Day one. [Professor Wright] on Charms

Evelyn Stones

May 22, 2020 2:40 PM

Day one. [Professor Wright] by Evelyn Stones

It was the first day of classes. It was the first day of classes! While it was crappy that she no longer had classes with Heinrich, Evelyn was happy to be back to school. In particular, she was happy to be back to Charms. Between the professor and the subject, it was a class that made her happy, and she was looking forward to taking advantage of the time between classes to linger, say hi, and check in with her involuntary mentor.

When the opportunity arose and her classmates had gone, Evelyn made her way to the front of the room. "Hello, professor," she said with a small smile. "Did you have a good summer? It's nice to be back."

The last time she and Professor Wright had talked, she'd asked for a token to keep people out of her room and he'd not provided one. He had, however, provided ideas, and it was because of him that Ms. Heidi had set up an age line for her. It was hard to say how much it had helped, since preventative measures were generally successful in preventing things and thus couldn't be measured, but it had certainly provided peace of mine for Evelyn, especially in the last few days she was at her dad's. For that, she felt like she owed another debt of gratitude to the Charms professor.

22 Evelyn Stones Day one. [Professor Wright] 1422 1 5

Grayson Wright

May 24, 2020 3:53 PM

Only about 179 to go then. by Grayson Wright

Over the summers, Gray did his best to keep his mind off of his students. He had, after all, a busy life outside of this job, and there was something offputting about the idea of being the teacher who spent too much of his time with his mind on his students. It seemed somehow vaguely improper, like answering questions about one's well-being too honestly in inappropriate contexts. He thought of this one or that one here and there, but on the whole, he tried to put them out of his mind for the weeks he spent on holiday each summer.

This summer, it had been more difficult than usual. He must have gone back and forth a thousand times with himself about whether he had handled the situation with Evelyn properly last year, or if he should have been decidedly blunter about telling her to do what she needed to do to keep herself secure and damn the allegedly Reasonable Restrictions - or at least made a point of discussing every loophole in that law, from how the first violation only received a warning unless it involved doing something enormous and unnecessary in front of Muggles to how the tracing spells didn't accommodate for young wizards in the homes of older wizards to how, in the final analysis, self-defense was absolutely permitted regardless of the age of the witch or wizard in question. Had, he wondered, he refrained from that out of prudence, or cowardice? And what, he wondered, was the end result - regardless of what motivated it or how well he'd handled balancing on the narrow line teachers had to walk - going to be?

It was therefore with a slight feeling of trepidation that he noticed Evelyn hang back at the end of Intermediate Charms, though this was quickly replaced with cautious relief when he noticed she seemed reasonably cheerful.

"There's a rare statement from a student," he said lightly as she said it was good to be back. "Though I suspect many of us can't help feeling a little at home here, we stay here so much of the time. I had a nice time away, yes. And...how was yours?"

16 Grayson Wright Only about 179 to go then. 113 0 5

Evelyn Stones

May 24, 2020 9:33 PM

That's it? There's so much to do between now and the end. by Evelyn Stones

Evelyn smiled at Professor Wright's joke. She doubted she'd ever give up the belief that she would have made a fine Aladren had fate and potions seen fit to put her there, and a comment like that from the Head of Aladren was particularly amusing. "Definitely here more than anywhere else," she agreed. Sonora absolutely was her home and that was becoming more true as it was becoming less true. In many ways, she was more comfortable and in love with Sonora than ever before. At the same time, there was so much riding on her successful graduation, that it was starting to feel like a stepping stone.

She thought she should be getting better at fielding this question about summer, but everyone she answered it to seemed to get a different answer. That made some sense, considering the different relationships she had with each person, but it was still a bit mind-boggling to tell the truth all the time without ever saying the same thing. Besides, Professor Wright knew more than enough for either of their comfort levels, and just enough to care and play a role in helping her.

