au_hogwarts | (no subject)

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alec troven

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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.

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Oh. Well, now there's just the tiniest little smirk playing about the corner of her mouth.

"Well, I'd believe you, but ... I'm a professor of Hogwarts now, too. I've got a little sign on my rooms and everything. I'm pretty sure they don't actually put 'respectable and authoritative' in the job description."

"Well, they did on mine. I can't speak for such questionable short-term positions as DADA instructor, especially when they've apparently exhausted their supply of British educators."

Yeah, there's no way he's keeping a straight face for that. Grinning again, Sokka steps into her office to offer a hand. "Sokka Aquam, Potions. Never did get a chance to speak with you at the feast, sorry."

"I'll be honest," Steph admits, "I think I was actually the only applicant this year, from any country."

They couldn't find anyone else reckless enough. Gold star for Steph's Gryffindor side!

(She doesn't have a House. But she does have a fondness for the terminally brave.)

She flicks her wand at the untidy stack of papers - they begin to grumblingly rearrange themselves into ordered piles - and hops easily to her feet, robes swishing, to put her much smaller, wand-calloused hand out in return. And blinks. He is tall.

"Stephanie Brown. Steph, really. You teach potions, huh? There's a fourth-year who I should send down to have a word with you."

Sokka laughs at her applicant status - sighs very softly at her wand work - and grins when she turns out to be just as short as he imagined.

Which is exactly what he needs, thinking of Jo - another tiny blonde to tease.

"Really?" he asks, entirely too innocent as he shakes her hand. "A fourth year? House and name, please, I've several who probably need a word or two."

"Oh, I won't incriminate him, he's already served detention for it - this time." She indicates a sanded-and-polished scorch mark on the floor, with a grin.

"But I'm a little worried he'll get his hands on another exploding potion and actually hurt someone the next time he decides to haze the new teacher."

Sokka frowns, thoughtful, then follows her gesture to the scorch mark.

Immediately, his expression lights up and he laughs with unmistakable glee. "Oh, the Scintillating Solution! It worked! Well, now you have to give me his name, that's at least ten points to his house. And a fourth year even, well done!"

Stephanie lowers her eyebrows and gives him much the same look she gave the errant sixth-year with the late homework.

Sokka beams.

"Oh, come on, you've already given him detention, how startling could it have been? And a fourth year, really, that potion's really more mid-fifth year but I always try to give them a bit of a challenge the first week. It really shouldn't have worked, especially not for a prank."

Stephanie continues to LOOK at him.

"You," she says levelly, "are trouble. Next time I Stun some poor kid into next week because he's setting off incendiary devices in my classroom, you're varnishing the floor."

She is totally not amused. Nope. She is very serious teacher and this is very serious business. Any amusement in her face is completely imagined.

Because she's so good at hiding her expressions, and all. >>

"It's not like I'm condoning him dropping it in class," Sokka argues, pouting a little. "I'm just saying, that's a high-level potion I wasn't expecting any of them to manage properly. It's impressive that he got it! And if you don't tell me now, I'll just have to make a big spectacle tomorrow of figuring out who it was anyway."

A moment of silence and a big shiny grin. "Did you really Stun him?"

Steph looks him up and down, and - grins. "Something tells me you're going to make a big spectacle anyway. I'm not going to help. But I might watch.

"And no, I didn't Stun him. Came pretty close, though." She gestures, witha small smirk, at another, smaller scorchmark - on the back wall, above head-height, jerked upwards in the last second.

Kids shouldn't be setting off small bombs when their teacher is an Auror on active duty. Really, Wadsworth was just lucky Steph's reflexes are fast enough to change targets split-second. Poor kid.

It's okay, he'll get points for it.

Sokka, however, is laughing even as he shakes his head. "I swear, they get dumber every year. Surprising a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. Maybe the house will only get twenty-five points, he's no good to them dead."

Steph narrows her eyes at him. "You are seriously going to give the kid points for playing pranks on me? Dude. You and I are gonna have to be mortal enemies."

Sorry. It's just how it is.

She remains very serious.

"Not for the prank!" Sokka protests, truly appalled by her incorrect assumptions. "Just for the potion! He'd, uh... get more points for setting it off in his own common room?

"...actually, no, he wouldn't." Thoughtful frown. "Because really, it's the testimony of a professor that legitimizes the whole thing."

Steph is trying very hard to not laugh. She's only new at this school and she wants to maintain what sembleance of dignity she has.

But Professor Aquam is kind of hilarious.

"So if I hadn't said anything ... ?"

"Rumored success is still just a rumor."

Shiny grin.

"I'd require at least three impeccable witnesses and there'd still be a penalty on the points, just for being a git about setting it off."

"That's my Brown Luck coming to the fore," Steph says, very sadly. "Note to self: next time someone blows something up, don't tell the Potions master."

"Well, now you're just being cruel to the students. Shame on you, Professor, I didn't expect an American to be so boring."

Steph is very wounded by this. DEEPLY offended.

"I'm eccentric like that. They did warn me that teachers here tend to get ... strange, after a while.

"Say, how long have you been here?"

"About ten minutes longer than I should have," Sokka answers promptly, beaming. "Long enough to find hazing new teachers and then insulting their patriotism still amusing. Feel free to return the favor, though - I didn't even watch the Cup this year."

And England was in it!

"Simply disgraceful." Steph mimics a very proper accent, and looks quite serious. "What kind of an Englishman do you call yourself?

"And now you've admitted to hazing I definitely don't believe you about the squid."

Her accent is getting laughed at pretty hard.

But he sobers a little at her disbelief. "That... could be a problem. I'd better get Leah to tell you, then, I'm told she has a more believable face."

"Leah? -- oh, Professor Ross.

"Wait. Leah Ross. ... Leah Ross?"

"Just got that, did you?" Sokka teases, grinning again. "Yes indeed, the Leah Ross, and she'll skin me alive if she finds out I didn't catch the Cup this year.

"There you are. You were nearly exploded this afternoon by one of my students and now you've got the means to destroy me right back, if you so choose."

A hand is offered, along with a grin. "Even?"

Steph laughs and gives him her hand, still beaming like the inner seventeen-year-old who just got told she's working alongside a long-held idol. Because she did.

"Leah Ross. Sure, even - I can't pretend I'm holding a grudge while I'm busy fangirling. I wanted to be her so much!"