There was something absolutely enchanting about the early morning. Perhaps it was the way the dew danced on the grass, like liquid crystals dropped carelessly about an emerald carpet. Perhaps it was how bright and warm the first rays of the sun were, poking up over the horizon, skittering off the great lake and over the grounds of Hogwarts. Perhaps it was because there were only the birds to greet her, and not even the bees had begun to stir. Or, perhaps it was simply because she was going to be the first one to see the creatures that morning.

When she had made her decision the night before, it had been difficult to fall asleep. Tossing and turning, it was at the first crack of dawn that she threw off her bedsheets and on her clothes before booking it down to the the kitchens. There, she quickly gathered what she needed before racing out the door. Shoes were forgotten as were socks. Who needed them on a morning such as this?

Amur slowed to a walk when she got to the barn, not wanting to disturb those animals still slumbering away. She must have looked a right sight though, with a bushel of celery sticking out of one pocket, apples bulging in the other and carrot tops sticking out of her sleeves. She was a woman with a misson!

Or so she told herself. In reality, she was a fourteen year old girl who was already missing her barnyard home.

The nice thing? She was taller now, so she could more easily drape her arms over the stall to the winged horses. Which meant the carrot tops too. Which meant a very wide awake stall of horse-like creatures as they noticed exactly what was hanging before them.

Giggling, Amur held her fingers out straight and turned her arms up, the green leaves of the carrots tickling her wrists as did the nibbling noses of the horses.

James agreed of course, he was a fan of mornings. After serving in the military for four years it was something one grew accustomed too. So he had been up in his office, taking care a of few things as per usual. With his hair still damp from his quick shower, James brewed a mug of coffee. Black, no sugar. Just the way he liked it. Extra hot, to combat the brisk morning air.

Just as he passed his window to set down his mug he noticed a blur of blonde running past. Interesting. That was quite a sight. One he didn’t wake up to very often. Curious, but not overly so, the man put on his shoes and a light jacket. With a wave of his wand, his desk lamp turned off and his mug of coffee sat forgotten on his desk.

Luckily for whoever it was who came running past, James was in a good mood. Mornings meant good moods. Mainly because there hadn’t been any time for anyone to ruin it yet. And hopefully this one didn’t turn that around. With his shoulders back, James adjusted his collar as he made his way out of his office and into the barn, stopping himself just inside of it’s bounds and leaning easily on the wooden walls.

He didn’t know the student’s name, as there wasn’t much time to bother with that the first night. They were all troublemakers as far as he was concerned, yet he felt his cold heart go soft seeing this one interact with the winged horse. Normally he would've pointed out the fact that she came barefoot. That she should've warn shoes. That it was much too early and the horses could've been sleeping. Call it the good grace of the morning maybe, but James Draper wasn’t going to be foul for the moment. ”You have experience with creatures?” Though he posed it as a question, it wasn’t so much an inquiry as it was an observation.

Truth be told, Amur hadn't expected anyone to be in the barn this early but that didn't mean she didn't understand why there was someone about. And given she wasn't sneaking around, there was nothing to be startled about either. So, when the voice came from behind her, Amur simply turned and gave the broadest grin possible to the unfamiliar-slightly-recognizable man leaning against the wall. Didn't help the horses were trying to nibble the carrots out from her sleeves.

"I was half raised on a hobby farm." Cue a suppressed giggle. Did he know, horses noses tickled? "That, and animals tend to listen better than people."

One of the horses decided that celery was much better than carrots, or perhaps the carrots were too much of a bother and so he started sniffing around her pocket. Amur twisted slightly, gently pushing his nose away. "Those, good SIR, are for Susie."

Who knew if Augurey's even liked celery? She was about to find out.

Her eyes went back to the man she slightly recognized as the Professor, curiosity sparkling in them. "Have you? Worked with creatures long, that is."

