Changes (Sam)

This entire day seemed like a day spent in an alternate universe. It had only been hours ago that Sam had proposed to her. Louise felt like she had been dreaming all of this. The only evidence that it had not been a dream was the ring that she had on her finger. Again and again Louise looked at it, touched it. It was real. Everything was real.

Her life was going to change now and she was ready for it. However, she was also rather anxious. What if this all didn't work out the way they were hoping? Maybe Enitan would be displeased with her becoming her step mother and maybe she wouldn't get the professor position either. Maybe this was all just a fleeting moment that would pass before they could properly enjoy. Maybe...

Louise wasn't going to accept this maybe though. She now wanted everything to work out just the way they had started. Sam had promised he'd come by tonight and Louise had bought a bottle of champagne which was by now nicely cool. As she picked up two glasses to put them on the table she smiled because of the soft clangour of her ring on the glass.

She knew that they shouldn't actually drink more than a sip before finishing her professor application but they did have a reason to celebrate and today was one of the rare moments that they could share without anyone interrupting.

Having showered and changed into an emerald green summer dress, Louise looked into the mirror, amused by her own expression. It had been a while since she had seen her reflection smile so happily back at her. She held up her hand to look at her reflection with the ring and was pleased how well its colour looked with her eyes and the dress she had chosen for the evening.

She sensed Sam's presence even before she heard him knock. She went to open the door and as he stepped in, she flung her arms around him to give him a kiss. “I'm so glad you could make it tonight,” she whispered as she took his hand and led him into the living room.

@Samuel Dickinson

He'd actually done it! Sam hadn't stopped smiling all afternoon, even after saying goodbye to Louise and promising that he would be over to see her that evening. It had been a slightly rash promise to make, given that this was meant to be a family trip to the highland games, albeit a working weekend as well, but this was an exception. Besides, under the circumstances, he was sure his parents and sister would understand. Enitan was potentially a different matter. When his mother and the children had returned from their hike he had intended to talk with Enitan, but all three kids had immediately collapsed in an exhausted heap. As Sam had expected, the children had galumphed up the mountain like excited labrador puppies while his mother had quietly charmed herself to levitate once she got tired and thus returned perfectly relaxed. It gave him a chance to talk with his parents first, and naturally they were delighted that they would be welcoming Louise to the family.

Sam had expected telling his daughter to be more problematic. Instead, he began by saying how important Louise was to him, how important they both were, and how much he loved Enitan, and wanted everyone to be happy... Enitan tipped her head to one side and asked if he'd finally given Louise the pretty ring she'd found while they were moving, and Sam had laughed with relief, and the little girl had joined in, and while she thought it would be a much better idea if she came along to see Louise this evening, the promise of being allowed to choose where they ate dinner that evening had appeased her and she'd agreed to spend the evening with her grandparents and cousins.

Having left them to find a suitably child-friendly dinner venue Sam headed towards the portkey station, looking around for something he could take for Louise. Nowhere seemed to be selling champagne and without any muggle money to his name he wouldn't be able to buy any once he reached his destination. Instead he settled for a bunch of purple and white heather tied with tartan ribbon, and now as he approached the portkey, he was so happily distracted he stepped in a rabbit hole and almost turned his ankle. A rotund elderly witch patted his arm and asked if he was alright, but Sam was still smiling. "I'm fine. You'd think the bunnies would be more careful where they put their holes...or maybe it was a hare. Though it's a bit late for March hares, don't you think?" he asked as the old woman chortled merrily.

Moments later, he was back in London in a street that was comfortably familiar, and only a couple of minutes later than he had intended he was knocking on Louise's door. It opened almost immediately and it seemed to him that she practically pulled him inside. I've missed you too" he whispered when they finished the kiss. Once she'd led him into the living room he belatedly remembered the flowers which he now held out to her. "I wanted to bring champagne, but I wasn't sure how good the malt-whisky flavoured variety would taste" he teased.

