Occupational Research Finished

Luna had become so lost in her own thoughts that she was almost startled by the sudden question posed to her. Quickly regaining her bearing, and task, she turned her focus back to Jane.

"Um, well, your question is a bit confusing, but I think I understand. He obviously carried the wand, otherwise he couldn't have given it to you. But, as far as I know anyway, Mr. Ollivander only uses three types of cores. Dragon Heartstring, Phoenix Feather, and Unicorn Hair. Which means that the answer is yes, someone else crafted your wand. It had to be an amazing wandmaker too, as Thestral Hair is supposed to be difficult to work with altogether. But the benefits are incredible. For example, your wand should be able to mend broken wands. That's impossible for any other core."

Luna decided she would need to befriend this new student. Such a rare wand, which meant a rare soul! The things this witch could accomplish! Besides that, Luna would get a firsthand look at how such a wand and it's owner would develop. That could be valuable experience for a future career as a wandmaker. She glance back toward Jane. 

"Is that everything, or is there something else you would like to know?"

Luna seemed so eager to talk to Jane now, which was completely different than when she had first sat at the table. This didn't really surprise Jane though. She had found out that when you let someone talk about their passion that you can see them at their best. Jane didn't share Luna's enthusiasm about wands and wasn't as interested in her thestral tail hair wand core, but she did want to learn as much as she could. She didn't want to fall behind or be put at a disadvantage just because she was a beginner when it came to magic.

"Not that I can think of right now," she answered casually, pulling her wand back into her robe. She smiled up at the girl, hoping she had a friend in the Ravenclaw. It would be nice to have a friend from another house. "I really appreciate you teaching me all that though. I'm pretty clueless about magic."

Luna had claimed to also be pretty new with magic, but she was already so much more knowledgeable than Jane was on all this stuff. This was obviously because her interests lied in magic and wands, but Jane just didn't share those interests as much. She wanted to work with creatures, maybe even non-magical ones like her mother.

"You'll be a great wand-maker," she said honestly, looking at the large book she had pulled out. "I may not even use magic again once I leave Hogwarts." She shrugged. "I guess we'll have to wait and see."

"If I decide to be a wandmaker. It's just one possibility. If life has taught me anything in the last six years, it's that what we expect or want, and reality, don't tend to align. Anyway, I'm glad I can help. Knowledge, or rather information is power. The power to defend ourselves, power to prove ourselves, power to have a life that isn't miserable. It's important to use what time we have to live as much as possible. Sorry if that's a bit too deep. As for using magic, it's the same. It's nothing more than a tool, all that matters is the person using it. One doesn't have to use tools, but they certainly make our life easier. You may not pursue a job that requires consistent use of magic, but I'm willing to bet you'll use it, at least a little."

Luna had seen enough of the world to know it's joys and sorrows. Her face deflated a little at the thought of sad and angry memories. But she couldn't let the past shackle her down, so she quickly pushed it from her mind. Luna had a third new friend. Two of them from another house. She decided that three was a good number. She resolved to keep her three new friends for her entire school career and perhaps longer. Now all that was left was to see if fate, destiny, whatever one wants to call it, would allow such a thing.

Jessica trudged from between two bookshelves, a mountain of books weighing down her poor arms. She was strong for such a young, little girl and she walked toward a seemingly empty table like it was nothing. Dropping the books carefully down, Jessica wiped her brow and winced, cracking her knuckles, like her back wasn't the real victim in this situation. She hastily pulled out a quill and ink and sat down, making sure she had everything she needed to get started studying. Once she was sure, she dipped her head down and focused all of her attention on her studying.

Hm, Potions is such an interesting subject. Everytime I think of it, I always imagine an old witch hovering over a worn cauldron, mixing up something for her lovesick niece. But now I understand that it's much more complex than that. She read through page to page thoroughly, getting back into the studying mode that her mother had drilled into her. Even though she was only eleven her parents were strict about excellent grades, and it helped that Jessica had a a high interest in learning. After all, what else was there to do in life other than learn about your surroundings?

Another reason why Jessica was focused so hard was being recently she had the notion to try to strive past her friend Regina in homework. She didn't want it to become a problem that disturbed their friendship, she just wanted to do her best, but also prove that she was just as good as Pure-Blood. After all, she was a Muggle-Born.

While Jessica was studying she began to realize that a conversation nearby was becoming a bit distracting to her. She looked and saw that two girls were chatting, maybe about future jobs that they liked, and this made her very curious. She'd never thought about that at all, what sort of occupation she'd planned to have after attending the school for her seven years. Since these girls seemed to know what they were talking about, and she'd had studied for quite a while, Jessica got up and approached the girls.

"Hello, um, I couldn't help but overhear your conversation. I was wondering if you could tell me about the occupations there are in the wizard world? I'm interested in anything at the moment, even in the Ministry on Magic."

Luna looked over at a sudden voice. Her eyebrow twitched involuntarily. Another person attempting to socialize. This was going to be a very exhausting day. Luna had just wanted to study. She let out a sigh. This one was a fellow Ravenclaw, judging by the robes.  Well, there was no need to be rude. She was already entertaining one person, why not another? Besides more potential friends. Luna analyzed the newcomer. She had dark hair and eyes, and was tall. Much taller than Luna was anyway. 

"Hi there. I can't fully answer your question. Sorry. I only know of a few vocations. Aurors are like, a special police force. They hunt down the worst of the worst in the wizarding world. It's a difficult job to just to meet the qualifications. There is also a Curse-Breaker. These are wizards employed to counter curses, on people or objects. It's another very dangerous job, with a lot of risk to one's self.  The third job I know is a Wand Maker. I don't think that needs much explaining. However I'm sure there are loads more. Maybe there is a book around here that can help. I don't know much about the Ministry either."

