Divining the Future // Hogwarts Career Day

Toby actually believed that the woman could decide to harm him any moment. In his mind he was just one step ahead. Attack was the best defense, or so he believed. The boy had always acted on instinct before reasoning if his actions were right or smart. It was something that stuck with him from the year where he had to survive on the streets as a twelve year old. People would take him in only to cast him away when they found out what he was. In the end he no longer was sweet, curious and open. He’d closed himself off and did what seemed to work: scare people away before they could get close enough to hurt him.

The more time spend the more he realized that what he was doing was wrong. He was in Hogwarts for Merlin’s sake! This exact action had got him kicked out the orphanage. Where he had threatened a nanny after finding out they were just keeping him for the sake of teaching other children. Most people who lived there were scared of him but none dared to say a word. Tobias easily snapped when it came to his condition and what it’d cost him in his young life. Perhaps a part of him had believed that if he’d hurt and scare this woman that his losses would be justified. He wanted something or someone to blame or he’d turn all the anger and sorrow to himself which would eventually eat him away.

The woman’s voice was different it had cracked and seemed to tremble a little. He’d said all those awful things in the hopes to be left alone but instead she stayed to explain herself. Tobias narrowed his eyes, this woman was only trying to confuse him. And she partly succeeded. What did she mean? It was her bloody department if anyone would have something to say it was her. If she really was that much against it she’d have quit her job. But it seemed that money was more important that what she claimed were her ideals. He wanted to yell and tell her to shut up when another person approached him. Just then he started to realize he was causing a scene and about anyone could see this.

Toby scoffed at the man who called him a coward. “I doubt she doesn’t have any tricks up her sleeve.” It was typically something for the ministry to hit someone in the back. The boys from the streets had told him all about the two faced ministry. And he was sure a grown up witch could handle herself against a boy who was still in progress of mastering magic. However the man was not wrong; Tobias was a coward he was scared of about everything. He’d only been part of this magical world for five years and there was still so much he didn’t know. It had been a rollercoaster. It started off as a happy adventure of going to a magic school. However that happy adventure turned soon in a nightmare.
Blue eyes turned down to the ground he started to feel embarrassed and regretful. He’d once again acted like an animal instead of a thinking human being. His emotions and instincts were in control of his mind. For some time he was heading the right direction and then August happened. He didn’t dare to look up. Toby was disappointed in himself but still he couldn’t find the courage to apologize. The boy chewed the inside of his mouth. What he’d give to disapparate towards his dorm and lock himself in for a good few hours…

Then the man spoke again and Tobias blinked up. “Ehh?” He hadn’t expected to be treated with kindness after his rude and improper behavior. “I-I’ve never played Quidditch,” he mumbled as if he were confessing a sin. His face was still pale from before but his cheeks were red. Despite how much fun it seemed and how eager he was to try it out, Tobias had never gotten the chance. “Sir… please don’t tell-” Speaking of the devil. A shiver went down his spine when he heard that voice call his name. McGonagall may not be the devil but she was as terrifying. “Please don’t call me that,” he whispered almost pleaded. Toby hated being called by his parents’ name. It always came like a slap in the face,

Oh crap… Oh shit. This couldn’t mean any good. Judging by what happened only a month ago, he was almost certain she was going to expel him. Everything was over. Damn why did that woman have to go after him? If he had managed to get away none of this would have happened. His face returned into a frown but due to the scolding. The boy altered his gaze to his shoes and bit his lip. “You could have told me she’d come,” he mumbled. Perhaps there had been an announcement but he’d missed it. Even then he had no friends who would have informed him so he was stuck where he was. Tobias was someone who acted first and thought when it was done. And his outbursts were always quite intense and often with violence. If he had this information beforehand he could have mentally prepared himself or have decided not to come. Some things, events or people could trigger tantrum within the boy. He tried to flee this time so nobody would get hurt but he hadn’t made it with all the results being clear.

