Whoops. After her spill, Noelle realized that she should have said hello before she ventured into speaking about her form and what she needed from him. It was rude to say the least. She blushed though as he took the form from her, after she ceased the waving. "Sorry professor. Im just excited. Ive already been studying it for two years. This will be my third year studying it. Next term I'll actually be able to turn!" She said wiggling from the excitement.

Of course her head of house wouldn't let her go without the usual warning. Noelle nodded very seriously. "Yes. She's gone over everything. All the pain. All the skills. I've tried potions too. The Mutulia Animalia potion. It doesn't put you in the animal mind set though. Plus it wasn't painful, slightly uncomfortable, but not painful. " Was she blabbering? She was blabbering. But could you blame her? Her dream was slowly becoming a reality!

"I'm ready professor. I understand that if I don't turn, that I could get stuck in human and animal form if I don't follow through with everything carefully. But that's what this form is for. To make sure you think I am ready." She looked over as he grabbed a quill. This was it!!!

Noelle bit her lip as she watched. She didn't want any interruptions as his quill let its mark on her parchment.

Olivia always had struggled with compliments ever since she was a small child but maybe it was time that she ought to learn how to take the compliment in stride and smile. Confidence was something she struggled with as a teenager. She had plenty of it as a child but being bullied and made fun of made her lose her edge. She's got this. Smiling back at Professor Marchand, she felt a little more confident when he said that a positive attitude would help her master wandless magic. That and a lot of practice.

She had done it and she felt somewhat exhausted. Maybe she was more capable than she thought she was! Olivia smiled when he applauded her efforts. She was relieved that she had been able to move it a little. If she hadn't, she knew that she would have only grown more and more frustrated with herself. "Thank you, Professor, " she said with a small smile. It didn't seem like much effort went in to lift up the piece of chocolate. She then picked up the piece of chocolate that she had lifted. Ah well deserved reward, she thought as she ate it.

"Wandless magic always seemed rather effortless but it doesn't feel that way." She definitely saw how difficult it was now. Olivia would have to rest up before practicing the nonverbal spells. Wow! She could do this. She really could. Well maybe she could but she could certainly try. She grinned. "Thank you for the list, Professor. And thanks for your help! I really appreciate it." This was awesome but she supposed that she shouldn't keep him. He probably had more students to see and more things to do!

"I should probably head out and start working on these non-verbal spells. Thanks again." Big smile. "And I'll stop by again for the more advanced spells as soon as I have these non-verbal spells mastered."

Maybe she didn't want to be here after all. She didn't like having to talk about what her dad called "family business" much, but Mum and Dad were leaving her with no choice this time. Though maybe she could find her way to the Leaky Cauldron from King's Cross, steal some Floo powder, and get home that way? That was how she'd come to school after all, except she hadn't needed to steal any Floo powder, and Mum and Dad had been with her and they knew London's streets and she didn't...

Emmeline made herself return Professor Marchand's smile as she slipped past him into his office. Nanny said she got lost in her own head sometimes, and sadly this seemed to be one of those times. The professor's question barely registered, but eventually it did. "What? Oh, yes sir, it's fine--I mean, I'm fine. How are you?" Oops. She hadn't meant to give away that she thought he was maybe asking her about the burns instead of giving a general greeting.

She sat down in one of the chairs facing her Head of House's desk, and proceeded to twist her fingers together idly as she waited for Professor Marchand to sit down too. She didn't take in much about the room itself, except she noticed the cat play thing. Cats reminded her of the more happy reason she'd come by, but since she'd gotten "lost in her own head", she thought it was better to ask the negative question first.

Gaston couldn't help but laugh as he watched Phantom ham it up for Mr. Bronwyn. The moment he sat on the floor with her, she flopped onto her back and looked up at the head boy with a meow. It looked like somebody was asking for a tummy rub! He shook his head; silly cat could be such a prima donna sometimes! "I think you may be right about that, Mr. Bronwyn," he said with a smile. "That should make finding her a bit easier."

His smile grew wider at the boy's next words. "You're very welcome, Mr. Bronwyn," he said. He didn't need to thank him, though; he was only doing his job! His expression changed, and he was a little caught off guard by the question he was asked. he wondered what the personal question could be - hopefully not anything too embarrassing! Still, who was he to deny a student information? He nodded. "Yes. What would you like to know?"

Gaston smiled. He couldn't blame Miss Summers for being excited! Her reaction reminded him a lot of his own reaction when Professor Evremonde had agreed to give him a letter of recommendation to the most prestigious wizarding university in France. But that was long ago, and this wasn't the time for a trip down memory lane. his student needed his attention. "No need to apologize, Miss Summers," he said, "I understand your excitement." His eyes widened slightly. Wow, three terms studying to become an animagus? He was impressed! "I see you've put a lot of hard work and dedication into this; good for you!"

He carefully looked over the form as Miss Summers went on about the animal potion she'd tried and the potential dangers of animagus transformation. He could tell she was already well-versed on the subject, and that eased his mind somewhat. "Well, you clearly know your stuff," he said as he looked up from the form with an approving smile. "I know you can do this, Noelle. I just had to make sure you knew what you're up against first; I wouldn't be a very good head of house if I just signed this blindly, right?" She understood, didn't she?

He signed the form and handed it back to the girl. "Good luck in your training," he said, beaming at her. "You'll have to show me your animagus form once you've finished your training!" He couldn't wait to see what animal she transformed into!

Gaston returned Miss Holden's smile with one of his own, but that smile faded slightly when he saw how exhausted she seemed after her first attempt at wandless magic. Again, he couldn't help but worry that he'd asked too much of her too soon, and he silently berated himself for it. The girl's voice jerked him out of his thoughts, and his smile returned as he looked up at her and saw her take the piece of chocolate she'd just practiced on. She'd earned it! "You are most welcome, Miss Holden!" he said, beaming at her. He was happy to be able to help!

