Normally Hady liked to chat with her students outside while sitting in the rocking chairs and enjoying the fresh air but colder weather wasn't allowing for that now. So the woman was inside of her cabin/office sat in large comfy chair behind her desk. Keeping her company this morning was her children's crup Beans and her own companion Amie her python. There was likely a reason for her having both of them with her today but she would see if that mattered or not. She knew that Vera Thanatos liked snakes. And perhaps Paige Hall would as well or she would like the crup.

A quick glance at the time showed that it was nearly time for the young ladies that she was going to be meeting with this morning to arrive. She hoped they didn't mind having their mock interview together and in her office.

She felt pretty lucky that her meeting happened to have been paired up with Professor Paton, given her comfort with the woman and her Head of House. But it also gave a little bit of a weird set of nerves for her, because while she was still only a fourth year... she was a fourth year that didn't really apply herself and had ZERO idea of what she wanted to do. And disappointing Professor Paton with her lack of plans or looking towards the future was not something she really looked forward to.

But maybe at the same time, the woman would just have some good ideas on what she COULD focus on. She didn't really know what careers and options were out there other than like... Ministry or owning one's own business. Or teaching, but she was like 98% sure that was not something she'd want to do. So yeah... maybe Hady would have ideas. Or maybe even Paige had things figured out! Either way, the help would be appreciated.

Skipping down to the cabin, she gave a knock on the door and bounced on her feet while she waited. She wondered if Paige was already here too or if the other girl would also be soon arriving.

Now one might have thought that there would be some sort of stir of commotion from the other side of the door given there was a crup inside the office with Hady. Only this was no ordinary crup. This was Beans. A pretty lazy crup who didn't always move if he didn't have to unless one of his human companion children were around to make him do so. Therefore no barks were heard, in fact the crup barely lifted his head to show any signs that he even heard the knock on the door. What a great guard crup he was.

So it was up to Hady to give entrance to those that knocked upon her door, as it should honestly. A small wave of her wand aimed at the door and a wordless charm cast the door opened for Vera. "Come right in, there's no need to stand out in the cold. Make yourself comfortable." Hadleigh smiled warmly, gesturing to the two large chairs opposite herself for the young Gryffindor to settle down in. She hoped she didn't mind the warmth, Amie was getting much to old now to be getting any chills.

Amie being inside was something Vera pretty much expected, but when the door swung open her eyes focused immediately at the crup lazing on the grounds. Beans was not one she'd been expecting to see, but a welcome sight none the less. Eyes shifted around the cabin before landing on her Head of House, as Ve walked further into the cabin and pointed at the door behind her. "Do you want me to go ahead and shut this?" It was certainly not cold in here, but it was outside. Not that she really minded either of the elements.

At the offer to make herself comfortable, she KNEW the Professor meant the open chairs and yet... she decided to play ignorant anyways and instead plopped herself down on the floor next to Beans. This was comfortable so technically she'd followed the literal instructions. "So... what happens in this meeting? Does the school have magical brochures or questionnaires or something that helps us figure out what's next? Is there a separate sorting hat for careers?" That would be reaaaally helpful if it existed. The Founders should have done something with that.

Her companion was almost always were she was. So it only made sense that the python was currently lounging across the back of the woman's chair as well as across her lap. Which was why she was didn't think much of Vera's attention going directly towards Beans since he was closest and not always around. "Its not necessary, it will take care of itself." As if completely on cue, the door in mention swung closed slowly with a soft click.

Hady tried, she really did, not to laugh when Vera plopped herself onto the floor rather than in a chair. That move had told the woman what something she needed to know right away, her student didn't mind being different and sitting where she wanted even if it wasn't what may have been expected of her. Much like at least two of her own children and herself for that matter. "What happens here is that we discuss what interests you have and where you might see yourself career wise after you graduate. And if you aren't sure of that, I might be able to help give you some possible ideas that interest you. There are books and things in the library about different careers but most are based on specific areas should you already know what you're looking for." This was why they were having this chat and what the job fair was for. "Sadly there isn't but that may have been mighty helpful for those that have no clue where they want to start. Do you have an idea of what you would like to do after Hogwarts?"