James wasn’t often surprised. Actually, more often than not even if he were surprised he would pass the occurrence as his plan in the first place. But this time, he was genuinely surprised. The girl had managed not only to turn around calmly, but she also had a proper answer for him right away. Well done. James found himself almost impressed. He slowly pushed himself off the wall, taking only a few small steps forward towards her. ”Though they could be letting words pass through,” he raised a brow, curious to see what her thoughts would consist of. ”Who’s to say they actually listen?” It was a skill that James himself had perfected. Pretending to be attentive, when really only being consumed in oneself.

Though he knew this wasn’t the case. He was merely curious. Curious to see how this earlier-rising-bare-foot walker perceived things. Had she been involved in the food fight? He hadn’t payed close enough attention.

He could hardly suppress his amusement, however, as the way she addressed the horses was curious. As curious as her bare feet.

James didn’t even bat an eyelash as the question was thrown back in his direction. He nodded ”Not on a farm, but the forrest,” the forrest of Brunei and the rest of Asia’s mystery lands. He didn’t elaborate, however. Instead he stepped forward, reaching a hand out to meet Apollo’s snout, where he gave the winged horse a good pat. Though the creatures belonged to Hogwarts, James already felt as though he had been studying them for years. Already comfortable with their ins and outs. ”And later in the classroom and on the field.” He turned to look at her once more.

Amur's grin turned to a flat stare. It was hard to tell exactly what this man was playing at. Was that a legitimate question, or was he challenging her? Suspicion flared within her, and out of absence he let said sniffy horse have one of the celery sticks. "You should know. Aren't you the Creature's Professor?"

WHY was he asking her such a strange question. If he was the Professor then he shouldn't have to ask such a silly question. He should be agreeing. If he wasn't going to show some basic understanding of animals, besides their general needs, she WAS going to report him. The Moxinator would listen.

Stepping slightly to the side, Amur eyed the Professor as he went up to greet the horses. Mr. Celery was still munching away, looking none-too-pleased with his choice and already re-eyeing the carrots. She pulled one from her sleeve and was in the process of offering it to said Poor Choice Horse, when the man went and said THAT.

The carrot almost got dropped. The forest? Did that mean......

"Are you a feral child?!" Suspicion or not, it was nearly impossible for Amur to contain her excitement. She'd always wanted to meet one, to talk to one.

Oh. He had done something wrong. Clearly. It wasn't hard to tell by the way her childish grin turned into a cold, hard glare. And for the first time, James didn't actually mean to offend. His facial expression, however, didn't falter. "I am," he gave her a nod in confirmation. The sass was strong with this one. He paused for a moment, to see what else her face would do. "I find them to be good listeners too," he looked over at the horse for only a moment before turning his gaze back to Barefoot. "Though the creatures who talk don't often fancy listening." There were quite a few creatures that talked back as well. None that said much past babbling, but the horses were good listeners. He'd give her that much.

Barefoot was interesting and James somewhat wanted to see how far he could push her, though his greater instinct warned him against it. She came from his former house, he could tell with a simple look. Better not shake the reds too hard, they didn't take well to being shaken.

"Um no." Feral child? Who did she think he was exactly? He gave her a questioning sideways glance. "I was a curious kid though, got into too much trouble for what it was worth, quoting my parents not myself." To clarify. She seemed to fit in the same category too, honestly. With the way she jumped straight onto accusatory and suspicious glares. Maybe she could relate? "While I was in the military, I was stationed in the forests of Brunei. Not a feral child, just one who took to venturing off." Did that answer her question?

Also it was his turn. She asked her question, it was his go now. "Do you have horses back at your farm?" Again it was more of an observation than a question. She had to have some sort of similar creature given the precise care and her selection of snacks. Barefoot was impressive.

So he was, was he? Her gaze turned even more scrutinizing, until he went and said that. So, he had been challenging her then? Making her think? It gave Amur pause. Finally, a small smile touched her lips. "Like people."

People that talked too much didn't often bother listening well. It seemed, this man had a good understanding of animals after all. He was acceptable as a creature's professor. She wouldn't have to go and report him. He was safe. For now.

