Text Cut: Sophie

Quote:

Originally Posted by feeheeheeny

"Thank you, sir." Botros was being very, very kind to her, and Sophie tried to keep her emotions out of this conversation - it was hard, though, for she was deeply touched by a having a wizard of his caliber pay her such a high compliment about her leadership abilities. He didn't think she would let anyone down, which meant... she wouldn't, then, because she would make sure of it. She had to. For him, and any other professors he was referring to who had praised her. But as hard as she was trying to be calm, cool, and collected, her throat got tight with emotion at what he said after she finished her grateful spiel to him.

She'd... gotten... the highest score of anyone in her class? Even... people like Adi? Lux? Ethan? Simon? People who had been Rune Masters in the past and excelled on a regular basis?

"But..." Her voice caught in her throat and her brows furrowed in confusion. "How? Adi 'n Lux 'n Ethan 'n Simon, they're all like mega geniuses, and my practical was a disaster. I crossed out so many things and had to rewrite them, I thought the examiners were gonna hate me and fail me for sure." Maybe... maybe she knew more than she thought she did? But... MERLIN. "So no one got an Outstanding?" She hoped Botros didn't feel badly about that - certainly he knew his subject was just the hardest one for pretty much everyone - unless one's name was Tobias Fuller-Thompson - right? And that it had nothing to do with his teaching?

All of this made her feel LOADS better, though. If she was the top of her class in Runes... AND in Charms, like Quigley had told her... then... she wondered just how she had stacked up to her classmates in the other subjects, too. With the exception of Transfiguration, her worst subject, did that mean she was... like... THE top of the class? Had... all her efforts really paid off that much?

Tears were threatening to pool in her eyes now as the reality of the situation hit her. All she'd ever wanted was to soak up as much knowledge as she could while having fun and make a name for herself... and it seemed she'd done it. Her grades, the badge, the future opportunities she had lined up, the friends and connections she'd made... it was everything her first-year self could've ever hoped she'd become.

"That's..." Sophie got choked up and laughed a little in embarrassment, wiping one eye at a time before the tears could fall, and swallowed hard before continuing with a smile, "That's what I've been told. I've got Ravenclaw's thirst for knowledge, Slytherin's ambition, Gryffindor's bravery, and Hufflepuff's loyalty. I've got all those traits really strongly - m'kinda a cool hybrid of all the houses. I've been really lucky to have good influences in my life to strengthen and encourage all those traits."

She considered herself immensely fortunate to be where she was today, and she blinked back the moisture in her eyes before it could overflow again. Hopefully the professor wouldn't see her current inability to contain emotions as weakness, and she also hoped she wasn't making him ridiculously uncomfortable. Heh. Oops.

"Thank you for everything. Sincerely." His encouragement, his guidance, his belief in her... she was endlessly grateful for him. "I was thinking maybe I could give Feo regular walks as an expression of gratitude. I mean, I go for walks all the time anyway and spend loads of time outside, so... it wouldn't even be entirely out of my way or anything." It wouldn't even be close to enough of repayment for all he had done for her, but... it could be a start, right?

Why was she listing names when he'd told her she topped everyone (he could remember anyway)? Botros' thin eyebrows lifted in his old, wrinkly brow and he chuckled. "They all did well, but not as well as you did." As for the how, he couldn't answer her that. OWLs were not something you could predict, and even though some excellent students kept an O grade during the year, it did not mean that was how they'd do in their OWL. There were other factors that contributed to the stressful, decisive exam. Something she, obviously, had. "Sadly no." Her grade was the top, anyway.

Aw, were her eyes twinkling with tears or was something smudging a part of his glasses? Oh she wiped them, definitely tears. He smiled widely at her. "It seems like you are, then! You're like a jewel." Got the best of every house, something that was rare and precious at the same time.

He took out his pocket hanky and offered it to her to wipe her eyes again when she continued to thank him. "Dry your eyes, dear, it's my duty and the thing I consider most precious to me in my old days." To give out what he knew of Runes and life to the young. "That would be great." Tobias also took Feo out occasionally, but other than him there weren't many students who helped the crup release some of his energy. With Marco and Odessa's graduation, the number of interested students got significantly low. "Only if he doesn't distract you from your studies, and you want to." She shouldn't be treating this as a 'duty'.

