"No problem at all, Professor," David smiled warmly up at the white-haired Herbology man. He strolled into the office and took a good gander around, noting how small and red it was compared to his mum's pink and black round office. Hers had been the Head's suite, though, so he would excuse the Herbology professor for not having quite as nice digs.

He DID like the faint smell of flowers and the soft music emitting from somewhere, though. It gave the room, which was otherwise very woody and bookish, a feminine air. Interesting. Davie walked all the way around the room since he was ahead of the professor, including behind his desk, and took a peek at the pictures there.

"Is that your son?" he pointed to the photo of a dark-haired man in a suit and glasses, then carefully edged around the desk and into a visitor's chair. Just as soon as he had plopped down, Davie remembered his gift, and dug it out of his bag to set it gently on the desk. Did he want something to drink? He thought about it for a moment, tapping his finger on his chin, and then deciding on no with a simple shake of his head.

The first words...well, the first remarkable words, out of the boy's mouth were...........that. Milton. Paul widened his eyes and...had to burst into laughter. OH DEAR. Did he look that much older than his beaux? Paul didn't think so, but then again, the white hair fooled many. The Herbologist turned the picture of Milton towards him and shook his head. "No, he is NOT my son. He's my...." how to explain this to a young one. "Well, we're spiritually married. Not to say...we aren't actually married--but we aren't--basically he's my husband." Merlin, he'd babbled too much on that.

"Nothing to drink, son? All right." He sat down and...smiled broadly at the gift he'd set down. "Oh--" he pulled it closer and ran his finger over the cloth..."This is really unique! What is the occasion for the gift? I've done nothing to deserve it yet!" He felt so touched, though...he might cry. He DIDN'T cry, but...he wanted to.

Gifts.

His heart.

What a sweet, sweet child. Sent from above. Precious child.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kayquilz

The first words...well, the first remarkable words, out of the boy's mouth were...........that. Milton. Paul widened his eyes and...had to burst into laughter. OH DEAR. Did he look that much older than his beaux? Paul didn't think so, but then again, the white hair fooled many. The Herbologist turned the picture of Milton towards him and shook his head. "No, he is NOT my son. He's my...." how to explain this to a young one. "Well, we're spiritually married. Not to say...we aren't actually married--but we aren't--basically he's my husband." Merlin, he'd babbled too much on that.

"Nothing to drink, son? All right." He sat down and...smiled broadly at the gift he'd set down. "Oh--" he pulled it closer and ran his finger over the cloth..."This is really unique! What is the occasion for the gift? I've done nothing to deserve it yet!" He felt so touched, though...he might cry. He DIDN'T cry, but...he wanted to.

Gifts.

His heart.

What a sweet, sweet child. Sent from above. Precious child.

OOPS. Davie's mouth widened into a big, round, shocked O for OOPS when the professor first laughed at him, and then admitted that the younger man in the picture was his husband. Of sorts. Definitely NOT his son. For a second there, he'd been confused and wondered if the professor had married his son, because of the babbly answer he gave, but no. It was just his spiritually married partner.

Davie quickly shut his mouth and instead nodded and smiled, trying not to blush too much at the awkward moment he'd caused. "I see, I see... um, he's quite a catch!" he said instead, a phrase he'd heard his mother use once or twice even when she didn't really mean it. But everyone deserved someone to love, so good for the professor for having a man in his life.

ANYWAY, they were on to the topic of gifts now, and Professor Myers seemed really, truly touched by this one. "You can open it," he encouraged brightly. Was there an occasion needed to give a gift? "They're fresh tea leaves from my mum's collection, ready to be used in a cup or two." There weren't really enough there to make more than that. "They can be used for divination, too," because they made lovely shapes, and they were very fresh and delicious and Davie trusted his mum to only give out the very best gifts, nothing at all subpar or tainted or poisonous or anything that would harm her successor.

"I wanted to give you something since you inherited these greenhouses from my mum," David continued, peering at this Herbology man to determine his worthiness to inherit said spaces. "M'name is David Truebridge, sir." And he promptly held his little hand out for the professor to shake.

Paul chuckled gently and turned Milton's picture the way it was before. "He is, thank you." No more on that subject...at least, not to a student he just met.

Ahem.

He nodded and opened the little gift, and of course as he listened to the little guy explain the leaves....he was so touched! MORE touched than before! He put his hand over his heart dramatically, and sighed. "Oh my..thank you...thank you and your mother so much--" he wrapped both his hands around the boy's and shook David's, closing his eyes and ....being dramatically thankful for this. As was Paul's way.

