Bird day

I got the siblings a home and a modest sum of wealth. They should be able to entertain themselves for at least a little while. I had no doubts that eventually Ashley would want to bug me for various things. We have spent the better part of two years glued to each other's hips. It was just a matter of time before that dynamic reestablished itself. I did not have anything that I really wanted to hide from her so I was fine with that happening. Having her by my side will also be fun in more ways than one.

For now, Ashley was settling in her home so I had some time to myself. I popped back to Hogwarts and started traveling towards the headmaster's office. It was likely that I was going to have to deal with another conversation with the guy but that was acceptable.

I wanted to examine his phoenix. I may be able to come and go as I please but another method of transportation should be interesting. I could learn a large amount of things from studying the thing as well. It was a being that held ties to fire no, that was an understatement they might as well be an embodiment of fire it self. I could learn how to manipulate flames far beyond what I was capable of now.

The ability to heal those with my tears would be nice as well. My ability to heal is limited by the potions I had on me. I was able to put those guards back together but that was just wounds of the flesh. Not exactly something impossible to come back from. Phoenix tears could do so much more. I was hoping that the tears themselves were not the source of the magic but the symbolism behind it being the true source. I would have to modify my body if it was just a matter of biology.

I would also gain the ability to rebirth myself from ashes. It would mean starting my life over as a literal baby but it was immortality. I was young enough that I was not that worried about ageing but it would be a nice card to have up my sleeves. I could also use it to come back from a lethal blow.

I could only hope that the bird was near its rebirth cycle. That was the only way I could get that trick as I would need to see it happening. Well, there was another way but that involved killing the thing. Doing so would be a bit of a hassle. Beyond that, I was not sure if the bird had any other abilities that I would want to learn but it was likely. It was quite literally a legendary creature after all.

Beyond the fire bird this whole world had creatures with unique and powerful abilities. Hell, in this very castle there was a creature that could kill with its gaze and petrify those who saw its reflection. I could kill the overgrown snake rather easily but that would not teach me its abilities. I would need to have another target for the snake to kill. I should probably wait to approach the snake as being able to speak to snakes was an ability I could gain.

There were so many creatures that I wanted to learn from it was another avenue for increasing my abilities after all. A couple of weeks traveling all over the world in search of magical creatures to steal their gimmicks sounded fun. Plans for later.

I was almost at the headmaster's office. I was not hiding underneath my cloak so anyone could have approached me. A couple of students saw me and whispered to their companions but no one bothered to stop me. It was not their business after all.

The gargoyle that protected the staircase stood in front of me. The fact that it was modeled after a Gryffin really showcased the favoritism that took place in this castle. It might have been a matter of the thing being passed down for centuries but I doubted that. I figured Dumbledore just wanted it to be a Gryffin.

It opened its beak likely wanting to ask me if I knew the password. I rolled my eyes and disabled the thing. As long as it was a magical defense it might as well be a sheet of paper before my abilities. Not that a mundane solution would fare better at stopping me.

With the guardian disabled the staircase revealed itself without any fanfare. I could tell that there were wards to notify the caster if anyone crossed it. I could disable it as well but I did not really care if Dumbledore did know I was here. I could take the opportunity to harvest more spells from him. I doubted his first response would be slinging spells but I did not know the guy all that well.

I entered the headmaster's office and looked around. There were a variety of devices that were monitoring hundreds of locations in the magical world. Then there were the rare artifacts that could enhance certain spells or even negate others. There was not anything all too impressive on display.

This may be Dumbledore's office but only an idiot would store powerful artifacts here. The office was meant for people to come and go after all. It mainly relied on the Hogwarts wards stopping invaders from even getting into the castle.

Beyond the various artifacts, the office was adorned with several portraits. They were all living portraits, most of the art in the magical world was sentient. Only someone who truly appreciated art would have non-sentient portraits. Dumbledore was not one of the rare individuals who loved art. These portraits were likely to be handed down as well.

They portrayed the headmasters from ages past. All of them trying to appear as snooty as possible. Not every previous headmaster was hanged on these walls but there was still a large amount of them. They were currently looking at me and whispering amongst themselves. I did break into this office after all.

The bird Fawkes was nesting on a little shelf above the desk that Dumbledore was likely to work at. The bird appeared to be slumbering at the moment. This small glance was already pure gold for me. The way that the bird connected with the concept of Fire was amazing. That type of connection was nearly impossible to repeat, a miracle that only happened from a freak accident.