He was a little taken aback by what she said next, but he had to admit that the girl was right. He often thought the same thing himself! "No, it certainly doesn't," he said, "Many wizards learn this the hard way when they start to learn wandless magic." And then she was thanking him again. Didn't she know no thanks were necessary? It was his job to help his students in any way he could! "You're welcome again," he replied with a smile. "If you should need help with those spells or anything else, my door is always open."

Gaston's bright blue eyes followed Miss Sparkes as she entered the office. Something about the girl seemed a little... off today. Was there something wrong? Or was she just distracted? Even so, the girl seemed to guess that he was asking about her injuries, and he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief when she told him it was fine. At least he knew she hadn't suffered any lasting damage from his carelessness, but he was still never going to forgive himself for what had happened. He mentally shook himself to stop his thoughts from wandering back to that day. "Good! So glad to hear that, Miss Sparkes," he said. "I'm fine too, thank you for asking." Well, maybe 'fine' wasn't the right word with everything going on in his life right now, but he didn't want to worry the poor girl.

He followed her into the office and gently closed the door behind them. As soon as Miss Sparkes had taken her seat, Phantom, who'd been snoozing atop her cat condo, jerked awake and turned her big yellow eyes toward the girl. The black and white Persian jumped down from her perch and approached the girl with a curious meow. Gaston laughed. "It looks like you've made a friend!" he said, taking his seat inn the larger leather chair behind the desk. He looked at the girl for a moment. "Now, what can I do for you, Miss Sparkes?"

He. Was. Signing. The. Form.

Her Head of House was signing it! Where was her camera?? Why didn't she have it with her?? This was a moment was HUGE.

Noelle watched each stroke of that quill as he signed his name to it. When he handed it back, she practically squealed. In fact, she did. "I'll be sure to show you sir!!" She said. And in her excitement, she went and wrapped her arms around the man in a hug. She squeezed him tight before waving the parchment again.

"Thank you so much Professor! I have to go get the Headmistress to sign it now!" In other words, cross your fingers!

Maybe if Emmeline hadn't been so distracted by Dad's last owl, she would have noticed Professor Marchand's 'sad grown up' expression was back. As it was, she totally believed him when he said he was fine. She knew that grown ups weren't always fine, and she had often wondered what made her Head of House so sad lately, but she really wanted it to be true this time.

She had been just about to launch into an explanation and her question about why she'd come here, when she noticed that HE HAD A CAT! A beautiful black and white Persian cat to be precise! Emmeline loved creatures of all kind, so naturally she immediately held out her hand for the cat to sniff as he/she came closer. Cats liked to do that before they let you pet them sometimes. It was kind of funny, actually, because dogs and crups just ran right up to you and demanded petting right away. She guessed cats were more cautious, which was probably smart.

Professor Marchand's question brought Emmeline sharply back to Earth. She kept most of her attention fixed on his cat, and flushed with embarrassment as she said: "Um, well sir, my dad just sent me an owl. And he said he and Mum are really ashamed of me because I'm not in Slytherin and I don't know if my friends are pureblood or not and--" She stopped there and took a breath. She was trying not to cry, because how could she possibly help where Mr. Sorting Hat had placed her? Also, she knew her words came out realllllly fast and jumbled together when she was upset so she made a conscious effort to slow down for the next part. And she pretended she was telling the cat. That helped too. "So, um, he says I have to stay here for the holidays and Easter and to um, ask if kids can stay over summer too?"

Her voice had gotten quieter and quieter as she asked the last question. Nanny had written to her saying that Dad would calm down eventually, but she still had to stay here over Christmas break if students were allowed to. He wouldn't calm down that fast, and Nanny had already gone to America to see her family when Dad had had his "tantrum", as Nanny called it. So Emmeline had nowhere else to go, really. She chanced a glance up at Professor Marchand's face to gauge his reaction before turning back to the cat. It was much easier to tell creatures bad things anyway.

There was one more question for her Head of House that was related to this. Nanny had suggested it, or Emmeline wouldn't ever bother asking, but, "Umm, d'you think you could -- I dunno -- write and tell my dad good things about Gryffindor?" He hadn't even gone here after all. But Mum had and she should know all about the Houses. That was probably the worst part, that Mum was disappointed that she hadn't been sorted into the 'family House' too. She glanced hopefully up at the Charms professor. Grown ups could solve almost anything, right?

Gaston had barely just put down his quill when an excited squeal made him jump slightly; his head jerked up instantly. He was caught off guard by the sudden noise, but that was nothing compared to how surprised he was when Miss Summers hugged him. He stiffened for a split second before hugging her back. It wasn't often that students wanted to hug him, but it never failed to touch his heart when it happened!

He was silent for a moment as he struggled to get a grip on his rising emotions. He smiled, practically beaming back at the girl. When he'd finally found his voice, he said, "You're very welcome, Miss Summers. I'm glad I was able to help." His expression changed slightly when she mentioned the headmistress. Surely Hawthorne wouldn't be callous enough to turn down her request, especially when she was so eager and well-versed on the subject! "Good luck. Let me know if you should need any help in persuading her." He couldn't imagine why she would, but it seemed only right to offer.

Gaston smiled as he watched Miss Sparkes with Phantom. The appearance of the cat seemed to brighten the girl's mood a bit, which he was very glad to see. The Persian sniffed her hand for a minute, then nuzzled against it with a demanding meow. That was her way of asking to be petted! His smile vanished upon hearing the reason for her visit. Did she just say what he thought she said?! She was speaking very fast, which made it more difficult to understand her, but he was able to make out enough to get the gist. All he could do was stare in disbelief for a moment, but the initial shock wore off as quickly as it came. His eyes flashed like bluebell flames, and his fist slammed into the desk with a loud WHACK! "HE SAID WHAT?!" he said, his voice rising in volume. "Of all the cruel, heartless..."