OOHHHHH!

He let go of David's and and widened his eyes. "YOU are Anastasia Truebridge's son?! Makes all the sense in the world! Yes--" he shook David's hand, smiling all the more. "Very lovely, the Greenhouses are. She kept everything very well organized...I didn't have to do much when I came in here. I merely moved some things around.." he pulled his hand back and waved his wand. Somewhere in the office, a tea began to make itself. "I'll save these tea leaves for a special occasion--" he took the little gift and went to find a place for it on one of his shelves.

"I thank you from the bottom of my heart. And tell your mother thank you, too."

Quote:

Originally Posted by kayquilz

Paul chuckled gently and turned Milton's picture the way it was before. "He is, thank you." No more on that subject...at least, not to a student he just met.

Ahem.

He nodded and opened the little gift, and of course as he listened to the little guy explain the leaves....he was so touched! MORE touched than before! He put his hand over his heart dramatically, and sighed. "Oh my..thank you...thank you and your mother so much--" he wrapped both his hands around the boy's and shook David's, closing his eyes and ....being dramatically thankful for this. As was Paul's way.

OOHHHHH!

He let go of David's and and widened his eyes. "YOU are Anastasia Truebridge's son?! Makes all the sense in the world! Yes--" he shook David's hand, smiling all the more. "Very lovely, the Greenhouses are. She kept everything very well organized...I didn't have to do much when I came in here. I merely moved some things around.." he pulled his hand back and waved his wand. Somewhere in the office, a tea began to make itself. "I'll save these tea leaves for a special occasion--" he took the little gift and went to find a place for it on one of his shelves.

"I thank you from the bottom of my heart. And tell your mother thank you, too."

And that was that. Whew. Davie was learning that this new guy wasn't easily offended, which should be a blessing if it turned out that he wasn't at all as good at Herbology as he SHOULD BE, given who his mother was and all that stuff that the wandmaker had said about his wand wood and core and everything...

He exhaled gently and nodded, mumbling a small, "You're welcome," as the professor started to go on a slightly over-the-top thank you spiel. He had his hand back for a moment until Myers realized who his mum was, and then they were shaking hands and both smiling again and hey, the guy LIKED his mother! Was she not as horrible as all those gossip magazines made her out to be? He supposed not, not to everyone, then.

"That's great to hear. I'll pass it along, for sure," Davie assured the professor happily. Yes, his mother would be pleased to know that the greenhouses were being looked after and kept organized and tidy. Speaking of those greenhouses, though... While Myers started to make tea (NOT with the special leaves, as David noted), he rooted around in his bag and came up with his newly found quill and a scrap scroll of parchment. "Can I ask you a few questions about Herbology? Since I'm new and I haven't had any formal training in it beyond what my mother has taught me...."

He gave the warm professor quite an endearing little boy, epitome of innocence look.

Paul welcomed questions! He loved questions. After finding a place for the special tea leaves, he waited for his tea to finish, leaning on one of his shelves as he listened to David.

"Well, m'boy, go ahead, then. I'm sure whatever your mother HAS taught you has been great, though. What do you want to ask me?" He heard the tea finish, and smoothly poured the mixture into a cup, added two cubes of sugar and one cream, and sat back down with all the energy of a younger man.

He wasn't nervous that the kid might ask a question he didn't know. In fact, he might ask a question he didn't know the answer to! If that was the case, Paul would have to FIND the answer...and what a good bit of learning they'd all get to do!

Aaaaaaaanyways, going in. "Hello, Professor," He gave the man a small smile as he walked through the door into the--Uh. Did Professor Myers not believe in lights or something? 'Cause geez this place was almost as dark as Maggie Traulton's mind. He shook his head to the offer of refreshments though because he was here strictly on business. "No thank you, sir."

As the Gryffindor went to sit down, he quickly scanned the room... Trying to take in the changes. It definitely looked loads different from all the times before. Y'know, it was hard on a kid, okay? Having different Herbology Professors every time. The lack of stability. It did things to the HEART. Eh, sort of.

And who was that dude? The one in the frame? "Anyways, Professor, I've got a few questions to ask you... But first I kinda wanted to take the time to get to know you a bit since I'll probably be seeing you a lot this year." It was all a part of the plan to investigate the man's character. It was step one. Zander couldn't have another disaster Professor, especially for his favorite subject. He needed to make sure this guy was sane and tolerable. And also not working for dark forces like that one looney, Domingo.

So uh, go forth Professor Myers. You are officially being investigated. Good luck.

