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
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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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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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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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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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"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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"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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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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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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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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"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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"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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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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