The Vanishing Cabinet...Black

fourteen. malka the alchemist

tw: nothing this time lmao

"MISS ARSLAN!" Professor Flitwick said as he ushered her into his office.

"Hello, Professor," Malka said with a small smile. He had always been kind to her and her fellow Ravenclaws. Flitwick's office was decorated sparsely, with a red oak shelf and a few certificates and golden awards adoring each row.

"Take a seat, take a seat," Flitwick said, sitting in his higher chair as Malka sat down opposite him. "So. How are you, Miss Arslan?"

"I am well," Malka mused. "And you?"

"Good, good," Flitwick pushed his spectacles up his long nose. "Now, to get to the matter at hand; have you given any thought to any potential careers? At all?"

"Not really," Malka admitted, shrugging. "Although it would be nice to go with something akin to my strongest subjects,"

"Quite a smart decision," Flitwick picked up her fourth-year report card and peered down at it. "So- something related to Potions, Astronomy, and Arithmancy?"

"Erm- maybe mostly just Potions and Astronomy," Malka didn't want him to know part of the reason her Arithmancy grades were so high was because Professor McElroy was a huge fan of her Dad. "I can do Arithmancy just fine, but I just like the other two more,"

"Well- what is it about the other two that you like best?"

"...I like the brewing and experiment part of Potions, not so much the collecting ingredients part. I'm good at following instructions, and I've even added some changes that improve the Potions  back inside the second year textbook. And as for Astronomy...I dunno. I like the mythical aspect of it; I like how you can use the aspects of magic few people know about, but then see how it reflects all around us, and how we can manipulate it. I'm not sure," she fiddled with the hem of her plaid skirt.

She did have a career in mind, in fact.

"Hm, interesting. So. Something similar to Potions, with the process of crafting a finished product, yet with otherworldy influences. There are a certain number of careers we could look into related to that," Flitwick hummed.

"-Um," Malka interrupted, and Flitwick paused in his shuffling of papers, looking at her. "Erm- nevermind,"

"What is it, Miss Arslan?" Flitwick said patiently, folding his hands in front of him.

She remembered Regulus's words of encouragement, before deciding how much harm can it do? "I want to be an alchemist,"

Flitwick blinked in her definitive answer. "Well. That certainly aligns with the information you gave me, it is quite an underrepresented and honorable way to spend one's life. Are you certain?"

"I- yes, I am, for now," Malka added in a finish. She felt a great weight lift off her shoulders as she finally gave into what her heart had called for this whole time. Her father didn't matter anymore; she wasn't getting closer to him. And Malka realized that she truly was to become an alchemist, however successful she would become.

"Very well then. That means we can skip to the less theoretical part of our meeting," Flitwick said, pulling out another piece of parchment. "Adjusting your classes to your career. Now, I will make a few suggestions for you for your next two years,"

"Well, I take all of the necessary classes to be an alchemist, right? Potions, Astronomy, Arithmancy, Herbology, and Transfiguration—besides my other classes. I don't think Divination is a requirement anymore?"

"Indeed, it is not, you do not need to take it if you do not wish to. As you might have guessed, I would recommend you take Advanced Arithmancy as well as Alchemy next year, of course. And yes, you will need O.W.Ls in all the classes you mentioned above to become an alchemist. And one more," Flitwick looked up at her.

"That is?" Malka said eagerly.

"Care of Magical Creatures," Flitwick replied with a flourish of his wand. 

There was a pause. "What?" Malka said incredulously.

"Yes, Miss Arslan. Care of Magical Creatures is necessary to becoming an alchemist, as beings and beast influence many, if not all, of the necessary materials that alchemists typically work with. You can observe a similar influence in your Potions class," Flitwick said sharply.

Malka leaned back. He was right, more than half their Potions ingredients were from magical creatures. He was so frustratingly smart sometimes. 

"It is not too late for you to join Professor Kettleburn's class, I have another older Ravenclaw joining in this time of year as well. You will only need an 'Acceptable' to go into N.E.W.T Magical Creatures, and since Professor Kettleburn divides his class content by term-" Flitwick rubbed his spectacles with hidden disdain. "-You will not be behind in any sense,"

"Oh. Alright," Malka said, leaning back as her mind swirled. She couldn't believe she had to go work with animals. She'd always either, feared, been disgusted by, or generally avoided Magical Creatures. Her mother had shown her a hinkypunk once on their travels, and the sight of something like that had scared five-year-old Malka into tears.

"Assuming you do not want a cramped schedule, I will list some courses you may drop as a replacement for Care of Magical Creatures. Those are; History of Magic, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Transfiguration. Now, I would not recommend dropping any of these, especially not Transfiguration, but given the circumstances-"

"-I'll drop History of Magic," Malka interrupted eagerly. Any reason to be out of Binns's class.

"Very well, then," Flitwick sighed, and Malka got a feeling he knew how unpopular Binns's class was. "Your new course will start the day after tomorrow, and will be meeting next to the Frozen Gate in the Forbidden Forest to begin your topic on unicorns,"

"Okay," Malka said, feeling only a bit queasy now. "Am I free to be dismissed?"

"Indeed. Have a lovely day, Miss Arslan," Flitwick said, leaning back in his small chair and watching as she stood up and walked to the door.

"You as well, Professor," she said with a smile, and departed.

-

"I'm going to be sick," Cass moaned as her fork, pierced with mash, clattered down onto her ceramic plate.

"You'll be fine, don't worry," Malka said patiently as she ate her own mash. They were at lunch, and in a few short hours, Ravenclaw would be facing Gryffindor on the pitch.

In fact, many of the people around them had already brought their gear. Malka was wearing her favorite Ravenclaw sweater with blue ribbons in her hair. Down the table were banners for support, and even a fake stuffed eagle charmed to crow every few seconds. The other two houses—Slytherin and Hufflepuff—were either wearing neutral colors or also wearing blue or red. Many of the Hufflepuffs wore red, and the Slytherins- not wanting to support Gryffindor, were mostly decked out in blue and bronze.

"But I am worrying," Cass said. "Mal- if they kick me off the team, do you have chocolates I can eat to feel better?"

"Yes, I do," Malka rolled her eyes. "But you aren't getting kicked off the team,"

Cass let out a loud groan, pressing her palms against her eyes. "I can't stand the smell of this food,"

Malka couldn't smell anything besides pumpkin juice. "Alright then, lunch isn't required,"

Cass nodded bleakly and rushed away from the Great Hall. Malka smiled and looked around, analyzing the number of people in the Hall wearing blue and bronze. There was barely any at the Hufflepuff and Gryffindor table, of course, but about half the Slytherins were supporting them. Feeling a little tug of curiousity mixed with longing, Malka snuck a glance at her special someone further down the Slytherin table. He wore his hair tied back today, and even though he wore his normal black sweater with a green pocket, today he had a blue badge pinned over said pocket. And when Malka looked up to his face, her heart skipped a beat when she realized he was already looking at her with peace and a crack of excitement in his eyes. As she watched, Regulus tilted his head lightly towards her, his juice goblet mirroring the action. Malka laughed very quietly, and gave him the smallest nod. This would be a good game.