He sighed and mumbled a "Yes, ma'm." But he wasn't quite sure if it would be wise to stay. It was easier to run away rather than face a crowd after doing something like this.

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I let myself go...

Minerva McGonagall , Lyall Santel , Alec Wayland

The Ministry woman seemed a bit shaken by the ordeal but not altogether put out. Her comments sounded a little self loathing to him and honestly she had his sympathy. Alec was a reasonable man and understood largely what was happening in the world was out of the woman's hands. Legislation was passed by the Wizengamot, not individual departments and rumor had it (Alec was friends with lots of reporters, mind you.) that some of it came directly from the Minister and anyone who opposed was threatened. It could be a horribly misinformed rumor, reporters were gossip hounds but not great at fact checking, but Alec thought it was plausible to say the least.

The Quidditch player nodded his head with a half hearted smile at her word of thanks. "No problem." The kid spoke up, stating that he'd never played Quidditch and Alec's smile gained a more genuine quality. "That's tragic. Everyone should play Quidditch." Just then the Headmistress approached, giving the distinct impression of an enraged mother hen, horribly disappointed in her chicks. Alec cleared his throat and looked very steadily at his shoes. It didn't matter that he was no longer a student himself, Professor McGonagall had a scolding aura to her. Like he was about to be sent to Flitwick or detention. When he heard his name he looked back up again, running a hand through already tousled hair. "Oh, they'll manage." The students left behind were busily examining the league cup on the table. Shiny thing tended to draw a lot of eyes.

A chord of sympathy thrummed uncomfortably in his chest and once the Headmistress was done with him, Alec placed a hand on the kid's shoulder. "So you've never played Quidditch?" he asked, steering the student away from the woman he assaulted and towards his own table. "Have you watched the game, at least? It's simple enough to learn."
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@julia7 Lyall Santel Minerva McGonagall

Being back at Hogwarts was lovely, really. It hadn't really been that long ago since Eoin had been in Hogwarts himself, but the nostalgia was still there, even for the days when being a Muggleborn hadn't been the safest of things to be. The Great Hall was just as he remembered it (of course it was, he wasn't old, and Minerva McGonagall as fierce as he remembered her, and it was a little bit like coming home. Not quite like it, but similar.

But today he wasn't here as a student - he was here as an Adult with a Career, to speak to little students about where they might want their lives to take them. It was a heavy responsibility, and he'd done a lot to prepare despite the fact that his home and workplace were stressful places to be right now. He had a smile on his face, his nails were painted the Hogwarts colours (one to each finger, and a black thumb with a tiny Hogwarts crest on it) and he was ready for the students with some potions, some pamphlets, and even some of his handmade magical bubble bath.

The first person to bump into his table wasn't a student, though, but a wispy blonde who was somewhat familiar. They were around the same age, Eoin mused, so she must have gone to school at a similar time - was this perhaps the infamous Luna Lovegood? Eoin tilted his head thoughtfully, then realized she'd asked a question. "Oh!" he exclaimed. "Well, as a pharmacist I work for the hospital to distribute potions. It's about health, not as much making the potions -a lot of that is writing out prescriptions, keeping the cupboards stocked, keeping the ingredient supplies stocked, suggesting alternate courses of potions, and making sure that there aren't bad side effects." He shrugged. "A potioneer is a more general title that's not necessarily health related, meaning I make all kinds of potions and potion- related things and like to experiment. It's kind of an academic thing. Like making - do you like bubble bath?" he scooped up a bottle to show Luna with a little smile.

Luna Lovegood

Honestly.. Alec wasn't a hundred percent sure what he was doing, his hand on the boys shoulder as he steered him towards the table. He wasn't great with kids. He used to have a younger brother but that wasn't really someone Alec liked to think about much and it never groomed him in the way of how to handle the little ones. Not that this one was so little. He was lost in that thought when his attention wandered from the teenager to the rest of the room, gaze catching a pair of pretty dark eyes from across the room. They belonged to an attractive man, a professor by the looks of it, leaning casually against the wall. He held this gaze for a moment, enjoying the funny stirring in his stomach, before he broke the long look from across the room, eyes shifting down.

