Spiritual Guidance // Mynk

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Divination was another of the classes that April enjoyed and did quite well at, along with CoMC and Herbology. A lot of people looked down on Divination, but the idea of being able to learn about future events was a very attractive one to her, and she also found that she had some aptitude for it as well.

Today's class had just finished, and April was sitting next to one of her Hufflepuff friends, and was gathering her things, ready to leave. This was her last class for the day and she had no particular plans at all for the rest of the day, apart from the idea that she wanted to find some people space at some stage.

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Mynk was looking over papers turned in for the day, bidding students a friendly farewell as they passed. Her plan was to grade the papers and then go to the Magic Neep in Hogsmeade for some dinner items. Most of the papers had the answers Mynk usually expected. Acceptable, but not at all intriguing. That was until she got to April's paper. She lifted an eyebrow and smiled. Very impressive. She looked up to see that April hadn't left yet.

"April, darling, could you come here a moment please?" she asked. Her voice clearly showed that Mynk didn't want her there for anything bad. April was a bright student in general, at least Mynk thought so. Just because one was not a Seer didn't mean one could not excel in Divination. She was very glad that the girl appreciated the class and did so well in it. "I was just looking over today's assignment, and I find your answers to be well written and well thought out. I want to let you know I am awarding five points to Hufflepuff for this, but at the same time, I also wish to talk with you. But if you have plans, I understand."

@april

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When the Professor called out April's name to come up to the front, April's mind started going a mile a minute. What had she done wrong? She must have done something wrong. Was she in trouble for something? Maybe she hadn't packed something away properly last time and she was going to be told off for it...

All of those thoughts were running through her head, even though Professor Mynk's tone had been anything but stern. It had been very pleasant, actually, but April always tended to assume the worst. "Yes, Professor Mynk?" she asked meekly as she made it to her desk. She listened curiously and let out a sigh of relief when it was only something good that she was being summoned for. But hearing that the Professor wished to talk to her, that was unexpected. She didn't have any plans, though. "Oh, um, thankyou Professor. I don't have anything urgent happening now, this was my last class for today. What did you want to talk to me about?" she asked curiously.

@esmerelda

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(BTW, if you want, you can post in the Points Claims that I gave you those points, though make sure to post the thread link.)

"You're most welcome," smiled Mynk. "Please sit down. Would you like some tea? A cookie or two perhaps?" Mynk rose and stepped over to a small area to prepare the tea. There was a jar with some freshly baked cookies in it there as well. "This isn't the first time you've shown such dedication to your work in the class. I'm happy to see such an effort from you because... well, as you no doubt know Divination is a course often frowned upon. Compared to other classes, few students take it and even then some take it as a laugh or because they think it will be ridiculously easy."

Mynk brought the tea and cookies over and sat.

"You don't seem like that though. You seem to genuinely enjoy the class, and that is refreshing," she said. "So I was wondering if you would like to accept the position of teacher's aid next year. You of course would not have to attend all the classes throughout the day as I would never try to interfere with your other studies. But if you had a free period of two, I would appreciate the help."

@april

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April took a seat, still not quite knowing what to expect or why she was here. But the offer for tea and cookies sounded nice. "Oh yes, that sounds lovely, thanks," she replied, relaxing a little bit more. She took a cookie out of the jar once she was sure that was okay, and began nibbling at it delicately while listening to the Professor speak. April nodded as she described the rather common disdain towards Divination - she thought it was quite unfair, really, people making fun of something they didn't understand completely.

At the mention that April genuinely enjoyed the class, she nodded quickly in affirmation to confirm what Mynk had said. "Yes, I do, it's great," she replied with a smile. The next offer took her by surprise though. "Really? Teacher's aide?" she repeated, a little stunned. She thought this could be a really cool opportunity to get even better at Divination, by spending more time around Professor Mynk and learning more from her. "That would be really great, I'd love to," she decided quickly.

