The Keep

11. Of Banshees, Boggarts, and Ravens

Hazel was twenty one when she took her NEWT. She didn't have another whole year to waste in wait for the next NEWT, so she decided to take it with only two months to prepare. Hazel was practically burying herself in NEWT workbooks.

Fortunately for Hazel, it was as if her brain was a dry sponge. So dry that it hungrily absorbed anything it could absorb. And as the result, the test was more of a Naturally Exhilarating experience rather than a Nastily Exhausting one.

Hazel got Outstanding on Alchemy, Arithmancy, and Herbology; and Exceeds Expectations on Charm, Potions, and Transfiguration.

Even from much younger age, Hazel was resolved not to work in Poison Master's Apothecary, despite of her grandfather's offers of more and more salary and benefits. She has seen what the company did to the family, and she would not let herself get drowned in the same money pit.

Wanting to use her knack on theoretical thoughts, Hazel applied for a place as journalist of the Daily Prophet. Because of her NEWTs and the article she has submitted (The Magic of Breathing), she was accepted for the place easily enough.

During her employment to Daily Prophet, Hazel was to write a column about unresolved things in magical world and theories surrounding them.

Unfortunately, Hazel found working-life to be far more difficult than her Hogwarts days. In the office, people expected her to be social.

Hazel always felt like she had a day-long-seizure when she dragged her drained body home. And she found it somehow dreadful to go back to the office the next day.

Apparently, Hazel's almost anti-social personality was reflected on her column as well. Her articles were 'far too logical and rather alien for common folk' as Philippa Hoobastank, Daily Prophet's head editor, would say. The column was not only unsuccessful, it also drew protests from many readers.

Hazel had tendency to write about new and controversial things. On her articles, she would lay the verified truths about the topic, all the good and all the bad, from every possible side. At Those Vile Vaccines, They Said, Hazel wrote from medical perspective, Healer perspective, layman perspective, and historical perspective. 

Hazel was never one to steer the reader's opinion, but apparently, she somehow managed to steer a lot of people to be annoyed, irritated, even enraged. Especially after Muggle's Holistic Care and Healer's Alchemy of the Crystals was printed. The article has made a lot of witches and wizards feeling angered by the probability of their inferiority toward Muggles.

And those rage made their ways to Hazel's desk. The angered readers sent howlers of all kinds: the angry-face one, the fiery-explosive one, the nagging-in-endless-loop-until-you-get-what-they-want one, and the dungs-of-various-animals one. 

That last one, apparently, was a deal-breaker. After only four months of employment, Hazel was let go.

However, Hazel kept on writing. From the Keep, Hazel continued to send her written articles to various publishers. All was either unanswered, or replied with apologies, until one offer came from the Quibbler.

The Quibbler was offering to buy all of her written articles, and they also offered a partnership.

Hazel hesitated at first, knowing the Quibbler's reputation. To be honest, she was only sending her articles to the Quibbler as last resort, in hope that it wouldn't have to come to that.

However, didn't want to be as prejudiced as the mass who mocked the Quibbler, Hazel decided to read its last three prints before considering her options. (Yes, Hazel hasn't read a single print of the Quibbler throughout her life.)