21 Jun 2019, 03:43
You Don't Need Sight To Teach, Dear Child
Artemis felt a weight on his midsection in his sleep. He knew it was early. It was also Saturday and he actually enjoyed being able to sleep in on the weekends when he wasn't conducting detentions. But alas, being a father to a very awake and very energetic eight-year-old prevented the young man from actually getting his much needed weekend rest.
A poke to his cheek was ignored as best as he could manage. Another poke came soon after. After ignoring his son's attempts to wake him up, Artemis heard the boy sigh in frustration and soon the weight was lifted from his stomach area. The Charms Professor sighed as well as he turned over onto his side and curled further into his blankets, charmed with a cooling spell to prevent him from sweating throughout he night and keep him comfortable through the hotter days at the castle. That colder feeling in the blankets turned to ice cold however when the sudden feeling of being drowned made the man open his eyes and jump out of his now wet bed with a shout.
"Yay! You're awake now! Can we go walk around the castle now? You promised, daddy."
Breathing heavily from his sudden, cold, and surprising wake-up call, Artemis turned to his son and saw the boy holding the bucket that would hold his Legos in it in his left hand with his right hand propped on his hip as he waited for an answer. Gaping like a fish, Artemis looked at his bed, saw a few ice cubes slowly melting on his sheets, and then back at his child.
"Yu-Yuya. Did you just pour ice on me?" Artemis asked incredulously.
Yuya sighed. "No, I poured ice water on you. There's a difference, daddy."
"There is no difference!"
Yuya raised his eyebrow in a similar fashion that his father would do as he crossed his arms as best as he could with the bucket in his hand. "Dad, there's a big difference. Ice would just be ice and would hurt you if I poured a bucket of it on you. Ice water has water in it. Doesn't hurt as much, does it?" the boy sighed and shook his head before muttering under his breath. "And they say grown-ups are supposed to be smarter than kids."
Artemis narrowed his eyes at his son before pointing at the door to his bedroom. "Get out and go eat breakfast. Since I was so rudely awakened, I now need to get myself ready for the day."
"I already ate. I was hungry so a house-elf made me a sandwich."
Artemis had gathered a pair of jeans and a dark green button-up shirt to dress in after his shower. As he walked into the connecting bathroom he asked, "Go eat the other half."
Yuya eyes widened. "I-how did you know I only ate one half?"
Artemis rolled his eyes as he prepped his toothbrush. "I'm your father. I know everything about you. Go eat," he said as he started brushing his teeth.
Yuya wilted with a pout. "But I'm not hungry anymore," he whined. Artemis sighed around the toothbrush as he moved back toward the door. "Then leave it on the table and I'll eat it. I need to get ready so go play until I'm finished," he said around a mouthful of toothpaste.
Yuya smiled brightly as he rushed out of the room. Artemis sighed again as he finished brushing his teeth and started the shower. 'Today is going to be one of those days, isn't it?'
Artemis smiled softly to himself as he watched his son take in everything around him. Originally, he didn't want to agree to the castle tour as he had wanted Yuya to explore and experience Hogwarts on his own in three years, but it wasn't fair to the boy to keep him sequestered in Artemis' private quarters and office for the entire month, especially when the weather was extremely nice. So it was a deal between father and son that if the weather was nice and Yuya had behaved for the week that they would go for a walk around the castle and if time allowed, they would possibly even go into Hogsmeade so he could get another toy or candy.
Artemis was wondering if he would regret the candy deal, but it was also an excuse for him to go get himself some snacks of his own as well. It wouldn't hurt for Yuya to have his own candy stash that he could eat from so he could leave his father's alone.
Artemis continued walking, greeting students who chose to greet him, and lost in his thoughts. He was keeping an eye on his son as the boy continued to run up to each moving portrait and wave at the people within or cheerfully greet any student, mostly Gryffindors, who walked by him. Artemis chuckled when some of the students seemed confused when Yuya declared that he would be a Gryffindor like his best friend but none of the kids knew who his child was referring to.
Artemis' mind actually wandered to the student in question. 'I wonder if he's working on those meditation techniques I told him about.'
