Noon

Myrni had let her 3rd Year class go early on this particular day mainly because it was so tiny to begin with and they had mostly been working through independent study for much of the term. She was happy that they seemed to be a group that was fairly self sufficient and could be trusted to make the most of their unconventional class time.

Following their departure, Myrni had turned to some unfinished business from that morning--reading her mail. It wasn't unusual for the Arithmancy Professor to get more mail than she could read during breakfast and so often a few letters would go unread until later in the afternoon after her classes were out, like now.

Standing at the podium at the front of the room, Myrni slowly sifted through the parchment envelopes until she reached one that filled her with dread. There in a handwriting that looked perfectly aristocratic, was the name of Myrni's future mother-in-law.

Without even opening the letter, Sylvia Whitman had already succeeded in goading on Myrni's nerves. And sure enough, upon laying her eyes on its contents, Myrni was amazed that she had any of her hair left. And, she also wondered why she didn't just give in to all of Nate's lighthearted jesting about eloping to Vegas, which would surely drive the Whitman matriarch insane.

But Myrni's vice was that she wanted to please everyone and she was committed to having a real wedding with both of their families in attendance. She just had a different idea of what constituted a real wedding compared to Sylvia. Coming to a happy medium had been a slow going process and Myrni wished that she wasn't the only one making concessions.

Myrni's fairly good mood to that point in the morning had soured considerably and she suddenly felt the need to get some air. Though she wasn't sure she was going to be in the mood to read anymore letters, she did bring them all with her as she left the classroom.

The walk down from the sixth floor was filled with scattered thoughts and before she knew it, she had reached the second floor. But instead of continuing downstairs, her feet seemed intent on taking her on a detour. It was as if they instinctively knew that there was someone who might be able to relate to what she was going through on this floor.

Myrni side stepped a few 7th Year students exiting the Runes classroom, and when the coast seemed clear, she stepped inside. Her eyes instinctively sought out Professor Reid at her desk first. But in the span of seconds, Myrni had stepped up to it and plunked the letter down on the desk top before exclaiming with helpless exasperation, "Was Sylvia this unbearable during the planning of your wedding to Oz?"

Aileen sat in front of her desk, thumbing through the translations she’d received, very aware that her seventh-years were rushing out the door before she could complain about their handwriting. She’d just let out a huge sigh at one Ravenclaw’s untidy scrawl, when someone walked in the room and put a piece of parchment on her desk. Aileen looked up, expecting to see a forgetful student, but instead she found the Arithmancy professor, who sounded frazzled and unhappy.

Her eyebrows lifted in surprise. Perhaps Myrni seemed more… subdued than most women with a wedding on the horizon, but Aileen had never asked her about it beyond a few polite questions. They didn’t talk about serious matters, and often stuck to joking about students and sharing classroom stories. Aileen had to admit that she liked Myrni and it was nice to have someone here that she could get along with. Still, it felt very strange to be sought out for advice or help. Very strange, especially when Aileen couldn’t sort out if Myrni was suited for marriage to a pureblood family, or if she even belonged in one. Old prejudices died hard.

Yet Myrni looked so distraught. Aileen glanced away for a moment, uncomfortable. Sylvia was not an easy woman to deal with, so she could understand where she was coming from. And it wouldn’t hurt her, it really wouldn’t, to have a professor at Hogwarts that she could trust not to poison her morning tea (or dream about it, like she suspected Bombay did). Aileen offered Myrni a sympathetic smile and glanced at the door. Surely most of the seventh-years had scampered away by now.

 “Yes,” She answered simply, picking up the letter on her desk and glancing at Professor Levartian for permission before she read it.

Oh Merlin. Sylvia was pestering her about the flower arrangements, throwing in a barb about how she couldn’t decide on a theme or a season until she had a more definite date. Aileen shook her head, smirking. This was definitely the Whitman matron she remembered.

She handed Myrni back the note. “With me, it was the first wedding she’d ever planned, which made her especially neurotic. Though I take it she hasn’t gotten any better with time.” Maybe she’d even gotten worse. Aileen didn’t envy Myrni, at least not the wedding planning.