[OOC: told you I'd fit my 4 into a single post ]

"Oh thank you," Louise said a warm smile spreading across her face. "These are so pretty." She chuckled softly as he spoke of the champagne. "It's no problem that you didn't bring champagne, rather contrary-wise, as I already bought a bottle of champagne myself. When I entered the store with a wide smile, heading straight for the champange they must have thought I was mad as a hatter. I didn't even look for anything else despite the fact that I had a list with things I need in my handbag." She laughed and shook her hair. "It doesn't matter though. I got the most important thing anyway. I can get it already now, if you like. Or we wait until we've got some writing done." She shrugged. It didn't really matter. She was happy to have a sip right away but waiting was just as good.

"By the way," she then said, a teasing smile on her face, "don't you think that this dress works perfectly with the ring? I think my nightgown, the one with the dodo on it, - you remember it, don't you? - looks equally nice with it though. Quite clearly you've made a good choice with the ring." She liked how easy it was to talk to Sam. It felt great to be joking with him like that. In his presence she could always relax and the world simply seemed to be a better place when he was around.

She went into the kitchen to get a vase, filled it with water and put the flowers in. She opened the fridge and took out the bottle of champagne and went with both into the living room where she placed the vase as well as the bottle onto the table with the champagne glasses.

"Here's some parchment and quills," she said, pointing at what she had laid out earlier. "So, how do you think we best advertise my strengths? I suppose depending on whether they want me or not I might need to dust off my good old portmanteau and get packing." Louise smiled at Sam. If they managed to get a decent application written and the headmistress and the board of governors approved it she might soon be back at Hogwarts. It would be entirely to her student days, of course. She'd be a professor now and her fiancé was there with her. She remembered how she had seen her professors back in her days as a student - she had rarely seen them as more than simply a teacher. Thinking about it now, she wondered if they had had family outside of the castle. How had they dealt with the challenges of being constantly at school and deprived of a 'normal' private life?

[OOC: see I can do that too XD]

"You did? Oh Merlin, can you imagine if we drank two bottles tonight and then tried to write a coherent job application?" Sam was laughing, he couldn't remember the last time he'd felt this hpapy and relaxed and just had a sense that things were going to go right. Sure, it wasn't going to be easy, especially given that they were going to have a ready-made family...no, they were going to BE a ready-made family, but somehow they would make it okay. "Part of me wants a glass right now but maybe we should wait until we've at least got a few things written down." There. Just because he felt absolutely crazy didn't mean he wasn't still able to be sensible.

Or rather, he was trying to be sensible. Naturally he'd noticed Louise's outfit as soon as she'd answered the door. "You look beautiful..." he started to say, reaching for her hand, but then she continued and he felt his cheeks reddening, the blood flowing to his... Sam was relieved that she took that moment to take the flowers into the kitchen. He was having thoughts that were definitely not going to be conducive to...well, anything other than admiring Louise in her nightgown and then, well, he wasn't going to be able to stay the night, so shouldn't be thinking this at all. Fine. Sure. He could tell his head that, but...

Right.

Deep breath.

He decided to sit down at the table before Louise returned, lest they become even more distracted and accidentally ended up in the bedroom. When she pointed out the quills and parchment he stared at the, genuinely not having realised they were there despite the fact they were only a couple of feet away from him. He nodded and picked up a quill, though his mind was still distracted with thoughts that definitely shouldn't be written on a job application. "Alright. We want to make you sound like the perfect candidate for the job, so we relate your experience to teaching. For example, running the gallery shows organisational skills and the ability to speak on front of a class, and...what was that book you assisted with the writing of? That should probably be one of the first things you mention" he added as he tried very hard (and, it has to be said, entirely unsuccessfully) not to focus on the cut of his fiancee's dress.

"Well, maybe it would be impressive," Louise said, laughing. "We could try to write two versions of the applications - one while we're still sober and then one after having emptied the bottle," she suggested half seriously.

"I agree," Louise said, sighing, "we should first do the work and only indulge in the champagne afterwards. Even though I think we already have enough of a reason for a toast." She held out her hand in front of herself and admired the ring on her finger for what felt like the hundredth time. However, the application was the reason why Sam had come to see her tonight, Louise reminded herself. They needed to get this done for her to actually have a chance to get the job at Hogwarts and thus have a chance to be close to her fiance.

