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Post by trashpanda on May 8, 2018 17:19:28 GMT -5
She sighed. “I’m sure I wouldn’t know,” she ceded, “You’re the expert.” She crossed her fingers that that would get her off of whichever toe she’d stepped on. She’d hoped he would catch the magic hint, but he seemed to have taken it as a jab instead.
Now the conversation had turned to a familiar question. The honest answer? She’d been a year behind in schooling and a wreck besides after the war started. Certification and regulation seemed less important than being in the field. In retrospect, she’d gone about it all wrong. Certification meant respect, and regulation kept you from casting the wrong curse and tarnishing your reputation for years. Hindsight is twenty-twenty.
The answer she gave was, “I’m a jack of all trades, not a specialist. People with your talent? Of course you should become official, with the Minister’s seal of approval. It probably would have helped me stay out of trouble if I’d worked for the government, but I don’t know what they would have had me doing.”
She gestured with her mug at the street, and tried for a new topic. “What brought you out this morning? Not work, I hope?”
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Post by Skatie on May 9, 2018 6:22:24 GMT -5
If he hadn't caught her hint previously, he felt sure that she was a witch when she said that he should have the Minister's seal of approval. A muggle would have referred to a unit chief or someone within the legal department. The hierarchy of the Ministry of Magic was quite a bit different from how the Muggle realm worked. Perhaps a part of why Maverick had been predatory for a moment was that she appeared far younger than she was - he didn't think she was old enough to have the experiences she was claiming.
"I wish," he replied wistfully, relaxing marginally. The good news about Maverick was that he was rarely ruffled and if he was, it was very short-lived. "It's my day off and my brother bailed on me." He paused a beat, then looked back to her. "You teach at Hogwarts?" It was a gamble but he was pretty sure he read the clues right.
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Post by trashpanda on May 9, 2018 7:48:35 GMT -5
It seemed to work. Well, then, at least they could speak openly now. Her career sounded much more hodgepodge when it had to be coded into muggle.
She nodded. "It's going well enough, for my first year. It turns out that what fifteen years of wandering through the underbelly of the wizarding community does qualify you for is teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts. It's also giving me time to focus on research, without having to dodge curses."
Settling back into her chair, she waved down the waitress for another coffee. "You're with MLE, then?" she asked, "I assume you're keeping busy." Honestly, she was surprised he was Ministry. His reaction to her not being with the Ministry was strong enough to prove it, but she didn't think he seemed the sort.
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Post by Skatie on May 9, 2018 8:07:49 GMT -5
"You don't look old enough to have fifteen years experience in anything," he said, brows lifted in surprise. His words weren't meant as an insult - she looked very good. He'd put her at twenty-five at most.
"Hitwizard Demolitions Specialist," he confirmed with a cocky little smirk. It was a very specialized job title and he took a lot of pride in it, obviously.
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Post by trashpanda on May 9, 2018 11:34:30 GMT -5
"Thank you," she said, laughing at what she assumed was sheer flattery. To be entirely fair, her style was deceptive - just because she'd finally taken an office job didn't mean she'd give up her jeans and flannels after hours. The robes were enough of an imposition.
Her eyes lit up at the job title. "Impressive. Did you head to the Ministry straight out of Hogwarts?" It was her turn to do some guessing. He was probably a Hogwarts graduate, if she went by the accent. She had a hard time placing his age - his scars said he had plenty of experience. However, he worked with explosives, so one bad day was enough to leave a mark. He seemed like a young blood - he wore his job like a medal and was clearly itching to be back on the clock - but some guys never lost that edge.
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Post by Skatie on May 9, 2018 12:03:52 GMT -5
"Just about," he shrugged. "I took a year off and traveled first. That's what you're supposed to do, right?" Maverick had enjoyed his time traveling, but he'd always been more interested in his work. Because, to him, it wasn't work. It was the thrill of danger. He took pride in what he did because not many were brave enough to do it and too many who were brave enough, lived very short lives as a result.
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Post by trashpanda on May 9, 2018 12:29:40 GMT -5
She nodded, then looked around the pub. It was quiet, relaxing - and something told her it wasn't living up to her implied agreement to amuse him. Now that she knew what he was, it would be easy to find shenanigans. She wasn't sure she knew where to take a muggle around here, but she knew the magical side of this neighborhood like the back of her hand.
"So, what do you do for fun?" she asked. "Besides blowing things up," she added.
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Post by Skatie on May 9, 2018 12:39:31 GMT -5
Though he had a penchant for trouble, Maverick was more than amused just by meeting Gavyn. He was that high maintenance to entertain, strangely enough. The quiet of the pub was nice for a Saturday early afternoon.
"There's fun in everything I do," he smiled mischievously. "I am the fun. I'm always up for anything. Today I was meant to play some footie with my brother, but he's blown me off like an arse."
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Post by trashpanda on May 9, 2018 14:01:42 GMT -5
She continued to be amused by his self-estimations, but she had to admit he was fun to be around. "Thank him for me," she said. "This is the first time I've escaped grounds in two weeks. It's nice to talk to someone who isn't studying for their N.E.W.T.s." Apparation was a life saver - she'd have gone crazy by now if London wasn't just a spell away.
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Post by Skatie on May 9, 2018 14:41:25 GMT -5
"Will do," he laughed. "I could never be a professor. Don't get me wrong, I had some really great professors that made it all seem fun. For me. I imagine it was boring as hell for them."
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Post by trashpanda on May 10, 2018 9:28:33 GMT -5
She nodded. "I don't know how some of the professors do it. I could never teach a class that wasn't hands-on. But recently, I've just been too tied up with work to take a break. I have the spellwork down, but the lesson planning and the dark creatures parts of the job are new to me. Keeping all the different species properly caged and fed - and keeping them from feeding on each other, or on the students during office hours - has been a puzzle." She thought about the boggart she had locked in a footlocker back in her office. Hagrid would be disappointed in her containment method, but she hadn't figured out a better way to house it yet.
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Post by Skatie on May 10, 2018 12:52:22 GMT -5
"Maybe let one or two students get nibbled on and I bet the rest would stay away from them well enough on their own," he suggested with a chuckle. "See? That's why I can't be a professor. I'd probably feed really annoying kids to dark creatures once a month, like a sacrifice."
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Post by trashpanda on May 22, 2018 19:46:56 GMT -5
"That would be good motivation," she said, laughing. "Worst grade for the month has to care for the Doxies. I've already been bitten twice." She rubbed her shoulder absently, where the wound was healing. She wondered if she should be letting the older students help with the caretaking - at least one of her sixth years wanted to work with dragons, and it wouldn't be bad training.
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Post by Skatie on May 25, 2018 9:59:34 GMT -5
"Bastards, them," he said with a grin. Maverick wasn't a magical creatures guy - he had never taken much interest in beasts, to be honest, but he did like the ones that amused him. Blast-ended skrewts, for instance, and dragons. Doxies didn't make the cut, seeing as they didn't possess fire. "So, this is what professors get up to on their days off? Researching in muggle London?"
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Post by trashpanda on May 26, 2018 12:26:13 GMT -5
“I’m running down curses and defensive spells,” she said, pointing back to the book. “I spend most of my free time trying to stay ahead of the curve - reading case reports, hunting down old spells and trying to replicate them, talking to any dark wizard that I think I can survive having coffee with. This was the fun part of my old job. I had to know who was an active threat, what they could do, and who they were in touch with. I’m doing my best not to lose my edge.”
She gave him an appraising look, and said, “You haven’t happened to come across anything new at work, have you? I’d imagine you see some of the most creative work that dark wizards have to offer.”
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