Phantom darted under Miss Sparkes's chair at the sound, and Gaston felt a little guilty for scaring her. He had to take several deep breaths to calm himself down before he could look at her. Poor girl, he hoped he hadn't frightened her with his sudden anger! "Sorry about that, Miss Sparkes," he said. "It's nothing you did. It just makes me angry when someone hurts one of my students..." Even when that someone was his student's own parent! How any father could be ashamed of his child was beyond him!

That sad look in his eyes was back. This girl's story hit a little too close to home for him. It reminded him so much of the way his own father treated him! He could tell she was trying not to cry, and it broke his heart. He shook his head sadly when she asked if students were allowed to stay over the summer. "I'm afraid not," he said, "but I'm sure your family will change their minds before then..." Or at least he hoped they would. No parents in their right mind would abandon their child over a Hogwarts house! Just in case they didn't, he was already formulating a backup plan, but first things first, the holidays were fast approaching. "You're welcome to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas; it won't be so bad, I promise. I'll stay with you, and we'll have fun." He had been looking forward to going home for the holidays, but he wasn't about to leave one of his precious lion cubs all alone!

Gaston was a little taken aback by the next question, but he nodded in reply. "Of course," he said, "I'll do anything I can to help." Just a few positive things about Gryffindor wasn't all he had to say to Mr. Sparkes, though. It was time he learned what a kind person his daughter was and how damaging his line of thinking could be! Somehow he doubted Emmeline's father would take him seriously, but he had to do something. He'd been powerless to stop his own father's disapproval, but he was NOT going to sit by and watch this girl go through the same emotional pain he once had!

He rose and moved to the other side of the desk, taking the chair next to his student. "Oh, Emmeline, I'm so sorry you had to go through this," he said, looking at her with sad, sympathetic eyes. "You may not believe it, but I understand. My father, he's..." How should he put it? "...a lot like yours. He's ashamed of me and always had been, so I know how hurtful that can be..." His voice trailed off. He didn't often talk about his past, but as much as it hurt, he knew telling her was the only way she'd believe he knew how she felt.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MadMadamMalfoy

Gaston sat behind his desk, a mug of coffee in one hand and a quill in the other, as he stared a the blank sheet of parchment in front of him. He'd been meaning to write a letter to his old friends for days now, but he wasn't sure exactly what he wanted to say. He fidgeted with his quill as he searched for the right words, but before anything came to him, there was a knock at the door. Oh well, it looks like it would have to wait until later!

He set his quill down and went to answer the door. As he peered into the waiting area, he saw Mr. Kenning sitting there with a magazine and a hot cocoa. Just the person he was hoping he'd run into! He'd been meaning to congratulate the boy for quite some time, but other things going on had distracted him. "Hello, Mr. Kenning," he said, beaming at his student. "Congratulations on your performance in the first challenge! You handled yourself admirably." A late congratulations was better than none at all, right?

He opened the door wider to let the boy into the office. "Please come in. How may I help you today?"

OOC: You may post in the office now!

Levi was halfway through his cup of hot chocolate and was idly flipping through the magazine when Professor Marchand poked out of the office. He had half the mind to ask the man if he could keep the magazine, but ultimately thought better of it. He set it back to where he found it, refilled his cup of hot chocolate and offered the Charms professor a grin.

"Hello," He said, still grinning, though slightly sheepish. "Thank you, that's kind. Adrenaline helps a lot, anyway, I think."

The meaning behind the plague on the door was missed, not one to have grown up with the muggle luxury of films. But the decor of the office was most certainly not; the leather seats and the books received appreciative looks and the cars behind where he supposed the man sat got an openly curious one. He looked at the chairs again. "May I sit?"

Mr. Kenning's grin earned a smile in return from the professor; his smile grew even wider when he thanked him for the compliment. The politeness was much appreciated! "You're most welcome, Mr. Kenning," he said. Really, he deserved every word of praise he got! Gaston chuckled a bit at what the boy said next. "Yes, I'd imagine it does."

He followed his student into the office, gently closing the door behind them. He couldn't help but notice the boy looking around the room and took that to mean he appreciated the decor. He smiled, but the question asked caught him slightly off guard. "Goodness, yes! By all means..." He said, gesturing toward the leather chairs. He couldn't believe he'd forgotten to invite the boy to sit down! Some professor you are, he silently berated himself.

Remembering his manners, Gaston inclined his head toward the glass candy dish. "Would you like some chocolate, Mr. Kenning?" he offered as he took his seat in the larger leather chair on the opposite side of the desk. He looked expectantly back at the boy, patiently waiting to hear the reason for his visit.

It could be *JAZZHANDS* ZORYN *JAZZHANDS* !!!!!!!!

Professional. Confident and Professional. Yes. She had to try her absolute hardest to be as un-Zoryn like for the moment being so that she could start this the right way. Otherwise, her whole plan could fall to shambles. And she did not need that.

"Hello, Sir," she smiled back and walked in once invited. "How are you?" Because as much as she did not care to have an entire conversation that was unrelated to the matter regarding what she was here for..... She knew pleasantries needed to be honored for this to go well.

Dude.

This was the most well behaved she had been in BOTH her years at this school and she HATED it. There were SO many questions bubbling in her head and she wanted to ask them ALL. 'Cause she hadn't ever been inside this office before and UGH THERE WAS SO MUCH SHE COULD POINT TO. Must. Resist. Being. Zoryny.

In all honesty, this was her best performance of all time. She deserved an Oscar.

So she didn't ask any of her 200 questions. And instead just stood in front of the chair she was meant to sit in (she didn't know how to sit confidently yet, remember?) So this would be an awkward standing conversation on her part.

Gaston was taken aback by Miss Spinnet's unusual behavior. He'd been expecting a high-five or a barrage of questions, but none came. Was the girl feeling alright? after thinking about it for a moment, he reasoned she was probably just making an extra effort to be polite. The effort was appreciated, but truth be told, the professor liked the old Zoryn better. She was fun!

