29 Nov 2024, 14:45
Future Aspirations
Inquiry to @ AngelFyre McCubbin
The steady beat of rain could be heard against the Library windows as Simon and AngelFyre sat on the sofa in "their corner" toward the back. It was a Thursday evening and in prior weeks they would have been on various prefect patrols, at separate areas of the castle, but having stepped down they had more moments like this - whether it was to spend time with one another to devote to their studies; or both like now.
She was lying down against the side of one edge, her legs stretched over his lap as she completed some assigned reading for one of her classes. He had just finished taking notes from one of his own readings and had slowly placed his book down on the low lying table that stretched in front of the sofa they occupied. She read on, even as he reached for one of her hands, one now having to steady the book, and he pulled it closer as he simultaneously leaned down so it didn't stretch too far and kissed the back of her hand. Those amazing blue eyes left the textbook momentarily to gaze into his own eyes and he just smiled. "Carry on, love," he told her.
The sooner all their schoolwork was finished, the sooner they could move on to .... other things.
He picked up the newspaper that had been squished between his outer thigh and his edge of the sofa. Even when growing up in muggle London, Simon was someone who liked to stay updated on local, national, and international news and it seemed more important than ever now that he knew this world of his was much larger with the addition of the wizarding world. Plus, magic could do powerful things - whether for good or bad, and liked to remain vigilant so he had The Daily Prophet delivered to him via owl each morning.
Recently there had been an uproar in the magical community that held some personal connection to him so he ignored all the quidditch scandals and skimmed the paper for articles of interest.
The international wizarding schools had announced that this upcoming school year they would be opening their doors to halfbreeds - dhampirs, werewolves, half-giants, and half-veelas, just as Hogwarts had done for some time. It was a big step for his kind and Simon saw it as a great leap forward - but then tragedy struck. When the wizarding schools came to visit Hogwarts before the Fall Ball, they were attacked in Hogsmeade. A targetted attack. Everyone pointed fingers at everyone else.
It hadn't been safe.
Maybe with the uprising of some individuals with so much hatred toward halfbreeds, Hogwarts even wasn't safe. Hogsmeade was too close to home.
But for now, all he could do was pray for those that were lost and injured and hope that somehow the magical community could rally behind this tragedy and use it to make a difference - to see that the prejudice had to be lifted and that these students, these individuals were as deserving as anyone else to a magical education and equal treatment.
He turned a couple pages and began to read:
Now he knew that SCAR was an extremist group - radicals that induced panic and might even be part of a broader movement of outrageous wrongdoing and trying to appear like they cared for the greater good despite a possible hidden agenda, but he couldn't quite help but wonder if there wasn't some truth to such statement.28 November 2024
Statement by SCAR
For immediate release:
To the global magical community:
The recent tragic events in Hogsmeade have cast a long shadow over the lives of many innocents, and we, SCAR, unequivocally condemn this senseless act of violence. While the wizarding world often seeks a scapegoat among the disenfranchised and voiceless, let it be clear: SCAR did not orchestrate or condone this attack on innocent children and civilians.
We are deeply saddened to learn that many of the injured and deceased in Hogsmeade were half-breeds and that many half-breeds are still being treated in St. Mungos. Due to the high mortality rates in St. Mungos in the wake of this tragic event due to the options of magic and potions, we question the competence in St. Mungos staff and believe that the care these victims has received is inadequate and does not maintain the medical standard that would have been afforded to wizards. SCAR feels that this attack specifically targeted half-breeds in an attempt to cull our numbers, silence our people and to deincentivize seeking the education we have every right to. Sentient magical beings have historically shared in the oppression and marginalization that SCAR was created to address. The victims of this senseless act represent the very people we strive to uplift and protect.
It is not lost on us that the wizarding world, with its entrenched systems of inequality, has created fertile ground for despair and rebellion. For centuries, those denied the full rights and dignity of magical society have been forced into the margins, their contributions ignored, their struggles dismissed and their lives marked by a lifetime of subjugation defined by prejudice and disparate treatment. While some might argue that acts like this are a deserved reckoning for the injustices of the past, SCAR rejects such nihilism. Change cannot come from acts that destroy the lives of innocents, including those who share in our plight.