As he explained, to her disappointment, that he was not a feral child, Amur clambered up onto the stall door and straddled it. She offered the horses a few more carrots as she watched said non-feral-child-professor-man. "You sound pretty proud of it. People don't usually quote their parents for something that's embarrassing to them."

Hence, he had to be proud of the trouble he caused, which earned him a good number of points in her book. If one was going to cause trouble, they may as well be proud of it.

Her expression turned curious at his mention of being in the military. How, exactly, did a military man end up at Hogwarts, teaching in Care of Creatures nonetheless. She wanted to ask, but finding the words for what seemed like a potentially touchy topic had her hesitating. Long enough that he got his question in first.

It broke a grin out from her and she shook her head. "Nope. Just sheep and cows. But, when you're young enough, riding a sheep is similar to riding a horse. And cows well......" The horses got a considering look. She clicked her tongue. "Not really sure about cows, still."

It was an ongoing discussion between her and them. As to what she thought of them. Perhaps if she wasn't constantly trying to tip them, their relationship would be better.

Her grin turned back to the Professor, and she withdrew it a little. "So, did you work in Calvary in the military? Or with the K-9 units?"

He watched the barefoot girl, noting the different reactions he had already gotten from her only after conversing for no more than five minutes. She was truly a member of the red house through and through, that much was obvious. Her facial expressions alone were almost enough to make that assumption.

But finally he got a smile. Finally. Which normally didn’t bother him, but this one. He liked her was intrigued. Her skepticism was refreshing. The others were all too eager, too naive. This one questioned, which made things difficult for James. But then again, he always welcomed a good challenge. He ALMOST even shared a rare smile of his own as he gave her a nod. ”Like people,” he repeated, indicating that she had gotten the point exactly.

Again, he watched curiously as she did her next trick. Barefoot was surprising, did she know? He didn’t offer any words of caution as she climbed up the stall, instead only watching. ”There’s nothing wrong with being proud,” he turned to lean against the wooden column.

Sheep and cows. That actually did get a small chuckle out of him. ”Noted,” sheep not cows. When that information would come useful, never probably. But he’d also never forget it now because of that.

But focus on the cows and sheep didn’t last for long as she posed another question. Ah, he was waiting for this one. It was a staple question, though everyone chose to ask it a bit differently. He knew her real question though, how creatures? Honestly, it was complicated. The military didn’t feel so much a choice as it was a result of a dead-end. But in the end, it got him to where he needed to be, so there weren’t many regrets there.

”The k-9 unit would have made more sense,” meaning, not the k-9 unit. Though if he were to go back now, maybe that’s where he would be. ”I went for their school of jungle warfare, for training.” Brunei was a small country, yes, but they were known for their vast jungles. And especially for the rainforests. ”After training, it was a lot of standby. Mostly protective services, keeping a watchful eye. Lots of time spent in the jungles, though. Those were some of our better days.” The infantry battalion was set up by the Sultan a very long time ago. Serving wasn’t quite as eventful as he thought it’d be.

This guy, man, PROFESSOR was racking up a serious docket of points. He TOTALLY agreed with the people comment, and to top it off, he was proud of being a troublemaker. This, was Amur's type of person. That, and he liked animals, knew about them, respected them.

He was getting her respect. Slowly, because well, trusting anyone blindly after the first five minutes was foolish. Rooney had taught her that this summer. She had to be careful, evaluate and consider. She couldn't take things at face value.

...............Though he had a nice face.

His story however, was slightly disappointing. No K-9 or calvary unit then. So, how could his story give her any confidence that he wouldn't be rubbish at his position at Hogwarts? Perhaps it still needed a report. Perhaps him and the DADA professor had got mixed up. Maybe the DADA professor was a professional bunny herder?

