I...HAVE...A...NIBLING! I'm so excited, and in honor of the birth, I'm giving you a new chapter. Hope you like it!
All rights retained by those who own them.
Career Day
April 8th, 1994
5th year
Leilani slipped into Greenhouse 3 and took up a stool across from Professor Sprout. She was nervous, not that there was any reason to be nervous; after all it wasn't like this meeting decided what she was going to do with the rest of her life or anything... except, well, it kind of did.
"Well Leilani, 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," Professor Sprout said, plunking a bowl of Screechsnap seeds in front of Leili. "Go ahead and plant these if you're nervous. Sometimes it helps to work and talk, I find. Now, have you had any thoughts about what you would like to do after you leave Hogwarts?"
"Um," she said, as she gently planted the little red seeds. Professor Sprout said nothing, merely continued to harvest seeds and wait for Leili to answer. "Well, there are two things I've sort've been thinking about. One of them is to open a tutoring business for Hogwarts kids where they can come and get a little help with their homework or help studying for tests. I thought that might be kinda fun."
"You wouldn't want to be a teacher?" Professor Sprout asked.
"Not really, plus...I don't really think I'm all that...qualified," Leili replied, her voice dropping as she neared the end of the sentence.
"I think you'd make a wonderful teacher, Leilani." Leili shrugged, the praise was nice but she didn't feel she really deserved it. "And what was your other idea?"
Leili took a deep breath and said very quietly and very quickly, "IthinkI'dliketogointowandcraft."
Professor Sprout blinked as she tried to work out what Leili had just said. "...You'd like to go into wandcraft?" Leili nodded. "That's a wonderful idea, dear."
"But see, I don't know that much about it and I'm really finicky about things like this. I mean, two years ago I had my heart set on becoming a dolphin trainer! But… I really like the looks on kids faces when their wand chooses them, especially the muggleborns, it's just like this whole thing suddenly becomes real and amazing and brilliant and I really like wands, I mean you have a stick and a bit of dragon or unicorn or phoenix or whatever and you put them together and they do magic. I think that's really kind of amazing."
Leili had unconsciously stopped planting by now and was using her hands to emphasize as she talked, which she did fairly rapidly and as a result she had also stopped breathing regularly.
"But I'd also like to do the tutoring business thing because the most business a wand maker gets is going to be around September when all the kids come in to buy their wands and while the rest of the year will see some people coming in because of a broken or dying wand I can't imagine it'll be that much or that often. But with the tutoring business I can help the kids here figure out how to enjoy subjects like potions or charms or Herbology-Divination is out though, I do not understand one tea leaf of divination-and I think that would be kinda fun."
"You've put quite a lot of thought into this, haven't you?"
Leili shrugged, "I'm a researcher. Plus, it's interesting."
"Well, for wandcraft you'll need top marks in Care of Magical creatures, Charms, Herbology-to teach you how to discern magical plants from non, of course-you'll need a proficiency in Transfiguration, you'll benefit from Alchemy, they go into the transmutation of substances, and a Magical theory class. You may also want to consider a drawing class."
"Drawing? Why?"
"To help you create the wand's appearance, of course."
"Oh, yeah, that makes sense."
"You'll also need an apprenticeship with a wandmaker. It usually lasts about a year but you may find that your mentor has more to teach you than can be taught in a year."
"I don't suppose Ollivander would take me," Leili said, half hoping, half scoffing.
"It's very unlikely, but it could be possible; if you impress him. He doesn't have any children of his own you know; he may be looking for someone to take over the business when he retires."
"I'll talk to him."
Jo was next and the conversation started very much the same way, with a bowl of screechsnap seeds and Professor Sprout's patient ear.
"I want to help people," Jo said after a moment. Her hands were in the bowl but she wasn't planting the seeds, just running her fingers through them. "But I'm also really interested in Magizoology, I'd like to help animals, too. …I don't suppose there's a job where I can do both?"
"Well, there are Aurors who dabble in specialized branches of Magizoology, it's not common but it has happened. Do you have a favorite creature?"
Jo sat in thought a long time, "Do I have to pick one?" she asked eventually.
"No, you can go into a more generalized branch, if you want."
Jo was quiet again, while Professor Sprout dug up the recommended class list. Then, "Bowtruckles. Wild Bowtruckles are vicious little beasties; I like that. But I think I want to do more general Magizoology, I'd like to work with all magical animals, not just Bowtruckles."
"Alright then, for a career in the Auror Magizoology department, you'll need "Exceeds Expectations" or better in Care of Magical Creatures, Potions, Transfiguration, Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts and Herbology. It's rather the same as regular Auror classes, the real difference will lie in how they train you when you've been accepted. This will not be easy, you understand? The Auror department takes only the best, those working with beasts even more so."
"I can do it."
"That's the spirit! You'll share some classes with Leilani, which I'm sure you'll both appreciate; no one likes to tread difficult paths alone."
Dismissed, Jo hurried back to the common room to compare schedules and notes with Leili. They were pleased to see they'd be sharing five classes, since Jo decided to also take a drawing class, to help her draw maps and really visualize things, a good idea for both Auror and Magizooloist training.