Youngling

[Jacob Kingsley]

Jacob straightened his glasses, adjusted his backpack, and made sure he had no crumbs on his school robes before knocking on the professor's door. The idea had been with him, on and off, since he'd seen Professor Summers for the first time, and on a whim he was here. He hadn't spoken to his parents about this to see what they thought, not that he thought they'd care. Their attention had been on Noah towards the end of the summer, and even before that, it was Eleanor who always needed attention.

Jacob wasn't even sure if this was the right way to go about it all. He certainly didn't have a great track record in one-on-one interactions with professors, but Professor Summers wasn't anything like Professor Pendleton, so he was hopeful. Jacob tried to have his nicest expression on as he waited to see if the professor was in.

 

[Aeon Summers]

It was always a guessing game whenever a knock came at Aeon's office door. There was a moment of time where the wizard tried to figure out who it was before opening it to find out if he was right. It couldn't be Kida, since she'd take the side door they'd transfigured between their offices, since she seemed to alway let herself into his office anyway. Elizabeth wasn't due for another animagus training session anytime that day, and he was sure he'd seen Scarlet heading to the pitch not that long ago for a practice session. That knocked out the most common guests, leaving any of the hundreds of other students, or a member of staff, as the only possibility. Well, that certainly narrowed it down.

"Come on in." Summers called out, waving his wand toward the door to lift its latch. It swung open, revealing Kingsley's boy, which was surprising. Seeing him reminded the animagus often of the fact that his own son and daughter were soon to be sorted. Sometimes it still felt surreal to meet the descendants of people the man had known when he was a student here. So much time had passed, in what never felt like that long at all. He could remember events from years ago as if they were only yesterday. "Hey there, Jacob. What brings you here?" Aeon inquired, gesturing for him to step into his office and take a seat, either at the desk or by one of the couches. The office was decorated with an almost excessive use of flora, various hanging, and sometimes animate plants and flowers, or creeping vines that scaled the walls. It reflected the current Spring season, although it wouldn't be much longer before Summer arrived, and his office would no doubt undergo yet another change.​

 

[Jacob Kingsley]

Jacob watched as the door opened, revealing the professor and his office. It was always interesting to see the professor's offices. It was like seeing a private piece of them. His mom's office was cozy and felt like one of the rooms in their house, and it almost always smelled like tea. Professor Pendleton's office had been boring just like his subject. Professor Summers' office was a bit surprising. There were plants everywhere, something he'd expect more from a Herbology professor than from one of the cooler professors in the school. It was nice, he supposed.

Stepping in tentatively, Jacob held up a hand in greeting. "Hello Professor Summers" he said, using his very best manners. His parents would have been pleased. He took a seat on one of the couches. He avoided desks whenever he wasn't in class. "I have a question for you, sir" he said, distracted slightly by one of the moving plants and forgetting to tack his question on at the end. It was eating something, and that immediately made the room seem cooler in his eyes.

 

[Aeon Summers]

A question. Well, no surprises there. Rarely was any student stopping by for more than just a question or two, usually about a lesson or a grade, or occasionally if he could transfigure something like a rock into a puppy for them to play with and keep around, resulting in him reminding them the school didn't allow students to have dogs as pets, or whatever exotic creature they were asking for. Summers took his own seat and made himself comfortable, pausing for a moment to wait for the boy's question, which didn't immediately come. The professors' eyes trailed from him, to the plant he was distracted by, and then back again. "...Go ahead, I'm all ears." Summers prompted. It was times like this he almost wished he'd put his effort into learning legilimency over being an animagus.
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[Jacob Kingsley]

At the professor's prompting, Jacob managed to tear his gaze back to the professor. His parents always told him he should look at people when he spoke to them, even if there was something more interesting in the room. Professor Summers wasn't quite as old as his parents were, he could tell. The young boy had a lot of experience hanging around adults. Jacob briefly wondered if the man had any kids of his own, but then remembered he was supposed to be asking a question here.

"Right. My question" he said. While he was used to being in front of adults, it was rare that he got their full attention. Most of the time, they just wanted to know if he planned on being Minister, like his dad, when he grew up. It was a pretty dumb question since it didn't matter if he wanted it since he'd need to be voted in. Anyway, his answer was a firm no though he usually laughed and just shook his head when he answered the adults, and they'd then turn their attention back to his dad and forget he was there. He didn't think Professor Summers would ask him that. "Um...so I was wondering " he began, nerves slowing down his words. If the professor said no, he would feel pretty dumb. "I want to become what you are" he stated. "An animagus" he added. Jacob stared at the professor through his glasses, his eyes wide as he waited with bated breath for the professor's response.

