May 25th, 1895 — (just near) the House Points Hourglasses, Hogwarts

Spring term was fast approaching its final days and Basil Foxwood was, for the first time in many years, actually looking forward to a respite from the solace that Hogwarts provided. That was not to say he was glad, by any means, to be leaving the comfort and relative societal isolation that the castle afforded him, but he was rather looking forward to being able to check on Macnair more easily (and frequently) than his once a month leave allowed and to similarly pick up where he left off last summer at the Flint Institute. It would be nice, as well, to have some relative ease to engage with Ms. Bonaccord too. He had been rather missing her more now that Ida too was gone off on her own. There were still a few days yet until he was to pack up his belongings however, and there was still the feast to look forward to, so in between grading exams and wandering the grounds - Basil found himself this afternoon passing by the house points hourglasses more by coincidence than actual curiosity. Still, he couldn’t help the urge to stray nearer and just remind himself where Ravenclaw had (unfortunately) landed.

It had been a much quieter year than those past for his house and for that much Basil could be grateful. There had been no outbursts at the sorting ceremony and no hair-pulling in the common room. He’d been a bit nervous in fact, coming off the last few terms, that his house was going to get something of a reputation, but luckily things seemed to have sorted themselves out. They’d done rather well winning the House Cup and the Quidditch Cup for some consecutive years there too, despite the drama, so - as Basil paused to place his hands on his hips before the giant hourglass that glittered blue - he couldn’t help but be proud of their efforts anyway. There was always next year.

Some small sound behind him caused the brunette to turn and spot none other than Millie Potts, one of his Ravenclaw prefects, wandering by. Moved with an urgency to congratulate her on a year well moderated, perhaps in part by his own musings about his house, he called out to her. “Ms. Potts! If you have a moment?”

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Millie Potts

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Millie hardly had cause to look up as she passed, to where the giant hourglasses kept a ticking tally of the school house points. She did it anyway, at first a casual glance. It lingered, settling in on the weight of a young witch whose shoulders were already heavy under the weight of so much this term. With OWLs foremost on her mind —though most of them graciously over now— she had hardly spent a moment to think about how well her house was doing in the race against others.

It was not doing well.

No, Ravenclaw was not in last place, that honor belonged to Slytherin. One that Millie thought was not at all fair to Anne's efforts in Quidditch, not that anyone had ever asked her opinion on the matter. She could spare little sorrow for the rest, her efforts outside of classes had not entirely been fruitful, not after Halloween and the return from winter holidays. Then there were only two things taking up space in her mind, and neither one was about Ravenclaw's house points.

With the entrance of the professor's voice, the young witch turned away from the house points as it left her mind again. Her head of house beckoned, and Millie took a few steps away from the flow of the crowd to draw close enough for conversation. She wondered about Foxwood's motives, he rarely spent time chitchatting with his students, not after the school whispered about the topics he might have been discussing with Miss Parksinson last year. It couldn't be about Transfiguration, the young witch had always excelled in his class, at least she thought so.

"Perhaps one, Professor?" Millie answered the tall man, shifting the books in her hands to lean them against her midsection. It wouldn't do to drop them in front of everyone here, least not Professor Foxwood. "Ancient Studies is tomorrow, I was going to the library for just a bit more revising."

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As Ms. Potts made her way over, Basil noted her stiffness but did not comment. End of year exams was always a stressful time, especially for students that cared about their grades. He would make it brief so she could be on her way.

“I only wished to congratulate you on a year well concluded,” he said with a smile. “You made Ravenclaw House proud with your efforts as Prefect this year and both Ms. Paxton and I have taken notice.” Exams notwithstanding, he hoped Ms. Potts too could reflect back on the year and find her efforts satisfactory. She'd been a shy, quiet thing when they'd first met some years ago and Basil was proud to see her growing into a confident young lady. Hopefully her summer would be a good respite from the responsibility and next year would prove even more fruitful for the lot of his Ravenclaws.

