Victoria walks up to the hut, she was in a beautiful spot. She walks up the door and knocks.

Aaaaaaaaand last but not least, Professor Morgan.

Being careful to watch his step, Jake made his way down to HIS FAVOURITEST TEACHER'S Professor Morgan's hut, a bunch of lilies in his hand and a note in his pocket, the longest one. This was the apology he was both looking forward to and dreading, and Jake was absolutely certain that Professor Morgan would be... having words with him about his behaviour at the start of term feast.

Taking a deeeeeep breath, Jake knocked on the door and waited.

Professor Morgan had just finishing tidying up the little mess that Vincent had made of her desk, when she heard a knock at the door. Correction, two knocks. "We have company." She said, tapping Vincent lightly on his back. She watched as he fluttered off back to his cage and then walked over quickly and flung open the door. "Good afternoon children." She said cheerfully. She was delighted to see Jake standing there. And look here... a new face. How wonderful!

"Come in, come in." She said, ushering them inside.

Biting his lip, Jake stepped inside the hut-place-thing, and hovered awkwardly by the door, deciding to just get straight to the point. "Erm, hiii..." he started, reaching into his pocket for the letter. "I came to apologize and give you these flowers," he explained shortly.

And hear your inevitable lecture...

"May I read it to you?" Jake asked, holding out the flowers and becoming acutely aware that he managed to cut straight to the point and probably sounded like he didn't want to be there.

Iliana looked down at the flowers in Jake's hand. FLOWERS!? For me? Oh I'm gonna cry, I just know, I AM going to cry. She thought, not really hearing the bit about an apology. It really wouldn't have registered much if she had, considering Jake had done nothing to require one. "Jacob Upstead they're beautiful!!" She exclaimed, taking the flowers from him and breathing in their wonderful fragrance. "I know just where they'll go."

Grabbing the empty crystal vase from off the bookshelf, Iliana rushed over to the sink to fill it with water. When she was finally done with their arranging, she placed them on her desk to admire them. "They look perfect! Lilies are my favorite, how did you know?"

She looked up at him for a response and that was when she noticed the off-look on his face. Then it dawned on her. He had wanted to read something. "Sorry Jake. Yes, go ahead." She said, suddenly curious.

Jake watched in silence as Professor Morgan sorted the flowers, rather artistically if he did say so himself.

But he didn't.

Because he wasn't saying anything... yet.

"I don't think I did know that," he answered, unfolding the note in his hands and glancing down at it. "Okay," Jake took a breath, trying to relax himself, and started reading the letter to this lady-person.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jake's left-handed scrawwwwl

Professor Morgan,

I had planned to come and apologise to you, Miss Avalon, Professor Bunbury and Professor Kazimeriz, but the latter of these feels I should also write a letter of apology to each of you and read it out.

Basically, I'm sorry you had to witness my apalling behaviour at the start of term feast, as well as my outburst of temper, including when I verbally lashed out at Professor Kazimeriz and kept talking back at you all.

I am fully aware that this behaviour was absolutely uncalled for and I shouldn't have gone against anyone, as they were only doing their jobs. I'm sorry you felt the need to help "handle" me and I am ready to hear whatever you have to say to me. Professor Kazimeriz has also given me nightly detentions until he says otherwise, for my "deplorable" behaviour at the start of term feast.

Sorry again,
Jakers Upstead,
Second year,
Hufflepuff.

He looked up again, feeling increasingly annoyed with his stop-start way of reading. He was perfectly capable of reading silently to himself, but failed epically when reading outloud. "Sorry about my reading," he added, folding the letter up and handing it over, getting ready for whatever she wanted to say to him.

Professor Morgan listened quietly as Jake read aloud. At first she was confused; unsure of why Jake felt compelled to apologize at all. She soon found out.

At the mention of Professor Kazimeriz's name, it all made sense. She was actually a bit impressed of the man's methods. The punishment could have been much worse. "Your reading was fine, Jake. And thank you for the apology." She said, sitting on the corner of her desk. Looking over at her flowers, she wanted to wrap her arms around him and hug him tight. Probably not the best idea considering the reason for his visit. Instead, she reached for her cookie tin. "Cookie?" She offered.

Looking wistfully at the tin Jake shook his head, letting his gaze linger for a few moments. "Can't," he said shortly, a hint of bitterness in his voice. "My dad said I can't have sugar anymore," Jake explained, tapping his fingers against his sides, getting rid of some pent up energy. Glancing down at the floor and then around the rest of the hut, Jake eventually looked back up at Professor Morgan. Waiting.

Waiting.

"Well they're here if you change your mind." She said, setting the tin beside her. She glanced once more at her flowers, seemingly unable to keep her eyes off them. They were gorgeous after all and added such a nice touch to her office décor. When she looked back up at Jake, she noticed the anxious look he was giving her. "What is it, Jake? Is something wrong?"

