Familiar (Sophia and Iris)

Sophia stood near the edge of lake. The woman was dressed against the cold which still hung in the air, though spring was tentatively making an approach.

She had sent a missive to her apprentice by way of Magus.


Presently, the raven swooped down to land on her shoulder. Now, she had but wait for Iris.

Iris went immediately to the place after she received the letter. She did dress warmly obviously not in her usual robes. She saw her mentor beside the lake and rushed towards her. "Hi! Am I late?" asked Iris with a smile. She felt the soothing Spring air closing by already.

The woman turned as the girl approached, smiling in greeting.

"Not at all, Iris," she said. "Lovely day today, isn't it? Walk with me." She started moving along the edge of the lake.

"I'm afraid that what's on my mind for today isn't directly tied to Divination, per se," Sophia began, giving an apologetic smile. "Mostly, it's just something I've been musing over, myself. I hope you don't mind.

"Tell me, what do you know about familiar bonds?"

Iris smiled back and began to walk beside Sophia. She thought of an appropriate answer while gazing at the view and delighted with the feel of the day. This day was perhaps the best compared to her past months here at Hogwarts. Mainly rains and hot weather about back then.

"I think it would be interesting to pause on Divination for a while. It would be better to hear one's own life story. They're more important of course. And it can make you understand more than the subject." said Iris with a soft laugh and continued.

"Well, I think familiar bonds are very special and you're blessed having them. I don't know anyone who can live without it. They are always there to protect, comfort, and make you happy even if they're not really our kind during your troubles. And they have that unmeasurable loyalty and unconditional love." Iris reflected having her friends and her animal companion Vee who never had upset her once. She became somewhat confused with Sophia bringing up the topic. "Er - what made you think of familiar bonds actually? I can see clearly it can be about Magnus or is it?" asked Iris patiently.

"Not everyone is so blessed as to have a true familiar bond," Sophia agreed. "It's very special, and rather more rare than you would think. Less people have true familiars than think they do."

She smiled at the girl. "Very astute. Magus is my familiar, of course, and my thoughts are partially on him.

"Animals, of course, generally have a better feel for the world than we do - they're more in-tune with their instincts," Sophia began. "Magus, of course, is bonded to me. Part of this is a closeness, a camaraderie between us two that no one shall ever have. He can be a comfort to me, and I to him, and of course, we have a fairly reliable level of communication between us. For many, this is the extent of a familiar bond. Love and loyalty between two beings - it's miraculous.

"With Mage and I, however, it's a bit more than just that. I don't know if you remember the first class of this year and how restless Magus was that day. That was couple days before I Spoke a prophecy in the Three Broomsticks. Just a couple weeks ago, I had a Dream powerful enough to have me walking about the castle in its thrall. Earlier that evening, Magus refused to settle down." Sophia paused a moment to let the words sink in. "Magus knows when I am going to have a psychic event long before I do.

"So, the question is, does familiar sense when I am to have psychic event because my Gift is somehow derived from the very world of which he is a part? Or is it because, being bonded to myself, he is more attuned to that which I am only subconsciously aware?"


(OOC: It's just Magus, by the way, Iris. No 'n'.)

Iris nodded approvingly and gave her mentor a concerned look. She thought of the vision maybe a negative or a positive by chance. She tried to reassure Sophia by replying instead, "I think it would be because of the bond. I mean, he knows you pretty well and can feel you by now. Guess it's not just because of the gift after all. He is with you most of the time though. What with the sensing of the animals you've said on classes." She remembered well everything Sophia had said. All are considered significant as a matter of fact and that interested Iris this much.

[OCC: Oh right! Sorry! I'm often mistaken by that! I didn't read quite thoroughly and missed it. ]

Sophia nodded in turn, reaching up a hand to absently stroke Magus' chest. "I thought so, too," she replied. "'Familiar' really is an appropriate term for them, isn't it? Magus knows me better than I do. He really is one of my closest companions.

"How have you been, Iris?" she asked the girl. "Your dreams aren't too troubled, I hope?"


(OOC: It's quite alright. I first thought it was simply a typo. ^^)

Iris smiled back and sighed for the topic she's been wanting to avoid arrived. She can't hide it to her mentor of course, but talking about it made her insides heavy. "Nothing bad I'm seeing since I've been drinking the tea you gave me. Quite happy to be reliving those happy memories." The confession she wants to tell struck her. "Do you know about a gift where you feel people's emotions? No matter how deep they hide it? I've mistaken it to be Legilimens first." asked Iris easily before going to the conclusion. She wanted this to last longer, in a delightful day to be exact with her mentor she counted on as a best friend already.

"That's good to hear - Dreams are one thing, but best to avoid nightmares whenever possible," Sophia said, then studied the girl for moment.

"Aye," she nodded. "Empathy - it's a specific form of sensitivity, though, more reliable, I should think. A person's emotions after all, are what they are, whereas their plans for the near future, and even to a lesser degree, events which define them, are subject to change. It is strongly rooted in intuition. In fact, it is thought to be one of the few forms of true intuition.

"Have you developed a sense for peoples' emotions, Iris?"

