(no subject)

[aubergine_girl]

It's late on a September school night - students should all be doing homework now, really.  The Defence Against the Dark Arts professor certainly is.  She's marking papers in her classroom, and occasionally batting away an errant pixie.  

She's new to the school this year - this month - but she's been told that legend has it a batch of Cornish Pixies were released in this room around 1992 and nobody's ever managed to exterminate them properly.  Legend has it, too, that they've evolved and become ever more intelligent, due to the high levels of magic in the air around Hogwarts.

Legend has an awful lot of things.  Professor Brown is still making up her mind on whether or not any of them are real. 

Teaching is kind of a new gig, and Hogwarts isn't very clear on what, exactly, the expectations for this Defence class are.  So her first paper for the sixth-years is along the lines of:  "This is what's attacking you.  How do you defend?  Give three options and three possible escape routes." 

Her students' responses to that are -- apparently kind of entertaining, judging by the occasional hint of muffled laughter audible even from the corridor. 

Comments

[trickswithsticks]

"Y'know, I can hear you laughing from the corridor, right?"

Professor Ross, in her second year teaching History of Magic, wanders into the room from outside, grinning wildly.

It's a particularly disturbing look when coupled with her two enchanted false eyes that spin around unrelated to each other.

"Are your students that funny?"

[aubergine_girl]

Professor Brown looks up, quickly making her face perfectly straight. Very, Very Solemn.

"I'm not laughing. Why would I be laughing? I totally don't think kids' serious, heartfelt essays are funny in the slightest. Oh God, I'm a terrible person."

[trickswithsticks]

"Hey, you can be as terrible a person as y'like, as long as you're not a terrible teacher."

Professor Ross grins and finds herself an empty seat at a desk. "Hey, you mind if I pop my eyes out? These things are murder."

[aubergine_girl]

"Go for it." Steph pushes her stack of papers aside and leans back in her chair, an impressive array of cracks issuing from her back. "They really that uncomfortable? I always thought it'd be handy to have one of those things."

[trickswithsticks]

Leah leans her head back so her fcae is turned towards the ceiling, and after a couple of wet popping sounds, there are two small balls floating in the air above her, where they spin gently, occasionally focusing on something in the classroom.

"Everyone says that, but I don't see anyone in a rush to get 'em, y'know?"

Rubbing at her empty sockets, she chuckles. "It's like wearing shoes he entire time, y'know? Only shoes that only come in one size, and have two inch heels."

[elementwizard.livejournal.com]

Alec is not late with his homework.

Merely ... not on time.

He comes with hurried steps, his hair ruffled from Quidditch practice and holding the paper in his hands. Looking apologetic and somewhat sheepish he comes over and holds it out to her. There's a mumble that sounds like "Sorryit'slate."

[aubergine_girl]

Professor Brown, face perfectly straight - giggling? not her! - looks at him, and then she looks at the paper. Then she accepts it.

"Is there a reason for lateness?" she asks, not unkindly. "I won't take marks off if you can give me a good reason."

[elementwizard.livejournal.com]

Of course she wasn't.

"I needed Adrian to go over it for me for spelling mistakes and grammar stuff, like things," he says quickly. "And he had a big test in Arithromancy so he didn't get to it fast enough."

Alec's spelling is haphazard at best and a complete and utter disaster at worst. It's an adventure trying to read, to say the least, with scrambled letters and other things that indicate dyslexia.

So, he's gotten the boyfriend -Adrian- to help him with that. But Adrian's seventh year and so who knows what's going to happen to his spelling next year. Maybe he'll be able to send his essays over by Owl.

[aubergine_girl]

Professor Brown frowns, just faintly, in disapproval. "I think I have to dock marks for that. You know, you're very welcome to come to me if you need help with writing. That's what teachers are for."

[veneficusvenato]

Jo totally has a reason for being in the school.
Completely totally reliable adult reason.
Which has been distracted by cackling.



A blonde head peers into the well known Dark Arts room.

"Well, that's a decidedly new sound for this room."

[aubergine_girl]

"I bet it's not." Steph peeks up from behind her pile of paperwork, grinning at the newcomer. "I'm sure there've been way more evil teachers than me in here."

[veneficusvenato]

"Evil laughter is completely different. It's more like--" Jo cleared her throat and emulated an evil chortle that echoed throughout the room between them.

[aubergine_girl]

Steph analyses thist houghtfully. "Hmm. You might be right. But isn't it a bit more --"

She provides something that is more of a cackle, echoing off the ceiling and startling a pixie into buzzing over Jo's head.

[scientiaeaquam.livejournal.com]

"Oh good," says a cheerful voice in her doorway, beaming comfortably at a cackling professor surrounded by her students' carefully scripted words. "You're learning the true secret of successful teaching."

[aubergine_girl]

Professor Brown's face is perfectly straight. "I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about. I would never treat these papers with anything other than grave respect," she says seriously.

"-- oh, man, let me just read some of these out, though. This one would fight a curse that ran hot lead in his bones by swimming in the lake..."

[scientiaeaquam.livejournal.com]

Sokka pauses for a thoughtful moment.

"...in the hopes that the squid would cause a less painful death?"

[aubergine_girl]

Steph shakes her head, struggling to keep that straight face. "I don't understand how it's an effective counterattack, but I guess if you provoked the squid ... maybe?"

She hesitates.

"Wait, there's actually a squid? A deadly squid?"

This is a serious, innocent question. It's hard to sort out truth from legend around here - and some of the staff are disgracefully prone to teasing the newbie.

[source_fairy]

"They're funny sometimes, aren't they?" says one of her new colleagues, sticking in her head.

It is a rather colourful head, with pink streaks in the hair, and lots of make-up.

[aubergine_girl]

"Oh no, I'd never laugh at them," Steph assures her earnestly - and then continues to do just that. "You've got to come look at some of these, they're classic. I'm going to have my work cut out for me this year!"

[source_fairy]

"Read me the three worst so far," Sirona says, leaning in the door frame.

She is wearing large combat boots.

[aubergine_girl]

Steph approves, in general, of this lady's sense of style. Professor Brown herself is fairly bland-looking, really. Quite short, and pretty in an unassuming outdoorsy sort of way, without any particularly distinguishing marks or style. At least, any that are visible outside her robes.

(It's a lot easier to get away with things when you're short and blonde and smile sweetly and let people forget you.)

"I don't think I can pick three favourites," she admits, grinning. "They're probably not all that funny, really. I just ... some of them I wouldn't hesitate to put in a combat situation, and some of these kids I wouldn't trust to make it down the stairs alive."

[2serve.livejournal.com]

Students should be doing their homework yes, but not all students follow "should". Case in point, one Kate Kane (4th year, Gryffindor) who is prowling the corridors exploring. She good and quiet too until unexpected laughter catches her attention and she steps badly on a floor board which creaks loudly.

Opps.

[aubergine_girl]

The door opens immediately, flooding the dark corridor with light and brightness. The professor takes a moment longer to arrive, but arrive she does, smiling at the girl. Not unkindly.

"Good evening."

It is very difficult to sneak up on this professor, floorboards or not. It's possible the door was even swinging open before the floorboard squeaked.

[2serve.livejournal.com]

Crap. Kate thinks but offers no hint of such in her face. She just smiles like she should be there and replies, "Good evening."

[aubergine_girl]

"Exploring?" Stephanie asks, curious. This girl is not doing the usual cower. -- Okay, not many people cower before Steph, but most kids look a little guilty.