Yes, But Do You Believe?

[Professor Misha Haden]

Professor Misha Haden didn't know what he was doing at this silly party. He'd been invited because he was an old friend, and while Misha had appreciated the invite, the idea that he had to spend several hours in this house wasn't appealing to him. However he had still for some reason come. This was the birthday party of his best friend's daughter. A little two year old girl, who looked exactly like his dad. But Misha had no interest in children, and he had no interest in celebrating the mistake of a friend. But, As much as Misha hadn't wanted to go, the guy was his friend, and Misha had been there every step of the way. For him to not be there at the birthday was silly. It was just a necessity of the best friend. But, now he was surrounded with young children and parents asking which was his. Despite the fact he was only twenty-three and had no plans for kids in the near future. He would much rather be back at Hogwarts, back to office and the kids there. It was stupid. This had been a silly idea. More so, when his friend had announced that there would a magician. His friend was not a wizard. They went far back, back when Misha had lived in Texas. They had kept in contact when he'd moved. He saw him often, and the guy had moved to New Zealand around the same time that Misha had begun training to be a professor. Which meant it had been a long time. But the guy was not of magical blood, nor was his girlfriend and mother of their child. Which Misha had thought a mistake. He'd always tried to set his friend up with one of his magical friends. So that they could share in this world together. But his friend had turned him down at every turn, and here he was, a child's birthday about to watch a magic show in which he knew it was going to be so very fake. But, he had no choice. He couldn't say no. It wasn't his birthday after all, it his best friend's kid. Misha stood up the back, where the rest of the adults stood, he was leaning against the door frame, looking towards the front. This would be funny for him. Knowing that there was a such a thing as real magic made him feel superior.

Standing up the back, he watched the magician enter. A young woman, around the same age as him, set herself up and began amazing the kids with basic magic. That to him, was very obviously fake. It was stupidly fake he couldn't understand why no one else saw it. Misha couldn't help but glance over at the other adults, who seemed at times equally amazed by what she was doing. Silly Muggles were the only words he could think for them. They didn't know the half of it. he wished deeply that he could just stand in front of them, and preform some real magic, but of course he couldn't because that wasn't allowed. He couldn't just preform magic in front of a bunch of muggles, he didn't want to lose his job. He hadn't done much in his job, but it was still early days and he really didn't want to lose it. Nor did he want to be the guy who was always trying to be better than the rest. Happily the young professor clapped with the rest as she finished and as the kids began to run in all directions, parents in tow, Misha walked up to the woman who was still packing up her belongings. He wasn't sure what he had in mind, but he just wanted to have a conversation with her. He wanted to talk to her, see how much she liked magic, if she thought it was real. He was sure that some of these fake muggle magicians were under the impression that magic was real. Of course, it was. But they were silly to think such a thing as a muggle. He also knew that they'd be deemed insane if they did. So, he had nothing to lose. He lived in a magical town, worked in a magical school, he knew it was real. "Hey" He said, to alert to the woman that he was next to her. He was wearing a casual outfit, a simple pair of dark jeans, a dark red t-shirt, his hair messily styled across his forehead. "So, you do magic for kids? Much fun?" He asked, he had a very light accent, that was difficult to place. The easiest way to put it, was just that it wasn't from New Zealand. "Do you believe in magic?" He asked simply with a small friendly smile.
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[Sabrina Emmerich]

Sabrina had felt a little more at ease over the past few months. Knowing that Mima was once again safe and happy at Hogwarts left the 29 year old with a clear sense of relief. Not having any real close family, the fourteen year old girl was the closest thing Sabrina had ever had to a sister, and she felt a maternal sort of bond to the young girl. Knowing she was safe and in a comfortable home at Hogwarts was enough to allow the Seer to get on with her life.

Having suffered with depression since she was a young adult, Sabrina often found it very hard to get on with her life as it was. There would be weeks where she would not want to get out of bed, stumbling out only to eat something, and then curling up under the covers and sleeping her time away. Then there would be weeks where she would be determined to do something, and maybe even - for once - be happy. It was a hard slog, and Sabrina was almost resigned to it.