Rising, she gathered up the papers and looked at her, “I’m heading to my office, if you want to join. There’s less chance of either of us being featured in the gossip section of the student newspaper, that way,” she added with a chuckle. The student newspaper didn’t really concern her, but she was a very private person, and didn’t like the idea of anyone overhearing her discuss her failed marriage. It was a sore spot, and the incident in the staff room had been mortifying enough.

Her office was only a step away from the classroom, so it only took her a moment to unlock it. Once inside, she placed the student papers on her desk and lifted up the teapot she'd left there earlier, silently offering her a cup.

“My mother shares similar traits to Sylvia,” Aileen began. That was a kind way of saying that her mother was anal and obsessive to the extreme. “So there were times when they got along fantastically, and other times when a minor disagreement about wedding invitations could turn downright deadly,” Aileen joked, warming up the teapot that she’d made before class. “I was 18. All I cared about was the dress.” That wasn’t entirely true, but she had, for the most part, let the two mothers do what they wanted. Aileen ran a hand through her hair and smirked at Myrni. “I was also used to mothers like that, so it was easier for me. And I was thrilled about the idea of a wedding, of being fussed over, of getting all that attention for one day. I really thought of it as my day. Between the three of us women, poor Oz couldn’t even pick out his own shoes.”

Poor Oz, indeed. She had never loved him, and sometimes wished she had. Of course, she’d been infatuated with him for a time, especially leading up to the wedding. He’d been this confident, handsome man that her mother kept insisting was perfect for her, and she had believed it. But she hadn’t been able to handle the reality of marriage. He must have changed over the years, she thought, he’d probably grown bitter. She had certainly changed since those carefree days when she was in her late teens.

She poured herself a cup of tea and settled in one of the chairs in front of her desk, positioning it so it faced Myrni. “It’s different when you’re a grown woman, and you have other things, like a job” she gestured around the office, “to worry about. How often does Sylvia send you these letters?” Her question was more a show of sympathy and putting the ball back in her court than a need to know, and she rested her chin in her hand and shook her head again, anticipating that Myrni was close to murdering the Whitman family owl.

Almost as soon as Myrni's frustration had come, it quickly dissipated when she realized how foolish her outburst had really been. She was an adult and respected professor. This type of irrational outburst was not like her, but clearly Sylvia Whitman had the ability to try her patience and make her lose control of her emotions.

She felt a little sheepish about venting her problems unto Aileen. She didn't even know why of all the people she had been compelled to come  here, but the fact that Aileen was gracious about the intrusion on her time made Myrni dismiss any of the negative spin that certain colleagues tended to  give to her. 

With a sigh, Myrni responded to some of what Aileen had said. "I suppose  it would help if I hadn't allowed her much leeway to take it over to begin with," Myrni murmured, fingering the edge of the letter from Slyvia thoughtfully. But also after hearing what Aileen had to say, Myrni was relieved  that she wasn't crazy about how her future mother-in-law was. Of course, she knew part of it was also because Sylvia just did not want Nate to marry her. But Myrni was determined even if the odds were not in her favor. No matter how much others may have questioned her relationship with Nate, she knew that nothing else mattered when they were together.

But she would be lying if it wasn't just a bit daunting to know that even a pairing like Oscar and Aileen--perhaps odd in so many ways--was wholeheartedly supported simply because it was pure.

Myrni nodded to Aileen's suggestion of heading to her office.  Responding to Sylvia could wait, especially if a conversation with Aileen could help  her to figure out the best way to handle it. Despite the frazzled nature of the conversation on Myrni's part, she did manage a nervous little laugh as her colleague mentioned the student newspaper. Even as Myrni thought that there had to be other professors in the school with more compelling storylines, she also did not wish to be the subject for wagging tongues. She had enough of that from the Daily Prophet when she couldn't control it.