Still, there was one thing, one idea that caught Amur's attention. He might be rubbish at creatures, but that didn't mean he was useless. Shifting her weight on the stall door, Amur placed her hands on the top and leaned towards him, eyeing him with a mixture of skepticism and hope. "Could.....could you teach me jungle warfare?"

Really. Wasn't that kind of an essential thing? After all, there were forests like, EVERYWHERE. And when she said warfare, she didn't mean 'warfare-warfare'. She meant all the practical things. The sneaking, the hiding, the tracking, the surviving. Yeah, that was right. Amur wanted to be a forest ninja!

He did have a nice face. But for the record he was NOT rubbish at Creatures and had Amur said that thought out loud he would’ve shut it down immediately. Maybe. That was a lot of effort to put in though and he didn’t feel like he needed to prove anything, so on second thought… Maybe it was best that she hadn’t voiced that thought. But he did want it to be clarified that he didn’t care much for being in the military, he cared much for where he was stationed in the military. Rainforests had loads of creatures. It was fact. Not that the doubts he’d been getting from students was bothering him. NO. James wasn’t easily bothered, okay?

Sort of.

Ahem.

What was she saying again? Ah yes, jungle warfare. Her question got a good chuckle out of him, that only lasted a few moments before he realized, ”Wait, kid, you’re serious?” What. This was new.

He looked at her, considering it. He wanted to know her reasoning though, then he’d say yes.

Amur barely noticed the not-bothered expression of the Professor. She was practically leaning off the door, hinging on his answer, waiting for it. He'd say 'yes', right? Of course he would. It was his job as a Professor to say 'yes' to educational requests.

So, when he didn't, and threw back a question of her being serious, Amur straightened. An incredulous look overcame her. "Of course I'm serious. Why would I joke about that?"

Really, she wanted to know. Did a lot of people joke about learning jungle warfare? It seemed a strange concept.

Oh so she was serious. Incredibly so, it seemed as his questioning of it was almost offense. Apparently. James wouldn’t say yes to this request had it come from anyone else, probably. But because she had the guts and she wasn’t annoying. He paused. Considering even more now.

”Alright then, you’ve got yourself a deal kid,” completely disregarding her question in the process.

Also, ”you’re not going to fall off the door are you? Because it was still early in the morning and who knew if his reflexes would be just as quick as they were normally. Still needed time to warm up. And it’d be a pity to send her to the hospital wing only moments after he agreed to teach her some of his training.

A .... deal?

As excited as the roundabout 'yes' was, Amur eyed the floating words with even greater suspicion. Her hands clung to the edge of the door to keep herself steady. Her tone, came flat and with no masking of her wariness. "What do you mean, a deal?"

Because deal's meant the exchange of goods or services. In this case, it meant the exchange of jungle warfare training for..................? What exactly? He hadn't said. And there was NO way in stinking swamps she was going to say 'yes' without knowing what the unspoken part of that 'deal' was.

Her heels dug into the door as well, a frown fitting into place. "I'm perfectly capable of keeping myself upright, thank you." Door or no door.

She was skeptical. It was refreshing. Children were too easily convinced these days, didn't need more than a few coercing words before they were eating out of the palm of your hands. So her wariness was good. Excellent, in fact. She was quick. He liked that, though he would never admit such a thing out loud. He didn't mind the students knowing he had favorites, it'd make the others work harder, but he didn't want to feed any egos yet.

Or ever, probably.

"I'll teach you some of my basic physical training..." he started, pushing himself off the wooden exterior of the stall and walking towards one of the others. "As long as you promise to visit the animals regularly," he grinned. Fair trade, yes? "Afraid now that you've given them carrots, they won't be loyal to any of the other visitors." Not necessarily, but he could tell the horses were under good care when she was around. Besides, she liked the animals. Didn't sound like much of a sacrifice to James.

He reached out his hand to give Apollo a good scratch behind the ear, but still his eyes remained focused on Miss Neverwinter. A careful watch. He chuckled at what she said, knowing very well that she probably was capable. But accidents happened. Still, he watched carefully.