Text Cut: Tobias

Quote:

Originally Posted by Felixir

"He's the first baby I've met, other than the ones I met when I was a baby," ... not that Toby could recall such times, and now that he thought about it... he was pretty sure he'd never even met any back then, either, because of reasons "So, like... I had nothing to go on. Apparently he's growing as quickly as he's meant to, but I dunno." HONESTLY. Kid was getting so big. Only a matter of time before he was bigger than Toby.

Toby thought on that as he got the photos of Curtis out of his pocket, being very careful not to screw them up. But really... genetically, Curtis COULD end up being taller than him, just like Kyroh had ended up doing, and Dima too. It was super WEIRD to think of how one day, instead of carrying around his little baby bro, he'd be looking UP to make eye contact. Very weird. Very weird indeed.

Realising he was very quickly getting sucked into his own thoughts, Toby blinked suddenly and looked back up at Botros, cracking another huge smile as he handed over the photographs, seeing the subjects move even as he did so. "Here you go, sir," he said, still beaming at the professor's enthusiasm. "There's a few there." One of Curtis laughing and clapping, another of the two of them playing, one of the sleeping baby, and one of all of them (with the various family pets ducking in and out of frame).

Talking about Curtis always put Toby in a very good mood (though HE would argue that he was never NOT in a good mood... Curtis just put him in a BETTER mood, see?), and he leaned back in his chair with a super huge smile on his face. "Your summer sounds like it was real fun. And I bet your granddaughter is real excited about all that. Does she go to Hogwarts, then, or...?" He trailed off, drumming his fingers on the arms of his chair and jiggling his feet as he thought back to the sorting to try and remember if he'd heard the name 'Botros' called out. Nothing was springing to mind, and though Toby's memory of names was shockingly awful, he was pretty sure that would be one he'd have remembered.

The question remained unfinished, thanks to Mister Distracted over here, but at least the general gist was there.

Botros' smile was small and serene for reasons, too. "New experiences feel surreal at times." As far as he remembered, it had been years ago since he experienced something completely new. The excitement and the curiosity were wearing down the older he got. It was a little sad.

The photographs were finally in his big old hands, Abraham chuckled down at the cute baby and paused on the last photograph of the entire family (and their dozen pets). "You all look so happy here." His thumb touched the corner fondly, finding himself reminiscing back to the days when he and Debby had four little kids running around in their small house causing havoc and pulling the tails of their dogs and cats. Those were the days. The old professor felt they were out of an old, happy book when he tried to remember how things were forty years ago. Not that he wasn't happy now, but it was a different sort of happiness.

"No. She goes to Durmstrang along with her cousin." He DID sound disappointed, Botros would love to take care of his grandchildren in here, and for them to be educated under the best Wizarding school in Britain. The one with the biggest and longest history. Their parents had their own agendas, though, so he came to understand and respect that. "They visit regularly, though." That was a consolation to his weary, loving heart.

Text Cut: Kace

Quote:

Originally Posted by Expecto-Penguin

Kace entered Bostros office and it still felt intimidating for some reason. He had no idea why but I guess it was because he was his head of house and he felt like he needed to impress him or something. Anyhow onto why he was here. "Hello Professor Bostros.." he began. "I am here to discuss career options with you today. Like I have been deciding on what I want to do and I would love to work with creatures. I talked to Professor Thompson and he said I needed to talk to you to put my plan in full pursuit." he said hopefully Bostros was following along. He then realized he was standing up the whole time and he found the chair next to his desk and he sat down on it making himself for comfortable. He wondered what Bostros thought of his career choice so he asked, "What do you think of my idea?" He wanted an honest opinion.

Botros pushed his paperwork to the side and lowered his reading glasses when the Hufflepuff walked in. It was Mr. Lecium, one of the seventh year students in his house and class. "Good day, Mr. Lecium." The subject, as it turned out, was one that was very serious. "I am very happy to hear that you're thinking ahead and trying to plan your steps outside school." He got up slowly and went to sit on one of the two chairs in front of his desk. "You can have a seat here, first." He indicated the chair opposite of him.

Sitting face to face was to give the boy young man the impression that he was almost a non-student, someone to have an adult conversation with another adult. "Now. Tell me where do you see yourself thirty years from now, Mr. Lecium." Not ten, not five, thirty.