Victims Of The Grind

Staring Each Other Down
Our Weaknesses Left Behind
@nick

So close to the school year ending he had been appointed and already he was picking up on what everyone was putting down. As unexpected as Ares' halfblood skirt being railroaded by a bus was it had given him a bigger sense of purpose so he was appreciative internally for her sacrifice to the Greater Good. Because he just simply didn't believe a really capable Witch and Wizard would let themselves be taken out by a muggle invention on wheels. It wasn't like anyone could blame the Knight Bus considering he knew firsthand how lethal those brakes were. Truly he had to admire their er... style. Death by Bus. What a way to go. And here he now was in charge of the Wizarding world's most renowned school- with arguably the biggest body count- and very comfortable in it. He had a dance to throw tomorrow so for the night before hand he was taking a little time for himself... by speaking to some more of his Students. He could never really know everything especially in this short a space of time but thr effort was there. That had to count for something. Perhaps a free drink from Ares next time thw pair met.

Among the things left by his Predecessors, his favourite was arguably the pensieve and cabinet stored along the right hand wall tucked out of plain sight. He enjoyed perusing the remnants of memories past of others as well as his own. And it was so soothing knowing he could open any vial at any time and see things he didn't know or hadn't been previously entirely sure on. Dumbledore had sadly guarded most of his thoughts closely, and most had also been swept into the wrong hands of his Successor McGonogall.  But there were still a few unmarked glasses that he had yet to crack and he waa optimistic. Aurora's thoughts hadn't seened to taint the stone bowl and for that he was glad. Having heard snippets from time to time and seeing tension rolling off Wentzell too he had known along with the others when things got a little rocky. So the last thing he wanted - knowing that she was a woman and therefore sentimental and unpredictable as well as prone to overthinking-  was to look into one of the vials and potentially see a rather streamy Ares as she reflected on their bedroom activities and wondered what went wrong or what she wasn't doing correctly. The prospect was terrifying. He needed his eyes- he couldn't very well run a school while blinded by Aurora's former dilemma's in her home life.

Sweeping away from the now locked cupboard Sebastian checked his watch and raised his brows. He had sent a runner to fetch a Mr Young for him to chat with. A Hufflepuff and a Prefect meant he was a key pawn to be analysed and out into play at the best place. But first he needed to know what the boy was like. Was he moldable, punctual... intelligent. He swore some people were sneaking miniature trolls into the school when he looked at some of the Homework assignments when pretending to be merely glancing over the schools progress. He had heard good things so far however about the boy; meaning he had heard nothing bad or overly concerning. He wasn't married to the Greenhouses as far as he could see and didn't appear to have the backbone of a wet blanket. All good things in his eyes for certain. Sitting down at his desk, he prepared to wait as he pulled some parchment scribbles towards him and began to resume reading that days class reports.

Nicholas didn't know what to expect when one of the younger students had approached him with word that their headmaster was looking for him. He had been walking back to his dormitory from the library when he had been stopped, and his previously pensive look had instantly morphed into one of mild terror. It wasn't like he meant to showcase that emotion, but he had waved a farewell to Atha and had promptly followed the other student towards the wizard's office on the third floor, his mind whirling with thoughts. What did the man want? What had he done? He couldn't think of anything that he had done worth punishment, although he had sneaked out after curfew for the second time in the past year. That could be something, but he doubted that the headmaster would have been the one to accost him for that. It seemed more of a Head Girl or Head Boy thing, since he was a prefect. Or another professor. Had he done something that made the man hate him? No, that couldn't be it. He hadn't even officially met the man yet.

He was rather excited to meet him, though. He hadn't yet had an interaction with Headmaster Flint, and knew practically nothing about him. He was definitely more aware of the man's brother, but that was because his little sister spouted Quidditch facts at high speed constantly. She had owled him instantly upon hearing who was in charge of the school (how she knew, he had no idea), begging Nick to see if there was a possibility for 'the Marcus Flint' to show up at the school. Since he hadn't really understood the request, he had actually ignored his sister's letter- again. He really should stop doing that, or she was going to grow up to resent  him. But he really wasn't in the mood to respond to her endless chatter. Exams were coming up, the end of the year ball was coming up, and... Had he forgotten to ask Amelia? Merlin, was she going to want to come with him still even if he forgot? Hopefully she had simply decided they were going together.