@esmerelda

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Mynk poured April some tea and handed her a plate with three cookies on it. Mynk's cat, Medusa, then leaped up on the table, so wisely stayed clear of the tea tray. She always knew where her mistress placed it and easily avoided knocking it over. She greeted April with a soft meow. Any friend of Mynk's was a friend of hers.

Mynk was pleased that she was right about April enjoying the class. She hoped she was as she had grown quite fond of April as a student. The girl was bright and good-hearted. Though Mynk was a Ravenclaw alumni, she always liked many of her Hufflepuff students for their good nature.

"I'm glad to hear it," she said. "I've enjoyed having you in my class."

Mynk then smiled again when April accepted the position of teacher's aid. This was wonderful and April would be such a big help the next year.

"Thank you, April," she said. "I know I've made the right choice in picking you. I admit when I originally considered having a teacher's aid, I didn't know where to start. But your answers on your classwork today told me there was no other I could ask." Mynk then looked at the time and smiled with an idea. "April, since you have no plans, would you like to join me on my trip to the Magic Neep?"


@april

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When the cat jumped up onto the desk and meowed at April, she practically melted, all of her nervousness gone. "Aww, kitty! Hi!" she said happily, reaching a hand out to it for it to sniff before she tried to pet it. Cats always seemed to like to sniff someone first before they would allow someone to pet them, and this cat seemed no exception. Animals always loved April, though, so for her this wasn't really necessary, more of a token gesture.

Hearing her say that she enjoyed having April in her class was a bit of a surprise - April always assumed that she wouldn't really get noticed in most situations. But it was quite nice to hear. The praise that she was receiving was a bit foreign but it did feel nice. "Thankyou so much Professor. This is going to be great. And yes, I'd love to go with you to the Neep. What do you need to buy there?" she asked curiously.

@esmerelda

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Mynk smiled when April pet her cat, and the cat certainly enjoyed the attention.

"Medusa's very loving," she said. "I have an affinity towards felines. I see you are a cat lover too. Do you have any cats of your own?"

She then nodded when April said thank you for the compliment.

"You're most welcome, darling," she said. "I'm looking forward to it. Perhaps on some days, I'll let you do a lesson or two, just to see if you might have a knack for teaching it. But I leave that up to you of course."

Mynk chuckled a bit when April was curious as to what she was to buy at the grocers.

"Nothing special, just some pheasant and a few vegetables," she said. "A few times a week I like to cook myself in my quarters as opposed to dining in the Great Hall. I enjoy the food there, but nothing beats a meal I've made myself." Mynk then blushed a bit. "Forgive me for boasting. I fancy myself as a good cook, and have managed not to make others ill with it." Mynk chuckled at the joke. "If you'd like, you may join me for dinner one night. Do you like pheasant soup?"

@april

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April loved talking about animals, so this was right up her alley. "Oh yes, I have a little kitten named Mia. She's gorgeous. I just love all animals, they are so much simpler to be around than people can be," she said as she continued to affectionately stroke Medusa.

At the thought of teaching lessons, though, April froze up a bit. "Oh, I could never do that. That would be way too scary," she protested, blushing. The thought itself just gave her butterflies that felt more like bats in her stomach. Being up in front of people, teaching? No, never. No way.

"Cooking is a good skill to have, I suppose," April replied. "I've never had pheasant soup, but it sounds like it would be quite nice if you are a good cook! I'd love to try it sometime." The Great Hall food was amazing, and if the Professor thought that her food was better than it, it must be super amazing.

@esmerelda

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Mynk laughed and nodded in agreement about animals.

"That is very true," she said. "I've enjoyed many nights just sitting in my quarters alone with Medusa. She's a wonderful companion."

Mynk laughed and shook her head when April said she couldn't help teach lessons.

"That's perfectly fine, darling," she said. "There's still a great deal you could do for me, and I'm sure you would still be able to help answer questions from the students. You seem to have a very good grasp of all our lessons this year."

Mynk nodded when April said she'd like to try the soup.