Stepping inside Aileen's office, Myrni took a moment to glance around, attempting to gain a glimpse into the other woman's world. Myrni was, at her core, a people person. Which wasn't to say that she was overly social with others and  sought to be around everyone she met. But she was fascinated by interesting individuals and Aileen certainly was that. She might not say as much out loud, but Myrni was well aware of the fact that as much as they were different, they were also similar in certain ways. Perhaps the best ways, which could make the foundations of a decent friendship.

"A cup of tea would be lovely," Myrni responded quietly. She patiently listened to Aileen's tale of her wedding, and already she could see parallels with what had been happening with her own.  But one major difference was that Myrni was not eighteen. And she did care about a lot more than the dress. When push came  to shove, Myrni probably cared a heck of a lot more than she ever truly let on. And perhaps that was what scared her most  of all.

This fear may have been evident in her facial expression as she spoke next.  But she felt compelled to ask, "Do you think you loved Oz at all?" Almost as soon as the words left her lips, Myrni realized how invasive it was. "I'm sorry. That was very rude of me to ask," she said apologetically. "But....well....we both know what kind of man Oz was...and in many ways, still is." After a pause, she attempted again. "But do  you think it would've been different if you two had happened now?" In a way, that question seemed silly, because she had just implied that Oz had barely changed. But maybe circumstances would've made things different. And made him different.

As if allowing Aileen the opportunity not to answer her pesky questions, Myrni's eyes flew back to the letter that she still held in her hand. "Well, they seem to be coming more frequently of late. Perhaps it is because of my closeness now. I'm sure she's thinking it will force the whole 'will she or won't she' question." Slowly raising her eyes to meet Aileen's again, Myrni inquired, "What do you think? Should I take Nathaniel up on the idea of eloping?"

Aileen handed her a cup of tea, watching her closely. Myrni wasn’t the type to get frazzled over nothing, often taking staffroom blunders and classroom mishaps in stride. The wedding plans and the pressure Sylvia put on the woman must really be getting to her.

When they were both seated and Aileen had asked her how many letters she’d received, Myrni suddenly turned the tables and asked a few questions of her own. Very personal questions. Aileen was startled into silence for a moment. Did people, friends, really share like this? It just seemed so rash. She trusted very, very few with her true thoughts and feelings.
 
Thankfully, perhaps after seeing the look on her face, Myrni apologized.

“Don’t worry about it,” Aileen said quickly with a wave of her hand. She knew the answer to at least one of those questions. As for the rest, she suspected that she and Oz were just too different to be able to get along even now. They came from similar backgrounds, but they didn’t have much else in common. And perhaps if she hadn’t married Oz, she would have married someone else, and she wouldn’t be the person she was today and in the line of career she was today.

Thinking about it made her head hurt. Aileen gave her a strained smile when Myrni moved on to discuss her own wedding plans.

She frowned slightly at the idea of eloping. Myrni would never be accepted into the family that way. For a second, she thought about encouraging her to elope just to see the drama unfold. It would have been something she’d done when she was younger. However, as Aileen looked at her, she found that she really didn’t want to. Myrni, unlike Bombay or Grimlish, didn’t deserve the head games.

“Well, I can understand how that option would be appealing,” she said slowly, setting down her cup of tea.

“Frankly,” she looked her in the eyes and sighed. “Sylvia would never forgive you for eloping with her son and disregarding all the wedding plans. It would create scandal, and she’d blame you completely for it. She views her sons as angels, of course,” she quirked an amused eyebrow at this. Nate an angel? Maybe. Oz? Definitely not.

“In the long run it would only work against you,” she pointed out more softly. “If you think it’s difficult being accepted into the family now…” Aileen shook her head, implying that it would be nearly impossible if they eloped. “Believe me, she’d never let it go.”

Tapping her fingers on the armchair absentmindedly, Aileen tried to push away the memories of what had happened when Oz had told his mother Aileen had cheated on him. All hell had broken loose. Sylvia would see eloping as an almost equal act of betrayal. “What I would do, is go through with the wedding as planned. Set a date, prove that you’re committed,” Aileen suggested, studying Myrni’s face. Myrni hadn’t expressed any doubts about the marriage itself, just the wedding, but Aileen wondered if she was feeling indecisive about that as well.