Still, while the connection was amazing it was also flawed. It did not fully connect with the concept of Fire, it just touched upon parts of it. The softer parts of flames the parts that people never really thought about. The warmth of a fire needed on a cold night. The stories told over firelight weaved into song. The living breathing flame that would never exhaust. It was truly amazing but the harder aspects of Fire would forever be out of reach of this creature.

Fawkes was not capable of using fire as a weapon. It went against the very concept of its being. The ties that it forged with Flames also served as shackles upon this creature. I knew how to tie myself into concepts now but that was not something I wanted to do. It would be placing bindings on myself.

It was a good thing that I did not need to bind myself to learn all that Fawkes could do. I just needed to see the bird in action to gain the same abilities. No magical shackling needed.

"Hey, big bird wakey wakey!" I shouted out at the bird. The sudden shouting startled the bird as it jumped from its nest. It seemed utterly confused about the disturbance. It let out a soft cry as it gathered its bearings. The sound carries a magic of its own.

It was not a pleasant sound to my ears. It came and unsettled all the emotions that lay buried in my heart. It roused them to the surface and I was suffering for it. Those emotions boiled but I did my best to contain them. I was able to get a handle on myself but that was rather disturbing. I could see how Fawkes was able to bring all of that out of me so I should be able to stop it next time.

We were both lucky that it was such a short cry. If Fawkes managed to have my emotions running rampant then the castle would be in a crater. The Alpha Stigma may be a great thing but it was also a terrible one.

I glared at the feathered beast as it almost caused the destruction of the castle. It let out a startled squawk as it finally recognized me. I may as well have some fun with this bird, I needed to force it to use its abilities after all.

So I conjured a barrage of arrows and sent them through the air. The bird let out another startled squawk and did its best to dodge. It was a doomed endeavor as I sent a lot of arrows at it. Seeing the hopelessness of the situation the bird flashed to the other side of the room in a flash of fire.

It was looking at me warily as I was clearly a threat to its safety. I was surprised that it did not flash away from this room. Maybe the bird was trying to protect it's masters loot or maybe it wanted to stall me for Dumbledore to show up. Either way, it was playing into my hands so I did not care.

The way that it traveled was learned and mastered. It was a hard thing to replicate. What the bird was doing was converting itself into elemental energy and teleported as that energy. The bird relied on its connection to fire to convert itself but I did not need that to do something similar. The main stumbling block in this method of teleportation was that new users were likely to spontaneously combust. That was covered by the Phoneix's inborn immortality but a Wizard would have no way of training this ability.

Good thing I was a filthy cheater.

Before I could do anything more, the bird sang that same soulful song. I glared at it as I negated the effect. I know that it had no way of knowing the danger it was trying to unleash but it did not mean I was happy about it.

"Stop that!" I shouted out at the bird, it was clearly not listening to me as it continued its song. Without the magic, it just sounded like bird squawks which were not pleasant noises. I sent another barrage of arrows at the dumb thing to get it to stop. It once more flashed away to get away from the attack. It seemed to be smug about none of my attacks hitting it.

"Look, you clearly don't want to leave. I'll get out of your feathers if you cry for me. I don't even want the tears I just want to see it happen." The big bird looked over at me with doubt in its beady little eyes.

"Or I could actually try and wreck this office," I spoke out blandly, this was the hardest part. The tears of a phoenix could only be willingly shed, I could not force the issue. So I could only try to negotiate with the bird.

Fawkes gave me another warry look and flew to the other side of the room. It looked at me from the position for a good amount of time and I was preparing to start my threat fully when it started to let tears out.

They were so beautiful to my eyes. A miracle was brought to life. Those tears drew upon the living breathing flame of life. Filled with enough Mana that they rivaled the presence of Ashley's demi-god blood. I could touch upon the same domain but those tears were produced by relying on the immortal nature of the phoenix. It drew upon its own endless vitality and formed those tears. Mana and vitality mixed in a fascinating way.

I was not capable of using that magic in my current state. I did not have the immortality of the bird after all. Well, it was a good thing that I came here to learn that. Unlike the tears, this was something I could definitely force out of the creature.

I did not need to keep my promise with a bird of all things.

