Cam passed her an exasperated look. "No amount of studying can make up for natural stupidity," he said, only belatedly realizing that it wasn't the best way to describe himself to the girl he sort of wanted to impress. Well, it wasn't as if there was much about him she didn't already know—stupidity and all. None of his interests really mattered when natural talent was taken into consideration, though, because there were few areas of magic where Cameron excelled that he could build a viable career. He couldn't be a professional duelist when Ned could knock him to his feet. He couldn't be a magizoologist when he found himself either intimidated or overly cautious around the creatures they were shown. He definitely didn't have a future in transfiguration (and what transfiguration-centric jobs were there, anyways?).

"I don't know," he sighed, despite knowing that there was one job that he could see himself doing. "You'll think I'm silly for saying it, because I'm awful at everything that it involves." And it was silly, except there was a history to it he couldn't ignore. "And if you tell Alice, I'm never speaking to you again," he warned, giving her a pointed look that quickly softened into a sad smile.

"My dad was a doctor, you know. A muggle one." He didn't talk about his father with anyone much, not even Greta. He'd died when Cameron was only a child, yet Cameron had felt the effects of his deaths even years later. "And, I don't know... It's stupid."

---