"Why thank you!" Louise said smiling as Sam complimented her on her looks. It was hard to focus on the task they had when, actually, Louise wanted nothing but just have a glass or two of champagne and enjoy the evening with Sam. She chewed on her lower lip, trying to focus and not to kiss him again. She could see in his eyes that he, too, was struggling. It was as though they had been starving for quite a while and now had a delicious meal on the table but weren't allowed to touch it.

"Right," she said, feeling somewhat breathless. "Let's get this done quickly then. You are right, the book, well the two of them, are probably what shows my qualification for the subject most. I'm not sure if running the gallery makes me look like an ideal teacher. However, it clearly is part of my life and I'll mention it for sure. Then, maybe, it'll be good to mention I've travelled quite a bit? I mean, I've looked at different countries, different histories, muggle and magical..." her voice trailed off. It was such a challenge to focus now. "I'll include my N.E.W.T.s as well," Louise said, scribbling down notes on what they had so far.

"Can you think of anything else? Maybe I should write why I want to apply and why I think I'm a good fit." She smiled and shrugged. "I guess I should not write that I want the job to be close to you although that is definitely a huge incentive."

"Perfect!" he agreed "Though of course you'll need to be sure you send the correct one...it would be embarrassing if they were to give you the job after reading the drunk application..." It would also be hilarious, not to mention a sure sign that Hogwarts would need to employ some new governors. Although it wasn't so many years ago, Sam could barely remember what he had written in his own application. Secretly he still suspected that it was only the unpopularity of his subject that had gained him the position in the first place. Certainly some of his early lessons were hardly what he would consider to be adequate now.

With a supreme effort, he forced himself to concentrate on the task in hand. As Louise rightly said, if they wrote the application quickly they could then spend time on other things. Again, his mind wandered to what those other things might be, but thankfully Louise spoke which was enough to bring his thoughts back to the present. "Yes, both books, I was forgetting..." actually, Sam was quite impressed with himself that he'd even remembered the word for book and that she'd co-authored one, let alone that there were two of them...

"Okay, if I remember correctly from meetings with the governors a few years back, it's always good to begin with a brief introduction and why you're applying for the position" he said "They aren't terribly clever after all, so it's always best to spell things out clearly for them." He winked, though it was quite true that there were a couple of members of the school board who had clearly bought their positions rather than gained them through any altruistic reasons. "So the introduction...probably the books next and qualifications...that ring really suits you..." he sighed, and then recollected his thoughts "...travelling and how it relates to the position you want, and then the gallery. Oh, and mention that you will still own the gallery but are employing someone to run it, so they don't imagine you're looking for a position because it failed" He wasn't sure if they would think such a thing, but it seemed to be sensible to cover all eventualities.

Sam couldn't resist. He reached for her hand - the one that wasn't going to be needed to hold a quill - and raised it to his lips. "You probably shouldn't mention it...but Minerva's going to figure that out approximately one second after she reads your application" he said, grinning. "Don't worry though. If I haven't been distracted from my job by a ten year old living in my office for the past six months then I think she'll know we're also not going to be distracted by living under the same roof."

"Yes, I guess that would be advisable. I take it as a compliment though that you say that it would be embarrassing if I got the job sending in the drunk application. I'd rather guess that I wouldn't get employed at all." She laughed. "Imagine I put some details about the adult toys in! I don't believe they'd deem me a good fit for a professor position then." Now that she had voiced it, Louise wondered if the toys were known to anyone on the board of governors and if that would lessen her chances. Since she didn't want to spoil her mood with negative thoughts like that, she soon tried to focus on other things.

Knowing Sam very well, Louise didn't hold it against him that he had forgotten about the second book. It was not like their relationship was based on simple facts anyway. "Yeah," she just said, nodding. "Do you think I should attach copies of these books for reference?" She wasn't sure how well known these books were. For Louise it had been interesting and challenging to write them. She did not even look much at the sales. The process of working on them had been what she deemed worthwhile. Of course, it had also been exciting to hold a first copy of the books with her name on them in her hands but that feeling had quickly worn off.

