An End of an Era or Just the Beginning? [Tag: Eirina]

Professor Brown was putting off seeing the Headmistress far to long. Every blatantly obvious opportunity that arise, he made a lame excuse to prolong the agonizing wait. Even now as he stood in front of the ferocious gargoyles, Professor Brown wanted to turn around a leave. He had many opportunities during the day to do so. For instance, helping out Head Nurse Lacetta curing the sprouting of dragon scales on a student, or having one of his students serve detention instead of postponing it. He had ample opportunity, but only now did it settle on his shoulders what he was about to do, about to give up.

Finally, with a surprising steady, authoritative voice, he said, "I would like to speak to Headmistress Naer."

Instead of the Gargoyle's voice, or lack there of, Eirina's voice had errupted, and not from the Gargoyle, but from behind Luke. She had been sick of her office, and was wondering the halls herself. That wasn't too commonly seen of a Headmistress, which would explain why she ususally wandered around as her animagus. Today, she was even too lazy for that. Too tired. She couldn't imagine that she'd be able to change herself back.

"Not with that sterness you won't..."

She was joking around. Kind of. She didn't feel like upholding a stern and authoritive composure for today, and if she were to relax around anyone, she'd have to say it were Alexander. And not for any other reason then the fact that he's already seen her pretty relaxed, in a different environment. She was his mother's best friend, after all, still his mother's best friend. She'd be there whenever she could.

Luke was expecting the gargoyles give a remark or two about him, about his appearance, or why he was interrupting their sleep, but none came. Alexander could not spin around fast enough, hearing a voice just behind him. His hand instinctively went to his wand, but seeing it was only the Headmistress, he flinch and grabbed his chest instead. "Headmistress, you scared me." His heart still racing. Alexander could not help but be surprise at her sudden appearance and that he could not sense her coming. He had an uncanny ability to know if someone was staring at him. It was one of the many attributes he got from his mother and that was amplified being an animagus. The only thing logical Alexander could assume was that so much is going through his mind, he did not notice.

After a moment or two to calm down, Alexander gave a weak smile. "Sorry, Headmistress," he said in response to her comment, pushing up his glasses. "Out for a stroll?" he asked to keep the conversation moving.

"Yep, and you wanted to speak with me? Do you mind a stroll, or is it something that should be addressed in my office?"

She was surprised to see the glasses, but didn't comment on them. He never wore them before, but there was that new trend...she didn't keep up with what the kids were doing. She saw it, of course, but she had other, more pressing things to be concerned about. Those concerns were exactly why she had to leave her office. To get away from them.

Alexander looked down the Hall, pondering Eirina's question. He did not want to talk in the open, but seeing the Halls barren of life, how could he refused. "Um, sure," he said still holding onto that uneasy smile. Even presented with the free opportunity to chat freely with the Headmistress made him run to the hills. Alexander kept asking himself, was he about to do the right thing? Is he rushing into big decisions because of the break up?

He just want to blurt every pent up emotion right there, right now, but all he said was "After you, Headmistress," waving his arm to the right. Not towards the Entrance Hall to the open spring fields but towards the stairs to go up to one of Hogwarts many towers.

"Are you sure you're alright? Maybe we should go into my office..."

She was staring at Alexander's uneasiness. He was too bold of a character to be nervous simply because she was the Headmistress. He was never like that. More serious, in an annoying way, or just plain goofy. Of course something was wrong, and however much Eirina wanted to sigh and say 'what?', she kept her composure, just in case it was a serious topic, and possibly a touchy issue that she didn't want to predispose to her exhaustion.

Alexander exhale slowly as if all his troubles was being blown away by his breath before answering. "No. No. I am fine. Fresh air will do me good." It was the god honest truth. If he was not holding classes, grading papers or serving detention, he was in his office attempting to make another concoction or two. All were failures. "You get the best view from the Astronomy tower." Alexander did not know why he said that. Of course Eirina already knew about the astronomy tower being the Headmistress and all, but Alexander could not think of anything else to say.

"Okay then, Astronomy Tower it is..."

She began to walk at an even pace, making her way up the stairs, but he was growing really bothered by the repetitiveness of the staircase. Up one step, up another, and then another. Oh look, this one has a crack in it! Yeah, she was sick of it...

Slowly she pulled out her wand, a small smile on her face. A bit of her 7th year self was coming through, and she transformed the staircase into an escalator of sorts. Only temporarily, of course. As soon as herself and Alexander reached the top of the tower, she changed it back.

Alexander easily kept up with Eirina's pace, but it wasn't a stroll through the tulips or so the saying goes. They barely utter a single word to each other, and the stray student or ghost stared on in curious wonder what the Headmistress, and one of her Professor was going to the Astronomy Tower. Surely, Alexander knew gossip would fly about them two but what about, Alexander only could imagine. As he walked his unnerved smile slipped away replaced by a contorted stone face, but even that could not stay on for long. Eirina with the swish of her wand turn the stairs leading up to the astronomy tower into what muggle's called an escalator. That brought a genuine smile to his face, as he stepped on after Eirina. "Wicked cool," he mutter as in no time at all they were in front of the heavy wooden door.

"It's called lazy, and that's how I'll become fat one day..."

She muttered the last part, about becoming fat, to herself. But it was true, and even now she knew that she had gotten fatter. Technically it was curvier, but as a 7th year Eirina was a stick with nothing on her. Most would say she was the size of a normal woman, and still had a flat stomach, but Eirina was stuck in the mentality of anything bigger then her previous stick figure was fat. She had hips and she hated it.