When Nicholas approached the heavy wooden door's of the Headmaster's office, he took a deep breath so that he could calm  himself. He didn't want to be hyperventilating the entire time that he was in there, and he needed to relax. Nothing terrible was happening, and he doubted that the man was going to curse him. He was a Prefect, and he had done nothing wrong. He got high marks (well, his Arithmancy grade was sliding a bit), he was a focused student, and he followed the rules as often as he could. Hopefully, it was just a little chat that would not end with an Unforgivable Curse- not that he thought that the man would definitely use one. But it was possible, especially with what staff made up the school. Steadying his nerves, Nicholas rapped politely on the door and waited for word that he could come inside, bidding a polite farewell to the person that had brought him up there.

Having already spoken to the Head Girl and arranging to meet Lance the Head Boy, the next tier under that were the Prefects. So naturally he'd had a quick glance at the list and chosen a faceless name that seemed the most intriguing to him to arrange to meet in his office for a small chat. What went through the student's mind before they got there would say a lot about their character for sure but he wasn't going to pry into that. Guilty consciences often produced hard workers for a start and nerves were generally common so he was sure the boy would have nothing to worry about. So long as he kept a civil tongue in his head, minded his manners and wasn't devoted to the Other Side everything would go rather nicely in fact. 15 years old was a great age to learn new skills and ideas after all.

It was nice that Marcus had thought to come mostly down to the school the other day to see him, to congratulate him and generally spend time with him. It secured his idea that he'd done right by his little brother and had helped him greatly more than he could ever have hindered him. It made the Quidditch matches he attended all that more enjoyable because he knew it was something the younger Wizard not only was good at but had actively learned to achieve the skill he currently held. If he could get his own students to work as hard as his brother had to achieve their goals- their OWLs and NEWTs- then they would all be laughing. Or at least semi proud that they weren't releasing idiots and imbeciles out of the school when they managed to scrape passes and graduate. Sebastian could hope at the moment that Aurora had done well her staff and in turn by her students so their seventh years could go on into life without poor academics to drag them back.

The device on his desk lit up once more, letting out another plume of wispy white vapour alerting him that someone had ascended his staircase and was outside his door. Shutting it off with a gesture of his hand, the small flick of magic silenced it and settled it back to being dormant as he waited on the knock. After a few minutes it came and he called out for the boy to enter as he dipped his quill in the ornate inkwell to his left and corrected a few points on the parchment in his hand and scored out a few lines. Finally he looked up and flashed the boy a smile, gesturing for him to take a seat. "Have a seat, Mr Young. My name is Professor Flint, i'm your new Headmaster." He greeted him, returning his quill to its holder and setting aside the sheaf of papers. "How are we? I hope I haven't worried you too much with my... sudden summons. Care for a drink while we chat?"

At least Nick could reassure himself that he wasn't in any trouble. He considered himself to be a model student, at least in regards to some of the other people walking around the walls of Hogwarts. Although he never tried to forcibly make his mark on the school, he always went to his classes, was always on time (or early), and made good grades, especially in regards to the course load that he had set up. He wasn't a nightmare like a few of the Gryffindors, even if he sometimes slipped around like he was a ghost. And he was a Prefect, so he was clearly doing something right. He doubted that the Headmaster was going to yell at him, unless the Head Girl decided that he had done something wrong. 

He just had to look on the bright side. Out of all the faceless names that he could have looked at, Headmaster Flint managed to choose him. His name had stood out the most, and he knew that his mum would probably find that to be the best thing. She was occasionally superstitious about things like that, and he could hear her now. Alamak, Nicky! You did something good! You may have a recommendation if you want to be an intern, lah. He knew he was going to have to send her an owl later, but she probably wasn't going to respond for a bit. He was sure that she was upset with him for ignoring his sister, and it was getting to that time of year where she was probably going back to Singapore for the season.