With his mind distracted, Artemis didn't notice that the corridors had become more crowded with students mingling about trying to get to the front of the school to wait for the last Hogsmeade weekend to start, nor did he notice that Yuya had actually run off farther than he should have. Moving swiftly, Artemis was slowly closing the distance between him and his son. He had opened his mouth to tell the child to wait for him and to be careful before he bumped into someone when he saw the boy do exactly that.
Seeing his son fall to the ground after bumping in the back of the robes of another professor, Artemis rushed to his side. It was almost as if the students in his way were automatically parting like the Red Sea, but Artemis wasn't paying attention to them. Reaching Yuya's side, Artemis bent at the waist and brushed the boy off.
"Are you alright? I've told you not to run in the halls, Yuya. Are you hurt?"
Yuya didn't respond. Instead, the little boy clung onto his father's forearm tightly and hid behind Artemis' back as he stared with wide eyes at the person in front of him. Artemis raised an eyebrow as he observed his son's behavior before dismissing it to address the person the child had bumped into.
"Professor Lian. It's nice to see you out and about on such a nice day. I'm sorry about my son running into you." Tapping his son on his head, Artemis gestured to the blindfolded teacher in front of them. "Yuya, apologize to Professor Lian."
Yuya peeked from behind Artemis' body and swallowed the lump in his throat. He eyed the woman in front of him warily and noticed the blindfold over her eyes. Curiosity got the better of the eight-year-old and instead of apologizing to the woman for bumping into her, he instead asked, "Are you a pirate? Only pirates cover their eyes when they lose them."
"Yuya!" Artemis groaned exasperatedly.
A poke to his cheek was ignored as best as he could manage. Another poke came soon after. After ignoring his son's attempts to wake him up, Artemis heard the boy sigh in frustration and soon the weight was lifted from his stomach area. The Charms Professor sighed as well as he turned over onto his side and curled further into his blankets, charmed with a cooling spell to prevent him from sweating throughout he night and keep him comfortable through the hotter days at the castle. That colder feeling in the blankets turned to ice cold however when the sudden feeling of being drowned made the man open his eyes and jump out of his now wet bed with a shout.
"Yay! You're awake now! Can we go walk around the castle now? You promised, daddy."
Breathing heavily from his sudden, cold, and surprising wake-up call, Artemis turned to his son and saw the boy holding the bucket that would hold his Legos in it in his left hand with his right hand propped on his hip as he waited for an answer. Gaping like a fish, Artemis looked at his bed, saw a few ice cubes slowly melting on his sheets, and then back at his child.
"Yu-Yuya. Did you just pour ice on me?" Artemis asked incredulously.
Yuya sighed. "No, I poured ice water on you. There's a difference, daddy."
"There is no difference!"
Yuya raised his eyebrow in a similar fashion that his father would do as he crossed his arms as best as he could with the bucket in his hand. "Dad, there's a big difference. Ice would just be ice and would hurt you if I poured a bucket of it on you. Ice water has water in it. Doesn't hurt as much, does it?" the boy sighed and shook his head before muttering under his breath. "And they say grown-ups are supposed to be smarter than kids."
Artemis narrowed his eyes at his son before pointing at the door to his bedroom. "Get out and go eat breakfast. Since I was so rudely awakened, I now need to get myself ready for the day."
"I already ate. I was hungry so a house-elf made me a sandwich."
Artemis had gathered a pair of jeans and a dark green button-up shirt to dress in after his shower. As he walked into the connecting bathroom he asked, "Go eat the other half."
Yuya eyes widened. "I-how did you know I only ate one half?"
Artemis rolled his eyes as he prepped his toothbrush. "I'm your father. I know everything about you. Go eat," he said as he started brushing his teeth.
Yuya wilted with a pout. "But I'm not hungry anymore," he whined. Artemis sighed around the toothbrush as he moved back toward the door. "Then leave it on the table and I'll eat it. I need to get ready so go play until I'm finished," he said around a mouthful of toothpaste.
Yuya smiled brightly as he rushed out of the room. Artemis sighed again as he finished brushing his teeth and started the shower. 'Today is going to be one of those days, isn't it?'
