It was his first day at his new job. Mr. Smythe had gotten him a job with the Department of Mysteries so that he could get back to doing what he had always wanted to do- potions research. The man had ruined his career before (after he had gotten Mr. Smythe's daughter pregnant) but now that he was raising his son and Lauren was soon to be married to the appropriate young man, Mr. Smythe had done what he could to get Declan set up in a position to better take care of Ignatius- which had meant donating large sums of money to the department and schmoozing the department head[1]. Declan had left Hogwarts, his home in Ireland, and had moved to London with his toddler and taken up a new job. It was nerve wracking- but he was looking forward to the changes in his life.

Early in the morning he had stopped by the atrium to get himself a coffee, and had spotted a very familiar figure coming out of the ladies' bathroom.

Declan had known that Miss Blake wanted to be an auror, she had been worried about her NEWT grades and whether or not they would accept her to the force. He had thought perhaps she might end up joining the RCMC to work with werewolves, and was genuinely curious which route she had decided to take upon graduation and after receiving her grades. (She had done particularly well in his own class.)

He stepped out of line- letting others get in front of him, and approached his old student. "Miss Blake!" he called out brightly, an unusually kind smile on his face. "Good morning! It's a nice surprise to see you here. Decide to take a job at the ministry or just visiting?" he asked conversationally. She wasn't a student any longer, after all.

1.	discussed this with Tracey, who plays Dante, and she's okay with it

Fauna stood in the loo, anxiously finger-combing her hair and dusting off her outfit to get rid of any ash from the fireplace. Large, worried eyes looked back at her in the mirror, but that was to be expected. The rest of her appeared decent.

She'd arrived here early with a few of her new housemates, and had decided to take a loo break before braving Level Two. Now, she wasn't sure if that had been the right choice. The rest of the Auror trainees would already be there, or would arrive after she did, so she'd have to make an entrance alone. No telling what could happen in that time!

After letting out a sigh and frowning at a not-so-subtle elbow jab from someone who apparently wanted the sink, Fauna left and started walking quickly for the lift.

A familiar voice stopped her, and she turned suddenly, almost barreling into a passerby. Fauna dodged another elbow and paused in front of Professor O Morain, a relieved, hesitant smile flickering across her face.

"Hi! Hi, professor," she answered cheerfully in turn, though her voice was more nervous.

"It's my first day. Er, I got into the first part of Auror training," she grinned for a moment. "Nothing's set in stone until they do their tests and stuff, but well, it's a start."

She'd received her NEWT results on July 1st, and though they weren't ideal, Raynor had let her know she'd still be able to try the program. Fauna had actually been meaning to write thank-you letters to Tulo, Professor Vaillancourt, and Professor O Morain for their extra help, but with the anxiety and excitement of the past few days, it had slipped her mind.

"Are you visiting?" Her face flushed. What an obvious question! Of course he was. He just probably hadn't gotten his visitor's badge yet.

Declan smiled, glad that she had managed to get into the training- even if her grades had not been perfect. Fauna was one of the good kids- and he had a feeling that any department could benefit from her disposition. Odd to think about, considering not even a year ago he had lumped her in with the rest of the unintelligent Hufflepuff brood.

It was going to be odd, he supposed, not to be called professor any longer. Especially by his former students who would be entering the ministry as well- those he had taught, and those who only knew him as their Deputy Headmaster- strict and foreboding. "A good start," he added, hoping to encourage one of his favorite pupils. No doubt she was nervous- Declan was nervous himself, which meant that she had to be worse off than he was.

"I'm sure you'll do just fine, Miss Blake- you'll just have to remember to breathe." He'd been reminding himself the same thing. Declan was worried he might accidentally blow up the laboratory on Level Nine when he began hands on work, it had been a while since he had worked with volatile potions ingredients, but he kept reminding himself that things would be alright. "You're a determined young lady- that goes far in the ministry I hear tell."

Then she asked if he was just visiting. A perfectly appropriate question. He paused for a moment before answering- offering a slight shake of his head. "Not quite," he responded. "Truth be told it's my first day here, too. I'll not be going back to Hogwarts in the fall," he confessed. People were bound to find out sooner or later, it was just odd to Declan to be having a normal conversation with a former student- he was no longer the one in charge, and they were- by all standards and definitions- equals at the moment. "I'll be working with Level Nine- potions research," he added- his own voice slightly strained.

Declan could never be sure what his students had or had not known about his past. Most purebloods were aware of his follies- both before and after his disinheritance. His ousting from the world of potions a few years ago had not been a quiet one, and many of the purebloods gossiped about it- especially since it was one of their own who had decided to kick Declan out of the only profession he had ever truly considered. Though Fauna was note a pureblood, it would not surprise him if she had heard gossip somewhere along the line about his embarrassing downfall.

"So I suppose we're colleagues now- to an extent," he added somewhat awkwardly.

She smiled gratefully at his encouragement, feeling a bit better. Yes, breathing was important! If he was nervous too, he hid it well, and she only noticed something might be off when he paused after her question.