"Why not this weekend then, Saturday evening if you don't have plans?" she said. "We'll dine, and then perhaps discuss some of my plans for next year's classes."

Mynk then rose and smiled at April.

"Shall we go?" she asked. "I don't want to detain you from your dinner tonight after all."

Later...

From there, it was on to the Magic Neep. It was probably Mynk's favorite place in Hogsmeade because it had food ingredients that were hard to find elsewhere, even in Diagon Alley. Plus she had befriended a great many of the workers there, and it would be nice to introduce some of them to April.

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April smiled slightly. "Well, I guess I could help with things like marking and stuff if you needed. But helping in classes, I would probably get really nervous, I think, and I wouldn't want to ruin your lessons," she said, quite nervously. She really didn't want to stuff anything up.

She thought for a moment whether Saturday evening worked. She didn't think she had any plans. "I think Saturday evening will be fine. Where in the castle are the teacher's quarters?"

At Mynk's suggestion, April nodded and stood up from her seat, putting her bag over her shoulder. "Sure, we should probably go before it gets too late," she agreed.

@esmerelda

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Mynk laughed again when April said she probably couldn't help with in-class things.

"I understand, but it would be a shame if you couldn't share your knowledge with others," she said. "It would certainly help show others that Divination is not a silly class. But I will leave that up to you."

April asked about the teacher's quarters and Mynk looked in the direction of it.

"They're in various places, but mine is in the North Tower." she said. "I'll show you before we leave."

At the Magic Neep, Mynk went about her shopping. She introduced April to her friends who worked there as she went. She then turned to April and smiled.

"If you would like something, please don't hesitate to ask," she said. "It's the least I can do to repay you for accepting the teacher's aid position. They have some wonderful snacks here, though a bit healthier than those at Honeyduke's. They have some delicious fruit beverages here as well, some you can only find here and a few other places."

Mynk placed a few other things in her basket and looked about.

"I really enjoy this place," she said. "It's a good place to come up with new recipes because of the selection and the helpful staff. I supervise the Cooking Club as well and am always trying to think of new things for the students to try."

@april

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April blushed, knowing that the Professor probably had her best interests at heart. "Well... I suppose I could do some things. Maybe for some of the younger year classes, I mean, not for older ones, I think that would be too hard for me," she admitted.

April had never been in the Magic Neep before, and she enjoyed looking around at all of the different foods and drinks that were there. She found one drink that was peach flavoured, which stood out to her. "This one looks nice. You don't have to buy it for me, I can get it myself..." she protested briefly. "It does look like it would be really good to try new recipes. There are a lot of things here that I've never seen before."

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Mynk smiled when April picked out the peach drink, but shook her head when she offered to pay herself.

"Nonsense," she said. "You are my guest today and it is my treat." She then looked at the drink selection. "I think I'll have one myself. I've always been fond of grape. Might have to do with my fondness for win though." Mynk chuckled a bit at this. "I'll buy a few of these when we have dinner since it's a bit frowned upon for a professor to offer a student wine."

Mynk then nodded as April spoke of the food selection.

"I'm sure the students will enjoy a change or two on the menu," she said. "What about you, darling? What are some of your favorite dishes? Perhaps we could fore-go the pheasant soup and make something you like. I'm quite versatile in the kitchen. I also like a challenge, especially in the area of international cuisine."

Mynk turned and looked over the spices. There were a few new ones there, just arrived from Eastern Europe. She loved those best because they reminded her of her native Romania. She placed a few in her basket. She couldn't wait to use them.

@april

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April felt a little bad that Mynk had offered to buy something for her, but she decided not to protest anymore. "Grape is nice, too. And I've never had wine before but it's probably not the best idea," she agreed, laughing a little. She had started to relax a bit around Mynk, which was starting to become evident.

April thought for a moment when she asked what kind of dishes she liked. "Um, I really like risotto, that's probably my favourite dish. My mum used to make it quite often," she replied. "But I'm perfectly happy with pheasant soup, I haven't tried that before." She didn't want to be a burden.

@esmeralda