Silent Night || Bear

Tuesday, March 1, 1921
The lounge
7:30PM

She was stuffed.

Dinner had been everything the Slytherin girl could've asked for and then some. That roast? The corn with melted globs of butter? The fluffy rice? Heaven. If she didn't feel like she might be sick, Rae would've taken herself down to the kitchens for second dinner. But no, she'd eaten her fill. It sat heavily in her stomach, and now she presented herself to begin her shift for the evening. The walk up the staircases had been brutal but necessary. By the time she walked through those double doors, the girl had gained her second wind.

Now she was ready to heal people--or spend a quiet night in the lounge. It was hard to know what to expect. The castle's inhabitants went through cycles of disease and clumsiness. Sometimes, the nurses were running around like headless chickens, while other times they were gathered in the lounge playing exploding snaps, or other card games to pass the time.

Entering the lounge with her hands working to tie her apron straps behind her, Rae was beginning to think she was in for the latter.

On the way in, she hadn't spotted too many patients either in the waiting room or on the beds.

With her apron fastened, she moved her hands next to her hair, pulling her curls behind her into a neat bun at the back of her head--

Oh.

"Hey, Bear." She hadn't noticed him when she'd first walked in. Rae crossed the room to throw herself on one of the free couches.

"Haven't missed anything interesting, have I?" She didn't actually know how long he'd been there. Maybe he'd just arrived, too. Either way, he'd already know more than her.

Maybe.

The stillness in the wing was purely due to the most annoying patient taking a nap. He knew the fifth year Ravenclaw girl would wake up eventually. He was just thankfully a bit of a relaxation potion of some sort was mixed into her drink with dinner. As most the girl’s problems were in her head.

Though he had to admit the idea of having rash that covered the left side of ones arm and face where it had been exposed as the Ravenclaw girl had walked past a plant she was allergic to was stressful. A situation worsened by the fact that just a couple of weeks back she broke up with her boyfriend as she was caught snogging another guy. All he could do was shake his head at the drama of relationships clashing with medical care.

He only cared about the rash treatment. The girls attempts to conceal the rash was why she was back in the wing. He found the girls attempts foolish. One shouldn’t magic to cover an injury especially using transfiguration.

"Haven't missed anything interesting, have I?”

With a smile he said “ Dinner was mediocre here but enough to put most into food comas. “ The words as an attempt to start off with food as that was much more fun than the patient selection they had tonight. Or Rae had tonight. As the fact was his shift was nearing its end unless he was requested to stay later.

He continued “ One of my housemates is having a girl problem that perhaps when she wakes up you can convince her to be less foolish about. “ He doubted anyone could get through to his housemate. Then he continued “ Original issue was a rash on the left side of her body that started a couple of days ago as she brushed up against something in the greenhouses. Treatment with a cream given on onset of issues seemed to be going well. Then she tried to transfigure her skin to hide the rash and if she stops sleeping on that side to hide it you’ll see how that went. “

It went bad and made the rash more blistery. Her sleeping on that side was likely making it worse, but at least she was asleep. There wasn't much he could do about that.

Then he said “ I just don’t get why girls care so much about looks. Seriously. “

Hopefully he wasn't too insensitive in that summary.

“ Dinner was mediocre here but enough to put most into food comas. “

"Unfortunate." And exactly why, despite her near obsession with the hospital wing, and her perpetual eagerness to grab as many shifts as she could, Ruth Anaya did everything she could to avoid the shifts that fell at meal times. It wasn't so much that she minded getting the injured something to eat, feeding them, and nursing them back to health. It was just...the girl hadn't yet gotten to the place where their need to sometimes be hand-fed...overruled the insatiable pit in her stomach.

"If I'd known you were on duty, I'd have brought you something." Unlike her, Bear wasn't nearly as fussed about....well...most things, but she thought even he might have appreciated a treat being brought from the great hall.

While she got comfortable, she listened to the boy fill her in on the need to know about an apparently very special patient. Transfiguration to hide injuries and rashes. Huh. "Not the brightest bulb, is she?" It wasn't entirely unheard of to use such methods as cover up. In a pinch, Rae had used simple illusion spells for concealment but she also had the common sense to know that out of sight didn't mean healed. That was the important distinction. At some point, you still had to take yourself in or, at the very least, know how to handle it yourself.