"I'm fine, thank you for asking, Miss Spinnet," he replied, smiling politely as he followed her into the office. He shut the door behind them and made his way to the large leather chair behind the desk. As he sat, he saw that the girl was still standing. He was a little surprised but didn't say anything about it. If she preferred to stand, that was perfectly fine. He gently slid the glass candy dish across the desk. "Would you like a chocolate?" he offered. He knew some of the students didn't like accepting food from the professors, but it seemed rude not to at least offer.

He leaned back in his chair as he looked at his student. "Now, what can I do for you?"

She to keep her gaze focused on her Professor who sat directly in front of her. MUST. RESIST. URGE. TO LOOK AT ALL THE THINGS. Especially all of those cool CARS. How come he had SO MANY? Did he COLLECT them? Was he a race-car driver before changing for a BORING job???? Could she tOUCH them???? Could-- NO.

Focus, Zor. Focus.

"You're welcome, Sir," she nodded loads, believing that this was a very appropriate response. AND YES, SHE WANTED SEVEN OF THE CHOCOLATES. But instead she shut her mouth and shook her head. She wanted them SO SO SO BADLY. But eating chocolates would distract her. And she needed to be 500% focused so that he'd say yes to her proposal.

Which she was gonna have to propose right about NOW apparently.

Drats.

She didn't even have enough time to butter him up yet!!!! Zoryn stared blankly at the man for a couple of seconds, still trying to best decide how to ask. "I need to drop muggle studies, herbology, and potions," she sort of blurted the words out without having a chance to fully decide on an approach.

So uh, that's one way to do it.

"Since you're my awesooome Head of House and a supeeeeeeer nice Professor, I figured you could help me do it, Sir."

The flattery was an afterthought.

Was that overkill?

Quote:

Originally Posted by MadMadamMalfoy

Mr. Kenning's grin earned a smile in return from the professor; his smile grew even wider when he thanked him for the compliment. The politeness was much appreciated! "You're most welcome, Mr. Kenning," he said. Really, he deserved every word of praise he got! Gaston chuckled a bit at what the boy said next. "Yes, I'd imagine it does."

He followed his student into the office, gently closing the door behind them. He couldn't help but notice the boy looking around the room and took that to mean he appreciated the decor. He smiled, but the question asked caught him slightly off guard. "Goodness, yes! By all means..." He said, gesturing toward the leather chairs. He couldn't believe he'd forgotten to invite the boy to sit down! Some professor you are, he silently berated himself.

Remembering his manners, Gaston inclined his head toward the glass candy dish. "Would you like some chocolate, Mr. Kenning?" he offered as he took his seat in the larger leather chair on the opposite side of the desk. He looked expectantly back at the boy, patiently waiting to hear the reason for his visit.

"Yes. Cheers, professor." About the chocolate and the seat.

Although he still carried the hot chocolate from outside in one hand, Levi nodded enthusiastically and took a bar from the candy dish. A healthy lifestyle had been instilled in him and his siblings very early on in life; but the taste of chocolate managed to be one of the exceptions along with the occasional cauldron cake.

He supposed this was when he got down to business and dove into the reason for his visit, but he shifted on his seat a little bit instead. Outside of Healer Reed and the time he spent at the hospital wing shadowing the man's work, Levi was unused to spending any sort of time with professors outside of class. He didn't have anything against them but well--he'd also never truly seen a reason to establish any kind of rapport with them.

This was probably a mistake, of course. And no better time to start than with the had of the house, right? "I like your book collection." And the cars one. Was there a mini cooper there, by any chance? "Any chance I might peruse it someday?"

When the cat made her demands to be petted, Emmeline was quick to obey her. She liked petting creatures a lot, and she was so absorbed in Phantom that she jumped about a foot off her chair when Professor Marchand shouted and the poor kitty darted underneath the chair. Oh no! As soon as she'd recovered from her shock -- she'd never seen a teacher get so mad before, not even when Sophie told the Divination teacher what she really thought about the subject -- she stretched down and left her hand dangling in the cat's reach for a few minutes to see if the cat wanted more petting. Maybe that would make the poor kitty feel better.

"It's okay, Professor. I get angry sometimes too," she informed him. Usually she was very upset when people scared creatures, but some cats startled really easily, and she didn't think anyone would purposely hurt their own pet. So she wasn't mad at Professor Marchand for scaring Phantom; any other reason that he might be apologizing didn't even occur to the first year. She felt horrible when she saw that the Charms professor had that grown up sad look on his face again, though. Maybe she shouldn't have come here, but Mum had written to tell her that she had to ask if she could stay at Hogwarts, and she didn't know who else to ask. Frowning, she looked down and told the professor (though mostly she told the floor): "I'm sorry, sir. He didn't hurt me, really." She gave him a small and very fake smile. The truth was that it really did hurt. Especially because Mum probably agreed with Dad; Emmeline hadn't been a good little Slytherin with only pureblood friends like her parents had wanted her to be. Not that the Slytherins Emmeline had met here acted that way at all. No one had even asked her what her Blood Status was, not once. She was afraid to tell her parents that, though; what if they made her stay away from Hogwarts if they found out? She smiled grimly when Professor Marchand said maybe they'd change their minds, because she kind of didn't think so. Not since Nanny had told her that she was writing to Emmeline's other relatives to see if she could spend the summer with them.

"Oh no, sir, you don't have to do that! Your family will really miss you!", she blurted out when Professor Marchand had said he'd spend Christmas here too. She was shocked that he'd make the offer, and very sure that she didn't want to keep him away from his own family. What if he had kids who wouldn't see their own dad because of her? "I'll be okay, there are lots of creatures in the barn to hang out with." Which was true, and she did that a lot anyway, just usually there were her friends to hang out with too. Best not to mention that part.

Emmeline was surprised again when Professor Marchand moved to sit next to her. It was weird, because grown ups didn't usually talk to her all personal like that, except for Nanny. She was even more shocked by the professor's revelations. The first year wrinkled her brows in confusion, because she didn't understand, and stammered: "But...but you're a PROFESSOR." Nanny told her that Hogwarts teachers had to be the veeery best to get their jobs, so she didn't understand why a dad would be disappointed in one. Her tone was very shocked and she didn't really understand what she was feeling. If dads could be disappointed even in professors, what chance did she have? And now she felt so horrible, because she'd obviously made her professor very sad by talking about this. "I'm sorry, sir..", she said quietly. She didn't know what to do now and so began fidgeting with her robes just for something to do; she wasn't sure if she should leave now or not.

