Professor Lawson has managed to learn some interior skills over the summer break. The office is now a comfortable place to come express any concerns regarding classes or homework or to simply have a chat. Everyone is most welcome to come to the office. Please be sure that you announce your arrival in the waiting area before coming into the office.

"Since when have I listened?" the boy joked, fighting the urge to poke his tongue out and instead grinning cheekily. As Lawson stood up, Jake hesitated before following suit and looked towards the office door. "Oh no... what did you do?" he asked, thoroughly doubting Lawson's choice of decor.

As he stepped furtively into the office, Jake's eyes widened slightly, taking in every small detail of the room. "Good sweet mother of Kazimeriz," he muttered, walking further in, eyes particularly fixed on the guitars. "It's awesome!"

Before Lawson could say anything, Jake dashed ahead and headed straight for the large chair that he assumed to be Lawson's place to sit. It looked wicked-awesome.

Chuckling at Jake's comment, he followed the young boy into thee office and watched his reaction avidly. Obviously the kid thought he had no taste when it came to decorating. Well his office last year had been a rather dismal until the students had helped him out of course.

Marcus couldn't help but grin when Jake, said it was awesome. He rocked on his heels a little in happiness before bursting into laughter as Jake took his chair. Shrugging, Marcus walked over to the desk and took the chair opposite him and yep you guessed it, propped his feet up onto the desk. "So Professor Upstead. What will we be learning today?"

Copying the way Lawson always seemed to like to sit, Jake rested his own fet on the desk and, for some added effect, put his hands behind his head. Bwaha, he was toterly mimicking Lawson.

Raising an eyebrow at Lawson's remark, Jake thought for a moment for a way to wittily answer that question. Nothing.

"Nahhhh," the kid replied, gazing up at the ceiling. "I could never be a professor... I suck at magic, don't I?" he asked rhetorically, looking at Lawson again. "I barely scrape through the classes where you don't even need magic," Jake pointed out. He was lucky he was still even at Hogwarts.

Marcus smirked at Jake's imitation of him, it wasn't half bad either. All he needed was a goatee and..."What is your natural hair color by the way? I'm pretty sure it's not pink." Funny how he had never asked why Jake's hair was pink in the first place. Having spent his younger years in a rock band, Lawson had seen some pretty weird stuff in his time and so someone with pink hair did not seem abnormal to him.

"You do?" Marcus raised an eyebrow at Jake, yeah sure the boy lacked some confidence but he wouldn't say that he sucked. "Who said that you were no good at magic?" Hopefully it wasn't Kazi again because for the first time since he had started here, he and the old man seemed to be getting on. Of course he was pretty sure that wouldn't last very long especially if Kazi knew about him and...

Hmm best not think about it right now. What the old man didn't know, couldn't hurt him...right?

Eh. What was his natural hair colour. His eyebrows told that story, but Jake obviously couldn't just yoink them off and have a gander. "Erm... I think it was black... and it went dark brown..." Jake paused for a moment, remembering the day Stupid Dale turned his hair pink. "It was going blond, what with me being out in the sun and whatnot," Jake added, glad that this year the pink would fade and he'd go back to a realistic hair colour...

... even though he was planning to dye it green one day.

In response to the next question, Jake shrugged. "Bunbury said I was a failure at magic, right about the time she told the entire Magical Menagerie that I was an animal theif," he explained, taking his hands out from behind his head; it was beginning to make his bad shoulder hurt. "In fact, the last bit of magic I managed was when I turned her cat pink, and I can't even remember how I did it. And Bunbury was all like, 'That just screams SQUIB!'" Jake added, putting on a high-pitched voice in imitation of the woman. "I guess she's right," he said, trying not to let it show that this bothered him.

"Apparently blonde's have more fun you know...well so they say." Marcus, had never been a blonde and he'd had tonnes of fun when he was a kid. Actually he still had lots of fun probably because he acted like a child ninety per cent of the time especially when he had eaten lots and lots of chocolate, speaking of which he hadn't had any in a few hours.

Lawson sat up straight in his chair and dropped his feet from the table and his eyes narrowed slightly. He very rarely got angry, he didn't tend to let things get to him very much but of course as soon as Annie's name was brought up that all went straight out the window. "Oh she said that did she?" That bloody red head was going to be the death of him, he was sure of it. Well not before he got the last laugh on her.

"Jake, don't listen to anything that woman says to you, she's..."he was about to say vindictive, shallow and a pain in the rear but thought it best not to speak ill of a fellow colleague. He took a deep breath and gave Jake a reassuring smile. "Would you like to prove her wrong?"

"Do they?" Jake asked, looking nonplussed, having never heard that saying before. "I can't imagine how a hair colour would determine your life. Except... well, pink." Yep, Jake had gotten FIIIIIIVE cookies because he had pink hair. Been called cuuuuuuute because of his hair... even been picked on by a bunch of muggle kids one time.

As soon as Lawson dropped his feet from the table, so did Jake by reflex (you know, the kind of reflex where an adult does something suddenly and you're like OMGWHATDIDIDO?!) and blinked at the man. Had he seen Lawson like that before? ... Shudder.

