(Untitled)

Dec 30, 2007 19:12

   Date/Time: 'Talking to Strangers'/ Wednesday, October 18th/ 1:52 pm
Location: DADA Classroom
Open to: Claire Frey
Currently Involving: Illiad

Nose skimmed the page, eyes fluttering this way and that over the reading, completely taken in by the subject. This was Illiad Hawkins at one of his best abilities-- in a classroom, with his nose pressed to ( Read more... )

illiad-hawkins, claire-frey

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clairefrey December 31 2007, 04:20:10 UTC
Claire drummed her fingers on the desk silently. Patience was never something she'd learnt, no matter how many years of teaching she was notching on her belt. Half the reason why she made her lessons so hands on was because she couldn't stand waiting for everyone to finish reading. There was always one or two kids that took an extra few minutes to finish what most had done in three minutes ( ... )

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homely_illiad December 31 2007, 04:32:34 UTC
Illiad had never been the sort of Slytherin to show off if he'd finished reading early, although he knew his classmates did. No, he knew that if there was still silence, it meant that he clearly had not absorbed the reading completely, and would look down for a second, even a third or fourth time. It was his quiet, studious nature that did it, truly. And, perhaps, that he had no friends in his year who were in the same classes as he with which he could goof around with.

But grr she had made a big deal out of the paper thing! That, to Illiad, was annoying. This teacher, being new and all, was already on probation in his mind, and if she didn't think he could stand on his own two feet when being bullied... she was in for some sour news, indeed. He had to bite back on his tongue to prevent launching out at her in anger. The boys who sat behind him and already tormented him so did it because they thought he was weak, underbred, even feminine. Having a woman come to his rescue didn't help it at all ( ... )

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clairefrey December 31 2007, 05:10:36 UTC
She caught the look of hate coming from Illiad and she raised an eyebrow in return. It wasn't as if she wanted thanks in return, he was a Slytheirn after all. Some gratitude might have been alright but she didn't care too much. Truthfully she would've said and done the same thing had it not been Illiad getting picked on. Bridges was always a pain, he needed to be taken down a peg or two. There was a spot of pity reserved for Illiad, yes, she recognised the pain of getting picked on well in him. But she'd punish misbehaving kids in her classroom regardless of who was the victim ( ... )

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homely_illiad December 31 2007, 05:32:37 UTC
Oh, did he ever? He was a Slytherin, after all! A Slytherin who knew the difference between acting out and disturbing a teacher, versus acting out when the teacher willingly gave it to you ( ... )

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clairefrey December 31 2007, 05:56:31 UTC
Claire's grin was bright as Bridges toppled stiffly. "Magnifique, Mr Hawkins, wonderful! Focus everybody. Think of the spell in your head. Think of nothing else except the name of the spell and the wrist movements you'll need to perform. Sarah, you'll never get Incarcerous right if you keep flopping your wand about. Short flick and jab, keep practising!"

The rest of the lesson flew by and Claire was very happy to see several more people grasp the Non-Verbal spell concept. Overall it had been a good lesson and she told them all so as they slowly piled out of the room. Illiad was last to gather his books and Claire debated whether or not to say something. Finally she gave in as he reached the door.

"Hawkins, you have beautiful wand movement. And you're the quickest to pick up the non verbal stuff." She nodded to him and offered a small smile, not exactly friendly, but not as cold as she had been in the past either. "Good work."

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homely_illiad January 1 2008, 19:21:42 UTC
Illiad heard her words but didn't meet her eyes when she spoke. He focused his attention on gathering the books off his desk and placing them neatly in his bag. An epic debate raged in his min concerning whether or not he should respond-- and the manner in which it should take place. Finally, he dove for it ( ... )

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clairefrey January 2 2008, 03:03:50 UTC
Claire's eyes widened, she felt she could afford the show of surprise seeing as how the young boy wasn't looking at her. Students rarely surprised her these days, they were quite the same everywhere. Respect had disappeared for their elders and there seemed to be a constant need to try and break a teacher's spirit. She could handle that though, it rarely bothered her. She was tough and she knew it, there was no way she'd ever let a student get the best of her.