A strange combination of jealousy and smugness crept up on her. Jealous that Myrni had found someone she loved, smug that the wedding plans were causing so much stress. It wasn’t a pleasant feeling.

“That doesn’t mean you have to give in to her every demand, though. Decide on a few things you really want for your wedding and stand by them.  Otherwise, she’ll believe she can run your life after the wedding, too.”

Aileen fell silent for a moment. “Sylvia is insufferable, I know, but you need her on your side. It’s hard to keep a relationship strong if no one outside of the relationship supports it.” Her mouth twisting wistfully, she lowered her eyes in an attempt to hide a sudden surge of emotions.

This time, she wasn’t thinking about Oz, but about the crazy whirlwind romance she’d had with Arvid, another Runes scholar. She’d dated him in her twenties, before the job at the Ministry and taking the position at Hogwarts. He’d been different from her usual type- adventurous, warm hearted. He had also come from a family of blood traitors and didn’t seem to care for the rich life or pureblood society. Aileen had ignored all this during her travels with him, thinking that since she loved him it would work out itself out, but as soon as she returned home she was faced with an ultimatum: him or family. Aileen had picked family, breaking his heart. Sometimes, like now, she still regretted it.

Myrni was finding that the more she spoke with Aileen, the more she was liking the other woman. She really had no idea why Graham insisted on holding onto grudges from the past. Clearly Aileen had changed. They all had, hadn't they? And Aileen was being especially nice about Myrni's current predicament. If she were truly the horrible person Graham thought she was, she could have easily brushed Myrni off without a second thought.

Aileen's opinion on a potential elopement was something Myrni regarded with seriousness. And it seemed to mirror Myrni's own. Everytime that Nate brought it up, he seemed to be jesting. But she also could not deny that part of him would jump at it if she had not laughed him off. No matter how much the two claimed to love each other, eloping would be the start of relationship suicide.

"You're right," she finally said in agreement. "Sylvia would not forgive me." Myrni refrained from mentioning Aileen's failed marriage to Oz again. Indirectly (and unintentionally) it did have an affect on Sylvia's current state of being. With no other in-laws or things like grandchildren to keep her busy, all her attentions were focused on one thing--Nate's marriage.

"And she wouldn't forgive me for having a simplistic wedding with a limited guestlist either," Myrni mused, crossing her arms in front of her and cupping her chin in the palm of her hand. For the time being, the Arithmancy professor had forgotten about her tea. "She may not like Nate's choice of me, but the rest of the world need not know of that."

Myrni heaved a cleansing sigh. Already the talk with her colleague had been cathartic beyond her expectations. "You're right," she repeated again, this time in reference to Aileen's suggestion that she take a more active role in the planning. "I suppose picking a date is not such a hard thing, right?" She paused and considered what she really wanted as far as that was concerned. She thought about her "dream" wedding and despite herself, she smiled. "I think I'd prefer a summer wedding. At a beach preferably, but she'd never go for that. Still, she'd probably adore the thought of a lavish outdoor ceremony. On the grounds of the Whitman Estate would be even better."

Myrni finally picked her tea cup back up and resumed drinking. After another thoughtful moment of sipping her tea, her blue eyes settled on Aileen's face. She almost couldn't believe she was about to engage in what might be deemed gossipy girl talk. With a half smile, she asked, "So now that Oz is long behind you, is there anyone else in the picture?"

Aileen was relieved when Myrni seemed to agree with her. It would have been frustrating to actually put forth effort towards being nice, and then have those efforts challenged or rebuked. When Myrni went so far to tell her she was right, Aileen expected to feel smug and superior. But she didn’t. A sort of calmness settled around her which was ten times more terrifying.

“See? Was that so hard?” she teased her about finally picking a date. “A summer wedding gives you plenty of time to plan. It’ll be lovely outdoors that time of year, too.” Aileen suddenly imagined Sylvia complaining about the heat as the Whitman house elves scurried around her with iced drinks and fans. She stifled a snicker.