"Even so," He said following the Headmistress out the door, "It still something I have not mastered." The sun was high over head. A blissful eighty degree weather with cooling breeze every once in awhile. A perfect day to take a stroll down by the lake or sit under a tree and read. Most of the students of course, especially the 5th and 7th years, wore locked away some where studying for the end of the term exams. He remember his exams perfectly as if it was yesterday: Professor Naer giving puzzle after puzzle to solve using one charm spell or another, Madison Reid making Alexander write a 12 foot parchment paper essay on International Statute of Secrecy of 1689. Alexander still believed that he should have gotten an Outstanding rather than a measly acceptable comparing wizards to the muggle's segregating by race.

He took a deep breath of the crisp air, slowly exhaling. "Feels good, doesn't it?" he asked still not broaching the topic he wanted to talk to the Headmistress about.

(sorry, I'm pumping out an essay, so my replies will, once again, be crappy XP)

Eirina took a deep breath, inhaling the chilly breeze as her skin started to warm up. Is this what real air smelled like? She smiled to herself as she joked in her head. But it hardly felt like a joke at all. When was the last time that she was out? She couldn't even remember. Even through the courtyards, she had hardly left her office. It only now occured to her that on her stroll she had missed the courtyards, too, and stuck to the hallways...maybe there was something wrong with her.

"Yes...so, what was it that you wanted to talk about?"

Alexander could not help himself but sigh, as he lean himself up against the stone railing, looking over the Forbidden Forest. The time had come. There was no denying it or trying to change the subject. He wanted it over and done with, but still he was hesitant. He was hesitant because he knew that a chapter of his life would be ending, a chapter that probably never could be reopen even if he wanted too.

"Hogwarts has been good to me, but to make a long winded speech short, I am leaving at the end of this year."

Eirina didn't want to ask why. I mean, she wanted to know, but she didnt want to have to ask Alexander for his reasons. It was his business and, if he is anything like his parents, she wouldn't be able to convince him otherwise. Besides, he'd have to fill out resignation papers, she'd find out the reason then. Just not now. So instead she nodded her head, as if she knew why and understood, calm as could be.

"Where are you going to go?"

Eirina said where, not why or what, or whom. She did not want to know the details of why he was leaving because either one she already knew the details of Alexander's resignation or two she was giving Alexander some privacy. Quite frankly, it was not hard to see the most obvious reasons behind him leaving Hogwarts for "greener pastures;" he did not hold the students respect like the other Professors held them. Even though Lacetta and himself are roughly the same age, her sweet, kind, bubbly personality garners a mutual respect from her patients, something that Alexander could never obtain. Than there was the suffocating act of responsibility and obligation that Alexander had to perform that swallowed his whole free spirit persona. He lost his drive, his good nature, humorous disposition ever since his 7th year of Hogwarts. A rut that he never found his way out of.

Finally, the main reason why he was leaving:
"I probably will go down south to France, or even towards Africa to study potion-making to save my parents and all." Every potion he made was another flop, another dead end. One after another, Alexander thought he had a break through of some kind, a new concoction that might work, but it only lead to another failure. "And who knows maybe I will run into the sender of this letter," Alexander smile to himself as he dug into his pocket and pulled out a crumbled letter that was in Misery's handwriting. "We have a lot of catching up to do," he said flashing Eirina the signature at the bottom before returning the letter in his pocket.

Eirina smiled a bit, and nodded her head. She understood why he was leaving, even if she wished he wouldn't. If he went all the way down to France...it would be hard for him to visit them. She guessed that she'd just have to make sure to drop by more often, for their sake, and for Alexander's sake. She'd always make sure that they were okay, but her monthly visits may now have to turn biweekly, or weekly even. She'd have to find a better way to escape the school.

"Then I wish you luck."

It seem surreal, as if once he told Eirina, the Headmistress of Hogwarts, his plans, it was final, as if he had no other option in this matter. At the same time, it was also liberating. In fact, he hadn't feel at ease with his decision until now. "Thank you," was his only his responds to hers.

Alexander turn to face the Headmistress to ask her for a favor. "Can you keep it between us for now? I don't want the students and staff to know...especially...well..."

Lacetta and Sorrow.

(Sorry, I'm contemplating how Eirina should react...that's why I'm taking so long. Plus I've had a test everyday this week....)

(It is fine. I can wait.
And if you agree and Theo likes the idea, allowing the forum to be open for her to rp.)

(Sure!)
"Okay, it's confidential, but if any professor come my way, I'm swinging them yours."

She gave a bit of a joking smile, but it faded quickly. She wasn't too sure how to react anymore. She'd have to find a potions professor, but she didn't know how. The staff at Hogwarts was already lacking, she didn't know what she was going to do. Cut potions now, too?

"But than they would just strike out." Alexander, too, was trying to make light of this new found situation he was in, and the prospect of the unknown future he was diving into. At first it seemed daunting, even terrifying, but he knew he could handle what ever life throw at him, and that seem to excite him.

Turning his back onto the great expanse of the sky, and back onto the Headmistress, he seemed to know what she was thinking. That was a rare chance indeed, because he never knew what other people were thinking, especially the bipolar headmistress. "About the replacement of the Potion Master, I have an good idea who could replace me, if you would like to hear?"

"Hmmm?"

She turned to him, staring him in the eye and waited to hear the answer. Did he learn Legilimency? Nah, he couldn't have, she'd have known by now. Plus, her brain was pretty well protected, if she did say so herself. Well, physically, her emotions were kind of a different story.

» The Ending or Just the Beginning (open)
» Eirina's Boredom
» Craftsman of Destruction (Tag: Eirina)
» Naer, Eirina
» The Price of Information (Tag: Eirina Naer)