I Have a Dream ((6th and 7th years))

[versnowa]

Using his teeth, Robin tore open the plastic envelope containing the pamphlets about the different jobs/career paths available for students after they left Hogwarts. He was sitting comfortably on a sofa in the lounge with a glass of orange juice beside him as he pushed aside the ones about Healing, Herbology, Astronomy, and all the other things he had no interest in. He finally reached the ones he was looking for about Auror training, and began to read them carefully, as this was the career he had set his heart upon, and he wanted to know all the details he could as his final months at Hogwarts were approaching. He had already discussed this matter with his professors at Hogwarts, and he was very excited about the job, though he had heard it was a choice that affected your whole life, for it was more a way of life than just a career choice.

Robin was quite engrossed in what he was reading, it certainly seemed that were quite a lot of requirements just to be accepted into the training courses, and it was no breeze after that. He read that were lots of exercises and simulated scenarios where they tested your responses to things and that there were also psychological tests to make sure that your nerves could take it. Some of them sounded quite traumatising.

((Open to 6th or 7th years, but no evil Slytherins please, that's not the kind of thread I have in mind.))

[Mia]

Maria was sitting at the Gryffindor table with her poetry book in front of her. The red muggle pen was writing on the paper slowly as her mind thought of verses. Maria was a very good poet and loved to express herself through her poems. It was like you can feel the sadness in them or the happiness. Some poems of hers were dark and blue and others were happy like the sun finally came out on a rainy day. Tucking a lock of golden brown hair behind her ears she continued to think but her mind was cluttered with to many things. Like friends, boys, school, and her career. Maria path had not been chosen yet and this was her last year here at Hogwarts. She was good at Quidditch and was quite fascinated with magical animals. But she also had a path back at home. She could continue working with horses that needed her or work in the magical world. It was such a hard choice for Mia and she couldn’t stand the fact she had to choose.

Just than a chocolate colored barn owl came into the great hall. It flapped it mighty wings and dropped a letter beside Mia's book and disappeared. Still shocked on what happen Mia looked at the letter and set it down on her book. "What could this be for?" she asked herself and turned of the letter. Than it came to her this was a letter for the many career paths in the magical world. Mia than picked up her book and set it inside of her shoulder bag and held the letter in her hands. She had to find Elina and show her. Standing up from her spot at the table she excused herself and walked out of the great hall in quite a hurry.

Picking up her pace more she almost ran to the student lounge. 'Elina should be there.....' Mia thought in her mind and slowed down as a Professor asked her to stop. But still walking fast she entered the student lounge and scanned the crowds for Elina. Not seeing any dark haired girls with blue eyes, which were supposed to be Elina. She sighed and noticed some one sitting on the sofa with the same letter. Maria smiled at them as she noticed it was Robin Versnowa a fellow seventh year Gryffindor and Quidditch team mate. Walking over towards Robin she sat down next to him on the sofa and looked at what he was reading. It was about Aurror training. Mia looked at him with a smile, "An Aurror sounds like a hard job.... I don't know what I want to be yet." Mia said opening up her letter and looked all around for something that might pop out at her.

[versnowa]

Robin grinned at the seventh year that had just joined him. He hadn’t talked much to anyone about the career path he wanted to embark on; one of the reasons being that he hadn’t been too sure he would be able to achieve it, and the other being that it was only now that a lot of people were giving the matter serious thought. It was funny how the seven years at Hogwarts had flown by, they seemed to pass by slowly as you moved up the school but suddenly here he was, facing his last few months at the school, king of the hill. It was certainly very satisfying to have reached that point in his life, but he was going to miss Hogwarts. He grinned at Maria who was looking very undecided.

