If Only if Only.....

[Maddiie Holland]

It was early one morning when Maddiie decided to ditch class; she didn’t do it on purpose of course. It was more like she didn’t feel good enough to bare to stay in classroom all day, thou it didn’t stop her from getting up for the rest of the day. She had finally written back to her father, thanking him and Lila for the egg pendant. She really enjoyed it; pendants went well with her soft umber complexion, outstanding and shining bright. Making her way up towards the owerly, she began to hum a rhyme that her mother used to sing to her whenever Maddiie didn’t feel so at ease. "If only, If only" she would whisper, loud enough to hear herself say. It was a beautiful poem; her mother even had sung it to her in Spanish.

As she reached the Owerly, Sundance had seemed to have been sleeping. "Morning Sundance" she greeted her owl in a heavenly tone of voice. Stroking the owls ivory coated feather Maddiie gave it a treat, before perching the letter between Sundance peek. "To dear Father" she smiled as Sundance flaps its wings wildly, ready to take for the sky. Stepping a few inches back, Maddiie watched as Sundance flew off into the morning sky. The owerly wasn’t a much place to hang but Maddiie stayed there for a while, humming softly to herself, as she wonder what she would be doing for the rest of the day.

 

[Cyndi Kingsley]

Cyndi climbed the steps to the owlery to send an owl back to the guy she had met in Obsidian Harbor a couple of weeks before. He had asked her out on a date and after thinking about it for a moment, she had decided to say yes. Humming contentedly, Cyndi entered the owlery and didn't even notice that anyone was there at first. Then, she realized that another person was humming as well. Turning towards the sound, Cyndi saw one of the older hufflepuff girls standing there.

"Hi Maddie" Cyndi said with a bright smile as she attached her note to a school owl and sent it off. "What are you up to?" she asked happily. It was then that she realized that the girl would probably be surprised to see her because she was supposed to be graduated and gone from the school. Many of the students knew by now that she was a professor in training, but she wasn't sure that Maddie did.

 

[Maddiie Holland]

Maddiie had to think twice before she register the familiar voice turning around to see Cyndi greeting her. "Cyndi!" she nearly shouted as she went over to her to lightly embrace her with a friendly hug. Stepping back Maddiie couldn't help but looked shocked and happy at the same time. "What are you doing here? I swear I had seen you graduate last year." she more stated than ask remembering being in the great hall were the ceremony took place. Maddiie had remembered how beautifully decorated it was and seeing Cyndi an a graduate gown.

 

[Cyndi Kingsley]

Cyndi hugged Maddie back and giggled at her shock. "Don't worry. You're not going crazy." she began, "I did graduate, but I loved it here so much that I decided to take a job here." She smiled at the Hufflepuff. "Now, I'm working with Professor Dippet." She stood back and reached out her hand to pet one of the school owls. Apparently, it didn't like its sleep being interrupted and it flew up to a higher rafter. "How are NEWT classes?" she asked the girl.

 

[Maddiie Holland]

"Oh great." Maddiie lifted the corner of her pout to grace Cyndi with a smile. "So you'll be teaching your very own class soon?" she asked listening to Cyndi explination. "What subject if I may ask?" as she to took an interest of petting another owl. This oneonly cooed, and continue to nap, its feathers tuck in neatly by its side. Maddiie had once wanting to teach Hogwarts, she was even interested in Herebology. That all changed though, something her mother would have been proud of dhe learnt to become a healer. But it didn't interest her anymore, she still was undecided in what she will be taking on, was still hoping to be a dragon seeker depnding on what her future held at the current moment. "They're okay I guess, its sort of hard but I've been studying with Alex whenever we get the chance to" she replied as she fumble with her painted finger tips. "Still a drag though so glad I'm almost finish, thou I will miss it."

 

[Cyndi Kingsley]

Cyndi nodded. "Yep. I'm teaching Ancient Runes to the third and fourth years." She watched as Maddie successfully petted an owl. With a quick scowl to the one that had flown away from her, Cyndi continued to listen to Maddie talk about her classes. She nodded in agreement, "I know what you mean. I was so happy once I was finally done with my NEWTs, but I really miss being in classes with everyone." She knew it sounded weird to say she missed classes, but she honestly did. "Do you know what you want to do once you leave?" she asked.

 

[Maddiie Holland]

Maddiie couldn't help but giggle as Cyndi expression. "Honestly..." she paused a bit biting down her lower pout. "Honestly I'm not sure I do have something in mind but your probably think its to dangerous for me." she said looking down a bit embarrassed. She had told Alex, and he was a little frantic when she told him. He said he would worried about her a lot of she did go on to become a seeker. She looked at Cyndi still not sure if she will be able to tell her as well.

