Thursday, mid morning and Theta Pepper climbed the stairs to the astronomy tower humming to herself. She felt wonderfully optimistic, despite all her worries about exams, remembering things and the half finished letter to the Prophet under her pen name that she wanted to finish to get in for deadline.

The optimism was partly due to having figured out a particularly tricky charm to repair springs - which was rather handy when they kept getting stretched too far with mechanical experiments she and Philo put together. Only trouble was, she was unaware one of them adorned her hair just above her ear, having landed there during the last attempts.

It was more because Theta very rarely spoke properly about what she wanted to do when she left Hogwarts. Mostly she'd explain she'd do something about arithmancy or transfiguration or charms and that she wasn't bothered, that she'd write for the Daily Prophet about Quidditch, or joke she'd join magical maintenance at the Ministry of Magic. Her parents had tried to tie her down, but as long as she came out with wonderful exam results, they seemed to relent on the questions.

Knocking firmly on the door, still humming, she waited for Professor Trishna to reply before opening and stepping into the cluttered office. It was quirky enough to be fantastic, and she loved peeking inside to see what had changed. Secretly she wanted to type her letters out to the Daily Prophet on Professor Trishna's typewriter, just to see how they looked and how it felt.

"Good morning Professor!" Theta greeted cheerily, "I bet you're sick of these talks now. Good job its only for a week." She smiled broadly and dropped down on the chair, her hands on her knees as she shrugged and let her eyes roam around the room swiftly, clocking the typewriter with a widening smile, before looking to the Professor and letting it fade to a modest one, her cheeks blushing ever so slightly.

The rhythmic kling kling kling of the typewriter filled the office, a sound familiar enough he almost didn't hear it anymore.The office was still a mess, even more so with all the children tramping through. He had a student's files open now, calmly marking their progress in preparation for his meeting with the younger Ravenclaw; this one seemed stuck in Charms and DADA, and seemed to have gotten stuck upon the arrival of Ignan and Georg in turn. Scared, possibly.

Tapendra looked up as Theta entered and smiled broadly, trying his best to ignore the fact he was up somewhat early. A cup of coffee sat next to him at his desk, steaming. He put the papers aside, eyes drifting to the spring in Theta's hair. He wouldn't have put those down to fashion accessories. Maybe she was just into Steampunk...? Perhaps it was like a pen, and she needed it for something. That sounded more like Pepper.

"Good morning, Miss Pepper," he said, leaning forward, elbows on his desk and hands cupped. He'd shoved the papers aside, moving his typewriter aside a bit as well. The keys kept typing until he reached over and stopped it.

"Oh, not as sick as some of the others, I'm sure," he said cheerfully. "I have the advantage of not having a career many want. I get a lot more breaks than Storm or Morgan." He smirked slightly. He didn't envy any of the students rushing to see Ignan or Landis. "Honestly, a week seems a bit short, but I'm glad they've chosen to do them at all. Didn't have them in school; they might have helped..."

He ran a hand through his hair in a failed attempt to straighten it, and took a moment to straighten out his appearance. He'd dressed in a hurry and it showed; he took a moment to readjust his waist coat after he found a button in the wrong hole.

"Well, then - any idea what you want to be, Pepper?"

"Oh, not as sick as some of the others, I'm sure," Her head of house replied optimistically, "I have the advantage of not having a career many want. I get a lot more breaks than Storm or Morgan."
"Really?" Theta asked almost quizzically, being polite,
"Honestly, a week seems a bit short, but I'm glad they've chosen to do them at all. Didn't have them in school; they might have helped..."

She smiled as he ruffled his hair, and then gave a little frown.
"Funny, I didn't think many students wanted to be grumpy old men or librarians." Theta gave a shrug, meaning it in jest, "Sorry, I shouldn't make jokes about the Professors." Professor Trishna seemed to be adjusting his waistcoat, and Theta's eyes lingered before she blinked and averted them to the typewriter purposely.

"Well, then - any idea what you want to be, Pepper?"

"Yes, plenty of ideas!" Theta smiled broadly, crossing one leg over the other, "Well, one definite wish, and a few backups, because the definite is proving a little tricky to pursue." She gestured with her hands as if weighing up.

"I want to become my uncle's apprentice, Francis Pepper, works for the Ministry, making time turners." Theta elaborated, though sure that Professor Trishna knew exactly whom she meant. "You see, its always passed father to son, for the past few generations, but I think that's wrong." Theta frowned, "I have nothing against Ambrose and Tim, quite the opposite, if they want to pursue it too, then it can only be for the benefit of the country - national pride, the Peppers stepping up with a growing magical population. Its just, well, you've seen Ambrose, and I can tell Francis is worried he's not at all interested or of the temperament, and Tim,"

Theta took a breath, her sentences running on as she became excited,
"he wants to be a healer, he told me, and if Ambrose doesn't step up, the expectation falls to him with family tradition and that's not fair." Folding her arms, expression thoughtful, she looked up at Professor Trishna properly,

"I haven't had much luck in persuading him, but its tricky. I don't want to offend Francis, I just want to try and persuade him by proving my worth." She reached up and tucked her hair behind her ears, finding the spring in the process, and pulling it from her hair in horror.

