Everything I Want, Yeah, You Know I'm Gonna Get It

[Celia Vu]

Ever since she'd made the Quidditch team, Celia had kept a running tally of all the things she could do better. She had watched Liusaidh stumble and Ruben and Daintree positively faceplant, and she was determined not to make the same mistakes. It wasn't enough for Slytherin to win the cup. She wanted to win every game, including the international ones. She wanted blowouts. She wanted shutouts. She wanted to end every match with at least 250 points on the scoreboard and half the opposing team in the hospital wing. She wanted perfection.

Celia had already started making some improvements. She was in the process of upgrading the team's equipment and had begun gathering information on the other house teams. Her next area of focus was improving practices. They were usually unstructured, and Celia was sure she could make them better. The goal was to make them so difficult that the actual games seemed like a breeze by comparison. She had some ideas of how to achieve this, but a lot of them required magic beyond her abilities.

Thankfully, she knew a professor who might be willing to help. Professor Corrins had always been extremely generous in the past, giving her extra lessons on advanced charms. The spell Celia had in mind for today was more of a transfiguration than a charm, but hopefully Professor Corrins would still be able to help. She made her way to the professor's office and knocked on the open door frame. "Hi Professor Corrins," Celia greeted brightly. "Do you have a few minutes? I was hoping I could get your help with something."

 

[Professor Mallory Grayveson]

Mallory was starting to feel left out. Dimitri had eloped and was living with his husband, and Annika had moved in with her- whatever he was, the father of her baby, Shane she thought. She hadn't met him, but she wanted to. It all made her think of Atkin. Was he just not serious about her? She was supposed to be grading, but she was just staring blankly at the pages, her mind drifting. Was it her work as a Professor? She loved her job, and she had thought Atkin truly cared about her. But perhaps the distance was too much for him. Was he seeing someone else? Was he looking for someone else? Someone closer, more accessible, someone with more experience and time to spend with him...

She was drawn from her thoughts by a familiar voice, and she looked up, blinking. The door was open? She got up quickly, moving to the curtain of her private quarters and peeking inside. Both cats were asleep on her bed. She sighed in relief, turning back to Celia and letting the curtain close. "Yes, of course, come in," She motioned, moving to sit back down. "Close the door, please, before Maxim decides to rush out in search of an adventure."

 

[Celia Vu]

Celia did her very best not to make a face at the idea of one of Professor Corrins' cats escaping. Compared to a lot of the other Hogwarts staff, Professor Corrins didn't have quite as many flaws — but her choice in pets was definitely one of them. Celia had never really understood the appeal of pets, but if you were going to have one, why wouldn't you choose an animal that was at least cute? "Right. Sorry," she said, quickly closing the door behind her. Celia moved to her usual spot on one of Professor Corrins' couches. By now, she was very familiar with the professor's office. "How've you been?" It was both a polite attempt at small talk before she made her request and a genuine question. There weren't a lot of people at Hogwarts who Celia enjoyed talking to, but somehow Professor Corrins had become one of them.

 

[Professor Mallory Grayveson]

Mallory picked her tea back up, motioning to spell her tea set to start preparing Mallory a drink. "I've been," She replied easily, giving a strained smile. "Just lamenting my love life." She chuckled dryly. "Nothing new. What brings you by?" She asked, changing the subject from her to Celia. She could use a distraction from Atkin's apparent hesitation in their relationship. She had to ignore the urge to fall back into her insecurities, instead just focusing on the young girl.

 

[Celia Vu]

Never one to miss an opportunity to pry into other people's personal lives, Celia knitted her brows in concern. "Oh, did something happen?" Her gaze flickered over to Professor Corrins' left hand. She knew Professor Corrins wasn't married, but she didn't know much about the woman's love life beyond that. Celia had to assume dating while working and living in a boarding school was rough. Maybe that's why so many professors ended up dating the school nurses.

At Professor Corrins' question, Celia sat up a little straighter. "I wanted to ask about those dummies you use for your lesson on the Confusion Charm." It had been a few years since Celia had sat through that lesson, but she assumed Professor Corrins hadn't gotten rid of them. The dummies were an effective way of teaching the charm. "How did you animate them? I want to do something similar for our Quidditch practices. We usually just practice alone, but that isn't really helpful for replicating actual game scenarios. Like, in a real match, there are 14 people on the pitch, while we only have 10 people on our team," she explained, unsure how familiar Professor Corrins was with Quidditch. Was the sport popular in Russia? "I was hoping to enchant some dummies that could play against us or at least fly around randomly and act as obstacles. What would be the best way to do that?" Celia had already tried a couple spells on the dummies in the dueling chamber, but she hadn't had much success.