"It's nice to be back," she repeated a little more softly, and with a sad smile. "I got to read those books you let me borrow," she added, pulling them from her book bag to pass them back. "Did you take conference notes?" Her grin became a bit mischievous as she was aware that she was asking a professor for his personal notes on magic theory from an event he'd attended, but she thought that he probably wouldn't mind her asking, even if he didn't want to share them.

That, however, was not all Professor Wright was asking, and she spoke a little more carefully to fill him in. "My social worker was able to implement some of your suggestions and I found that an age line was very effective." She didn't tell him that his concerns about her needing medical care rang surprisingly true. Not that anyone would have been allowed in her room to help her anyway, and the age line had probably served to help her avoid needing further attention. She also wasn't about to tell him that a lesson in self-defense would have been very helpful and that she was going to the DADA professor for that. Of course, she'd tried to breathe and follow his advice, and it hadn't made a difference in the moment. How to ask for help in those situations without telling him the situation was the real tricky part. "My brother and I are being officially moved to a foster home, with the McLeods, so . . . that part was good. I . . . uh, I'm still having a problem getting magic to happen when I'm... stressed." Stressed was a better word than scared, right? "But of course, I don't always have my wand on me."

22 Evelyn Stones That's it? There's so much to do between now and the end. 1422 0 5

Grayson Wright

May 25, 2020 3:47 PM

You're not wrong. by Grayson Wright

"Some, yes," said Gray when asked if he had taken notes at the conferences they had briefly discussed last year. "There was a very interesting argument at one about whether there's any inherent value to the words we use as incantations, or if education should move toward using the modern vernacular instead. People got angry. No chairs were thrown, but I think a couple of the presenters thought seriously about it," he joked.

It was, he thought, a good thing that he had finally concluded that he could allow himself the occasional slight flash of personality in teaching - it had been a far more wretched affair before that point. Of course, he wasn't sure what would have happened if he'd tried that when first figuring out the art as he went along - total anarchy might have been the result then, for all he knew - but it was good to know now. About as good as the logical conclusion he had drawn from Evelyn's answer and demeanor, which was that nothing in particular had happened....

...a conclusion which he soon found himself doubting. There were, after all, more occasions than were pleasant to think on when the logical validity of a statement had little at all to do with the truth value of it.

"You have every right to, you know," he said when she noted that 'of course' she didn't always have her wand on her. "It's in the codes on wand ownership - outside of people in prison, or those officially stripped of their wands after a legal process, every witch and wizard who owns a wand has the right to have a wand with them at all times, and to use it in self-defense. Even if they're underage," he added pointedly. "I hope you're never again in a position where you need to defend yourself from - anyone, actually, but you're within your rights to do so, even if that means the Obliviators have to work overtime because it happened in the middle of a Muggle...large gathering of Muggles," he concluded, somewhat lamely at the close.

They really did, he thought grimly, need some kind of...if not a full class, at least a seminar on the very basic laws a witch or wizard signed onto by purchasing a wand and enrolling in education here. This was at least as essential as flying lessons, and he'd run those along with teaching his own classes before...perhaps he could have a word with Selina sometime. He was hardly the world's foremost expert on magical law, but he was not totally ignorant, as children might well be, and, well, he had adapted well enough to learning how to give lessons on the subject of magical control, he supposed, research was not something he was completely useless at...Of course, it was possible another teacher could give such a seminar, Tabitha sprang to mind, but past experience suggested that the person who pointed out a problem tended to be the one assigned to solve it. Which, in his case, was particularly likely to result in work, because he was (quite proudly, admittedly) head of the House which prided itself on its problem-solving abilities.

That, however, was all a problem for another time, pleasanter than the problem before him though it might be to contemplate. She knew that the age line had worked, which implied that there had been an attempt made against it. That wasn't good. "You needn't say anything else if you don't want to," he said gently, "but from what you just said, I suspect I owe you an apology. I wondered later if I should have told you the details of that law during our last conversation. I'm sorry I didn't, though I'm glad to hear it seems your situation has improved."