He gave the man a rather expectant look.

Oh yes, Davie had learned lots from his mother. He'd learned quite a bit from his father too, but he tended to be a more subtle kind of professor. Davie nodded, set his quill to his paper, and was pleasantly surprised when it started writing on its own.

!

"So, um, have you ever been a professor before?" He tore his eyes away from the magical quill to focus on the professor. "What are we studying in Herbology this year? What's your favorite plant? Are you published at all?" Just a few questions, you know, to warm up to him.

Paul nodded. He poured himself a cup of fresh lemon water because it was still too EARLY for tea. "Please have a seat..." he gestured at one of the wicker chairs as he himself sat down in the one behind his desk. The lemon water was quite refreshing.

Well then! Paul chuckled pleasantly. "You want to get to know me? I'm quite honored, too--" he nodded and sipped his water. "I hope to see you as much as you want! You're welcome any time, m'boy!" He was glad to see a friendly student! And making an amiable gesture towards Paul? It warmed his heart so! "Well...ask anything!"

Paul was ready!



Ha! Little Truebridge was grilling him...Merlin...Paul had been grilled all morning it seemed, by students...first Mister Adair...now this. He didn't mind, really, but his head was a little overwhelmed.

He hoped the children didn't hate him...

"Well, no, I have not taught before....but I have years of experience with Herbology, yes, if that's where you getting at." Was the child......asking him these questions on orders from his mother? Paul felt like it...he didn't mind. Didn't bother him. But...Paul wasn't born yesterday. (Clearly).

"Studying? We'll be studying lots of things--" he smiled. "I'd be spoiling it all for you if I told you everything now, Mr. Thuebridge. You'll see in due time, I assure you." And....Merlin, this almost felt like an interview for a JOB. "I love all my plants equally, but I enjoy Alihotsy quite a bit." For...many reasons.

Paul didn't need to go into detail with the boy, surely? "And..as for being published...uh...yes, yes I am. I'm in the field of Herbology, and I have been for awhile. I've written a book..." he said softly, a blush touching his cheeks. He didn't want to talk about that stuff....he didn't. But if David...had more questions...he would....

He just didn't like bragging all that much.

Zander wasn’t sure what to think of this guy yet. He was a strange one. In a way reminiscent of that awkward Professor Millard one and very VERY different from that Wicked Walton one. Still, Myers was unique. Someone he wasn’t sure Truebridge would really care for… But someone he thought Professor Bentley might find a little endearing. Still, Zander wasn’t sure. So he took a moment to think.

And y’know when he said he wanted to know more about the guy, he was hoping Myers would have something prepared. But alas, nothing Zander Adair ever tried to do was easy. So luckily for the both of them, Zander came prepared. And of course the Gryffindor had other business here besides the interrogation. But it was step one. So if the man didn’t pass, unfortunately this would be the end of the interaction and Zander would have to get him fired. No hard feelings though, it was only business after all.

Didn’t need another Walton on the loose, y'know?

The Head Boy may have been sitting down, but he wasn’t going to let himself relax just yet. He sat somewhat stiffly as he leaned forward and looked into Professor Myers’ eyes. That’s the best way to tell if someone is lying. Zander knew. He had done research, okay? Ravenclaws weren’t the only clever ones around here. Reaching into his pocket, he drew out a piece of parchment and gave it a quick look over before putting it back. Ahem.

”I guess I’ll start with a few easy ones…” y’know just to give the guy a false sense of security incase he really was horrible. He wouldn’t be able to hide anything. See, Zander knew what he was doing. ”First off, why Hogwarts? Haven’t you heard this place is full of monsters and something wonky happens practically every year, kinda like a group of people get together and plan a plot for the year’s disaster. So why’d you take the job?” HM? He was super animated, letting his hands fly around as he spoke for emphasis. ”And what makes you qualified? How long have you been doing herbology? Have you ever taught kids before? Would you say you’re good with them? Because this is a really hard job. One year a kid set fire to my friend’s pants in the middle of class. How do you plan on handling an entire room full of inexperienced kids who just want to blow things up? ‘Cause everyone’s got to take herbology. It’s not like divination and arithmancy that you can choose. You’re gonna get loads of people who don’t even want to be here. What will you do?”

He had five minutes.

And with that, Zander slowly leaned back into his chair. Time to prove you’re not a complete nutter, Professor Myers. But also, Zander put on his usual goofball smile, he was playing good cop. In case Myers turned out to be a good fit for the job, Zander didn’t want to completely blow his chance at being on the man’s good side.