As he explained that he wouldn't be returning to Hogwarts, she blinked at him in confusion and surprise. 'Why' and 'what happened' were on the tip of her tongue, but she bit the questions back, puzzling over his strained tone. The former professor was a good teacher, seemed to get along fine with Snark, and had been promoted to Deputy Headmaster in a record amount of time. Fauna couldn't imagine that he'd leave voluntarily after all he'd accomplished at the school, but she couldn't imagine anyone firing him, either.

His situation did sound somewhat familiar. She'd heard a few rumors about his disinheritance and hasty departure from his potions job before Hogwarts, but she hadn't listened carefully, assuming kids were embellishing the story because of poor marks or performance in his class. Now, she wished she'd paid more attention.

"Oh," she said just as awkwardly, a line of concern appearing between her brows. His sudden change of careers couldn't be easy. It would take her a while to get used to them being colleagues, though she thought there was still a difference between a Ministry employee and a new trainee or intern.

"Um... congratulations on your new job?" Fauna paused. She looked at him questioningly, and glanced around the atrium, stepping off to the side so people could get around her better.

"You'll be missed at Hogwarts, but level nine will be lucky to have you," she smiled, sounding more certain.

The congratulations was a question more than a statement, Declan noticed. He sighed a little, slumping, short stature causing him to shrink even more. "It's a good thing," he assured her. "Potions was always my first love, and I'm glad to be working in it again. I'll miss Hogwarts, too, but this job is just more convenient given my current situation in life."

He knew that would cause her to be curious- and decided it would be easiest, and alleviate the awkwardness quicker if he simply explained. "I've gained custody of my son over the summer," Declan stated. "It's hard to teach at Hogwarts and be a deputy headmaster with a toddler to take care of. At least, I assume it would be."

"It's a long story," he said. "Suffice it to say that I often wonder how the pureblood society functions considering their train of logic half the time." He had no doubt that if his child's mother was a halfblood that this situation would never have presented itself. Then again, they likely would have ended up married and raising Iggy together if she hadn't been a pureblood. That was what Declan had wanted from the beginning, after all.

"So how did your NEWTs end up?" he asked. "I know you did well in my class- unsurprising. Most people did really well, which was a nice surprise. At least I didn't end up getting fired from Hogwarts for being an ineffective instructor. Must have turned out pretty well if you got into the auror training program."

Fauna had not expected Declan O Morain to elaborate without her asking. At Hogwarts, he'd always seemed to change the subject whenever anyone began asking too many questions about his personal life. It made sense; some professors preferred that distance.

She still felt like a bumbling student in many ways, but knowing she was starting a job at the Ministry made her stand up a little straighter. As O Morain... slouched. And let out a real, human sigh. What was in the coffee here?

Her eyebrows rose as the surprises kept coming. One, he had a son. Two, he'd recently gained custody of him. Three, pureblood society shenanigans were involved, which Fauna wasn't even going to pretend to understand. But from what she understood so far, he'd left his position at Hogwarts to take care of his kid. She opened her mouth to say something, probably some cheesy comment about how he'd done the right thing, when he asked her about her NEWTs.

"Um, I got O's in your class and Defense," she couldn't help the touch of pride in her voice. "I don't think I would have done half as well if you and Professor Storm hadn't been teaching. But... I like your methods better," she admitted with a grin. He'd probably heard about Storm's last patronus review. She'd take happy pills over that any day.

"I got mostly E's in everything else. And my friends got into the program too. We all just moved in together, into this really barmy wizarding house in London, with nosy portraits, and even a house elf!" She paused, remembering who she was talking to and that he likely didn't think a house elf was so amazing.

"How's your son settling in at home?" Fauna wondered hesitantly, unsure how much he wanted to talk about it.

Declan had been thrilled to see that Fauna had received an O for her Care of Magical Creatures NEWT. She had been a good student, and apart from a few clumsy moments was dedicated to the class and to her cause- which was important. She was smart, just often lacked the confidence to believe that was the truth. "Getting an O in Defense is no small feat," he told her. "You should be proud of that."

"It's going to be a lot of fun to live with your friends, but it's totally different from living at home. Just make sure that you pay bills or other money you owe first, before you start buying or spending money on superfluous things. That's where most people tend to make their mistake on their first time out on their own." Declan had definitely made the mistake of overspending after his aunt had died and he had been left a small inheritance. The money had run out which was why he had to go to Hogwarts.

She asked how his son was settling in, and he smiled. "Really well now. It was a rough first few weeks- which is definitely to be expected, but he's doing really well now. There's an old witch who lives near me in Wizard London who is going to watch him while I'm at work. She's a sweet lady, and he seems to really like her, which is good. He's opening up a little, starting to get less sulky and behave more like a toddler should." When Declan had started taking care of Iggy it seemed the boy was a little robot. He remembered being raised that way, and wanted something different for his own son. He wanted the boy to be able to grow up and have fun as a kid.