To those in power, who may use this tragedy to justify further oppression: take heed. The seeds of rebellion are not sown by those seeking justice, but by the enduring indifference and cruelty of those who hold power. If you wish to prevent such horrors in the future, look not to blame SCAR but to reform the very systems that perpetuate division and inequity. As fellow magical beings, our children deserve the same rights in terms of education, ownership of wands, to earn an equitable wage in a vocation of our choice and to have a voice in the affairs of magical society as peers.
To the victims, their families, and those who continue to face oppression, SCAR stands with you. Let us honor the lives affected not with further division, but with renewed commitment to a fair and just magical society.
He thought of his own visit to St. Mungo's last Christmas when he had gone to get checked up after being hurt while visiting his father. The mediwitch that had tended to him was so fixated on vampires - how vicious they must be and if he had been attacked in any way. It was almost as if she was pressing and alluding that somehow if he were attacked by one, that he would become one, and then therefore there was a threat to herself. She made vampires seem like far lesser beings to never deserve her time or attention but worse, be feared. She made vampires seem like absolute monsters. ....All while ignoring that her patient was half vampire himself.
Simon had hated the way she made him feel about himself. It was individuals like her that made him fear for the safety of these halfbreeds entering the other school, made him fear for his own safety and security at remaining at Hogwarts, made him worry what the future might look like for himself and his future children.
The staff at St. Mungo's would have done everything they possible could to help those that had been injured in Hogsmead - wouldn't they?
Simon thought about it a moment. He wished no ill will on anyone. Even if a horrible person came into the hospital wing, or he encountered them hurt along the street, he would do all he could to help them. It wasn't his job to judge or play God, or pick and choose favorites in this lifetime. No, he was someone just destined to help others.
He wondered if St. Mungo's had any healers that were halfbreeds; especially dhampirs like himself. His strength and quick reflexes could be an asset and as for his taste for blood - well, caterers put out mouthwatering food at classy events all the time and still were able to prevent themselves from eating the food for clients.
Would a place like St. Mungo's discriminate because of one's race? He hoped beyond all hopes that wouldn't be the case because previous to now he had been throwing around the idea about aspiring to work there.
After reading this, and feeling as if more in his predicament - of his race - needed to be used in such a helping capacity, he was sure about the idea about aspiring to work there.
"AngelFyre?" he paused, knowing he was probably interrupting her reading and he didn't mean to disturb her but he couldn't hold it in any longer. "Do you think I have what it takes to be a healer at St. Mungo's one day?" Surely it took a lot of time, studying, dedication, and preparation.
Be kind to one another. (*iNPC is Miles Thatcher)
30 Nov 2024, 22:23
Future Aspirations
The Promise of Possibilities, @Simon Kincaid
28 Nov 2024
Her toes were luxuriating in the pleasure of squinching the warm wool of Simon's sweater between themselves as she read all about the History of the First Wizarding War for her History of Magic class. It was all so riveting, but also quite unsettling. One thing was becoming more painfully obvious to the young girl... and probably to most everyone attending Hogwarts... it was a dangerous world full of dangerously, small-minded people. The wizarding world, even with magic at their fingertips, could take no credit for doing a better job with their prejudices than the Muggle world had with their own. People were just people, and it was a fallen world. Her faith had taught her as much, and AngelFyre had seen nothing during her time at Hogwarts to refute it.
But that was out there right now. Everything and everyone in her immediate spheres of influence had seemed to right themselves lately. She slowly peered up from her reading about the Dark-Lord-in-the-making to take delight in staring at the boy who made everything in her world feel secure. Simon would be shocked... or likely not, actually… to know just how often she did sneak peeks at him. He caught her doing so a few times once in a while, but those were simply the tip of the iceberg. He had even lain in wait with his wizarding camera a week or so earlier and had captured her in the act. He was particularly happy with those few moments on film, she knew, because he had shown it to her at least three times. He told her he particularly loved her smile in it. She promptly reminded him he was the reason she had been wearing it in the first place. Happy moments like those were more plentiful these days and made room for even more. Nasty thoughts of prejudices and wizarding wars were still standing their stubborn ground in the recesses, but they were currently being surrounded and replaced with happier ones.