"She's lucky it's not infected--it's not infected, is it?"

He'd mentioned something about about treatment but she wasn't clear on whether he'd administered it when the girl arrived or if the girl had had her own sort of topical cream that had been working for a while. Either way, she'd probably swing by her bed to check on her in a bit.

“ I just don’t get why girls care so much about looks. Seriously.“

"Don't think too much about it," she said with a mild shrug before kicking her feet up on the couch. "Looks make you feel pretty and when you feel pretty, you feel more confident. I wouldn't be caught dead walking around with a rash either, but I'd know better than to think transfiguration was the permanent solution."

She trained her ears a moment, trying to listen in case any patients may have been calling for them.

It was still mostly quiet, the odd cough, sneeze or groan aside.

"I suppose it's different for boys though, huh? You lot roll out of bed and think whatever you look like is okay for the day." She could never. Not anymore.

"Unfortunate."

He shrugged. He was happy enough his older housemate had stopped being bothersome that he didn’t care if the food was mediocre. It also helped that he wasn’t used to that good of cooking overall as prior to Hogwarts his mother was always too busy to really make all but the simplest things. Which meant he was blessed with simple tastes.

"If I'd known you were on duty, I'd have brought you something."

With a smile he said “ There’s always another time. “ As it seemed the shifts around meals especially dinner were the least signed up for. Which seeing as he didn’t care much about dinner he took them on occasion. With that on occasion being a few times a month as admittedly he wasn’t the type of volunteer to grab bunches of shifts. He was more than fine with just taking a couple short shifts a week as he was getting slightly more interested in the healing stuff his mother worked on.

After all, the library was his real calling and he found himself distracted there enough being asked to put things away and such. Which made sense as he was practically a fixture there.

He shook his head slightly indicating that he agreed his housemate wasn’t the brightest bulb. He was having a hard enough time resisting calling her an idiot for this.

"She's lucky it's not infected--it's not infected, is it?”

With a chuckle he said “ She barely let me see it when she was distracted by food and had to not be laying on it. At least I managed to get her a switch out on the pillow cover and have her reapply the cream that was listed for it. Though, I don’t see how it will stay uninfected long term with how she’s treating it. So could you try talking to her. Probably best done after I leave.“

Thankfully, the long term treatment of his housemates issue wasn’t his problem. His part in it minus his housemate’s annoyance in the common room would be done when his shift ended.

He was more than good not thinking to much on it. Though he did say “ Transfiguration is almost always an inherently a short term solution. I suspect you have to be Battersea level to permanently transfigure anything especially anything living. “ Then he considered his housemate as he continued “ A rubbish temporary solution for this as I doubt changing things help them heal. “

"I suppose it's different for boys though, huh? You lot roll out of bed and think whatever you look like is okay for the day."

He nodded and said “ It is ok for the day. Hasn’t failed me yet. “ Then he smiled towards Rae with a shrug and said “ Wouldn’t fail you either. Though you might have to do more finger combing and wet water patting as your hair is longer. “

He was right, there really would be other chances. Rae would continue to not choose the shifts that saw her working during meal times where she could help it, and students like Bear, who didn't let the world or trifles as petty as a flavour overload, bother him, would continue--even just accidentally--getting them. For his service, it really was the least she could do.

Hearing the girl hadn't gone and put herself near the front of the line for sepsis was a small relief. Don't get her wrong, Rae loved action on the wing. The girl wasn't the sort to shy away from the more gruesome things that often hobbled in, but she wasn't a sadist either. The Slytherin didn't inherently rejoice in the suffering of others, genuinely interested in their recovery and well-being. "I'll see about giving her a firm warning when I do a little walk around later. Saw some beds that need remaking, so I'll probably head out there soon, anyway."

“ Transfiguration is almost always an inherently a short term solution. I suspect you have to be Battersea level to permanently transfigure anything especially anything living. “

"...Yeah," Rae said, taken by a moment of contemplation.