*~~~~*~~~~*
Artemis smiled softly to himself as he watched his son take in everything around him. Originally, he didn't want to agree to the castle tour as he had wanted Yuya to explore and experience Hogwarts on his own in three years, but it wasn't fair to the boy to keep him sequestered in Artemis' private quarters and office for the entire month, especially when the weather was extremely nice. So it was a deal between father and son that if the weather was nice and Yuya had behaved for the week that they would go for a walk around the castle and if time allowed, they would possibly even go into Hogsmeade so he could get another toy or candy.
Artemis was wondering if he would regret the candy deal, but it was also an excuse for him to go get himself some snacks of his own as well. It wouldn't hurt for Yuya to have his own candy stash that he could eat from so he could leave his father's alone.
Artemis continued walking, greeting students who chose to greet him, and lost in his thoughts. He was keeping an eye on his son as the boy continued to run up to each moving portrait and wave at the people within or cheerfully greet any student, mostly Gryffindors, who walked by him. Artemis chuckled when some of the students seemed confused when Yuya declared that he would be a Gryffindor like his best friend but none of the kids knew who his child was referring to.
Artemis' mind actually wandered to the student in question. 'I wonder if he's working on those meditation techniques I told him about.'
With his mind distracted, Artemis didn't notice that the corridors had become more crowded with students mingling about trying to get to the front of the school to wait for the last Hogsmeade weekend to start, nor did he notice that Yuya had actually run off farther than he should have. Moving swiftly, Artemis was slowly closing the distance between him and his son. He had opened his mouth to tell the child to wait for him and to be careful before he bumped into someone when he saw the boy do exactly that.
Seeing his son fall to the ground after bumping in the back of the robes of another professor, Artemis rushed to his side. It was almost as if the students in his way were automatically parting like the Red Sea, but Artemis wasn't paying attention to them. Reaching Yuya's side, Artemis bent at the waist and brushed the boy off.
"Are you alright? I've told you not to run in the halls, Yuya. Are you hurt?"
Yuya didn't respond. Instead, the little boy clung onto his father's forearm tightly and hid behind Artemis' back as he stared with wide eyes at the person in front of him. Artemis raised an eyebrow as he observed his son's behavior before dismissing it to address the person the child had bumped into.
"Professor Lian. It's nice to see you out and about on such a nice day. I'm sorry about my son running into you." Tapping his son on his head, Artemis gestured to the blindfolded teacher in front of them. "Yuya, apologize to Professor Lian."
Yuya peeked from behind Artemis' body and swallowed the lump in his throat. He eyed the woman in front of him warily and noticed the blindfold over her eyes. Curiosity got the better of the eight-year-old and instead of apologizing to the woman for bumping into her, he instead asked, "Are you a pirate? Only pirates cover their eyes when they lose them."
"Yuya!" Artemis groaned exasperatedly.
@Cypresse Lian
Reducio
OOC: There's a lot of dialogue. Sorry about that.
Artemis Vernatis
Professor of Charms
21 Jun 2019, 09:45
You Don't Need Sight To Teach, Dear Child
Free time was scarce in this job. Every morning and afternoon was filled with classes, every evening and night packed with grading homework and preparing for the next day. Of course, she was fully aware of what she'd signed up for, and she'd gotten used to the workload quickly - after all, her previous job as a Cursebreaker hadn't been lenient either - but there were still things she'd like to do outside of her normal, boring, routine schedule.
So with her weekdays packed full of paperwork and preparation, she turned to early weekend mornings for the rest. Cy had always been an early bird, strolling around Aoi's apartment and playing music on her gramophone a bit too loud for comfort when her sister would much rather sleep till three in the afternoon. Fortunately, in Hogwarts, she could play music as loud as she wanted in her private quarters that she'd sectioned off with a silencing spell, but she'd only recently found a way to take that music with her while she walked. Without electronics, she hadn't been able to play any music conveniently on the go.
Instead she'd relied on her own voice to keep her company under her breath, humming random tunes as she navigated the halls in darkness. She didn't mind being alone as she walked, even though Aoi and Ceta kept her good company and made sure she didn't get lost. She knew these corridors like the back of her hand, which admittedly she hadn't seen in years, but she still knew it.