Aileen raised her eyebrows and sipped her tea slowly when Myrni wondered if she was involved with anyone. “No, not recently,” she admitted, returning the half-smile. “I’m afraid I don’t set aside much time to meet men. I’m either here, at home, or traveling it seems.” The curse of the scholar/professor. That, and she was extremely picky.

There was no way she’d talk about Arvid without being slipped Veritaserum. The other dates she’d had every once in a while simply weren’t worth mentioning.

Of course, the lack of romance in her life didn’t stop Bombay from making lewd comments about her supposed promiscuity whenever she was in earshot, even suggesting there was something going on between herself and Isaac. Aileen wished Bombay would step into his own Devil’s Snare one of these days. A muggle studies professor? Really? Bombay knew that would never happen, which was probably why he suggested it in the first place.

“How did you meet Nate, by the way?” She imagined that they didn’t run in the same circles.

Aileen was curious to hear her answer, but this was also how she deflected attention away from herself, making others believe they knew her without revealing anything too important.

It could be called lonely or sad, but that’s how she was used to dealing with people. Most were too oblivious, too happy to talk about themselves, or too polite to question it. Myrni, she thought, likely fit into the third category.

No, that hadn't been hard, Myrni silently agreed even as she also nodded. Picking a date had been the easy part. And she probably knew that. So the question really was, why it had taken her so long to go ahead and do it? Perhaps it had been because she was so worried about pleasing everyone else that she had pushed aside everything else she had wanted. Truth be told, she had always dreamed of a summer wedding. But the rest of that image would likely never go over with her future mother-in-law. Her dream wedding included being barefoot on the beach with a sundress and flowers in her hair. It included her closest friends and family and not society's elite.

But that was all a losing battle and she knew it. So in many ways, she needed to pick her battles and figure out what she could really get away with and what she really needed to have as far as her wedding was concerned. And once she and Nate were married, they could focus on their life together.

The hopeless romantic in Myrni felt sad for Aileen that she had been unable to find the love that the Arithmancy professor felt everyone should have. As independant as she was, Myrni could not imagine being alone, in love or any other way. And even as she admitted to being cursed as a scholar and professor just like Aileen, she also knew from personal experience that at some point, a person had to make room for love in their life. After rebuffing Nate's advances in recent years, she had given in and allowed herself to just be in love. Which she admitted to loving. And not just loving the idea of being in love.

Aloud, Myrni mused, "Well, perhaps love will find you when you least expect it. Sometimes we find the one we're meant to be with when we're not even looking for them." She grew silent and thoughtful for a moment, wondering what kind of person Aileen would eventually allow herself to end up with. That train of thought was interrupted by Aileen asking about how she and Nate had met.

"Well, Nate adn I were both Gryffindor," Myrni quietly reminded her colleague. That might've been something that was purposely overlooked in their youth, as Oscar had been in Slytherin along with Aileen. The rest of the Whitmans had also been Ravenclaws, which essentially made Nate an outsider. "He was a year ahead of me and he played Quidditch with Hayden MacGregor." Myrni realized that Aileen probably didn't know or particularly care who Hayden was either  because he had been a Hufflepuff. But she forged on anyway with information that would piece together the beginnings of hers and Nate's romance. She flushed slightly and ducked her eyes shyly. "We dated during his final year before he left. We lost contact for a while when I went overseas, but eventually met back up again."

Myrni’s romantic statement surprised Aileen and made her a touch defensive, too. While she’d made choices that she regretted, all in all, she was happy with her life and preferred being alone to being in a relationship that didn’t fit. She also preferred being alone to being vulnerable and going through heartbreak again, though she wouldn’t admit that to herself. Aileen had decided a while ago that if something happened by chance, she might be open to the idea of love, but she certainly wasn’t going to take risks or seek it out. For someone who was used to adventure and uncertainty in her field of work and found that exciting, she approached romantic attachments and even friendships with extreme caution.

Myrni was different, Aileen thought. Like anyone, the woman had her faults, but she was a gregarious and generous person who had little reason to distrust others. Myrni wasn’t accustomed to using people and being used. So far, her open approach to life had worked fine for her, but Aileen didn’t dare adopt the same attitude, not with her family and those she did business with. Not with the artifacts she was hiding at home and in this very office.