Bear was right, of course. Changing the nature of something didn't make it healed; it just made it that new thing that was still festering. "You're always so focused in that class. You trying to become some sort of transfiguration master someday?" Yes, he was a Ravenclaw. Yes, he usually had a book in hand. It didn't, on its own, make the boy studious. As she'd learned from a few of her friends, not every Ravenclaw sat at the front of each class inhaling knowledge as a hobby. Most of them had a reason for their insanity.

Maybe Bear did, too.

At the mention of her hair, Rae's fingers reached up to brush away a curl that had fallen loose into her face.

"I used to roll out of bed and let my hair do what it wanted for the day. Most times now it tangles too much from how busy I stay during the day, so I have to be more intentional about--are you calling me pretty?" she teased in a good-natured manner. Bear likely only thought books on clocks were pretty, and even then, not in the way girls might have liked it to be said, but it was too good a setup for her to pass up. The boy thought she could roll out of bed and already be gorgeous--mild embellishment, but the girl was often prone to hearing what she wanted.

"You should've said earlier. I could've used the compliment yesterday when my hair wouldn't cooperate."

He raised an eyebrow, but said nothing when Rae mentioned the beds that needed making. Mostly as Bear thought that job was better for a house elf unless he was doing it for the purpose of trying to watch something that interested him. Right now, there was no opportunity of something neat to observe in making beds. So unmade they remained as it wasn’t like they were running out.

Rae naturally could go make them if she wanted.

When Rae asked if he wanted to become a transfiguration master he just shrugged. The truth was it was the only subject he had some natural skill in and he certainly made the most of that skill. With a smile he said “ I like it. It’s good for prototyping things. You can conjure versions of the pieces to see if they work. For example when I’m fixing a clock I can get the rough idea of the gear size needed by trying to conjure one before having to go find or make one. “

Then after a pause he asked curiously “ Do you like Transfiguration? “

--are you calling me pretty?”

He certainly backed himself into this corner. There was only one answer to the question. Bear wasn’t stupid and said “ Of course. You already know you’re pretty. “ By definition every girl was pretty, unless one was an idiot.

If one couldn’t pay a girl a compliment it was best to say nothing at all. One of the reasons he was hoping Rae would have that conversation with his housemate as he had no idea what to say to her.

"You should've said earlier. I could've used the compliment yesterday when my hair wouldn't cooperate."


He said “ You managed to wrangle it rather nicely yesterday. “ Admittedly he didn’t remember what Rae did with her hair the day prior, or if he even saw her. He likely had. He also wasn’t stupid. Even if Benji hexed him later it would be less than the pain of dealing with a scorned Rae.

This was a dangerous topic so he tried to nudge them away from it as he said “ You’re in the wing a lot. Are you trying to become a healer? “. Plus, he was genuinely curious about Rae's motivations in the wing.

Yep, definitely a Ravenclaw.

Rae listened while Bear went on about prototypes and gears and fixing clocks. It seemed that even in the wing, surrounded by patients and antiseptics, the boy still preferred thinking and talking about his mechanical interests. She knew it was the sort of thing he was into, but had no idea he was actually tinkering around. Maybe the boy would become an inventor instead. It could still utilise transfiguration while getting him more hands-on interactions with gears.

Then again, it might really just have been a hobby. It likely wouldn't have come up at all had she not asked about his plans for a future in transfig.

"Why clocks?" she wondered aloud. It hadn't occurred to her to ask before. Bear liked clocks the way a lot of Gryffindors liked trouble, and Slytherins liked winning. Like many other things inside the castle, it simple...was. But now they had a bit of time before she would go make herself useful, and she couldn't help but be curious.

"Do you like Transfiguration?"

Rae shrugged lightly. "I don't suppose I have much of an opinion when it comes to transfiguration, if I'm being honest. Most times, I can't even really remember the incantations--but I'd like to become an animagus someday, like my mother. That means I have to pay attention, even when I really don't want to." Which was...a lot of the time. More often than not, unless the topic was already of some interest to her, Rae had a difficult time keeping her mind from wandering. It was a problem in most of her classes, an unfortunate outcome given how close she now was to her OWLs. "Honestly, I can't wait until we're done learning a lot of this stuff. I'll keep what's important and probably forget the rest."