"A fascinating sight isn't it?" The old cheerful voice announced from the staircase. I let out a sigh, I was so close to learning everything without him interfering. Dumbledore was bound to pop up eventually so I should not be surprised.

I glared at the now smug bird apparently, its long wind up for crying was to wait for the geezer. I then let out a sigh and I turned around. I recognized his voice but that was definitely Dumbledore walking up those steps. I was not sure where he was before but he did not look like he rushed here. His robes still had those garish colors but it was clean and neat.

"It is rather beautiful." I let out quietly. I may not appreciate the bird all that much but what he was capable of doing really was enchanting. The way it naturally twisted its Mana into intricate patterns was stunning. After experiencing the crude and violent way House Elves operated this was a pleasant experience.

"I must say my boy, I did not expect to see you so soon. Your parting words told a different story after all." Dumbledore spoke in a jovial tone with a twinkle in his eyes. He was right, I did leave in a rather moody way. The words I said implied that I was going to be hiding away for a long while after all. I simply shrugged, he might be right but that did not mean I had to explain my actions to him.

"I wanted to study magical creatures and a rather rare one happened to be easy to access," I spoke out blandly. I was planning on going on an expedition to study the magical races. It would relieve the old man slightly, a scholar searching for more research was better than a moody teen that held too much power. Even if both of those statements would be true.

I could hide myself away from prying eyes using the Cloak but I was likely to have Ashley by my side during my journey. So it was bound to get out that I was visiting sanctuaries for those creatures. So I did not mind telling him what I was going to do, it killed two birds with one stone after all.

"Some would say that Hogwarts is not exactly within easy reach my boy," Dumbledore spoke out again with a jovial tone but the twitch of his face was telling. He was not happy that I could simply leave whenever I wanted from him. Eventually, he would figure out what I was doing. He might already have theories about how I was able to slip past the wards. He was the greatest Wizard that had ever lived according to some people.

I may not use the same crude method as the Elves but it was similar enough. He could design a trap that would hold those House Elves and it might even work on me. For a moment that is, the Alpha Stigma did not allow magical effects to bind me. Not to mention the fact I now had other ways of traveling. He could thank his annoying bird for that little trick.

I was not going to use that trick for casual travel. The way Fawkes traveled was not nearly as comfortable as popping is. It would make a rather impressive sight to disappear in a flash of fire but it was not needed for my day to day travel.

"Well, most people are not me," I spoke out in a mocking way with a smile on my face. I would needle and prod this old man as much as I wished. He may be powerful but so was I. He also was on my list so he was fair game.

"No, they are not," Dumbledore spoke out softly. For a moment I was able to see the same calculating glint in his eyes. For someone who wanted to preach that he was working in my best interest, his eyes were rather telling. The same glint belonged in my plastic friend's eyes after all, he wanted to use me like everyone else wanted to.

"So you are interested in magical creatures." Dumbledore shifted the topic to something more friendly. Trying to gauge exactly how far my interest fell. Was I someone who was only interested in what those creatures would teach me or was I someone like Newt. The more he knew about me the faster he would find a kink in my armor. He had already failed at using his killing blow so he was searching for another.

"I think my interest in Potions is rather clear," I spoke out sarcastically. These creatures were filled with ingredients that could brew a variety of things. The dumb fire bird was filled with ingredients that would be nearly impossible to get somewhere else.

"It is my boy, but you did not want Fawkes' tears," Dumbledore spoke out softly. He cut straight to the issue, I may be saying I wanted to collect ingredients but when faced with the opportunity I did not collect one of the most precious magical ingredients. I would applaud him for picking up that little detail so quickly if I felt even remotely positive about him.

"I had a theory about those tears, I wanted to see if I was right," I spoke out blandly. Dumbledore's interest in my actions spiked. It was one thing to collect those tears it was another for a Potions master proclaiming a theory about said tears. I was capable of producing those tears at the cost of my own vitality but knowing the magic behind it I could make a potion that did similar things. Another miracle to add to my long list.

"Fascinating, did you manage to prove your theory?" Dumbledore questioned lightly as if he was not that interested in my findings. I snorted at the clear ploy. He may fool thousands with his false persona but he would never be able to fool me. I saw what lay underneath that saintly image after all.

