Open Post: Hogsmeade

[courageous_wit]

[it's Saturday, so it's time to kick back and enjoy the lovely sights of Hogsmeade. Have a drink at the Three Broomsticks, grab some sweets from Honeydukes, or dare to check out the famously haunted Shrieking Shack! Just kick back and enjoy yourselves today!

This is technically only open to third years and above, but if you can sneak out without teachers noticing more power to you!]

[Three Broomsticks | Honeydukes | Zonko’s Joke Shop | Hog’s Head | Shrieking Shack | and feel free to make own sections!]

Comments

[putuporshutup]

[She shrugs]

Same old, but sure. Present company certainly doesn't hurt. I'm really looking forward to our private lessons this year.

[ofthursday]

You could choose to do well enough in your studies that additional lessons are not necessary.

[Because that's what the private lessons are actually for, Meg, remember?]

[putuporshutup]

[She doesn't remember anything of the sort! He gets an exasperated look for that one.]

Ha-ha, very funny. You know as well as I do I'd probably get the internship at the department of mysteries even without the extra coaching, but being mentored by you personally is a huge boost above the competition. I really do appreciate it... [She lowers her voice] but I'm also glad it means we get to spend time together.

[ofthursday]

Remember that it is of import that you do graduate, for many reasons, so do not be complacent.

[It's a gentle reminder, and he appreciates the gratitude, but he has been very steadfastly adhering to proper behavior. There can be nothing between them until she graduates and they are equals outside of school.]

[putuporshutup]

Of course. You of all people know I'm anything but complacent as a student. I'm sure my last year at Hogwarts will be fun, but to be perfectly honest I've got one foot out the door and my only real focus is going to be my N.E.W.T. scores. My connections can ensure that I'll have a job at the ministry regardless - but I want to be an Unspeakable, and landing that apprenticeship is a much better start than getting hired as a secretary in the department of magical transportation. [She sighs thoughtfully] I just can't wait to get out on my own, start my career, start my life...

[She trails off, giving him a meaningful look. She knows the boundaries that both of their futures depend on upholding. It would be enough of a scandal next year as it was, but at least it wouldn't be punishable. This year of waiting would be punishment enough, as far as Meg was concerned.]

[ofthursday]

[Castiel nods at her words, understanding of both the ones she spoke and those she didn't. He, of course, has always encouraged her to be mindful of her grades, not just because it's his job as a teacher but because he knows the importance of them, particularly in working at the Ministry. He had been an auror for a time, qualifying for the position after graduation due to his own stellar N.E.W.T.s and then passing the years of training required, but had been forced to retire a few years earlier after the injuries that had cost him his voice.

He enjoyed working as an auror, but he's found he likes teaching better, so it's not a bad change. And of course, he had met Meg, even if the relationship was odd and improper despite his attempts at being entirely honorable about the entire thing. It's for the best, really, that he no longer works for the Ministry himself, otherwise her taking a job there would've continued to make things inappropriate.]

You will do well if you are certain to apply yourself. Your issues lie in distraction.

[Which is part of the reason he's careful to be distant, particularly in class; not that it's difficult for him to be distant in general, as he usually is, but still.]

[putuporshutup]

[She stifles the petulant eye-roll that anyone else would have gotten for actually calling her out on well... anything. She knows Cas has her best interests at heart, even if he could be a bit stern about it, so she simply nods.]

That they do. You know me too well. But I will apply myself. You'll see.

[She wishes so badly that they could speak and act freely. She could sense his warmth and how protective he was of her, but they couldn't chance even a hint at anything more than a positive and professional dynamic. The one almost-kiss and a handful of candid conversations away from prying ears had been risky enough, but at least they both knew where the other stood. They had non-verbal communication down to a science, and she gave him the little smile that revealed how much she truly cared for him.]