"Yeeeeahhhh," Jake said nervously, biting on his lip. Had he said something wrong? Were Lawson and Bunbunz like, best friends fo' LAIIIIF?! Had he OFFENDED Lawson...

...

Okay, probably not. But hey, this was Jake... wrong conclusions happen.

Would you like to prove her wrong?

ZOMGAhHHHYEAYYSSS!!!!!

Nodding warily, Jake scooted forward in Lawson's his chair. "How d'you mean?"

An evil smile played on Lawson's lips as he looked at Jake and he relaxed his posture as he looked up at the ceiling. "What I mean Mr Upstead, is that I will give you private tutoring in between your classes." He tilted his head forward and let his gaze rest upon Jake once again. "If you are willing to that is. I will have you doing magic you never thought possible."

Oh he was liking the idea of having his own little protegee and even better he can show that little up start red head that he is a better teacher than she is. Marcus, chuckled under his breath. He could just see the look on her face now, it brought him great pleasure just thinking about it.

Shaking himself out of his thoughts, Lawson gave Jake a serious look. "If you want to do this Jake, you have to promise me that you will take it seriously and work hard at learning all the things that I teach you otherwise it will be pointless in going ahead. Okay?"

Victoria decided to go and visit her favourite teacher and wondered if he wanted any drawings for his office walls. She walked to the door,knocked and waited for a reply.

BWAHAHAHAHAHAAAA*coughchoke*

A small smile made itself known on Jake's face as he calmed down enough to get what Lawson was saying (made easier when the man actually said it). At first wrinkling his nose at being adressed as Mr. Upstead by Lawson when they weren't in a class, that expression soon fell away and Jake nodded his head frantically.

Wow... doing magic he never thought possible. Well... that was easy enough to imagine, seeing as Jake couldn't really see himself doing more magic than first year level stuff. Which he STILL took forever in learning.

"Yeah, yeah of course," Jake beamed at the man, eyes twinkling as he imagined himself FINALLY being able to do some proper magic. And actually remembering how to. "I actually, like, promise to," he added.

Turning his head towards the door at the sound of knocking, Marcus gave the Ravenclaw a smile and waved his hand at the office. "Come in Victoria and make yourself comfortable."


"Good." Marcus, nodded his approval at the boy and rubbed his hand together as he thought about the spells he could teach him. "We'll get started right after the first DADA class." Watch out Annie, cause the boys are coming to get ya.

Now that was settled, Marcus belatedly realised that Jake had wanted to talk to him about something, hence the reason they were in the office in the first place. "Okay, so what was it you wanted to talk to me about?"

Victoria walked into the office and sat on the sofa waiting for the professor, she had her drawing pad in her bag.

Jumping as someone knocked on the door, convinced it was Bunbury for some reason, Jake fidgeted in his seat a little. "Wicked," he smiled, spinning around in the chair just the once. Then Lawson mentioned what Jake was in fact there for, and Jake scraped his feet to come to a halt.

"Oh yeah... see, there was an... altercation on the train," Jake started, looking slightly awkward. "The Crocker kid... you know? He was being a right git to a first year, and I... well, you know... kinda tackled him... and he was kind of swearing vengeance... and we sleep in the same dorm..." Jake took a breath here. "Well... is there a way I could, like, make sure he doesn't, like... you know, try and kill me in my sleep? Or whatever evil Hufflepuffs do. See, I wouldn't know, not being evil and all."

"Nice to see you again Victoria. How was your summer break?" Marcus gave the young girl a warm smile as he watched her sit on the sofa. It was actually nice to have a comfortable office.

Marcus, watched Jake out of the corner of his eye as he spun around in the chair and he couldn't help but grin at the kid's antics. Merlin, the boy reminded him of himself when he had been younger, although he may have just been a tad more rebellious than Mr Upstead.

He raised an eyebrow at the mention of Willie Crocker's name and he let out a huge sigh. Seems that particular Hufflepuff was going to be nothing but trouble this year. The whole dung throwing incident at the feast just proved that. "I've had a run in with Mr Crocker myself and it wasn't very pleasant." Marcus, stood up and walked over to one of the shelves and pulled out a small medallion on a chain, he made a few complicated movements with his wand and muttered a couple of incantations before turning back to Jake.

Lawson, held out the medallion to Jake. "Wear this around your neck and if Willie gives you any trouble just rub your hand over the medallion and I will be there in a flash. Other than that I would suggest you stay well away from Mr Crocker as best you can."

"I had a very nice summer thank you Professor, you?" she asked as she smiled at the Hufflepuff. "My aunt is getting married in November!"

Taking the medallion from Lawson, Jake studied it for a moment before putting it around his neck, where he looked down at it again. "I don't intend on hanging around him much... but sometimes you can't help but be stuck with some people, ya know?" Jake shrugged again as he looked back up. "Thank you, sir," he said quietly, realising for the first time ever home much time and such things that Lawson had invested in him. "I really appreciate it."