Luckily for her, this was one of those periods of determination. And even while she performed silly, basic tricks for a group of kids at a party, she knew she was doing something good - after all, the smiles on the kids faces when she made the ball reappear, or correctly guessed their card...sure, the tricks were just sleights of hand, nothing actually magical, but they got a good reception. If there was one thing Sabrina liked, it was bringing smiles to kids. She'd wanted to be a teacher, but her illness had gotten in the way. At least working odd jobs like this allowed her to work casually, make a little bit of money to live off, and give herself courage for life by making people smile.

Brushing a strand of brunette hair back behind her ear, Sabrina slipped a beaded sandal back on her foot, tucking the last of her belongings in to her bag, and then looked up to see the face of a man - a parent? No, he looked a little too young for kids - questioning her. Although she was tired, Sabrina was always up for a conversation with someone her own age. Or, well, probably younger in this instance.

"Hey," she responded, smiling serenely. "Mmhmm. I also tell fortunes," she added, with a small chuckle. Looking around to see if anyone was listening, she leaned closer to the man. "I wouldn't say it's anything particularly mentally taxing, or anything that requires much skill, but it's nice to make people smile." She gave him a conspirational wink before straightening up, pulling her plain white shirt down, adjusting her floor-length skirt, and looking back at the man with curiosity at his last question.

Was he a wizard, too? There were lots of wizards around, but this was a party of muggles. She certainly wasn't expecting to see another magician there. Maybe he was just asking her out of curiosity? Best to play it safe. "Magic? Real magic? Hmmm...interesting question. I think it's safe to say that there's magic all around us, don't you?" Sabrina gave him an innocent look, masking the fact that she was trying to figure him out for herself.

 

[Professor Misha Haden]

In all of his 23 years of life, the professor always saw himself as surprisingly lucky. Maybe a few issues with making friends but nothing so major that it affected him greatly. He was a fairly happy person content in his ways. His split family meant next to nothing to him. He was just happy to have his friends, and to have a good start of career. Nothing in his way, nothing to stop him. It was why he was often annoyed at his friend, this friend who's child's birthday it was. The guy had set out to be the best lawyer, however, he had become an elementary school teacher, which required one years training and to be good with kids. He had thrown away his dream for a young child. Which in the young Professor's mind was sort of ridiculous. But his friend was happy, so he said nothing of it. He never brought it up, or made small comments about it. This was his friends life, to waste as he saw fit. Misha also didn't want to ruin this old friendship. He was maybe slightly annoyed by the situation but he didn't want to lose his friend over something so trivial. But, this kind of thing, a kids birthday party, with lots of kids running around, it just. Well, it sort of made Misha want to vomit in the back of the garden. The woman in front of her, he wondered what had happened to her, which meant she had ended up in such a situation. A magician at kids parties, there couldn't be too much more that was depressing. Well, he imagined little else. Having gone to Durmstrang he did have a certain way of looking at things. And this was just something he couldn't ever imagine being a rewarding job. Rewarding in any sense. It seemed a little pointless, though, he ignored what his mind said as she looked towards him with a smile. To which he responded with his usual half charming smile, clearly curious about what she had just said. "Fortunes, can you tell me mine?" He asked her, hoping that she wasn't one of those silly people who thought they could read palms. Divination had always been a silly subject in his mind, but if this muggle even had a little of that power that some of those professors had, then he'd have to give her a round of applause. A second for the day. Which was more than he usually gave, ever.

The woman explained to him that it was nice to make people smile, and he thought of hundreds of other ways to make kids smile. He thought of many ways in which making people smile would be more rewarding than doing silly magic tricks. There was so much else out there. What a silly notion. "I bet" He replied with a small smile. keeping the rest of what he was thinking at bay. "Do you train for this sort of thing, or just start doing it?" He continued to smile at her. Motioning to the things she was putting away. He knew he was maybe coming off as a little full of himself, but he was Durmstrang it was sort of in his nature to initially believe that he was better than others. He didn't care that a number of his friends were muggles. It wouldn't bother him to marry a muggle, but there had certain ways that he just found odd. Found a little pointless. But, he wouldn't ever say. He wondered where his friend had found this woman. If she was in sort of book, or online. How ever, in whatever way he had managed to find her, he thought it was funny. That there were many muggles who believed they could do magic. The biggest irony being, if a fake muggle magician ending up producing a magical child. Misha could think of little being more ironic than that. Would the person give up, or would they continue, knowing the child would always be better at magic than them. The answer to his question which she gave, raised his eyebrows. It was vague. Almost like she was covering for something. It was odd. It didn't really give a yes or no. It seemed almost like a cop out. "Magic all around us? I can believe that. But, that doesn't exactly answer my question. Do you believe that it exists? That any person is capable of magic?" He smiled at her. Before pondering for a second. "I believe in magic. There are plenty of things that happen that we can't explain. Eliminate all other factors, and the one which remains must be the truth." He stated simply. It wasn't a silly statement and it didn't not expose the magical world to a potential muggle, he was saying what he believed in. Like people could say they believed in a higher power, or a certain someone. He was just saying that he believed in magic. Simple. That he had just sort of quoted Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, which he thought proved his point. Though he seriously hoped he had correctly quoted it.
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[Sabrina Emmerich]