Iris nodded and sighed deeply then answered, "Yeah. It just gets into me suddenly, the emotions. I can't help it. I know it's going too far since it's private but it has some help too. Like you're sensitive enought not to say mean things." She avoided eye contact, fearing to intrude private corners and gazed at the scenery instead.

"You aren't meant to 'help it'," Sophia responded kindly. "And it isnae intentional. Learning Occlumency would help you to avoid accidentally reading people. And you need never avoid my gaze, Iris. Firstly, because I hold my own Occlumency shields up for the very same reason, and secondly, because I've nothing to hide from you, lass."

She tucked a stray strand of hair behind the girl's ear. "Now, are you enrolled in Occlumency, Iris? Or would like for me to teach you?"

Iris nodded and turned to face Sophia, "Yeah I've signed up. But we haven't really started on something yet." She smiled weakly.

"Then, I shall help teach you, as well," Sophia told her. "Lesson one: find your center. We can practice that, now. Just look around us, Iris. It's such a nice day out, though it is a bit chill. Let go of the worries of classes and school work, and just soak in the beauty around us. Let it calm you." She continued along, tone lilting soothingly.

Iris inhaled deeply and let the beauty around her come, removing the worries like her nightmares, school work, problems if there's any and concentrated. She did want to learn Occlumency badly and blessed to have her mentor teaching her how to do in advance. She didn't want herself and Sophia to be both upset if she failed. But the intriguing thought of learning to shield your mind is one of the hardest things to do as told by the majority. Include the expectation that she will not succeed on first try and would have been the greatest if it turned out just the way she hoped it would be.

Sophia glanced over at her apprentice. "Very good, Iris," she said. "This is but the first step, of course, but just learning to calm your mind should help.

"Don't be discouraged, though. It took me the better part of a year to master Occlumency. You're well capable of it, though, lass." She gave Iris an encouraging smile.

Iris smiled and continued to walk around the lake. She's been wanting to ask Sophia so far, with regards to her social life and asked way to quickly before stopping herself, "Can I ask you about what's going on about er - you? Pardon me if it's too private. But I've actually heard some stuff about a prophecy?" She remembered what most of the students said, the feeling of gossip in the air and Iris wondered whether this rumor was true. Especially now that the revelation's coming from her mentor.

"With myself?" Sophia asked. "Ah, the prophecy? Och, that was months ago, Iris - near the start of the school year.

"As I understand it, I Spoke of two lads of both similar and disparate fates, as well as a coming war. I don't right remember, myself - never had with prophecies, though, it has undoubtedly been well-documented in the Department of Mysteries," she said. "Was there anything in particular you were curious about?"

Iris nodded and stuttered to choose her words to answer. When she decided not to ask she merely sighed, "Nothing more, Sophia." and smiled at her mentor.

Sophia slanted the girl a curious glance. "Very well, lass," she said, "but should you change your mind, you have only to ask. You may ask me anything, and I'll always answer to the best of my ability.

"What else is new in your life, Iris?" Sophia asked as Magus launched himself from her shoulder and flew away. "Apart from classes and Gifts, is there anything? Someone you might fancy, perhaps? Or a new interest?"

Iris choked at the sound of her mentor asking her. Did she fancy someone? She can only ask herself. And after all, Sophia knows everything. "Fancy? Oh God. I haven't quite look into boys like that. I'm not that type. But you, do you have someone to fancy with? Or fancy is just the simplest word?" She asked and chuckled at the embarrassment she put up on the first place. Is this really and Apprenticeship meeting? Perhaps on 'love'?

Sophia raised an amused brow at her apprentice. "Leave it to a teenager to zero in on the romance part of the inquiry," she teased. "That wasnae all I asked about, y'know. But, to answer your question, I suppose I do have someone I fancy. Someone good and kind.

"But we're not talking about myself, now," she said, mock-stern. "I wish to know how you're doing. So, no crush, yet - probably for the best. Teenage boys aren't the most mature, after all. What about new interests? Hobbies?"

Iris chuckled and replied, "Hobbies. Hmmm. Well, nothing exact personally. But I think I've improved my self-esteem now. I seldom be alone and myself nowadays. With friends and like that. I think Hogwarts changed me somehow. And I keep avoiding being alone."

"Good. I'm glad to hear it," said Sophia. "Now, you're probably wondering why I have asked about what is going on in your life. Part of it is just as I said in our first meeting: I don't wish to merely be your mentor, Iris, but your friend, as well. But I also asked to remind you.

"Traditionally, a lot of seers were thought to be mad," the woman explained. "That is because a lot of seers were mad. They allowed themselves to become lost in their Gift, allowed their Gift to be all that they were." Sophia stopped to face Iris, meeting the girl's gaze. "You are more than your Gifts, Iris. You are a wonderful lass with hopes and dreams and interests, friends and family, and - someday - someone that you fancy. Remember that.

"That is all I had on my mind for today, lass," Sophia told her as she started walking again. "You may return to the castle, if you'd like. I'm going to keep walking for a bit."

Iris can't help but smile and hugged her mentor before bidding her farewell, "Thanks for the time. Really is worthwhile. You've taught me a lot, Sophia. I'll always remember all those stuff." and ran towards the castle after a joyful wave.