"Okay," Jake nodded, eyeing the tin for a few more minutes. Then he shifted his gaze back to the professor again. "What? I don't know what you're talking about," he outright LIED, rather unconvincingly, too. Trying to distract himself, Jake moved over to the bookcase things, behind the desk. He tilted his head reading the titles of the books situated on the shelves that were just about at his eye level.

"I just wondered," Jake started... before changing the wording of his next sentence. "I expected you to have something to say about what happened at the feast," he explained, again with the slightly bitter tone.

It was sooooo much easier to talk when you couldn't see the other person.

She watched as Jake walked over to the bookshelf. Oh Merlin! Could she really be so dense. 'Not too quick on the uptake lately now are you Ili.' She thought to herself. Of course that's what had been bothering him.

She stood up, off her desk and walked over by his side. "Well now that you mention it... " She paused, unsure of how to begin. "Jake you have to learn how to keep your temper. I know its difficult when it seems like everyone's lining up to have a go at you. But that's no way to react." She put her hand on his shoulder and turned him to face her. "You letting them get the upper hand that way." Argh! She hated the idea of people picking on him. On HER Jake. It infuriated her. Leave it to people to harass someone younger and smaller.

Where the other professors were involved was a different story entirely. "Jake, I know you have trouble trusting adults but I can assure you that they are only looking out for your best interests."

"No fair," Jake pointed out, frowning. "Teachers get to shout at us whenever they like. I don't see why I have to keep my mouth shut to please them, or why I should have to respect my elders or whatever. I hardly did anything wrong," he added, his tone becoming dangerously close to a whine. "I really don't care who gets the upper hand, I just don't like getting in trouble for every natural instinct."

Jake shook his head, staring over to the other side of the hut, desperately avoiding eye contact. "It don't seem like they are," he muttered. "I mean... nightly detentions?!"

Iliana shook her head. "Jake, do you honestly believe that we find some pleasure in disciplining our students? I'm sure that Professor Kazimeriz had his reasons for what he did." Whatever they were, she didn't make a habit of questioning other professors' methods. "Your natural instincts, as you call them, might lead you to trouble far worse than any of us could bring you." She gave him a serious look. How on earth was she supposed to explain self-control to a twelve year old. And nightly detentions weren't so bad. Ever the optimist, Iliana smiled and said. "At least you'll still be able to attend the Quidditch try-outs." There was always a bright side to everything.

Narrowing his eyes, Jake shot a death glare across the room. "No fair," he muttered again. How on earth were you supposed to enjoy yourself in life if you have to follow a bunch of meaningless rules. "Surely, the best thing would be to act inately, rather than a total lie. I don't get it!" he stressed through gritted teeth.

"... look at me like that..." Jake mumbled partially to himself, feeling a sudden flare-up of anger.

Quidditch tryouts... "Yeah, I suppose that's true," he nodded, miserably, looking up at Professor Morgan and straight into her eyes.

"Jake what do you suppose the world would be like if none of us listened to that little voice in our head? If we all just blurted out the first things that came to our minds?" She knew that her voice hinted towards frustration. Darn it, that was not what she wanted at all. She took a deep breath and when she spoke again, her voice was softer. "It will get easier with time, Jake."

"Well, it would be a much more honest world," Jake snapped back, before biting his lip and looking down. This was proving Professor Morgan's point: it would not be a kind world at all... but Jake still stood by his point. "I don't want that to get easier, to be honest," he added, turning away a bit. Vincent's cage caught his eye and Jake beelined for it, eyeing the snidget.

"How's Vincent been?" he asked casually, changing the subject like noooooobody's business.

Iliana could tell - This conversation was over. It wouldn't do any good to press it further today. She turned around and whistled, causing Vincent to fly from his cage, perching on Jake's shoulder. "He's great! Seems to have missed you, huh?!" She answered.

Giving a soft smile, Jake raised his hand to softly stroke Vincent with the one finger. "He's cool," he nodded, speaking gently, so the snidget wouldn't be startled. Looking around the room for a seat, Jake decided to try his luck by sitting in the closest seat, the one behind Professor Morgan's desk. Smiling, Jake went ahead and sat himself down. "Nice view," he commented, before catching sight of a bunch of photos. "Who are these people?" he asked, turning the frames round a tad, the better to see them.

Iliana followed Jake over to her desk, finding her normal spot on the corner and sitting down. She looked at her pictures and smiled. "Well that's my big family." She said proudly. She pointed to the picture closest to her first. "Those are my parents. My father should be retiring soon. And that one..." She said, pointing to the next. "That is my brother and his family." Ah-ha! That reminded her. "The girl in the middle, that's Simone. She's in Hufflepuff too. I'd love for you to meet her." She said excitedly. She continued down the line, pointing out her sisters next. "The older one is Vivianne. Julianna and Adriana are twins. They're both dancers for the Paris Opera Ballet." She explained, seeing that they were in costume in the photo. "You know who the rest of the pictures are of." She said, rolling her eyes at Vincent. She had his little face peeking up at her from all over.