“Of course. You already know you’re pretty. You managed to wrangle it rather nicely yesterday."

She beamed, a hand reaching up to smooth out any curl that may have fallen back out of place. He was right, of course. Rae did know that she was pretty, but it still felt nice to hear, especially with how things had been going lately with Benji. It wasn't the great big remedy to soothe her ravaged soul, but it was a nice little picker-upper. That someone still thought she was pretty shouldn't have been as validating as it was, but she was only a girl when all was said and done.

"A lot of water, you'd be surprised. Sometimes I have to drench the whole thing just to--"

"You’re in the wing a lot. Are you trying to become a healer?"

Oh.

"I am," she said with a firm nod. "I've known I wanted to be a healer since first year. Now it's just a matter of getting in as much experience as I can before I graduate, then it's right off to Mungo's for me. Healing's probably one of my favourite things to do." Strange as it might have seemed, especially for a girl of her temperament. Even so, it was the first thing to have ever given her a sense of purpose.

"I didn't think you were so interested in it, though. What's drawn you to the wing?"

"Why clocks?"

It honestly surprised him how many overlooked clocks. They were rather fascinating objects and related directly to one of the most fascinating overstudied subjects he’d ever tried to research being time.

He said “ At first it was that my mother’s parents own a clock shop on Knockturn Alley and I love helping them out. The mechanical bits are just fascinating. “ He stopped himself from going further having realized that his fascination and ability to talk at length about gears was something that caused most to have their eyes glaze over. Then he continued “ The people are very interesting too. You can tell a lot about people by how interested in time they are and by how they use and regulate the time they have. “

Truly some of the most interesting conversations he’d ever had were on the subject of time. He regretfully even with the notes he had didn’t understand a third of those conversations and he assumed only half of that was due to the person he was talking to being crazy. There was a definite element of crazy with some of the customers his grandparents had to deal with at their shop.

He nodded rather impressed when Rae mentioned she wanted to be an animagus. He said “ Definitely as animagus is Battersea level transfiguration. “

He laughed as Rae mentioned being excited to be done learning this stuff. With a smirk he said “ I already dropped the useless stuff. No sense wasting my time learning things I won’t have enough of an interest in remembering later. “ With the useless stuff being defined as subject he wasn’t good at like charms, and dangerous classes like magical creatures. Yes, he factored potential danger level to the value of knowledge classes could potentially give him in choosing his subjects. Though that went unsaid.

As Rae mentioned water he just nodded, thankful again for his shorter hair.

He wasn’t surprised that Rae wanted to be a healer. Though the fact she’d wanted to be one since first year had surprised him a bit as she always had so much energy. Being a healer was an endurance game from what he’d witnessed.

"I didn't think you were so interested in it, though. What's drawn you to the wing?”

He shrugged. To someone who wanted to become a healer he was going to likely sound even more disinterested than she probably thought he was. It was interesting. However, it wasn’t as interesting as a number of other subjects he preferred to spend his time on.

However, occasionally practicality caught up with him enough to encourage him to do things that were only somewhat interesting. At least the wing was somewhat interesting.

He said “ My mother got a battlefield promotion from Welcome Witch to Healer last summer at the local hospital she works in Belfast. “ He honestly wasn’t sure if she got promoted to junior healer or healer - nor did he care. Tilting his head slightly “ I hung around there growing up and now I’m fifteen I’m certain they’ll put me to work this summer. Figure it would be good to become more useful. “

The sheer amount of time he spent around the hospital in Belfast as his mother didn’t have someone to babysit as she worked as a welcome witch when he was younger probably made him one of the least flappable volunteers in the Hogwarts hospital wing.

To her credit, her eyes weren't glazing over yet. Rae didn't know what she'd been expecting when she asked the question. Clocks had never really seemed...what was the word? Not quite important but...certainly nothing worth deep philosophy.