See, Amur wanted to smile for two reasons. The first, was that he was agreeing to give her special training. Jungle training. Ninja training essentially. The second was that the deal was something she would never, nor could ever, say no to. Still, she had to maintain some sense of control in this. It was important in barganining, at least to know where she stood.

Or in this case, sat.

To try and hide the smile, Amur set to wrinkling her nose and narrowing her eyes. "Hold on a tick. You want me to do your job for you?" Because that's what visiting the animals was. It went without saying that visiting equaled feeding and feeding equaled caring and caring equaled doing all the chores that the Professor should have been doing himself. Not that she minded, but she still didn't know or trust his character.

What, exactly, was his game plan?

And why was he looking at her like that? Amur shifted, handing the nosy horse yet another carrot.

..... 'Hold on a tick'...?

What could possibly be holding her back? In his opinion, he had just offered her the most GRAND trade off and she was still questioning it? Merlin. This girl was harder to please than he was. And THAT'S saying something. He didn't show these thoughts, however, as his expression remained neutral and he raised a single brow in curiosity for what she had to say next.

Hm?

And she did not disappoint.

He let out a bark-like laugh. One that sounded like it hadn't much exercise. "...No," like she said, it was his job. Still one hand resting on Apollo, "But they like student visitors. Not enough of you take advantage of the fact that we've got nice creatures on our campus." How did that sound? Better? Or was there something else she wanted to question because this was much more entertaining than the pile of paperwork he had left in his office.

Despite her best attempts to refrain from letting the smile slip, slip it did. And it came out as a pretty darn happy grin too. Turning away from the Professor, so she wouldn't appear like she was some floozy thing that would let her guard down at what sounded like a good opportunity, Amur forced a moment of silence between them. A moment in which she could regain control of her face.

It was his barked laughter that decided her trust in the man's words and conviction. One that was being caught out wouldn't laugh in such a way.

Once her expression was schooled relatively well, she turned back with a firm nod. "Alright. I can do that." Clarification, she wanted to do that, and if this man was a friend she would let him in on such a secret. But he was still a stranger to her, albeit a Professor stranger.

Slipping off the stable door, Amur spared the man a curious glance before heading towards the Augurey's home. She was very curious as to if it would appreciate a stick of celery.

As she walked, she turned and considered the Professor curiously. "Which one is your favorite?" The celery was used to motion to the animals around them.

He saw it. Even if only for a quick second, he saw her slip. And in his book, he would qualify that slip as a success. Which is why he decided against being a jerk and pointing it out. He had gotten his victory, so he'd leave it at that. You're welcome, by the way.

He welcomed the silence without questioning it, however, he was disappointed that she didn't have any more spitfire questions. It was fun. The other kids didn't do this often enough, they only cared about what they could do to build resumes, honestly. The skepticism was refreshing, if not amusing.

He gave Apollo another scratch behind the ear, before checking the stall properly to make sure the horse had enough water. After confirming that the water was sufficient, he turned around to do the same for the other stalls. When he reached the next one he heard Barefoot's question. An interesting one, he might add. He considered it carefully, deciding whether he thought it was meant to be a test. She would expect him to say he liked them all equally, yes? A Professor wasn't meant to have favorites, he was sure. "Skippy," he replied nodding over at the Hippogriff in mention. "Though he's a bit cheeky, can't know he's my favorite." It'd all go to his head, James was sure. Heh.

He paused for a moment, still looking over at her.

"You always walk around without shoes or is it just an early-morning preference?" He was curious. And she had bare feet.

In truth, there was no hidden design to catch the man out this time. Just raw curiosity. Did Professors have favorites? Were they allowed to have favorites? Could they even process such a decision under all the rules and regulations of their positions?

Apparently so, and it made Amur grin. Her gaze tracked to the Hippogriff and she nodded in agreement. It was a good pick. To top it off the Professor's determination to keep it a secret was so childlike in expression that Amur did have to wonder for a brief moment if he wasn't just making up all the talk about jungle warfare. She supposed that time would tell in that regard.

