The senior snake boy smiled at Professor Moxley's statement of having time for him. He walked past her to enter the room, then held the door for her...with his own hands, just as muggle men do. Once inside the bric-a-bracked office space, he waited for her to be seated before taking one himself.

"I'm really glad I didn't coom at ta bad time. I've been resehrchin' a muggle fella called Bond, booht, I've run owttoff resources at the library or have hit a dead end and I could use a clue from a muggle expert sooch as yerself." She had a very large collection of toys and Cutty had quite forgotten that with muggle stuff what you see if often what you get (if he ever knew). So he was imagining all of the things they might be capable of. Especially those bright rubber ducks. "I've read almost all of the James Bond books I've found at the muggle section in the library, booht he seems pretty important. I thought there might be more information available. I joost don't know where ter start."

James Bond? Moxley smiled at the name, not at all surprised that the boy found the character intriguing. The author of the books being mentioned was even more interesting but Meredith decided to focus on one thing at a time, the first being a way for the boy to learn more about the man he'd taken an interest in.

"I'm quite familiar with Bond, yes. My husband is a fan and so I've heard things on occasion." Moxley was cool like that, y'see. Dabbled in a bit of this, a bit of that. All-knowing, provider of information, helper extraordinaire. Was Mr. Mordaunt impressed yet?

"I think you might find it helpful to see some of the films he's featured in? Might give you another way to get a feel for his character." She grinned before tapping her desk lightly with her fingers. "Tell me, what do you know about muggle films?"

Oh yeah, she totally bought it. Zander could tell. Man, he was getting better at this stretching the truth thing. And not gonna lie, he was pretty proud about it too. Heh. "Sounds great, Professor!" he smiled as he walked into the office and set the plate of brownies on her desk, opting to take a seat. He already had a brownie on his way over to the office, so he was good for now. 'Sides the brownies were really meant for her. Ain't no better way to woo a Professor than through the use of sweet treats! Well, actually that Probably wouldn't work on Professor Flamsteed or Professor Q. 'Cause Flammy seemed like the type to enjoy healthy foods, while CatMan was on a strict apple diet.

But Professor Moxley, Queen of Muggle Studies, understood Zander. 'Cause she totally knew where the good food was at. Like those burgers they had in class that one time. MHM. Doesn't get any better than that. Except for brownies. Brownies were better than that, only by a bit though. "Just wondering, Professor... But what's your favorite dessert?" You know... For future reference.

Zander could give Sophie Brown a run for her money. He was sure.

Moxley wasted no time taking a brownie from the plate. She then sat back in her chair and broke it in half, nibbling on the side in her right hand thoughtfully. "Delicious," She said cheerfully. Just the kind of gift from a student she enjoyed receiving. None of this apple nonsense that other professors were on about.

Having finished one half, the professor paused to consider Zander's question. He wasn't exactly subtle, was he? She didn't think so but then again, neither was she. Perhaps it was a Gryffindor thing? "I'm not sure I could pick just one, Mr. Adair. Not when there are so many out there!" Moxley smiled and then bit into the second half of her brownie. Then she added, "But y'know, it has been ages since I've had cheesecake. I do quite like that."

...If she told him she was a fan of Abraxans, would he try and get her one of those, too? The brunette smiled at the thought.

Man. He was SO good at this. So subtle. He was kind of even impressed with himself. Not a task just anyone could pull off. It took talent.

And delicious desserts. He gave her a grand ol'smile as she commented on the brownie, and made a mental note to give the house elves an extra big thank you on his way back to the Common Room. It'd be a little bit out of the way, but those guys were basically life savers. They needed to know. Where would Zander be without them?! With a batch of burnt cookies, that's where. "Cheesecake does sound really good! I bet the elves are really good at those too," well they were good at everything but you know... Ahem.

Anyways, erm... How were these things supposed to go exactly? Well, he hadn't really thought of a game plan... It wasn't really his specialty, y'know? He was just hoping that he'd pop in, give her some treats, and leave while she still thought he was a supreme student. But now that he was in the office... It meant he actually had to think of something to talk about. Uh.

