, then I'm going to put every last one of those bastards in Azkaban."
"Perhaps, Miss Bones, you might instead join the DMLE, as a prosecutor. You will start putting… those bastards in Azkaban much sooner." said Minerva McGonagall.
"A prosecutor?" asked Susan.
"I might not be an Auror, Miss Bones, but I spent the last twenty years in an illegal vigilante group. Kingsley Shacklebolt, and we go back along way, if you understand me, needs Prosecutors. People who can follow the law, and not make mistakes. The sort of people who can have adventures for seven years and never get caught." said Professor McGonagall.
"You.. you were in the order of the Phoenix?" said Susan, surprised.
"Not an Auror, miss Bones. We just… collected information, and raided when we could" said Professor McGonagall, proudly.
"And you'd forward that information to me?" asked Susan.
"As a Headmistress, I might write letters to a particularly well behaved former student" said Professor McGonagall, with a raised eyebrow.
"Oh Professor, than you so much" said Susan, a grim smile on her face.
"What are Your trio going to be doing?" asked Headmistress McGonagall.
"Oh they'll be along soon" said Susan.
Hannah Abbott, her hair in pigtails, her lipstick a little smeared sat down, and put her hands on her lap.
"Miss Abbot. Have you any particular ideas for a Post-Hogwarts career? Perhaps a curse-breaker at Gringotts, or a freelance tomb raider?" said Professor McGonagall.
Hannah looked momentarily surprised. "Actually" said Hannah, "I'm.. looking for a quieter life. What with this last year, and the battle… I think I'd like a quiet life." she said.
"And how does Mister Longbottom factor into that quieter life?" asked Professor McGonagall, tilting her head.
Hannah blushed. "We're getting engaged." she said.
"So are you planning to retreat into Longbottom Manor?"
"Oh that would be a bit boring. I'm thinking about managing a pub" said Hannah. "Sort of halfway between too exiting and too boring"
"Drunks, fights, attempted robberies?" said Professor McGonagall, stiffly "Hardly a quiet life"
"Compared with Hogwarts, it's be a vacation" said Hannah, her lips twisting.
Headmistress McGonagall rolled her eyes "The last few years have been an aberration" she said.
"Well, I figure I can get a job running a bar easily, what with… the war" said Hannah.
"So Hogwarts, in seven years has not installed any education in you?"
"Well, I can cut a troll down with two spells, so I've got that going for me, which is nice" said Hannah, a wide smile on her face.
"Does Mister Longbottom know about your trio and you little… adventures?" asked Professor McGonagall.
"Why, Headmistress, what a personal question. Ernie and Justin have always ensured we operated most discreetly, and the cursed vaults were all already explored when we found them. All the Really dangerous bits were gone already, unlike say, murderous Defence Professors, giant snakes and so on" said Hannah, and she smiled. "It was fun, but not too dangerous. Tiding up after Susan was much harder."
"I have already discussed this with Miss Bones" said the Headmistress sourly.
"Well, we're just little old hufflepuffs" said Susan. "And I'm happy not to be one of Harry's trio. Their adventures were just awful"
"That will be all, Miss Abbott, said the Headmistress, shaking her head.
Ernie Macmillan sat down soon after the departure of Hannah Abbott.
"Mister Macmillan, have you any aspiration for a post-Hogwarts Career?"
"Well, I do like potions, so I was thinking about getting into potions manufacturing" said Ernie.
"Yes, Mister Macmillan. Your OWL was rather good, and I hear your NEWT practical was first class" said Professor McGonagall.
Ernie nodded.
"And you've got the desire to have adventures out of your system?" asked Professor McGonagall.
"Well, what with the war, I'm quite prepared to just go to the lab and make potions" said Ernie bluntly.
"With a crup, a wife and two children?" said Professor McGonagall, smiling.
"Perhaps not in that order" said Ernie, pursing his lips.
"Your Uncle isn't going to make you the heir so you can have a quiet life" said Professor McGonagall.
"Professor, I understand that you want to get me to react, to show my true motivations, but. I really would just like to make potions." said Ernie simply.
"Have you heard from Mister Finch-Fletchly?" asked Professor McGonagall.
"Justin and his family have returned from France, and are restarting their lives in the UK" said Ernie.
"Is Mister Finch-Fletchly coming back to sit his seventh year?" asked Professor McGonagall.
"I believe they hired tutors, and Justin sat his exams in Paris." said Ernie. "It was good to know one of my friends was safe"
Professor McGonagall nodded "He was missed."
"We all missed him" said Ernie. "But he was safer there"
"That will be all Mister Macmillan" said Professor McGonagall.
Ernie got up and got halfway across the room before turning "We didn't do it, whatever people said" Ernie said.
Headmistress McGonagall's lips twitched "Mister Macmillan, Did I imply that you, Hannah and Ernie did anything wrong, like explore the cursed vaults?"
"Well, you did mention it to Han" said Ernie.
"And she admitted you two were good at cover-ups. I do hope Mister Finch-Fletchly does not turn to a life of crime"
Ernie snorted "There's little risk of that, Headmistress. His Father's a peer" said Ernie and left.
Headmistress McGonagall blinked. That was news to her.