Open RP: Office Hours for Charms

[narcissa_always]

Having directed the following notice:

Office hours currently being held for Charms. All students (both current and new) are encouraged to meet with Professor Malfoy in her third floor office, next to the Charms classroom, during this time if they have anything they wish to discuss.be posted in the common rooms of every house, the Great Hall and

Comments

[estebanmd]

Having told Lily he would consult Professor Malfoy regarding the possibility that the fateful evil clown chocolates carried a Charms-related effect, Stephen thought he would stop by the professor's office. Office hours were sometimes slow; if there were many students about, he could always visit later, or send an owl to make an appointment. When he arrived, he found the door open and no sound of conversation coming from within. He rapped the doorframe anyhow, to announce his presence.

[narcissa_always]

Laying one finger on the parchment she had been looking over to mark her spot as she reached for her quill, Narcissa looked up and gestured the man in the doorway in with a wave of her free hand. "Do come in, take a seat," she said and then picked up the quill and placed a small mark next to a line of text in her own hand while she waited for him to sit. Not someone she recognized by sight, but would recognize by name once he gave it.

[estebanmd]

As it happened, Stephen had known Narcissa Malfoy before her popcorning, not very closely or well. He had been present at her Sorting, and at some of the melodramatic Sortings involving her husband's circle of friends. He had also seen her after she emerged from the popcorn room, though again never closely. This would likely be the most extensive conversation he had ever had with the lady. He had a high opinion of her abilities after speaking with their mutual student Dib, and he did not generally judge people by their spouse's friends (otherwise, as Diana Villiers's spouse, he himself should have come in for some hard scrutiny

[narcissa_always]

Ah, so this was Stephen Maturin, the man Narcissa was nearly positive she had corresponded with on the last secrets board and then subsequently sent an anonymous thank you to for what aide he had been. Still a guess in part, of course, but she had watched the progression of the rest of the secrets board to be nearly certain he was one of them and also which he was. That he was clearly Muggleborn was not lost on her, but she was aware that he had filled Severus' former position quite well and it was something to grudgingly respect in addition to what occurred on the secrets board. So, while a year ago she might not have willingly taken the effort to speak to a Muggleborn, she did have a reason to do this. If she wished to continue at her job, which she found she did even more as time passed, it would require not only being polite, but finding aspects of her colleagues to respect in order to work with them when necessary

[estebanmd]

Stephen cleared his throat. Explaining evil clowns to the cool, collected woman behind the desk suddenly seemed a less simple task than he had expected, not least of all because he suspected her not to be quite as collected as she might project. While Stephen might misread the likes of Homsar to satisfy his mun's weird Homsar fixation, he had a knack for reading human people, without which he would not have survived long as an intelligence agent (or collected much money at cards, either), and he did grasp that in dealing straightforwardly with him, Narcissa Malfoy was extending herself beyond the level of social interaction she found comfortable. He had faced down admirals, made the head of naval intelligence quail, but those were men, and could be dealt with summarily and curtly. The Charms professor would need careful handling. The fight against evil clowns was too vital to risk alienating a powerful potential ally

[estebanmd]

"There is a chocolate that can turn the one who consumes it into an evil clown." He watched Narcissa's face to gauge her reaction to the last two words. "It is not the chocolate itself that is the subject of my research, naturally, and I do not believe such chocolates are the source of evil clowns in general. What concerns me for the present is that I should like to duplicate this evil clown effect safely for experimental purposes, and have come into a supply of these chocolates. It has been suggested to me that the chocolates derive their effect not from their ingredients alone but from some sort of charm."

[narcissa_always]

"I have," Narcissa said, reaching for the teacup that had already been on her desk, though she did not drink from it just yet. While she had been unaware of anyone she knew being affected, such as Sirius willingly turning himself temporarily female, she had heard of some of the effects of the items. She normally took her meals in her rooms but it sometimes paid to visit the more populated areas of the school to stay informed and learn of anything that might be of use to her.

"I attributed it to Zonko's hijinx, or something quite like Zonko's. Items like that are no strange occurrence in Hogwarts, though I am surprised at the number of people so willing to eat food that is left out unprotected." She shook her head briefly that something children in the wizard world learned at an early age was lost on those in Hogwarts now, especially those who really should know better, and then sipped her tea, setting the cup down as she continued. "So, in what way can I help you with Charms in relation to the chocolates?"