Pushing away the annoyance and tinge of jealousy that kept sneaking up on her this afternoon, Aileen gave her a small smile. “Perhaps”, she humored her, though her eyebrows raised skeptically.

Aileen nodded when Mryni reminded her that she and Nate had both been Gryffindors. She didn’t remember Hayden by name, but would probably recognize him if she saw him. Again, Myrni seemed a bit bashful talking about Nate, as if she knew she didn’t belong or felt like she didn’t deserve to be married to him. Aileen bit back an exasperated sigh. Surely this was what Sylvia wanted, but Myrni needed to show more spine if she wanted to survive the wedding and the interactions with in-laws later on.

Aileen didn’t care, of course. If Myrni was so willing to offer up details about her life, Aileen would listen and store away the information for later. It didn’t matter that she actually enjoyed her company and hoped Myrni would take her advice. There was something in the tea today- that was all.

 “You were both Gryffindors, that’s right. Shame,” she teased, knowing she’d done her fair share of picking on the other houses in her youth. “I’m glad you two met up again.”

Aileen sipped at her tea and attempted to lighten the mood. “Maybe you can help me invent someone,” she offered jokingly. “Put an end to Bombay’s ridiculous assumptions and my sister’s well-intentioned but misguided efforts to set me up with every eligible bachelor over the age of twenty.”

For Merlin’s sake, people just couldn’t leave single women alone. Going through life without a partner was like walking out in public with dragonpox. Reactions ranged from horror to pity to ‘is it contagious?!’

Myrni sat plaintively across from her colleague, a bit of a lull happening in the conversation. She could only imagine what Aileen was thinking about her, about the wedding and about their shared connection in the Whitmans. Surely the whole topic of conversation had to be unsavory for the Runes professor. A failed love and marriage was never easy, but to be constantly reminded of it was perhaps a worser fate.

With a sigh, Myrni glanced down at her emptied tea cup and decided to occupy her nervousness by refilling hers and then also going ahead and refilling Aileen's as well. She didn't catch the other woman's skeptical look. She did look back up when Aileen made the Gryffindor comment. It was on Myrni's tongue to mention that Aileen's choice in Oscar--a Slytherin--had done very little to make her happy. But the affable arithmancy professor overlooed it when Aileen then said that she was glad Myrni and Nathaniel met up again. "Yeah, I'm glad too. Although I admit that I was a bit reluctant to resume the romance." Myrni absently stirred her tea as she thought back on some of the first meetings between herself and Nathaniel after being away from each other so long. Her reluctance had hardly been enough to deny her attraction to him and so in the end her attempts to rebuff his advances had been futile.

Myrni's thoughts quickly turned from her own romantic bliss to the idea of helping Aileen in that department--even if it was to be a charade. Completely overlooking the fact that Aileen's comments might have been made in jest, Myrni's expression brightened considerably and she exclaimed, "Oh I'd love to help!"

After that outburst, Myrni shrank back a bit before starting again with a bit more decorum. "I mean...well...if you are interested....in....well, dating. Hayden is available....and he's so good looking....the two of you would make a stunning pair." Her voice trailed off as she imagined Aileen and Hayden together. Myrni's expression suddenly fell as she realized a potential match between her longtime friend and her new one might not be as perfect as first thought. She hestitantly added, "The only problem is that he's halfblood. That would be a problem for you, wouldn't it? Even if his magical half is the Hanovers?"

Oh, no. Aileen knew that look. The look that afflicted her mother, sister, friends, acquaintances, and usual busybodies whenever the possibility of dating was mentioned. She’d been joking for Merlin’s sake…

Aileen set down her full cup of tea quickly, hoping to cut her off before she got too starry eyed, but Myrni was faster than her and told her she’d love to help.

Aileen bit back a groan. Perhaps the woman across from her saw it, because she seemed to second guess herself immediately, rambling on about her friend Hayden and how they’d look together. She wished she remembered the man. Then she’d know what she was in for.