 

[Cyndi Kingsley]

Maddie's response increased Cyndi's curiosity. With a raised eyebrow, she replied, "Dangerous? What is it?" She tried to think of all the dangerous wizarding jobs she could think of and knew that there were several. Her father's job was the first thing that came to mind, but she also knew that cursebreaking was a dangerous job as well. "Now you have to tell me..." she said, crossing her arms across her chest.

 

[Maddiie Holland]

“Well if you promise not to laugh.” Maddiie felt her eyelids flutter a bit. “Okay, okay I was thinking dragon keeper, but I don’t know if I really REALLY want to do this. I mean there are so many OTHER jobs besides this but it had caught my curiosity. My dad will so go insane once he find out, he won’t approve of this I know he won’t. Wants me to follow my mum footsteps and get a job at St.Mungos. I thought about this maybe in the near future, at the moment though I don’t want to be stuck in a hospital caring for the ill. At least not now” Maddiie felt herself blabber off as if someone jinxed her with a babbling curse except she was making sense sort of. Looking back at Cyndi she blushed embarrassed “Oops... Sorry about that.”

 

[Cyndi Kingsley]

Cyndi nodded as Maddie asked if she would promise not to laugh. As she listened to what the hufflepuff wanted to do once she left the school, Cyndi's eyes widened. It was a dangerous job and she knew firsthand just how dangerous it could be.

"Maddie...make sure you think about that...a lot" She shook her head and sighed. "That's what my dad does and he used to always come home with burns and cuts and bruises..." Cyndi trailed off, thinking about how the job had affected her father. Despite all of that though, he loved it. "But, if you don't want to be a healer, you shouldn't have to be. You should do what makes you happy even if...even if it's dangerous."

 

[Maddiie Holland]

"I know..." Maddiie trailed off as well feeling herself be pulled towards the open balcony of the owerly. "I know its dangerous, and I even consider the types I would choose to work with." she said as she looked at Cyndi with a somewhat smile. Her mind than link back to what Cyndi said about her father. "Your father what does he says about this job? I just want at least a few point of views when I make my decision.". Her hands gripping the rail of the balcony facing Cyndi she felt the spring sun beam down kissing the surface of her olive complexion. She figured everyone would say the same thing just because she was a female and didn't look the type to do such profession.

 

[Cyndi Kingsley]

Cyndi thought for a moment and then grudgingly said, "He loves it. I don't think...no, I know he wouldn't be happy doing anything else. He loves the danger and excitement of it...guess it's his Gryffindor side" she said with a smirk. "Even when he comes home with huge burns and gashes, he's...happy" she shook her head in mild amusement. "He's been on the job since he left Hogwarts. I think it's been something like..." she tried counting in her head how many years it had actually been and then gave up, "a lot."

As she walked toward the balcony where Maddie was, she thought about something he didn't like about the job. "The only thing my dad doesn't like about it is that he had to be away from us for a while sometimes. We would go for months without seeing him sometimes if his team were out looking for a dragon. And, we moved around a lot. It was kind of hard to make friends when I was younger because of that." She knew that Maddie would make the best decision for her, but Cyndi wanted to be sure she knew the good and bad of it before she did.

 

[Maddiie Holland]

Maddiie didn't flinch when Cyndi spoke of the burns and gashes her father encounter as a dragon seeker. She wouldn't have to worry about burns probably frost bites but no burns. "Well the sort of dragon I want to look after, is nothing compare to the ones your father probably looked after." she would finally say after minutes of silent. "Still dangerous but different, the ones I want to look after are ice breathing dragons, I read about them while I was traveling once with my father actually a few times" she admitted with a smile. "Than I met one while the Care of magical creature class took a trip." she added as she turn facing the open skies, were couple owls seem to arrive probably for the morning drop off.

"Now the going away part, I'm use to it sort of like you." she said still gripping now on the railings. "My father travel lot with his department, mum always went with him so of course we had to go sometimes. I did lot traveling while in school." she remembered the day she saw Cyndi just months before she graduated. Maddiie been traveling than so what be the difference. "I'm keeping my option open though, wish I could tell the future." Maddiie wished she had taken up Divination, even though she probably don't have a clue what that subject is all about, just going by assumptions she guessed. "Besides it all points to if my ..." she trailed off forgetting about her curse. Than again it probably was a good idea, no one would know about it, dragons weren't judgmental but sure cruel.

 

[Cyndi Kingsley]

Cyndi listened to Maddie explain that she wanted to work with the ice dragons. She had some familiarity with them from her father of course, though his interests were definitely more in the fire-breathing kind. She could tell that Maddie was definitely interested in the career as her voice took on the same sort of tone that her father's did when he spoke about dragons.