If Gaston could've read Miss Spinnet's mind right now, he would've laughed out loud. Yes, he did collect cars, and no, he wasn't a race-car driver before he was a professor... though he had been a mechanic at one point in time.

He was slightly taken aback when the girl refused his offer for chocolate, but that was nothing compared to how surprised he was when he learned the reason for her visit. Bright blue eyes blinked in disbelief, and he had to drop his gaze to keep from staring at her. Why did she want to drop Muggle Studies, Herbology, and Potions? Was she struggling in those subjects or did she just find them boring?

Gaston smiled when Miss Spinnet called him awesome and super nice. She was obviously trying to flatter him, but it was still nice to hear compliments, even if they probably weren't genuine. "Thank you, Miss Spinnet," he said as his mind searched for the right words. What would be the best way to go about this? "I think I might be able to help you out, but first I'll need a little more information. Is there an particular reason you want to drop those classes?"

Gaston smiled when Mr. Kenning accepted his offer for chocolate. He knew keeping a dish of candy in his office was a good idea!
He helped himself to a chocolate truffle; just one couldn't hurt, right? "Cheers, Mr. Kenning," he replied before nibbling on his chocolate.

The boy's shifting in his seat did not escape the professor's notice, but he chose not to bring attention to that at the moment. Was what he had to say really that bad? Whatever it was, he needn't be embarrassed about it! He could tell him anything. He smiled encouragingly, but before he could prompt him, Mr. Kenning mentioned the books. Was that why he was here? "Thank you, Mr. Kenning," he said. "Of course, help yourself. Just remember to return anything you borrow."

He leaned a little farther back in his chair. "So is it just the books that brought you here, or is there something else?" he asked.

[COLOR="royalblue"]Phantom was loving every minute of the petting she was getting from Miss Sparkes. She flicked her tail back and forth, purring loudly all the while... until the sudden shouting startled her. Gaston felt terrible for scaring the poor creature, but he felt even worse when he saw the girl's reaction. He hadn't meant to frighten either of them; his emotions just got the better of him for a moment. That seemed to happen more often than he would've liked...

Luckily Phantom didn't hide for very long. The black and white Persian cautiously approached the girl's hand and nuzzled against it. Before long, she was purring again. Gaston managed a weak smile when the girl spoke. "Thank you for understanding, Miss Sparkes," he said, but his expression turned shocked at her next words. His bright blue eyes widened slightly. Why was she apologizing? She hadn't done anything wrong! "You have nothing to be sorry for," he said gently. He knew she was lying when she said her father hadn't hurt her - he would've known even if he hadn't noticed how fake her smile looked because that was the way his own father's rejection made him feel - but he decided not to press the issue.

He shook his head sadly when she mentioned his family. It didn't matter whether or not his family missed him... he wouldn't be seeing them anyway. He'd cut all contact with his father after the fight they had over the summer, and that meant cutting off his mother too. The only other family he had was his fiancee, and he knew she'd understand why he was staying behind. "I know I don't have to; I want to," he said firmly, a determined fire in his eyes. He was staying at Hogwarts over the holidays, and there was no use in arguing on the matter! "It'll be fun, and who knows? Maybe some of your friends will be staying too."

Gaston noticed Miss Sparkes's expression growing more confused as he revealed details of his past, and he regretted his words the moment he said them. He nodded. "I am, but my father would be ashamed of me, no matter what my job was, because I'm not... like him," he said sadly. His expression darkened, and he sighed wistfully. He could sense that this line of conversation was making the girl sadder, and that made him feel even worse than ever! He shook his head. "Don't be; it's not your fault," he said. "I'm the one who should be sorry. I shouldn't have shared such personal details with you. I just wanted you to trust that I understand how you feel." There had to be something he could say to make her feel better, but what? "No one should have to change to win another's approval, especially a parent's. Just be yourself, and if they can't accept you as you are, it's their problem." Now if only he could take his own advice...

"For what it's worth, I'm proud that you're in Gryffindor," he said with a small smile. And he wasn't just saying that because he was her Head of House, either!

Man. Zoryn REALLY wanted to ask questions. Buuuuuuuuut here she was, trying to be on her absolute best behavior so that Professor Marchand could SEE how mature and GREAT she was. The struggle would be worth it, hopefully.

Despite his blinking and the look of utter shock when she asked, Zoryn kept her confidence at an all time high. It wasn't a HUGE thing she was asking for here, only to get rid of some of her core classes that she didn't actually need. Mhm. TOTALLY reasonable. She nodded loads. Just to PROVE how confident she was.

And he liked the compliments too!!! She was SO good at this. She waited as he kept quiet for a bit, not even a bit nervous of what he was going to say. She had FULL confidence in her request. !!!!!!!!! Technically he said yES. That's what Zoryn heard, at least. And just then she realized that she was starting to break character. Oops. AHem. Back to being calm and collected and YEAH. Professional. "They're pointless for me, Professor," she explained. Her grin growing to cover half her face now. He said he could HELP HER!!! EHEHEH. Zoryn KNEW she came to the right man! Her Head of House truly was reasonable and awesome and REALLY COOL for making this happen.

She lowered herself into a seat now that the rest of this conversation would be totally smooth-sailing. "I'm gonna be an actress like Justine Janvier," she went to Hogwarts TOO. "So I've gotta practice loads and I don't need any of those classes for being a star. I don't need the rest either, but I like Charms." BEAM.

Totally reasonable request.

The kitty was back! Emmeline shot Phantom a real smile and rubbed her face to get more purrs.