And with that, Jake grinned and kicked at the floor again, making the chair fly around in a circle, making the rest of the office spin.

"Well that's good to hear and yes I had a very good summer as well. Thank you for asking, did a bit of traveling with a good friend it was quite a lot of fun." Marcus propped his feet back onto the desk and leaned back casually in his chair. "Oh that's nice. Tell her I said congratulations. Will you be going to the wedding?"

Oh yeah he knew alright. There were a few people he didn't want to be around either but sometimes you just had no choice in the matter. "Yes well Mr Crocker, seems to be on a destructive path and I think it best if everyone stayed away from him and his friend." Marcus, chewed on his lip thoughtfully for a moment and then leaned across the desk and grabbed some parchment and a quill and wrote a quick note.

With that done he looked up a Jake and gave him a wink. "Maybe some reinforcements is required." He watched as Jake spun around on the chair again and he laughed softly before sending off the notes. "Who would like a drink or something to snack on?" Because Marcus, could definitely do with some more chocolate. One could never have enough chocolate.

"Yes, I am going to the wedding! My aunt works in the Centaur liaison office and my future uncle in the magical transportation department at the ministry. She smiled at the professor "A butterbeer please Professor!"

"His friend?" Jake asked, looking slightly confused before remembering the feast. "Oh... Cameron? But... Cameron's my... he's okay, you know? He was my best friend," he explained, unable to describe how they'd sort of drifted apart, then closer together, then apart, then together. In fact, they were now at the point where Jake couldn't remember whether they were friends or not.

So maybe he'd just... leave that little detail.

But yeah, so... spinning on the chair. Yup.

"Can I have some water please?" he asked as he span. "I can't really stomach food at the moment. I had sugar at the feast and it made me ill."

But he could, of course, still spin in the chair. That was okay.

"Eh I used to work for the Ministry once upon a time and I have to say I like teaching a whole lot better." Well when the kids weren't trying to cause havoc every chance they got. Marcus, got up from the chair and went over to his cabinet and pulled out a bottle of butterbeer. He turned to Victoria, "Heads up." He tossed the bottle over to the young girl. "So what do you think of my new office Victoria?"

Grabbing a bottle of water for Jake, Marcus placed it onto the desk in front of the young lad and tried to decide on what he wanted to drink. "Well maybe it's a good idea that you two aren't hanging around each other anymore. He's a troublemaker with a capital T and I'll be watching him very carefully from now on. Him and his ratbag friend."

He finally decided on a bottle of water as well and went and sat back in the chair. Too much sugar? There was no such thing. "What did you eat?" Marcus, was still thinking about that Baked Alaska that Kane kid had made. He hoped the kid brought him the recipe soon because he was itching to make it and then eat it.

"I want to be a healer when I am older, it is very nice and homey!" She caught the bottle, opened it and took a sip.

"We all know how you like to watch troublemakers, sir," Jake grinned, waiting for the chair to slow down with its spinning. But he soon left that subject because Cam was still a sore subject if he thought too much.

As the chair finally slowed and came to a stop, Jake reached out for the bottle of water, opened it, and took a swig of it. He made a face at the tastelessness of it. He'd never get used to the stuff again, but hey, it was healthy, right? "I had a bite of a cookie," Jake said matter-of-factly, setting the bottle back down. "I can't handle sugar anymore. First it makes me crazy, same as it used to, then I get as sick as a dog."

He did indeed.

"Nice catch." He remarked with an impressed look on his face. "Yeah I have a lot of respect for Healers, especially since I spent quite a bit of time being patched up by them." It was nice to see a student know what they wanted to do at such a young age.

"Hmm...well I've had lots of practice, haven't I?" Marcus shot Jake a look but there was a smile on his face. It was good to see Jake's new attitude though, he wondered what the sudden change was?

Chuckling to himself, Marcus patted his stomach. "You need to have iron guts like mine. I love sweet things, I absolutely crave them and it makes me crazy too but I just can't stay away from it." Actually he got a little crazy if he didn't have sugar. Stretching his legs out in front of him, he took a sip of his water and gave Jake a cheeky little grin. "So now that you are no longer seeing Dani, is there anyone else that has caught your eye?"

"Don't know what you meeeeeeean," Jake giggled, spinning again after poking his tongue out. Everyone KNEW Jakers was, always had been and always would be a total angel.

"Well... I totally could handle the sugar, before they sent me to hospital and gave me a potion that would help me deal with the sugar which is like, always added in stuff, but made me ill when I consumed more," Jake rolled his eyes as he stopped spinning again. He kind of missed his crazy self.

Kind of.

Wait a second... that look...

Jake recognised that look. It was the look... of pure evil.

Giving Lawson a mock glare, Jake shrugged his shoulders. He was still annoyed that girl had seen fit to slap him. Grrrrr. "Not really," he shrugged, before admitting the truth. "To be honest, even with Dani, I've never seen girls that way. Like... relationships are pointless in my opinion..." And come to think of it... "What about you, Lawson? Who has been the next unlucky victim in your womanizer clutches? Hmmmm?"

Teeheheheheee.