16 Grayson Wright You're not wrong. 113 0 5

Evelyn Stones

May 26, 2020 5:23 PM

Guess we start today then. by Evelyn Stones

CW: PTSD, panic, and reference to crimes against a child.

Evelyn grinned, imagining a room full of professors with tweed jackets and shifty eyes trying to convince each other about the merits of one type of language or another. It was a great picture and she laughed softly at Professor Wright's jokes. She blinked with some surprise though as he explained her rights as a wand owner, both because she hadn't realised that was the case and because he sounded surprisingly firm. It was the voice of someone who cared a lot, but she wasn't sure whether he was passionate about his subject or about helping her. She was even more surprised when he apologised.

Would it have made a difference if she'd had her wand on her? She had a hard time imagining herself pulling her wand on her own father. Plus, wands were much more helpful against magical attacks, or long-range physical ones. She hadn't had the space to cast much, except perhaps a stunning spell which would have made her feel terrible, and she might've broken it if it had been in her pocket or something. Then there was another thing, that was almost more frustrating if that were possible.

"I don't . . . have good luck with the law," she said carefully, thinking fast. If she hadn't been able to provide any sort of evidence to be photographed, in this case, in the form of her own body's testimony, what would have happened? Would she have been dismissed as a liar again and her father walking free? She wasn't exactly sure whether or not he was walking free right now, but that was beside the point. "I'm not sure I would have felt comfortable trying to use my wand anyway. Not in that situation. Do you think . . . do you think that's why I couldn't get anything to happen without my wand?"

"Case is dismissed for insufficient evidence. The plaintiff has no proof and her acknowledged failure to produce magic in the face of what would have been a traumatising event suggests that no such event occurred. The defendant is acquitted of all charges."

She felt a bit like throwing up. A lot like throwing up. Her knees were wobbly so she took a seat. Was that going to happen again? Because she hadn't been able to do any magic? Now she had more training, so she didn't have any excuse. What would she do if that happened? Would she and CJ have to go back? She couldn't go back. She wouldn't go back. She had a sick feeling in her stomach that made her think if she did go back, she might not get to leave again. She had undoubtedly cost her father his job at this point and that was the one thing he'd ever really cared about.

"I didn't get the promotion, Lyn. You know that's your fault?" The room spun as the memory of a stinging pain in her left cheek blossomed in her mind. "Obviously your magic hasn't developed enough, or you're a liar. Which one is it, hmm? Best wait for Sonora then. Go next year when you're a little more mature."

Breathe. Just breathe. She blinked to clear her eyes, and shook a little to clear her head. She took a breath. More than ever, she wanted to be a lawyer, or something where she could make a difference. She also didn't see at all how that would be possible for her now and she wanted to scream at everyone who had put barriers up for her.

"Sorry," she murmured to Professor Wright, forcing herself to be in the moment. She blinked and took another breath. "I'm really sorry," she grimaced. "You said . . . uh . . . " What had he said? Had it been a question? "Oh, you don't have to apologise. You didn't do anything wrong." Lots of people had, but not Professor Wright. Never Professor Wright.

22 Evelyn Stones Guess we start today then. 1422 0 5

Grayson Wright

June 03, 2020 2:45 PM

It's the only place we've got to start from. by Grayson Wright

Asked a question about the mechanics of producing magic without a wand, Gray's mind went first to theory and research on the subject. He knew facts about accidental magic, about how the human instinct to fight or flee essentially fueled it, and how horribly wrong things could go when - in rare cases, or at least only rarely documented cases - children's instincts led them to try to, consciously or unconsciously, suppress their powers. About how there was no real predicting how a given child would react, especially at younger ages or older ones...He knew a lot of facts, and might have launched into some extrapolation upon them - had Evelyn not abruptly sat down, and he caught sight of her face.

"Evelyn?" he asked, not entirely succeeding at keeping a note of anxious concern from his voice.

It seemed to take her a few seconds to pull herself back together enough to speak. Her response was not, however, altogether reassuring.

"Evelyn," he repeated, this time without the inflection that indicated an implied question, and with a concentrated effort at replacing that note with gentleness, but with the concerned note quite intact, "are you all right?"