Still, never had she been asked before, so politely, yet so forcefully, to butt out. It was admirable, in a way.

"Mr Hawkins, if it had been Harry Potter picking on You-Know-Who himself, I would have acted in the same way. Yes, I would have even given him a free shot, like I gave you at Bridges. No one breaks the rules and you will respect your fellow classmates whether you like them or not. So I would appreciate it if, in the future," she said, copying Illiad's words, "you stopped assuming everything is about you and you let me run my own classroom in the way I like ( ... )

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homely_illiad January 3 2008, 04:25:25 UTC
"...you stopped assuming everything is about you and let me run my classroom in the way I like."

What!

Illiad felt a flame of anger licking at his heart. Irritable, his eyes darted up from the floor as if he hadn't even been expecting them to do such an atrocious thing, a look of complete indignity on his face and in his brooding grey eyes.

"Professor!" he said, seeming completely taken back by her lack of care for hsi wishes. It was a simple thing to ask, wasn't it? That she butt out when people picked on him, that she leave him alone so that he wouldn't have to take their crap later.

"I don't think you get it-- the moment I walk out that door, the shite they're giving me is only going to get worse because I had to have a teacher defend me," he said, scowling. He didn't really care that he'd cursed at a teacher-- he had been on edge enough lately that it didn't really matter. "You obviously don't get it, but they've said those things, and done those things to me since I was a first year-- I only get by by ignoring it!"

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clairefrey January 3 2008, 22:47:46 UTC
"So," she said slowly, searching his eyes, "you want me to take you into special consideration?" She could sympathise with Illiad, the words he spoke touched a familiar chord in Claire. Ignoring things was, after all, exactly what she had done.

"I do understand, Mr Hawkins. I imagine they've changed tactics and spells but students were just as cruel in my day. Since my first day at Hogwarts I ignored it. You know what it got me? Nothing. Zip! They kept coming back with more, how did you say, shite, day after day."

She sat on one of the desks in the front row, a small smile on her face as if recalling a fond childhood memory insead of a depressing one.

"Ignoring it, no matter what other teachers say, never fixes anything. They'll never quit unless you stand up for yourself."

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homely_illiad January 4 2008, 00:09:06 UTC
Illiad couldn't help but feel that she was being ridiculous. "Ignoring it is the only thing that's ever worked for me," he said, honestly, leaning back against another desk, eyes falling to the floor again. "When I did it-- when I did stand up to them-- it only got worse, not better. They'd flat out hit me instead of pushing me," he said, frowning.

"I don't always ignore it. The big things I stand up for-- but little bits of paper being thrown at me? People shoving me in the halls? They aren't worth getting into a fight over. Not to me," he said, biting at his lip and looking thoughtful. "So maybe things have changed since you were here-- or maybe our circumstances were different?" he asked, an eyebrow quirked in an almost sardonic fashion. "I don't think you came from a family practically descended from Gryffindor, to be the first sorted into Slytherin ( ... )

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clairefrey January 4 2008, 03:13:42 UTC
The ironic thing was, was at the same time Illiad thought Claire was being silly, Claire thought him to be the one who was ridiculous. "If you stood up to them, taught them a lesson, made it clear that no matter how often they attacked you, you'd always come out on top..." The idea that those students would be anything less than respectful to Illiad from then on absolutely baffled her. Surely the kids wouldn't seek further punishment by antagonzing someone they knew full well could best them in a duel?

Perhaps she was wrong. Children often pushed the limits with teachers today, maybe they liked the punishment. Was it possible that today's world was breeding a bunch of masochists?

Claire blinked as he asked her why she thought he was different. She had forgotten she had even said it but the explanation was simple. "I was insinuating that your were a Slytherin in a sea of Ravenclaws. Was I somehow incorrect in saying that? Are you secretly a Hufflepuff?"

My my! This boy was certainly paranoid.