"Oh Merlin, how long has that been there?" Waker would have laughed herself silly at that accidental hair ornament.

His appearance more or less settled, he clasped his hands together and listened as she started speaking, his head tilting slightly as he considered her words. From what he knew of Francis - which he was aware was mostly confined to the contents of their letters and articles, which he really ought to fix - it didn't seem likely to be as big of an issue was she thought. But Theta usually didn't worry about nothing, as far as he knew, and so dismissing her concerns out of hand was not wise.

Ambrose making time turners, honestly, seemed as likely as Oliver going into mathematics. Even if the poor boy tried, Tapendra quietly feared he'd rupture space-time and send them all to a very, very interesting death. Or just be miserable. Ambrose was a much more...what was a good word? Physical boy than most of the Peppers. He didn't seem the type to like being locked up in a laboratory day in and out.

He waited until she'd slowed down to speak, his sentence interrupted with a smile and soft chuckle as she found the spring. "It was in your hair when you arrived," he said, his smile giving away his amusement.

"As for making time turners..." He chewed his lip, leaning forward with his hands cupping his elbows. "Hm. Francis, honestly, is one of the most non-traditional people I know," he said, finally. "I can't really say I see him not being disappointed that neither of his sons are likely to follow him, but I'm sure he wouldn't reject you out of hand." He smirked. "You're bloody clever, Miss Pepper. If your uncle doesn't see that, he's a damn fool."

Sitting back, his fingers found his beard. "Being held to or denied something simply due to tradition is rather silly, though - sadly - it seems to be a cornerstone of wizarding society. Don't fix it if it's not broken, right?" A ghost of a sigh passed his lips before he pressed them together. "Why do you think, or worry, it'd be an issue? Has Francis expressed any resistance to the idea?"

Thankfully Professor Trishna didn't think she was silly for all this, and took great consideration over it. Theta smoothed out invisible wrinkles on her skirt as he did.

"As for making time turners... Hm. Francis, honestly, is one of the most non-traditional people I know, I can't really say I see him not being disappointed that neither of his sons are likely to follow him, but I'm sure he wouldn't reject you out of hand." Theta smiled, glad he was confident, "You're bloody clever, Miss Pepper. If your uncle doesn't see that, he's a damn fool."

Theta's cheeks went crimson and her head dropped, the compliment from Professor Trishna made her shy and she just about squeaked,
"Well, thank you!" while willing her colour to fade again.

"Being held to or denied something simply due to tradition is rather silly, though - sadly - it seems to be a cornerstone of wizarding society. Don't fix it if it's not broken, right? Why do you think, or worry, it'd be an issue? Has Francis expressed any resistance to the idea?"

Theta raised her head, the colour just lingering on her cheeks, and she tucked her hair out of the way, briefly checking for more springs by patting her head as she spoke.

"I haven't yet been able to frankly broach the subject, if I'm honest, I've tried - I've asked if he'd ever take on an apprentice that isn't his son, and he says its too soon, that Ambrose might turn out super, and he hopes Tim will see that he'd be perfect... and then..." Theta swallowed and looked away, not sure how much Professor Trishna knew of an ex-Ravenclaw student he'd never met, "there's Thomas."

Her eyes turned back to Professor Trishna.
"He's Ambrose and Tim's half brother, he's older than me, just, but they don't see each other since Claire went into St Mungo's. But I know he'd be great too - and he's as good as a son to Francis, and they could reconcile." She gave a little sigh. "Its too soon for him to take on an apprentice, which gives all three boys time to grow up. Of course he's not going to take me on."

Theta straightened up her shoulders,
"Of course, I could go into magical maintenance, they always need employees." She gave a shrug.

"I see." A valid worry indeed, then. He wasn't exactly surprised that Francis was holding out hope; it'd be a few years yet 'til his son's preferences firmly showed themselves, he was sure. He blew air out between his teeth as he thought. He'd do the same, most likely. Thankfully, he wasn't likely to have to apprentice his daughter. Georgiana wasn't going into science by any stretch of the imagination, of course.

"I could write to him, if you like," he said. "If anything, I've never been aware of the rule that he has to have only one apprentice ever, and he's not the only time-turner maker." He smiled. "Besides, he's got his work cut out for him replacing the Ministry's stock; an extra pair of hands would be useful sooner rather than in 5 or 7 years." Appealing to logic over emotion was not Tapendra's strong point, of course, but it might be worth a shot.

He hadn't really heard of Thomas. The details of Claire's incident had not been a subject commonly broached in his letters with Francis - mostly known via the common sympathy of being single fathers. He wasn't sure mentioning him would be beneficial, if he wrote. He had to admit to a peak of curiosity, though...