She nodded as Sam offered his thoughts and scribbled down more notes. Since she knew little about the board members she didn't know if they were clever or not and it did not matter. It was always good to show one's motivation when applying for a job. Qualifications were one thing but to do a good job much more was needed, after all. 

"Good point," she said as he mentioned the gallery and that she should write that she'd still own it. "I'll include that as well." She scribbled down some more notes and only looked up as Sam stated that the headmistress would know about them one second after reading the application. 

Louise took a deep breath. "You think so? Merlin, this is going to be complicated! I mean, I'm all for being honest but they'll all talk about us, won't they? Are you prepared for that?"

Sam couldn't help grinning. but his face flushed and he stared down at the table. "The toys..." he shook his head, trying to concentrate on the application they were trying to write "you're not helping me to concentrate when you say things like that, you know" he said, still holding her hand "I might end up suggesting all kinds of other skills you can add to your CV which would also fascinate the governers while at the same time not encourage them to employ you..." He was both relieved and disappointed when the topic of conversation moved onto the books Louise had worked on.

He considered both options for a moment. "I'm not sure if you should" he said eventually. "While it's helpful to send them in one respect, in the other, you'd effectively be saying 'I don't believe my work is well-known enough for you to have heard of it.' A lot of textbooks and scholarly works only have a very limited readership, so it wouldn't be a problem if they'd never heard of it..." here though he paused as another thought occurred to him "though on second thoughts, you could offer a copy of each for the school library, if you liked?" That actually might look better - even if the governors didn't invite Louise for interview (though he was sure they would) they would remember her name that way. Sam sometimes wondered if he should compile all of his divination knowledge and experience into a book. The textbooks he taught from were excellent, but very biased towards European and American divination methods. It was a new thought. Perhaps he would at least collect his notes together and see if there was enough fresh detail to make into a book.

Sam had to look down at the table again for a moment now, but this time it was because his smile threatened to turn into a laugh. He had a brief moment of concern that Louise didn't really know what she was letting herself in for. Having worked at Hogwarts for some time Sam was prepared for anything - literally, absolutely anything - and the gossip of students and even on occasion other professors was something he lost no sleep whatsoever over. "Of course the kids are going to talk. But they'll do that whether or not we're a couple, and they'd still find things to talk about even if you'd never even said so much as good morning to any other member of staff before starting there. The trick is how you deal with it" Sam knew he hadn't done that so well to begin with. He'd been so focused on getting the kids to like him that he'd forgotten to make then do as they were told. His first term had been difficult, and that was without the time Peeves had got into the classroom and taken over a lesson. Thankfully most of the students who had witnessed it had graduated by now.

"There are two kinds of students" he continued "The first kind are the ones who ask questions. They'll want to know what you did before you came to Hogwarts, if you've got children, if you're married... either you can tell the truth or say 'I'm your teacher, not your friend' and go back to the subject you're telling them about. The second kind of students are the ones who don't realise professors are actually people. They're the ones who look horrified if they see you outside of school because they genuinely believe that professors get locked in cupboards and hibernate for the holidays..." Sam grinned, thinking of the third year who had followed her father into Dickinson's Antiques and been appalled to discover Sam happened to be filling in for his sister that afternoon.

"Oh?" Louise asked, truly interested but also amused. "Which other skills were you thinking of now?" she teased him. "I suppose we should stick to those skills that will encourage the governors to employ me though." She sighed dramatically, jotting down a few of the points they had discussed already but that she hadn't written onto the parchment yet.

"No, you're right," Louise agreed. "I will not send them a copy. It might give the wrong impression. Besides, who knows if the governors like the books anyway. Might be better if they don't know them than if they skim through them and find that they don't like them." It was not that Louise really doubted the quality of her work but she knew from her own experience that some books that were fine content wise did not appeal to her regarding the writing style. "I can always offer a copy of the books for the library later on," she added.

"I suppose that's true," Louise said, nodding. "I mean, it's okay that they talk, that they think about their professors. It's just..." she shrugged, "I don't know. It's all so new to me." She laughed. "I never thought I'd ever apply to be a professor. It was really never on my mind and now we're sitting here, writing an application." 

