Septimus blinked very slowly as if, upon opening his eyes again, he expected that this foolish child would not be standing here and would not, in fact, have had the audacity to talk back to him. But, of course, the situation remained unchanged.
Septimus' lips compressed in an unhappy line and he matched the student's level gaze both in assurance and in degree of animosity. He said with an equal coolness, "I have far greater things to concern myself with than the idle wanderings of teenagers, Mr..." Here, he hesistated meaningfully. "And just who are you, anyway?"
The boy had the temper, but not quite the brutish demeamour of a half-giant for all he towered over Septimus, but Septimus had never allowed size - or indeed most things - to intimidate him. Not a giant, not a troll, but not human, either. Septimus began to ponder possibilities in his head, and Murmur stirred himself a little in interest. Tastes like magic the demon's whispering voice tickled in the back of Septimus' mind. Ah, he thought to himself, and his lips curved in an almost imperceptible smile. A witch. How darling.