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**Mohamed Sahnoun** · #1 (**permalink**) 05-02-2016, 01:30 AM

The oak door opens into a circular room with large windows that bring in the natural lighting, for the headmaster has never made it a habit of his to draw the curtains. By day the sun brightens the office, and the moon and fireplace illuminate the space by night. The portraits that cover the walls often complain about the constant light, though Sahnoun simply chuckles at their remarks when he hears them and carries on with his business.

Looking around the office with an assertive eye, you will learn much about the man who resides here. Naturally one will find the Sorting Hat sitting on one of the shelves, though the others are filled with books (most about alchemy) and various items and instruments that many may find foreign to them are displayed in curio cabinets. In the centre of the room stands a grand desk. The first thing that will likely catch your eye is the orange fwooper eyeing you from its perch. It opens its mouth to sing you to insanity, but the bird has been silenced. On the desk itself are various frames containing pictures that capture Sahnoun's fondest memories: him wearing a Head Boy badge in one of the Uagadou corridors, his graduation photo from Cairo WU, he and his wife dancing at their wedding reception, the day he taught his very first alchemy lesson to a group of young Uagadou pupils, and several more.

Placed directly in front of the desk are two visitor's chairs that have colourful African print cushions placed on them for maximum comfort. Odds are Sahnoun will offer you one of these seats in addition to a cup of rooibos tea or some plantain chips.

OOC: The Stone Gargoyle must step aside before you are able to enter the office. Those who post in this thread must either know the password to go beyond the gargoyle or be accompanied by the headmaster or a professor. Posting in the office without properly bypassing the gargoyle will result in your post being removed.

hermionesclone · 11-24-2016, 08:29 PM

If he was completely honest with himself, it irked Hirsch to see Daxton looking so unconcerned with the events. Didn't he care? At least a bit? Unless he had absolutely zero idea as to why he was called here so suddenly, a fact that the man doubted very much. As he told the boy in another meeting earlier that year, Daxton was smart. Very smart. Obliviousness was out of the question.

The quiet atmosphere - because no, he wasn't about to risk talking to the young Ravenclaw right now - was broken by the sound of the door opening and Hirsch found himself taking a few deep breaths as he stood there. There really was no going back now, was there?

He entered, again hoping that Daxton would follow behind. On any other occasion, the man would've liked to be here: to look through the alchemy books or to see if he recognised the instrument or simply to bask in the abundance of light in this office, something that his own never seemed to do. There was no way he could have a large orange bird in there either, not if he wanted Dante Barrington to come back and tell him how much it clashed with his furniture.

That look from Sahnoun? It was enough to make the 6'2" man feel very small, indeed. He cleared his throat and pushed his glasses further up his nose before launching into a response of his own. "Thank you for seeing us, Headmaster. This is Daxton Prince." Obviously. Another obvious statement was to suggest that the man had read the information on Daxton but he refrained himself from doing so.

Felixir · 11-24-2016, 11:19 PM

It was not that Daxton was truly unconcerned with what was about to transpire, and what already had; he was interested, of course, but mostly because it was all about him. Aside from that, though... no, he did not much care about, well, any of it, as a matter of fact.

Following Hirsch into the office, Daxton took his opportunity to get a good look around the room, noting at once all the ways it differed from the few other offices at Hogwarts he had stepped inside of. It was nowhere near as ugly as Hirsch's office, though it was brightly lit to the point of being uncomfortable, and the portraits that lined the walls made the place feel far too busy. Knowing he was being watched by so many pairs of eyes was unnerving, to say the least, but Daxton was kept calm, and under control.

It took only a moment to fully map out his surroundings, and catalogue the points of interest in the office. The Sorting Hat caught Daxton's eye first, even before the large orange bird, that he knew to be a fwooper. He eyed the bird warily, even as he heard Hirsch introduce him to the Headmaster.

Eventually dragging his eyes away from the unsightly orange bird, Daxton looked instead towards Sahnoun. That one glance was enough to properly take in the sight of the man, surrounded by files - files Daxton immediately decided he would have liked to have read.

Leaving the talking to Hirsch and Sahnoun, Daxton stepped silently forwards and took one of the seats in front of the desk, glancing again towards those files, and then again at Sahnoun, with his usual completely impassive expression.

**Mohamed Sahnoun** · 11-25-2016, 03:25 AM

Another page flipped, and his heart sank. Why did a Ravenclaw, someone who surely was intelligent, think that of all things was acceptable? The old man rubbed his forehead once more, trying to wrap his mind around this boy's track record and his mentality. The fact that all of this just built on each other and escalated more and more each time was not a good sign for the lad.

When the Defence professor spoke, the headmaster glanced up from the file so that his brown eyes met with the green ones across from him. A small smile was directed at his colleague. It would have been a lot bigger had they been meeting with each other in a very different situation. "Of course, professah. And dank you for bringing Mr. Prince in to see me." He was sure the boy wouldn't have shown up on his own accord otherwise.