This felt like a deviation from proper professional practices, somehow, to just...ask that, rather than returning to the subject, but he also couldn't help but imagine it would have seemed heartless to just return to the subject. This conflict, he thought, was why he really was in no position to occupy the position he was in. He wasn't good with people, not in person like this, never had been. Of course, it had probably been worse before he had spent a great deal of time learning to speak more clearly, but the fundamental set of traits, seemingly inborn, which had always made him feel more confident interacting with others on paper had not changed - something that was both a blessing and a curse in this job. A blessing, because he could rehearse the presentation of his lessons, and he could do a lot of his interacting with them through notes on assignments. A curse, because there were situations like this, when he had to speak to them face to face, and when it was important that he get it right. He could only guess at the right thing, and hope for the best after making an attempt.

16 Grayson Wright It's the only place we've got to start from. 113 0 5

Evelyn Stones

June 03, 2020 5:11 PM

That's encouraging somehow. by Evelyn Stones

Professor Wright said her name, and it was a question. She had to get herself together. Whatever see was trying to keep inside was coming out, and that wasn't going to work for her. Her palms were sweaty, and she wiped them on her lap, doing her best to take a gulp of cool air as subtly and calmly as possible, hoping desperately for it to cool her down. It didn't help much, but it did help ground her a little further. Not before she answered Professors Wright with a shaking head and damp eyes, but she pulled that back too.

Another breath.

"I'm really sorry, Professor," Evelyn said, embarrassment rising in her cheeks as she calmed down. This better not keep happening all the time. She would take up proper meditation tonight if that's what it took to keep that from happening. "My . . . well . . . no," she finally admitted, feeling defeated. She kept her eyes on her hands, folding them together and scratching at her nails. "No, sir, I'm not alright." A frown found itself at home on her mouth and she pressed her lips together to try to squeeze it off. "My dad is in jail," she murmured quietly. "But the last time my family was in court for something that happened to me, it got dismissed. I don't know what would happen if this got dismissed . . . I don't think it would be safe for me to see him after this."

After classes today, Evelyn was going to be meeting Heinrich in the MARS room. She had already been well aware of the fact that she needed to tell him some things if he was going to be around for her and CJ in whatever capacity that would be, but this conversation with Professor Wright was making it perfectly clear just how much she was going to have to tell him. If this had happened during one of their conversations, he would be a worried mess about it. The last thing she wanted was to cause him any more worry than her life already seemed to cause everyone - the image of an avalanche crashing through the lives of the people she cared about came back to her from her conversation with Kir - and it would be better to know before her anxiety forced her to tell him.

She closed her eyes hard and a tear slipped through. It was enough to snap her out of it and she took a deep breath, quickly wiping the tear away. "Sorry," she said again. "And here I just wanted to know how your conferences went," she laughed weakly, taking another breath and letting it out in a sigh.

22 Evelyn Stones That's encouraging somehow. 1422 0 5

Grayson Wright

June 10, 2020 2:23 PM

I'm glad to hear that. by Grayson Wright

Oh, hell. Oh, ----.

Variations on this were all that Gray would really think of as Evelyn first cracked enough to admit she wasn’t okay, and then began to explain why. He had never been particularly given to cursing – fortunate, he supposed, in light of his life having taken twists and turns that had put him in a position of authority over children for most of the year – but right now, he could not think of a single other way to react to what he was hearing, which was very unfortunate, as he could not exactly repeat those phrases out loud as a response.

I do not know what to say to this. This is so very far beyond anything I know how to react to.

Sadly, however, thinking this did not make Selina or Mary or Killian or Nathan (somehow, those were the first of his colleagues to spring to mind when he thought of people who might have the slightest clue what to say or do here) appear from out of thin air, which left him to do the best he could.

