InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "I've got skills"

in_the_grass (in_the_grass) wrote in wished,
@ 2010-07-12 22:34:00

Entry tags:

!2003: 07, !incomplete, seamus finnigan, severus snape

Who: Severus & Seamus
Where: Hogwarts, Headmaster's office
When: Tuesday morning
What: Offer of employment
Warnings/Rating: TBA/Low

Severus could think of no one in particular he had been particularly enthusiastic to hire, but there were certain professors he found it especially difficult to replace. Anyone attempting to fill the shoes that had once been Minerva's should have been in for a very rough ride, indeed - but the fact was that there would have to be Transfiguration, one way or another, and the line of less than stellar candidates that had come after his one-time colleague had lowered the bar for him somewhat. It made placing yet another Gryffindor in the core faculty a little less painful than it might have been, the prospect of entrusting the academic reputation of this ancient institution to the hands of people he could still remember stuttering out wrong answers in class slightly more tolerable.

And this one was qualified, he had grudgingly admitted to himself, and came recommended. He'd been trained by the best. There was little reason not to hire him; Severus' own personal belief that most people who went gallivanting around in animal form were great arrogant gits was not quite sufficient to knock him off the top of the stack.

And so he had summoned Finnigan, resigned to making him the offer. As he waited, flipping methodically through class schedules, he tried to count the number of professors he had actually liked over the course of his career. There was only so much one could hope for.

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lol wrong account

ohflaherty
2010-07-13 04:34 pm UTC (link)

Seamus was definitely not expecting to have to do anything the morning after agreeing to drink with Dean. And they had quite an interesting night, so he had planned on calling off of work sick the next morning and just sleeping all day. Till an owl came pecking at his window with a summons from Snape to the castle, most likely to interview for the Transfiguration position.

So instead of sleeping all day, he drug himself out of bed, cleaned himself up, and took a hangover potion (since his head was POUNDING). He decided to floo into Hogsmeade to try and avoid any apparition sickness along with the hangover.

The potion had kicked in as he was walking up the trail to the castle. Being back was a bit surreal, since the last time he was there he was still technically a "student," taking his NEWTS so he could finish training with the Ministry.

Before he knew it, he was outside of the Prof...Headmasters office. He politely knocked on the chamber door to announce his arrival, then let himself in. "You wanted to see me, sir?"

Seeing Snape sitting in that chair made him feel like he was back in school, being summoned to the dungeons for not finishing his Potions assignment.

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in_the_grass
2010-07-14 02:50 am UTC (link)

"Sit down." Severus pushed his papers to one side, summoning Finnigan's materials to the clearing on the desk - not that he needed them. He had made his decision, or he wouldn't have bothered with an in-person meeting at all. He wouldn't waste his time now with any pleasantries, of course. "I must ask you, Mr. Finnigan, whether you're quite serious - have you ever worked with children?" So many people seemed to be under the impression that they were something other than a feral pack of disobedient animals. ... Especially the people who had belonged to the pack not so very long ago. "Professor McGonagall's faith in your abilities says something for your talent, I suppose, but it's one thing to be a capable wizard, and quite another to keep a room full of eleven year-olds from becoming a veritable zoo."

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ohflaherty
2010-07-14 04:03 am UTC (link)

Nodding, Seamus sat in the chair across from Snape's desk. His leg automatically started to shake up and down, and he had to set his hand on it to make it stop (not only physically, but in his mind.) Yep, he definitely felt like he was back in school about to get detention.

"I'm definitely serious, sir." Has he ever worked with children? Seamus thought back to the kid who just accidentally drugged his father and laughed to himself. "I have some experience. I have young cousins, around eight or nine now. I've sat for them before when they were younger. Muggle, though, so I didn't have to worry about any of them accidentally popping a spell off on me and singeing my eyebrows or something."

Seamus figured that a bunch of teenagers would be different than his young cousins who couldn't do magic, and while he had matured a bit, he figured that his young age might allow him to relate to the students. "I've spent the past four or so years working in the Ministry, where I've seen my fair share of immaturity, and that was just coming from the employees. I remember what it's like to be a student, so I think I can relate to them to make sure their learning the material but having fun learning it as well."

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in_the_grass
2010-07-15 03:04 am UTC (link)

It was true, Severus had to admit, that any distinction between insufferable adolescents and insufferable adults was somewhat artificial - that wasn't an argument he would waste any time in refuting. Still, a little skepticism was surely called for. "You'll find that accidents are hardly the most serious of your concerns, Mr. Finnigan; after eight or nine, they tend to develop strange ideas about their own abilities." Overconfident teenagers were one of the more dangerous things he'd run across during his career.

"You'll refer most of the disciplinary cases to the appropriate Heads of Houses, of course," he said - he did want to fill the position, after all. "And I shouldn't spend too much time concerning yourself with whether they're enjoying themselves. - Our last Transfiguration professor was a class favorite, but I'm sorry to say it did him very little good."