The thing was, she DID have something to be sorry for, because Professor Marchand still looked sad and she didn't think he'd looked sad when she first came in. Which meant it was all her fault, just like being in the wrong House and not knowing her friends' Blood Status and liking house-elves and--

Emmeline had to wipe a couple of tears away at this point, and she made sure to brush her sleeve over her eyes in a sneaky way so that the professor wouldn't notice. Mum always said tears were a sign of weakness and had to be saved for her pillow; Nanny had told her otherwise, but ultimately it was Mum's opinion that mattered. Mum's and Dad's. She smiled disbelievingly when Professor Marchand said that staying at Hogwarts for Christmas would be fun, because she didn't think a grown up would have much fun hanging out with an 11-year-old. Grown ups liked their own kind better. "It's okay, I have the cruppie Professor Wayland assigned and I can play with him," she told him in a stubborn, falsely confident tone of voice. She already knew that her friends were going home for Christmas, but Sirius would still be in the nursery.

Her earlier surprise when Professor Marchand had said his father disapproved of him totally disappeared as he explained more. It sounded exactly like her dad, only her mum and grandparents agreed with her dad too. Which was all sorts of confusing, because Nanny didn't agree with any of them. "N-no, it's okay sir," she assured him. She wasn't sure how to communicate that she understood how he felt completely so she got up and hugged him -- a BIG hug, if that was okay. She smiled weakly when he gave her advice about it being her parents' problem but: "But what if they don't want me to go home and it's summer already?" Her voice wobbled a little bit here, though she tried to keep it very steady and grown-up-like. She went super red when the professor said he was proud that she was in Gryffindor, though she wasn't sure why. She wasn't a great dueler or Quidditch player or a Great Witch or anything like that.

Gaston hadn't been sure exactly why Miss Spinnet would want to drop Herbology, Potions, and Muggle Studies. He'd assumed it was because she was struggling in those subjects, but the real reason turned out to be a bit more complicated than that... or more simple, depending on the way one looked at it. So the girl wanted to be an actress. Well, that explained her dramatic change in demeanor! He smiled. "A noble ambition, Miss Spinnet," he replied; her next words made him laugh a little. "Thank you; I'm glad you like Charms." Well, either that or she was acting as if she did.

He was silent for a few moments as his mind searched for the right words. Now how should he go about this? He didn't want to disappoint the girl, but he knew he couldn't allow her to drop all of those classes. He sighed, running a hand through his hair and said, "Since Muggle Studies is an elective class, I see no reason why you shouldn't be able to drop it." Sorry, Kaysha! "The thing is dropping classes in the middle of the term is generally frowned upon, so you may have to stick it out there just until the end of the term. I suggest talking to Professor Stewart about it; see what her rules are. If she agrees, you may drop the subject now. Otherwise, you can drop it at the start of next term - don't worry, it's only a few more months!"

Now came the hard part. Gaston took a deep breath and went on, "Unfortunately, Herbology and Potions are required subjects, so I can't allow you to drop them. Headmistress Hawthorne would be angry at us both if I did!" She understood, didn't she? "I'll make you a deal though: if you still don't want to take Herbology and Potions after you've taken the OWLs for those subjects, then you can drop them." He knew he was asking a lot; three terms probably seemed like a very long time to her! But his hands were tied.

He gave her a slight smile. "In the mean time, why not use Herbology and Potions as an opportunity for acting practice? Pretend you're a herbologist searching for a rare type of plant or a world-famous potioneer..." He sat up a little straighter in his chair, almost dreading Miss Spinnet's reaction. Would she be angry?

Phantom was nuzzling Miss Sparkes's hand, purring wildly as she pet her. With a quiet meow, she suddenly jumped up into the girl's lap as if she sensed that she was sad. Gaston smiled. Classic Phantom... she did the same thing to him all the time!

His smile quickly vanished when he saw her wiping her eyes on her sleeve. Anyone else probably would've missed it, but Gaston always picked up on the emotions of those around him. His heart was breaking for the poor girl! He was sure her parents must've taught her that emotion was weakness, the same line his father had tried to feed him... He felt his anger rising again. All his life, he wanted to be a dad, and then to know another man was lucky enough to have a kind daughter like Emmeline and would want to cast her aside... it was just beyond him! He took a deep breath, trying to shove his anger deep down where it belonged. The poor girl needed him to stay calm!

He bent so that his eyes were level with hers, not even trying to hide the sadness reflected in them, and whispered, "Oh, Emmeline, it's okay to cry. You don't have to hide." He handed her a box of tissues and patiently waited for her to calm down. Gaston was a little relieved to see her smile when he mentioned staying for the holidays, but he couldn't' help but notice how disbelieving that smile looked. His heart sank. She probably didn't think hanging out with an old codger like him sounded very fun, and he couldn't exactly blame her there! He forced a smile. "Well, if you should change your mind, you know where to find me," he said. Then the subject turned to cruppies. "Oh? What's your cruppy's name?" he asked. Maybe a change of subject would make her feel better!

Gaston wasn't exactly sure how he expected Miss Sparkes to react when he elaborated more on his relationship with his father, but the hug caught him completely by surprise! He had to bite his lip and blink several times as he hugged her. Merlin, this girl was going to make him cry if she wasn't careful! The question she asked next stopped him in his tracks. He didn't know what was more heartbreaking ,the weak smile she gave or the wobble in her voice as she asked him. "Look at me, Emmeline," he said gently. "I promise you will have somewhere to go over the summer." Even if that meant taking her in himself! He had no idea how that would work out with the plans for his upcoming wedding, but he'd cross that bridge when he came to it. In the meantime, he would try to find a place for her. In addition to writing her parents, he would be writing to the families of Miss Sparkes's friends as well as some of his own acquaintances.

"Thanks, Sir! I think so too," well, she didn't know she thought so until just now, but NOBLE AMBITION sounded SUPER cool. So yes, it was a VERY noble ambition. Mhm. She couldn't agree more!!