"How is it going living with friends?" he asked. "I've heard that usually drives people crazy and dooms the friendships. Hopefully that's not the case for you and yours."

"Thank you," she blushed a little when he complimented her on her Defense NEWT. Fauna had been ecstatic when she'd received her marks by owl, and her mum had taken her to the Union Inn to celebrate, where they'd stuffed themselves with food and gotten sloshed on hard cider. And that was before she and her friends had partied in London!

She nodded at his advice, expecting to make a few mistakes with money along the way, but not worrying too much. Fauna had always been careful about money. When she needed a new dress or clothes, she borrowed from her fashionable older sister's closet first. Fauna also felt sure Dion would help keep them the house on track.

"That's good to hear," Fauna smiled back, happy that he was talking to her, and surprised at how the conversation was flowing. It was odd to think that when O Morain had first started teaching at Hogwarts, she'd seen him as the stubborn, stuffy professor in league with Snark. Now they were talking casually about new careers, living arrangements, and his son.

"It seems like he just needed time to get used to the... newness of it all," she added optimistically.

"I love living with my friends," Fauna exclaimed with a chuckle. "I mean, it's not perfect. I've not gotten used to everyone's... um, habits yet, and I'm sure they haven't gotten used to mine. But it's sort of like... an upgrade from the Hogwarts dorms. Except I see the boys more often. And we have to pick up after ourselves more."

She shrugged, "I think the real test will be when I'm both living and working with them, you know? It was a mad scramble to get out the door this morning. But I think things will turn out ok. I mean, I'm with Brett, Grace, and the Fayette twins," she told him, certain he'd recognize the seventh-years who had taken his class.

"I can't imagine it's easy for a boy of his age to get moved around so suddenly- it's hard to explain things to a toddler, they just aren't old enough to understand." But he was optimistic that things would work out- and was glad to finally be able to bond with his son, and hopefully give him a life that was different from his own. Declan wanted his son to have the chance to actually be a kid- he'd never been given that option.

Declan stifled a chuckle when Fauna claimed not to have grown accustomed to the "habits" of her roommates yet. "That's certainly one way of putting it, I'm sure," he commented. "Especially with that combination of personalities. I'm sure things will work themselves out. You'll get sick of each other soon enough, but it will pan out." Not that he really knew- considering he had never lived with any of his own friends, but he'd heard stories, and liked giving out advice.

"The Fayette twins are certainly a hand full I'm sure. I'll be surprised if the two of them make it through auror training unscathed-Ican'timagine they'll be very skilled at staying out of trouble. But I'm sure the auror force will benefit from students with such drive and talent." He couldn't say he felt safer knowing that any of them were training, but having more aurors was never a bad thing and he knew that the training would definitely force them to grow up and become different, better people.

Declan looked at his watch, then offered Fauna another smile. "I should be getting to my department, so that I'll be ready to start work on time. Don't want to be late on the first day- and neither do you, Miss Blake. I'm sure there will be a lot of hazing to be had today, and by the time it's over you'll need a stiff shot of firewhiskey."

"You'll have to keep me updated on how things are going, I'm curious to hear how you're settling in and whether or not you and your friends are taking to the training well. At least you can rest well in knowing if the aurors doesn't work out that you can always get a great job with the RCMC as a back up."

The former professor seemed to know what he was talking about, and Fauna nodded, agreeing that her new living situation should work fine even if there were bumps along the way. She hesitated for a second, wanting to point out that the Fayette twins had good qualities too, when O Morain added that they had drive and talent. She smiled slightly in surprise. Once she met up with her friends this morning, she'd have to tell them that O Morain had paid them a compliment. They might not believe her, but it was worth a shot anyway!

"Oh," Fauna looked vaguely startled at the time. "Right. I should find the lifts." Which were located in the hallway of the Atrium. Fauna glanced over her shoulder just to make sure they hadn't disappeared on her.

"Thanks, Prof- Mr. O Morain," she corrected herself. "I hope things go well for you too! I mean, I'm sure they will."

Smiling, she turned and hurried for the lifts, wanting to make it to Level Two on time for her first day.

"I am sure things will be just fine for both of us. Good luck, Miss Blake!"

Declan watched as Fauna headed toward the lifts, glad to see that one of his students was doing so well. It was going to be hard to adjust to not being a professor and not being able to boss them around if he felt like they were misbehaving, but this life change was going to be a good one- it was something he could feel in his bones. Besides, Blake had a good head on her shoulders and so did most of the others he'd seen at the ministry- and growing up would only help them to get better at what they did.

He turned his attention back to his (now cold) coffee, and sighed a little. He ended up tossing the coffee before heading toward the lifts- he'd get a hot cup again later. He needed to get to level nine and go about learning how to actually do his job and what would be expected of him. Declan just hoped it wouldn't be hard to get back into the practice of precise brewing and remembering all of the little tricks he head learned before he'd lost his first potions job.

When he found his way to the lifts and the door closed on him it seemed to punctuate the end of one chapter of his life and the beginning of another.