Closed But when I'm way up here; It's crystal clear

[Mary Lou Layton]

Mary Lou was making some rounds this week. She had a couple of people to thank for helping her, and she knew it was unlikely she was going to see much of Professor Grace now, since her class was over and it didn't seem like the type of class to have multiple years attached. That must be a nice holiday for Professor Grace, she thought. Though it seemed weird that she would be a Professor, since she was so young. Mary Lou could have believed she was young enough to be her sister. She carried some baked goods under her arm, as both a thank you for all the help Professor Grace had given her and as a sorry for all the extra work she'd had to put in, that was probably going to amount to nothing, since flying was definitely not something she saw herself doing. It was far, far too high. She couldn't get on a broom and fly that high, it was scary. She knocked lightly on the door and waited patiently to be told to enter.​

 

[Professor Grace Holland]

The second semester was a quieter time for Grace, but she was busy preparing for next year and keeping up with the different Quidditch teams at Hogwarts. She wasn't the referee, but preferred to keep up with what the teams were doing so she could assist in any way. She had once played professionally herself, so she felt like she could give at least the chasers some insights. Because there usually was very little traffic to her office this late in the year, Grace was a little surprised to hear a knock on her door. Grace figured it was one of her cousins, and out of all of them, one was much likelier than the others. "Alice, is that you?" She called, getting up from her desk. She knew her young cousin had suffered some heartbreak lately, and Grace wondered if she was seeking refuge from her classmates and everything else in her office for a little while.

 

[Mary Lou Layton]

"Professor Grace!" Mary Lou called, back, when asked if she was someone called Alice. "'tis Mary Lou, from first year... I fell off the broom that one time? You helped me learn how to do it properly!" She wasn't sure how thick these doors were, she didn't know how far away Professor Grace had been so she tried to make sure she could be heard, which was quite loud. "I have a gift for you," she really hoped she would not have to stand out here shouting. She eventually got inside and held the box of sweets up for inspection. Normally this was the part where she would say it was a bribe, but she needn't do that this time, as this was not a bribe, but a thank you.​

 

[Professor Grace Holland]

The voice on the other side of the door definitely wasn't Grace's cousin, and she mentally kicked herself for making assumptions. "Oh, sorry miss Prindeou." Grace said, getting up to open the door, but the girl managed on her own. "A gift?" She asked, surprised. Was it a rose that had been forgotten? Grace gave the young girl a smile, then looked at the box the girl held up for her. "Is that all for me?" She asked in surprise. "What is the occasion?"

 

[Mary Lou Layton]

Mary Lou smiled up at Professor Grace. She liked her after everything she'd done for her and she was glad she could give back as a thank you in some small way. The cookies weren't much and were easiest to make when she was in a rush, but she definitely preferred cookies over other things. Her favourite was anything cinnamon and fruitcake, but she knew not everyone liked those things, so chocolate and banana cookies were the best she thought. "I wanted to say thank you, for putting your time into helping me get on a broom... I can't say I'll willingly be getting on a broom any time soon," she said, hoping that didn't offend her, but she had to be honest. "It's really scary, but... I did get on and I did fly... sort of. And that's all thanks to you." Baking was the only thing she was truly talented in and actually good at, so she wanted to share her art with anyone who would take it.​

 

[Professor Grace Holland]

Grace was touched by the gesture, and smiled brightly at the girl. "Oh, thank you." She told the young Hufflepuff, accepting the box and looking at the cookies, they looked delicious. "You did fly, and make no mistake, you did that yourself." She told her, smiling encouragingly. "Did you make these? They're very nice." She smiled. "I'll share them with my cousins." She then looked at the girl cautiously. "And how are you doing?"

 

[Mary Lou Layton]

Mary Lou liked Professor Grace because of a number of reasons. For the first reason was that Professor Grace was incredibly patient with her, and was happy to teach her what she needed to know. She took the cookies and it seemed like she would like them, and she was glad of that because she much prefered it when people enjoyed the baked goods she made for them. "I did fly," she repeated, glad that Professor Grace wanted her to acknowledge that because that had been a major milestone in her life. "I made the cookies too, I like to bake," she said, nodding. She was glad that more people would be trying her cookies, she would be happy to make more. "I am okay, I think, I am a bit worried about the exams, but I think they will be okay." She didn't want to mention the issues she was having with that Slytherin boy, because really what would Professor Grace be able to do about it, let alone even believing her. No one ever really believed her in the past anyway, she just had to deal with it. "I like Potions best." Despite her ordeal of almost dying anyway.​

 

[Professor Grace Holland]

Grace smiled at the young girl. "You did." She said, nodding. "I'm impressed you made all these. I'm hopeless at baking." Grace said, partly to make the girl feel better. She knew that Mary Lou was insecure about her flying, and it would probably never be her strong suit, but everyone had their strengths and weaknesses, even adults. "I think you'll do fine." She told the girl kindly. "Potions is a popular subject, I believe. Professor Pendleton knows how to make an impression on students." She said with a slight smile. She only taught the first years herself, which made it difficult to really build a bond with students as they often forgot about her a bit as they grew older. But Grace did really like that she got to help young students, and Mary Lou was an example of that. "Good luck with your exams." She told the Hufflepuff.

 

[Mary Lou Layton]

Mary Lou smiled at Professor Grace. She was thankful for everything that she had tried to do for her after all, she'd tried her best to help Mary Lou and she'd really appreciated it. "Baking is the one thing I can do without thinking," she told her, nodding slightly. She didn't even use recipes sometimes, since she liked to experiment with baking powder versus butter cream, it was a constant battle. She liked to relax before studying by baking, since she generally made things that didn't take longer than about an hour to make so she had some time to relax a little. The comment on Professor Pendleton made her blush a little, since she'd had that allergy issue in the very first lesson. She'd been really worried about that, but apart from Luxen constantly causing her problems, not much had come from it thankfully and she as greatful for that, because at the moment, apart from his hurtful comments, Luxen hadn't done much to hurt her. "Thank you, I hope my exams go well!"​