| Details for Past Friends and Future Plans |
| Summary: | Gabriel and Miranda have a dinner time conversation about the past and the future. |
| Date: | 1939-11-29 |
| Location: | Hogwarts Castle, Great Hall |
| Related: | — |
| Characters |
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Outside this evening, there is a steady rain that feels like it might turn to sleet at any moment, and the ceiling of the Great Hall reflects the dark, icy weather. The temperatures inside are far better, however, and filled with the aromas of the castle's latest meal, just starting to get underway. Miranda enters from the entry hall, still in the process of detaching her water-speckled wool cloak. She steps off to the side, so as not to block the doorway, then removes her wand from her robe and begins to dry her cloak.
Yet again another rainy day. And once again Gabriel has been spending his free time in the Great Hall. This time he seems to be focused on the podium the Headmaster uses during speeches, trying to draw as accurate a representation of it as possible in his sketchpad. The look on his face shows concentration but underneath it there seems to be a trace of melancholy.
Once Miranda's been able to remove the bulk of the moisture from her cloak, she continues on her way, passing between the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables. She waves to a few other students along the way, but when she nears the professors' end of the hall, she slows to a stop and drapes her cloak over the Hufflepuff bench while looking around. She spots the third year as he sketches, and after taking a peek between his artwork and the podium, she smiles, piping up cheerfully, "That's really quite good, Ward."
Gabriel's body language contradicts itself as he smiles and shrugs at the same time. Looking up at Miranda he says, "It alright. But it could be a lot better. I had a good teacher but I don't practice enough to be really, truly good. Quidditch and Duelling and Athletics and classes take up too much time."
"I wish I could tell you it gets better," Miranda begins, grinning, "but as you're in Ravenclaw, chances are you'll be up to your ears in work until you graduate." She takes a seat on her table's bench, though face away from it, and still focused on Gabe. "It's good to take the time now an then to get back to things like that, though. And the holidays will be coming up soon."
Gabriel chuckles as he bends down to pulls some colored pencils out of his book bag. "I don't expect it to get any better for a long time. Healer training has to be at least as long as the training for Muggle doctors so even after I've graduated I'll still be studying a lot. Not that I mind. I really enjoy learning new things." Once he has his pencil case out of his book bag he searches through it and pulls out his yellow and his brown pencils.
"Perhaps you'll illustrate medical books someday," Miranda replies, looking away as a pair of other Hufflepuff students walk past. She quickly turns back to Gabriel, however, finally remembering to tuck her wand back into a pocket of her robe. "I would imagine accurate drawings would be quite important." This time she's distracted by the appearance of a new dish on the table behind her, so she turns around to help herself quickly, and when she turns back, she's holding a plate of roasted meat and vegetables. "You already know you want to go into Healing, then?"
Gabriel grins as he continues to color his drawing, using the yellow and brown pencils to create an antiqued gold color for the podium. "I do. My father is a Muggle doctor and my mother is a Muggle nurse. I think there's a potential that some of the techniques Muggle doctors use could be integrated into Wizarding medical practices. What about you? What are you planning on doing when you graduate?"
Considering how quickly her own graduation is drawing, relatively speaking, it might not be a good thing that Miranda's answer is a rather blank look. She gnaws on her lower lip for a moment while poking at the food on her plate, then finally shifts in her seat before shrugging. "Something useful, I hope. A Hufflepuff cliche, maybe, but… it's true."
Gabriel stops coloring to look up at Miranda, tilting his head a bit to the side. "Well, you're like a wiz, no pun intended, with charms, right? How about the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes with the Ministry. YOu could work on experimental charms. Or the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad."
"My only N.E.W.T. levels are charms, herbology and magical creatures," Miranda replies with the smallest of shrugs. "It rather limits what… you know. I might pursue. Be qualified to pursue." She finally takes a small bite of food while studying her plate, only looking up again once the bite is done. "In any case, I'm sure something will come to me. I might see if there is a witch or wizard who might take me as an apprentice. Or I might just… find my own way," she finishes with a vague wave of her empty fork.
Gabriel grins before shrugging a little bit and then going back to his coloring, "Someone with as much talent as you have can only fail through lack of effort. I'm sure you'll do marvelously." The food now on the tables continues to be ignored by the little Ravenclaw in preference for the coloring of his podium drawing.
Miranda blushes at the praise and continues to poke at the food on her plate. "Lack of effort will not be the issue," she replies quietly, eyes twinkling as she tries not to smile too much. "It's the focus I need. But I'm hoping to meet with some people over the Christmas holidays to… I suppose brainstorm, you might say." She peeks over at his sketch again, then remarks, "It has such a nice, warm color, doesn't it?" indicating the podium. "You really should keep up with your art! I think it's lovely."
Gabriel nods, "I'm much better at coloring than the actual drawing." That melancholy look that was in his eyes at the beginning of the conversation creeps back in as he continues to talk, "I wish Gabrielle was still around to help me with it but at least Elspeth is really good too. And also willing to help. Even if she isn't quite as good as Gabrielle." Signing the podium drawing with the brown pencil he rips it off the sketchpad and offers it to Miranda, "A reminder? For once you're in the real world."
Miranda sets her plate aside quickly and wipes her hands on a napkin just in case before taking the offered sketch. A slow grin spreads across her face as she looks at it, then beams over at Gabriel. "It's wonderful. And thank you! Perhaps you'll run into Gabrielle soon? After all," she continues before dipping her voice into what might be intended to mimic one of the professors, "'Collaboration is key to the furtherance of knowledge!'"
Gabriel snapping his sketchpad closed he puts all of his art materials back in his book bag before finally turning to the food on the table, "I would say its one of the keys but its definitely part of it." After piling his plate up with a little bit of everything, including a surprising amount of veggie for someone his age, he mimics Miranda in sitting with his back tot he table, "And I hope at some point I do meet up with her again. But it will definitely be a while. After all, I have 4 and a half more years to go."
"It seems like a lot now, but you might be surprised how quickly those four years pass," Miranda says reassuringly, carefully setting the sketch aside so she can pick up her plate again. "Perhaps you could write to her? Send artwork back and forth?"
Gabriel points at Miranda with his fork while he says, "/That/ is a good idea. I wonder how I could find out where she is now…" As he thinks he starts to tuck into his food eating with the kind of eagerness only a growing teenage boy shows for shoveling food in his mouth.
"Perhaps the owls know," Miranda replies with a soft grin. She gives up on her food and gets to her feet again, picking up the drawing and her cloak, careful not to let the two touch in case the latter is still wet. "Speaking of owls, I was meant to send a letter today, and I completely forgot, so I'd better go do that. Thank you again for the sketch!" she adds brightly before waving and turning to hurry back toward the entry hall at a good clip just short of a jog.