He quirked an eyebrow. "If I can be frank, I think you'd be rather wasted in Maintenance," he said, with a half smirk, half smile. "And the pay is, frankly, beans. Same as the janitors get! Ridiculous." Well, the starting pay was the same. MM had considerably more room for advancement.

"What were your other options?"

"I could write to him, if you like," Professor Trishna offered, "If anything, I've never been aware of the rule that he has to have only one apprentice ever, and he's not the only time-turner maker." Theta nodded,
"But the best in Britain if there is any other, the Ministry keep a close eye."
"Besides, he's got his work cut out for him replacing the Ministry's stock; an extra pair of hands would be useful sooner rather than in 5 or 7 years." She nodded in response again.

"If I can be frank, I think you'd be rather wasted in Maintenance, and the pay is, frankly, beans. Same as the janitors get! Ridiculous. What were your other options?"

"Well..." Theta thought about it, "I do write for the paper, and have a keen interest in Quidditch, so I could pitch to write for a periodical publication or if I really tried, the Daily Prophet might be interested. But that's more of a hobby. One of those rare things that I like doing as a hobby, but if I did it as a job I fear I might lose the enjoyment." She shrugged. "I can't be an auror or a cursebreaker because I dropped Defences after my OWL, not that I'd want to be - I'm not a risk-taker. My strengths are in charms, transfiguration, arithmancy and runes, which is a rather dull set considering the flamboyant career decisions of my counterparts." She gave a little smile and another shrug.

"I have options but in my heart I know I'll always wonder what if. I love to fix things, to look at mechanics and try to repair items. I suppose I could get a good deal repairing magical clocks and other devices..." She sighed. "I'm sorry Professor, I didn't mean to sound so vague, I just thought you would be the best person to discuss it with, given you know my uncle, even if you and I have only known each other since Christmas." Her eyes flitted back to his expression, and she hastily added, "And you have been, I'm just, well, struggling to work out some backup plans."

"I'll write to him, then," he said, sitting back in his chair, arms draped loosely over his abdomen. "If anything, the worse he can say is no, eh..?"

Her last sentence was confusing, and he just put it up to her own confusion and shrugged it off. "Well," he said, pursing his lips as he considered. "If anything, you could pick up a side job at the paper? A bit of money on the side never hurts, and if you find you enjoy it, then you've got an in." He shuffled his arms, restraining himself from putting his legs up on his desk.

"Have you considered magical invention?" He asked after a moment's thought. "We could always use more inventions. It doesn't necessarily pay well, but if you manage to convert muggle objects beyond the laws, you can make a tiny profit..." He nodded towards the record player, sitting in its case. "Though Maintenance would be a steadier job." He sighed.

"I'll write to him, then, if anything, the worse he can say is no, eh..?"

"Thank you, Professor."

"Well, if anything, you could pick up a side job at the paper? A bit of money on the side never hurts, and if you find you enjoy it, then you've got an in."

"True," Theta nodded, "Can't hurt but try. I went to the tent at the careers fair to ask about it." She gave a distant smile as she recalled the moments of being star-struck by the reporters. Whether she could keep up her pseudonym if she worked for the paper, she wasn't sure.

"Have you considered magical invention? We could always use more inventions. It doesn't necessarily pay well, but if you manage to convert muggle objects beyond the laws, you can make a tiny profit..." He alluded to the record player "Though Maintenance would be a steadier job."

"Charmable Muggle objects do tend to destroy some of my ideas, agreed," Theta explained, her eyes hovering on the record player a moment before turning back, "the rest are just silly and I ruled them out pretty quickly. But Gwydion Mayberry is a family friend, so I could always get inspired by helping him out a little while until I can set up myself." She smiled broadly, "I didn't really consider it as a serious career, or that anyone else noticed me doing it."

Theta blushed, a hand reaching her face this time to cup her reddening cheek. She felt ever so silly. Then curiosity got the better of her, knowing Professor Trishna's viewpoint towards Muggle integration was a little more liberal,
"I don't know if they'd let me write articles for the Prophet, they might sound like longer letters to the Editor by Nicola Bourbaki on Muggles and Magic." She chuckled. "Might be a bit much for conservative wizards."

Tapendra grunted, following her glance at the record player. A custom request, in that case, as were many of the records he now had. And one that he didn't really want knowledge of spreading too far.

"Well, contrary to what the career faire would have you think, you don't have to start out in your ideal career," he said, resting his chin on his hands. "So experience with magical invention might be beneficial, in the end. If it's something you'd want to do." He smiled slightly, a hint of nostalgia on his face and in his tone. "I worked in a bicycle shop for two years while I went to the University. No shame in a small job." It had helped he'd been renting the room above it.

His eyebrow quirked at the mention of the Daily Prophet, and he smiled. "Personally speaking, they could use a bit of a shock, though..." He paused, and considered his next words carefully. "Well, I'm a bit  biased, haha, but - they can send some rather disheartening letters." He'd gotten over those quickly by dubbing any over-rude letter as 'idiocy' and burning it. "And some threatening ones, too."