Someone Else's Problem (OPEN)

[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

▲

While Juniper hadn’t been that way in school, she could definitely see why the students would want days off. Even if it was just one class among a few for most, that extra time was valuable. Whether for studying or sleeping. She sort of enjoyed the occasional day off too, though that had become rather rare recently. This trip was the first in a long time. Teaching during all three terms had definitely made her realize how much she cherished her weekends. ”They’d like me more if I took coursework out of the syllabus. Unfortunately for them, the school requires a certain amount to be done.” Even her Human Anatomy class, which was mostly theoretical, had to have papers and exams. She figured that eventually, as this new form of Hogwarts settled into its proverbial skin, these requirements would be lifted, and even more freedom would be granted to LIFE professors. Not everything had to be exam based.

Emmanuelle then asked her what she was looking forward to here, and Juniper shrugged. She wasn’t completely sure yet. It was mostly that it sounded fun to her, and different from her normal day to day life. ”Honestly? I don’t know,” she admitted. ”I’m kind of looking forward to being able to see the stars at night. And just relaxing.” She had a few personal wars to fight in her head too, like what the hell she was doing with Rhys. Treating her weekend away like a cold shower, or a spray bottle, was also part of her plan. It would be so easy to slip back into her usual once again, and she knew he wouldn’t fight against it either. ”Maybe some self-reflection too? I guess we’ll see. I might have an idea by the time I’m packing up to head home. How about you?”

emmanuelle antoinette picquery ● 304

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[emmanuelle antoinette picquery]

April 29, 2028

Juniper stated that her students would like her more if she took their coursework out of the syllabus, which made Emmanuelle laugh with enough force that it almost came out as a snort. She was glad that she had never had to deal with all of the examinations that the students at magical schools got put through. If she wanted to be able to do something like work for MACUSA or become a Healer, then, sure, there would have been more regulations, but her grandmother had never had her sit through hours of pointless essays.

Despite her educational background's not being the same as a lot of people she encountered, she hadn't been brought up to be disrespectful, either. At some point, it did just turn into putting up with whatever there was to complain about and doing it anyway.

Back on the subject of why they were sharing a yurt in Wales, Juniper said that she wasn't sure what she was looking forward to, but she mentioned being able to see the stars again. And relaxing, which it sounded like she probably needed because of her work at Hogwarts.

"Maybe some self-reflection too? I guess we’ll see. I might have an idea by the time I'm packing up to head home. How about you?"

"Yeah, probably some self-reflection," Emmanuelle stated, echoing Juniper's sentiment. "And the Druid shrines seem kinda interesting, just to compare them to voodoo and everything. I mean, we have altars in Louisiana Voodoo, too."

juniper minerva mcgonagall

[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

▲

The druids were such a fascinating topic. Juniper really had no interest on what the Ministry apparently deemed ‘an issue’, as they were simply trying to exist on their own with little interference. At her first job, when she was creating exams for Hogwarts, there had been a subsection for any druid children that happened to be taking them as well. They always score decently well, which just proved that they didn’t need the magical school to learn everything about the world like the Ministry was seemingly proposing. The funny part was that there were other magical communities around the world that were just as isolated, if not more so, and yet the government was getting hung up on this one all the time. Even now, she still saw articles in the Daily Prophet popping up about the island. Why did they care so much? Without the druids, something like this event wouldn’t be happening. A lot of witches and wizards needed an escape like this.

”They do,” she responded to Emmanuelle’s point about the altars. ”I’m hoping there are a few actually here too. I wanted to talk with them about their natural proclivity towards being animagi.” And if she could manage to snag one to do a guest lecture for her two classes, it would be even better. Of course, she probably should have been spending this time relaxing and not thinking about work but unfortunately that wasn’t how her brain operated. Once the possibility of advancing her own work presented itself, she needed to follow it. Again, this was all assuming that there were druids here that also happened to be animagi like herself. If there weren’t any (which she wouldn’t be too surprised by since this was probably a bastardized version of their own rituals), then she’d go back to chilling like she had planned.

emmanuelle antoinette picquery ● 309

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[emmanuelle antoinette picquery]

April 29, 2028

Juniper, too, seemed to take interest in the religious aspects of the festival, though she brought up that she was more interested in hopefully meeting some actual Druids there herself. Emmanuelle nodded. That would definitely be interesting, and she assumed that there would be at least a few Druids around to facilitate some of the activities that were scheduled. It would be a waste of money—and offensive—if they were there just to have some shopkeepers from Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade with no connections to Hy-Brasil or anywhere else do things that they thought were vaguely Druidic.

"I wanted to talk with them about their natural proclivity towards being Animagi," Juniper explained, which was far more interesting than what Emmanuelle had expected. That wouldn't have been the first thing on her mind, either, but the difference was that she had to be careful about what she said about the past few years of her life. There was always going to be that hanging over her head.

"Neat," Emmanuelle agreed. "So are you one, then? An Animagus?"

juniper minerva mcgonagall

[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

▲

Speaking of ‘natural proclivity’ and animagi, there really should be a study done on the McGonagalls, their affinity towards Transfiguration magic, and why three currently living family members all managed to have cat forms. As far as Juniper could tell, there wasn’t anything her Great Aunt could recall either, and that occasionally an ancestor would be listed as having the ability and similar outcome. She liked to think they had struck a deal way back when with an ancient kneazle, and this was something that continued on in their bloodline. Or it was just hereditary as some magical abilities seemed to be. Or maybe the McGonagalls were simply masochists for perfection, and ultimately found themselves in the same spot at the end of their studies. Being an animagus did have its own set of perks, after all.

”I am,” Juniper answered proudly. Becoming one was the pinnacle of Transfiguration mastery. There were inherited powers, like those that the metamorphmagi had, that were definitely more unique. Yet she enjoyed her ability. To sit down and plan it all out was a testament to her skill and magical prowess. And she didn’t really care if others saw it the same way that she did. Those that knew, absolutely understood what sort of undertaking it was, especially when there was no guarantee that it would actually work. ”A black cat. I’m still trying to figure out what that specifically means for me, but it does suit me.”

Treating it like a party trick was really all she used it for these days. Once her name went on the registry and she felt that she had mastered her animal form, the novelty of running around outside in it wore off. Other cats knew she wasn’t one of them, and muggles were stupid about animals outside. She didn’t need any of that. ”Would you like to see?” Juniper offered, feeling rather spontaneous all of a sudden.

emmanuelle antoinette picquery ● 321

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0