Myrni’s next question was so blunt, so unexpected, that it was impossible to mask the complete surprise that flitted across Aileen’s face. Few people she knew would outright ask something like that. She always preferred to delicately avoid the subject, but there was no escaping it now without snapping at Myrni, which would show how uncomfortable she was. No, it was best to lie through her teeth.

“Of course not,” Aileen replied smoothly after a long moment, mind racing to decide how to elaborate on that statement.

“There’s a lot more to it than that,” she paused again. “He doesn’t necessarily have to be pure. Coming from a good family is important though. Attitude, reputation…” she trailed off, not wanting to sound like the complete snob that she was.

She was being partially truthful. He didn’t have to be pure, but it was preferred. If he wasn’t pure, than he better match the other things that she was looking for and that was expected of her for someone of her status: wealth, a solid and respectable career, intelligence, good looks, decent reputation, influential family, the whole package.

At 34 years old, with the little blot on her name after the scandal with Oz, and the fact that she’d picked a career that wasn’t exactly glamorous and didn’t overflow the bank with galleons, she probably could stand to be less picky. But it was easier to be picky than to consider putting herself in a situation where she could get her heart broken again. She might skirt society’s rules with some of her life choices, but her family’s expectations and her own fears kept her from going too far past the line.

However, a date with a half-blood would not kill her, or make her mother faint in horror. Half-blood was better than muggleborn, and better than a blood traitor, at least.

Aileen let out a resigned sigh. “Tell me more about what he’s like.” She wanted details before she agreed to anything.

“But don’t get too excited,” she raised her eyebrows warningly at Myrni, hoping to prevent the giggling and grinning and all of that nonsense. Facts first!

Myrni watched her colleague closely, on the lookout for any indication that what she was saying was making the other woman uncomfortable. Myrni always worried about what she said and if it might be rude or inconsiderate.

And it seemed as though something she said had touched a nerve, even if Aileen wouldn't tell her so directly. Aileen was quite nice like that, Myrni decided. The arithmancy professor sat back a bit in her chair and waited for the woman enlighten her to the way things were in her world.

Myrni's brows went up slightly as Aileen told her the requirement for a potential suitor. She didn't say anything, but the fact that Aileen was open to someone who wasn't entirely pure did send a jolt of happiness through her. There was hope!

After Aileen relented, Myrni flashed her a tempered smile before launching into a description of Hayden. "Well, like I said....his mother's side of the family is quite respectable--the Hanovers. And he owns his own business--a charms and spells shop." Myrni decided to leave out the fact that Hayden, by choice, wasn't exactly living a luxurious life style. And....maybe now would not be the best time to share with Aileen that he was a father of two. Perhaps it best left unsaid unless she asked, right?

Myrni sailed on next about Hayden's good looks. "He's tall and handsome...and most assuredly a gentleman. He was a Hufflepuff, afterall. I have pictures I can show you if you want," Myrni hedged. "But if you really aren't interested, it's okay. Just tell me to mind my own business, Aileen, and I will...."

Aileen listened carefully to Myrni's description, making her own judgments in her head. A charms and spells shop wasn't all that impressive, in her opinion, and most of the men she dated had high-ranking jobs in the Ministry. Still... he owned his own business, and if it did well, at least he understood how to manage and make money.

Luckily for Myrni, she didn't realize that Hayden had two children who attended Hogwarts. Aileen scarcely noticed those who didn't take Runes, especially students younger than the age of 13. If she had known about the kids, she might have reconsidered the whole offer. A father in his thirties wasn't such a surprise, but she was insecure about children (or the lack of them) in her life and she felt certain kids would hate her. Teaching and mothering required different skills, after all.

However, the mention of 'handsome' made her shallow side perk up. Myrni wouldn't lie to her about something important like that, would she? The Hufflepuff part, again, was less impressive, but everyone had their faults.

"Pictures would be good," Aileen smiled at Myrni slyly, biting back a light laugh. She raised her eyebrows at her, "I suppose an introduction couldn't hurt. I'm not guaranteeing anything, mind you." It was important to establish that before Myrni ordered a second set of wedding invitations!