As for the real matter of business here, Zoryn was ALL EARS. She waited expectantly for Professor Marchand's response, having no doubt in her mind that everything would go over very smoothly. He said he could help her take care of it! So of course it'd be both easy and painless. Mhm. "I knew you'd understand!" Her smile grew big as she nodded along to all the other stuff he said. All she heard was 'I see no reason why you shouldn't be able to drop it'. The stuff before and the stuff after were all kind of fuzzied out. But she got what mattered. "Um," they may have a slight problem here though... "Well....You see, Professor.... Um.... Professor Stewart doesn't really like me very much," or maybe a BIG problem, depending on how you looked at it. "It might be better if YOU talked to her, I figure she'd be more understanding that way," mhm mhm. She nodded. Could he do that? 'Cause the last thing she wanted to do was lose MORE house points and Professor Stewart liked taking them away from her.

Zoryn continued smiling at her Professor, though she wondered why he was suddenly taking really long breaths. And... What came next provided the explanation for it. Oh. Angry wasn't exactly the right descriptor for the moment. Perhaps, devastated would be a better word? Her smile did fade very quickly, though and her heart SANK. "But-but-but OWLs are SO far away and if I wanna be like Justine, I've gotta start practicing now, sir," He HAD to understand!!! This was LIFE OR DEATH!!!

And of course his solution was the same one Dora came up with... And it honestly could work... But Zor was a stubborn little Gryffindor and didn't exactly want to agree. She had already made up her mind that she NEEDED to drop the classes. If she surrendered now, wouldn't she look weak?

Miss Spinnet's reaction to the compliment showed a slight glimmer of her old self beneath the act she was putting on, and it made Gaston smile. "You're very welcome, Miss Spinnet," he replied. Her next words, combined with the big smile, made his smile grow even wider. The nodding along was a little concerning, though. Was she paying attention to a word he said?

Blink, blink. Gaston's blue eyes widened in shock at what the girl said next. He couldn't imagine why Kaysha would dislike her - she didn't strike him as the type to dislike anybody! - but he could understand. He knew all too well how it felt to think someone disliked you, so the last thing he wanted was to invalidate her feelings. "Oh, okay," he said, nodding slightly. "If it makes you feel better, I'll talk to Professor Stewart for you. I can't promise she'll let you drop the class before the end of the term-" He didn't want to raise her hopes too high! "- but I will speak with her."

Gaston had no idea what to expect when he told the girl she couldn't drop Herbology and Potions. He was prepared for a barrage of protests and insults, but none came. The reaction he got was much worse! Her quickly fading smile broke his heart. "I'm sorry, Zoryn," he said, and he meant it with all his heart. "I wish I could do what you're asking -" She had no idea how much he did! "-but even professors have rules we must follow."
He gave the girl a sympathetic look. "I know it seems like a long time now, but it'll go by before you you know it," he said. He nodded, smiling slightly at what she said. "True, and what better way to practice than acting interested in the classes you don't like? If you pretend Herbology and Potions are your most favorite things in the world, then by the time OWLs come around, you'll be an even better actress than Justine Janvier!"

"That'd make me feel LOADS better, Professor," she exclaimed truthfully. She hadn't been aware of the fact that Professor Stewart had a bad-side, but um guess she did learn something in Muggle Studies after all!! Though maybe it was more in Zoryn's head than it was actually her Professor hating her. Buuuuuuut the young Gryffindor definitely wasn't her Muggle Studies Professor's favorite student, that's for sure. And that was enough reason for Zoryn. "Thanks, Sir! You're AWESOME." Just so he knew.

Well awesome except for all the stuff about not being able to drop core classes. That made him not-so-awesome. And it made Zoryn very upset, if that much wasn't evident by the SADS in her eyes. She wasn't used to hearing 'no's, especially not from adults. And the more he explained, the heavier that feeling in her stomach became. She had already written off the possibility of a negative answer, so when she heard it... It was really unexpected. And before, she had thought she could change his mind... But now she could see that this was something way out of his control. Which... Made her tummy all achey. "Well rules are dumb," she crossed her arms across her chest and willed herself not to cry. She WOULDN'T, by the way because she was a strong Gryffindor!!! She just didn't exactly know what else to do. She was FRUSTRATED and UPSET and wasn't used to hearing NO's.

Normally being cute got her everything she wanted. And this time she had even been on SUCH good behavior. And even backed up her reason with GOOD supporting arguments. AND she even nicely protested at the initial 'no'. She didn't know what else to do. Zoryn NEVER ran out of ideas in a debate. But this time, she was stuck.

"Yeah," she hung her head in defeat. "I guess so," she spoke quietly. Her agreement wasn't all that convincing and she almost wished that she hadn't asked for her Head of House's help. Maybe she would've been better off just skipping the classes and chancing her luck. After a few short seconds Zoryn slowly got up from the seat, giving Professor Marchand a defeated, "Thanks." Was she allowed to declare the visit over? 'Cause suddenly she didn't really have any spunk in her to continue chatting.

When the pretty kitty jumped on her lap, Emmeline's face immediately burst into a small smile. Creatures are the best ever! She scratched behind the kitty's ears and tried to remember to pay attention to the professor too; she was always paying attention to pets and forgetting to do the same for their owners. Or to give them the same level of attention at least.

Which wasn't hard 'cause Professor Marchand was on her level pretty quickly after the kitty jumped up. Emmeline gave him a small smile too, 'cause she liked it when grown ups did that. He was wrong, though, it was NOT okay to cry in front of some people. She nodded a little anyway; grown ups always liked to believe that kids believed whateveeeerrr they said all the time. And since hiding was how she'd made it to 11, she wasn't really able to stop now. Her eyes just hadn't gotten that message and decided to stop leaking yet. "I'm sorry I made you s-sad, Professor,"she told him quietly. He had the sad grown up look in his eyes again and she knew she had put it there. Which made her eyes feel like leaking even MORE, when the dumb things were supposed to be stopping like 10 minutes ago.