She finally wrested her eyes from Simon and was soon engrossed in lazily tracking the rivulets of water blazing trails on the glass that literally separated the outside from the inside. It was a therapeutic mercy to her well being to relax and watch them wend their meandering paths down the arched panes just beyond Simon's head. It was a nice, soft rain, and added to her toasty delight in being able to snuggle with her favorite fellow on "their" lounging spot... well, area really. No one ever seemed to venture back here much, and that was fine by them.
A small, contented sigh joined the sound of a quill scratching across parchment, and AngelFyre allowed her book to rest against her chest, turning her full attention once again to Simon as he worked diligently on one of his assignments. She knew he was deep into whatever he was writing because his free hand was massaging her foot, the one that was not busy burrowing into the wool of his sweater. If he had been momentarily blocked or stumped, he would not have still been massaging her foot more than likely, but he would have definitely been tapping a tune on it. She simply adored him and how that marvelous brain of his worked. Even his colder than human hands, at this moment, were warmer than her feet, so she was definitely getting the better end of the deal here. She reluctantly looked at the time and knew she needed to finish her own reading, so she delved back into the unpleasantness of learning more than she ever wanted to know about Tom Marvolo Riddle and his ascent to becoming Lord Voldemort. Again, even though the subject matter was not fun, it was definitely engaging.
She had been at it for a bit, and knew Simon had finished his studying when the foot massage, sadly, came to an end. All was not lost, however, as he reached for one of her hands, both of which had been steadying a sizeable book, and pressed his lips tenderly to the back of it. Even as the electricity that that simple act generated had her full attention, she “pretended” to finish the paragraph she had been reading before peering over the top of the book at him. He knew she was head over heels for him, but it did the boy a little good to not have her drop everything the instant she may have wanted to, simply because he was showing her his affection.
But when she did finally peer over at him, she was smiling brightly at him, even if the book probably blocked that view. She knew he could pick it up in her eyes though. “Guess Daddy is going to get another, ‘I am marrying Simon one day letter’ owled to him tonight,” she declared with a bit of amusement. She could already feel the happy blush rise to her cheeks at the memory of Simon’s first ever press of his lips to her skin, and her naïve, albeit prescient, declaration of her intent to her father in the ensuing minutes afterward. It may do him good to have to wait on her every once in a while, but it also did him good to know that he still had the power to thrill her down to her tippy toes. That was never going to change.
He just smiled his knowing smile and told her to “Carry on, love,” as he then began to read The Daily Prophet. She tried to divert her concentration back to the First Wizarding War, but mention of her father pointed her thoughts to home, as they had done so often during the course of the whole day. Her mother was an American and today was her Thanksgiving. It was not a holiday celebrated in the United Kingdom, but it was her mother's favorite holiday, so AngelFyre had grown up with it as well. Her family’s year of hard "firsts" was behind them since the passing of Grandma Ruth, but on special family days like these, AngelFyre especially missed being home. As she looked over to Simon, she had made a point to say more than her usual fair share of thanks for him on this day. He most certainly was her greatest blessing, and she was forever thankful to Him for him.
She had not gotten much farther along in her reading when she heard Simon addressing her. This time she did not make him wait for her attention. His voice was tentative, with more than a hint of self-doubt. For well over a year Simon had participated in the Healer Internship, and she had witnessed first hand how his growth and maturity had skyrocketed. Part of it, of course, was that he was simply growing up, but there was more to it than that with him. He was still Simon, of course, but not quite as carefree as he had once been.
The echo reverberated within the mostly silent Library when AngelFyre slapped her book closed, more forcefully than she had intended to do, and she cringed as a result, but her mind was rapidly long past that faux pas and completely focused on Simon. Her legs lithely swiveled off of his lap, and she leaned over to set the book down on the rug, next to her other text books. After scooting next to him, she locked her eyes onto his. “Simon, I have absolutely no doubts whatsoever about you ‘having what it takes’ to be a Healer, whether that be at St. Mungos or anywhere else.” She said nothing more for a few seconds and only stared deeply into his eyes, willing him to see the faith she held in him. She broke eye contact only to lean over to kiss him, but it was not a quick peck. Her left hand had reached up to cup his face, stroking slow circles as she ended the kiss and tenderly pressed her cheek against his, whispering into his ear. “You can do anything… BE anything... you set your mind to accomplish. I do not have to be a Seer to know that about you. That is just who you are, love. You are the promise of possibilities.”