For now, it was a matter of addressing her bare feet. Glancing down at her toes, Amur curled them momentarily before shrugging and about-facing to the Augurey's home. "It's an occasional occurrence. Usually not planned."

Thankfully this morning wasn't too cold, and she wasn't regretting not taking the time to cover her feet.

Tucking her arms through the bars of the Augurey's home, Amur offered the celery stick to the perplexed bird. It seemed just as dumbfounded about the vegetable as she did. "Where'd all these creatures come from, anyways?"

James was quite satisfied with himself. He had gotten her to smile not once, but twice now. Definitely a success. Though if anyone were to find out that he enjoyed getting a smile out of his students, he’d end them. It’d ruin the reputation he had already earned himself. Didn’t want to take a step back. He quite liked this sense of fear he was able to instill in so many of them. Meant they’d take the class seriously.

Though he didn’t think that’d be much of a problem with this one. She clearly had a knack for creatures and wanted to expand upon it. He could respect that.

He gave Barefoot a small sort of chuckle at her choice of words. Deciding that her answer was one he liked. Though he still didn’t see the appeal in running around without shoes, he wasn’t judging her for it.

Slowly he returned his gaze back to one of the stalls, again checking the water. ”Most of them were here when I arrived,” had to thank the last Creatures Professor for that one. ”The crups are rescues.” Turning around again, he nodded to the very back corner of the barn, where his Great Dane was lying down lazily. ”Merlin’s mine, been with me for almost two years now.” Bet by the time the end of term rolled around, Merlin would have spent so much time around the hippogriffs that he’d probably start to believe he was one. Stupid dog.

”Do you always ask this many questions?” Now that they were taking turns and everything…

Amur's exchange of bewildered looks with the bird was put on hold for a brief moment as the Professor answered her. Turning her head over her shoulder, she eyed him with perhaps the most suspicion that she had since their little encounter had begun. Did it matter to her that he was a Professor? An adult she was supposed to respect and hup-to whatever he said? Not in the least.

He was a person, and people were to be held accountable regardless of age or position. Adults especially, given they were supposed to know better, yet often were the absolute worst. Amur often wondered if the knowing coincided with the worst.

She waved the celery a bit absently at the Augurey. "So.....you mean to say that you don't know where they came from?" That's what it sounded like. "They were here, by someone else's hands and you just....didn't ask any questions?"

Okay, so that sounded a bit like an accusation, likely because it was an accusation. The crups got a long side-eye. If he knew where they came from, it was likely he knew where the others came from, but then why didn't he say so?

At the mention of his own pet, however, Amur's suspicion faltered and her head whipped around to see the big dog lazily lying about. A small smile permeated her knotted expression. "Where's he from?" Or was that another 'do not tell' source?

The most curious note however, was when he asked her about asking so many questions. That got him a raised eyebrow and a long, hard look. Almost as if she was expecting to see someone else standing in his shoes. "First off, I'm a student and your a Professor. Isn't it my role to ask questions and yours to answer?"

Or did he not appreciate education in that way?

Turning to face him more fully, Amur tilted her head. "Do you always answer so many questions?"

And yet again he had managed to do something wrong. There was always something with this one, wasn’t there? Though this was really the first time he was getting to know her, he was sure it was the right assumption to make. Barefoot was interesting. In a good way.

When she finally spoke up and voiced her concern, he gave her a curious look. ”You don’t trust me,” it wasn’t a question. More of a statement. Not one that bothered him enough to get an explanation out of him. He liked keeping things interesting. Owing explanations? Not his thing. ”I keep their records on file, if you ever want to check me on it.” That’s the most she was getting. Of course he knew where they came from. Not that he got to choose them himself, obviously, but he had records. Not questions that needed to be asked, but ones that he had. James was curious by nature. Complete answers were always needed, but not always given. Sometimes one had to pry. And if Barefoot was so curious, she could come pry.