"So Jake, you've never told me about your family. I seem to remember you mentioning brothers. Something about your new, unique hair color?" She said, winking playfully at him.

"Wow... big family is right," Jake nodded, taking his time focusing on each individual person. Boy, there was alot of pictures of Vincent here. And then... she was asking about his family... kind of. Now... that WAS complicated.

"Ahh, well..." he replied, leaning back and looking up at Professor Morgan. "My family... My parents never got married, and my dad left when I was 3 weeks old. My mother told me it was because they couldn't afford for us all to be together, but I seldom believe anything she tells me these days," Jake added, as though that didn't really matter to him anymore. "I lived with my mum until just before I came to Hogwarts last year. Then I left there and tried to find my dad, and I did," Jake stopped here, to think for a moment. Everything had been so hurried that summer.

"My dad has another son, Dale. He's six years old and his mother died when he was born. Then it turns out my dad got married, and my step-sister is Reese Upstead... she was a Northway, though. She's a fifth-year Slytherin. And I have another step-brother, Ryan... he's about 18."

And now onto the hair fiasco.

"Dale got hold of my wand, turned my hair pink," Jake explained, tugging at a lock of his hair. "Then Ryan, instead of telling my dad, found a potion he thought might fix it... but it didn't work. Ryan is a squib, so he couldn't fix it... Anyway, my dad had to literally drag me into St. Mungo's and I was kicking and screeeeaming," Jake smiled at the memory, where all the female healers were bribing him with sweets and his dad didn't know whether to stop them or not. "And I'm stuck like this for two years."

Victoria saw a boy walking towards the hut and knock too, she watched the door open and the professor asking her in. She walked into the hut and saw her beautiful pet.

Exiting the Common Room, Anna headed out onto the grounds of the school. The grounds, especially the gardens she'd found, were especially good for moments when one just wanted to get away from it all and think things through. Lost in thought, Anna stared at the ground as she walked, stopping only when she was aware she'd come across a buidling just up ahead. When she stopped, she glanced up and took in the sight of Professor Morgan's hut. Professor Morgan had always been a nice lady to talk to. She was pretty...and kind...and all the things Anna only hoped to be when she got a little older. Maybe, just maybe...oh, no, she couldn't!

Suddenly frightened at the thought of having an adult-to-adult conversation with a professor, Anna turned and headed back to the castle. As soon as she arrived at the doors, though, she thought better of her decision and turned right back around. No, no, nooo. If she was going to be an adult in two short weeks, then she was going to have to start acting like one. That included facing fears and speaking to other adults about adult issues---like engagements and marriage cermonies. Gulp.

When Anna approached the hut, she heard voices inside, and suddenly, her old fears came rushing back. She couldn't talk to the professor in front of another student---a boy, no less! Turning on her heels, Anna walked back to the castle once again. As she walked, she had time to realize how foolish she was being. Number one, she was pacing the grounds like a complete loon, and number two, she was, once again, refusing to act like the adult she was about to become. With determination, she turned again and headed back to the hut. This time, when she got there, she walked right up to the door and knocked a few times.

Simone all but ran out to her Aunt's hut. She was so excited to see her at school. Her aunt. Amazing! It was the best feeling in the world to know that she had family around her at school.

She would have just burst through the door, but she heard voices, and decided to knock instead. She knocked five times, and stood there, rather impatiently, waiting for the go ahead.

Iliana listened as Jake recounted his past. She wondered silently if this was why she felt so protective of him; why she mothered him so. He'd had it so rough throughout the years and now, when things had finally started to find some semblance of normalcy, he father remarries and he's gained a whole new family. She couldn't tell if it pleased him or not. There wasn't any indication on his face or in his statement. She just prayed that he was happy. "I know Reese. She's a wonderful girl." She said with a smile.

She held back a giggle as Jake explained about his hair. She raised an eyebrow at the 'kicking and screaming' comment. That was something she'd experienced first hand. At the thought, her leg twinged just a bit as if reliving the memory with her.

"You know Jake, it's not that bad." She said, smiling again. "The color suits you." Leave it to a brother though. She remembered the countless times Alain had tried magic on her. "Oh dear, wands and brothers." She said, shaking her head. "Mine once tried to plait my hair with his in order to surprise our mother..." She rolled her eyes. "Let's just say, she was surprised. VERY surprised."
"Good afternoon." She said as the young girl came inside. "Is this your first year to Hogwarts?" She asked, though the answer seemed obvious.
Hearing a knock at the door, Professor Morgan excused herself from the others and hurried over to answer it. "Miss Greingoth, hello. Won't you come in?" She said, turning around to offer her a seat. "How was your summer, dear?"
Iliana's face lit up. She would know that knock anywhere. "Get in here, Simone." She said, grabbing her hand and practically pulling her through the door. "There are some people here I want you to meet."