In the end, it wasn't so complicated. At least, not based on what he'd explained. "I didn't know your grandparents owned a place down in Knockturn Alley. That's wicked--even if it is just clocks. Are they cursed ones? Like maybe they lock people inside when they visit your house? Or the ones that bend time?"

Had he said that they owned something up in Diagn Alley, the girl wouldn't have bat an eye. Her dark eyes certainly wouldn't be sparkling with new interest. Bear might have been sitting on some interesting family secrets. It was always the quiet ones. Granted, the Ravenclaw wasn't quiet so much as lost in his own world but her point remained.

"Do they let you help there sometimes? Billie doesn't want me going down there, says there's all sorts I could run into and I'm not old enough to handle myself." It hadn't stopped her from sneaking down there a time or two anyway, but it had required a lot of stealth and her mother never finding out about it.

"Anyway, what sorts of things do you get from people obssessing over time?"

Maybe it was just her, but Rae didn't really have many conversations with people that centred around clocks and time. It was fair to say that unless she was talking to Bear, it never really came up.

She laughed at his admission of already dropping the useless things. He was an interesting Ravenclaw, wasn't he? Breaking all the stereotypes. "I'd at least wait until after the OWLs to start considering anything really useless."

Just in case.

“ I hung around there growing up and now I’m fifteen I’m certain they’ll put me to work this summer. Figure it would be good to become more useful. “

Rae perked up at his explanation. Everyone had their reasons for joining the wing and there were a lot who never wanted anything serious in healing at all. She never went in with expectations of anyone but herself. Yet, it seemed Bear was the one with all the real luck.

"Like an internship? That'd be so cool! I got to spend a few days at Mungo's last summer but none of it was really 'official' like that. You'll be getting in a ton of experiece."

Even if the boy wouldn't be needing it.

It was Knockturn Alley and he wasn’t a fool. He was more than certain the location of the shop wasn’t just due to his grandfather’s father having a shop there that sold second hand goods before his grandfather started the clock shop. He knew some of the requests his grandparents got were likely not to the letter of what products the Ministry considered normal clocks. He also knew that one didn’t admit to such things, especially at Hogwarts in the middle of the Hospital Wing.

Also he wasn’t close enough to Rae to share secrets that actually mannered even if they’d been somewhere else.

He said “ Nothing that exciting. Though some of the mechanisms for clocks and complex locks do have fundamental similarities in there mechanics. “

He didn’t think anything of Knockturn Alley having been exposed to it his whole life. Though his mother who grew up there definitely tried to keep him from spending too much time there. What was going on in Belfast was bad enough he got to spend some time with his grandparents on recent breaks.

With a smile he said “ My grandparents mostly have me helping in the back of the shop with the mechanics and the smaller repairs. I think my grandfather wants me to take it over someday. Naturally, my mother has other plans for me. “ Then after a pause he added “ It’s more about knowing when to look away and what to avoid. Trying to handle things on Knockturn that aren’t your business is where most go wrong. “

As for conversations with people obsessing over time he said “ I find the most interesting thing about people obsessed with time for non-practical reasons how much of there worries it shows. “ A case he certainly fell into himself with his concerns of making the most of his time as he knew death would come for them all. Naturally, he was never going to admit that self-realization to anyone.

He chuckled at Rae wanting to wait till after OWLs to brush things off. He said “ I figure no point in studying for OWLs that don’t interest me. It will help my scores on the ones that do. “

There was absolutely no way he’d ever need classes like care of magical creatures. Not ending up in the hospital wing due to some odd creature attacking him was time savings enough to help his OWL scores in other subjects.

He had no idea what the terms of him helping out over the summer would be. He said “ It’s a small hospital in Belfast. I doubt it will be as official as an internship or even as cool as a few days at St. Mungos. Though who knows as apparently according to my mom being a Healer isn’t much different than what she used to get pulled in to help with when she used to be a Welcome Witch. “

A detail that didn’t go unnoticed by him in the letters his mother sent making him think that they’d just held her back as a Welcome Witch in the prior years even if she had the skills.

“Nothing that exciting. Though some of the mechanisms for clocks and complex locks do have fundamental similarities in there mechanics.“

"Oh. Boo."

