One door closes... (Mycroft)

The past few months weren't good at all. In fact, they were horrible and Mary felt like she was living a nightmare. She couldn't sleep, because she kept worrying about every little detail and the things she was supposed to have done. When she did sleep, she had nightmares about the battle at Salem and she woke up sweaty, out of breath and crying.

Oscar's face and his twitching dead body haunted her, along with little Estelle and the Black Widow that killed her. Faceless figures appeared in her dreams, taunting and cursing and torturing her, screaming and shrieking at her.

She was constantly stressed and couldn't relax. She had a breakdown at least three times a week and she couldn't remember when she last felt okay, but it was certainly not in the last few months. Rocket and Gavin helped in calming her down, but they weren't always there and they didn't always know when she was having a meltdown.

It all got so bad that she hasn't left her apartment for the last couple of weeks. It wasn't that she didn't care about University, it was the opposite. She couldn't stop thinking that everything she did there wasn't good enough and that she would fail even if she showed up. She couldn't take Professor Clement and Professor Holmes' disappointed glances, even if they only existed in her mind.

She just couldn't.

After a phone call to her Mom, when she sobbed in the phone, saying she couldn't do it anymore, her Mom told her she didn't have to. She could walk away, maybe get some therapy and start working on something new. The world was hers to take and it could wait until she felt okay again.

Being an Auror was something she felt she needed to achieve, but it wasn't really for herself. It was for Oscar and for everyone that lost their lives in the war. It was too heavy a weight for her to carry.

She knew her Mom was right. She needed help and she had to get away from the training, as it was toxic for her. She had to get rid of the guilt she felt about Oscar and she had to feel okay again. That had to be her priority, to be okay. To not wake up screaming, with tears running down her cheeks.

So, one morning she forced herself to get out of bed, take a shower, take Rocket for a walk and then get dressed. She put on a black pencil skirt, a white button down shirt and a black blazer. The outfit made her feel professional and she hoped, with all her might, that Professor Holmes wouldn't be as disappointed as she feared he would be.

She walked up to his office, took a deep breath and knocked.

"Sir? It's Mary McNeely."

Mycroft often times wondered exactly how he managed to control his life when everything was constantly in motion. From running off to Hogwarts, then Salem, then Unseen, not to mention planning for the wedding, everything seemed to pile on him in a way that pushed him to get everything in order. Order meant happiness, and happiness meant life was good. And yes, sometimes he didn't sleep, in fact there were days where he went without sleeping and while Teagan worried, he reassured her that everything was okay.

Thankfully with the Christmas season coming, he could take some time to concentrate on his loved ones and move away from the paperwork that tied him to his desk. He was in the midst of writing a request within the ministry, when he heard a knock. That was new; people usually let him be when he closed the door.

"Sir? It's Mary McNeely."

Lifting his hand in a motion, the door opened and he looked a the young woman before him. In her outfit it seemed that she was going for a professional look, meaning it deal with business. He knew the girl had been quiet in his classes and very much unlike her. Still, he knew that if she came to visit at these hours, it was important.

"Come in Miss McNeely, please take a seat" he said as warmly as he possibly could.

Mary smiled as the door opened and her Professor invited her inside. She knew he was incredibly busy, what with being a Headmaster, teaching at two schools and a University. This couldn't wait, though and Mary hoped he would forgive her for interrupting.

"Thank you, sir." the witch said and sat down. It took most of her energy to not fidget, as she was very nervous. The rest of her energy went into convincing herself that no, she would not start crying any minute now. Definitely not.

Taking a deep breath, Mary started talking. "As you might have noticed, I haven't really been myself lately. That's because I'm not feeling well, at all." She looked down at her hands as she tried to think of what to say next. She's been rehearsing what she would say at home, but now those words felt bleak and she desperately wanted to find new ones.

"I don't think I can be an Auror. No, I know. The stress is too much and I don't think I've even properly recovered from the war, so... I'm handing in my resignation." It surprised her a bit that she was calm now, she didn't feel the need to fidget and her voice wasn't shaking. She was just stating facts and that had a calming effect on her. Even if the facts were that she wasn't competent enough.