If Sabrina was true to herself, she knew she ought to be in a better position than this. Maybe in the Ministry...or a teacher, even. But her demons always got in the way. No, they would tell her day in, day out. You're worthless and useless. You could never make anything of yourself. She'd taken to alcohol, taken medication, and now she just...existed from day to day, doing little jobs here and there to scrap through her meagre existence. She knew she'd probably never find love, never marry or have children. At least she had Mima. She knew she had to keep going because that little girl was relying on her to be a friend and confidante. Sabrina could never let a friend down. Sabrina survived. That was the main thing.

"I could, yes. Would you prefer astrology, palm reading, tea leaves, tarot cards, or just by seeing?" she said quietly, knowingly. Of course, being a Seer, she couldn't just see what she wanted, when she wanted. At the very least, she was perceptive enough to understand a lot about a person by watching them. Talking to them helped, too. This guy, for instance. Friend of the family, probably. Didn't have kids of his own - unmarried, too. Didn't seem to be too excited about being here - understandably, even with kids, parents often didn't seem that excited about kids birthday parties.

"Well, it's not exactly something one needs to train for," she admitted, with a shrug. "You've just got to have the patience to sit around and entertain people with basic tricks." A magician never revealed her secrets, but Sabrina had the sneaking suspicion that there was more to this man than met the eye. Perhaps he was a wizard, too? "I don't anticipate having children of my own, and I don't have any family. Or great skills. I just do what I can." Seeing was, perhaps, a great gift, a wonderful skill to have. Sabrina didn't feel as though she was worthy of it, though, and what could a Seer with severe depression do, really?

"So, do I believe in magic? But of course. Not every person is capable of it, but any person is, I think. At any rate, I'm sure there's magic far more real than basic tricks. It seems too obvious to not be the truth, Sherlock Holmes." She gave the man a wink, acknowledging his reference. "Why are you so keen to know the thoughts of the hired entertainment?"

 

[Professor Misha Haden]

The magical arts of telling the future had never been that interesting to Misha. He had never found himself drawn to such things. It was understandable, in a sense he was sort of a wizard who believed in sciences. As in things that happened, that could be explained. And he wasn't the type who believed in things that were really chance. Although in the same way, not a lot of magical things were that easily explainable. So, his theory didn't always stick. However, with this woman in front of him, he was willing to throw away what he thought of the professions, either muggle or magical and take a gamble. After all, he didn't believe in it, where was the harm in it. He smiled at her. At her choices, now this was trciky, which would be best for a guy like him. He didn't know if she had tarot cards with her, since this was a kids party and parents might not take too kindly to such things being around. However, what he could see being a good, and fairly normal option was the palm reading. Having never had his palm read before, so this seemed just like the place to start, however, the way she said seeing got him interested. Was she maybe like him, a person of magical blood stuck in a situation surrounded by muggles. Making little hints about being a member of the oh so secret club of magically amazing people. Smiling at her, he just nodded slightly. "Well, that's a hard choice you've given me." He replied with a small grin, "What about a mixture, can you read my palm and see into my future? If not, just by seeing would interest me the most." He looked this woman over, what would she possibly see in his future, at least something he didn't already know. Would he like it, if she said something that could very well be true. Well, all in all, it was a good thing he didn't believe in that certain branch of the magical world. He listened to her as she spoke of what she did. No real training, which he understood with the basicness of the tricks she had done. Although, from what he'd seen of the other parents to them, it had been so much more impressive.