Right. Magic. Duh. She would have felt silly for offering, but it was more done because it was the polite thing to do so as soon as the door shut, it was dismissed from her thoughts to begin with.

Vera was going to Vera, in just about any setting she was in clearly. She smiled at Hady's laugh, not feeling offended by it, as she reached out and petted the cruppy. Right.. Well, that was disappointing that there wasn't anything that would just TELL her - really felt like something that should be created. But having insight from a professor in general was probably helpful. Even if she'd only given a few passing thoughts to what she was going to do after graduation. "I think playing Gobstones professionally would be cool." She was on a Junior team since the summer prior and really liked playing. But she wasn't sure that she was really good enough to do that in a bigger and more competitive setting than even her current. "And I've always thought Professional Duelling would be cool to. But I don't necessarily think those are realistic. Both take a lot of strategy, and I don't think it's a secret that my brain is not very well exercised." Could she change that? Probably, but she had a hunch that it would be a LOT of work and wouldn't that mean she'd just... always struggle to be on the same page as everyone else in a profession? "So I guess I don't actually have any realistic ideas, really."

So... blank slate maybe? Do with that what you will, Prof!

Right now, all Hady really cared about was what made Vera comfortable. If sitting on the floor with Beans did that, then she wasn't going to stop her. The point of today's meeting was careers, not whether or not it was appropriate to sit on the floor. So that's what she was going to focus on here, career talk.

Hady couldn't help but smile a little at the mention of both Gobstones and Dueling. Neither had anything at all to do with creatures but that was alright. "Gobstones does take a fair amount of strategy but if it's something you enjoy don't sell yourself short and close the door on it just yet. The same for dueling. I did a fair amount of dueling while at Hogwarts, I used to also be in a band during that time. Sometimes things don't go the way you plan or they aren't the right path for you and that's alright." She never expected to return to Hogwarts and become a professor.

"Alright, anything else before we consider some ideas? What do you like to do when you're home on break? Any hobbies?" The more she knew the easier this would be but she had no issues with starting from nowhere either.

She was quite certain she wasn't selling herself short so much as just thinking realistically. But she also wasn't fully ready to dismiss both of the ideas, considering anything else that could be even close to a 'desk job' sounded... suffocating. Vera knew without a doubt that she wasn't one who was ever going to be content without a lot of physical movement in the work place, and maybe a little bit of danger. There was a very good reason she was a Gryffindor. However Hady's past career paths? Well.. those she hadn't known about. "You were in a band, Professor Paton? What did you play?" She supposed Logan's affinity made even more sense then.

Hmm... what else did she do? Vera continued to pet the cruppy while she considered it. She liked to play pranks on her brother, but she was fairly certain she couldn't turn that past time into a career so... didn't seem worth mentioning. "I like baking? I don't think I want to do that as a career though. I just LIKE to do it." And eat the things she made. And it was a fun activity to do as a family together, which just considering made her smile the slightest bit. "I go running. And I hang out with my snake. Which... is there anything that would be working mainly with reptiles? I do like all creatures but... I have a preference." By a lot. But she also didn't think she really vibed with the idea of being a dragonologist, though perhaps she shouldn't rule that out and seek someone out at the fair in that profession.

If Vera was considering all of her options to the fullest then that's what was most important. Not leaving any stone unturned. There were so many careers out there to choose from, she understood the struggle for a lot of her students. It wasn't always obvious what path they wanted to take. Having a job that kept one moving, Jady understood that need very well. It's why she had done the jobs she had for so long. "I was. The Sirens. That was what we were called. I played the drums mainly and did a little bit of vocals." She was the one that had taught her cousin Koen to play and now just look at him! The same with a few of the other younger ones in the family that played drums or guitar. They all started out by learning from one another.

Hady gave a nod of her head. "Baking and running. Both more for fun and that's good because you want to keep things balanced for yourself." Not everyone needed to be like she had been while at Hogwarts and overwork themselves. A slow smile crept onto the woman's face and she gently rocked back in her chair, her hazel eyes falling upon Vera. "In the world of magizoology there's many specialties. You can very easily focus solely on reptiles and narrow that down as far or as broad as you like. There's also veterinary medicine which you can specialize in reptiles if you wish to." Both career paths she could walk her through if she liked since she had a detailed background in them herself. As for dragons well.. she worked them a bit as well but she could also get her in touch with a few people that she knew in that department too.