"I'm sorry to have wasted your time, sir, and Professor Clement's.

Mycroft studied Mary and raised his brow seeing that even in her smile held some weight and stress behind it. He didn't push her, instead let her try to control herself. He didn't like the idea of her being pushed into the conversation if she wasn't ready; after all, she was one of his favorite students for her passion in subjects yet the friendly demeanor that was rare in individuals. Still, he leaned back, intertwining his fingers and waited patiently for her to begin talking. The room was quiet for a few minutes before she seemed to get a handle of things and begin talking.

"As you might have noticed, I haven't really been myself lately. That's because I'm not feeling well, at all."

He nodded slowly; it was true, she was less enthused in his classes and let others command in the classroom, a little too much really. It was disappointing at first. He simply figured that it was because she wasn't as enthused about the class. But at her admittance that it was about her health his body posture changed and scooted his chair closed to his desk to show her he was listening.

"I don't think I can be an Auror. No, I know. The stress is too much and I don't think I've even properly recovered from the war, so... I'm handing in my resignation."

"I'm sorry to have wasted your time, sir, and Professor Clement's."

At her last words, he had to admit he was definitely surprised. Stress was always hard to deal with at any age, but he had to admit he was...disappointed at her giving up. Clearing his throat, he signaled her that he was about to finally take the reigns and speak.

"I have to say that this is both surprising and disappointing. You were one of the brightest, if not the brightest student I have ever had the pleasure of teaching in Salem. But I understand your predicament...believe me" he added softly, "It is hard to recover from things that have happened with little control to stop them."He thought of the second wizarding war when he had battled in as a teen. Closing his eyes he sighed and wondered if he should bring her any physical comfort. "I...while I'm not thrilled of your decision, I must tell you that you have the fit of an Auror. You've managed to save my sister from said attack, and you've proven yourself to have that heroism that you so much deny or ignore. If you ever wish to come back, the doors of unseen will always be open to you. I will always welcome you to my class Miss McNeely. May you have success in whatever you plan to do next. I know you will succeed."

And he smiled sincerely at her. He didn't do it often to students, but despite the saddening news, he knew the girl needed any reassurance at the moment.

"And as for our time, it has been wasted many times over, and you weren't one of those, So do not fret over something so minimal. If you ever need anything, do not hesitate to contact me. I'm not saying this as a former professor, but as a supporter, and an acquaintance."

Although she wanted to run and hide more than anything in the world right then, Mary forced herself to look at the man sitting before her. She studied his face nervously, looking for any signs of disappointment, anger or anything bad. Unfortunately, she found them. Professor Holmes, her role model, was disappointed in her.

She could feel a burning in her throat and behind her eyes, but she just clenched her jaw and tried to breathe evenly. This was not the time to cry. She was stronger than that. Admittedly, she has been weak in the last few weeks, but she was strong enough not to cry in front of the man she wanted to impress more than anyone. It was bad enough that she was telling him she wasn't good enough to go on. Crying was definitely not an option.

After he said he was disappointed, Mary's mind began to swim in a fog. It took her a few moments to try and concentrate on what he was saying and to breathe again. This conversation was going about as horrible as she had anticipated.

"I...while I'm not thrilled of your decision, I must tell you that you have the fit of an Auror. You've managed to save my sister from said attack, and you've proven yourself to have that heroism that you so much deny or ignore. If you ever wish to come back, the doors of unseen will always be open to you. I will always welcome you to my class Miss McNeely. May you have success in whatever you plan to do next. I know you will succeed."

Mary started blinking furiously and fought the very real urge to hug Professor Holmes while sobbing uncontrollably. Even when she told him she wasn't good enough, he found a way to tell her she was. His words made a lump in her throat and she just sat there, silently, as she worked on a way to start talking again.

"T-thank you, sir. I, I was actually thinking I could... could pursue something involving potions, as I was quite good at that." she swallowed hard and blinked again. Her voice was thick and shaking somewhat and was the exact opposite of before.