"You had my friend completely fooled, and he's three times the age of the kids. You must good at this." Misha said with a small shrug. He had to agree with her on the subject of kids, he didn't have plans to have kids. Not any time soon. But, he had some family, most of which he didn't talk to. "Like I said, the other adults were captivated, you have great skills." He gave a shrug, not really saying it in an attempt to make her feel better, he was just stating it as fact. From he'd noticed about the other parents, and of course from all the kids, they all believed what they were seeing, they thought it was truly magical. Although, he knew of real magic so he was at a sort of unfair advantage over them. He wasn't going to believe some muggle magician when he could do that and more with a simple flick of his wand. The wand tucked safely away into his larger than they appear jean pockets. "I am however a teacher, so I guess sort of do the same. Entertain people with my knowledge and teachings. Hoping they'll take something away from it." He knew that they weren't exactly the same, after all he'd trained to be a professor, and he taught fifth, sixth and seventh years, but that wasn't exactly the point, he was trying to show, that really everyone just did what they could do. He couldn't do muggle magic, not really, but he could teach.

As the conversation had shifted on to magic, he was glad that she responded with another quote from Sherlock, it made him smile. So at least the woman was smart. He was almost certain that she was a witch from what she said. She seemed to know what he was hinting at, what she meant about magic being possible for any person. Plus she believed in magic, like he did. This made him smile. He just shrugged at her last question, before glancing over at the parents running and watching kids, engaging in dull conversations with one another over nursery spaces, development and sometimes other kids. "I'm more keen to know your thoughts than the thoughts of the kids on their favourite colour, or the thoughts of the parents on nurseries." he said looking back to the woman and smiling slightly. "I think I'm the only one here without a kid. And I'm only here because the kid's whose birthday party this is, father is one of my oldest friends." He didn't mind telling her this. It didn't really affect her much, and he was sure she was meant to be at the party for the rest of the time. He wasn't sure. "Is this your only party of the day, or are there more that you have to go to?" Unspoken were the words, I'll leave if you want me to, but Misha didn't feel the need to say such a thing. What would it matter really. He hadn't actually figured out yet if this woman was magic or not, and well, he didn't want to point blank say it, in the event she wasn't. However, for the first time during the party, Misha didn't feel like hitting his head repeatedly off a wall. She seemed like a pretty okay person and to him was a lot more interesting than everyone else.
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[Sabrina Emmerich]

Out of Character:

Ack, sorry I took so long!

She had a feeling that she'd pinned him now, he, too, was of magical blood. Of course, neither of them could outright say anything in case they were wrong, but she suspected he figured she was a witch. It was always tough to be stuck in a situation of 'I know you know that I know', but Sabrina suspected that she might have a good laugh about it when she got home. When she found herself laughing less and less these days, it was nice to have something to cheer her up. "That is something I could do if you wished, yes," she nodded. Seeing, of course, wasn't something she could straight up do at any time she desired, but palm reading was fine.

She could tell, too, that divination wasn't particularly impressive to him, if he was indeed a wizard. "Parlour tricks? They can be impressive. I am quite surprised I managed to fool any of the parents, I must confess," Sabrina stated, modestly, now completely assured of this man's magical background. He made a point that it was the other adults who were impressed, and, aside from Sabrina's self deprecating thoughts of 'oh no, I'm not really that good a muggle magician', the perceptive part of her knew exactly what he was really saying. 'This is nothing to me, when I can perform real magic'. There was a certain art in sleights of hand, Sabrina found, but she was inclined to agree. Real magic was much more impressive. "A teacher, very nice. It must be a tough job, but I imagine it's quite rewarding." Sabrina had attempted to teach, previously. It had been a disaster. She hadn't been able to get out of bed to do it, half the time, because of her illness. She was starting to manage better, because she was tired of being tired.

"I can imagine," she grimaced. "Having kids seems to change a lot of people." She paused for a second, and then realised what she said. "Oh, oh don't get me wrong, I don't mean necessarily a bad thing. Just...I guess it's the same with relationships. You start thinking in terms of a couple, and then with children, you think in terms of a family, and your conversation topics change accordingly. I don't believe I could discuss magic with any of the other adults here." Realising she was blathering, Sabrina abruptly shut her mouth, looking a little embarassed. "And yes, this is my only party of the day. It's very nice of you to come along to a kids party for your friend."