A Witch's Work Is Never Done (Open to Hogwarts Staff)

[Deleted]

Esmeralda usually had her afternoon tea in her office. There and during that time, she would work on grading papers. Even though it was a Divination class that she taught, and a lot of what the students did didn't require writing papers, she still wanted to make sure that they were keep on the various forms of Divination, and the unique history of the art, as well as the history of Seers like herself. All of her classes had turned in papers today so she had a work load, and for some reason she felt a change of scenery was in order. So... she made her way to the Staff Room. Perhaps conversing with the other professors would help matters a bit too. Nothing like a little venting with friends, and she considering many in the staff a friend as well as a colleague. Even though some of them might have felt Divination was a pointless class, that didn't mean she thought of them harshly.

So there she was. She had poured some tea and was now sitting at the table going over the papers from the Fifth Years. Her loyal cat Medusa, sat by her and on occasion Mynk would stop and stroke the cat's fur. The cat meowed at her, and while she didn't possess feline communication, she did possess feline affinity and knew what the meow went.

"Hungry already?" she asked. "After such a big breakfast? We need to see about getting you a bit more exercise, my darling."

[ANNABETH ELYSE BENNETT]

Class had just finished and everything was put away nice and neat as Annabeth had liked it. For four years, Annabeth Bennett had been the Potions Professor and while she loved her students, some of them didn't know how to clean up after themselves which bothered her to no end. It wasn't the fact that they were lazy. Well, that could be some of it, but it was actually because in order for Anna to function properly, she needed order; everything neat and tidy. She wouldn't leave her classroom until it was spotless and everything used in class was back where they belonged, as well as the papers handed in being in alphabetical order and stacked neatly.This applied to her office space as well. No one would ever be able to walk into her office and say it wasn't in order. She never had papers scattered all over her desk. Other professors had asked her multiple times how she did it. Her answer was usually just a simple shrug, as it wasn't hard for her to keep up with things. If anything was ever out of order, something was wrong with her.

After making sure everything was in order, Annabeth smiled to herself in satisfaction of the cleanliness and then picked up the stack of papers she needed to grade before locking her office and walking out of the classroom. She decided to do some of her grading in the staff room. It was always nice to get out of the office, and with any luck, someone would be in there. Hopefully a colleague she generally got a long with. Anna was easy going and loved to make friends, but certain people she avoided due to their personalities. However, most of the staff were the friendly sort and she viewed many of them as friends.

Walking into the staff room, a smile was placed gently on her lips as her eyes caught sight of Professor Esmeralda Mynk. She was the Divination Professor and one of Anna's friends. She was quite the eccentric woman, but Anna adored that quality. Plus, who couldn't like the topic of Divination? It was all so interesting. After setting her papers gently on the table, she placed herself in a chair across from the woman, her smile never faltering in the slightest. "Hello Professor Mynk. How has your day been?" She then glanced over to the cat with the same warmth. "And good day to you Medusa. Hope you're fairing well." Annabeth possessed neither animal affinity or communication, but she still talked to animals like she could. Many conversations had popped up between her owl and herself despite the lack of communication from the second party.

@esmeralda

[Deleted]

Mera returned the smile when Annabeth stepped in. Along with seeing a good and decent person in Annabeth, and a friend of course, she saw a kindred spirit in that Professor Bennett had the weight of the world on her shoulders as well with her Potions Class. How she did was a bit different from Mynk though. Mynk's pressure came from the fact that Divination was so frowned upon by so many people. Mynk found she had to constantly prove to Adults and Students alike that Divination was a legitimate course. She didn't mind being seen as a sort of oddball by others, but she did find it an offense that people lacked appreciation for something she strove so hard to teach. Bennett's pressure, in Mynk's opinion, came from the fact that Potions was both a heavily required course and a popular one. Mynk felt Bennett had to constantly prove that one so young as her was worthy to teach such a well-loved course. Mynk fully believed she was more than worthy.

"It's been busy, but fair," said Mynk. "How about yours, Professor? I'll wager you've got quite the exams period ahead of you."

Medusa stared at Bennett for a moment, giving a friendly meow. The strong affinity between her and Mynk meant that any friend of Mynk's was a friend the cat's as well. She stepped across the table and sat by Bennett, assuming the Professor might want to pet her. She gave another meow once she was by Bennett's side.

ANNABETH ELYSE BENNETT

[ANNABETH ELYSE BENNETT]

It was always nice for Annabeth to see a kind face, especially one in her colleagues. She didn't get along with all of them, but there were quite a few she did and Professor Mynk was one of them. She was a very respectful woman and highly respected in Anna's eyes. She didn't know how the older woman did it, knowing that people thought her subject was rubbish. But it had always been like that. Even when they were students, she remembered her peers thinking the class was a waste of time as well as other professors. Anna had always found herself enjoying the class because it was interesting and the teachers that usually taught it were good people, Mynk being one of them.