After building herself up with fanciful ideas of sinister clockwork and mechanisms, Rae found herself woefully underwhelmed by reality. Just a clock shop, no special odds and ends to speak of, no mysteries and intrigue. She sighed, a touch of whimsy carrying along with the sound. "What good's landing yourself prime real estate in a place like Knockturn Alley if you're just gonna play it safe and above board? Didn't your grandfather know about the place before setting up shop there?" How was it still in business?

Rae found herself with a lot more questions, but doubted she'd find the answers satisfying.

"I'd say do what your mum wants. Whatever it is," healing, likely, "it's gotta be a lot better than working on broken clocks all day in the back of a shop." Although, with Bear, maybe he would prefer the solitude of a shop with the constant droning of ticks and tocks. He'd never been particularly social, and she didn't imagine a clock shop saw a whole crowd of customers. Maybe the lifestyle would suit him better than having throngs of patients wheeling in and out, or dangerous missions that risked his life, or the bureaucratic life in the ministry offices.

It was strange to think that someday this would all end. As much as she didn't particularly care for the castle, it had been a constant the girl had come to depend on. The idea that one day they'd all be scattered to the wind, off becoming the new adults with jobs, pursuing their passions, or being bound by influences bigger than them had a way of making her suddenly feel small and unprepared. They still had a few years, and she didn't think there was anything that could really hold her back but...

Ah, there was no point in worrying about it.

“ I figure no point in studying for OWLs that don’t interest me. It will help my scores on the ones that do. “

"I suppose..." Rae mused aloud. She reached for a cushion, shoving it behind her head as she worked to get even more comfortable. Those beds were calling to her. She would...go soon. "But I've heard the healing program is pretty competitive. If you're already taking the OWL, you may as well take it seriously; otherwise, it brings down your scores and makes you look less competent than the others who apply." Rae had done everything she could to choose only electives she cared about, but the cores...

Ugh.

Rae nodded along while Bear talked about the small hospital in Belfast. If nothing else, it sounded cozy. A place where everyone knew everyone, and you probably knew all your patients without needing charts. "That sounds like the perfect place to get in the early practice, you know, before the big fish that St. Mungo's can be. I didn't have much to do there, but even then, it was all a little overwhelming."

With time, the girl thought she'd get used to the chaos, but it had only been a few days. Not nearly enough for her to acclimate when the Hogwarts hospital wing, even on its most hectic days, couldn't compare.

He said “ Of course my grandfather knew. He grew up there, but when he was growing up it was a second hand goods shop. “ He never asked if it was anything prior though now he thought about it he was curious. All he knew was his grandfather always said that second hand goods was to vague a business and to much trouble when people came asking questions. Clocks was much simpler to explain to the goblins at Gringotts as a legal business venture.

After all, even goblins liked clocks. Goblins also liked the similarity of the mechanisms of clocks and some of the advanced locks they used.

The fact his answers were unexciting to Rae went completely unnoticed by him. As no manner who he was talking to he was excited by his grandparents shop as it was much more fun than what either of his parents did. The fact his father died on the job eliminated any excitement that any stories about being a cursebreaker had held for him as a young child. Though he left it unsaid that his mother wanted him to just do something reputable in a location that was reputable.

He’d prefer the clocks.

He hadn’t thought about the detail he’d be taking the OWLs either way. He said “ I thought you got to choose what OWLs you take. So I was just going to take fewer to not waste that time either. “ The fact that she mentioned the competitiveness of the healing program was a bit lost on him. He’d only be doing it out of a pure spirit of being an extra set of hands that his mother forced into it. He wasn’t actually thinking about doing it as a career even if he was around the wing wanting to be at least useful over the summer.

He said “ I’m sure you’ll get through the healing program. “ He didn’t even plan to try. He was smart enough to recognize when things were a waste of time and that level of competition was - especially when he had little interest in many of the required subjects.

He nodded. He understood how a real hospital could get hectic and overwhelming. He said “ One thing my mother says is to focus on the current task. Slow is fast. Fixing one problem properly at a time is faster than quick fixes that cause more issues later. “

The story was getting stranger and stranger, but not in the sort of way that could lend some interest to it. It was sounding more and more like a hapless old man had stumbled onto a property--probably drunk Weren't they always drunk?--thought it looked nice and decided that was where he would establish his livelihood. Maybe he hadn't been old when he'd done it.