Speaking of the boy, Sahnoun's eyes shifted from the adult to the young Ravenclaw. The smile the professor received was no longer there. Expressions were not present on the man's face. He was simply watching Daxton look around his office, at his belongings, at his dear Rafiki (who's mouth was silently opening and closing frantically, its feathers ruffled), at the Sorting Hat, and then at the papers spread about on his desk. Not long after, their eyes met.

Placing a hand beneath his chin, he sat there in silence, observing the boy. Of course, he knew the boy wouldn't be speaking like all the others that walked through his door, though he was expecting some sort of facial expression. The fact that there was none was concerning. Did Daxton Prince not know why he was there? Or did he just not have a care in the world?

A cough sounded from his throat, and then Sahnoun stacked the papers together. "Please give dese a look over, Mr. Prince," he said, holding the file across the table. "And tell me, wit a nod of your head, if dese behaviors are acceptable for a student to perform here at Hogwarts." They'd start there before getting into the consequence.

hermionesclone · 11-26-2016, 12:48 AM

Once Daxton had taken his seat, Hirsch moved forwards to take the remaining seat. It was somewhat comforting to be sitting instead and what was moreso was the smile from Sahnoun himself. He returned the smile with one of his own, even if it wasn't the kind of smile he'd give to a student who gave a particularly great answer in class.

The tension? That hadn't exactly gone unnoticed. It was as if he was sitting in the middle of, what could potentially be, a heated discussion and all he could do was sit and watch. Whether this was divination or the man overthinking this situation he didn't know but right now, all he did was keep his eyes on the files in front of Sahnoun.

The files that were now being shown to Daxton himself.

Uh.

A mildly perplexed expression crossed the Defence Professor's face as he looked up at Sahnoun to figure out what it is the man was trying to do with this little, uh, exercise. Make Daxton feel remorse for his actions? Make him go and apologise right this very minute? While Hirsch doubted very much whether the two actions would occur, he couldn't help but hold out some kind of hope. He didn't like the idea of giving up on his students, after all, even if his and Daxton's student-professor relationship was...........

............ well.

Green eyes flew over towards the Ravenclaw boy to see what kind of answer came out from him and whether this exercise would work or not.

Felixir · 11-26-2016, 05:36 AM

If there was tension in the room, Daxton did not appear to be aware of it; he had never been the type to pick up on an atmosphere, despite usually being the cause of them. He was more impatient than anything else, and not entirely sure while Sahnoun was staring at him like that. Had he not decided what he wanted to say in advance? Or was the Headmaster perhaps attempting to use Legilimency on him.

At that thought, Daxton made sure to avert his eyes. There had been enough people poking around in his mind to last him a lifetime. Instead, he looked up at that silently screaming orange eyesore. He could not help but wonder exactly what effect that bird's cries would have on his own mind.

The sound of a cough drew Daxton's attention again, but he continued looking at the Fwooper until, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sahnoun hand something over to him. Only then did he look down, glancing across at Hirsch for just a fraction of a second, and back at what was being handed to him. The file.

That was surprising, but Daxton's surprise did not quite reach his face. He reached across, took the stack of papers, and started to flip through them. He read them all with the air of someone flipping through a book they were considering taking out of the library, or of someone reviewing revision notes on a subject they were already confident in, not like a boy who had just been essentially presented a rundown of his various misdeeds, and facing imminent - and likely severe - consequences.

Once he had flipped through each page - committing them all to memory, as well as he could - Daxton looked up again. He sent a fleeting glance towards Hirsch again, then Sahnoun, until his gaze rested on the Fwooper once more.

After a pause, he simply shrugged. It was difficult to say, really, just what was and was not 'acceptable'. Daxton saw little wrong with his actions, but then he had been made aware that plenty of others did see them as wrong. So it was all a matter of opinion, really, and Daxton was someone who only knew of 'right' and 'wrong' as more or less unfamiliar concepts, as knowledge that had been instilled in him - and recently at that - rather than as any kind of moral compass. That knowledge alone did little to dissuade him from simply doing as he pleased. His actions had not necessarily been those of someone who wanted to deliberately do wrong, but of someone who had not known any better until it was too late, of someone who was not exactly well. Thing was, if he had understood that whole morality thing, and right and wrong, and been in a more stable headspace, there was little to suggest that he would have behaved any better at all.

But to Sahnoun and Hirsch, his only answer was that shrug, that careless 'I don't know', after which, Daxton continued to keep his cold blue eyes fixed on that bird.

**Mohamed Sahnoun** · 12-02-2016, 12:39 AM

Though he was no Legilimens, Sahnoun had a hunch that the outcome of this particular meeting was not going to end in rainbows and sunshine. The files said it all really, though there was a glimmer of hope that he was trying to keep alive and rekindle. The African believed that there was good in everyone, even those that made even the worst of mistakes. They just needed to show it.

His gaze did not waver as he watched Daxton flip through page after page. The man's face remained expressionless, though anyone who had the ability to read minds knew that his mind was not restless one bit. Disappointment and concern flooded his brain. The boy's response to seeing the details of each of the wrongs he had committed at school was not the normal outcome in the slightest.

A sigh was repressed as he glanced over at Roderik. Yes, things here were not looking bright for the young man in the room and his future at Hogwarts. It was unfortunate, really.

