Closed A Worthwile Venture

[Ryan Fisk]

Ryan had always wondered what sorts of things where stashed away in the Restricted section; he could make a few educated guesses and it did frustrate him that they couldn't easily be accessed but he generally could content himself with the stack of books he already had. It had never occurred to him that they could just ask a professor to let them look. At least not until he'd gotten to talking about curses with Lysander. Ryan had all but exhausted the spellbooks he already had when it came to interesting hexes and curses and the realization that all that they'd need to get access to more was find a professor who was sympathetic to their line of study was an exciting possibility.

"Do you know Professor Maxwell? He was a student not too long ago, right?" Ryan asked Lysander as they knocked on the professor's door. Privately, Ryan wondered if that meant Professor Maxwell would really be very helpful when it came to knowing a lot of advanced magic, but he supposed all they needed was the professor to understand the benefit of letting them read a few books. Besides, he had Lysander with him too. People seemed to like Lysander. Ryan liked him well enough, as did his sister, so he was sure things would go well.

 

[Lysander Summers]

Lysander hadn't expected to have too much in common with Nicole's little brother, yet here they both were, looking for access to the restricted section to research curses. Normally Lysander loathed the idea of being in the library, but then, none of the books there were usually interesting enough to be locked away. It didn't feel like studying if he actually wanted to go and do it, and the more he thought about it, the more he was intrigued. He looked at Ryan as they knocked on Styx's old door. "Not really. We weren't in the same friend groups." He said. It would have definitely helped them if they were, but none of the older students he'd been friends with seemed to know the former student well enough. He was just someone he'd seen around, or heard the name of.​

 

[Noelle Maxwell]

Noelle was glad to have finally gotten settled in the responsibilities of the position he was offered. There was actually no need to get used to the place as it had been his home for seven years before moving to Cardiff. It had just surprised him at times to see the school now from a different perspective, something that he constantly reminded himself of every morning. That he was now a professor and not a student anymore. It actually helped when he paid Prof. Carter a visit on his first week. He was quietly reading a book on more curses he could somehow introduce in the class for his sixth-year students when a knock on the door echoed. He paused, looking up and wondering who could it be. With a snap of his fingers, the door opened to reveal Lysander, a friend of his ex-girlfriend, and Ryan Fisk if he was not mistaken. He approached them with a smile, setting his book down. "Gentlemen, please come in! How may I help you?", he ushered them inside toward the larger table. "Would you like a drink? Tea, juice?", he offered.

 

[Ryan Fisk]

For some reason it caught Ryan off-guard to hear Lysander didn't somehow know everyone. It usually felt like Nicole did, so he'd just figured all seventh years were like that. He supposed it wasn't exactly a rational thought, though Professor Maxwell opened the door before he could comment on it further.

Ryan entered the office, peering around it curiously. He'd not been inside here when Professor Styx was the Dark Arts teacher and he wondered how much had changed now that it belonged to Professor Maxwell. He'd also secretly been hoping to see if Styx had left behind any mysterious or dangerous artifacts though he wasn't surprised to find it wasn't the case. Ryan wrinkled his nose at the offer of tea, shaking his head in favour of getting into why they were actually here. "We wanted to get access to the Restricted Section," he explained without preamble, perching on one of Professor Maxwell's open chairs. "We're interested in some more advanced curses."

 

[Lysander Summers]

Lysander smiled brightly at the professor, still not entirely used to no longer seeing Styx stalking out of the room like some kind of vampire instead. His father had mentioned a story about bringing the former professor a plant as a gift, only for it to immediately wilt when it had crossed the threshold into the man's office. He'd had his doubts about the story, but if it were true, that soul-sucking aura that had seemed to pervade the air no longer seemed to be present now that Professor Maxwell was here. He even offered beverages! Styx could never. "I'll have a-" Lysander started, but Ryan had decided to dive right in. "...juice." He finished, but nodded his head in agreement with Ryan. That's what they were really after. "What he said. I'm graduating this year and I'm not really going to have another chance to get ahead like this. I was hoping studying up on some of the more advanced spells and curses would help me with finding a career after school." He added. He was a seventh-year now, and Hogwarts probably had a ton of books he'd struggle to find anywhere else.​

 

[Noelle Maxwell]

Noelle smiled at the boys, leaning against the desk, his eyes on Ryan. He vaguely heard the Gryffindor wanting a juice. Without skipping a beat, he snapped his fingers and two glasses of juice appeared on the table in front of the boys. He was about to ask for the reason when Lysander provided the information. He nodded in understanding. "So, tell me, what career are you both pursuing when you leave Hogwarts?", he asked, wanting to get more information to help him with his decision. He glanced at Ryan Fisk. "Don't you want to wait for your Dark Arts lessons next semester?", he asked the boy. The sixth-years would have his class in the second semester while Lysander was having his classes this semester.

 

[Ryan Fisk]

Ryan was glad he'd brought Lysander along. They both shared an interest in curses and jinxes, but Lysander was a lot better at putting the fascination into words. Truthfully, Ryan didn't really care about learning to further his career, he just wanted to study things that interested him. And right now, that was curses. "I don't really know," Ryan answered honestly. "I just enjoy unusual magic. It's like solving a puzzle," he said with a shrug, eyeing the juice that had appeared just in case it was secretly tea. "Are you saying we'll be covering advanced curses and jinxes next semester?" He asked curiously. He doubted the sort of magic that would be in the restricted section would be covered in class, but he didn't know what sort of things Professor Maxwell might have planned.

 

[Lysander Summers]

Lysander blinked in surprise at the juice the professor conjured so quickly. He was used to Maxwell's classes having refreshments, so it seemed like he was always prepared for company even outside of class. He took one of the glasses while Ryan talked and waited until he finished before adding on. "Well...for me, I've been considering trying to become an auror. I think it's something I'd be good at. I've been cursed a lot of weird spells, especially when we have duelling tournaments, and knowing how to counter the things that come my way has been really important. If I have to deal with criminals and dark magic, then I want to be ready for anything."​

 

[Noelle Maxwell]

Noelle could really see the interest on the boys' faces. Especially Ryan when he asked about next semester's course work. "It won't be a surprise if I tell you.", he winked. Turning his attention to Lysander, he addressed his response. "I've seen you in duels. And definitely, curses and jinks are definitely something an Auror should be knowledgeable about.", he voiced out. "Alexis and Willow are both Aurors now, I'm pretty sure you know at least one of them.", he added. This even gave him an idea to probably invite them for a short forum with his students. Even ask Professor Drage to collaborate with him for her students as well. He straightened up and gave them a big smile. "This is definitely a first for myself.", he started. "I trust you both to be responsible enough with the permission I give you.", he added sternly. He did not know whether Alexis also approached Styx about this, hopefully, he would not regret his decision. After all, Lysander was a prefect, so he was quite reassured on this fact.