Learned new things every day. Vera hadn't known that Hady had been part of a band before, and she definitely hadn't known the Professor's sons musical preferences matched his mum's. She supposed that made a whole lot of sense. And also made her start to wonder... what had her own Mum done? She made note to ask her father later, wondering if there was correlation of interest. "I guess that must have been where Logan got it from." She smiled at her head of house, before giving Beans a couple extra scratches.

She really DID like to have a lot of fun. "I know if I did end up going a professional athlete or duellist route, running would be more of the job but... that doesn't bother me." She'd continue to do it anyways even if it wasn't technically required. She had a lot of energy that needed to be burned almost all of the time. The idea that there WERE actually specializations available where she could just work with the creatures she was most passionate about had Vera's eyes lighting up ever so slightly. She knew she didn't want to breed, because she just didn't like that idea but... veterinary medicine or something else might be doable. Fully interested now, she got up from her spot and moved over to a chair to sit across from Hady leaving the crup behind. "What... would I need OWL and NEWT wise for something like that?" Would it even be something she would be capable of?

That's quite alright. There were many things her students didn't know about her as it should be but this was one of the few things she didn't mind them knowing. The fact was the woman still played whenever she had the chance to, not that it was very often at all but it was always a good time when she did. "I like to think it is but I'm not the only musical one in the family."

"Running could be something to look into then if you enjoy it that much." Even if it was for nothing more than to keep her own activity levels up and maintain good health. There it was. The smallest spark in the young girl's eyes was enough for her. Hadleigh smiled as Vera got up and took a seat across from her. "If an area of Magizoology is what you like to aim for then I suggest Care of Magical Creatures, Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, Potions, Transfiguration and History of Magic. These are the ones that I took." No, she wasn't going to say that she went and took ALL of the OWLs and then only those ones for her NEWTs.

Naturally had she been able to hear Hady’s thoughts, Vera would have simply been curious about what the things were about her Head of House she DIDN’T want students knowing. “Your family is definitely filled with a lot of talented people.” She agreed, giving a nod of her head. She wondered if the other Paton kids were also musically inclined - she never really took the time to ask them. Maybe later now she would.

She wasn’t sure what career she could do that was running only, but it did sound intriguing. But mainly because that sounded like a way to still work and not have to focus on school. And surprisingly, after this conversation, she didn’t want to sell herself short before looking into the other things. Even if Hady’s response on what she needed to study the most had her feeling a little bit dejected again. That was… a lot of courses. And while thankfully, Divination wasn’t on the list - History of Magic was. Care of Magical Creatures and Defense Against the Dark Arts weren’t a concern grade wise for her, Charms she was certain she could do better in if she applied herself better and perhaps the same with Transfiguration. Potions was… well, at least she’d already been being tutored there and once Leo was done with his OWLs she imagined he wouldn’t mind if she asked him for additional assistance. But History of Magic? If she had any chance, she’d definitely need a tutor there. Maybe she’d check with Vasco first. Maybe she’d even check with Vasco now.

Glancing out the window to check the daylight, Ve realized she’d been taking up a good amount of Hady’s time and it was probably best to scurry off. So she stood from the chair she’d just occupied and stretched out. “Thank you for this time, Professor. It’s given me some direction and even if I’m not certain I can actually make it… it doesn’t mean I can’t try. I’m sure I’ll come bother you again if I have any other questions." But for now, she’d leave the woman to some peace and quiet.

"Everyone has talents. Some may be very different from others but we all have one." Or several depending on the person. It's what made things interesting when getting to know people.

Hady gave Vera a few moments to take in all that she had said. It was a lot of classes, yes but if it was something that important to her then she would make it work. And she was always here to offer help and guidance along the way. "You're quite welcome, Miss Thanatos. You do the best that you can and given time you'll know what it is that you want to do. In the mean time, I'm always here if you want to talk again." The brunette smiled softly. "Enjoy the rest of your day." As for her, she was going to take Beans outside to stretch his paws for a few minutes before she continued on with her own day.