The Office of Professor Valon Kazimeriz, esq.
 

Please do not post here until the Professor has invited you in. Please use the office doorway thread to knock and gain admittance to the Professor's office.


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The warm interior of Professor Kazimeriz's office is simply lit with a candlelight chandelier. While it is well organized and fastidiously tidy, the floor to ceiling mahogany shelves are overflowing with thick, ancient books and curiosities that the professor has collected during nearly a century of travels. The walls are decorated with tribal masks and other oddities as well as moving photographs of distant lands and distant people. Several photos are of the professor himself, posing with various wizards, witches, hobgoblins, werewolves, vampires and other magical beings.

At the center of the office is a large mahogany desk with a deeply cushioned leather chair behind it. On the desk are a few artifacts, including a glass-encased hand of glory. There is also a quill, blotter and a photograph of a much younger Professor Kazimeriz with a woman and small child.

At the back of the room there is a large, locked, wood and glass enclosed curio cabinet which contains a variety of objects. Each object has a note card describing the object and the curse placed on it. To the right of the cabinet, there is a brass bell dangling from a wrought iron hook. In this area, there is also a fastidious workspace featuring a triple-locked glass cabinet housing potions ingredients. On the counter you will find an array of potions-making equipment: phials, alembics, stills,and of course several cauldrons in various states of steaming and brewing. The bookshelves are jammed with many ancient texts: An anonymous treatise on the Philosophers' stone, An hundred aphorisms containing the whole body of magic from Ms. Sloane 1321, Basil Valentine's Triumphal Chariot of Antimony, Advanced Potion-Making by Libatius Borage, Moste Potente Potions, Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger, Compleat Potions by Horace Slughorn, and many others.

Comfortable, overstuffed chairs and sofas are positioned within the office near the fireplace sitting area and across from the professor's desk. The smell of tea and warm sugar cookies lingers in the air, mingling with the scent of the burning pine log in the fireplace and the occasional wafting scent of whatever happens to be brewing at the moment.

When you are invited in, please make yourself comfortable.

Professor Kazimeriz led the way into his office; it was set up exactly to his liking; Merlin bless the House Elves of Hogwarts, they never missed a trick. He placed his satchel down by his desk and seated himself in his wingback leather chair behind his large desk. He drew his wand out and summoned his enchanted tea set, which got right to work brewing up a pot.

"Be seated."

He waited for the students to enter the room and explain the purpose of their visits.

ooc: Those who were waiting at my corridor at the time of my last post, Come on in!

Nicoletta entered Proffesor Kazimeriz's office. Finally! Nicoletta sat down. "Umm, hello sir."

Professor Kazimeriz raised an eyebrow. "I do not believe I invited you into my office. Unless you are by chance the second year student who plastered a note on my door, deliberately ignoring my clearly posted sign instructing that you leave correspondence in my visitor's journal on the table?" He raised an eyebrow, clearly peeved.

Nicoletta's eyes widened. Oops, missed that. she though. "Oh yes, err..." cough. "Th-that was me." Oh gosh I'm shaking, breathe deep Nicoletta, breathe. She avoided having another panic attack. Barely. The nurse could thank her later.

"Well, we will call it five points from your house for your regrettable lack of observational skills, and I will allow you to stay. Now... What brings you to my office?" he settled back in his chair calmly.

His attention was diverted by a loud FLUM!BANG sound at the door. He cast his eyes down to the crystal orb on his desk and sighed.

Upstead.

"Would someone please let Master Upstead into the office before he knocks himself unconscious?" he said as a knocking was heard at the door.

It was all Nicoletta could do to keep her mouth shut. Grrrr. "I'll get it sir." Nicoletta walked open and opened the door to reveal a boy on the floor. "Errr, Proffesor? He's on the floor." she said.

Good sweet Merlin.

It had worked.

He had to use that method more often.

Finishing up his coughing fit and sneezing a few times, Jake eyed the girl LOOOOOOMING over him blearily and, instead of standing, butt-shuffled into the room. "Mmmmornin'," he mumbled, clearly dazed from the impact.

"Kaz!Longtimenosuhh-seeeee," he exclaimed, grinning up at the man from the floor and sneezing quietly once more, looking like it took him by surprise.

Wait... there was something he was forgetting to do...

Ssssstanding?

Eh.

Kazimeriz raised an eyebrow. On the floor, indeed. He did not bother rising from his seat... he could see more of the boy than he cared to right from where he sat, thank you very much.

"Not long enough by half for my taste." he grumbled. "Well, get in here, Upstead, before I become accustomed to your position on the floor and decide to transfigure you into a bear-skin rug. Or perhaps a doormat is more to your taste?" He sneered at the young boy disdainfully.

Nicoletta settled back in her chair. "Well you see sir, I-I really enjoy potions but I seem to be having some trouble grasping the concepts." she sighed quietly. Nicoletta admired Proffesor Kazimeriz, she really did. He's just sooo.... intimidating.

bwaha. visual of the Upstead Bearskin
 

Okay. Butt-shuffling wasn't working.

Standing riiiiight up (and giving another sneeze) Jake stepped into the office.

Heh. The floor seemed to be getting lower, and the ceiling ever closer.

What's up with thaaaat?

"I'm beginning," Jake said calmly, brushing the dust from his robes and ruffling his hair so it lay straight. "To guhh-get the im-impression that yuhh-you dislike me, suhh-sir," he went on, raising an eyebrow of his own. Oh yes. He was starting to recognise non-verbal actions for what they were.

"You and Luhh-lawson should ssstart a club," Jake added, his voice becoming noticeably more bitter. Eh. So what? He knew he was disliked, now he was becoming immune to it.