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homely_illiad January 4 2008, 03:55:22 UTC
"Rather," Illiad said, looking entirely stiff about the subject. "I think I am well suited my house, no matter how much I, or any stupid Ravenclaws dislike it. But you will notice that I took offence to your wording of the subject," his eyes narrowed. "I have never been defined by my similarities to decent qualities, rather hated or ignored for my differences. My family of Gryffindors hates me for being in the house of Slytherin, while my house of Slytherins hates me for being from a family of Gryffindors."

Masochist. That was certainly one word to describe Illiad. Good thing Claire didn't spend too much time investigating the boy's hobbies.

"I best in the duels the ones who I think are worthy of my attentions. You might say that's a big arrogant, but you also might think the same if you were the one being told to duel idiots like Bridges in every class, idiots who couldn't so a Jelly-Legs Hex if You-Know-Who were coming for them," he nearly spat it. Oh no. The ones who recieved his attentions were the ones who annoyed him most of ( ... )

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clairefrey January 4 2008, 04:39:32 UTC
Claire smiled at Illiad, pity hidden behind her eyes. He was set in his ways, a typical Slytherin she supposed, and it wasn't a bad thing. She hadn't the heart to tell him the little ones sometimes caused as much upset as the ones that caused harm.

She wasn't going to answer his last question, it seemed to her ripe with contempt, as if he were talking to an infant. Arrogant as well as paranoid, it was an interesting combination. Yet it only heightened her interest in the boy.

"If you're done chastising me," she said, a wry smile twitching on her lips, "you might want to explain to me why you express frustration at being picked on for your differences and let me just express that 'differences' was your word, not mine, and yet you expect me to treat you differently in class by not punishing those who disrupt me."

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homely_illiad January 4 2008, 05:14:21 UTC
Oh, Illiad knew about the little ones. The littles ones were what made the difference for him, really-- the difference between feeling down for an hour to feeling down for a week. And he hated it. They made him miserable, day in and day out, so ostracized from the majority of his classmates that he constantly felt like he was breaking in two from the pain of it all.

"You mustn't think I was chastising you!" Illiad... well, chastised her. His blood was boiling, after all and he WAS a Slytherin. The combination made it impossible to keep the smart-assery out of his tone. "Nor must you think me some sort of hypocrite for that reason. I'm not entirely sure you're understanding the situation. It's the negative attention I don't apperciate; the neutral, I can deal with."

He hoped that clarifying this to her might make her see his point, although he severely doubted it. He really did hate it when adults tried to meddle in his life.

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clairefrey January 11 2008, 15:21:50 UTC
Meddling? Who was meddling? Claire barely understood what he was on about now. She never bothered to involve herself in her students' lives anyway, as much as they think she might like to be in the know. The lives of others hadn't interested her at Illiad's age and they certainly didn't now either.

"I'm not sure you're explaining yourself clearly, Hawkins," she replied calmly, although she was beginning to get slightly aggravated. Shouldn't have opened your mouth and complimented him, said a voice inside her head. There are muggle plays that have gone for a shorter time than this lecture.

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homely_illiad January 14 2008, 05:00:14 UTC
On the contrary! Illiad thought he had explained himself very, very well! A) He didn't want her to defend him any more because he stood up well on his own and B) he stood up only when he cared about the outcome because C) the petty things those people did to annoy him weren't worth getting into a fight over.

He was beginning to get frustrated with her, but he knew that wasn't going to help.

"Look," he said, quite suddenly, hearing the bell ring. He had a free period, though, so he was okay. And apparently, she did as well because there were no students entering.

"It doesn't matter much, does it? I can take care of myself when best left to my own attentions, as far as bullying comes," bullying. He hated using that word. It always sounded so juvinile. Mummy, the boy at the park is a bully!

"I honestly don't care if you want to look after anyone else who gets bullied in your class, but you ought to know that with me, you might think you're doing a good deed by defending me, but you're really not. And while I do apperciate the fact ( ... )

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