She nodded thoughtfully as Sam said that the trick was how to deal with the gossip. That was true and did not only apply to school. "I guess you're right. I'm honestly not worried about a little gossip anyway. I mean, it can be entertaining to find out what they come up with."

Louise listened with interest as Sam told her about the different kinds of students. Having been a student at Hogwarts herself, she knew a bit about how these kids could be but her school days lay quite far behind now and teenagers were definitely different now than they had been then. "Well, I am happy to deal with either group to be honest," Louise said, smiling. "I think it might be interesting to teach the second kind that professors are human beings though."

She looked at the notes she had written down so far and then faced Sam again. "So, what do you think? Is that enough? Do I just have to flesh it out?"

Merlin, was she deliberately making it harder for him to concentrate? Sam was thoroughly enjoying himself, but trying hard to keep his mind of what was after all a serious job application. As much as he wanted to get distracted and and up doing things that...well, really weren't going to be of benefit if they were written on an application, he ws trying hard to remember that if Louise got employed at Hogwarts, it would make his own life a lot easier. Not that he had let that influence him when they'd discussed the idea earlier. On the contrary, he'd made certain not to mention it aside from the fact that he would enjoy working alongside her, but now that they were writing the application he allowed himself to imagine their future together.

Which, right now, his mind apparently didn't want to think more than a couple of hours ahead. "Let's talk about that later...once we've finished here" he suggested in a low voice that left absolutely no doubt as to what skills he had in mind. While he'd told his parents where he was going and to what purpose, they didn't know how long this was going to take and thus would be perfectly happy to watch his daughter right up until the time they went to bed and maybe even a little past that. Given that they knew about the proposal, they would probably assume but...they wouldn't mind.

He nodded in agreement about her books. Mentioning them as if everyone knew and had read them was the best idea, in his opinion. "I know. This whole day feels...amazing" he said. The words felt inadequate, but summed up how he was feeling. Once again he reached for her hand - the one she wasn't holding the quill in, naturally - and held it. Looking across the table, Sam couldn't quite believe that he wasn't going to wake up and discover this whole day had been a long and glorious dream. "And I never predicted any of it..." he murmured to himself, smiling.

"Yeah, there was a rumour going around the first years a couple of years back that the astronomy professor had actually been to Mars" he said, remembering "If that had been me, I'd have agreed and said I was planning to go to Saturn next time. Really give the kids something to think about!" He was getting off the subject a little, but it had been a topic of amusement in the staff room for several days until one of the prefects had explained to the younger students that trans-planetary flight hadn't been achieved quite yet.

"I think you've got plenty there. Certainly more than I had when I applied to work at Hogwarts" he said honestly. Even after all these years, Sam had always wondered, but had never quite been able to bring himself to ask if there had been any other applicants for his job.

Louise grinned as Sam said that they should talk about her other qualities later. “Talk or… do you want me to show you my other talents?” she teased. They really needed to get this application done as it was getting increasingly hard to focus. She really longed to feel Sam's presence more than just because they were holding hands.

Sam said that the whole day felt amazing and all that Louise could do was nod. She sighed deeply, smiling at her fiancé. “It really is...” she finally whispered. “It's incredible how much my life changed in the past few hours. Well, that is, if we get this application done!” She laughed now and shook her head.

“You never did?” she asked belatedly, responding to his comment that he never predicted any of this. “Did you never see us being engaged? Never saw me joining the Hogwarts staff?” She looked at him intensely, narrowing her eyes. “I wonder what that means,” she teased, squeezing his hand.

“That's great! I hope they'll come up with funny rumours about me!” Louise exclaimed. Sam's story about the rumour of the astronomy professor having been to Mars was just hilarious and she'd totally enjoy messing with the kids a little herself. “Oh absolutely, Saturn would totally make a good destination for a summer holiday, I think,” she added, throwing back her head as she laughed.

Somehow today everything was funnier, more intense, better than usual. She couldn't remember when she had last been so jolly and optimistic.

