Career Day

[nyodrite]

Imagine: Career Day at Hogwarts

 

It's nearing the end of his second year when suddenly rumors pop up about how Headmaster Dumbledore had convinced someone famous to visit for Career Day. Charlie didn't pay much mind to the excited whispers and loud debates about who the famous wizard - because wizard not witch is the only thing that everyone seemed to agree on - visiting was and what job they'd be talking about.

"Maybe it's Mad-Eye Moody," Charlie had said when his roommates had asked him, starting an argument about whether the Auror was considered 'famous' or not.

They found out he was wrong on a Monday - because even though it was called Career Day, it usually spanned over the time of a week due to the guests' hectic schedules - when a woman called Amelia Bones, Senior Auror she introduced herself, came to represent the DMLE. The talk of potential job prospects - and the electives and grades they'd have to get to be accepted - at the DMLE was followed by a very stern lecture on the consequences of disobeying the law that morphed into the presentations of other Ministry workers.

Ministry Monday, his roommates had called it.

(Really, Charlie was just pleased to see his dad for a bit - sure some of the jobs seemed interesting, certainly they were important, but-...)

Tuesday consisted of the residents of Hogsmede making the trip up to Hogwarts to talk about the jobs there, from things like working at the Three Broomsticks to crafts like carpentry. Wednesday consisted of several people from Diagon Alley showing up such as Madam Malkin who spoke of creating clothing and running a self-own shop to a Gringotts employee who spoke of the kind of work that goblins would have you do - something Bill was so interested in that he skipped classes just to visit (and drag Charlie along) the room the employee had set up shop in.

The most interesting thing about Wednesday, though, had to be when he wandered into the Daily Prophet's designated room by accident and, within minutes, watched as the wizard talking about the wonders of journalism was hounded by a seventh year witch named Rita Skeeter about a job post-graduation.

Thursday, really, was tame given it was the Hogwarts staff whom took time to speak about their jobs in their free time - Charlie quite liked following Hagrid about as the man showed the tasks he did for the school. Feeding the Giant Squid and help grooming the Hippogriffs who decided to make their home on the grounds was very interesting and, while everyone else made fun of the time he'd 'wasted' following Hagrid around for the day, Grounds Keeper seemed to be the most interesting job he'd heard about so far.

Friday came and with it the farther flung people, such as a Potioneer who came from Brazil to speak and a professional Broom Racer who'd gotten fifth place in the European Relay, along with Whispers about the 'famous' person.

Wrote one of the textbooks - Care of Magical Creatures, Charlie heard during breakfast by a group of passing Ravenclaws.

Slytherins, when he was trailing them to listen to the Potioneer, muttered, Works with animals - oh, the shame his family must have felt!

Don't see how it's famous, a roommate complained to him at lunch, Sure he wrote a book but it's a textbook and it's about animals - it's nothing interesting like an Auror or the racer!

"He was a Hufflepuff too!" a Hufflepuff said to her friend as they exited a room, "Really, he's quite nice and his work seems interesting but...I don't think it's for me."

Charlie paused to look at the room the pair had exited, it was empty save for an older wizard who smiled when he saw him, "Oh, hello. Are you lost?"

I was just passing by, was on the tip of his tongue but something - maybe it was the various dismissals of the man's work he'd heard throughout the day, maybe it was how easily the man assumed that his coming was a mistake - had Charlie shaking his head and going further into the room. "No," he said instead, "I wanted to learn more."

"Oh, well, Magizoology isn't a very popular - or, uh, lucrative - field, not like being an Auror or Quidditch Player." the man started hesitantly, almost like he expected Charlie to turn around and leave at once. Charlie took a seat. "But, in my years, I've never once found it boring."

Never be unkind, his mother had told them and it was the reason why he entered the room. It wasn't the reason he stayed, though.

No, that was all genuine interest in what the man - Charlie really wished he'd asked the wizard his name but it seemed kind of awkward to ask now, besides the wizard was talking about a Thunderbird named Frank of all things - was saying. It was like the time spent with Hagrid, except more because the moment with the Giant Squid and the Hippogriffs were fleeting because there were so many other things to being a Grounds Keeper the animal care but this - Magizoology - was all about the animals.

A mention of his time yesterday with the Hippogriffs had the man launching into an excited tangent about the Hippogriff herd - "Though sometimes you'll hear a group referred to as a 'flock' but seeing as the horse half of them are the more social bit, it's commonly agreed that a group is a herd." the man said - and how it had originated from the wizard's family's own herd. Apparently, a group of younger Hippogriffs decided they wanted to try making their own herd and, in an effort to keep the groups from fighting in territorial disputes and from the new herd from being endangered, were relocated to Hogwarts.

Then, the wizard started talking about dragons.

This, Charlie knew deep in his bones as surely as he had known he was a wizard, this is what I want to do when I grow up.

It was startling when Professor McGonagall interrupted them just when they were about to debate if the Horned Serpent might be related to the Hungarian Horntail by way of a common ancestor, "Mr. Weasley, your brother has been looking for you since you missed dinner - it's past curfew."

"Oh," Charlie hunched slightly because he just knew Bill was going to lecture him about not taking proper care of himself. If he was lucky, he'd manage to convince his brother not to owl their mother about him 'starving' himself - again.

"He's not in trouble, I hope," the man said hurriedly, "It was really my fault, I lost track of time-"

Professor McGonagall glanced at the papers strewn about - at some point they'd both wound up sitting on the floor as the wizard spread out notes and sketches of creatures to emphasize a point - and said, in a very even voice that made him flush, "So I see."

It was somewhat relieving to see that the wizard wasn't immune to Professor McGonagall's tone, looking rather abashed as he returned the papers with a wave of his wand.

"And no, Mr. Weasley's not in trouble since, I suppose, he didn't technically break a rule seeing as he had adult supervision the entire time," she said, then looked at him sternly, "That being said, it is time for him to go to bed - I will escort you back to Gryffindor tower."

"It was nice meeting you, I really enjoyed talking to you." Charlie said, then blurted, "But I never got your name."

The wizard blinked then laughed, smiling and answering once he calmed, "Newt - my name is Newt Scamander and the pleasure was all mine."