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Post by Saoirse Scarborough on Jul 3, 2008 22:02:57 GMT -5
Saoirse Scarborough lazily sat herself down onto and overly stiff couch in the lonely teacher’s lounge. She was somewhat upset about the weather that Thursday.
For the past few weeks Saoirse had been going out every Monday and Thursday to view the Perseus constellation. She was on her way out to the lake when it began to rain heavily. The constellation was no longer viewable, she decided to take a break and spend some time adding unimportant details to her map. Saoirse decided to find herself a spot in the staff lounge, she had never been there yet, she hadn’t really been anywhere yet since she started working at Hogwarts. She had yet to meet any other teachers from Hogwarts, she was anxious to see if she met anyone that night.
Professor Scarborough began to add in distances of other constellations from Perseus. She pulled her legs up against her chest, and rested the parchment up against an old book for a hard surface. She looked deep in thought, but was actually craving to have company.
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Post by Dustin A. Drache on Jul 3, 2008 22:13:23 GMT -5
The very pregnant, black-clad, alabaster pale Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor had slid into the teachers lounge, her nose buried in a paper of what looked like Arabic origin. Without looking, as though it were very much habit, she set down her frameless glasses and her hair clip, letting black curls spill about her shoulders as she sat down on the end of another adjacent sofa. Her familiar, a little black cat with a large chunk of her ear missing jumped fluidly onto the seat’s back, golden eyes looking at the Astronomy professor with curiosity.
She sat, then, conjuring herself a cup of tea and setting it down next to her other belongings before finally looking up, realizing she was not alone. Most curious eyes – violet, but with the iris swallowed almost entirely by the black of her pupil – turned to gaze upon the other woman, the mouth not quite wide enough for her heart-shaped face in a muted, polite smile. With a warm, resonant voice heavily accented in German she inquired of the professor, “How do you do, Madam?”
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Post by Saoirse Scarborough on Jul 3, 2008 22:27:47 GMT -5
Saoirse continued to sit, pulling at her red curls on her head as she scribbled down memorized numbers and names. As she wrote down another distance, she saw in the corner of her eye another teacher get comfortable in a sofa across from her. Saoirse always had a problem of watching people when they didn’t know. Some would call it spying, she considered it to be observing.
She looked away calmly as the woman got comfortable. When she looked back up she had noticed the lady’s plump stomach, how had she missed it before? She looked to be very far into her pregnancy. Saoirse wondered how she was managing classes while being in a very challenging state.
While she was thinking she heard the woman make a short statement. Her voice had a very rich German accent, questions about this instantly popped in Saoirse’s head. Germany had always interested the Ireland native. After a few seconds of silence, Saoirse realized the woman’s question was directed to her. Her face instantly turned red in embarrassment as she answered in a very interested tone, “Very well ma’am, quite happy to have company. How are you this evening?”
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Post by Dustin A. Drache on Jul 3, 2008 22:36:24 GMT -5
One corner of her mouth twitched up ever so slightly – reassuring to the embarrassment, though probably amused by it at least in some measure. “Quite well,” she replied with easy fluency in the mezzo range with a buttery timbre like a stringed instrument, “thank you.” Reaching over, she extended her right hand, porcelain like her face with square palms and long, lean fingers. “We’ve not yet met – you are the Professor of Astronomy, are you not?”
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Post by Saoirse Scarborough on Jul 3, 2008 22:56:51 GMT -5
Saoirse quickly began to feel comfortable again as the professor continued to converse with her.
Saoirse eagerly stuck her hand out and calmly shook the woman’s hand. She looked straight into the lady’s unique eyes and answered, “Yes, I started the position just a few weeks ago. My name is Saoirse Scarborough. What is your subject, professor?”
Saoirse tucked her short red hair back behind her ears then placed her brittle hands back into her lap.
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Post by Dustin A. Drache on Jul 3, 2008 23:07:33 GMT -5
The hand in the shake was hot – not warm, or sweaty, but with heat comparable to a freshly drawn bath, the skin surprisingly firm – almost unyielding. Reclaiming it, it returned to lay over her almost grossly stretched stomach – she couldn’t be more than a week away, if that. Her timeless face still the modicum of courtesy she replied easily, “Defense Against the Dark Arts – Herr Professor Snape had apparently lost patience with the string of incompetents previously hired.” The corner of her mouth twitched again, though the implied comment seemed neither vain nor falsely modest. She knew she was good at her job and did not vacillate or apologize for it.