When he was given the alright to enter, Nick swallowed a big gulp of air, steeled his nerves, and carefully opened the door. In an effort not to make himself seem too anxious, he thought about smiling, but decided against it- he wasn't really happy to be there, he was still slightly afraid. He kept his emotions in check as he was gestured to sit down, and he gave the headmaster a hesitant nod and a slight smile. "Thank you, sir. It's very nice to meet you." Unspoken were his fears and doubts- he still was unsure as to why he was there. Was the man meeting with all of the Prefects? Had he already met Amelia? "Just the normal stress of the season, sir. But I'm doing well otherwise. And you? Are you enjoying being back at the school?" When he asked if Nick wanted a drink, he had to think. "I'll have tea, if you have it, sir."

What tended to strike a few people as quite odd was that Sebastian actually enjoyed being around kids rather than loathing their existence's and wanting them gone. This whole rota he'd set up for himself with speaking to his students hadn't been even slightly daunting as it was neither necessary nor set in stone, and the ones he was speaking to held positions of power that would prove useful to him. Besides they had to be good kids to get to this point anyway so he had nothing to worry about. They might depending on who they were, where their allegiances lay and what they were like personality wise but on a whole he was a widely accepting wizard. With a few rather pointed exceptions.

"Likewise, Mr Young." He returned with a smile. "Glad to hear it, i'd hate to think I was adding any unnecessary stress to you by asking you up here. As for myself... yes as of a matter of fact it's rather nice to be back! Just getting comfortable still." Snapping his fingers after he finished talking, he looked over his shoulder as a house elf appeared and asked for a pot of tea to be brought up with an extra cup for his guest then turned back to the Hufflepuff seated across from him and threading his fingers together atop his desk. "Might be a couple of minutes, but that should be long enough for us to get started, hm? You've nothing to worry about, this is just a... a friendly chat. You're going to help me get to know the castle as it currently stands with all of its occupants better. As a Prefect I believe you'll be able to do this very well. I've heard good things about you." Truthfully he hadn't heard anything but had read a few scribbles on the boy but the lad didn't need to know that. It was a compliment regardless and Sebastian wanted the boy to feel at ease so this encounter could go as best it could and he could get what he needed without any drama or awkward pushing.

"So let's start of with some easy questions eh? How are your classes? Do you find them challenging enough for your year or do you think that the subjects are lacking? Feel free to single out specifics. Anything you can tell me will be helpful." He splayed his hands placatingly atop the wood then reached forward to take a pepper imp from the bowl of mints on front of them both. It wasn't that he was sceptical that everything was a-ok... but he was heavily sceptical. Considering who made up the staff body currently... he didn't imagine he could be blamed for it. The fact that Aurora Wentzell had somehow let herself be taken out by a muggle mode of transport alongside her brother he had a strong feeling that something was up because it wasn't sitting right with him. Something stank. And he was going to find out what it was.

He said he didn't want to cause stress, and Nick almost let out a strangled laugh. Of course, he somehow managed to maintain a serious gaze, but the amusement was in his head nonetheless. On one hand, he was quoting his mother internally: stress made diamonds. But this had caused him stress, at least a small bit of it. He was terrified that he could have gotten in trouble, that Headmaster Flint wanted to solve a problem by getting rid of him. Even though Nick new that he wasn't much of an issue in the school, he was still scared that he had been caught sneaking out twice out of curfew, even if both times had been warranted. He felt like that would immediately crush his model student appearances, even if nobody had caught him. He knew that Travers wouldn't turn him in, because she was sweet enough to not do so otherwise. He was perfectly aware that she was violent and possibly cruel, but she hadn't been so to him, so Nick was clinging to the belief that she was just misunderstood, and mentioning that he was out would also be proof that she, too, had been wandering Hogwarts after hours.