 

[Professor Mallory Grayveson]

Mallory sighed softly, cradling her tea. "Oh, well... I'm- seeing a man, technically... he's a sweetheart, I just..." She sighed, biting her lip. "I took this position here before I started seeing him. It's a lot, really, it takes a lot of time and effort. I thought it would be alright, that we could work it out." She glanced at the letter, chewing on her lip. "My younger brother has eloped and is living with his husband, my younger sister is now living with her... I'm not sure what they are, actually. But they're having a baby." Mallory sighed, shutting her eyes a moment. "I'm just... starting to think perhaps I'm only a placeholder and he's waiting for someone better to spend his life with."

She shook her head, just smiling softly and pushing it from her mind. She listened to what Celia had to ask her, sipping on her tea as she considered it. "Well... let me speak to Professor Castillo and see what can be done. But once we've gotten the proper approval through the proper channels, I can teach you the proper enchantments you'd need, though I might need to sit in on the practice to make sure it goes smoothly?" She offered to the girl, smiling gently. "I'm sure we could work out something."

 

[Celia Vu]

Celia's cup of tea was all but forgotten as Professor Corrins started to spill the real tea. She wondered how Professor Corrins had met this mystery man while living at a boarding school. The woman didn't exactly seem like the type to go out. She considered Professor Corrins' concerns and tried to find something reassuring to say. "You said it takes a lot of time and effort to see him, right? I don't think he'd go through all that trouble to see you if he only thought of you as a placeholder. It'd be easier to date someone else." Their setup also made it a lot easier for him to see someone else on the side without Professor Corrins every noticing. However, Celia decided not to mention that.

She frowned a little when Professor Corrins brought up Professor Castillo. It wasn't that Celia thought he would say no — he probably wanted the cup just as much as she did. Rather, she was frustrated that he would be given a say in her practices. It was her team. She was the captain. Why couldn't she just run things the way she wanted? She didn't need all this oversight. "Would the spells required be dangerous? I didn't think it would require anything more complicated than Animare or Piertotum Locomotor," Celia said, trying to understand why Professor Corrins was being so cautious. "If you're not allowed to teach me the spells, could you just enchant them yourself?" That wasn't ideal, but right now her priority was getting her team ready to win the cup. She could teach herself the spells later.

 

[Professor Mallory Grayveson]

Mallory considered Celia's words, sipping on her tea. "Perhaps... I just don't understand it." She sighed softly. "I thought he was the family type, but he hasn't made much effort to make things official." She traced her finger over the rim of her cup. "I don't know... perhaps I'm just jealous. I'm the oldest and the last one to settle down." She sighed softly.

Mallory chuckled. "I don't see an issue with it, I just need to be sure it's allowed. I don't want to overstep my bounds," She explained. "I'll most likely cast the spells myself, just to be sure they go well, but I can show you how," She offered. "Since I'm sure you'd want them to work right away. The spells I'm thinking of are a bit advanced, but we can make it work."

 

[Celia Vu]

Professor Corrins' wording was a little concerning. "Official, as in relationship-official, or official as in a proposal?" If it was the latter, then Celia thought there was still hope. If it was the former, well, she had some bad news for the professor. Her theory about being a placeholder was likely correct. Celia sipped her tea as Professor Corrins talked about feeling jealous. Personally, she didn't think there was much to be jealous about when it came to Professor Corrins' sister's situation — pity seemed more appropriate — but she searched for something reassuring to say. "You still have time," Celia said, trying to sound as sincere as she could, considering she was a 16 year old with little experience or desire to "settle down" anytime soon.

Celia could tell that this was the best she would get from Professor Corrins. She nodded though she was quietly frustrated. It was like this school didn't want its students to learn anything. "Okay, let me know what he says." Celia supposed Professor Corrins had a point about doing the enchantments herself when it came to the actual practice. It wouldn't do to have the dummies suddenly start attacking her teammates mid-air because she'd made a mistake trying out a new spell. "I can give you our practice schedule later so you can pick a time that works for you." She paused to take a sip of her tea. "What spells are you thinking of?" Celia asked, aiming for a nonchalant tone even though she knew her question was a longshot.

 

[Professor Mallory Grayveson]

Mallory smiled softly at the question. "An official proposal," She offered softly, rubbing her thumb against her tea cup. "I know I still have time... but if he doesn't make this relationship more official sooner rather than later, I'll have to end it. I want kids, and a family, and a husband that loves me." She sighed. "I can't spend my life waiting for a man who doesn't know what he wants." She sipped her tea, hoping it didn't come to that.

She smiled softly at the question. "I'll have that chat and get back to you, figure out which enchantments would work best for what it is you're wanting." She sipped her tea, before changing the subject. "Do you have anyone special in your life, Celia?" She asked, curious now. "You're an attractive young girl. It wouldn't be hard to imagine a suitor after your affections."