"Well you’re pretty good at all the subjects we take together," he said encouragingly, knowing Maria to be a model student and a favourite among the professors. "Which electives do you take? Oh, and I seem to remember that you're a Muggle-born? Are you going to move?" he asked. Robin was a pureblood himself so he didn’t know a lot about the problems Muggle-borns faced when they left their world and moved into the magical one, but he sure knew how hard it was to leave your family and move on by yourself. He was very much attached to his own family, especially his younger brother and sister. He looked at Maria sympathetically continuing before giving her a chance to answer his question. "There are lots of thing for you to do, maybe we can talk about the options you have when you answer those questions."

[Mia]

Maria listened to Robin as she read over the many jobs. He was right she was pretty good at her studies and work to her ability. Sighing she put down the letter next to her and pulled her legs up to her stomach and took out her note book from her shoulder bag and rested it on her knees. Clicking on the end of her muggle pen she began to write. "To tell you the truth I really don’t know. If I leave the muggle world I leave behind everything that I love. I leave behind my mother and the thing I do best at." Mia said looking off into the distance as she thought of her mother. Her heart was still hurt from that day that took her mother.

Closing her eyes and took a deep breath and opened her eyes and looked at Robin, "That’s really deep but I don't know what the questions are maybe if I known them it could really help." Mia said with a faint smile. "Well you want to be an Aurror why? There most be something that influenced you to choice this path." Maria asked with a warm smile and continued to look at Robin. She was actually having a conversation that some one had the same questions on. Maria couldn’t ask Ivy because the younger girl still had many years and Mia only had a couple months.

[versnowa]

"I know that’s hard… change always is. But hey, it was going to happen even if you were in the muggle world. You were going to want to move anyway, start your own life you know, or go to one of those muggle institutions they go to after they finish school… colleges, I think is what they call them," said Robin matter-of-factly. "It's the first decision you would have to make I think, whether as a witch you want to work in the magical world or perhaps you're just to attached to the muggle world and not ready to leave that. You know you could always work in the Ministry of Magic in the muggle department, that way you would still always be in contact with their world." Robin took a sip of his orange juice and handed Maria one of the Ministry's pamphlets. "Just a minute before you take a look at that. When I said questions, I meant the two I had asked before, so now tell me what electives you take and which you like best. Obviously those will help you decide," said Robin. He was not surprised at Maria's indecision, it was a common thing between students not to be sure what they wanted to do and be afraid of making a wrong choice that might affect there whole life.

When she asked him why he wanted to be an Auror he smiled and looked away a minute before answering her, then looked back at her again. His expression was uncharacteristically serious, and there was a lot of feeling in his eyes when he spoke again. "Defence Against the Dark Arts has always been the subject I've been interested in most. I love learning hexes and jinxes and all about dangerous creatures and duelling is something I've been practicing since my third year. I won't say I haven't had doubts about this decision, everybody tells me it’s the hardest career path I could choose because you know it's nmore of a lifestyle and not just a career, which is why most Aurors get into relationships with each other as no-one else really understands what it's like risking every minute of your life." He paused for breath and then continued. "You know all Voldemort's evil actions have made me convinced that this is what I want to do, despite any fears I might have. I don’t want to watch the wizarding world go through all this without playing a part. I want to do what I can," he said, finishing off with a simple sentence that said it all.

[Mia]

"I could go to college by my heart isn’t set on that, and it would be weird to say that I went to a magical school in my application." She said grinning at her own statement. But it would be true no college well take anybody without having known what high school they went too. Back at home Mia had to tell all her friends that she went off to boarding school. She did not like the fact that her own school could not be opened, but she did understand that she could not tell any muggle about the wizarding world. Many things could happen and than maybe the whole world would think that. It only seemed as if family member could know and keep a secret such as this. Taking out her dark red note book she set it out on her lap and opened it up to a fresh clean page. Clicking the end of her pen she smiled and pulled her legs to her stomach. Mia was in a good mood and felt like writing. It had been a while since she wrote in her note book and it needed to know what happen in her life, and the amazing poems that were written by her. "When you are lost in the dark, I will be your light to guide you through. When ever you are sad and need a shoulder to cry on, I will lend you mine. But rememeber that I will always be there for you no matter what may come in our path" She thought on the top of her head and was quite pleased with the poem she wrote.