"I would imagine that it would take some time," he said casually, looking around the office. He had never been invited up to the office under the past headmistress, or even before. He considered himself proud that he had never had the honor, or something like that. Nick briefly wondered what else would have changed about the room, if Flint had put his own touches on the objects. He wasn't given much of a chance to figure it out, because the man was talking and Nick was sure to give him the absolute most of his attention. He had heard good things about him? Nick was unsure that his Head of House even knew who he was most of the time, but he was glad nonetheless. "Thank you, sir. I'd be glad to help you with that." Besides, it wasn't that difficult of a request. Nick knew a lot of things about the layout of the school, with who rested where on the social hierarchy. It wasn't too difficult to figure out, but Flint had just gotten to the school and he was surely occupied with different things.

Talking about his classes was easy enough. Nick was taking a pretty heavy load; he was enrolled in as many classes as the school would allow him for the year. He knew that he was going to have to drop most of them the next year, but he had been taking so many since his third year that he wasn't sure what he was going to do with his free time. "I suppose that History of Magic could be updated a bit. I feel like Professor Garnet spends a lot of time speaking of the never-ending Goblin Wars, and I'd like to learn more about more of our magical history. And I do find Transfiguration to be the perfect amount of challenging. And Divination and Care of Magical Creatures seem to still be useless classes, but that may be because they don't interest me, sir. I never even considered taking them because they seemed rather useless. Overall I feel like some of the teachers do expect a lot of us, which is nice." He paused, wondering if that seemed to help a bit. He still had a few comments about his Head of House, but he didn't want to prattle on. 

Sebastian never micromanaged nor did he enjoy being overly organised, but he did enjoy being organised and having a plan whenever it came down to his career and occupation. Personal matters were flexible things. Hogwarts School most definitely was not. Or at least, not entirely. The classes? Sure. The students? Sure. The Staff? Naturally. His stance towards them all, the curriculum, and keeping things running smoothly no mater what including moments of surprise or unexpected events? Not a chance. Lad's night was a perfect example of the times where he could be his usual laid-back self... but here within these stone walls he had a reputation to uphold and damn if he wasn't going to stick to it. Appearances were what made the world go round, not pure actions. And those who argued with him were really asking for what was coming to them. "I had hoped you were up for it, I'm glad to hear it." He smiled at the boy as he turned over a sheet of parchment and noted something quickly with his peacock feathered quill and royal green ink.

Next he took down- in shorthand, he didn't have all afternoon to be fair- what the boy said, frowning at the name of the biggest current thorn in his side immediately cropping up. The mention of Lucian didn't go amiss either, furthering to amass his positive outlook on the younger man. "Our magizoologists who make up our world would disagree on one of those matters, I'm sure." He replied quietly, an amused expression on his face as his eyes lifted. "As far as Divination is concerned... it has its uses for those who know how to employ them." Such as not tempting fate and finding out the potential amount for the betting hall in Knockturn next time he accidentally found himself there through tarrot card readings.

Underlining a few parts, he moved on with an encouraging smile and set his quill aside once more. Deciding to try and loosen the boy's tongue a little further as he abruptly seemed to come to an end, he pulled out a drawer and retrieved a small tin of biscuits which he pushed towards Nicholas with a nod. "It will be a while until dinner, help yourself." He took a custard cream for himself and reread over what he'd written, cross checking it with his half hidden checklist turned away from the student across from him. As an afterthought, he moved the two sheets further over his earlier drawn totem pole so it was entirely hidden and cleared his throat to continue on. "I'll make sure and speak to Miss Garnet about her schedule. Now, what about your Head of House? And our Guidance counselor? Is there any Professor you have a problem with due to their actions or practices? Any particular student perhaps that causes too much of a ruckus and should have an eye kept on them?"

He wanted to know everything. And he was prepared to speak to every single prefect they had until he got what he needed.