#WWSBD
What would Sophie Brown Do?

"Anyways, Professor. Did you have a good summer?" Nailed it.

Cutty smiled at the response he was getting from Moxley. She smiled when he mentioned 007's name and what was even better was that she was married to someone who obviously knew the man. Maybe, Mr. Moxley was a muggle and even related to him. This thought floated on Cutty's ignorace of James Bond being not a real man at all.

"Not much. Alorra my friends are into 'em. I haven't seen too many. Booht, if there are films with James Bond in them I'd be interested in seeing them." He said, trying to stop himself from sounding overly enthused.

Moxley was having a thought which was never a good thing, really. Her thought had to do with one Zander Adair and the fact that the poor boy clearly had a crush on her. How could she blame the kid? She was a lovely woman with gorgeous hair and a noggin full of knowledge. All that wrapped up with some Moxley charm and the professor was surprised she didn't have more students popping by to give her brownies. Speaking of, the brunette picked up another and examined it carefully. Just in case...

What had the boy said? Summer, right.

"My summer was lovely, Mr. Adair! Spent some quality time with my husband and daughter. We went on a little vaca to see family in Paris! It's lovely there. The antique shops are filled with treasures, much to Callum's horror! " Meredith pretended to be looking at an empty wallet and then cracked up, amused. Her husband could be a drama king sometimes, honestly. She hadn't spent that much money! After she caught her breath, she added, "How was yours?" Because it was polite to ask such things.



"Well Mr. Mordaunt, it happens to be your lucky day!" Moxley grinned and stood up, going over to one of the many shelves filled with muggle items. She searched a bit before pulling out a compact box-like item and a thinner, rectangular one. She carried both back to her desk and returned to her seat, setting them down between Cutty and herself.

"Now this is a portable player. It allows muggles to play movies wherever they are." Moxley carefully flipped open the black boxy item to reveal a small screen and little set of buttons. "I've charmed this one so I can use it here so if you'd like, you can sign it out and watch your Bond movie." Which lead to the next item she had brought over.

Picking up the thin, rectangular case, Moxley opened it to reveal a disc. Then, after turning the portable player on, she loaded the disc, taking her time so that Mr. Mordaunt could see how it was done. "This is Goldfinger and it's one of the older Bond films but I think you'll quite enjoy it." It was also one of the more appropriate ones so she felt quite comfortable loaning it out. "You just press here to play it and here to stop. You can also rewind parts you'd like to see again by pressing this." The brunette went through the buttons, hovering over each one with her finger but not pressing them. "What do you think? Up for the challenge?" Of using the player, of course. He already seemed to want to see the film.

Zander nodded his head, trying to pay attention because Professors never really talked about their personal lives all that much. So this was like the inside look. It meant that Zander's plan was working. Moxley really liked him, he could tell. This was great. But he'd still have to ask Sophie Brown for some pointers because Zander didn't know what else he was supposed to do. It's not like he really knew all that much about France... Not a lot he could try and expand on. Merlin. He was hopeless.

"Oh, that sounds awesome, Professor!" Did it sound awesome? Erm. He wasn't sure. But he bobbed his head up and down, before looking around the office. Oh yeah, she did seem to have a bit of a... trinket problem, didn't she? "Did you buy more stuff for your office?" 'Cause uh, this place looked like it might not be able to handle much more. Just saying.

"My summer was fantastic! I got to visit my friend's farm, go on the field trip, and I visited diagon alley a few times," it was busy, but great. Way better than last summer. Plus with OWLs out of the way, he finally had the chance to relax. "And I somehow convinced my parents to let me keep my crup," not somehow.. It was all from help with Eden, but he was already rambling quite a bit, wasn't he? Now... A very important question... How the heck was he supposed to fluidly end this sort of thing without looking like he was just here to fulfill some sort of plan? #WWSBD

"I found this amazing rubber duck dressed up as Elvis, actually!" Moxley chuckled and shook her head. Muggles, what would they think of next? "The guy tried to charge me an arm and a leg for it but the Moxinator is an expert haggler, y'know! It makes a lovely addition to the room, don't you think?" Not that Zander could see the thing, at least not without some serious searching given how many treasures lined her shelves.