"Puhh-people won't wuhh-walk over me anymore," he muttered, in reference to the doormat comment. Then, he gave a niiiiice big, totally not sarcastic smile.

"I've buhh-been wanting to talk tuhh-ter you."

Dun, dun, DUNNNNN.

"I do not suffer fools nor foolish behavior easily. If I wanted clowns, I would go to a circus." Kazimeriz said shortly. "Now sit down, and I will be right with you. Ladies first." he said, turning to the other student.

"Now, then, young lady. Despite your lack of ability to follow basic instructions and your trouble with potions, I know little about you. Let us start with this: what is your name, please?" Children these days had no sense of basic manners.

"How the huhh-heck am I buhh-being a ffffool?" Jake asked, genuinely bamboozled, but sat down nevertheless, not forgetting his past experiences of sitting in this darned office. The best thing he could do, though, was just lay all the trouble on nice and thick. Being expelled was the only surefire way of getting OUT.

Though... now he thought about it, he'd be in a smidge of trouble back home.

Pulling out his wand, Jake twirled it in his fingers, leisurely examining the office he knew too well.

"Chivalry is duhh-dead," he scoffed quietly. BLAH! He'd always dsagreed with it.

Ooohh. "Nicoletta Davis sir, we met briefly last term."

Kylie entered behind Professor Kazimeriz after he invited her and a gaggle of other students in. She took a stance in a respectful place in his room, waiting until he was free to speak with her. She didn't want to interrupt anything.

Kazimeriz shot him a dirty look and then diverted his attention back to the girls. Upstead would require focused attention; he was just that way.

Kazimeriz thought briefly, then recalled the girl. "Ah, yes, Miss Davis. Now I recall. You did seem to struggle a bit in my class, especially toward the end. I expect that you will utilize the potions lab more this term in order to excel." It was not a question. "What concepts in particular trouble you, child?"

He glanced at the girl who had entered quietly, and gestured to a cozy chair. "Please have a seat; I will see you in a moment. You may have tea.' The eager little teaset hurried over, ready for her order.

What...?

There was something fundamentally wrong with this scene.

Jake looked over at the other girl who just came in, and he tilted his head to one side.

"Don't I guhh-get offered tuhh-tea?" he asked, in a kind of falsely innocent/sweet/nice voice.

Jeez, this guy was like a dementor. Being near him sucked out your soul. Even now Jake was feeling like his good cheer was slipping away... or maybe he was just upset about that look.

Max knew that it was better to let Valon rant and rave sooner rather than later. Thus he made his way back to the Castle and down to the Dungeons. It smells like wet sulphur, he thought as he passed the Potions classroom. Finally, he arrived at the door of his colleague (and former professor).

With a simple (and polite) knock, he opened the door and peeked his head inside. Ooops! Students. "Ah, pardon the intrusion Professor," he said apologetically. "I can come back when you're not busy with students."

"When you are good." Kazimeriz said shortly to the boy. The charmed tea pot, which had perked up happily at the word 'tea', sank back down onto the table as though disappointed that it could not serve the boy yet.

"Nonsense; I am never too busy to entertain a colleague. Please, come in, have a seat-- there is tea and nibbles if you would like." Happy again, the tea pot levitated again, waiting to see where Max would sit. "I was just speaking with Miss Davis, who seems to be struggling a bit with her potions studies. As I recall, there is a time when you could have claimed the same." He smiled at Max as he took him down Memory Lane.

"Only during my first year," Max replied as he entered the office and sat down on a vacant seat. "The key to potions is to study and memorize the measurements as well as the instructional verbs."

The tea smelled good and there were . . . CHOCOLATE SCONES WITH CLOTTED CREAM. Without a single word, he helped himself to some tea with lemon and one of the scrumptuous scones.

"Excellent advice... As well, of course, as the cardinal rules- know your ingredients and how they interact, keep your equipment meticulously well conditioned, and document everything." he said, watching Max dig into the scones. "Those are my favourite as well. I do hope you enjoy them." he grinned. He watched Max and his newly obtained mustache, so similar to his own. A strange and troubled expression crossed his face like a shadow. "Maximus, how is your great-grandmother, by the way?"

"M'always good," Jake mumbled to himself, staring jealously over at Vindictus as HE was offered some tea. Unable to sit still, Jake shifted around in his chair, seemingly trying to get comfortable and failing. The boy tapped his hands on his knees and swung his feet. "Not fffffair," he murmured.

PFFT. Jake didn't care.

He didn't even LIKE tea.

Max almost choked on his scone. "Nana?" he swallowed hard. Odd question considering his great-grandmother had been famous at one time thanks to an expertly mixed single that leapt to the top of the Muggle charts for one week ages ago. "She's fine, I guess. Still trying to get her voice back after singing at a charity event last month." Should I mention that her voice shattered a collection of delicate antique vases?

Kazimeriz made a point of ignoring the boy and his fidgety ways. He kept his attention on Max and his other guests.

Upstead would learn.

Kazimeriz chuckled at that. Voice BACK, indeed. WHAT voice? The woman was tone deaf, in his estimation, but quite beautiful back in the day... the day being many, many, MANY years ago. "Ah yes... The dulcet tones of Kajsa Henriksson. Quite... unforgettable. I knew her well." he smiled a little in memory, then raised an eyebrow. "And your great-grandfather?" he asked with just a little TOO much curiosity.

"Never met him," Max replied rather nonchalantly and took a sip of tea. "Excellent blend, Valon. Very smooth. Goes well with these scones."