VIOLET (A Harry Potter Universe Fanfiction)

2.

Caiti was due to meet her mentor, Alora Serpen, in Diagon Alley at ten o'clock that morning. It was just over a week since she'd arrived back home and while she had thought about what she was supposed to be doing nearly constantly, Caiti hadn't actually done anything for her research. Marlowe kept telling her it was fine to give herself a break, but Caiti felt like her break had been the month she'd given her focus over to preparing for N.E.W.T.s. If she didn't get back to work now, she was afraid she'd lose her momentum.

She arrived outside the Leaky Cauldron with three minutes to spare and found Alora already standing there. She had her hair pulled back into a french twist and wore neat, crisp robes that were nearly black but had a sort of emerald sheen to them. Caiti, who wore muggle clothes, had forgotten how professional Alora had looked when she'd met her last and she felt a little intimidated until Alora skipped the handshake and went right in for a hug.

"Congratulations on finishing school," she said. "N.E.W.T.'s go alright?"

"I think so," said Caiti as they stepped apart again. "I won't get the results back for a few more weeks."

"Well, not to spoil anything, but people are already talking about you and potions," said Alora, leading Caiti through the door. "There's been lots of talk and some of it started with the examiners."

Caiti had been so wrapped up in being home and with Marlowe again that she had almost forgotten to worry about how she had done. Her stomach gave a nervous twist at these words.

"Good rumors," Alora assured her with a glance over her shoulder.

They chose a table near the window, peaky morning light filtering through the half open curtains and shining on the dark wood of the table. They ordered a pot of tea to share and then the conversation turned to Caiti's research and her stomach started flip flopping all over again.

"So what have you been working on lately? How can I help you?"

"Oh," said Caiti. "Well, I haven't— I mean it's been sort of— I guess I haven't done much in a while. Because I was studying and everything."

"Of course," said Alora. She lifted her teacup, but didn't take a sip yet. She didn't say anything else either.

Caiti didn't know where to look.

"I have— I have a place to work on stuff now," she said. It was the only thing she could think to talk about. "Professor Munslow is going to bring my plants from the school on Friday and help me get them all set up."

"Well that's excellent. You were able to find a greenhouse space then?"

"My best friend built one," she said. "Before I came home."

Caiti didn't know why she always called Marlowe this, except that the word boyfriend felt stupid and juvenile and her relationship with Marlowe was so much deeper than that. Every time she went to call him anything other than his name, best friend slipped out instead before she'd even thought about what to say.

"Wow, that was very kind," said Alora with surprise.

"I know," said Caiti. "I couldn't believe it."

"So you'll have the plants soon. Are you ready to start experimenting with them more?"

"Maybe," said Caiti. "I'm just not... I guess I'm not sure how to. I don't know what I'm supposed to try."

Alora considered her. Her expression was so much like Professor Pym that she could almost have pretended they were the same person if not for the hair.

"There's no 'supposed to' in potion making," Alora said after a minute. "That's one thing I had to wrap my head around after always following a recipe in school. Potion makers are in the dark most of the time. Very rarely do we have any idea what we're doing."