"Sounds like you were very busy indeed, Mr. Adair! I'm pleased to hear it as summer should be spent with friends and having adventures!" And boy oh boy had Moxley had adventures in her day! Heh!

Watching the blonde thoughtfully, Meredith couldn't help but smile. Kid was over his head now, huh? She found this amusing and let the silence hang in the air, looking at him expectantly so he'd know it was his job to carry the conversation. He was, after all, the one who happened to have brownies for her.

...And okay, making the kiddos uncomfortable did hold a certain special place in her heart.

Cutty watched as the Moxinator stood from her desk and fetched the two items. What were they? Did they go over them in Muggle Studies? That didn't look like a film. Film's were big and flat. But then Moxinator turned on the device and explained what the items were. There were two components to muggle films apparently. The film itself and something to watch it on. Cutty thought this cumbersome, but he liked the reward that came with having a whole new medium in which to find out things about Bond.

Like a cat, Cutty's focus remained on Moxley's fingers watching the sequence and committing it to memory. The largest button, press the side, the tiny metallic record goes inside, shut it, triangle motiff, square, double triangle. Yes. He got this.

As the mini-player began to read the disc and the tiny screen showed the signature gun barrel view, music played to images that included but were not limited to a gold painted lady not unlike the one Cutty had in his dorm. He was quite fixated. But not so much that he missed Moxley's question. "Yeah, I'm up for the challenge. Where do I sign out for them?"

Moxley was pleased to see that Mr. Mordaunt seemed interested. Well, that or he was wise enough to feign interest so that he didn't break the brunette's heart which was wise and equally appreciated. Her own husband had mastered the skill years ago.

Reaching into her desk, Meredith pulled out a clip board and pen. She deposited both on the desk between them and then gestured to the form. A form attached to the clipboard which had very fine print at the top and then lines where item names, student names, and dates could be added.

"So basicallyyyy this just says that you're allowed to borrow an item for a week and then must return here to either bring it back, or ask for extended time with said item. If you fail to meet this requirement, you'll have to face my wrath. Roaaar! Heh." Moxley grinned at the boy and then grabbed the pen, holding it out to him.

"This isn't charmed, is it? I'm not going to have all me hair fall owt if I'm late in retehrnin' it, am I?" He asked half-joking. But, h'mm...What did an angered Moxley look like? Cutty started envisioning a cold revenge and it excited him. Later on, whilst referencing his relationships with his teachers this would be the moment that marked Cutty's odd crush-like feelings for Meredith Moxley.

Cutty took hold of the muggle writing instrument and looked down on the parchment, read the fine print and put down his obvious C and Mor.

"You never can tell, Mr. Mordaunt. Best not to cross me, hm?" Moxley grinned her most innocent grin and then watched as he signed the paper. Meanwhile she got out an ink pad and placed it on her desk. When he'd finished the signature, she gently took hold of his thumb and rolled it over the ink before pressing it to the paper by his signature. How was she able to do this so quickly? Well, no one would ever know. Professors were entitled to their secrets.

"Alright, you're all set!"

He was doing alright. He was doing alright until she flashed him that smile that suggested (in every way) that she was not totally objected to doing her worst. He took this smile as confirmation, another inch on the integer bar towards his initial labeling of her as an icey cold figure of revenge.

Yeah! Moxley. Noel. The Moxinator.

She was touching him and before he knew it his thumb print was on the parchment next to his signature. It made his all sorts of uneasy. But if that's the kind of game she wanted to play, he'd play.

He looked at his still inky thumb, shut off the player with his clean hand, clamped it shut and took it and the movie case into his hand. "Thank you, Professor Moxley. It's a bit stuffy in here. Would you like fer me ter open yer office door on m'way out?"