She smiled gently as Maddie said that she was already used to being away for periods of time. When the young hufflepuff said that she wish she could tell the future, Cyndi brightened. Maybe I can help her she thought to herself as she continued to listen to the girl. She was sidetracked though when Maddie mentioned something and then stopped. "Maybe I can help you. I can't do divination but maybe the runes would have something to say...but what does it depend on. If your what?" she asked, quite confused.

 

[Maddiie Holland]

"My brother thinks its just a temporary illness, but I see it as a curse..it never went away." Maddiie said an attempt to make a joke out of it. "Should of been the princess who never broke the curse to be normal again, I meant that for Halloween, instead of Cinderella." she said hoping she was making sense. Maddiie always had the tendency to compare something bizarre, with something just plain unusual. "Well its like this I had an older brother before I went to Hogwarts, he wasn't much older actually just two years apart. We don't know what happen to him, one of thinks he was murder, right before I started school his body was retrieve, and I was left with a curse. My. younger brother compares to muggel cancer. Like if I had lukemia some sort, I don't think that's the case. Don't it strike you odd that it happen just before school started, right when we finally found the body of my older brother?" she said looking at Cyndi but continue to explain. "I change, I get symptoms like if I were having a flu, I even grow scale, and fur rapidly but than it goes away like back to skin flesh again." she sighed still remembering she hadn't told Alex yet it was to soon anyways, hasn't been long into their relationship. If it ever get that far, she thought to herself not knowing if it will. "I tend to black out as well, they were able to compose a potion to calm the effects, its been working pretty good, no signs of it erupting." her fingers would trace the designs on the railing.."Another reason why being a keeper is better, dragons....they don't judge."

 

[Cyndi Kingsley]

Cyndi quietly listened as Maddie explained something about an illness she suffered from which she saw as more of a curse. It was a rather sad story and Cyndi felt herself feeling terrible about the story. She nodded as Maddie asked if it was odd that it had begun right around the time school started, but did not comment.

When Maddie had finished, Cyndi stood silent for a minute. She could see how some people could be cruel about her situation, but having had a friend who was a werewolf, Cyndi knew that sometimes these things just happened. The people who they happened to were usually just as confused and afraid as the people they happened around. "That sounds terrible...How many times has it happened?" she asked, wanting to know more. "Have you spoken to anyone about it? Maybe there's something more that could be done" she bit her lip nervously.

 

[Maddiie Holland]

“Well all I could say only the few that knows are the ones that graduated already and headmistress Alicia when she was around.” Maddiie said sadly. “My friends, no they don’t know, not even the ones I grew up with…” she continue on telling Cyndi her dilemma. “My family of course but that’s it I hid it, and played it off the best that I can...” I mean it’s not like she really had much control over it, when it happens though she knows. “It’s been a while, I could say it happen less than 10 times, since I’ve been in and out of Hogwarts.” Counting the times it happens over seas.

“My parents and I don’t know if you remembered a Patrick O’Brien?” she said more asking Cyndi as she glances over her way. “Well they manage to make a potion to control it from happening, I take it sometimes when I know I’m about to change. But its been as while so you see, its sort of a complicated situation.” She aid with a sigh, “I’m still looking for something to get rid of it, still searching for antipode if it is a illness, don’t know if I can do much if it’s a curse.” She said rather confused at the words she blurted out.

 

[Cyndi Kingsley]

Cyndi listened as Maddie revealed that only a few people knew about it. She felt honored that Maddie would trust her enough to let her in on this secret, which was a pretty big one. She was happy to hear that it hadn't happened in a while, but the fact that it had happened plenty of times was a little upsetting.

As she listened to Maddie speak, Cyndi looked around at the owls, most of which were sleeping. She gave a brief nod as Maddie asked if she knew Patrick O'Brien. She had spent a couple of weeks in his place when she had gone to visit Andy during one school vacation. She still couldn't believe he was around anymore, but it was no suprise that he had helped to make a potion for Maddie. That man was certainly always ready to help others, especially those with transformation issues. When Maddie said that it was complicated, Cyndi raised her eyebrows at the understatement. "Yea, I can see that" Cyndi said quietly. "I hope they find something one day."

 

[Maddiie Holland]

Maddiie somewhat smiled looking at Cyndi. "It be alright, I'm sure of it." she said looking at her than back towards the sky. "You said you could help me? In what way?" she ask Cyndi, wondering what she meant earlier. At this point, Maddiie was willing to take any help given to her, she was as you could say desperate.