"I agree with that." She told the other professor with a soft laugh. "It's been very busy. Especially with exams coming up." It was busy enough with teaching classes and giving normal assignments, but when exam time came around, things got very hectic. Anna didn't mind it so much. It was all part of the job, but it did get stressful. Especially because she had to make sure all of her students understood the most important parts. If they didn't show understanding of the class, she had to fail them. That was the hardest part for her.

Anna smiled at Medusa as she crossed the table and sat next to her with a meow. Lifting her hand, she gently petted the cat, making sure to scratch behind the ears. Cats always loved to be scratched behind the ears. "I am doing alright Professor." Anna started, turning her attention back to Mynk, but still petting the feline sitting before her. "It's starting to get a bit more busy due to exams, but I'm used to it by now. Still, it is quite stressful."

@esmeralda

[Deleted]

Exams times at Hogwarts was like Christmas time. The Professors knew it was coming, knew they had to be prepared, and indeed tried to. But when it came, it was still chaos. The work was hectic all the way up to the day itself, and then afterward there was a collective sigh of relief, both from staff and students. She responded to Annabeth with this:

"Well, my advice is, when you set yours up, don't make any necessary complications for them, but nevertheless test them enough so you know they're taking at least some of what you've taught them with them when they move up to the next year, and then of course after graduation when they step out into the real world."

Mynk knew many students didn't like what she taught, but she knew it was useful. Divination was a powerful tool against dark wizardry and witchcraft. Through Divination, people could recognize signs of terrible things to come and be ready for them.

Medusa enjoyed the scratching and said lovingly by the Professor. If one didn't know, one would think the feline belonged to Annabeth. Mynk smiled at the scene.

"Medusa always knows a friendly person when she sees one," said Mynk. "And it always nice to see one who shares my love for felines."

Mynk moved over and placed a friendly hand on Annabeth's shoulder.

"You'll make it through, Professor," she said. "Just remember, you have a nice two month break ahead of you. Do you have any vacation plans?"

ANNABETH ELYSE BENNETT

[ANNABETH ELYSE BENNETT]

Annabeth nodded at the older professor. She surely didn't mind getting advice from anyone, even if they were younger than her. It helped to get criticism because she could better herself from it, rather than being sour about it and ending up a horrible teacher. Not that she believed that about herself. Anna thought she was quite good at what she did in a non conceited way. She loved her students and she had a passion for teaching them. There was nothing else she could do. To be a good professor you had to have a love for what you did. That's what she believed.

"I agree with you." Anna told Esmeralda, her hand still floating gently across the cat's back as she spoke to it's master. "I wouldn't want to put anything tremendously hard on there anyway. I know how the students are. They won't try if it's too hard." She chuckled softly. When Anna was a student, she loved a challenge. Even if it would take her a while to figure something out, she would still persevere. Times have changed though and a lot of students didn't care too much. They just wanted a passing grade and that was it.

A smile took hold of Anna's lips at the thought of the cat possibly liking her. "Well, I do love animals. I wish I could talk to them like others do." She laughed at her thoughts of talking to every animal she's ever come across. "I'm pretty sure some people think I'm crazy. I don't care if I have the gift or not, I still talk to animals like we can truly communicate. That's just how I roll." She continued to laugh, before she took her hand away from Medusa and just smiled at the cat.

Looking back to the professor across from her, she shook her head. "No, I don't have any plans yet. Maybe I'll do something, but I'm not so sure. It would be a nice time to visit family I suppose. Is it crazy that I'm going to miss my students?"

@esmeralda

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Mynk chuckled at this.

"On my own exams, I find that some times students will show you how dedicated they are by whether or not they grasp the most simple of the course's concepts," she said. "For instance, I've asked students 'What is Divination?' on my exam, and some of them had no idea what to put. You can imagine how the remainder of the exam went for them. At the same time, other students would put such a precise and well-thought out answer to that one simple question that I actually consider just passing them right then and there without even looking at the rest of the exam."

Mynk then chuckled again about talking to animals.

"Oh I can't communicate with them myself," she said. "I merely have the feline affinity. Though I think the bond between Medusa and I goes beyond any magical ability. Most cats will take notice of me because of the affinity only. With Medusa, she always welcomes the sight of me as a friend." Still, the affinity caused Medusa to feel the adoration from her mistress, and stepped back over to Mynk when Bennett was done petting her. Mynk greeted her by petting her a bit more. "And I don't think you're crazy for wanting to talk with animals. They're very good conversationalists."

Mynk then shook her head when Bennett said she would miss her students.

"Not at all," she said. "I adore some of mine, and will miss my Seventh Years a great deal. I'm thinking about taking a trip to my home in Romania. My family moved from place to place until we reached London, but Romania will always hold a special place in my heart."


