Finder's Keeper || Oliver Wood [1]

Chapter 22: Conflict of Interest

"Becoming an Auror or Hit-Witch are a few prospects for you," she finally said. "You've been performing well in the necessary subjects, although your Herbology is a bit inconsistent — nothing that can't be remedied without a little more effort, though."

Jessica cringed, but it wasn't because of what the professor said about her Herbology marks — it was because she didn't want to be in the same profession as her parents. Her father was an esteemed Auror himself, while her mother was equally as skilled, but in handling magical catastrophes instead. Going into the fields McGonagall suggested seemed too similar to what Ian and Katherine Hawthorne were already doing.

"Er, with all due respect, Professor, I don't think I'd like those careers," Jessica trailed off awkwardly.

"Not to worry, Hawthorne, there are still many more. Have you thought about going into Healing, then? Your Potions grades are impressive, and like I said earlier, you just need to secure that E in Herbology as soon as you can."

Jessica recalled all the recent instances where she witnessed an injury of some sort: Ron Weasley throwing up slugs, Oliver Wood getting a cracked rib from a Bludger, and Harry Potter having to regrow the bones in his arm after Lockhart tried to mend it. In all of those, she reacted by wincing or hiding just because they looked painful to her. She respected Healers a lot, but she wasn't sure if she could do what they do on a daily basis

"It doesn't sound like a bad idea," Jessica white-lied. "But I'm, uh, a bit hesitant about going into that field."

McGonagall suppressed a sigh and peered at the black-haired girl over her glasses. She could see right through her lie; she clearly didn't want to be a Healer, either. As her teacher and Head of House, she was aware that Jessica was an exceptional student. But with the girl not having any career path in mind, they were going to take quite a while.

★ ★ ★

When March rolled around, Jessica was still feeling stumped. For weeks, she had been rereading the pamphlets on the jobs McGonagall suggested and many more: a Legislator at the Ministry, Potioneer, even a Historian which sounded inexplicably boring to Jessica. For some reason, she didn't want anything close to a desk job, too — perhaps years of taking her studies so seriously was making her want something a little more adventurous this time around. She knew she was being extremely picky what with all the reasons she'd think of whenever she didn't like a particular job, but then again, this was what she'd be doing in the real world. She couldn't afford to be careless. The only thing that appealed to her in the end was the leaflet on Curse-Breakers. It read:

"Are you seeking a challenging career involving travel, adventure, and substantial, danger-related treasure bonuses? Then consider a position with Gringotts Wizarding Bank, who are currently recruiting Curse-Breakers for thrilling opportunities abroad."

At the same time, it almost sounded too dangerous... Jessica had never been a spontaneous person. She planned and carried everything out carefully, from her studies, perfect duties, and even how she used to stroll through the Quidditch Pitch when she knew there were no teams practicing, because that way, she could get fresh air and relax in an open space alone. Nothing much changed even now that she was actually a member of her house's team and spent her time there training instead — she was still a very organized and meticulous person even when practicing.

Jessica also never liked confrontational situations, so she chose to put aside the issue of having to decide on a career path for the meantime. Instead, she dove back into her studies as the O.W.L.s drew closer and focused more on Quidditch now that they only had a few more games left to win the Quidditch Cup.