So now Cy had decided to wander the castle alone, mapping out the hallways once again, the comfort of non-working earbuds still in her ears. Which might have been concerning, but old habits die hard. She'd be lying if the walk hadn't been at least partially for her own relaxation, but she had no qualms admitting it - a professor needed her leisure time, right? Nobody had asked what she was doing yet, but then again, the earbuds were pretty insulating for her to actually hear anyone who asked unless they decided to raise their volume. Even the disruptive scrape of her carved ivory cane against the tiled stone floor was faint in the background.
Something crashed into her from behind, and Cy stumbled forward a step, whirling back on her heel as a hand reached out to remove the buds in her ears and tuck them into her pocket. She didn't think that many hyper students would be up this early, actually, and the crescent that she swept her cane in before her definitely didn't account for whatever was behind her. But the woman smiled as she heard a parent's worried voice and the curiously frightened question of a small child, too young to belong to a student. This must have been the Charms Professor's child - and he was there too.
Without deigning to answer Artemis first, Cy hooked the blindfold around the middle with her finger and tugged it down just enough to reveal her deep, dark brown eyes, even daring to offer a wink before she pulled it back up. "Haven't lost them yet, dove," she replied, grinning as she knelt to what she assumed would be his eye level, based on the source of his voice and honestly just from her best guess. "Besides, what kind of pirate walks around a castle instead of a ship?"
To be fair, the mistake was understandable, especially coming from a child this young. The scarf bound across her face today was dark and plain, bound by a gold chain draped like curtains in u-shapes of various uneven lengths following the fabric around her temple. She supposed it could give off a, um, pirate-y feeling.
"Call me Cy," the young woman suggested, directing her attention to the man who had spoken before as she rose to her not-so-high full stature of five feet and two inches. "Or Ress, or whatever you want. You must be... Artemis Vernatis, did I get that right? And you," she tilted her head down to the child again, though stayed standing this time, "you must be Yuya. Glad to meet you both. So, what are you doing up at this hour? I thought only the upperclassmen cramming for tests wouldn't be snoring away till noon like my sister probably is."
22 Jun 2019, 13:57
You Don't Need Sight To Teach, Dear Child
Artemis smirked as his colleague winked at his son before he put a hand on the boy’s head again and gestured with his other hand for Yuya to do what he had asked of him before. When the child looked up at him Artemis just raised an eyebrow and looked at Yuya expectantly.
“Oh come now. You can’t tell me that you’re afraid of Professor Lian? I thought you were a brave Gryffindor?”
Yuya inhaled at the insinuation that he wasn’t brave like his new friend and puffed out his chest. Looking at the woman in front of him, the little boy said, “I’m sorry for running into you. It was an accident.”
Suddenly the boy’s bravely wilted and he shrunk back into his father’s legs.
Artemis shook his head at the boy’s antics and addressed Cypress’ questions. “If it’s truly alright by you, then I shall call you by your desired nickname. However, I would prefer if the little man here called you by your proper title. He’s neither your age nor a friend and will one day become your student. I think it would be best if he were less casual with my colleagues.” Artemis responded kindly.
Yuya tapped his father on his arm. “Daddy, how did she know it was us? She can’t see? And how’d she know our names?”
Artemis groaned again. “Yuya, you have got to stop being so blunt with your questions. It’s extremely rude.”
Yuya pouted and looked at his feet. “I was just askin’.”
Artemis sighed as he looked up at Cypress. “I’m so sorry about his questions. We’re actually up this early because we’re taking a small tour around the castle and grounds for some fresh air.”
Yuya brightened up at this. “Yeah! We’re gonna go see the giant squid! My best friend told me about it!”
Artemis rolled his eyes good with a soft smile as his mind wandered to the young second-year student who had managed to capture his son’s heart as a friend.
“Honestly, I would have also slept in until noon myself or close to that time if I wasn’t rudely awakened this morning,” Artemis put a hand on his boy’s head and ruffled his hair. “But it’s good that we are up and about early. What about you, Cypress? What has you up and about amongst the early birds?”