Rae was almost afraid to ask if they were making any money from the establishment giving it was...just a regular clock shop on a sinister street. Anyone who went down there was looking for privacy and things of a more nefarious nature than what his grandfather might offer. The ones genuinely looking for clocks where back up on the sometimes sunny streets of Diagon Alley, partaking in a bit of wholesome shopping with their friends and family.

It seemed like quite the conundrum to her but the man had likely been running the place long enough to know that for himself.

"Are you secretly stinkin' rich?"

That was it, right? An unprofitable shop down in the depths of a hellish street with limited clients? She knew he didn't live with his grandparents...at least...she didn't think he did, but something had to have been keeping that old couple afloat. Family was usually the first call when things went south. No reason this should be different. The girl snapped her fingers. "That's it, isn't it? You've got one of those fancy manors on the edge of some moor. Your mum just works as a welcome witch to keep herself occupied. Too much money can be boring, I'd think. I heard they're working on a new broom. Bet you'll be one of the first to grab it when it's released."

Whenever that was.

Did Bear even like quidditch? For as long as she'd known the boy, his interests had never really been on the more...physical offerings of the school.

“ I thought you got to choose what OWLs you take. So I was just going to take fewer to not waste that time either. “

Rae wrinkled her nose, training her dark eyes fully on the boy. "Who told you that? We've got a bunch of mandatory subjects because they plan to test us on them. The exams are standard--I guess except when it comes to the electives." She certainly didn't plan to take any sort of Arithmancy exam--Ancient Runes either. That still left seven core exams, even if he tried to drop his electives.

A real pain in the ass when it came time to study.

Her expression brightened when Bear expressed his confidence in her abilities. "Merlin, I hope so! There's nothing else I'd wanna do if not healing. It's the only thing it's ever been for me." Some knew they wanted to be aurors or cursebreakers, or even magizoologists (Billie had hoped). Some wanted simpler jobs and were content. Some just wanted to make drinks at a bar a few nights a week and live like a free spirit. None of those held sway with her.

Rae would truly be lost if she never managed to make it into the program.

"Your mum sounds smart," she decided aloud. "Was she also a Ravenclaw?"

It was funny, the longer she spoke to the boy, the more she realised she didn't know. They'd been friends, sure, but never particular close and while they had many friends in common it didn't mean they hung out that often.

He blinked hand had no clue how anything he said could equal being stinkin’ rich. Even the more adventurous of the stinking rich set that would wander down to Knockturn Alley to get fine goods wouldn’t have anyone who in their family opened a shop there. The repetitional impacts of it all were why his mother never changed her last name back after his father’s death and stayed in Belfast trying to separate him from it.

Which naturally had the opposite effect of making him more interested.

Then Rae continued and all he could do was look at her in more surprise.

To say she was way off was an understatement.

With a chuckle he said “ I wouldn’t make that bet if I were you. My families ok, but certainly not stinking rich. Which is good as not sure a fresh broom really should be wasted on me even if I did get through flying class as a first year and have used a school broom a couple times since. “

To be honest he really had no idea if his mother needed the job she had. He suspected she didn’t, but even with the money his father left behind after he died as a cursebreaker they were just ok.

He shrugged as he said “ I didn’t ask. I just figured since the OWLs and NEWTs are used to evaluate you for various careers and stuff you’d be able to bow out of the ones you don’t want to. Wouldn’t not taking an exam look better than getting a troll on it. Figured Hogwarts would try to save themselves some embarrassment. “

Surprised he said “ Really? What made you that interested in healing? “ Naturally his mother wanted him to be a healer. He just couldn’t believe someone was that interested in the job his mother had.

He nodded. His mother was smart. His mother was much smarter than his father with them making an odd sort of balance that way when he was young. He said “ Slytherin actually. Both her parents were in Ravenclaw and she had top scores. My grandfather still has her NEWT scores hanging on a bulletin board in the back of the shop. “