James was drowning in all this paperwork. Well, not exactly paperwork. More like homework. Why did he assign all of this to begin with? Next week, the kids were getting no homework. Officially. As much as he felt they all needed the discipline, he also felt he needed a break. This job was much more exhausting than they made it sound in the description.

Taking another sip of his coffee, he reached to dill his quill in some more red ink. And that's when he heard the knock on the door. Yes that's right! James Draper was for once very HAPPY to hear a knock on his door. Unless it was the hag returning from the forrest, then she could leave. But otherwise, any distraction from this unfortunate pit of never ending work, was welcome.

Taking his time to get out of his seat, the Professor made his way to his door and turned the nob. He was a bit surprised to see the visitor sat on one of the seats, though he supposed that's why he had them there to begin with. For comfort... Or something like that. "Miss Lynch," he nodded. Yes, he took his time to remember some names. She was a good student, therefore her name was one of them. It was simple. Strategic. "Come in," he held the door open for her. You're welcome.

Yes well, they could call it efficiency. James was good at that. Efficiency, like most other things really. And at this rate, he'd be willing to let even Backpack boy in. And thus we have a rare moment in which James Draper is welcoming.

Which brought him to point A, "Not at all," it was perfect timing, actually. Just about to start looking at another essay. And by the looks of it, this one was pound to get a T. Horrendous. Did the students not realize that they'd be lowered down a mark for every stain they left on their parchment? Here's some expert advice kids, don't do your assignments whilst midnight snacking. It never turned out well.

James waited for the girl to step inside before letting go of the door and walking to his seat. "Have a seat," he gestured to the chairs facing his desk, before leaning back in his own and listening to what she had to say. Career path, he nodded. The others who had come to him convinced that creatures were their calling... They were all fetuses. No well, they were all underclassmen. The first years. Too excitable, too naive, hadn't taken a single exam in their life. Didn't know what any of it meant. So of course he wouldn't turn them away completely, but they wouldn't be taken seriously just yet. Not until they proved themselves.

Miss Lynch on the other hand, was older, had more experience, approached this office visit the right way, and... James was also in a good mood, which helped.

"So you're considering a career in the field of creatures, then?" He raised a brow, assuming that this is why she had chosen to come to him in particular seeing as James wasn't the most friendly looking Professor of the bunch, it had to be something other than his warm, shining personality. That, and maybe the question would encourage her to elaborate

He nodded in response to her thanks and took a sip of his tea as he listened to her explanation.

Her elaboration was quite detailed and James really only partially payed attention to all the particulars. He of course nodded the entire time as if he were mentally taking note of each adjective, however, really he was only keeping track of the bigger picture words.

And despite her hopes, he could tell she was nervous, but he wouldn’t make mention of it. Already he had decided he liked this one. She was humble. They others? Not so much. He didn’t say anything immediately after she finished explaining, though he looked at her with consideration. He hadn’t ever officially advised a student on a matter such as this before… So he needed to choose his words wisely, make sure he did it justice.

”Well Miss Lynch, the healing field is certainly a very competitive one,” he nodded. ”Even in regard to creatures.” He didn’t mean to discourage and hopefully this didn’t do such a thing. ”But you’ve picked the perfect time to being delving deeper into your exploration with this path of study.” Most students waited until the very last minute to figure things out, but the fact that she was here early in her Fifth Year meant she was taking matters seriously. Very good.

”Though of course, most of your options would require further education after Hogwarts,” he paused waiting to hear what she thought of this. Was she aware that going to uni would be a required step and would she be willing? He raised a single brow, hoping that she would take initiative to voice her thoughts or any concerns that she may have. Hopefully none, but he could work with it.

James hadn’t brought up the competitive side in order to scare her off, so he was quite pleased when it didn’t. Besides, the green house was for the ambitious, yes? He listened as she explained further and nodded along when she mentioned University because that would most definitely be a requirement for someone planning to go into the field she had in mind. What she said last got a SMALL smile out of him.

”Good,” he nodded. ”That’s the proper attitude to have,” and though he didn’t like seeing cockiness within his students, this one didn’t seem to spill over in that bucket yet. He could tell by the way she was shifting in her seat. There was humility there. ”You’re in your… Fifth year, yeah?” Despite the fact that he pretended not to care, James actually did pay attention to who was in which of his classes. Couldn’t let them know, but he did care. Even if just a bit. ”It’s a pivotal year in regards to your future in this field.” She hopefully already knew that, but if not he wanted to stress the importance.