Paul nodded, waiting for the questions to start coming. His lemon water tasted lighter, today, than usual, but he supposed that was okay. Wasn't lemon bad for the teeth?

Oh.

First question was one MILTON had asked him all summer. 'Paul....WHY in the world are you teaching at that SCHOOL?' Paul cleared his throat and thought for a minute. "...well I went here, when I was a much younger person, obviously. And I care for the school...I heard there was an open position for Herbology...and I was growing discontent with staying at home in retirement. Bored, you could say. All of my great work in Herbology is behind me, and I wanted to do something worthwhile...passing on my knowledge to students seemed a perfect fit. And my interview with Headmaster Botros went quite well...and here I am." Was Mister Adair satisfied? "As for the bad things that happen here....that is nothing new. Hogwarts has always been a....strange place for mishaps."

He chuckled a little at the next question. "Oh, m'boy....I've done Herbology since I was young. At school, it was by far my best subject. I went to University for it...so I've seriously been 'doing' Herbology since I was eighteen. I'm now fifty-five." Boy could do the math, because Paul didn't feel like it.

"I've not taught kids....before. I've taught a few lower level intro classes at University....but it was not what I wanted to be doing at the time. I think I can handle myself, Mister Adair....are you scared that I an under qualified?" he asked....in the nicest of tones EVER because...he wasn't being rude here. He was merely CURIOUS if that was what the boy was getting at. His blue eyes remained friendly and warm, and Paul chuckled a little. "You're a passionate fellow, aren't you? I admire it. Stay passionate!"

"I plan on taking Herbology...and making it applicable. Interesting, Experimenting, who knows. There will always be people who are not interested in my subject. I must cater to everyone's needs..." was that an answer enough?

Obviously the guy had to have experience with Herbology if he was now teaching at Hogwarts. The fact that he didn't have experience teaching in general, though, and being as old as he was, like Professor Botros' age? That was more worrisome. Davie's smooth poker face gave away none of his internal judgments, however.

Continuing on...

"Why alihosty? Are you as accomplished at Potions as you are at Herbology? Where did you go to university, sir?" And of course this first year was going to ask about his professor's book. One didn't become published just to have no one read it. Books were the best! He leaned forward in his chair.

"Is your book in the school library? Can I read it? What's it called? Is it long? Are we going to study that this year? Why wasn't it on the school supply list? Loads of professors make their students buy their books. It's how they make money." He didn't even pause to evaluate what his new quill was writing right now. It seemed to be moving too quickly to capture the few things Myers was revealing... perhaps it was just taking really detailed notes?!

Finally he could get out of this weird seat. If he visited again he would just stand and wait. He entered the office and merlin this guy has a lot of books.

"You sure do have a lot of books. Professor"

Dante stated as he sat down. He wanted to talk about man eating plants. But those can wait. This guy had a truckload of books. How can one person read them all. You would think he would be the Librarian and not the Herbology Professor.

Trying to come off cool and collected like his normal goofy self was definitely a lot harder when trying to interrogate a man. His mouth was definitely doing some sort of weird twitching thing as he struggled to keep a neutral face somewhere between being incredibly skeptical and also welcoming. Loads of contradictions and Zander definitely was not pulling it off. Someone teach the kid how to handle these kinds of situations, for Merlin’s sake. He was a down right mess.

But the Gryffindor was all ears, leaning in curiously as Myers began to explain.

Oh. He went to school here? …. Huh. Interesting. Which house????? Zander was itching to know now, as if this one fact had one him over. But NO he wasn’t about to phase away just yet. He had a mission to accomplish here and he was only one answer in. So he added in a thoughtful hum and listened as the man went on to continue. Zander wasn’t even going to accuse the guy of lying either, because Merlin he definitely looked old enough to have been retired. So lie detector test averted here, thank goodness. Zander wasn’t qualified to administer one of those. Definitely dodged a Hippogriff with that one.

And mishaps was one way of putting it. But…. Zander hardly counted an acromantula killing a kid a mishap. But that was also his fault so no need to bring up details here. And now we take a moment of silence to remember beloved Gregoire. Poor little mishap.

Ahem. Myers was still going wasn’t he? Well, considering Zander had asked tons of questions, yes. He most definitely was going. Didn’t ever teach kids, so this would be… interesting to say the least. ‘Cause some of the kids at Hogwarts weren’t even kids. Some of them were worse than the acromantulas. Ahem. FIFTY FIVE?? Man this guy was ANCIENT. Was Botros fifty-five yet? Maybe for christmas Zander would get this guy a cane. Fifty five and he was still functioning??? This Professor was even dustier than his Hogwarts A History book and Zander hadn’t opened that thing since first year sorry Professor Grey Lady.