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ohflaherty
2010-07-15 03:17 am UTC (link)

"With all due respect, sir, accidents are the way we learn how to do things the right away. It's something I'll expect from the first years, and maybe the second years." Seamus remembered back to all the accidents he had when he was just starting. None of them were pretty. "But by the time they're in their third year, there's no excuse big disasters. Or big egos."

Seamus nodded and half smiled to himself, knowing that at least one of those Heads of Houses was one of his best friends. Which should make reprimanding easier since Neville will take Seamus's word for it. "There's a difference between being completely soft and being someone like that bat Umbridge." Really, he didn't care if Snape had any good thoughts about her (which he sort of doubted). Seamus hated the woman and everything she did to them. "I'm not going to run the class with an iron fist, but I'm also not going to let them slack off. I know when it's time to work and when it's time to loosen up and have fun, but learn the material at the same time."

Seamus took a deep breath and sat up in the chair a bit. "I'll admit, in my younger years Transfiguration wasn't one of my best classes. However, the extra training and attention that Professor McGonagall gave me in my final year made me realize that I'm actually pretty brilliant at it. I had some of the highest scores on my NEWTS in the class, once we all had a chance to take them, and I've been looking for a way that I could actually use the talents that I have. I feel this position is the best way for me to show them. And if you don't feel the same after a year, then I'll have no ill feelings if you let me go."

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in_the_grass
2010-07-15 03:16 pm UTC (link)

As far as the educational philosophy went - Severus felt he had heard it all before, which probably spoke well for Finnigan. Accidents are the way we learn and iron fist and, Merlin help him, fun were all phrases that had been thrown at him more than once when, at the beginning of his career, he had been taken aside by Dumbledore (or whoever else had chosen to take issue with his methods on that particular day) and lectured on how he ought to be teaching. Those speeches had had no effect at all, of course, but they had at least left him with a pretty good impression of what passed for pedagogy among people who cared.

"After a year," he said, holding Finnigan's gaze, "I expect to see examination scores that do not embarrass the school, and I expect not to have to rebuild the school from ruins once again after some accident. Fulfill those expectations, and I don't think we'll need to be concerned with ill feelings. Your scores are impressive, and Professor McGonagall's recommendation, as it were, carries significant weight. The position is yours if you want it. - It should be understood, of course, that we will not be training up any more underage Animagi."

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ohflaherty
2010-07-15 08:38 pm UTC (link)

"Thank you, sir. I really do appreciate it the opportunity. And I think that the underage Animagi training was done under special circumstances that we don't have to worry about any longer. So you don't have to worry about that."

Seamus had almost stood to go, but remembered one final question he had. "One thing. Since I'm just a Professor, do I need to stay full time in the castle? I have a pretty brilliant flat, and I don't mind the commuting back and forth to the castle. But I also have a dog, and a roommate, that I really don't want to leave if I don't have to."

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in_the_grass
2010-07-16 03:31 am UTC (link)

"Amazing how frequently special circumstances crop up," he muttered, but without any real heat. He trusted himself to detect anything of that magnitude - even if he hadn't before. He had been preoccupied. "You needn't stay the nights. The Heads of House will see to anything that happens after dinner - it's up to you whether you choose to make appearances for extra credit sessions or detention, but you ought to keep in mind that your colleagues will not appreciate being saddled with your troublemakers." He had never minded, but these days there were things he would rather do than set children for detention. Once Finnigan's class had graduated, in fact, he had found himself increasingly bored with what disciplinary duties fell to him. Strange.

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ohflaherty
2010-07-16 04:32 pm UTC (link)

"I can stay Hogsmeade and Quidditch weekends too, to lend a hand with students and the activities. And I don't think that Mr. Longbottom will mind taking up a few of my cases, should I have any," he told Snape with a half grin.

Seamus dug through his mind for any other questions he had about the position, but he couldn't come up with anything substantial. "Will I need to be here a few days before the start of term? Or shall I see you on the first day for the feast?"

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in_the_grass
2010-07-16 08:59 pm UTC (link)

The prospect of the faculty - well, of Finnigan and Longbottom - ganging up was as unpleasant as it was inevitable. Severus' mouth tightened as another year's parade of rude, entitled Gryffindors traipsed through his mind, unchecked in their misbehavior. Some things were never meant to change, apparently. "Additional chaperons are always welcome," he said, a little testily. He hadn't been out on a Hogsmeade trip or to a Quidditch game in years, but the more willing volunteers there were, the less the chance that he would have to fill in. "As for your arrival, I'll be sure you're sent the curriculum, the texts, the examination guidelines, and your predecessor's plans - not that I would recommend following those; the man was hardly fit to babysit. It will be up to you to decide how much time you'll need to prepare for the start of term. In any case, you're to be here no later than eight in the morning on the first of September." Which always, always came too soon.

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