”You will need OWL scores of at least an E for Care of Magical Creatures, Charms, and Potions,” all courses which would help her in this process. ”And you will also want to choose at least two more elective classes to continue through NEWT level in addition to those three; I suggest Transfiguration as one.” Was she getting all that?

”It’d also be a good time to consider looking into other options to make your applications more competitive,” he nodded slowly. ”You’ve still got some time, but summers provide a great time to get some experience.” Maybe he could see about pulling some strings to get her an internship or something… If she wanted. However, he waited to see what she had to say about all of this, hoping that maybe she already had ideas of her own that would help her add an extra edge.

Yes, yes it was a hint of a smile. But she better not go around telling that to all her friends because then he could guarantee that it would be the only one she'd ever receive. In the short time that he had become a Professor here, he had already built a reputation for himself. One that he was planning on upholding. Unlike some pansy Professors like Poncho Paul, James demanded a sense of respect from his students. And he planned on keeping it that way.

"Then I hope it's safe to presume that you've already begun studying?" Of she was aware and all that. Though, James was one of those that studied at the very last minute so... Ahem. But even if she hadn't started yet, this would be a good wake up call. He wouldn't be disappointed either way. Just needed to stress the importance a bit. Plus, scaring them was always a good way of getting a point across.

Again, Hady didn't seem to be taken aback by the information he fed her. Instead of seeing her light dim, he only saw her brighten. It was also evident that her confidence rose as the conversation continued. He appreciated that. Adjusting his collar, James listened to her question, deciding it was one he liked and would therefore answer. "Other electives are entirely up to you," he considered it for a moment. "I believe there is a branch for healing if you were to consider continuing Runes, but it isn't as important as your healing charms and potions would be." Also fun. She should probably decide based on what she thought was fun. But this wasn't advice James was planning on voicing. Hopefully she knew to consider fun.

Her summer was empty? Perfect. That opened up the possibility for incredible opportunities. "Have you had the chance to look into any possible summer internships or job opportunities?" He also had a few he could present, but best see if she already had anything in mind. And as long as she continued to excel in his class the way she has been, then he wouldn't even mind passing on recommendations. "... Would this be something you're interested in?" The internships and jobs.

Needed to see if she even fancied the idea, y'know?

James appreciated how attentive Miss Lynch was, though he wouldn't comment on it. He was grateful. Didn't have to waste any of his patience on her. It was refreshing and she ought to teach some of her fellow students one or two things about respect. Maybe she could even teach some of the Professors about it too. Merlin knew a few of them really needed it.

He was glad to see that she had already started studying as it put her in a good position. "Then you're already a few steps ahead of other Fifth Years," it was meant to be a compliment... As close as James would probably get to one. It took more than just one office visit and a few right answers to merit that sort of praise.

And her answer to his question regarding internships or summer jobs hadn't caught him by surprise. It was still early and most places wouldn't take anyone under their Fifth Year. However, Fifth Years themselves were perfect candidates. "I still have a few contacts from University..." he nodded, writing a note for himself on a spare piece of parchment. "I'll see what I can do," he gave her another small hint of a grin.

Twice now.

"Anything else you want to discuss?" He had done a lot of the talking here, which was a rarity in itself. He considered her briefly, wondering if she had any pressing questions they hadn't touched on.

Yes she was. Most students didn't start studying until the night before. Didn't need any statistics to confirm it. Just a fact of life. James would know. He was a student once. Hardly managed any passing scores in his time. Which was to say, didn't mean the procrastination wouldn't come without a price. Those tests were brutal. So he was rather impressed that Miss Lynch had been off to an early start, though there was always potential that she had been lying. Only time would tell on that front.

Refraining from bouncing was a good idea. Lynch was smart. There was no doubt in that. "I can't make any promises," besides, he didn't do commitments anyways. "But I'm sure one of my contacts will have suggestions." Yeah, he knew people. No one who he'd be willing to reach out to from his Hogwarts' days, but there were plenty from Uni to reach out to.

"As long as you continue excelling in your coursework as you have been doing," he paused, "I see no reason as to why you wouldn't make a competitive candidate." The highest compliments coming from James Draper, okay?

He watched in amusement as he noted the change in her demeanor from the first few minutes when she had walked in. It was an interesting change. Her confidence had certainly skyrocketed and she was now emulating happiness. Qualities many others didn't leave his office with. Office visits were normally nasty little chores, James found.

This one, however, wasn't terribly unbearable. It was pleasant.

"I'll see you in class, Miss Lynch," he said with a nod before looking over at Merlin who looked entirely too smug. James gave him a single look to translate 'Oi, don't let it go to your head'. Stupid dog.