Penguins and Silencing Charms

May 16th, 1993

"What are you going to do after graduating from Hogwarts?"

The question catches me off guard, almost causing the heavy tome used for Potions to drop on the boy's head in my lap. Then again, he could most likely levitate it away from his face and deposit it onto the perpetually green grass next to us effortlessly.

"I-I do not know," comes as a response, shaky and insecure. "I never really thought about it, just about exams and such."

A gentle chuckle floats in the air, causing me to redden slightly.

"Hey!" I say in indignation, closing the book with a loud clap. "It is not like the Hogwarts curriculum gives us a career class or anything of the sort, just some advice a few weeks before the OWLS exams to "help us find the right path."" The last part is quoted directly from a bland black-printed pamphlet passed out yesterday during Transfiguration.

"So what was your "advice" from Professor Sprout?" he says with a mocking air, his green eyes meeting blue ones as he looked up.

"The usual," I say, setting down the heavy book close to my right side before leaning back on small pale hands. ""Apply for a job in the Ministry, they have a plethora of occupations that would suit you,"" I mimic, saying in verbatim what the Herbology professor had suggested. The Ravenclaw boy lying down barely suppresses a chortle, disguising it as a cough before smiling.

"And you, Alec?" I ask, curious as to what his given advice was.

"If you must know, Alice," he sighs, starting to sit up. "Father had written ahead to let her know that I, as the sole immediate heir of the Bennett lineage, "cannot afford to waste time thinking about so-called careers when an occupational career has already been chosen." Ugh, as if I want to spend time running the family estates and trading business." He rolls his eyes upwards to the slightly shaggy blonde hair dangling right above his eyebrows.

I barely hide a grin, agreeing with him silently. While the trades business does sound interesting, filling out paperwork does not seem to suit the active person I am currently conversing.

"But what do you want to do after graduation?" I query, repeating the question he had given at the beginning.

"Touché," he responds, but answers anyway.

"I want to travel, not on some boring one-way ship, but see everything," arrives moments later as a conclusion to the inquiry.

"You want to see even the freezing Arctic Circle? I am sure that penguins are interesting to look at," I tease.

Alec gives a mock gasp, slapping a hand over the heart hidden by a midnight-hued jumper.

"Are you saying," he says slowly, almost in disbelief. "The great curious Alice is not curious as to what penguins look like?"

"I already went there last summer," I respond, matter-of-factly. "They just waddled around, pecking each other to death while I had to use many heating charms."

He whistles, low and admiring.

"Wow, must be wonderful to live without adults telling you what to do."

"True, but it gets lonely sometimes..." I manage to respond before trailing off, thinking about the time where I did live with someone who cared before succumbing to paid hallucinations.

The Ravenclaw boy must have noticed my expression because he lowers his hand almost solemnly before parroting my position, our fingers almost touching.