Chapter Twenty Five
Sunshine streamed through Danica's window at Hogwarts, waking her not so gently as her dorm mate Elizabeth threw the curtains open.
"Thanks." Danica grumbled, reaching, and failing to grab, the curtains around her bed.
Elizabeth smirked a smile, "About time you were up anyway, lazy bones."
"It's not that early is it?" Danica grumbled.
"Well you've missed breakfast." Elizabeth told her, "I smuggled you out some toast, although Professor Flitwick nearly bit my head off for doing so."
Danica took the offered toast, thickly spread with butter and blueberry jam and thanked her, "Can't believe I slept so long."
"You did get in at past two in the morning." Elizabeth laughed, starting to pack her bag for the coming school day, "Possibly explains why half past eight feels so early for you."
Danica shrugged, munching quickly on her toast. She had gotten in far too late last night, but she had been massively enjoying herself at the wedding and hadn't wanted to leave.
She finished her toast, washing it down with the rather cold tea Elizabeth had also brought her, before jumping up out of bed.
There was a small jug filled with cold water, that sat in a bowl by each of their beds. The soap that it had with it smelt pleasantly of lemon and lavender, and the flannel and towel were soft, it slightly made up for the coldness of the water.
Danica, along with all the other girls, avoided using them to wash whenever they could but she was sticky with sweat from the dancing last night and she didn't have time to go down to the bathrooms for a proper shower.
She scrubbed herself clean before pulling on her fresh school uniform.
"Where the bloody hell has my tie gone?" she mumbled to herself, doing up the front of her pinafore and shoving her feet into her shoes.
"You're in a hurry all of a sudden." Elizabeth remarked, taking her hair down from it's plait, letting it fall softly down her back.
"I've got my future careers meeting this morning at quarter too." Danica told her, finding her tie stuffed at the bottom of her trunk, "Wish me luck with the stairs."
"Good luck." Elizabeth told her, opening the door for her and allowing Danica to dive out first.
It was exactly quarter too nine when Danica slid into the chair waiting outside Professor Sprout's office.
The portly witch opened the door, showing out Daniel who smiled to Danica on his way past.
"Miss Snape, in you come." Professor Sprout told her.
She had a small smudge of dirt of her face, clearly she'd been out in the gardens or greenhouses already this morning.
Professor Sprout settled herself behind her desk while Danica did the same on the other side.
"How are you this morning?" Professor Sprout beamed over the piles of papers, as well as several potted plants, "I didn't see you at breakfast."
"I'm fine." Danica smiled, "I was just up late late night."
"Ah yes of course. How was the wedding?" Professor Sprout asked.
Danica smiled, "It was wonderful." she said truthfully, "Corvus and Thomas looked so happy with one another. They had their first dance out in the gardens after dinner and… it was like the whole world didn't matter to them anymore, they had one another."
"Aww that's so lovely." Professor Sprout said, dabbing her eyes with her slightly stained handkerchief, "I'm glad it went well, they deserve it."
Danica nodded in agreement.
"So, what sort of future do you see yourself having?" Professor Sprout asked her, "I see you have several excellent test results in a row now, you should have wonderful marks in your O. . Assuming you continue to study hard."
"I will." Danica promised, "The path I want to take is… demanding."
"I'm not surprised there." Professor Sprout chuckled, "Your parents are both very accomplished. Professor Snape especially. How's Harry doing?"
"He's doing really well." Danica told her, "He's going to be a daddy soon. Cho is pregnant, very pregnant at this point, less than a month to go. They're so happy, living on the Potter estate. Harry's done loads of work on it, getting it all done up. It's beautiful there. I miss Grimmauld Place sometimes but… but it really feel like home now, out in the middle of the countryside."
"I'm so glad to hear that lass." Professor Sprout smiled, "You had such a rough start of it. You deserve some happiness. Now, what's these future career plans?"
"I would like to join the cloud fairy liaison and education program." Danica said confidently.
Professor Sprout nodded slowly, clearly taking a moment to think over the new information.
"I know it's difficult to get in to…" Danica said, a dreadful sinking feeling washing over her, she was sure that any minute Professor Sprout was going to burst out laughing and tell she was chasing an impossible dream.
"Difficult is one word for it." Professor Sprout nodded, "You're aware they only take two students a year, at very most?"
"I am." Danica nodded.
"May I ask, what made you look into such a… specific education path?" Professor Sprout asked.
Danica chewed her lip, wondering how best to put her desire to work with the cloud fairies, without sounding like a crazy person, "During the war, right at the end, after I'd been hurt and after Luca was born. Mum sent me away with Aunt Tonks and Uncle Remus. She knew that a big battle was coming up and that she wasn't going to be able to keep me safe anymore, but Uncle Remus could. She sent us to America and we had to go on an aeroplane, which is a muggle thing that is… is like a giant carriage that flies through the air with wings that don't move."
Professor Sprout gave her a kind laugh, "Yes, I know what an aeroplane is. I was luck enough to go on one myself once. I is a truly magical experience. But I only went a few hundred miles, not at all as far as America. You must have been scared."
