Nathan Xavier, HoH
July 23, 2015 3:07 PM
Here for you by Nathan Xavier, HoH
Nathan settled down on one of the couches in the Teppenpaw Common Room. He did this every couple of days so there was nothing threatening or unusual about it. He smiled as Alice jumped into his lap and he began petting the white long-furred Persian who had claimed him as her human. (Nathan was under no illusions about the direction of ownership, despite what the vet paperwork said.)"Good day?" he asked in amusement as she curled into his lap and immediately began purring. She gave no answer beyond further purring but he didn't expect one. He kept petting, enjoying the quiet rumbling.
Some days, a student might chat with him, others, it was just him and Alice. There was little pattern to it, but he liked the opportunity to just chat casually with his House inhabitants with no pressures or motives behind the conversations. For one thing, he felt it made him seem more approachable than a middle aged man might otherwise seem to a bunch of teenagers if they ever did need to talk to somebody about more important matters. Secondly, as he didn't teach a class, it let him get to know his charges a bit better, so if and when they requested college recommendations from their Head of House, he had more than grade transcripts to draw upon.
Usually, he let the students start the conversation. He didn't want to bother them if they were busy or make them feel obligated to chat because he was the Head of House. But sometimes, if one of the quieter students (Teppenpaw, despite its reputation, did see some shy students pass through its dorms; being socially awkward or anxious did not necessarily mean one did not want to socialize as Nathan well knew from personal experience) sat close by and seemed like they might be willing to venture into a social interaction but needed some help getting there, he would make the opening remark and hope to draw them out a bit.
Conversations could range to nearly any topic. Some kids kept to small talk and the weather. Others talked about Quidditch or classes, sometimes even asking for help with a homework that was stumping them. More expressive students might tell him the details of their day or their families or whatever topic they wanted to bend somebody's ear about and hadn't yet found a willing victim to listen.
Sometimes, it even turned into a real HoH advisement session without his great official desk between them, making people nervous as they Talked To An Adult about heftier subjects like college, course load and time management strategies, problems with roommates or other students in general, or even more administrative matters like requesting permission to paint the dorm walls. On those occasions, a subtle muffling charm would ensure the conversation stayed private.
Other times, a student just wanted somebody to sit next to without talking at all. Or maybe they just needed a cat to pet. Alice was oddly accommodating for that, though he really shouldn't be surprised. She loved being admired, stroked, and the center of attention.
So that was what he was doing now, just sitting with his cat and waiting to see if anybody came by and wanted to talk or sit with him informally.
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