Zander was quickly shaken out of his thoughts however, when Professor Myers turned the question around on him. WHAT. Zander was supposed to be doing the interrogation here, thanks. But he gave the man a quick shake of the head, ”Oh no Sir, I didn’t think… I just need to make sure that you… Well, y’know the Herbology position hasn’t been all that stable since… The curse wasn’t just for the Groundskeeper, Sir.” And that pretty much shut him up.

Zander could see that this guy had his head in the right place, well, at least he could see that his heart was in the right place. And heart was more important than mind anyways, right? Right. Or well, in a Gryffindor’s perspective anyways… So he gave the man a rather sheepish look, mussing his hair with his right hand. Zander felt really bad. Like really, really, really bad. ”So uh, I reckon I haven’t got to ask you the rest of the list, huh?” the Seventh Year reached into his pocket and uncrumpled the parchment with his interrogation notes. The next set of questions were about… Well… Myers could see for himself.

SPOILER!!: oops

5) have you ever had any experience with the dark arts?
6) Namely with Cold Ones?
Follow up question 7) Have you ever had the urge to summon an army of Cold Ones upon an entire population?
8) What are your opinions on fairy tales and do you ever plan on making frequent visits to the restricted section of the library?
9) Do you like acromantulas?
10) Do you ever have the strange urge to feed a child to a man-eating plant?

He felt bad. This guy was nice. Like really, really, really nice.

Paul sipped his tea. Why Alihotsy? He had to chortle at this and just...took a minute to think it through. "Well...I enjoy the affects of the leaves....in different things. Depending on what you add the leaves into...just...had interesting affects. Sometimes the leaves can have pleasant ones, and other times...well, it isn't called the Hyena Tree for nothing." He pressed his lips together as he tried not to smirk too much.

Ahem.

His cheeks were flushed.

"I love Potions...I like that it takes what we do in Herbology...and makes it relevant and applicable...like...the two subjects make each other meaningful. I still like making my own potions for most things..." he said with a shrug of his shoulders.

Oh, PHOOEY. He waved his hand at the boy. "You don't need to add in the 'sir' if you don't want to." He chuckled. "I attended school at Dublin...a very good Herbology program they have, I tell you....you should definitely look into them when you start searching around!" He had a good while before that, though, right?

Oh, he wanted to....know about the book. Paul nodded, scooting his chair out behind him as she stood up, turning around to face his enormous bookshelf. He had to find the book...the spine...he would recognize it anywhere..."Ah ha--" he grabbed a particularly boring looking book with nothing unusual about the cover, font, or length. Just a normal looking textbook-type deal. He pushed it towards David, taking a seat once more. "I wrote it for University level students. It goes into detail about the pros and cons to cross breeding. I like to experiment." He didn't know a botanist who didn't, though. "I could let you pore through it, if you want...some difficult stuff in there, but that doesn't mean you might not get some of it..." he smiled encouragingly. "That's why I don't have you all study it...mostly because it's got some dense research in there." He explained softly.

The book was called, simply, "A Study of Crossbreeds."



Paul laughed a little....he was all...done with drinking water and tea or anything for now...his bladder would not appreciate all that later. SO he took a seat and leaned back in his wicker chair, smiling expectantly at the boy in front of him.

"Yes, I do. What brings you to my office today....Mister....?" he raised an eyebrow, as if to asking him his IDENTITY.



Ahh. The instability of their instructors had become apparent to him...very soon after taking the job. "I...am going to do my best to fill in any gaps for you guys. But...it doesn't seem like you lot are...behind, really. But some stability will be nice." It was proven to be helpful in improving grades.

Something on Mister Adair's face----was that guilt? Paul smiled kindly. "No problem in asking the important questions, I promise....I don't bite." Some of his plants might....but not him.

He leaned over to check this little list of Zander's....ooohhh....it had him snorting in laughter! He was so tickled he had to cover his mouth with his hand--OH MERLIN'S PANTS!

"W-w-WELL--" he began, catching his breath. "I am not..into the dark arts, Mister Adair....and I am..only remotely familiar with the Cold Ones...CHORTS?" he wasn't sure. "Agromentulas frighten me...and I would hate for a child to be eaten by a PLANT of mine...also...fairy tales are...interesting?" He didn't know what to make of this hilarious list!