"I was." Danica shrugged, "Mum had explained that, although we didn't know if we were ever going to see one another again, I wasn't allowed to cry because if they thought something was wrong at the airport, they would stop us from travelling. But when we finally got up into the air, and my ears adjusted from popping so much, I looked down at the clouds and I just knew that there must be fairies that lived down there. I couldn't see anything of them but… but I knew it was a whole other world. I promised myself I would look it up, and I did, and once I knew I was right, that there is such a thing as cloud fairies, I knew I had to work with them."
"That's a really lovely tale." Professor Sprout smiled, "And I'll certainly help you in anyway you can. Let me just have a look over here…"
Professor Sprout stood up and wondered over to where there was a large filling cabinet. Pulling open the top draw she ripped up an already very torn piece of paper and scribbled something on it, dropping it into the seemingly empty draw.
There was a rustle of paper and she reached in, grabbing several rather glossy looking brochures.
"These should be of some use to you." Professor Sprout told her confidently, "They have all the information on the Cloud Fairy program… let's have a look…"
Danica waited patiently while Professor Sprout scanned her eyes over the information pamphlets. She was feeling far more confident about all of her hopes and dreams now that Professor Sprout hadn't simply laughed her out the room.
"You're going to need nearly perfect grades. They will accept, at most, one Exceeds Expectations, all your other grades must be an Outstanding. You will need the same for your O. … You will need to do… umm… five N.E. ." Professor Sprout told her, still looking over the brochure, "It's certainly a tall order, but I have high hopes for you. You're a bright girl."
Danica smiled, blushing slightly, "Thank you Professor. I really want this, I'm going to work my arse off, if you'll excuse my language."
Professor Sprout chuckled to herself, "I will, this time and this time only. Do you have any other ideas for your after school life?"
Danica chewed her lip again, thinking, "Honestly? Not really. I… this is what I want to do. It's all I want to do."
Professor Sprout nodded understandingly, "I see. Well let me give you a few more leaflets…"
She stood up, and once again scribbled on a bit of parchment, throwing it into the filling cabinet draw. There was another rustle of paper and Professor Sprout returned to the desk, handing over a much larger stack of brochures to Danica.
"Now, there aren't any in-depth options here." Professor Sprout told her, "They're just options that I think may be a good fit for you. If there is anything you want more information on, just pop back any time and I'll pull up some more details for you. If I'm not here, I'll be out at the gardens or greenhouses." she smiled.
Danica returned the smile and stood up, shoving all the leaflets into her bag and shaking Professor Sprout's hand, "Thank you for all your help Professor."
"No problem at all." Professor Sprout told her honestly, "You have a very bright future Miss Snape. Now run off to class, and apologise to Professor Slughorn for me for keeping you so long."
Danica thanked her again before rushing off to class. The dungeon was never going to be massively cheery, it was a dungeon after all. However Professor Slughorn had been back long enough that the walls had all been freshly decorated by thick tapestries, and had had far more lights fitted so it wasn't as gloomy has it had once been.
"Ah Miss Snape, I was wondering when you would be joining us." Professor Slughorn said cheerily, "You had a good meeting I hope?"
"Yes Professor Slughorn, and Professor Sprout asked me to apologise for keeping me so long." Danica said, sliding into her seat next to Beatrice.
"No worries my dear." Slughorn said, waving his hand dismissively, "I'm sure that you can catch up. Today we're working on a simple laughing potion. Instructions are on page fifty four of your textbook."
Danica quickly pulled out her textbook and flipped it open to the correct page. She held the book open with her note book and flicked her wand, lighting a small flame under her cauldron and beginning to chop her mandrake root while the spring water, gathered a minute after midnight on a full moon, began to boil.
Professor Slughorn was correct, and Danica soon caught up with the rest of the class. Beatrice helping her along while her own potions simmered, slowly turning from it's soft, dark blue colour to a pleasing pink hue. Once complete it looked a lot like a thick strawberry milkshake.
Danica gave her potion a final stir before leaving it to simmer. It needed keeping a close eye on, cooking for more than a minute or so too much and it would turn green, lumpy and be completely useless.
She kept an eye on the potion while also pulling out the leaflets that Professor Sprout had given here.
"What have you got?" Beatrice asked, checking on the colour of her own potion.
"Career and training course options." Danica told her.
"I thought you were going to work with the Cloud Fairies?" Beatrice said.
Danica nodded, "I am, or at least I hope so. But I think Professor Sprout wants me to have some back up options. Which is fair."
She looked over the options Professor Sprout had thought would be a good fit for her.
Potions Master was an obvious choice. Danica had a quick flip through the brochure but knew what the role entailed as both her parents had been registered as Potion Masters. Severus's registration was even still up to date.
There was no denying she had picked up on the family talent when it came to potions, but it just wasn't where her heart lay, not in the same way it did for her mother or father.
She'd also suggested Ministry work, including becoming an Auror or working in the Magical Creature department.
Nothing really caught her interest.
Danica watched her laughing potion turn to a pretty pink and blew out the flame. Quickly cooling the cauldron before pouring two vials of the potion and labelling them neatly.
She shoved the leaflets into her bag and placed the potions on Professor Slughorn's desk. Happily thinking of her future, which she clearly saw working with the elusive Cloud Fairies.