She was way more used to being around grown ups than being around kids, actually, and it would've made her feel awful to know that the professor was thinking along those lines. She made herself smile back, 'cause she wasn't going to take him away from his friends and family and stuff over Christmas, nope. As for his more happy question: "The cruppy's name is Sirius." She wasn't good at naming things, but she kind of liked how both of her pets or assigned pets were named after war heroes. Great witches and wizards and stuff.

Emmeline looked up at the professor when he told her to and slowly nodded in response to his words. "Okay. Th-thank you, sir..", she replied softly to his promise. She had no idea how that would happen, but she liked her Head of House a LOT and she thought grown ups could do just about anything if they wanted to. Just, most of them DIDN'T want to, you know? "I'm really glad you're Head of my House," she added a few seconds later. She waited a few more seconds before carefully dislodging the kitty and repeated, "It's almost Sirius's dinner time, I should go. Thank you sooo much for everything!" Professor Marchand was reallly, realllly nice and special and she hoped his daddy grew up soon. She guessed that even old grown ups like the professor's father must be capable of doing bad things to people. Emmeline stood up and shuffled towards the door, but turned back before she put her hand on the handle and added, "I think your daddy is wrong about you. Happy Christmas, Professor!"

It didn't take a long time until the Charms professor opened the door for her. "Good day, Professor Marchand." An innocent smile plastered on her face as she greeted the man. "I am fine, thank you very much for asking." Ava answered him politely and entered the office as he permitted her. She wasn't really a person who loved visiting Professors' office and six years being here, the Gryffindor only had ever came to Professor Hirsch's and Newton's. Oh well, she sneaked into the former transfiguration professor's office as a cat on her first year.

So actually, what was her purpose being here? "I kind of need your help, Professor." Ava finally opened up to her head of house. "You know that Professor Canterbury gave up an extra credit for potions so... Would you help me to be my test subject, please?" Because he seemed perfect for that part since she brewed Elixir of Euphoria. "You don't have to be worry because I am confident in my potions skill." And she got an outstanding result on her OWL exam.

Miss Spinnet's exclamation made Gaston chuckle a little. Now that was more like her usual loud, enthusiastic self! "Good, I'm glad," he said. The girl's next words made him smile. It wasn't often that people called him "awesome"! The compliment touched his heart, but he knew it would last long. What he had to tell her next was bound to change her opinion.

The sad look in her eyes was breaking his heart. He could tell the girl was trying not to cry, and that made him feel terrible! He didn't want to upset her, but there was just no way he could let her drop two core classes before OWL year. IF he could. he would've done it in an instant. He almost laughed at what she said next. "You're right; some rules are dumb," he said.

Miss Spinnet didn't seem exactly convinced when he said the time would go quickly, but she wan't arguing. that was a good sign. He sighed as he watched her get up. "I know you're upset; it's always disappointing when we don't get what we want," he said. He knew his words probably wouldn't make much difference, but he felt he had to say something. "This may not mean much to you now, but I'm proud of you. You accepted my answer and handled yourself very maturely." He slid his glass candy dish gently across the desk. "Now, how about a chocolate before you go? It might make you feel a little better..."



All Gaston could do was silently look into Emmeline's leaking eyes. He wished there was something he could say to comfort her, but the rising lump in his throat was making it impossible to speak. Instead he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. This poor girl! He couldn't help but see some of himself in her. A memory replayed in his mind of a much younger version of himself crying over his father's disapproval as a kind professor comforted him. He shook his head. The memory was making him sad, and it seemed the girl had noticed. Now he felt even worse! "You didn't make me sad," he said softly. His past made him sad, seeing someone go through the same pain eh once had made him sad, but this girl - there was no way she could make him sad!

His eyes widened, slightly taken aback when he learned her cruppy's name. Sirius... the same name as another who had been disowned by his family, just like the two of them. He wondered if that was why she chose that name. "That's a good name," he said with a small smile.

If he was taken aback before, he was completely floored by what the girl said next. She didn't have to thank him, didn't she know that? He would do anything to spare her from what he'd gone through! "Really, it's no trouble at all," he said. Then she said she was glad he was her Head of House, and he was sure his heart would burst. "I-I'm glad too," he said, giving her a slightly trembly smile. The words were a welcome and stark contrast to those of students who didn't think quite so highly of him. He watched her move toward the door, and... he froze. She thought his dad was wrong about him? Now that did make him cry a little, though he kept his eyes down until she was gone. "Thank you... and happy Christmas."



Gaston smiled as he followed Miss Burton into the office, closing the door behind them. "You're welcome," he said. Was it just him or was the girl being unusually polite? And he wasn't sure he liked that smile... Was she going to prank him again? Well, he supposed only time would tell! He took his seat at the large leather chair behind the desk. He was going to invite her to sit down and offer her a chocolate, but she launched into the reason for her visit before he had the chance.

When she mentioned Professor Canterbury's extra credit assignment, he wondered where this was going. Then... blink, blink. His bright blue eyes widened slightly when she asked him to be her test subject. Oh, so that explained the politeness. He raised a skeptical eyebrow; he wasn't sure he liked this idea. Hearing her say she was confident in her potions skills made him feel only marginally better. Normally he didn't believe in using potions to change one's emotions, but this was for teaching purposes. "Very well, Miss Burton," he said, nodding slightly. "I'll be your test subject." At least he wasn't far from the hospital wing, should he need an antidote!

Zoryn Spinnet nodded her head in agreement. Yeah, MAJORLY disappointing. He could say that again. She would've voiced that thought out loud too, but she was feeling to deflated. "Thanks, Professor," though she didn't ultimately feel very thankful right about now. AND just because she had given up on arguing with him, didn't mean she was giving up. There'd just have to be another way to get what she wanted.

As for the chocolate, "No thanks, sir," she shook her head. "I think I'm gonna go find Faith... We have to work on a project." It was entirely true but she didn't want to stand here any longer. She wanted to go wallow in her sads. And then figure out a plan of action for avoiding those classes for the rest of her Hogwarts career.

It was highly important that she did so.