He most certainly did. Dante took one more glance at all of them.

"Dante. Dante Barrington and i wanted to know if we would be covering man eating plants this term or you know any cool plants?"

Since he want to get straight to the point. So would Dante. And please don't say all plants are cool because that would just make Dante roll his eyes for the whole day because it was obviously not true. Dante could list examples

But that would be a waste of time.

Paul just...sort of laughed. "Man eating plants?! Well I ...hadn't planned on anything quite that advanced yet....but....I suppose we could look at some OTHER interesting plants..." he summoned a book from his shelf with his wand, the title clattering loudly in front of him. "Have you heard of...hydroponic plants?" he asked curiously, raising an eyebrow at the boy.

"Dante...well, Mr. Barrington...it is very nice to make your acquaintance. I can't wait to see your bright and shiny face in class!" This kid seemed funny! Paul was chuckling away at him!

Now that was slightly depressing. But he had said yet. So there was hope in the future if he lasted more than a year and in this place you never know. And what was that about other interesting plants.

Hyroponic what know. Well hydro of course was water. At least he thought it was. But that was about all the knowledge this 14 had.

"Nope, no idea what those are."

Again, Wait. Did he just say bright and shiny face. Dante does not think he had ever heard those words to describe his face. Cute maybe a year or two ago and now handsome. But never some words.

"Same Professor though i don't know about the bright and shiny part"

Maybe apathetic and shrugging would be words for him.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kayquilz

Paul sipped his tea. Why Alihotsy? He had to chortle at this and just...took a minute to think it through. "Well...I enjoy the affects of the leaves....in different things. Depending on what you add the leaves into...just...had interesting affects. Sometimes the leaves can have pleasant ones, and other times...well, it isn't called the Hyena Tree for nothing." He pressed his lips together as he tried not to smirk too much.

Ahem.

His cheeks were flushed.

"I love Potions...I like that it takes what we do in Herbology...and makes it relevant and applicable...like...the two subjects make each other meaningful. I still like making my own potions for most things..." he said with a shrug of his shoulders.

Oh, PHOOEY. He waved his hand at the boy. "You don't need to add in the 'sir' if you don't want to." He chuckled. "I attended school at Dublin...a very good Herbology program they have, I tell you....you should definitely look into them when you start searching around!" He had a good while before that, though, right?

Oh, he wanted to....know about the book. Paul nodded, scooting his chair out behind him as she stood up, turning around to face his enormous bookshelf. He had to find the book...the spine...he would recognize it anywhere..."Ah ha--" he grabbed a particularly boring looking book with nothing unusual about the cover, font, or length. Just a normal looking textbook-type deal. He pushed it towards David, taking a seat once more. "I wrote it for University level students. It goes into detail about the pros and cons to cross breeding. I like to experiment." He didn't know a botanist who didn't, though. "I could let you pore through it, if you want...some difficult stuff in there, but that doesn't mean you might not get some of it..." he smiled encouragingly. "That's why I don't have you all study it...mostly because it's got some dense research in there." He explained softly.

The book was called, simply, "A Study of Crossbreeds."

Was he laughing at Davie's follow-up question because alihotsy was known to induce laughter? The Ravenclaw pushed his glasses up his nose further and refrained from raising his eyebrows at this professor... this curious, very curious professor...

"Do you often eat your favorite plants, sir?" he couldn't resist asking as he took another glance at his parchment. Just look at that quill, writing on its own! Merlin! He was at SEVEN PARAGRAPHS about this guy so far! And still writing, now about potions and the professor's fondness for the subject:

Myers studied at an unnamed school in Dublin, doubtlessly known for those interested in experimenting with potions and taking potions of their own creation, regardless of the outcome or consequences. Myers admits to being quite experimental in his younger years, a trend that perhaps hasn't ended today, considering that the man still likes making his own potions for "most things," although he wouldn't admit what those things were...

Davie almost laughed at loud at the quill's sassy commentary, having to bite his lip to keep the professor from seeing his amusement. "I will, Professor, I will c-consider the place," he coughed his laugh away. "What was it called?"

As for the man's book, well, here was where David Truebridge's eyes lit up. He watched in excitement as the professor produced a thick, average-looking textbook from behind his shelves. Davie scooted to the very edge of his chair, not thinking to just scoot the whole thing up, in order to investigate the book. "A Study of Crossbreeds," he read and opened it up. "We should get one of these for the school library!" Oh yes, he was going to investigate this. Davie began reading without hesitation, turning to a page on higher-ranked, more dangerous crossbreeds.