Taking her eyes off the piece of paper she smiled up at Robin as he handed her the forum on muggle department in the ministry. She never thought of that before because she already lived in the muggle world and knew everything there was supposed to be. Just as she was about to take the forum he took it back and asked her electives and which ones were her favorite. "Well I am taking Arithmancy, History of Magic, and Care of Magical creature’s class nothing more nothing less. I like all my electives and it’s too hard to choose just one." She said putting her legs out in front of her and on the ground. She remembered the time when she couldn’t touch the flour and her legs were swinging on the edge. But now her legs were longer and could touch the ground. It was just a memory that seemed to stay with her and always wanted her to remember.

As Robin spoke of why he wanted to be Aurror Mia was quite impressed on his response. He had so much passion for his choice and Maria barely knew hat she wanted to do. All she could do was smile and look him right in the eyes. When ever she talked to a person she looked them in the eye to make them know she was listening. "I know what your mean about...." She said trying to say his name but couldn’t. "Who must not be named. Ginny Wealsey had already been kid napped and I wonder if he has an idea about anyone else in mind. But at least there have not been killings that would be going to far. You see I won’t know what it feels like to actually know the dark lord before his down fall. Since my parents were muggles they knew nothing of magic, but heard of the killings around the area where I live. Really how can a man become that angry to take the life of innocents?" Mia said looking at Robin with a worried expression on her face. She really did not know what the Dark Lord had in mind for his next victim. But she really hoped no one was killed this year.

[versnowa]

Robin lowered his pamphlet, listening to Maria list her electives. "Well, there has got to be something you like better than everything else. Plus, there are jobs that need you to have a good background in a lot of subjects, so you would be using practically everything you learnt and liked at the same time," he said, thinking how different the case was with him. Robin didn’t take except two electives, Care of Magical Creatures and Muggle Studies, and he was glad that to become an Auror he didn't need to take any more. He was already exhausted with the load of his other NEWT subjects without worrying about electives. "Well, you could work for the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures," said Robin. "You’d use both Arithmancy and Care of Magical Creatures in that department," he said, pointing at one of the other Ministry's pamphlets.

The conversation moved on to Voldemort, as most of the conversations he had at Hogwarts did these days. "Well, he does not always do it out of anger. I think he actually enjoys violence – in everything he does you feel a brutality and complete lack of mercy that fills me with horror and revulsion. I think that it is what makes him the most dangerous enemy that ever was – his love of evil. It's not like muggle wars in which people fight each other over land. He wants complete power and will stop at nothing to get it. Who knows what he's going to do next?" said Robin. "The kidnapping of Ginny was weird, what could he have possibly wanted to achieve by doing that? To lure Harry in some way? That seems like the only logical explanation. But who knows what he's thinking?" said Robin with a shrug. "Speaking of which, what are your Defence skills like? Good?" he asked.

[Mia]

Maria looked around for the Care of Magical creature’s pamphlet. "It has to be somewhere in this junk. she thought in her mind looking around desperately. "I love Care of Magical creature’s class and Arithmancy. I think it is very interesting that you can use muggle math to find your inner self. But then again that’s just me." she said with a twinkle in her brown eyes. Her eyes always seemed to shine when ever she talked about academics or just simply looking off into space. "To elaborate on the idea of going to a muggle college, I have to know a lot about science, math, history, language, many things one needs to know to get in. They won’t take you off the bat. But hey your suggestions are very helpful. Thank you." She said touching his hand and than turned towards the fire and watched it roared in front of them. Her thoughts were like the Sahara, dry, endless, and only a bit of life.