 

[Celia Vu]

Celia couldn't help wondering how someone was supposed to raise a family — with someone who didn't even work at Hogwarts, no less — while living at a boarding school. The more she thought about it, the worse being a professor seemed. No wonder turnover was so high. "You should tell him that if you haven't already." Celia also considered suggesting that Professor Corrins propose herself instead of just waiting for him to do it, but she had a feeling Professor Corrins was a little too traditional for that.

She had known that Professor Corrins was unlikely to answer her question, but she was still disappointed. It seemed as if she'd just have to do some self-studying in the meantime. Celia took a sip of her tea, nearly snorting at Professor Corrins' next question. "No," she said in as neutral of a tone as she could manage. Sometimes it was easy to forget that Professor Corrins was a former heiress, but then she said stuff like that. "I don't think most teenagers these days are interested in being 'suitors,'" she said a little dryly. It was such an old-fashioned idea of love. Celia knew that there were some prominent magical families, mostly those of the pureblood ilk, who believed in arranged marriages and courtship, but it all seemed so antiquated in 2058. But that was all beside the point. Celia was pretty sure far more people disliked or were scared of her than liked her, even platonically.

 

[Professor Mallory Grayveson]

Mallory considered Celia's words, refilling her tea. "Well... I suppose I could." She offered slowly. "I'm just... not sure," She sighed. "When I was younger, my sister was engaged. He was a charming, kind man. Or at least, we thought he was. She threw him out when he tried to come onto me. But after that... well, I decided on what I wanted in a relationship of my own, if I ever got one. I wanted a strong, caring man who would make me important in his life. It feels... hollow, I suppose, if I take the steps I want him to take."

She chuckled at Celia's reaction and response to her question, sipping her fresh tea. "Would you like a refill?" She offered. "I suppose you are a bit young," She conceded. "I came from a different world, one I ran from." She traced her thumb over the cup. "Tell me, then, do you have plans for after school?" She asked, thinking that Celia must be the type to know what she wanted. Or at least, have an idea.

 

[Celia Vu]

Professor Corrins' life really was like something out of a soap opera, and Celia listened with great interest to the story about her sister, though she also made sure to wince sympathetically. She could understand Professor Corrins' point to a certain degree, but she also didn't think that letting your (presumably) long-term boyfriend know that you eventually wanted marriage and kids counted as taking steps for him. "I don't think telling him you hope to be married someday is going to make a future proposal hollow. He's not going to marry you just because you say you want to be married." Not unless he was a complete doormat. Celia couldn't imagine committing to something like marriage without actually wanting it. "He might even be holding off because he doesn't think you want to be married." Of course, this was all speculation. She was very curious to know who this mystery man was and how they'd met.

Celia shook her head at the offer of more tea. "No, thank you." She shifted her cup around, trying to subtly get a look at the tea leaves. It was something she did after every cup of tea. At Professor Corrins' question, Celia hesitated. As ambitious as she was, she didn't like sharing her goals before she actually accomplished them. She was also just generally wary of talking about her ties to the muggle world, even though she knew by now that Professor Corrins didn't harbor any prejudices related to blood. "I'm planning on going to college," Celia admitted, knowing she would have to share her plans with Professor Corrins eventually. After all, she planned on asking the woman for a letter of recommendation next year. "For political science or international relations or something along those lines. It depends on where I get accepted."

this is very late i'm so sorry

 

[Professor Mallory Grayveson]

Mallory kept sipping on her tea, listening to Celia speak. "Perhaps you have a point," She offered. "I'll have to think on it." She spoke sincerely. Maybe she did need to do that, find some sort of compromise. She wanted Atkin to take the initiative... desperately, she realized. She wanted him to want her so much that she didn't have to tell him to take the next step. But was he waiting on her? She chewed her lip a moment before sipping on her tea again, shaking the thoughts away and keeping her attention on Celia. She listened to the girls plans and nodded along. "That sounds like a good career path. Would you like me to acquire any new materials for you?" She asked, thinking of what she could do to help.

 

[Celia Vu]

Celia had always thought that she was good at giving advice, but it was different being told so by your professor. She tried not to smile too obviously and instead nodded as Professor Corrins said she would think on it. Hopefully she would have an update the next time they talked. Celia smiled gratefully at Professor Corrins's question and shook her head. "I think I'm good for now, but I'll let you know if I end up needing anything." She glanced down at her empty tea cup before turning her attention back to Professor Corrins. "I should probably get going. I don't want to keep you any longer." Celia gently set down the cup, casting a scourgify charm on it as she did so, and stood up. "Thanks again for the tea, and let me know what Professor Castillo says about the dummies," she said with a smile before grabbing her bag and exiting the office.

((just wanted to post a closer))