He was willing to bully a young traumatized boy because he was weak and standing against him. He might say that he did what he did to protect the wolf but where was the protection that was owed to me? I nearly died because of an idiot and his pet project but it was all okay because I was just that worthless in his eyes. If I was someone with standing or any real power he would have never even dared to try. A hypocrite who preached about fair treatment when he favored those on his own side.

"I did." I gave him a smile filled with teeth. I may be stepping into his ploy but what did it matter? He could not drag this knowledge out of me. I might as well be slapping him in the face with the confirmation.

There was a tense silence that filled the air between us. I could see him tensing, the same tense stance he took when I was blatantly threatening him. He was preparing to take action. The knowledge that I had in my head became even more valuable. Then he relaxed his stance.

The old man knew that he was not capable of holding me here. He would need more time to study what I was doing to stop me. Attacking me would only further alienate me from him. So he would have to backtrack for now.

"That's wonderful my boy, I'm sure if you bring your findings to Professor Slughorn he would fast track your way to earning your mastery," Dumbledore spoke out kindly with a soft smile on his face. His eyes blasted that twinkle as bright as he could. I once more snorted at his audacity.

Sure if I did bring my findings to Slughorn he would have the Potion's committee begging to give me my mastery. That would mean making my findings public. Sure no one could sell my potions without giving me a kick back but they could still make it. Even if I just shared my findings with Slughorn but refused to make my findings public Dumbledore would win. He would be able to pluck that knowledge out of Slughorn's head without any real effort.

He was using the one mentor figure I had in my life to pry that knowledge out of me. He might be shooting at the wrong targets but he certainly was fast on his feet.

"I'm not in a hurry to get my mastery. That knowledge is far too valuable." I spoke out blandly with a bland smile on my face. Again Dumbledore tensed but relaxed quickly. The expression on his face nearly fell at my declaration. Which only brightened my smile.

"Think about all the good such knowledge could bring, my boy," Dumbledore spoke out urgently. I rolled my eyes at the route he chose to pick. I did not really care all that much about the magical world to give them something like that. The world never really cared about me so why should I care about it?

To be fair I did not really need to hide this knowledge away. I could release a potion recipe that would replicate Phoneix tears and it would not really threaten me that much. They would have no way of knowing how I did my 'Research'. Nor would they be able to use the potion to hurt me all that much.

It would lead to more risky rituals and risky spell crafting but it should be manageable. The magical community was not filled with those who wanted to push their limits. If it was they would not be held back by the notion that death lay on the other end of their experiments. True ambition could not be held back but the threat of death. Innovation is created by the mad and reckless, one look at Fortuna could tell you that.

I risked everything to make her, I held no safety net in those final crazed moments. If I faltered for even a second in fear of what would happen I might as well be signing my death warrant. If my people could pursue a field with the same reckless madness we would have long since proclaimed ourselves gods. Wait, my people have already taken a wack at that. So beyond gods?

"I'm not an altruistic fool." I spat out at the old man trying to change me. He looked sad at the declaration but what did I care about his sadness? He did not treat my feelings with any real weight why would his be any different?

"I must ask you to reconsider, death comes for everyone and that potion could save lives," Dumbledore spoke out sadly and I could even believe that he was truly sad. There was a weight behind his words that spoke of a more personal pain. He was a rather old man after all, he must have gone through his own painful moments.

Releasing that potion could very well mean families got to smile for another day. That when things seemed dire and hopeless I could change it. Death would still claim those that it must but I was capable of stealing that moment away from it. It would bring about endless goodwill but it would also paint a target on my back. That potion would be the be all end all of healing. There was money involved in potions and I would be eliminating hundreds of competitors with this move. It would not have the rich and wealthy happy with me.

What did that matter? I was not exactly happy with them to start with. If I was going to make that choice I would not allow anyone else to hold back my choice. I killed that train of thought where it stood.

I was adamant about not releasing the potion and one talk with this old man had me considering going through with it. Was I really that easy to convince? No, it was not his words that convinced me but my own words that changed my opinion. The need to be recognized and the hate for those holding me down changed my mind. Still, as I looked at those damn twinkling eyes I wanted to hold back if only for spite.

I was not going to give him the satisfaction of knowing he might have changed my mind. I blurred into motion as I snapped the neck of the damn bird. I did have one thing I wanted to see after all, the process might happen on a schedule but it could be started at a fatal blow.

