･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. .**.☽ .*
"What is your main ambition in this field of work, Miss Rutherford?"
She took a breath and smiled confidently at them, just like Sirius had told her to do before she left: "just breath and smile, you'll be great, they'll love you."
"Well, what most intrigues me is all the medicinal research that is taking place at the moment, especially in Northern Europe and West Asia," she said, looking all of them in the eye like her brother had reminded her to do, "but personally, I would like to open up my own research facility in Africa. There are many unexplored paths of medicine there, and I feel like healers have disregarded the many cultural practices in different traditions around magic Africa that present many new opportunities. I...I think it is our duty as healers to keep growing our mindsets and our healing methods, to understand there is always room to improve our medicine and to help more people. So that's my highest ambition, really, to help the industry grow and-and to develop my own medical research in unexplored areas."
"Very interesting," the woman at the end of the panel said, her Russian accent thick, "what in Africa specifically is there to explore that other places don't have?"
"Um, well I think that Africa is a source of many rich and unique magical substances that we don't have anywhere else, for example the Tsavorite ponds found around Uagadou...I visited it once before and, well, I was shocked after I researched it and discovered all the healing capabilities it had and how unexplored it has been."
The man at the centre of the panel, Headmaster Turgenev, a tall and intimidating man, spoke up, "yes, I have visited Uagadou many times and I have to admit I thought the very same things you have , Miss Rutherford. Thank you for talking about it, your wide knowledge on the matter impresses me."
She felt her heart skip a beat at this. She didn't really know what to say, so she just smiled sheepishly and nodded.
"Just one more question, Miss Rutherford, last one," the assistant Headmaster said, raising her hand slightly, "why should we pick you over all the other international candidates?"
Caroline blinked, letting that process. Well that was a big question. Why should they pick her? Was she really the best choice? She wasn't really sure. But she did what Sirius said, she breathed, she smiled, and she spoke.
"I've never had much of an aptitude for pretty basic things like emotional intelligence, social awareness, people. I've always been the last person to get the joke, never really hitting the mark. I hurt my friends without meaning to, I say the wrong things because I don't understand how other people feel most of the time. But I care, I care about people, I...I know they have minds, hearts, souls, and so much worth, and I knew I always wanted to help them but I never knew how...I didn't really think I could, I didn't know how at all."
They all looked at her intently, drawn in by ever word she uttered. She took another breath and continued.
"But my Dad's a healer, and he had always taught me that healers have the power to help people, to make their lives better. I immediately saw that as the most logical way I could help people, it was almost a relief I guess. Ever since I could read and write, which was pretty early, I devoured every bit of information about healing I could, about muggle and magical practices alike. It's been my passion ever since I could walk, and it has never died because within me I have so much desire to just help people. I have the intelligence, yes, but so does every other candidate you'll see - what sets us apart is our motivation and our goal, right? And without trying to sound arrogant, I believe my motivation and my goal are equally as admirable and...and I think that will make me right for this course and also for my future endeavours as a healer."
The room was silent for a moment, completely still. But then the headmaster, sat in the middle of the panel, stood up and held out his hand. Caroline's eyes widened and she stood up too, tentatively reaching out and taking it, which he then shook strongly.
"It has been a pleasure to meet with you, Miss Rutherford. And I say that sincerely."
"Oh," she smiled, "well thank you, it's been an honour, really."
"We'll be in touch," the assistant Headmaster said, nodding her head, "thank you for coming in, Miss Rutherford."
"Thank you," she nodded her head, "thank you all."
She was dismissed, and left the room.
What had just happened?
· 。ﾟ☆: *.☽
"I'm so proud of you," Sirius grinned, sipping at his coffee, "it sounds like you smashed it."
Caroline looked out of the window to the muggles on the street outside, "it went a lot better than I thought it would, to be honest."
"When will you find out?"
She shrugged, looking back at him, "I have no idea, they just said they'd 'be in touch'."
"Fingers crossed," he said, crossing his fingers.
She smiled and crossed her own fingers, lifting them up to show him.
"How's the green tea?" Sirius asked, peering over her cup.
"Green," she said, smiling amusedly at the look he was giving the drink, "what, you want to try some?"
He scrunched up his nose and leaned back, "it just doesn't look like it tastes good."
"Well it does," she said, taking a sip, before putting it back on the table, "and it's super good for you, so you should drink it if you want to live long. Take it from the healer...well, aspiring healer."
"You're basically already a healer with all you know," he grinned, shaking his head, "you're way too smart for me, you know that?"
She said nothing, just lifted her mug up again and hid her smile behind it.
"You know you're supposed to disagree, right?" Sirius said, laughing slightly, "nah I'm kidding, I think you're out of my league in every aspect to be honest."
"Oh stop it," she said, putting down her cup, "you're perfect."
He snorted then, swinging back on his chair, "far from it, sweetheart."
"Don't swing on your chair, you could hurt yourself."
"It's touching how you care but-"
She moved her foot underneath the table and hooked it underneath a wooden ridge on the bottom of his chair, pulling all four legs sharply back to the floor so he stopped swinging.
"Okay, sorry," he said, grinning as if he wasn't sorry at all, "you know I think you're gonna be good for me."
"Yeah, stopping you dying, I think you need me," she joked.
His face remained still as he scanned hers, "yeah."
Her head quirked to the side as she looked at him curiously, "yeah?"
"I do need you."
She looked down at the table, "oh, well-"
He took her hand in his, linking their fingers over the table, making her look up at him.
"I'm being serious, Carrie."
She smiled and opened her mouth as if to say something.
"Don't make the joke," he said.
"Right, sorry. Continue."
"I need you, and I can't really imagine me life without this now...I don't really know why I haven't said it earlier, but...um...bloody hell why is this is so hard? You make me so..." he sighed running his free hand through his dark hair, "you make me so nervous, you know that?"
"Just take your time," she said gently, "I'm not going anywhere."
"Right, okay," he swallowed, "okay, well I just wanted...fuck, just...be mine, Carrie?"
She smiled, not too surprised, but still feeling that now familiar warmth fill her chest. She didn't think he would ask her in the middle of a busy muggle cafe after a long day of shopping for school supplies but...it still felt right.
So she just squeezed his hand, "I was always yours, Sirius."
His cheeks became pink then as a flustered smile came to his face, "wa-really?"
She nodded, the smile on her face now seemingly permanent...she didn't know if she had ever felt this happy.
"Some-" he cleared his throat, "-some green tea."
She giggled, "it's not the tea."
"Then what is it?"
"I was yours from the moment you wrote to me about how you were intrigued with 'the richness and complexity' of South African culture after I told you I was going there to visit family...because that was the moment that I realised I had underestimated you."
"Really?"
She nodded, "I didn't realise how much there was below the surface...how much I hadn't seen before."
"And now you see it," he said, leaning into her slightly, "what do you think?"
"I think that I'm yours, Sirius Black. Whether you like it or not."
"I like it a lot," he said.
"And are you mine?" She asked, looking innocently across the table at him, leaning her chin on her hand.
He smiled at this, "I knew I was yours from the moment you sat beside me in Astronomy and swore in French."
She laughed, "oh how romantic."
"No, hear me out," he laughed too, "up until that point I had admired you from afar, thought you were just this perfect girl, smart as hell, gorgeous...but when I heard you swear in French of all things, I just said to myself, 'oh yeah, this one's for me'."
She smiled giddily, "yeah okay...that's pretty nice."
He smiled too, finishing off his coffee.
"So," she frowned, looking up at him, "am I your girlfriend now?"
"If that's okay?"
"It is. Merlin, it really is."