"You're welcome, Cutty. I do hope you enjoy the film." Moxley glanced at the door and then back at the Slytherin, considering the offer. She actually thought it was a bit drafty today so perhaps he was coming down with something. Hm. Better clean the portable player when he returned it, then. Meredith Moxley didn't do sick. She was far too popular and busy for that.

"That's quite alright but thank you for the offer. Have a nice day, Mr. Mordaunt!" And shoo.

"Oh, I'm cehrtain I will, Professor Moxley." With a smile and feeling quite satisfied, Cutty turned to leave the office of the Muggle Studies professor.

There might have been a certain walk he employed upon his exit. He made sure to shut the door behind himself, though so beyond the threshold there'd be no way to tell.

A rubber duck dressed up as Elvis… Why would anyone want one of those? It sounded absolutely useless, but Zander pretended to look very impressed either way. ‘Cause he couldn’t just pretend to play the part, you know. He actually had to do it. And he was going to try his absolute best. See, what a trooper, right? Merlin, Sophie Brown made this look a lot easier than it actually was. Wait no, it still looked hard when she did it. Man. What was her secret?! Anyways, back to this elvis duck. The Gryffindor just nodded, pretending hardcore. ”Yeah, it looks great!” Of course, he couldn’t even see the duck… Though he was pretending by looking in a corner of her room trying to analyze each little trinket in search of the duck in case she asked some specific question about it or something…. Hopefully he was looking in the correct general area.

Ahem.

Oh Moxley, what a Gryffindor indeed. ”Oh yeah, adventures are greeaat,” smooth, Adair. Smoooth. This whole ‘keeping up the conversation’ thing was just really hard. Did she know? She probably did because it looked like she was struggling to say things as well. Did ya hear that silence? Talk about awkwaaaard. Unless she was keeping silent on purpose. But why the heck would she do that!? Not like she enjoyed uncomfortable situations or anything. ‘Cause that’d be weird.

… Right?

Uh….. Man. This was not going the way he had planned. QUICK, ADAIR THINK. What kind of things did Professors like to talk about!? This one obviously liked muggles, but they sort of already covered that much. They covered favorite foods, basically. Uh. Uh. School work? They had to like that kind of stuff, right? OH. And compliments. Flattery got him EVERYWHERE. ”Oh yeah, I never even got to say thank you for preparing me for my OWLs by the way, Professor!” Not that he needed any preparation for muggle studies, but…. He was on a mission here, okay? ”So uh, you know… Thanks!” Speaking of which, had she seen his score? It was FANTASTIC. If he did say so himself. One of his only good ones, actually.

Moxley thought that went well. Another member of her fan club, no doubt. The brunette took her wand and carefully carved another little mark into the side of her desk. Not..that she was keeping track of how many fans she had or anything.

Yes, anyway, back to work.



Moxley was so terribly tempted to start humming that catchy tune from the muggle game show. Y'know, the one they played while the contestants were writing their answers down? She decided against it in the end as Mr. Adair seemed like a bit of a worrier and she didn't want to give the poor lion a heart attack. Mostly because having that on her resume would be frowned on, clearly. Also, the boy finally seemed to have something to say. Oh, and she was being thanked! Grinning at the boy, she waved a hand.

"Mr. Adair, that is my job! ...But you're welcome! I do go out of my way to make the lessons entertaining!" Amazing educators did that. "And how did you find the OWLs, while we're on the subject? Did well, I trust?" She did know his muggle studies result, of course. Still, she was interested in the other subjects as well. Hers was the most fun, right?

Y'know, Zander was quite thankful that she hadn't started humming that catch tune from the muggle game show. Very thankful, actually. It probably would've made things twice as uncomfortable and if anything would've mad him even more frantic. And probably twice as unlikely to have come up with something to talk about. Luckily OWLs seemed like a good place to start. Those dreaded exams were surprisingly his saving grace at this point. Who would've ever thought!?! "Erm... Well, Professor..." Funny that she had asked actually.

