The more they spoke, the more Basil began to feel a sense of kinship with Ms. Bonaccord. To hear of her struggle with having had to drop certain courses after OWLS resonated so deeply with him, he couldn’t help but nod in vehement understanding. “Yes, it is a shame there are only so many hours in the day,” he agreed. “I myself would have devoted so much more to my own studies in additional subjects, if only there was the time.” These days he didn’t have the time for much of anything though. Between his transfigurative research, his publications, and teaching, well… it was all Basil could do to stay afloat. Not to mention the handful of social obligations he continually promised his Mama and Atticus as a negotiation for his continued absence from society the rest of the time… At Ms. Bonaccord’s grateful response to his request, Basil could only beam. “I am happy to facilitate your efforts however I can,” he reassured. And it was true; anything, really, he could do— he would. “Give me a few days and I’ll send a summary via post. I’ll forward along any comments and ask Professor Skeeter to reach out to you directly, if he is so inclined.” Surely he wouldn’t mind. Of all the professors at Hogwarts these days, Mason seemed the least likely to rebuff or ignore a graduate.
As they trailed off into topics of publication, Basil gave a small - if slightly awkward - nod of understanding to Ms. Bonaccord’s comment. It was just one more example of that which they had in common; he supposed most real academics might feel the same. It said something to the detriment of one’s personality to boast about any work as proudly as a peacock and take no criticism. He was glad to hear Ms. Bonaccord was not one of these such specimens, though he hardly imagined as much in the first place. As for her submission, he was a little surprised at the lack of enthusiasm overall. Perhaps it was a lack of confidence.
“Well,” he encouraged, hoping to draw her in with the promise of aid, should she need it. “I’d be happy to facilitate those conversations too, when you’re ready. Until then, feel free to reach out to me should you need anyone to merely bounce ideas off of, or share comments on your work. It might be nice to meet for lunch every now and then, at least for the duration of the summer.” He offered her a lopsided little smile, hopeful as it was shy. Increasing his academic mentorship was one of the brunette’s greatest priorities in life, more even than progressing his own career.
A clock sounded on the wall, indicating it was just after noon. Tugging his pocket-watch free, Basil double-checked the time and was surprised to realize it was time for lunch. He turned to Ms. Bonaccord, loathe to leave such an invigorating conversation, and cleared his throat a bit. “In fact, if you don’t have plans now, would you care to join me for luncheon? I was about to head into Hogsmeade myself.”