There were things that he was too young- or selfish- to truly understand and pay attention to. Nick had a strict concept of loyalty, but he also felt that fair play was a major part of classes. He liked the fact that Headmaster Flint had asked for his opinion on things, because he knew that the man was a former Slytherin. It was hard not to know when your sister was obsessed with Quidditch and the man's brother happened to be Marcus Flint. Lizzy had written him as soon as she got word, asking him a bunch of questions he couldn't answer. She had told him that both Flints were former Slytherins, so Nick had automatically assumed that he would be more partial to the snakes. But here he was, asking every prefect about what was going on in the school. He was grateful, really. It showed that the man cared, and it showed that he wasn't going to just listen to his former house. Fair play, that was what was important. Nick didn't like lying to get ahead, and he wasn't sneaky. He was just a hard-worker. He wasn't sure if his new Headmaster was even going to care about that. He might just want answers and for him to leave. But there had to be a positive to why he was there, and it was possible that he could end up commended for it. He didn't think that he would get much (Hufflepuff could always use more house points), but he knew that his mother would want him to mention how much he wanted to be Head Boy.

He had two more years, though. A lot could happen in two years. He didn't want to ask for a favor, but Nick wanted a guarantee that he was doing something right. He wanted to know that he could get it, that Amelia had a chance to get it... Because the twins could say that he was doing well, but they were his closest friends. They weren't even talking to each other, but they were the only people that he really trusted after his family. Their opinions were biased. Flint's, though... It wouldn't be biased. He would tell the truth because he wasn't a part of the situation. He would just give an answer that could either make or break him. He was honest as he described the purposes of Divination and Care of Magical Creatures, and Nick knew that his answers were biased. He just didn't have time for those courses. He liked things that were right in front of him. "Thank you, sir," he said as he reached for a biscuit, trying to run through the other thoughts in his head. He had other classes that he wasn't to partial to, but he knew that was just based on what he was thinking. He liked Theory a lot, and he liked Charms, and he liked Potions. He wasn't the biggest fan of Transfiguration most times, but was that bias or a dislike of the teacher? 

"I don't believe I've ever spoken to my Head of House." Ever. He knew that it wasn't so bad of a thing, but even after he was made a prefect he didn't speak to her about it. He just went about his business. That wasn't something that he had expected from Hufflepuff, but he also knew he blended back into the background. He was someone who could be easily overlooked. Nick took a small bite of the biscuit, still pensive and quiet. He had to think about what was going on, trying to figure out what else. He didn't want to disappoint Headmaster Flint, because the man could very well make or break his future. It would be wonderful to be able to get a recommendation from him, and he knew it would help get him a job in the future. Things like that were important. "Professor Yaxley usually has other things to do." As for the other students, though... "Liam Borden has always been a problem, sir. I don't mean to type-cast, but a lot of the Gryffindors are. Alexis Riley is another... She isn't so bad, but her pranks have been out of control. Borden's more of a problem." He was constantly running around trying to stop Borden, but he generally needed to get two other prefects to help. Amelia wouldn't even go near him, citing that he was a psychopath.

House pride, fraternity and loyalty were all very important things... especially when you were a student. Now that he was heading the entire School however he had to be seen to remain impartial, and that meant he had to set his inclination towards his former house slightly to the side. Oh it was by no means forgotten, but for while he was still settling in and finding where he was at and where he needed to be, any and all help at this point was not only needed, it was essential. So that meant taking pride in all four houses as a whole. In some ways it almost mirrored a game of four opposing sides that weren't actually against each other for anything save the House Cup at the end of the year and the Quidditch cup, and he was an onlooker who could only help steer them in the right direction. Mudblood's were exempt from any and all parts of this. But if he negated the fact that there were hundreds of them roaming the halls this very moment while he sat with Mr Young, then he could concentrate on what was really important. Furthering the education and wellbeing of the rest of his students so they were on the road to the best outcome they could have when they graduated. He was willing to even pull strings for some of them if they prove promising enough.

But it was early days yet, and whatever came of the Seventh years on the precipice of Graduating was unfortunately out of his hands almost entirely. He just had to trust that Aurora had at least half known what she was doing when she'd been in charge and that she hadn't failed them as the promising young adults that they were. The Sixth years he had a better hand on as he would have just over a year to help keep them on the straight and narrow, and to make sure they had only the best of the best in terms of staff. This was no time for amateur hour. He- They needed only the most skilled and devoted to fill the posts at Hogwarts and those who failed to make the mark would be cut from their ranks swiftly and cleanly and without delay. Naturally that meant he quite possibly had a summer full of interviews in front of him but that was the price you paid for progress. And progress was a must. He punctuated that thought with taking a custard cream for himself and returned to his notes.

