Tweak

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Tweak says, "TACOS"

in_the_grass (in_the_grass) wrote in wished,
@ 2010-09-03 18:49:00

Entry tags:

!2003: 09, !complete, quentin trimble, severus snape

Who: Snape & Trimble
What: A portrait visit.
Where: Headmaster's office, Hogwarts.
When: Eight o'clock tonight
Warnings/Rating: None/Low

It had been a rather pretentious request in the first place, Severus thought, to ask for time in the Headmaster's personal office to catch up with some famous relative that Trimble younger had (judging by the death date on his great-grandfather's frame) likely never met. It was nothing he felt obligated to respect, not at all; but one didn't like to slight portraits, who had the ability to make one's working space highly unpleasant. If Trimble was going to insist upon intentionally disrespecting him, however, it would become a necessary risk. Considering that they had hardly met at all since the man had been a passably above-mediocre N.E.W.T. student, and not a particularly pleasant one at that, Severus thought it took quite a bit of nerve to go about acting like he ought to be able to speak to everyone just as he wished.

Trimble elder was one of the few portraits he actually enjoyed speaking with, unfortunately. One of the scarce benefits Severus had realized from being a spy was that everyone was now perfectly aware he that had been a Death Eater for the better part of twenty years, and as such it was more or less expected that he should have a deep interest in the Dark Arts. His extensive library on the subject mingled freely with the other books that took up the vast majority of available wall space in his office, respectable and sinister alike, and Headmaster Trimble's opinions were frequently more reasonable than those of, say, Albus.

But that didn't mean he had to like his progeny, did it.

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in_the_grass
2010-09-05 08:06 pm UTC (link)

"Good." Severus knew he would have to take the time to make a more thorough evaluation in a couple months' time, and wasn't particularly looking forward to doing so; Defense Against the Dark Arts had always been a tricky position to keep filled, of course, and the dread that he would have to find yet another replacement was constant by now, whether it was rational or not.

He flipped a page. "No, indeed." He looked up from his book again, as this was worth making perfectly clear on the first try. His expression was dry. "You'll find, as the year wears on, that I am not in the habit of inviting people up to my office for a chat. Please don't feel you need to go through any pleasantries on my account."

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notyourdada
2010-09-05 08:13 pm UTC (link)

"I'm surprised to hear that, really," Quentin said in a dry voice, all sorts of sarcasm, because he wasn't surprised in the least. "You mean you don't invite the staff up for tea and hair braiding?" He cast a little smirk of amusement as he started to move through the office, eyes running over the portraits.

"Pity, truly," he murmured as he walked, interested as he looked over past Headmasters. Many of which were snoozing, some of whom were conversing with each other.

"Ah," he said as he stopped in front of the one of his great-grandfather, his namesake. "Hello great-grandfather," he began.

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in_the_grass
2010-09-05 08:43 pm UTC (link)

"That's Horace's province," Severus replied with a slight curl of his lip, returning at once to his book. "He'll be thrilled to have finally found some suitable company, I'm sure." Trimble seemed to think himself amusing. What a delightful surprise. He found himself hoping the portrait was in a particularly laconic mood so that his visitor would leave. If the two Trembles hit it off, he was going to have to insist that they find another frame to speak through. He might be willing to commission another portrait. He went about his reading, doing his best to ignore their conversation.

He thought he saw Albus smirking at him, out of the corner of his eye. But by the time he looked up, as always, he seemed simply to be sleeping.

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notyourdada
2010-09-05 08:48 pm UTC (link)

"Yes, I don't doubt that," Quentin said wryly. "Slunghorn seems to enjoy hearing himself speak." The man was well meaning, and completely harmless, but he wasn't exactly Quentin's idea of a good time. Still, he could be congenial with just about everyone... if the mood struck him.

