Occupational Research Finished

It was eerily quiet in the library, which is probably why Jane had yet to visit it. Anything that could be dangerous, terrifying, or, like this place, mysterious, was generally something Jane tried to actively avoid. But the Hufflepuff Common Room was quite busy today, and she needed a quiet place to focus on studying. Gripping her textbook closer to her chest, Jane looked around for a place to delve into her book. A few yards away sat a girl who seemed to be completely engrossed in the book lying before her. She truly did not want to bother her, seeing as she was probably in no way interested in conversation, but Jane was not brave enough to join a table that had more than one person. And it appeared that every other table was occupied by a group of students. Jane slowly approached the table and quietly seated herself across from the girl. When she looked up from her book, Jane offered her a smile of greeting.

She had just started into her studies when Luna noticed a flash of yellow out of her peripherals. An overwhelming sense of a human(or other, she didn't really know anymore) presence brought her out of her reading trance. A hostile irritation welled up in her, as the presence wasn't leaving. One would think that someone on their own didn't want disturbed. She let out a deep sigh, slowly raising her eyes to meet the face of a smiling Hufflepuff. Her eyes were a mix of blue and grey shining in anticipation behind a pair of glasses. It figured. When Luna wasn't looking for social interaction it found her, but for her first few days here she had struggled to find a friend. She grabbed the irritation and buried it deep inside her, deciding to hurting someone would be of little use at the moment. Besides, anger had uses elsewhere, and Luna certainly wasn't looking for trouble.

Excuse me, is there something I can help you with?, Luna said, exerting a palpable effort to keep the derision from her voice. This girl had done nothing wrong, per se. Nevertheless, Luna still struggled with social interaction altogether. Mostly she hated that she hadn't been given time to prepare for this particular session. She admonished her internally to start preparing for more unexpected encounters after she concluded this one.

As Jane sat down, she got her first real look at the student's features. They were unlike anything she had ever seen before. Bright white hair fell down her back and out of Jane's sight, while shimmering golden eyes glowered at her. This was much more intimidating than she had hoped it would be, and she could not resist averting her eyes to the swirls in the wooden table.

The girl, a Ravenclaw, she observed, seemed annoyed at Jane's presence. The last thing she wanted to do was disturb someone, being a people-pleaser to a fault. Honestly, Jane didn't quite understand people who weren't friendly towards others. Why would anyone want to be mean? It just didn't seem to make sense to her. But Jane had enough experience to know that there were people out there who were rude for the sake of being rude and people who got annoyed when others tried to talk to them. It appeared that this girl was the latter.

Straightening her black-rim, reading glasses, Jane answered meekly, "No, I'm sorry, I just, I needed a place to study, and everywhere else was full."

The Ravenclaw looked unimpressed, so she tacked on, laying her book, "Hogwarts, A History" open on the table, "I won't disturb you."

Hoping this would appease the girl, Jane quickly looked down into her book and began reading the first line on the first page.

"No, I'm sorry, I just, I needed a place to study, and everywhere else was full.", the girl had managed to say, "I won't disturb you."
The girl pulled out a large book, it was the History book, and intently began reading it.
Luna cringed back, feeling a wave of guilt wash over her. The annoyance was still there, but at the same time, her conscience told her she had no reason to be so harsh. She let out a small sigh, weighing her options. Perhaps she could salvage this situation. She had to be tactful though. She was fearful if she approached this wrong, she may break the poor girl. Besides, working on sociability was a edge Luna needed to smooth out anyway.

"Um, I'm sorry if I came off rough. It's nothing you actually did, it's just me really." , said Luna, although her face remained unchanged, she felt she had to attempt something. "I see you are studying history. Is that your next class? I actually have to head there after I'm done here. I just started classes recently. Or if you like, we could talk about something else. I like wands, do you? Oh and we have to be quiet of course.", whispered Luna as she gripped her wand in her pocket, awaiting an answer.

Jane wasn't really expecting the girl to want to make conversation, but she was pleasantly surprised when she began quickly whispering to her about a few different things. Perhaps Jane had judged her too quickly, and she really did want to talk. This reading wasn't required, so if she had the chance to make a new friend here, she would definitely take it.

Answering the girl's questions, she started with, "Um, yes. History is next for me, and I wanted to get a head start on the reading."

Continuing, she admitted, "Wands confuse me a little. You see, even though my dad's a wizard, my family never really uses magic, so I don't know anything about wands."

Jane reached into her robe and pulled out her wand, laying it on the open book. "It's made of alder wood," she offered, not knowing much else. She knew she must have sounded like a complete idiot to this girl, and she shyly looked down at the wand. Magic was confusing, but there were some students here who already knew a lot about it, leaving her and several others in the dust.

"Actually," she thought, realizing there was an opportunity to learn here. "Could I ask you a few questions about my wand? I want to know as much as I can, and you seem to be pretty smart about this stuff."