“I’m Dustin Drache,” she offered, the first name sounding more like it should be spelled Dostine than Dustin. “It’s good to have someone take your post up. Are you enjoying your time thus far?”
[/b]
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Post by Saoirse Scarborough on Jul 3, 2008 23:20:20 GMT -5
Saoirse listened intently as the professor spoke. Saoirse had always admired people who knew their true strengths, and were willing to state them. Saoirse was already interested in learning more about this professor.
She then answered honestly, “I have yet to do much. I have really just been wandering the halls and reminiscing about my young years here,” she continued, “I have never taught before, nor have I done anything remotely like teaching. I always hold great admiration for people who can master what I have yet to learn. To tell you the truth, I am actually quite nervous, the last jobs I have had dealt with only adults, not students.”
Saoirse’s mind was racing at that point, the professor seemed peculiar in some way. Professor Scarborough also began to notice an aroma the professor carried. It was not overbearing or intoxicating, but it was different.
“Have you been teaching for a long time professor?” Saoirse was eager to understand more about Dustin.
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Post by Dustin A. Drache on Jul 3, 2008 23:31:46 GMT -5
The woman chuckled while shaking her head and leaning an elbow onto the sofa’s arm, closer now to the other professor. The scent was pleasant, predominantly like wood-fire, and then reminiscent of fresh snow with a touch of spice – like cinnamon and clove. “Hardly, Frau Professor – until the beginning of this year I was rather heavily immersed in politics.” It was a candid admission, and in a field like that, she, too, had probably had little to no exposure to working with children. If she had been able to handle them, though, probably anyone could.
“The key, I believe, is to not let them know you’re nervous. Children are queer that way – they notice if you’re skittish.” Both corners of her mouth turned up this time, revealing two rows of perfectly white, even teeth, while the apples of her cheeks filled in and her dark eyes glittered like chips of obsidian. “Take away house points early,” she advised, “if they know you’ll do it, they’ll fall in line in short order.”
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Post by Saoirse Scarborough on Jul 4, 2008 11:40:03 GMT -5
Saoirse couldn’t help but laugh at the professor’s tips, she could see she was going to like Dustin. Saoirse replied to the professor’s statements, “I will definitely try that approach. I am enthusiastic to see how everything will work out with this job.”
Saoirse pondered on the face that the woman mentioned that she worked in politics. Saoirse had worked with the Ministry of Magic for over thirty years. It was odd that she had never met Dustin before. “Professor, I was just wondering if you are at liberty to tell me what branch of politics you worked in. I understand completely if you cannot.”
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Post by Dustin A. Drache on Jul 4, 2008 11:49:12 GMT -5
“Oh, it’s nothing so insidious as that-” she replied, following the woman’s train of thought. The Ministry of Magic was a convoluted and highly secretive type of government where no member knew every other member – where, it seemed, loyalties could get a bit fuzzy while hidden under departmental titles. “I was the president of Wizarding Germany – spent some time in senate and as a minister. As that I am not a British citizen, I never really set my cap on a Ministry position.” Tipping her head to one side, the big black curls sweeping over her shoulder to pool on the armrest, entwining with her pale fingers, she inquired, “Did you work there?”
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Post by Saoirse Scarborough on Jul 5, 2008 11:13:50 GMT -5
Saoirse listened intently to the woman’s political past. It made sense that she had never heard of her before, Saoirse’s job was neither prestigious nor exalted. She replied shortly after Dustin finished speaking, “For the past thirty years have been the Head of Astronomy and Astronomical Artifacts. It is not very prominent department, but it is a very interesting line of work.”
Saoirse pulled her legs up to her chest to get into a more comfortable position. “It is quite interesting that two ministry workers wind up working in a teaching position, when neither have had any experience.” Saoirse smiled a little, it was quite bizarre. At that point Saoirse was thinking out loud, many thoughts were running around in her head.
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Post by Dustin A. Drache on Jul 7, 2008 14:56:00 GMT -5
The woman was listening raptly, her expression engaged and impossibly polite, as she explained her professional past. She was quiet for a moment, as if trying to remember something, when she said almost apologetically, “I don’t think we have a comparable department in die Deutschezauberbundesregierung.” That last word was most definitely not in English and ten syllables long, said with a rhythm all its own.
She considered the woman’s comment and then chuckled – a warm, resonant purr of a sound. “I don’t plan on staying in education long – there’s a cap on how many consecutive turns one can hold, and I’ve maxed mine out. I have four more years before I’m allowed to go back.” Well, that would give her the opportunity to start a family, which she was obviously taking advantage of.
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