He let that conversation fall to the wayside temporarily, so that he could converse with the elder Trimble. His great-grandfather seemed quite pleased that Quentin was 'following in his footsteps of academia' - although Quentin had no desires to someday be Headmaster. That sounded like far too much dull paperwork for his liking.

Eventually, he bid the painting-main good evening, and stepped back across the office. "Seems the perfect place for you," he remarked to Snape. "The Headmaster's office. A place to hide away."

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in_the_grass
2010-09-05 09:06 pm UTC (link)

"I don't know what I'm meant to be hiding from," he said lazily, his eyebrows rising by a degree or two. "But it does have the benefit of providing uninterrupted quiet. - Most of the time." He didn't care for the implication (real or imagined) that he was shirking his responsibilities, especially not from someone who'd only arrived a few days ago. "One of the many benefits of no longer being Head of House is not having to leap to one's feet for every passing complaint."

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notyourdada
2010-09-05 09:16 pm UTC (link)

"Socialization," was what Quentin said to that, just as lazily. He had no backwards notions that Snape would be shirking his duties, but avoiding socializing with other people? He had lots of notions there.

A slight grimace passed over his features then. "Ah yes. I think you are right about that. I've had quite a few complaints thus far. Largely from First Years who miss their homes." He'd had two come to him in homesick tears already.

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in_the_grass
2010-09-05 09:38 pm UTC (link)

"I don't care how much or with whom you socialize, Professor, so long as they're not actively plotting murder or mayhem. I see no reason why you shouldn't return the favor." Of course, someone like Trimble would think that it was hiding. People with heads the size of small planets often seemed to think, in Severus' experience, that time spent alone was time wasted. It wasn't surprising. To say that he was tired of that line of criticism would have been a severe understatement. He wouldn't address it further.

"Try to be careful. If you encourage them overmuch, you'll end up coping with all of their problems, which, I assure you, become positively nauseating around third year." He suspected the Heads of Gryffindor and Hufflepuff were headed for just such a fate, but it was their business if that was how they wanted to spend their leisure time.

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notyourdada
2010-09-05 09:42 pm UTC (link)

Quentin hummed a response instead of giving a verbal one, although he wasn't convinced. But nor did he think he was going to convince Snape that socialization was a good thing. Certainly not in one brief conversation. Probably not ever. He was many things, and yes, arrogant was one of them - but stupid was not.

"Oh I have no desire to be a surrogate father - or mother - to anyone," he said with a chuckle. "Fortunately I've some decent prefects." And they could play the parents if they wanted to.

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in_the_grass
2010-09-05 10:06 pm UTC (link)

"Your House has never had a particularly troubling record, in terms of disciplinary violations. Hopefully that much will continue." He was more interested in Trimble's performance as a professor than as a Head, which probably had more to do with the subject than with anything else. One function was no more important than the other. "Your class, however, has been known to provide opportunity for - problematic behavior."

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notyourdada
2010-09-05 10:08 pm UTC (link)

"Oh, it will," Quentin said with an airt of surety. He wasn't about to let the Ravenclaws run willy nilly this year. They did, after all, have a reputation to maintain.

A brief nod of his head followed the Headmaster's comment about the Defense Class. "I've been reading up on past Professors. Quite a mixed lot." Which he had known, in passing, through the news and gossip and what not. But he hadn't realized just how many Defense Professors the school had gone through since his time there - and how unfortunate some of them had been. And how much trouble some of them had caused!

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in_the_grass
2010-09-05 10:24 pm UTC (link)

'Mixed' was a generous description. "Yes - pawns of the Dark Lord, idiots, Ministry hacks, Dark creatures, actual Death Eaters ... It shouldn't be too difficult to outshine our recent attempts. Some have been better than others, of course." He himself had managed a little over a year, which he would be quick to point out put him well above the average. "But I have been wrong before." It was said with a slight warning in his voice, but really, there had been a reason he'd hired Trimble. He didn't expect to find him incompetent. "Personally, I've found that the least disastrous candidates have been those least afraid of ... engaging with the subject matter." Which probably made Barty Crouch the best, in his opinion. Well, second best.