ANNABETH ELYSE BENNETT

[ANNABETH ELYSE BENNETT]

Annabeth's nose wrinkled a bit at the thought of students not even knowing what Divination was, yet they were taking the course. "Are you serious? Wow, I bet that had to be frustrating for you." Anna knew that if a student couldn't tell her what Potions was or couldn't answer some of the most simplest questions, she would be frustrated. After all, she took up a lot of her time trying to teach the subject, why waste hers and their time? It was pointless to take a class unless you were really going to do the work and try to comprehend it. "But I agree with your method. It is probably easiest to do it that way."

Leaning back in her chair, Anna crossed her arms over her chest casually getting comfortable. "Well at least you have something." She chuckled, looking at Medusa once again as she moved back over to Mynk. She then let her eyes fall back on her friend. "It's amazing how you can feel that and have that bond with an animal. I understand those without any gifts such as yours can feel bonds with their pets as well, but that's taking it to a whole other level." She then laughed once again at Esmeralda's comment about not thinking she was crazy. "Well thank you. But if not because of that, I'm sure I'm crazy for other reasons."

Smiling, Anna nodded at her friend. "I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one. Those students mean a lot to me. I've only been here four years, but I love watching them grow and I'll miss the ones I've had for all four years as well as the ones I've only just met. There are some amazing kids here." Astonished, Anna leaned forward to listen to her about her home. "Wow, really? That sounds like an amazing trip. I hope you have a good time."

@esmeralda

[Deleted]

Mynk smiled and nodded when Annabeth complimented her exam method.

"I think it would work well for your course in the sense of opening it by asking about a few of the more simple potions, even if the exam is for Sixth and Seventh Years. Their knowledge of what and what not to put into those potions will certainly give you a good idea of how they would go about working on more complicated ones." Mynk chuckled a bit. "It might give you a warning to keep a few of them away from some of the more volatile ones too."

Mynk shook her head a bit when Annabeth spoke of how fortunate she was to have the affinity.

"Well, as much as I love to visit other felines, and I do, I'm afraid I'm quite bias when it comes to Medusa," she said. "She's meant a great deal to my life."

Mynk then laughed too when Annabeth spoke of being crazy for other reasons.

"If you ask half the students who have taken my class, they'd make you think I was a raving lunatic," she said. "We all have our eccentricities though. That's what makes us unique more than anything. At least I feel that way."

Mynk smiled and agreed that Romania would be amazing.

"It's a beautiful place," she said. "Perhaps some time you and I could go together. There's a great deal of things I'd love to show you there."


ANNABETH ELYSE BENNETT

[ANNABETH ELYSE BENNETT]

Annabeth nodded at her friend when she offered more advice about her exams. She was right and that was what Anna planned on doing anyway. Keep it simple and she should get good results, but still put things on there that mattered. Especially the more important ones for the students that wanted to continue with potions as a career. That's how Annabeth had always done it in the four years she had been teaching, and she didn't think she would change it any. "I agree, and that's usually how I do it. Give some of the easier potions and theories, but still the ones they need to know. It really does show what I'm working with."

She listened to Esmeralda as she spoke of her affinity and bond with Medusa. Anna nodded along to let the woman know she was listening. "I can understand that." She told her with a smile. "There's a difference between a random animal and your own. Plus, Medusa is a pretty great cat. I don't blame you." She said with a chuckle as she reached over and patted Medusa softly on the head before returning her hand to the table in front of her.

Anna laughed at her friend's comment, but nodded once again. "You're right. It does make us unique and at least we keep the students interested, raving lunatic or not." She teased with a light laugh. It was really nice to talk to her friend. She felt like it was hard to spend some quality time with her colleagues some time, but when she did it was never a disappointment.

When the woman offered that they go sometime, Anna's face lit up with excitement. "That would be awesome! Really. I've never been there, so it'd definitely be an adventure." She told the woman happily. Anna would never turn down an offer to go on a trip with a friend if the opportunity arose. Looking at the time, Anna sighed and collected her papers that never got touched due to her friendly distraction. "Well, look at the time. I better head back. I have a class soon. I hope you have a wonderful day Esmeralda. We should hang out sometime." She said standing up and waving, before walking out.

OOC: okay i went ahead and wrapped it up. you're welcome to post again if you'd like, or we can leave it here.

@esmeralda

[Deleted]

It had been a delight to talk to Bennett. One thing Mynk certainly was grateful for at Hogwarts was the people she worked with. They were wonderful, intelligent people that all had a special wisdom to share. She even enjoyed being around Professor Grimp at times. She could think of no other place she would rather teach.

When Anna said she needed to leave, Mynk's eyes rose a bit.

"My goodness, look at the time" she said. "I need to get back to my classroom myself. I have a meeting with a student about a teacher's aid job." She smiled at Bennett. "It's been wonderful talking to you, darling."

And with that, she stepped out as well.

(End Thread)

ANNABETH ELYSE BENNETT