Alec tried hard to project the overconfident persona that the fans and magazines painted for him but down to his core, the man was almost painfully shy. It was a throwback to his days as a awkward teenager, mercilessly teased for his bad skin and gangly frame. Alec might have bloomed from ugly duckling to gorgeous quidditch player but one never quite outgrew insecurity without the proper motivation. When he looked up again there was the hint of a smile on his lips. The man looked intriguing, to put it mildly. Something was drawing Alec in, making him want to get closer. Maybe say something witty to coax a smile out of him.

Instead, the very famous and handsome beater returned to his table where his big shiny league trophy sat. There was a smattering of children gathered 'round and he nudged the kid towards them before resuming his position behind the table. He stole little glances at the man with the sparkling eyes. There was a new feeling bubbling in his chest and he wanted to feel impressive, maybe a bit cool. The Captain.. did he mention he was famous? Yes, a famous Quidditch captain, leaned back against the wall as he watched the students shift through the Puddlemere swag and paw at the trophy centerpiece. Alec picked up his paperweight from before, tossing it up and catching it. That certainly looked cool, right?

Unfortunately for the dark haired beater, he tossed the very heavy paperweight a little too high, distracted by staring at the beautiful creature, and conked himself on the head with the little beater bat. He groaned, the bat hitting the ground with a thud. Real smooth, Wayland. Real smooth.
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Elias Lâu, @julia7

Jihoon turned his wide smile on the first student to wander his way, who peered at the table that he had in front of them and started to touch. Jihoon nodded approval at this method of learning - touch was a very good way to feel connected to wandworking - and folded his own long hands in front of him attentively when the student posed an important question to him.

"It depends on the wandmaker," Jihoon explained, extending a finger to touch one core - dragon heartstring. "And their philosophy." Was philosophy taught at Hogwarts? Jihoon resisted the urge to go down a mental tangent and focused on his life's work. "For example, dragon heartstring is more difficult to get without harming a dragon than unicorn tail hair is to get without harming a unicorn. Wandmakers often try to get cores from dragons that have passed away naturally, for example - and you can get quite a lot of heartstring from one dragon - but some prefer it to be the other way." Jihoon wrinkled his nose. "I don't really like that idea much, do you? It's better to think your wand comes from a happy creature than a sad one." He smiled at Cassidy Bradshaw, eyes bright. "D'you want to weigh your wand?"

'It depends.' Cassidy never really got an answer she liked when it started out like that. 'It depends' usually meant - yes, most of the time everything is okay, but sometimes it's not. This bothered her probably far more than it should, but the girl was at a sort of crossroads in her life. She'd grown up believing in fairy tales so fervently she practically lived in them (and in a way, she did; Hogwarts was nothing short of fantastical). But just like her very own real-life fairy tale proved to her time and time again - a lot of things were 'it depends'. Sometimes things were good, sometimes they weren't. Cassidy was old enough to begin to understand that now, but that didn't mean she had to like it.

She would listen, though. The young man at the booth didn't seem like a bad guy and Cassidy was very much still naive enough to take things like that at face value. She tilted her head in consideration as he talked, unable to hide a grimace at the thought of having to actually collect dragon heartstrings from the source. She was equally unable to hide her utter disagreement that someone could kill a dragon just to take its heart, and she was about to voice as much when the man's face changed. Jihoon Oh revealed what kind of wandmaker he was then, and Cassidy closed her half-open mouth into a smile to return his.

"Exactly," she agreed with a nod. "Do you have to collect your own materials?" That was sort of intriguing to the girl, really. Interacting with creatures and making sure they were treated with respect. Cassidy was sort of opening up to this whole wandmaking business, and when the man asked her if she would like to weigh her wand, she nodded enthusiastically. "Yes please." She didn't really know what that meant, but there was only one way to find out. She pulled her wand from her pocket and held it out.