She kissed his cheek before retreating back to her place next to him. Reaching for one of his hands, she looked down for a moment and was caught in a wash of emotion as she remembered her soliloquy to him over their Kincaid–McCubbin telecommunication network on his last birthday. He would not remember it, of course, because he had been sick and was sound asleep as she delivered her birthday message to him, but it still lived within her. He was growing up so fast and even she, as a kid herself, could see it. Both her father and Grandma Ruth had warned her to not be in such a rush to have her life hurry up so she could be older and do the things she most wanted to be able to do. AngelFyre began to understand, even if only a little, what they had been trying to tell her as her heart in that moment felt like it was being squeezed in a vice grip.
And as her eyes misted over, just like the mists from the fabled island of Honah Lee, AngelFyre recited softly, “A dragon lives forever, but no so little boys. Giant wings and painted rings, make way for other toys.”
After dabbing the corner of her eyes with her palms she hugged him, more for her own reassurance in the moment than his to be honest “I have suspected for a while this is the path you were most likely to pursue, though I cannot lie and say that being the wife of a Dragon Tamer did not have a certain appeal.”
Resting against him now, she drew him back to a more comfortable snuggling position on the lounge where they could hold each other, but still be able to look out to the space before them, together, but not completely knowing who or what it held. As they settled and he rested his chin on her head, she asked, “Why the doubts, love? Why now? And what made you decide on healing?”
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ReducioOOC: Lyrics cited from Puff, the Magic Dragon by Peter, Paul and Mary
Simon and AngelFyre have longstanding permission to godmod one another's characters.
The magic is real.
3 Dec 2024, 21:51
Future Aspirations
In this life there is He, you @AngelFyre McCubbin, and this calling
"I mean, if dragon tamer would make me more attractive in your eyes....." he teased but smiled brightly, knowing that it didn't matter if he was a healer in time, a dragon tamer, or a clerk part-time at a store. She saw him forever in a bright light that had nothing to do with what 'success' in a career would look like. That, and somehow it didn't seem that AngelFyre McCubbin had that whole persona of liking bad boys but then again she was with a dhampir, who liked high speed, and had a detention on file with Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Maybe Simon was already a bad boy, dragon tamer or not.
But back to her question about coming to such a conclusion. Simon looked once more to the article in The Daily Prophet before lowering the paper. "There's a release from SCAR in today's publication," he said and then set it down on the table in front of them. "Now I don't put much validity into them - like many, I question whether they're truly advocates for the rights of halfbreeds like me." No, there was a lot going on there and certainly more than a fifteen year old could make sense of, "but they bring up possible unfair treatment of halfbreeds at St. Mungo's after the attack in Hogsmeade. What if.... What if there's some truth to that? Do you remember the mediwitch I had whilst there last year?"
"She was so focused on the vampires....what did they do to me....did they infect me. She forgot that half of what courses through my veins is because of one," and he wasn't coming to the defense of Adrian Hawthorne by any means but what if he had been attached to his father? What if he loved such a man? That mediwitch had no foundation on which to go on and the way that she had been so paranoid was ridiculous.
"We halfbreeds, no matter what we are comprised of or how much percentage are still part of this wizarding world and rightfully so. I might not be the best wandcaster without practice but I can pick up a wand and produce magic. I'm part of this world," and he shot AngelFyre a look like 'hello, little mermaid reference, but continued - not before a slight smile. "I want to be part of that world," and now his smile was more than slight.
"But seriously!" he continued, getting back on track.
"More halfbreeds like me should go into it. We should be within that population that's there to help and to heal, not just for the comfort of fellow halfbreeds but to help expel any notions that we're different or we mean any harm."
"And I'd never mean harm. Something like healer truly is something I'd excel at. I want to help, I want to make a contribution to help others with this life I have and whether that's treating patients day to day, research to advance medicine, or both - I like that's where I'm being called. You know how much I enjoy it," and she certainly did know - he often talked about his experiences in the Hospital wing with his internship and the various discoveries he made while researching magical medicine.
"I think I'm confident to go as far as to say that maybe it's my life purpose." Could one discover that at fifteen? Maybe so. "I think that God is calling me to become the person that He created me to be and do what He designed me to do."
Be kind to one another. (*iNPC is Miles Thatcher)