Luna was starting to notice that she spoke a lot more than she intended. She began to blush a little, embarrassed by the tiny rant.

Jane's eyes switched between the two girls, Luna, the student she had been talking to for quite a while already, and a new girl. Judging from her robes, she was from Ravenclaw House. She seemed kind enough, perhaps a little shy, but that was completely understandable.

She furrowed her eyebrows together and looked down for a moment at the girl's question, trying to think of a few wizarding occupations she could name. However, Luna spouted out a few instead. Jane really didn't know of many jobs in the wizarding world. The only ones she had done any research on involved magical creatures, so everything that Luna had just relayed was news to her as well.

As Luna talked, Jane looked down into her lap, twirling her thumbs about each other. There was really nothing she could add that would be helpful.

With the addition of another person to their table, Jane was a bit concerned about making too much noise in the library. Her friends at school had always accused her of being too much of a stickler for the rules though, so Jane kept her lips sealed on the issue, not wanting to seem like a downer.

After Luna seemed to have finished speaking, Jane decided the best way to start a possible friendship was with a simple introduction. Whether or not the girl was looking for a friend, she did still need to know names. Jane smiled kindly at the girl and extended a hand out. "My name is Jane Greenway. It's nice to meet you."

Jessica nodded along during the conversation, carefully considering the three options that the girl had given her so far. Her long black hair, braided into two Frenchbraids, were slightly messy and her cheeks were pink from the exhaustion she was trying to hide. Carrying a bunch of books was no small ordeal. She rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "That's actually quite interesting. I think that I'd fair well in Curse-Breaking or the other one - what was it?" She snapped her fingers. "Ah, yes, the Aurors. That sounds magnificent! Can you imagine being though of as a hero, tracking down the most evil of villains in the most dangerous places, hoping to come home and say that you rid the world of one less evil? I think my grandmother would really appreciate my part in that. Thanks for the ideas!" She smiled so hard that her eyes nearly closed.

"OH! Hello! My name's Jessica Garrison, Ravenclaw, as you can tell from the crisp blue robes. And you must be a Hufflepuff? My grandmother said that I probably wouldn't get into that House, I wasn't kind or loyal enough." Her eyes crinkled with ecstasy. She was finally making friends! Or hopefully that's what this was. She brushed a stray hair out of her face and sat up straighter in the seat.

"You're welcome, I suppose. I wouldn't get too set, too early. Who knows what other occupations are out there?" Luna had to keep pulling her long hair back over her shoulder, as to keep it out of her face. She hated when her hair blocked her view, yet still refused to cut it any shorter. "What books do you have there? Are you studying for a particular class? I've taken a few, and love to help others with learning. There's nothing more valuable than information". 

Luna's eyes didn't brighten as much as when Jane had asked for information. She had a gut feeling this girl already knew the value of learning, and beyond that, could be well ahead of Luna herself for all she knew. Yet there was a way to take a measure of the Ravenclaw. 

"If you don't mind my asking, what kind of wand do you have? I'm really into wand lore, and would love to see yours." Anyone watching her eyes at this point would see a sparkle in them. 

In her peripherals, Luna could see Jane attempting to speak to the new girl as well. Luna hoped she wasn't being too forceful and pushing Jane out of the conversation. 

The two girls seemed to be rather caught up in their own conversation, so Jane thought it best to remain quiet. They were from the same house, after all. They had much more in common with each other than Jane had with either one of them.

Jane smiled a bit as Luna mentioned wand lore. She wondered if she brought up that topic often when talking to others. She couldn't blame her. Jane was normally just as bad when discussing creatures of any kind. It was actually pretty cool. When someone talks about something they are passionate about, their entire face lights up, and they get so excited. Oftentimes, it's quite contagious, and everyone finds themselves asking about that person's interests, even if they don't share it themselves. People are more empathetic than they like to believe, and Jane always found it fun to observe as something like that took place. So, in this case, Jane was perfectly content to sit back and allow Luna to become acquainted with her fellow Ravenclaw.

As Luna continued to ask questions, Jane wondered if it would be rude to get a bit of studying done. Reading a few lines couldn't hurt, right? However, Jane knew that an action like that could be misconstrued as boredom or disinterest in the conversation being had, so she ultimately decided against it. Instead, she just listened intently to whatever was said.

"Yes, I know there are tons of other options, especially if the job has to do with magic. I just like the idea of those two. And if I remember correctly...I think I have Wand made out of walnut wood and unicorn hair. I don't remember what Ollivander said about that. It might just be an average Wand, for all I know." She studied hers, touching the hard wood and it's natural grooves. The idea of actually having one shocked her at first. When she had gone through the wands at the shop, testing each one to see if it were hers, she felt so excited! She never imagined having one of her own but when she saw it on the list for supplies from Hogwarts, she had practically squealed with joy.

"No, I'm basically studying for all the classes I have, so I can make sure I spend equal amounts of time on them. That way I will know I'll do my best....speaking of which, this library seems more crowded than usual. I think that I'll take my studies elsewhere, if you don't mind. I have to have a clear mind to make sure I get everything." Jessica grabbed her books. "Thanks for the advice, I'll make sure to keep that in mind, Curse-Breaker especially. Hopefully if I go into that, I don't end up getting the curse myself, ha! It was nice meeting you two, especially a Hufflepuff." Jessica got up and walked out of the library.