"Are any of these plants in the greenhouses?" he asked without looking up from the book.

Paul smiiiiiiiled. He waggled his finger in the boy's direction. "Well....in the muggle world, hydroponic plants are grown...well, usually above the ground because they don't use soil, but water...sometimes different gravels or clays, though--" he opened to a picture and shoved the book towards Dante. "An example of some hydroponic plants."

"Now, some magical plants can be grown the same way...but one of my later lessons will be focused on...gravity resistant trees." He was so excited for this lesson..he was still working on having the trees shipped here and stuff...MERLIN. It would definitely be the highlight of his term here. "So..yes. We will doing SOME cool stuff, I promise."

Oh. But his face WAS bright and shiny. "Pfffft. Everyone who LIVES has a bright and shiny face, m'boy!"



Paul thought for a moment. "Depends on the plant. Some plants are dangerous to ingest..." he didn't find the question all that odd! The boy was curious. And Alihotsy was...well, some people didn't take into consideration the vast amount of things those leaves could do! Induce laughter was just one of the few!

"Why..it's Dublin University for Magical Creatures and Plants! DUCP!" He cackled and swiveled around in his chair--or tried to, before he remembered his chair was a WICKER chair and swiveling was impossible--the chair gave a HORRIBLE crunch, and Paul had split his chair.......in half. "Oh--ha--oops--" he waved his wand and quickly...repaired that..."I am such an idiot sometimes--excuse me--" he chuckled, like it was no big deal--and grabbed a little flag from his alma mater. "My University! Whooh!" So many memories there...

Aaaaand Paul's cheeks turned red once more as he took a seat in his newly refurbished chair. "I...no. That's really okay. No one wants to read some book I wrote--I--" oh dear. "I have some of them at my private greenhouse, at my home, but none of them here...currently. We could try to change this, though...cross breeding is fun. Also dangerous, or can be." He didn't want the little fellow to just...willy-nilly crossbreed!

Man. This was the worst interrogation he had ever conducted. Granted, it was the first, but also the worst one. And there went his entire future, like poof. Though maybe becoming a 'professional interrogator' was a bit unrealistic and completely ridiculous. So uh, back to the drawing board then. He could always resort to working as a human house elf if all else failed.

And then Myers was laughing.

Yup. Just proved it was officially the worst interrogation of his life. Those were supposed to be serious questions too. He absentmindedly mussed his hair, still embarrassed and full of that guilt thing. "Hogwarts has sort of had a history..." And that was his explanation for the rapid-fire questions. He kicked his feet around a little under his chair as he sat there awkwardly.

"Herbology is just something I actually like and care about," Where was he going with this? He had no idea. "I just needed to make sure that they picked a guy who was gonna do it justice." Which okay, still he didn't really know much about this Myers character. But he did know that there wasn't any risk of the man starting up an army of Cold Ones and the guy was into herbology, like a lot, so that seemed good enough for now. "Sorry for doubting you and thinking you weren't cut out for the job... and also for thinking you were out to get the school." Okay so he never really said any of those doubts out loud, but now that he already screwed up the interrogation. Might as well go the whole mile.

Basically instability was something Zander couldn't take anymore. And if he made a final decision to approve of this guy, then Myers very well needed to stay at the school for long enough to make herbology regular again.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kayquilz

Paul thought for a moment. "Depends on the plant. Some plants are dangerous to ingest..." he didn't find the question all that odd! The boy was curious. And Alihotsy was...well, some people didn't take into consideration the vast amount of things those leaves could do! Induce laughter was just one of the few!

"Why..it's Dublin University for Magical Creatures and Plants! DUCP!" He cackled and swiveled around in his chair--or tried to, before he remembered his chair was a WICKER chair and swiveling was impossible--the chair gave a HORRIBLE crunch, and Paul had split his chair.......in half. "Oh--ha--oops--" he waved his wand and quickly...repaired that..."I am such an idiot sometimes--excuse me--" he chuckled, like it was no big deal--and grabbed a little flag from his alma mater. "My University! Whooh!" So many memories there...

Aaaaand Paul's cheeks turned red once more as he took a seat in his newly refurbished chair. "I...no. That's really okay. No one wants to read some book I wrote--I--" oh dear. "I have some of them at my private greenhouse, at my home, but none of them here...currently. We could try to change this, though...cross breeding is fun. Also dangerous, or can be." He didn't want the little fellow to just...willy-nilly crossbreed!