As the life faded from it the bird started to turn into ashes in front of me. The energy created from that combustion fueling the rebirth cycle. Good, I was able to see the final piece from this damn bird.

Dumbledore was already blurring into motion with a spell already traveling towards me. I gave him another mocking smile as his eyes flashed with anger. I then popped away.

As soon as I got away from him the smile dropped. I had some thinking to do.

I did not really think about where I wanted to be when I popped away. I just knew that I needed to be gone from Hogwarts for a fair bit. Sure my attack of Fawkes did not do any real damage to him as he would recover but I still attacked his familiar. When Fawkes is in that newborn state Dumbledore would lose access to phoenix tears for a fair bit. Not too long sadly as the dumb bird would recover quickly but long enough to irritate the old man.

So when I left I was not really thinking things through. I popped near my home near Spinner's End. I did not have any good memories of that home but it was one of the only places I knew to go to. I did not go into the house. I would rather not open that can of worms right now, making peace with my mother is something that could wait. I just walked around the street reminiscing at the oddest things.

The dreary and disrepaired sights were oddly comforting, I may have hated every moment spent at home but these streets were an escape from that. That sense of comfort allowed me to confront my current thoughts.

I knew that I was the farthest thing from a saint. To put altruistic intentions to any of my actions would be a joke beyond any other. I did things because I wanted to do those things nothing more and nothing less. So why was I considering releasing that potion?

It honestly sounded like a hassle that would only have the magical world singing me praises. When introduced to the vast multiverse the opinion of blind fools sounded useless. I would not be wrong in saying that I hated the vast majority of the magical community. The ones I did not hate I felt ambivalent to. To take action to better their lives when I could be doing literally anything else seemed tasteless.

The time I spent designing and fabricating that potion could be spent elsewhere. For example, I could push my magical studies further or spend it tracking down a rare and exotic magical creature. Beyond self improvement I could be spending that time bonding with those I hold dear. If I had to put weight behind which actions I would prefer taking I would always list that potion at the bottom.

So why was I hesitating? It came down to Dumbledore's sad expression. The face of a man who held tightly onto the body of someone they held dear. I could care less about his personal pain but the sight brought into question others. The pain they would go through as their loved ones slowly withered in front of them not being able to do a thing. The despair at the world that is collapsing in front of them. The raw human emotion struck a chord with me.

Those people had stories to tell. Plights that would move the soulless. Moments desperately holding onto something that would inevitably slip away from your fingers. The pain they felt as it fell away was a very real thing. I could change that outcome. I could bring about a happy ending for the hopeless. I would be playing into the hands of a man I hated but did it matter? It was not his actions that moved me but the untold stories of the despairing.

I wanted to burn brightly. I might as well show this bitter world that happy endings do exist. It would bite into my time but it was not that large of a task. All I needed to do was design the potion and have a prototype ready. The rest of the nonsense could happen without my involvement. Sure I still wanted my name to be on the thing but Slughorn could handle the gritty details. He thrived in that sort of environment after all, he would be thrilled to present my findings on my behalf.

The hopeless would be chanting my name in salvation and all it would cost me was a small amount of effort. The process for designing could be refined fairly easily after all. Bless Fortuna and her unlimited bullshit. I was not going to spend ages refining the process, as soon as I got a workable model it would be published. I may be doing this out of goodwill but I was not going to offer the magical world literal gold.

A workable model was already something that would flip the potion community on its head. There was no need to work on it till it could bring back the dead.

I was glad that I was able to work through my thoughts on this. I hated that I allowed the old man to manipulate me even slightly but shit happens. Seeing me back track would probably have the smug asshole on cloud nine. He would see a vulnerability that he could take advantage of. If showcasing those more vulnerable emotions was enough to convince me then he would be doing it constantly.

Was it really worth dealing with that? I sighed as the answer was still yes. I would do what I wanted even if it led to the old man smelling his own farts in pride.

As I was walking down the street I was greeted with a familiar sight. It was the park where I first met Lily. For a place that was so close to the bad side of town it was in pretty good shape. The playground was not in the best condition but it was clearly still usable. The vibrant greenery and open fields brought back memories.

I once again sighed at the sight. This place was filled with happy but bitter memories. I could now face those memories without frothing at the mouth. Lily and I may be living in two separate worlds but that did not mean I could not find joy in those memories. They were truly something magical to me after all.

