Charms Nerds

Serah was oddly nervous for this interview. She had no idea why, since she herself wasn't being interviewed. She was the interviewer in this situation. Maybe she was nervous for the potential intern that she was going to meet. She wondered if he was nervous. How would she ease his anxiety?

Or maybe she was nervous that she would get another dud. There had been several. Serah trusted her sister-in-law, though. Isobel had promised that Aidan would be the best intern any person could have. She promised Serah that he had great talent and had passion for Charms and that he was a generally likable person. He didn't have a degree, though, so Serah was hesitant. But he had received excellent OWL scores and had taken mostly NEWT level classes in his last two years at school, which was impressive. But this could still be bad.

Serah picked out the most comforting place she could think of for the meeting. The little bakery was perfect. It was non-threatening neutral ground. She hoped the friendly atmosphere  would set the terms of how she wanted this internship to go. She wanted a partner, rather than someone to order around. Someone to keep her company and someone to teach, rather than someone to order around. The Ministry needed more people who specialized in Charms. There weren't enough hands.

As soon as she saw the face she recognized from Isobel's pictures, she stood up and waved him over. "Hello!" she greeted. "My name is Serah Green. I'm an Obliviator at the Ministère de la Magie. My degrees are in General Advanced Charms, Advanced Memory Charms, and I am also a trained Legilimens. My main areas of work are performing memory Charms on Muggles who've witnessed magic, as well as spell creation when the departments need the extra help. But that's enough about my credentials. I'd like to hear about you," she explained. She sat down in her seat. "What sparked your interest in Charms, Aidan? Also, feel free to get whatever you want. My treat."

Aidan was nervous as hell. How was he supposed to feel? After he had talked to Iz about how being an auror was maybe a tad dangerous, but she didn't want to hear it. Then he suggested he could help her, which was apparently something only Ministry-officials could do. So now he was going to an interview with a (in his mind they were already bourgeois) recruiter, maybe just an employee? He was incredibly tense. Even more than the actual interview, he worried about what'd happen if he did get accepted. Would he just lead a boring office life, working 9 to 5? He didn't think he was really cut out for that either. And he'd have to leave Apollo on his own, something Aidan couldn't imagine having a happy ending.

When he entered the bakery (after he wondered several times if this was actually such a good idea), he saw some familiarish purple hair, but he didn't quite recall her name. Serah. He wasn't sure if this was good or not at all. And then he just kind of stood there while she was trying to intimidate him? He wasn't sure, but it sure worked. So now what? He told her he finished school with a NEWT in Charms with the best mark possible? While it was a feat not many had done, it probably didn't really matter to someone with her qualifications. What else did he have to say to her? Maybe "I want to help Iz, but I also don't want to leave my friend in charge of a shop because I don't trust him with all the dangerous things we have in the back, also here's my incredibly mediocre resume, thanks!", but he doubted that would work for some reason. "I'm Aidan De Gaule, and I'm very sorry, but I don't think this is really something for me. I'm really sorry you had to come all the way over here, but I don't think this is going to work." He didn't even look at the cakes they had.

Serah could tell that Aidan was nervous. He didn't even have to speak. He almost looked as nervous as her daughter did when she was caught sneaking around the house after bedtime.

She knew the feeling herself. After all, she had been through a lot. Or maybe that was why Aidan thought it wouldn't work out. Had Isobel mentioned anything at all about Serah's past? She realized she had been frowning, so replaced it with a sympathetic grin. One she would give Wynter if she had a bad day at school. One that made her look much more friendly than her typical resting bitch face.

"Isobel mentioned that you might try to leave and I've been told we need to at least eat together," she admitted. "So we don't even have to talk business if you don't want to. But I would like to get to know you. Anyone who is important to my sister-in-law is important to me," she stated. It wasn't a lie. Isobel was always talking about Aidan when she was visiting. Serah felt like she basically knew him already. They were a family, it seemed like. Like he was a member of the family you only saw on major holiday or a wedding or a funeral.

"How was your day? Isobel said you work at a joke shop in Cheval, correct?" she asked.