The professor didn't seem to pick up on the slight bite in Davie's question, but that was fine. He wasn't known as a particularly sarcastic or snide or difficult boy... yet. He merely replied with a soft, "Mhmmm," of agreement as he continued going through the book.

DUCP? Why had he never heard of that? Davie looked up and squinted at Myers as though he were pulling his leg. And he looked up just in time, too, to see the professor successfully break his own chair. Davie didn't laugh, or join the main in cackling as many students would have done. He didn't even point out that yes, he was an idiot for breaking his own chair. Instead, he commented, "You might want a rolling, spinny desk chair with wheels, sir, before you try that again." Just a suggestion from the other side of the desk.

But why was the man so embarrassed to promote his book? "I want to read it," he decided, taking a possessive hold of the book now, and tugging it closer to his side of the desk, his chair, so Myers couldn't just snatch it back. "What if I read it, write a review of it for the school paper, and then get other students to read it?" Sounded like a swell plan to him. He tried not to look too excited at the prospect of adding a few crossbreeds to the school greenhouses, particularly since Myers didn't seem too set on it, but... he WAS excited.

"What if we only cross-breed under your supervision, Professor? We could probably do that, right? After all," and he knew this was true, because he was the Headmistress' son, "I know professors have their own budgets and get to choose what supplies they order throughout the term. No one would raise a few eyebrows at any new fanged plants coming in, as an example..." And he pointed to, yes, a fanged geranium-honking daffodil crossbreed on his current page in the book. New fanged, see, and new fangled for the school.

Dante was understanding just a portion of what Mr. Bright and Shiny was talking about. Plants that grew with water not soil and the picture looked like a piece of cabbage floating on water. Still it was pretty cool."Those are...interesting." Dante said nodding. Plus gravity resistant trees sounded awesome. One point for you Professor Bright and Shiny.

"Those gravity resistant trees do sound awesome, Professor."

And now Dante believed him.

"I still don't know about that. I don't think i know anyone in my house that is bright and shiny....maybe one but that is it"

It was true. Once Dante thought about it.

"Oh, I know. I've attended school here, so I know the whole process. Hogwarts has a tendency to spit rough waters at students and staff alike--almost CONSTANTLY." He sighed and rubbed his forehead. "I'm hoping this year is calm.....and relaxed...and pleasant. NO bad things..or...spiders." He shivered a little. Spiders..ugh.

What Zander had to say made sense to the man. He seemed passionate about the subject, and Paul could appreciate a boy with such a passion for plants. It made Zander Adair very special, indeed, and Paul couldn't help but let the steady smile slide into his face. "I'm glad to hear you love Herbology so much...and I take it as a compliment that you came here to...hmm, 'check me out.' I hope I've passed all your tests...and that I don't disappoint all your hopes and dreams in my course this term." He had a feeling, though, that anyone really passionate about Herbology would enjoy his class. "I'll have to ask you, at the end of the year, what you think..." he chuckled.



Paul quite agreed with the sentiments. A spinning or rolling chair with wheels might be better. "But wouldn't that ruin the.....feel of my office?" Paul LIKED his wicker chairs. Hmph.

He thought for a minute. "I suppose you could read it, m'boy. And if you hate it...well...wouldn't that be unlucky." He chuckled. "It's already been well received by the community, though, so....even if you hate it, I'll be okay. But I'd love it if you did a review...it'd be truly wonderful--and yes--we DO have a newspaper--I actually am working with Mr. Kitridge as one of the advisors for it!" He was excited because the Quill had been around when he was at school...well...had it? He couldn't actually remember that far back...

OOPS?

"I plan on getting some eventually. It's easy enough to get them to fit into the budget, yes." He was aware of the process, Mr. Truebridge. "I may even teach a few lessons on cross-breeds. Who knows! Life's a book here, isn't it?!" He smiled at what he apparently thought was a really wise thing to say--but indeed, PAUL'S life was a book still being written, at least for him, and teaching at Hogwarts was sure to be one heck of an interesting chapter in it.

Awesome.

They sounded AWESOME!

Paul couldn't help BEAMING. "I'm SO excited you think so! i find them so cool, too! I just want--all of them--in my Greenhouses--NOW." He almost jumped out of his chair in excitement. And breaking it for the second time today. He didn't need that--NOPE NOPE.

Pfffft. He clicked his tongue in Dante's direction. "That's bologna. All youth have bright and shiny faces...you all glow with such enthusiasm that sometimes gets burnt out in old age. Don't ever let that happen to you, Mr. Barrington..." he warned in a super serious voice.