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Brent wasn’t out to make friends, so perhaps that is why he merely rose an eyebrow in response to her troubles. He’d only had a couple of friends and he could count on one hand the number of people that he trusted. “If you don’t have those qualities, then what do you expect to happen? You can’t just gain them overnight, unless you plan on being someone other than yourself.” And, to Brent, there was nothing worse than suppressing one’s true self. Those that wore masks he could never respect. “Have you ever tried Felix Felicis then? I certainly wouldn’t recommend constantly digesting the potion in order to make your life easier, as it’s only a short term solution, but perhaps in the meantime you could learn to be more graceful. Or you could plan ahead, be more organized, pay closer attention to what you are doing and perhaps your fortune will turn around.”

“Perhaps they did cast something on you then, but everyone has their own lot in life, or so I have come to find. It’s all what you make of it and how you choose to use your resources, but that’s within the realm of possibility, yes. Though I am also not sure what kind of bad luck it is that you are even referring to.” What others saw as bad luck, Brent often saw as happenstance or opportunity for betterment. “I’m not sure St. Mungo has the facilities to help with that kind of problem unless it truly is the result of some kind of jinx or hex. Yet, I do fail to see what appearances have to do with anything. So long as you are performing the tasks and responsibilities assigned to your job position, it shouldn’t matter.”

“While luck does have something to do with magic, obviously, since we can produce it in liquid form, I would think that those are separate matters. Your attitude isn’t a reflect of you pushing the boundaries and laws of nature, and unless they themselves have devised this curse, I don’t think that’s very probably. You could just naturally be that misfortune, though if I were you I’d spend more time trying to do something about it rather than just accepting it. Start by taking advantage of your position at St. Mungo.”

“It’s the first law of magic: tamper with the source of life, the essence of self, only if prepared for the consequences of the most extreme and dangerous kind. It is similar to the Muggle physicist, Isaac Newton’s, third law of motion: for every action, there is an equal but opposite reaction. You see this best exemplified in a murderer’s soul being torn apart. It’s really not that hard to understand.”

“No, yeah, I get that part, but what if I haven’t done anything that would grant me a reaction? What if I simply am a tiny ball of bad luck ever since I can remember? I shit you not, my family thinks being this clumsy and unlucky was a curse and I swear I’m starting to believe it. Being Welcomewitch at St. Mungo has been the safest place I’ve ever worked as. Not to mention, it really has been the only job I’ve ever had. What you’re explaining to me sounds like Karma and I don’t think, other than being a general asshole, that I’ve done anything to gather me this life.”