Earlier, she had been calm and collected and now that she knew the Professor... believed in her, it was all so different. It all became very real; her dropping out, her emotional state, the uncertainty of her future... Terrifying.

Her brain decided that the best thing to do next was to keep talking and words were spilling out of her mouth before she even registered what was happening. Her voice was still thick, but it was less shaky and as she talked, she regained her confidence, even if only a little bit.

"Actually, I. I want to combine Muggle technology with magic. I have no idea how, but I know it's possible, or at least it's not impossible. I've done something like that before, I got Wi-Fi at Salem and I know it's not a particularly big achievement, I was rather proud of it and I want to do more. I know Muggle technology isn't supposed to work at school, because of all the magical energy," Mary gestured wildly and while the burning in the back of her throat was still present, she didn't feel the urge to cry anymore.

"- but I honestly do not see why we couldn't combine magic and technology outside of schools. Best of both worlds, you see." the witch smiled slightly and then, with horror, realized she had been rambling. Right after she told her role model that she wants to drop out of Uni.

'Back to your point, McNeely.'

"Sorry. I can't be an Auror, at least not right now. I, it- it's too much, emotionally, and I need to make sure I'm alright, for my sake and for yours. If I'd go on a mission, or something and I'd... I'd get flashbacks, I'd jeopardize the whole thing and I'm sure that's not something you want." she took a deep breath again, looking straight at Professor Holmes.

"I think I'd be of more help in the lab than in the field. However, I need to get better first."

As Mycroft saw Mary cry, he was a bit uncomfortable; perhaps he had done badly by saying those things? He wasn't the best exactly at saying the right thing when it came to moments of emotion, too invested in logic to truly attempt to put himself in their shoes; too messy really. But as she tried bit back tears, he took out his handkerchief and handed it to her, just in case she did release her tears. As the quiet loomed over the pair of them, he let her control herself and restructure her perspective. In his mind there was no need for needless chatter.

"T-thank you, sir. I, I was actually thinking I could... could pursue something involving potions, as I was quite good at that."

But then she began to talk, and ramble really. Was this a coping mechanism? Tilting his head, he listened to her, slowly nodding at her words and trying to reconnect it to everything. He nodded slowly, glad that she was considering potions work, it was a topic that she had succeeded under his tutelage. He remembered how she had excelled and believed she could possibly find a successful career under it. He was about to voice his comment when she continued to talk.

"Actually, I. I want to combine Muggle technology with magic. I have no idea how, but I know it's possible, or at least it's not impossible. I've done something like that before, I got Wi-Fi at Salem and I know it's not a particularly big achievement, I was rather proud of it and I want to do more. I know Muggle technology isn't supposed to work at school, because of all the magical energy," Mary gestured wildly and while the burning in the back of her throat was still present, she didn't feel the urge to cry anymore.

He nodded slowly once more; he was not fond of muggle technology, found it too tedious, and promoted laziness. Teagan adored it, and it took a while for him to take it in, such as simple things like electricity. But the way she spoke this Wi-Fi, he briefly remembered it had something to do with connections and muggle think-tanks..computers yes. He was not fond of a box having too much knowledge. The wild flailing of her hands surprised made him lean back a bit and let her cope with everything, letting her go off tangent.

"- but I honestly do not see why we couldn't combine magic and technology outside of schools. Best of both worlds, you see." the witch smiled slightly and then, with horror, realized she had been rambling. Right after she told her role model that she wants to drop out of Uni.

"Yes...I see that you have a passion and despite the fact your heart might not be in Auror work, that is a signal that you can attempt to improve your work in a field that interests you, such as working with integrating muggle norms into the wizarding world. While complicated, perhaps law litigation and pursuing for that push might work in your favor. Or potions, you do excel at it, and I say that to very few people. Perhaps if your interests is in the lab, Healing science might be in your favor, improving potions. Either way you wish to go, your options are endless Miss McNeely, and you will succeed, I have little doubt about that"