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notyourdada
2010-09-05 10:27 pm UTC (link)

"So really, I could be a trained monkey and fare at least as well," Quentin chuckled. He liked to think that he was much, much better than any trained monkey. And also better than most of the former Professors of the subject - at least in the past decade.

He smiled in a manner that dazzled many. "Oh there's very little that I'm afraid of. I do agree that understanding those things that we're teaching them to defend against." Of course he was careful to make it sound like this was all theoretical understanding.

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in_the_grass
2010-09-05 10:41 pm UTC (link)

A trained monkey could have out-taught Gilderoy Lockhart and Dolores Umbridge combined - and probably Quirrell, too. "Good," he said, sounding rather noncommittal. He expected to see something like Lupin's much-lauded (and, as far as he was concerned, overrated) approach involving largely risk-free exposure to forces that weren't particularly impressive in the first place. "Considering how many fully-qualified experts there are currently running around evading the law, ignorance would seem to be a very dangerous strategy indeed."

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notyourdada
2010-09-05 10:43 pm UTC (link)

"I think some people have already become complacent," Quentin commented. As if, with the Dark Lord gone, there couldn't possibly be any more trouble in the world. Which was, of course, a foolish notion. When one predator was taken out of the picture, others always moved in to fill in the space.

"I do plan to challenge then. The older years, particularly." Of course he wouldn't throw the big things at the younger years. They would begin with the basics.

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in_the_grass
2010-09-05 11:30 pm UTC (link)

"They have," he agreed immediately. He couldn't bring himself to fault anyone for not being terribly worried about the particular Death Eaters who were on the loose - few of them were people for whom he'd ever held much respect - but all the same, it was foolish not to be vigilant when they had only been shot of the Dark Lord for a few years. "As they were after His first disappearance. But He was never the only threat - just self-important enough to convince everyone. Challenges are appropriate."

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notyourdada
2010-09-05 11:33 pm UTC (link)

"I find that people are often short sighted. They can only see the trouble that is right before them. And otherwise..." Quentin trailed off and shrugged. So many people didn't seem to think ahead, or think behind. They only thought about now.

"I'll be sure to let you know if I'm going to do anything in class that might end with a flurry of concerned letters from parents."

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in_the_grass
2010-09-06 12:34 am UTC (link)

"Indeed." Most people were idiots generally, but short-sightedness was a no less legitimate complaint. "Do. I do not enjoy answering letters." Nor was he any good at smoothing ruffled feathers, not that that had ever discouraged the concerned parties from writing in. And he had more than enough correspondence to tackle already, as could be seen form the stack on his desk that he was currently ignoring. "I prefer to have a suitable explanation concocted before being buried under mail."

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notyourdada
2010-09-06 02:30 pm UTC (link)

"I will be sure to." Quentin liked to think that most of the students would be able to handle such things, but there were always some who went crying to Mummy and Daddy for everything. He didn't need to have loads of teaching experience to know that - he remembered it plainly from his own school days.

"Well, I will leave you to your work." He wasn't going to push his luck the first week andtry and drag Snape out the door or something!

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in_the_grass
2010-09-06 09:33 pm UTC (link)

"Hm." Severus pointed his wand at his office door, which snapped open at once, and put his nose back in his book for about the tenth time in as many minutes. "Good evening." It seemed to him that Trimble had generally the right idea, although of course the coming months would bear it out, or they wouldn't; but in any case, he was not left with a strong desire to make things very difficult for him. Even if he was arrogant and prone to flaunting his famous relatives.

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	notyourdada 2010-09-06 09:34 pm UTC (link)
	"Good evening," was the reply that came, accompanied by a nod of his head. And then Quentin was slipping through the door and heading down the stairs so he could return to Ravenclaw Tower. (Reply to this) (Parent)

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