The ending may not have been what I wanted but I could be happy with the start of the story. That ending may have brought me pain but I was honestly better off for it. I was starting a new chapter in my life, I had no idea how it would end but I was excited to see the outcome. I had too many things on my side now.

I was no longer the lonely boy who could only clutch onto a desperate dream that was slipping away from him. I grew and while I might be scared and frightened I was stepping forward. The path may have looked dark and dreary once upon a time but luck would forever guide me. The dark endless path no longer felt so hopeless. I had others by my side and a force of nature that loved me truly.

I heard a sharp gasp behind me, I turned away from that swing set and faced the noise. It was a young girl, she was looking at me with her mouth wide open. Her face blazing as she took in my features. She was dressed in a school uniform and she clutched onto a book as she stared at me. Blonde hair and features that were too sharp to look beautiful, she was also rather thin.

I recognized her, she was Petunia Evans. A girl who wanted desperately to be special when she was anything but. I should have expected to wander into a familiar face. These streets might have been empty when I arrived but they no longer were. I might have spent a good amount of time contemplating. Story of my fucking life.

I was fairly certain she had not recognized me. I may have had features that were similar to my previous appearance but I was far away from the skinny poor boy. If she did know who I was she would not be shooting me looks like that. She hated me with a passion after all. I was the catalyst for her whole world changing after all. It may have changed later without my involvement but that was irrelevant. Emotions did not care for the facts.

I was also not so kind to her. To me she was just another Muggle. I did not have the best opinion of those for a very long time. My father was not the best reflection of humanity after all. Beyond that, I was so infatuated with Lily that she fell to the wayside. Now that I was going over those memories I could see that she wanted to get involved with the magical world but I shut her out. I disregarded her just like the rest of the world did.

She struggled with that rejection and the fascination with the whimsical world that was presented to her. As her jealousy burned at Lily I did nothing to soothe the pain. Just another thing that would go to her perfect sister.

I winced as I went over those memories. I could admit that I was a racist bastard back then. I ignored her pain and trampled upon her dreams because they were foolish to me. In truth, Petunia and I held far more in common in comparison to Lily. I was just never able to see it, blinded by my blind devotion.

I could have provided this girl some comfort. She was a squib I knew that but squibs could still produce potions. Not any of the more intense ones but that small gesture would have been amazing to this girl. A connection beyond the fragile bond I forged with Lily. A regret that I was not even aware I held.

I was surprised that Lily never offered to teach her sister potions. Maybe she was so blinded by the magical world that she never considered the possibility. Maybe she did not even think her sister was a squib? It was hard to dictate the motivations of a teenage girl.

Looking at this frail jealous girl I feel pity. I once plotted to use her, to force her even further from her family. To drive the spike between her and Lily even deeper. I would have given her everything she ever wanted while binding her in chains for my own amusement. To tear the bonds that were barely hanging on in twine.

As I looked at her without that petty vengeance blinding me I regret even thinking about taking those actions. I would have broken a person who held no malice towards me for a vengeance that would have driven me further away.

"Petunia…It's nice seeing you." I spoke lowly to the blushing girl. It was nice seeing her, not in any way I expected but still nice. I may have failed this girl but that did not mean I should continue doing so. If she wanted to involve herself with the magical world it would be fairly simple to teach her potions.

I could teach her the trick that I learned to siphon magic. That route should be put off till later. I would be doing it in her best interests but that would still lead to similar ends to what I once planned.

If I wanted to grant a squib magic it would not be impossible. Fortuna was on my side so I could theoretically create a potion for anything. A method to grow that dried decaying core into something that could live should be easy. Hell, the knowledge that Fawkes provided me would play a major part in that. Being able to play around with endless vitality was a rather important step.

Well, granting squibs the opportunity to actually learn magic would once again have my name spoken in reverence. As pureblood lines became more and more intertwined it became harder to stop squibs from showing up. The fact that those sacred rituals were banned played a part in that as well. Solving that issue would be something no one expected from me.

Releasing that knowledge was a fair bit worse in comparison to the phoenix tears. Well, I did not need to release that concept if I wanted to help this one girl.

Petunia took in my words and looked utterly stunned that I knew her name. When she realized exactly who I was that look was going to fade quickly. Getting her to accept my help was going to be difficult. I did not make the best impression after all.

I never tried to make those connections, it was such a shame as the world was filled with those opportunities.