“I guess you're right,” she nodded, at once sounding serious again. She picked up a new piece of parchment and began to write down a proper application letter, putting in an effort to make her handwriting look elegant and regular.

“How does that look?” she asked after she signed her name below the text. “Anything else I need or do I just send this off already?”

"You're not making it easy for me to concentrate..." he murmured, keeping his eyes fixed on the papers strewn across the table because if he looked in Louise's eyes there was a very real possibility the application was not going to get finished at all. Well, not tonight, anyway. "Talking's always a good beginning" he added, risking a glance at her face and feeling his heart beat faster. 

The world had changed today, spun on its axis and landed in a completely new place, or so it felt. And he really hadn't seen it coming. Actually, that wasn't entirely true.  "It means that I don't ever try to predict anything that directly relates to my own future" he said "I learned a long time ago that wasn't a healthy way to live." Sam had no intention of mentioning or even thinking for too long about it now, but as a teenager he'd Seen a good friend's brother die in a flying accident. At the time he'd assumed it was nothing more than a bad dream, but then it had really happened. It had been some time before he'd realised that doing nothing had actually been the best course of action. The future was fluid until it happened and while he'd Seen one possible outcome that had turned out to be true, one could drive oneself mad trying to prevent tragedies from happening.

"When I See things...it's usually a snatch of something random, that I might not understand until years later or not at all" he said. Sam had talked about this before, but it felt important that he should explain again "Once, I Saw something in front of Minerva, and we were actually able to trace the people involved and...well, lets just say she took my subject a bit more seriously after that" he joked. It had been no laughing matter. Louise didn't need to know about the wandmaker he'd Seen tortured or their efforts to find out if she was really in danger. "As for predicting stuff...I rarely do any readings for myself, unless they're very specific indeed. If the cards told me that you and I weren't destined to be together...well, I wouldn't have wanted to know that." Still holding her hand, he shivered a little.

"I'm sure they will" he agreed, but then made an effort to be quiet as she wrote out the letter in full on a fresh sheet of parchment, withdrawing his hand and trying not to read upside-down what she was writing. From the knowing glances they gave one another Sam knew they were thinking the same thing and wanted Louise to just finish the letter already...no! Take her time, make sure it was well-written and she would get the position...he could wait. Well, nearly. As she signed her name and handed the letter across he surreptitiously kicked his shoes off under the table, though he did make certain to read it through thoroughly.

"Perfect" he agreed, handing it back "You can send that off right away...or first thing in the morning maybe, because I think we need to celebrate with this champagne now. He stood, picking up the bottle and making as if to open it, and then paused. "In fact...I think it might taste even better if we opened it in the bedroom..?"

[out]

"A good beginning," Louise echoed, looking down at her piece of parchment, smiling. She did not risk looking at Sam now, feeling that they wouldn't be able to focus for much longer. She was, however, quite looking forward to finishing the task now so they could start with the talking and go on doing something else.

"That's probably a good thing," she offered in response to Sam saying that he did not try to predict anything that related to his own future. "I can see why that isn't a healthy way to live like that." She could imagine how it would be to read dreadful things for the future. It would definitely do the person no good to know things in advance. However, she really didn't want to spoil her mood, thinking about this now. It clearly did not fit to the day that so far had been so wonderful.

"Yes," Louise nodded as Sam explained how his visions worked. He had told her this before and it still impressed her that things like that were possible at all. She sometimes wasn't sure if she should see it as a gift Sam had or if it was rather a curse. It surely was helpful when people could be traced and bad things prevented but how often did that actually work out?

"Well, clearly, if the cards told you that, they'd have been mistaken," Louise said. She was not overly sceptical when it came to divination but she liked to rely on what she thought and felt herself rather than on what the cards might tell her.

When she gave her application to Sam to read it, Louise chewed on her lip, forcing herself to remain quiet until he'd finish reading. "Well, I'll just send it off right away," Louise said, laughing softly. "That doesn't take longer than maybe a minute anyway. You could, of course, already pour us a drink and get comfortable wherever you like," she winked at him, leaving the room with the application in her hand.

[out]