Seeing an opportunity to teach, Luna pounced like a starving lion on a fresh slab of loin. This was something she could get into, especially if this classmate wasn't feigning interest. But first, formalities had to be addressed, no? Luna cleared her throat and began.

"First I should introduce myself. My name is Luna, and I'm from Ravenclaw. And to let you know up front, I knew almost nothing about magic at all before I came to Hogwarts. Everything I know has been taught to me by my godwitch, or I've gleaned it from the books of this Library. Now, as to your wand. You said Alder wood?" 

Luna swiftly pulled the book up beside her face, setting it up where the Hufflepuff girl could read it, pointing to the page labelled "Alder". 

"It says here that Alder is a hard word, very stiff and inflexible. However it is attracted to the exact opposite kind of person. It is also a great wood for casting non-verbally, which in of itself is a talent. Incantations help provide focus, and only advanced Witches and Wizards can cast without them. If you happen to know your core I can tell you more."

Luna pulled her wand from her pocket, holding it up with a gleam in her eyes. It was a beautiful white wood, with an ornate base of lattice near the hilt of the wand, and little darker garnishments farther up. It was Luna's most valuable treasure, a gift from her Godwitch, for her acceptance into Hogwarts. 


"This is my wand. It's made of Aspen, and it is commonly attracted to duelists. The core is Dragon Heartstring, a core which gains knowledge and power quickly, however it can backfire explosively as well. While loyal, it's the easiest core to twist away from it's owner, but I have no intention of anyone getting this wand."

Luna stuffed her wand back down into her pockets. Looking back up, she waiting for any incoming questions.

Taken a tad aback by how eager this girl seemed to be to teach, Jane still did her absolute best to listen intently to every word she said. Wands definitely seemed to be her passion, and Jane couldn't help but wonder if this girl would take over for Ollivander one day, should he ever decide to retire. Once the girl, Luna, finished her mini-lesson, she decided to start with introducing herself and then move onto her questions.

"Well," she started, moving her eyes from the book Luna was pointing in to the girl herself. "My name is Jane Greenway, and I'm in Hufflepuff."

Once her introduction was cleared, she tried to decide what question to go with first. What was the best place to start?

"So," she said, reaching for her wand. Jane's wand looked vastly different from Luna's. The wood was much darker, and it spiraled up about three quarters of the thing's length until evening out. Lifting it in her hands, she said, "The core is thestral tail hair. I know what a thestral is, I'm really interested in creatures, but I don't understand how the kind of core your wand has makes any difference."

Jane paused for a moment, trying to think of a better way to phrase her question.

"How does a thestral tail hair do anything different than a unicorn hair? And why?"

"How does a thestral tail hair do anything different than a unicorn hair? And why?"

That was what the girl, Jane had asked. Luna's eyes widened significantly, as the words hit her like a tidal wave destroying a small island. The realization that she was just openly staring made Luna rush to take back control of herself. This girl had no idea what her actual potential was, based simply on her wand. Luna had to be cautious, as to not put pressure on Jane, so she measured how to approach the situation. 

"Um, well, first I suppose I should explain what a thestral is, as I doubt I need to tell you what a unicorn is like. A thestral is a creature, XXXX rating, which can only be seen by those who have seen death. I can sadly see them, although I have actually yet to see one personally. Now as to your wand. It couldn't have come from Ollivander. He doesn't use that core. Who knows who made it? Anyway, it's properties, right? That's very hard, because generally I don't know. Unicorn hair is very faithful, and consistent, but the slowest learner. Thestral hair is said to be unstable yet profoundly powerful. I need to do more research to fully answer your question. Maybe I can find a professor who can help."

By the end of her explanation, Luna was more talking to herself than to Jane. With a new direction in mind, Luna felt a new excitement bubbling up within her.

"Oh," Jane nodded as Luna continued on. As the girl went on with her explanation, her voice had become quieter, and she wondered if the Ravenclaw was still addressing her at all. She seemed to be extremely interested in the core of Jane's wand, though she had no idea why. Jane had done minimal research on thestrals, being interested in magical creatures, but there wasn't much information on them except that only those who had seen death could see them. Jane had sat next to her cat when it was put down, but she didn't think that counted.

Picking up her wand, Jane began casually swirling it between her fingers, still wondering why the girl sitting across from her was interested in it all. That was when she remembered something specific the girl said.

"Wait," Jane started, a tad confused. "You said Ollivander doesn't carry wands with this core, but I got my wand from his shop. Does that mean that someone else made it and gave it to him?"

She was genuinely curious, this whole thing finally catching her interest. Wands were something Jane had viewed as little more than just something a wizard was required to have, but seeing how Luna reacted to them made Jane believe that probably wasn't true. There must be something important to them for someone to be that interested in what they're made of and how they work.