 

[Aeon Summers]

Summers was grateful for the clarification after Jacob's comment. "Become what you are" could have meant a lot of things. A professor, a pet-store owner, a fashionable guy, to name a few things. Thankfully, The Animagus Talk was one he'd had with students enough times now that it was particularly easy to discuss. "That's very ambitious of you. It's a fantastic skill to have, for a number of reasons, and one I can definitely help with. Can I ask why exactly you want to be one?" A lot of kids his age wanted to be able to just transform into an animal and enjoy the capabiltiies that came with it. Flying around as a bird, or exploring the depths of the ocean as a fish. More often than not though, people just wanted it because it was "cool", not quite fully understanding the amount of effort and dedication required to pull it off. There was a reason animagi weren't commonplace, and the wizard needed to know just how serious students were about undergoing the whole process. Plenty started, but few actually finished.
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[Jacob Kingsley]

Jacob sat up a little straighter as the professor called him ambitious. That was a word that was used to describe his older brother, never him and he found he actually liked hearing the word to describe himself. The Gryffindor hadn't prepared an answer for that and he remained silent for a moment, thinking about his reply. He didn't want to reveal too much about his personal life but he knew that the professor was expecting something more than simply saying that it was a cool skill to have, which it was. Already, Jacob was thinking about transfiguring into something like a lion and scaring Eleanor. Being able to roar would be fun. In moments like this, where Jacob had a reply but wasn't sure he wanted to share it, it was his urge to shrug, but somehow he knew that wouldn't suffice as a reply either.

Finally, Jacob sighed as he realized he'd have to get at least a little personal here. "You know who my dad is" Jacob began quietly, not bothering to ask as most wizards from this area did. "Sometimes it's a lot of pressure to be the Minister's son. My brother Noah has always been really good at it. He's smart and good at everything and everyone likes him, and he wants to be Minister one day too, which makes my dad proud" he continued. Jacob could see the pride coming out of his dad whenever he told people that his son would be Minister one day. "I'm not like Noah, but I think being an animagus would make my dad proud of me too. My grandma's one and everyone says she's a powerful witch" he finished, finally succumbing to the shrug he'd been holding in all along.

 

[Aeon Summers]

Everyone knew who Jacob's father was - Aeon had voted for him during the last Minister election, and the professor's own father was the man's deputy. It really was a small world after all, where everyone seemed to be connected to everyone else in some way or another. With how condensed the magical community was compared to the rest of the world, it was hardly surprising. What else was hardly surprising was the pressure Jacob mentioned because of his father's position, and being the second child wouldn't have made it any easier. Aeon couldn't relate himself, but he could sympathise. It must be hard.

"Becoming an animagus is a great accomplishment, it's definitely something anyone would be proud of. But., its a huge commitment, one that takes years to achieve, and a lot of hard work. The training isn't as easy as any of the other extracurriculars you could pursue - Quidditch, for example. Or dueling. You need to be able to dedicate a lot of time to it, and be motivated for the right reasons. Because of that, I think if its a route you seriously want to take, then its one you should be taking for yourself, not to impress anyone else. Family is important, but it is your life first and foremost, and anything you want to do, whether it's a particular career, hobby, or a magical skill, should be because you want to do it and because it makes you happy." Summers paused for a breath. This wasn't quite his usual conversation on the topic, but none of his other students had been in Jacob's situation, and he felt somewhat sorry for him. A lot of people would have loved to be the Minister's kid, but no one really thought about how stressful it could be, and how much expectation there was. "I can teach you when you're ready if you'd like, but you need to be certain its something you want to do."
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[Jacob Kingsley]

Jacob listened quietly. It wasn't something he was particularly good at, but he'd improved on this skill over the years. Professor Summers was giving him a lot of information and he wasn't sure if the man was trying to dissuade him from the work or if he was trying to be encouraging. Jacob figured it was both. Adults were often confusing like that. The second year sat for a few minutes, trying to figure out what to say. He didn't think he was only doing this for his dad. But the man was definitely a big reason for it. Still, Jacob couldn't help but feel like he'd just failed some kind of test the professor had given him. The excitement he had been feeling when he'd entered into the room had dimmed, leaving behind seeds of doubt desperate to take route in his mind.

"How will I know when I'm ready?" he asked, wondering if there was some kind of sign akin to learning you were magical. His parents said his first sign had been when he'd fallen into a lake (or was it the ocean?) and had come back up in something akin to the spray from a whale's blowhole. Would something like that happen? Something that would help him realize this was the right path? That would certainly help Jacob, and he found himself looking at the professor, a hopeful expression on his face.