“Oh come now. You can’t tell me that you’re afraid of Professor Lian? I thought you were a brave Gryffindor?”
Yuya inhaled at the insinuation that he wasn’t brave like his new friend and puffed out his chest. Looking at the woman in front of him, the little boy said, “I’m sorry for running into you. It was an accident.”
Suddenly the boy’s bravely wilted and he shrunk back into his father’s legs.
Artemis shook his head at the boy’s antics and addressed Cypress’ questions. “If it’s truly alright by you, then I shall call you by your desired nickname. However, I would prefer if the little man here called you by your proper title. He’s neither your age nor a friend and will one day become your student. I think it would be best if he were less casual with my colleagues.” Artemis responded kindly.
Yuya tapped his father on his arm. “Daddy, how did she know it was us? She can’t see? And how’d she know our names?”
Artemis groaned again. “Yuya, you have got to stop being so blunt with your questions. It’s extremely rude.”
Yuya pouted and looked at his feet. “I was just askin’.”
Artemis sighed as he looked up at Cypress. “I’m so sorry about his questions. We’re actually up this early because we’re taking a small tour around the castle and grounds for some fresh air.”
Yuya brightened up at this. “Yeah! We’re gonna go see the giant squid! My best friend told me about it!”
Artemis rolled his eyes good with a soft smile as his mind wandered to the young second-year student who had managed to capture his son’s heart as a friend.
“Honestly, I would have also slept in until noon myself or close to that time if I wasn’t rudely awakened this morning,” Artemis put a hand on his boy’s head and ruffled his hair. “But it’s good that we are up and about early. What about you, Cypress? What has you up and about amongst the early birds?”
Artemis Vernatis
Professor of Charms
23 Jun 2019, 14:37
You Don't Need Sight To Teach, Dear Child
Cy grinned at the child, even as she heard footsteps carrying him back into the shelter of his father's shadow. "It's all right, Yuya, but thank you for apologizing anyway. Everyone runs into someone else by accident sometimes. As long as you don't run into a wall, you'll be fine." She wasn't going to pry him out of his comfort zone, of course; god knows she hated that nine years ago - and she grew into this role herself. Without anyone's help.
She shrugged in response to the Charms professor. "If that's what you want him to address me as, I've got no problem with that. I did say you could call me whatever you want, including what would be regarded as a 'proper' title," she continued, using air quotes - did anyone even use air quotes anymore? - before adding, maybe a touch more quietly, "buuuut I'm just gonna note that half my students call me Ress at this point."
The young woman watched the exchange between father and son with an amused smirk, folding her arms and leaning back on her feet. This kid was going to give his dad a lot of grey hair pretty soon. "No worries, I don't mind questions," she placated. "I don't remember there being any other little ones at this school. Littler than the First Years, anyway. And I can hear your voices, so that helps me to. And Yuya?" She grinned. "Don't be afraid to be curious, and don't apologize for it either - only ever apologize about being rude about it. But not to me, because frankly I don't care."
She frowned at the other professor, tilting her head and letting black hair slide across her shoulder. "You ought to let him live a little, don't you think?" But before she could be interrupted by anything accusing her of corrupting this perfectly innocent child, she switched her subject, answering his former statement. "Fresh air is good. The squid's a nice fellow, too, might let you tickle him if it's nice out, which it is. Probably. I haven't been outside yet.
"I headed out a while ago to get used to the castle again," and Cy rolled her eyes underneath the blindfold, mocking her own need for the activity. "It's weird how I was here only four years ago and yet I still keep getting lost. Halfway through when I had the fortune of meeting you two. And, well... looks like someone's getting a little antsy waiting for me to stop talking."
24 Jun 2019, 05:30
You Don't Need Sight To Teach, Dear Child
Artemis looked at the crystals in the young woman's hands briefly before tearing his eyes away just as she pulled her hand back. An interesting invention, though probably not needed in a school full of needy children. It was a bit irresponsible to be walking around the halls with your ears plugged up and music playing in your ears, especially if you were impaired visually. But regardless of what Artemis thought about this teacher's irresponsibleness with her own wellbeing, it wasn't his issue.