“You’ve nothing to apologize for,” he said. “That is – all that is – I’m sorry you have to go through all that.” A statement which, naturally, did damn-all to help such a situation. “It sounds as if you won’t have to see your father again, if you don’t want to. You’ll be seventeen before next year, yes? You’ll be able to do as you wish. I….” He adjusted his glasses simply to do something with his hands. “Until then – while you’re here at Sonora – you are safe, Evelyn.” The school was enchanted – on at least one occasion, a little too well – against allowing outsiders to wander in willy-nilly, and, more to the point, he rather suspected he and Selina might end up playing rock-paper-scissors over the rights to turn Stones into a bucket of frog spawn if he did somehow arrive on campus…. “And the same is no doubt true when you’re with the McLeods.” The McLeods were too political to lack knowledge of defensive magic or the nerve to use it at need. “I can’t imagine how you feel,” he admitted frankly, “but physically, anyway – you’re safe here.”

16 Grayson Wright I'm glad to hear that. 113 0 5

Evelyn Stones

June 10, 2020 10:07 PM

Keep talking. by Evelyn Stones

Evelyn fought a new wave of nausea as Professor Wright said what he probably meant to be reassuring. "I'll be seventeen in August," she said, counting up to nearly eleven months in her head. That was a very long time. The bright side was that her father was in jail, which meant that the report had been substantiated, evidence collected, and there was no longer any question as to whether he'd done what Evelyn said he'd done this time. The question then, was whether they could keep him for another year. If this process only took a couple more months and he was out and free, what were the odds he'd be granted custody again? If that was the case, she and CJ would be required to go back to live with him if he wanted, right? She doubted very much that he'd want to see her, but of course, that might be exactly why he did. Her heart felt a lot like it had erupted and she forced herself to breathe. Just to breathe. "What if he gets out and gets us back?" she asked quietly, searching Professor Wright's face desperately. "What if he says I can't go to Sonora anymore and he'll finish my schooling at home? I could come back when I'm seventeen, but for the end of this year? For summer, until my birthday? Then I won't be here. I won't be safe."

Professor Wright was somehow near the top of two lists: people Evelyn would have been comfortable crying in front of, and people Evelyn never wanted to cry in front of. She thought the poor wizard's heart might give out right alongside her own if she gave in to the urge to bawl her eyes out just then. At the same time, her other options were Heinrich - who was possibly closer to the top of both lists - and Ness - who was also near the top of both. It was becoming clearer that the sort of people who were good and kind and would want to help take care of Evelyn were also the people that Evelyn didn't really want to need help from. She wanted to be strong for them the way they were strong for her.

But the room was spinning again and her heart was pounding and she couldn't seem to get enough air in her lungs and she had to go to class soon and she wasn't sure how to get back to her academic brain before she was late for class. It wasn't a very long break between now and then. What time was it now anyway?

"I don't know what to do, professor," she murmured. "I'm going to talk to a friend tonight after classes are done, just so he knows what's going on. He said he would try to help, too, but I don't know what's going to happen."

22 Evelyn Stones Keep talking. 1422 0 5

Grayson Wright

June 11, 2020 11:44 AM

Okay, um...tomorrow is another day? by Grayson Wright

Oh no. He had not said the right thing. In fact, he seemed to have said the exact opposite of the right thing. He seemed to have made things worse.

“Evelyn…” he began, and then trailed off, reconsidering. “I don’t know what the right thing to say is,” he admitted. Once again, it felt vaguely unprofessional to do so – but she was less than a year from being an adult now, and he truly had no idea what else to do. “I can look at what I know about your situation and tell you that I don’t think that’s at all likely – but I’m not sure that’s actually helpful. I haven’t a trace of Seer blood anywhere in the family. I…do have chocolate?”

This was said almost more as a question than a statement. He had taken Defense Against the Dark Arts long enough to know that chocolate was surprisingly magical, at least for wizards (the effect was, it seemed, much milder on Muggles; he remembered that because it was such an odd little fact that it had stuck in his head all these years, as odd facts were wont to do with him), though, and he also knew that, well, sometimes one just required something magnificently unhealthy while grading stacks of essays. Therefore, he kept a stash of chocolate bars in one of his desk drawers, and withdrew one in a shiny wrapper and offered it to her for lack of better ideas.