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Millie Potts

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She drew in a breath, using the books to steady her midsection as she did so. Her breathy corset wasn't as practical as the real version, nor as prickly in her sides. Still, it did the job as well as anything, the young witch could feel herself rising to a posture that made addressing the tall man easier, if only by a bit. "Thank you, Professor. I have only tried to do my best, it makes me glad to hear how much that's worth."

Her head dipped a bit in gratitude, and Millie felt nearly like a child again, her pigtails bobbing at every acknowledgement made her way. Sometimes she still felt like that child, uncertain and surprised that her deeds and thoughts could work their way into achievements. It certainly didn't feel right that she was taking her OWLs already, or at least not quite real. Most of them were past, and yet it still hadn't quite clicked yet that she was on the cusp of a major milestone in her school career.

As if making prefect hadn't been milestone enough, one that had been well celebrated by her family and friends.

"I suppose I will hope that continues this fall," the young witch said, her voice a little lower now. It wasn't the sourness of the hourglass that infected her, but the weight of expectation on her shoulders. Expectation by those who had only just celebrated one milestone before she had returned to school last fall to fulfill one that still seemed impossible to her. "If I am able to return."

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Ms. Potts’ response was to be expected but Basil smiled at her regardless. He liked most of his students, and those he didn’t favor in any particular way he was more indifferent towards than antagonized by, but Millie Potts was certainly one to be proud of. While he may not have been her Head of House since the beginning of her Hogwarts career, he’d watched her grow in his class ever since. Seeing her now standing tall and proud as an accomplished prefect was certainly something to commend.

He gave the girl a short nod and was prepared to be on his way, accolades dispersed, when her last statement caught him by the mouth like a hook. Basil made an effort to school his features and not let the dismay at hearing that statement cloud their cheerful exchange. But bloody Merlin, he was so tired of seeing his best and brightest pulled from further academic accomplishment by society and ridiculous expectation. Most of them merely because they were women.

Letting out a soft sigh, Basil resigned himself to comfort only. He didn’t know the Potts situation and if it was purely societal or in fact financial, and so he wasn’t in a position to comment. Instead, he gave Ms. Potts a gentle smile and tried to express empathy. “If you do have the chance to return, I know Ravenclaw House would be proud to have you. You’ve made quite the impression this year, Ms. Potts. And I should hope to see you accomplish your animagus transformation soon too, should you wish it.”

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Millie Potts

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Making quite an impression was certainly a turn of phrase she didn't often hear directed at herself. What the professor meant by it, or whether he directed those pleasantries toward all his students, Millie couldn't quite tell. She had rarely sought out Professor Foxwood before this year, only to answer him in class or during a chance encounter in the corridors, so hearing such spontaneous praise from him was a new experience for the young witch.

"I shouldn't ever like to leave Ravenclaw House behind," she agreed, letting the hourglasses nearby fall by the wayside. The points didn't matter, nor did the accolades from quidditch. What mattered most was her connections in Ravenclaw, the ease it afforded her to find a cozy place to read in the common room or the comfort to be among other Ravenclaws without the expectation to wile away the hours with talk of nonsense. "Though I may not be attempting the animagus transformation myself."

She had thought of it once, even causing great distress with Professor Foxwood. Now Millie questioned whether she would like to be anywhere but inside her own skin. There was plenty she could do and feel as herself, and if anything had made an impression on her this year, it was being reminded of the latter. "Never fear, Professor, I promised Miss Moony I would accompany her journey instead."

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Basil was not surprised at the tone the conversation took as Ms. Pott’s admitted she’d have liked to stay. He ached for her in the same way he ached for all the students who wished to return but were unable due to circumstance. Seeing as there was very little he could do however, he offered her a supportive smile but it was soon changed when she further admitted she would not be completing her animagus transformation.

“Oh!” Basil was surprised to hear as much, but not disappointed. It would seem Ms. Potts had come to her own conclusions and decided against the idea. He would respect her reasons, though he was endlessly curious if she might be persuaded otherwise. “Well, I’m sure Ms. Moony will appreciate the support. And, as you know, if there is anything I can do for either of you in the matter— don’t hesitate to ask.” He offered her a winning little smile.

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Millie Potts

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