"Depends on what you consider doing well, Professor," he gave her a sheepish look as his hand went to mess with his hair. 'Cause if two failing grades is considered well, then Zander did well with flying colors. But that sounded like a stretch. "I did well in most subjects, I guess... But erm... I definitely need to work on Runes... And Defense... And Transfiguration,"... and charms... and Astronomy... And actually, he needed to work on everything. Oops?

But this did seem like a great place to things to a close. HA. Zander could tOTALLY master conversation. 'Oh yeah, Professor M! Speaking of working on stuff, I've gotta go practice my patronus'. Bingo. He had this down.

Moxley tilted her head and considered Mr. Adair thoughtfully. His lack of enthusiasm was pretty telling and though the brunette wanted to give him a speech about representing the great house of Gryffindor, she knew that bad grades didn't necessarily define a person's abilities and their will to succeed. "I'm going to assume that your scores weren't for a serious lack of effort, Mr. Adair. Not everyone is good at tests. I do have faith that you can improve, though. As getting a job is much easier when you have the scores required for said things." Which was unfortunate but true. "If you ever need help with studying, I'm willing to assist where I can." And she'd hope other professors would be, too.

Giving him a Moxley smile, the Muggle Studies Professor waved a hand and sat back in her chair. "But enough of this serious talk. I'm sure you're ready to get out of here and I've got some planning to do for my next lesson."

Zander nodded quietly, any talk of OWLs always got really awkward. Not that other talk wasn't awkward. Zander was actually real awkward on his own, huh? But yeah, this subject more than others even. "Thanks, Professor," he'd definitely keep the offer in mind, even though he probably wouldn't take her up on it. Kind of like a pride thing, y'know? He was sure he could figure it out on his own. Maybe just start studying a little earlier. Forget the Hogwarts mystery of the year, he needed to focus on his grades. Especially if he wanted to become a... Well, actually he wasn't sure what he wanted to become, but more options would be nice.

"Oh, yeah I've probably got to go work on testing my patronus," which he hadn't even gotten close to casting. Ahem. But that sounded much nicer than admitting that he couldn't even manage a wisp most of the times. Annnnyways, the Gryffindor slowly got up and gave his Muggle Studies Professor a bright smile. "See ya later, Professor!" With a cheesecake. He wouldn't forget.

And with that, Zander Adair was off.

Seeing the smile on the muggle studies professor was enough of a sign of approval. Everyone loves her cinnamon rolls. And now Professor Moxley would get to share in the yumminess too. She was going to loooove it.

Returning the smile, the sixth year beamed too. "Sure thing, Professor." She held on to the pan and walked proudly into the professors office after her. Looking around the office Cinna sat down in a chair. Setting the pan in her lap she smiled again. " Nice office space you got here." She totally approved, The only thing missing was some artwork, original student artwork. She'd have to get right on that. Right after she got to work on that outfit for professor Cassie.

"I think so too! All of my treasures in one place. Makes me feel at home!" The brunette busied herself pouring two cups of tea and then set them out on her desk, one closer to Cinnamon. "How do you take your tea?" She had milk and sugar and honey, depending on what the Gryffindor was in the mood for. Moxley was a fan of honey and so she went with that, adding a bit to her beverage with a smile. The scent of the cinnamon rolls was filling the space and it made the woman feel like she was eleven again and in her grandmother's kitchen. Lovely feeling, that was.

"Do you bake often?"

The sixth year nodded. She completely understood. She had things in her dorm that made this place feel a little more like home. "It's nice to have this that remind you of home." What was home, though? They spent more time here than their real homes with their families. No wonder why school really felt like one big family. It did. She watched the professor. "Just sugar, thank you."

While the professor prepared the tea, Cinna took the lid off of the pan. Making the room smell even more like Cinnamon in the office. Setting the pan on the professors desk. They looked yummy and she wasn't just saying that because she made them. She smiled at Moxley, "Sometimes. When I'm in the mood too. I pretty much grew up in my Nan's kitchen." Cinna added a few scoops of sugar to her tea. Scooting over the pan "Help yourself, Professor Moxley." She certainly was scooping up one of the cinnamon rolls and taking a bite. Mmmmmmm.