“And the ability to write you a note if you need to take a few minutes before you go to your next class,” he added, finally suspecting he might have stumbled onto a correct response there.

16 Grayson Wright Okay, um...tomorrow is another day? 113 0 5

Evelyn Stones

June 11, 2020 3:52 PM

Oh, good. I'll just try again then. by Evelyn Stones

Evelyn took a big deep breath. Professor Wright was trying so hard and she felt a bit bad for making things more difficult for him. "Thank you," she murmured, smiling weakly. Her cheeks were pink, evidence of exactly how much she hated this. "Chocolate sounds amazing," she agreed, happy he stopped talking about what was likely or not. She hadn't thought it was likely for them all to get off charges last time, but look where they were. It wasn't as if the odds worked in her favor the last several times she'd needed medical attention, either.

She accepted the chocolate bar and began nibbling at one corner but shook her head and jumped up when he offered to write her a note. "No! Uh . . . no, thank you." She gathered her belongings and checked the time on the wall. She still had a few more minutes and she could make it to Transfiguration on time. She could even probably be a minute or so late and blame it on a bathroom break. Wasn't the most dignified way of getting out of something but if it did the trick . . . "I don't like needing help," she said, looking down at her feet. It felt so stupid to say out loud. "I don't want to need help all the time, and I do. People come in and out of my life trying to fix things all the time, and they do great and I appreciate it, but I just for once don't want to have things so broken that other people have to fix them. I'll be alright in class," she added by way of reassurance, hoping he believed it. Hoping she believed it.

"Thank you," she said, taking another breath. She had to pull herself together and this was step one. "For saying you don't know what to say. I don't either. I think most people don't, but they always try to make up an answer anyway. I'd really rather just know I'm not the only one who doesn't have an idea what to think anymore."

22 Evelyn Stones Oh, good. I'll just try again then. 1422 0 5

Grayson Wright

June 17, 2020 9:14 PM

It's all any of us can do. by Grayson Wright

He was going to have to take courses, he thought bleakly. There was no way around it. This was an utter disaster and he was making it worse and worse. Since the alternative was forming a series of complicated and unpleasant relationships to gain practical experience in these things, education was the only way out of this mess for him.

“I understand,” he said when she explained that she didn’t always want to need or accept help. And he did understand. More than once in his life, he had made a situation worse for himself by wanting to just work through it himself, without asking for assistance, when a problem arose. “Finish the chocolate on your way to class,” he suggested, rather than attempting to articulate this, or the addenda about how it was good to remember that there were limits to how far one could go with that. “That ought to help.”

It turned out that admitting cluelessness was something he had actually done right – at least by the standards of upset sixteen-year-olds. Pity answering all questions didn’t work that way, he thought…he still rather wished he had had a more satisfying answer, though.

“One of the things they never tell you about being an adult,” he said, with a slight, somewhat sad smile. “Most of the time, you still have to carry on making everything up as best as you can as you go along, with whatever help you can find.” He adjusted his glasses slightly. “In light of…all this,” he said, “if you need anything – well – like what you mentioned last summer, I’ll do my best to help you out more directly,” he said. “Though hopefully it won’t come to that – and you’ll just have enough time to get to Transfiguration on time,” he added, not really caring to prolong the discussion of his having announced a provisional willingness to wade into Ethically Murky Territory if he had to.

Most days, he was rather glad that he had a four-hour gap between Intermediate and Advanced Charms. He credited this gap with most of his ability to get his paperwork and lesson plans done in a timely manner. Part of it had to be spent on lunch, of course, and occasional Other Duties As Assigned, but it was open enough that he could either get a bit of work done, if he was behind, or else sneak in a bit of scribbling here and there. Today, however, he suspected it was going to be a longish, unpleasantish wait for the distraction of the Advanced class to show up.

16 Grayson Wright It's all any of us can do. 113 0 5