His brown eyes, typically warm but arguably now appearing to be empty, returned to the fourth year just in time to see a mere shrug of the shoulders. It took every fibre of Sahnoun's being not to let his head fall into his hands at this response. The child had no guilt for his actions. He didn't seem to understand that all of the things he had done were seriously wrong, unnerving even. He lacked a moral compass, which was not acceptable and would cause more misdeeds that would only intensify.

There would be no more of that from him at this school. A decision had been finalised.

"Mr. Prince," the headmaster said after a long period of silence, eloquently waving his hand so the files returned to him and a blank form appeared on his desk. He then reached for his quill and began writing. "Dese behaviours cannot be pushed aside, and da fact that you show no remorse has led me to only one option. ... Dis evening you will be boarding da train to London, and you will not be returning to Hogwarts. Further arrangements will have been made by da time you arrive. You may now leave to pack your belongings under Mr. Hirsch's supervision."

hermionesclone · 12-02-2016, 02:34 AM

That reaction from Daxton? Not a good one. It took every fibre in Hirsch's being not to facepalm right then and there. The lack of care in this Ravenclaw wasn't exactly new and it was one the man had come across in full force during his lessons but surely, surely, if you were given a file listing your misdeeds, it would hurt or at least be quite an uncomfortable read.

But no. A shrug was enough.

He bit his tongue to stop himself from saying anything and chanced a glance over at Sahnoun. He hadn't thought that things could look even worse but somehow, they did. If possible, they made him feel worse, with anger and sadness taking complete control. He was glad for the break in the ever long silence, even if what followed was about as welcoming to the ears as the sound of nails on a chalkboard (no offence Sahnoun).

..........

.....................

And then it happened.

Hirsch, whose eyes had found the file and then the letter that was being written, immediately closed his eyes and clenched his jaw when the words were said. The phrases 'not be returning', 'further arrangements' and 'pack your belongings' were ringing in his ears and sounding more and more unreal as the seconds ticked by. Sure, he knew this was coming but hearing the words being said out loud hurt a lot more than he'd imagined it would. Giving up hope on your students was just a sad part of the job.

First term as Head of House and what happens? One student gets hospitalised, another one gets attacked and another one gets expelled. Well done, Hirsch.

Finally, he opened his eyes and looked sadly towards Sahnoun first. "Thank you for your time, Headmaster." Even if he wished the situation could've been different. Green eyes then landed on the young, uh, ex-Ravenclaw and he said quietly, "Whenever you're ready, Mr Prince."

Felixir · 12-02-2016, 07:16 PM

Ultimately, Daxton had known what he was walking into, had known what was going on the very moment he had been summoned to a meeting with Hirsch. Being brought instead to Sahnoun had only made it more obvious. He had been quite prepared for what was going to happen, and, arguably, had been prepared for such an eventuality since his first year. Somehow, he had known from the start that he could never last in a place like this. The differences that set him apart from everyone else had become more and more pronounced, until it was no longer a matter of having both feet over that imaginary line, but was instead more akin to being stood on the other side of an enormous chasm. Alone. Unreachable. Irretrievable.

He had known what was coming - that he was to be expelled - long before those words escaped Sahnoun's lips. Even so, Daxton could not help but fixate on that one word: remorse. It was strange, really, that the deciding factor in the matter seemed to be solely based on the fact that he could not feel guilt, that ultimately the reason for his expulsion was for something he could not do, rather than for the things chosen to do. For who he was, rather than what he had done.

It was strange, but exactly the kind of logic he had come to expect from... well, from everyone. Just another confusing part of the world that had never made any sense to him.

The words were sinking in, even as Daxton sat there, mulling over the idea of 'remorse'. He had expected to feel nothing regarding his expulsion, whenever it finally came. There was very little here for him. Exams and grades and classes meant nothing to him, as did the majority of the people here, and even the library - once the only reason he saw any point in staying - was remarkably substandard compared to the one he had most recently been allowed access to. The staff here changed like the weather, which Daxton had found more unsettling than anything else; it was like a revolving door of change and betrayal, and he had given up on engaging with any of them, especially after last time.

But even so, he did feel something, in the end, though he could not specify as to what that something was. This was not the first time someone had given up on him, and passed him along, and in all honesty, he expected nothing more, nothing less. Daxton was, quite simply, too much for anyone to handle. He just did not fit.

It hardly mattered. His mind was switching itself off, turning off all feelings and putting him into autopilot, allowing him to shut down until he felt more like a robot than even anything remotely similar to a human boy.

Hirsch was talking to him, and Daxton realised that he had been staring at the orange bird, losing himself to his thoughts since Sahnoun had stopped talking. He blinked, bringing himself back to the present moment, and looked instinctively towards Hirsch, staring, for a change, directly into his eyes. Green. For some reason, he had expected blue.

After a pause, Daxton looked back to the Fwooper, then again - very briefly - at Sahnoun, before finally getting to his feet again.

Without a word, nor a gesture, nor anything at all to acknowledge what had just transpired, Daxton turned and made his silent exit from the room, ready to leave this school for good.

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