au_hogwarts | (no subject)

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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"We were in school together. Same year, different houses, but I don't hold it against her. I mean, not everyone can be brainy and clever, you know?"

"Obviously not," Steph says, giggling. She shifts back to sit cross-legged on her desk, grinning happily to herself while her papers continue to shuffle themselves. "It seems some of us can be neither."

But she thinks she's going to enjoy working with him anyway. He's funny.

And totally brilliant, it's just really hard to tell outside of his class.

"I won't judge you for it either," Sokka promises, chuckles to join in with her giggles. "But I'll leave you be, if you were doing more with those papers than shuffling. Just thought I'd say hello less formal-like after the feast introductions."

"I appreciate it," Steph says, grinning up at him. "Pleasure to meet you. This castle's a big place, and I sure don't plan on heading down to the dungeons any time soon. Especially now that I know I should wear explosion-proof armour."

She is short and sweet-faced and laughing, and all, but when she lifts a hand to wave goodbye, her sleeve falls back to reveal the edge of a dark, twisting line of cursed scar tissue disappearing into her robes. Not a simple wound, not to leave a mark like that.

If his eyes catch on it, his smile doesn't fade. Not in the slightest. And there's no hitch in his returned wave either, friendly and open.

Making a note of the scar, of her face. Reminding himself to make a trip to the pub soon.

"Good to meet you, too. And you're welcome any time, if you suddenly get brave."

"Or stupid." Steph beams at him. "I've been known to be that, too ... See you 'round!"

Edited 2011-09-21 12:12 (UTC)