 

[Aeon Summers]

Knowing when someone was ready for just about anything was difficult enough to discern, and it was no different with becoming an animagus. It was easy to tell when someone wasn't ready for the most part - some students simply didn't take well to Transfiguration enough to warrant the consideration, but Jacob was doing well enough so far, and if it was something a grandparent had already managed to accomplish, it may well just run in the family. His grades could have been a little better, but all it took was a little extra work to fix that. "It's, well, it's hard to say. Everyone feels things differently. Personally I would wait until you've started practicing doing some animate to animate transfigurations next year before trying to make a definite decision. See how well you take to that particular kind of magic. If you struggle with it, it'll be a clear sign that you're not yet ready. If you're performing well, then the training could be for you. It'll give you more time to think about why you'd like to do it, and whether or not you'll still be motivated in the meantime. By then, I think you'll know with more certainty if you're ready to attempt it." It was easy for interest in these skills to be little more than a brief phase, and not something someone is genuinely dedicated to doing, so Aeon was interested to see whether the boy's current interest would persist, or die out.

"Working with changing living things into other living things is a lot more difficult compared to the branches you've learned and performed in the past two years, but its also the most important branch to be proficient in regarding animagi transformations. You mentioned you grandmother is already an animagus? If you haven't already, talking to her about it might be a good idea. Advice from a family member who has been in your shoes, and who has plenty more years of wisdom than I do might be more beneficial for you." Not that Aeon thought he wasn't in any position to give good advice, but he was far from a grandparent, one who may well have been around for twice the time he'd been alive. "I might have a book or two laying around on animagi, if you want to read up on them more in your free time, or if you just want to have a head start for next year. Animagi are covered in a bit more depth as a part of the third year curriculum. Or, if you'd like more help with transfiguration in general, I'm happy to assist you there too. You're an above average student Jacob, but I think you could do even better if you wanted to. Most of my animagi trainees, if not all of them, have typically been O level students. Hitting that grade would prove to me, and yourself, that you're ready to seriously undertake training for it."
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[Jacob Kingsley]

Jacob listened to Professor Summers very intently, hoping for some hint about what he should look for. The answer was a little disappointing even if it was chock full of information. Deep down, Jacob knew that it made sense to see how he took to animate to animate transfigurations since becoming an animagus was a very advanced form of that, but he wasn't too eager to do any more waiting. He felt he was ready now. Still, Jacob nodded his head as the professor spoke. "Ok" he replied quietly.

The twelve year old hadn't thought about asking his grandmother for advice. Sure, he had asked her to turn into her animagus form on occasion, especially when he was younger, but it was more for his entertainment than any curiosity about the process. As the professor spoke about giving him a book, Jacob hoped he managed to keep a poker face though the idea of reading an extra textbook sounded positively boring. He preferred action to lecture always. Jacob knew that the professor was winding down when he began to offer Jacob additional help. Jacob let out a small sigh, used to this part of any lecture. His parents were always telling him that he could apply himself just a little more, and sometimes he agreed. Sometimes, he knew that he wasn't working his very hardest but if he was getting good enough grades, he was fine with it. Sometimes, he really was working his hardest and it was frustrating when people didn't think he was. Jacob was pretty sure that transfiguration fell somewhere in the middle of the two. It wasn't an easy subject by any stretch, and the idea of getting an O meant a lot of extra practice. "Thank you, professor." he said, not committing to anything just yet. "You've given me a lot to think about." he added.

 

[Aeon Summers]

Whether or not Aeon had genuinely been much help, he couldn't entirely tell, but he hoped that it had been the case. Pursuing animagus training was such a big decision to make, he was well aware of that, but it was difficult to find a balance between being encouraging, and outright scaring someone off from the idea. He didn't want to be the one making the decision for them, which was easy to do with how appealing transforming into an animal could be, especially among kids and teens. "Great! Good to hear it." The wizard said, relieved that the whole conversation had gone down pretty well, from what he could tell. "Whatever you decide to do, just make sure you're doing something that you are completely happy with. Life is meant to be enjoyed, you know?" There was a lot more he wanted to say, but he didn't want to overstep any boundaries, or make assumptions. It was difficult to try put himself in the shoes of someone like Jacob, but he was concerned by the pressure on him because of his father's position in the wizarding world. Living life around the expectations of other people was not a life worth living, but Aeon didn't know how to say that, so he kept the rest of his comments to himself. "Anyway, I should probably prep for my next class." The man concluded, getting back to his feet and rounding back over to his desk. "I am serious though, come see me whenever, if you have any more questions, or need any help. It's what I'm here for."​