Again he watched her curiously, noting how quickly her expression changed from one of suspicion to one of admiration. It was the same look she had on her face when he had first caught her feeding the horses. A clear indication that being around animals is where she felt safest. Or maybe that was an accusation too. ”He was up for adoption at the local shelter,” James hadn’t been planning on coming home with a dog that day. ”Got to him just in time.” Surely she knew what they did to the older dogs. Everyone else wanted pups.

He gave Merlin a look. Stupid dog. He loved that stupid dog. And James was still looking at the Great Dane when Amur responded. He cracked a bit of a grin at her comment. Well it was posed as a question, but he chose only to answer with a smile. Very good. Though generally speaking, he wouldn’t let a student get away with such comments… These were different, they weren’t coming from a place of sass. Instead, they showed backbone and courage. And she was right, of course. So the knowing smile stayed in place. And that was as close to a “yes you’re right” that she’d get out of him.

”No,” he replied still grinning a tad. ”Only the interesting ones,” that wasn’t entirely true. He answered questions, it was his role to answer them as she had pointed out. Maybe not in the way people wanted them to be answered, but he wasn’t very conventional.

His curious look got one right back from her. "Am I supposed to?" Trust him that was. Was he one of these Professors that thought that because they were a Professor they would automatically be trusted? And she would just hup-to whatever it was that they said? If so, he was about to be sorely mistaken. Didn't he know? Trust was earned, not commanded.

And he was about to have the opportunity to earn her trust. Back straightening and eyes narrowing in 'healthy' suspicion, Amur considered the Professor. "I'd like to see those records."

Reason? He wasn't telling her. He was inviting her to do her own investigation. Usually that meant there was nothing to hide, but she was going on the pretense that there was something to hide. Otherwise that meant she'd have to go at face value of trust and well, they'd already been over that.

Some of her skepticism fizzled away at his response about his own pet's origins. Amur's smile came back, pressing onto the corners of her lips as she nodded. An approval nod. Yes, he was going to get one because he deserved one. Though, for the moment until their trust rapport was built up more, that was all the praise and approval he was going to get from her.

Question stood. Why wasn't the Augurey interested in the celery? She tried sticking her hand in the cage a bit further. The bird just looked at her as if to say 'stupid child'. As such, she missed the Professor's grins and smiles. A right pity too. They would have given her a jolt of pride. At least he wasn't yelling at her or taking points away for what was the simple truth.

As it was, his final words had enough pride rolling through her. 'Interesting ones'. Amur turned her head and grinned at him. She liked the way his head worked. "I'll hold you to that in class."

If he answered a non-interesting question, then they were going to have words about the meaning of words. Tossing the celery into the Augurey's cage, Amur stood and brushed her pants free of the hay and dust. "Now. About those records?"

…. She had a good point. He wasn’t sure. No the answer was definitely no. She shouldn’t trust anybody. But as a Professor, it’d be awfully nice if his students trusted him because despite how fun this Q & A game was, it’d grow tiring very quickly. So he settled with a, ”Eventually,” meaning that trusting someone right away was naive, but that hopefully he’d have her trust come the end of term. And anyways, he doubted she’d accept a plain and simple ‘yes’ for an answer.

Miss Neverwinter was proving to be anything but plain and simple. When she had her mind set on something, she meant it. Which meant that James had to follow through with what he had just said and of course he would, but it was a process. ”We can have that arranged,” right now actually. If she wanted.

And then there she went with that smile again. Could she make up her mind? He felt as though he was always on the brink of a wrong answer. One incorrect statement and he’d be thrown overboard. Er, not that he cared what the students thought. Of course not.

Only her grin only grew wider at his next sentiment, so he had survived another round. Not overboard quite yet. ”I would expect nothing less.” He had expectations of her now. Hopefully she’d hold true to them, yeah?

”I keep them in my office,” he nodded towards the exit of the barn.