The subject than changed to Voldemort. Feeling slightly queasy Maria forced herself to listen to Robin talk about the dark lord actually liking to kill people. A shiver went up her spine at the thought of it and the thought of what he might look like. "The dark lord is a spineless, hatred man. I wonder why he does not think of those who he kills. To kill a person most put grief in that persons heart....... But you have to be evil to understand his mind." Mia said looking at Robin with a serious face. He than talked about the kid napping of Ginny Weasley, "I agree with you. The kid napping of Ginny Weasley was weird and was a way to lure Harry in. But remember she went into the chamber in our third year. I think that might have a connection, but I really don’t know." she said looking off into space and the past filled her mind. The chamber of secrets, Sirius Black, Cedric Diggerty death in the tri wizard tournament. All those things and many others filled her mind and made Mia feel sick inside. Just than Robin about her defense skills. "I am okay but not the best. I am sure you are quite good, consider the facts that you been practicing since your third year and you path to be an Aurror. It takes bravery to choose that path. Your life can be sacrifice in just the mater of seconds. But its people like you who give up their life’s to protect us." she said with a smile and looked back into the fire.

[versnowa]

"Don't mention it," said Robin. "I'm always glad to help a damsel in distress," he said with a wink. "Oh, I dunno about that," said Robin with a wave of his hand when she said he must have excellent defence skills, and then he looked at Maria seriously. "You never know what will save you in a dangerous situation like war. Sometimes it's the easy but well-practised charm that works and not the complex charm. You also have to learn to deal with stress, and to be really quick at reacting. I know it’s really hard, but I want to do it. I don’t want to see the world I love crumbling before me just because of one man and his followers," he said in a determined voice. "You should work hard at Defence Mia. You just don't know what might happen next. It's a pity Harry had to give up the DA. We learnt so much from him," said Robin. He looked at what Maria had been scribbling earlier. "What do you have there," he said, moving on the couch to be a little closer to her and pointing at her notebook.

((Mia, I don’t think the magical world knows about Sirius' death. Just thought I'd say so, it's no big deal. ))

[Mia]

((I meant when Sirus escape, but its all good. ))

Maria watched the fire dance in front of her. Its ember orange flames speeding upward with great accelerated forces. It was still a little chilly out, but the weather was getting a little warmer. It was now March and the rainy season will begin. Spring was on its way and she was working on her fear of storms. Lighting and thunder scared Maria to death now. Before the accident she loved it and always would go outside and dance in the rain, but not anymore, and she preferred to stay inside and forget about what was happening outside. Maria than was brought back into reality as Robin talked more about his passion. Her brown eyes soften and a warm smile spread across her lips, "I know what you mean. I would do anything to protect the one thing I love most. I agree with you, I should work hard on my defense skills, and I am. I am having a duel soon with my best friend. It’s going to be a friendly duel, but I am afraid that our friend ship well be runied." Maria said with a bewildered looks on her face.

After saying her part of the conversation, she turned her attention to the deep scarlet colored not book that lay in her lap. Touching the sleek cover, she smiled as she remembered the many poems inside. Maria was a poet, and back at home she would drive to a near by blues or jazz bar and recite her poems. Most people loved them and asked how she came up with such words. All Maria would say is that she just found it deep in her heart and was how she felt at the moment. As Maria was still in her daze she noticed Robin asked what she had in her hands. Raising her eyebrows she smiled and said, "It’s my poetic book. I like to write poems and my mom bought this for me just two years ago. Would you like to hear one?"

[versnowa]

"Oh, don’t worry. Duels with friends are always good fun. The problems arise when you’re duelling Slytherins. Things get heated and sometimes they don't play fair. Plus Professor Hardy will be there so there's nothing to be scared of," said Robin with a grin. He was a little surprised when Maria asked him if he would like to hear one of her poems. He had once had a friend who wrote poetry and short stories but was very touchy about showing people what he had written. He was curious about what Maria might like to write about and how she expressed herself. Some poetry was lovely, so expressive it surprised one how some words could capture such great feelings. "Sure," he said interestedly. He turned to Maria and wondered what she wrote about. He didn’t have a way with words himself like some people did, though that didn’t mean he didn’t like listening to and reading poetry.