Then he halted in his tracks and slowly lifted his head, a look of incredulous disbelief on his face. "Never? Then who is overseeing your course choice for next year and giving you constructive advice, Nicholas?" He asked concernedly, restoring his quill to it's inkwell and resting his hands on the desk in front of him with the biscuit within them going ignored. "Not to mention, as a Prefect you should regularly be having conversations about any concerns you have or any positive notes." That... this simply just couldnt- wouldn't do. In the Hufflepuff boy across from him he saw much that he has seen in Marcus when he had taken the boy under his wing to raise him; promise. The lad had amazing grades, a squeaky clean record, was participating in extra curriculars and a social circle... but in some ways it seemed like until now he had been let down. He made a small note to keep an eye on him, but otherwise stayed silent on the topic as he got the other answers he had asked for.
"Professor Yaxley has a duty to uphold and apparently she isn't doing it. I'll look into it." Yet another note was taken. "Is Mr Borden also a Gryffindor? What year is he in?" His eyes swept to the side at where he had he student roster half hidden, and the name Riley stuck out. Mudblood. That in itself was an issue. "Miss Riley will be dealt with- I'll have a word with Professor Copeland about keeping his House in check."

Nick didn't think that he was brimming over with ambition, not really; he was under the general impression that he had just the correct amount. To be overly ambitious was to be like Louie, constantly trying to impress their Ah Ma and reciting random phrases in different dialects to prove to her that he had indeed managed to learn multiple languages just to impress her. He liked where he resided on the scale, because to him his ambition was actually rather lacking. He was doing his duty, he was proving to his family that he was going to be able to inherit everything from his grandparents. To them that was far more important than anything else, and that was what he focused on: making them proud. He had to make them proud, he had to make sure that Lizzy was safe, that his parents weren’t disappointed… Sometimes he thought that it was too much for him, but Nick was certain that he could handle it all. He wouldn’t buckle under the pressure even though there was far too much on his plate already. He could stand strong under scrutiny and judgement.

His small bit of ambition was helpful, at times, because it did present him with possibilities for the future. He could have been complacent, he could have just taken the minimum amount of courses for becoming a Healer, but he had selected to do more than that. He took everything that interested him and more, he tried to be the best he could academically… He was actually glad that he had met Anne Travers, if he was being honest. She had the same drive, the same academic impulses. She did seem to be able to manage everything and private research, which was impressive to Nick. He didn’t know how she was doing all of that, though he was apt to blame the Ravenclaws… Nick was forever grateful to have been sorted into Hufflepuff, he felt like his house was the exact place for him. They all worked hard, but they were different. Nobody held knowledge above anything, nobody tried to steal away secrets… He couldn’t imagine being anywhere else, he wouldn’t know what to do if he had been Slytherin… On the bright side, he would have still had Amelia and Atha, they would be his constants no matter what.

“The guidance counselor, sir,” he responded gently, hoping that he hadn’t started something. That was one of the last things that Nick wanted, especially with how rare it felt to be asked for his opinion on something. He really did like Professor Yaxley; she was nice, but distant. He didn’t think she did that on purpose, she did have an important job, and she was busy… It was sometimes easier to ask other people for help. “And Jasper Parrish is one of my friends, so I tend to ask him if I need something.” It did help being on friendly terms with the Head Boy, and he liked Jasper. He was a good ‘Puff and he worked hard. He did have people that he could go to in the event that he needed someone, but he didn’t want to interrupt the headmaster and insist that. It could come across as… Well, ungrateful. He certainly didn’t want to give him that impression. “He’s a sixth year, I think. The one with ‘mudblood’ tattooed on his arm, who assaulted a girl a bit ago…” Nick trailed off, thinking that was enough of an explanation.