What was his issue was the fact that this young woman had the nerve to tell him how to raise his kid. Let him live a little? Is he not already in this school running around freely instead of staying at my sister's place? And if I don't wish to raise my child to be like the rest of the helions in his generation that is my prerogative. But this "advice" comes from a young woman barely out of diapers herself. I shouldn't expect much. Artemis rambled on in his own head, silently fuming as he regarded the woman in front of him cooly.
Before he could officially reply to the young professor, Yuya was impatiently tugging on his hand. "Daddy, come on! I wanna see the squid and the Quidditch Pitch! You said we could go!"
Sighing, Artemis briefly forgot his ire at his younger colleague and ruffled his son's hair. "Alright, kiddo. We're going." Turning to Cypress, he said, "Well, it was nice chatting with you, Professor Lian. We must be off now."
And with that, the Charms Professor and his spawn walked out of the front doors of the castle into the sunshine. Once there, the two ventured over to the Quidditch Pitch and watched a few of the older students fly around the pitch, having a small pick-up game now that the Quidditch season was over. Once one of the teams caught the snitch and Yuya cheered happily, Artemis took his son over to the lake where he pulled out a small baggie of bread and other food the squid liked to eat. Handing the bag over to his son, the Charms professor then had Yuya take off his shoes and socks so that he could wade in the water a little bit while he fed the giant squid. Ever the playful sea creature, the squid would raise one tentacle and drop it into the lake close to the little boy, splashing him with a wave of lake water.
Artemis couldn't hold in his laughter at his son's shocked, yet happy expression as the boy turned around to look at him. Yuya walked over to him, dripping wet and laughing. Artemis, still chuckling himself took out his wand and dried the boy off. "I see that the squid likes you," he commented as he helped Yuya put his socks and shoes back on before standing up and dusting himself off. "You ready for some lunch? We can head down into Hogsmeade and grab something to eat."
Yuya's face brightened and he nodded as he cheered, "Yeah! And then we can go get some candy from Honeydukes!"
Artemis chuckled as Yuya took his hand and started leading him away from the lake, his mind completely forgetting about his encounter with his blind colleague from earlier.
What was his issue was the fact that this young woman had the nerve to tell him how to raise his kid. Let him live a little? Is he not already in this school running around freely instead of staying at my sister's place? And if I don't wish to raise my child to be like the rest of the helions in his generation that is my prerogative. But this "advice" comes from a young woman barely out of diapers herself. I shouldn't expect much. Artemis rambled on in his own head, silently fuming as he regarded the woman in front of him cooly.
Before he could officially reply to the young professor, Yuya was impatiently tugging on his hand. "Daddy, come on! I wanna see the squid and the Quidditch Pitch! You said we could go!"
Sighing, Artemis briefly forgot his ire at his younger colleague and ruffled his son's hair. "Alright, kiddo. We're going." Turning to Cypress, he said, "Well, it was nice chatting with you, Professor Lian. We must be off now."
And with that, the Charms Professor and his spawn walked out of the front doors of the castle into the sunshine. Once there, the two ventured over to the Quidditch Pitch and watched a few of the older students fly around the pitch, having a small pick-up game now that the Quidditch season was over. Once one of the teams caught the snitch and Yuya cheered happily, Artemis took his son over to the lake where he pulled out a small baggie of bread and other food the squid liked to eat. Handing the bag over to his son, the Charms professor then had Yuya take off his shoes and socks so that he could wade in the water a little bit while he fed the giant squid. Ever the playful sea creature, the squid would raise one tentacle and drop it into the lake close to the little boy, splashing him with a wave of lake water.
Artemis couldn't hold in his laughter at his son's shocked, yet happy expression as the boy turned around to look at him. Yuya walked over to him, dripping wet and laughing. Artemis, still chuckling himself took out his wand and dried the boy off. "I see that the squid likes you," he commented as he helped Yuya put his socks and shoes back on before standing up and dusting himself off. "You ready for some lunch? We can head down into Hogsmeade and grab something to eat."
Yuya's face brightened and he nodded as he cheered, "Yeah! And then we can go get some candy from Honeydukes!"
Artemis chuckled as Yuya took his hand and started leading him away from the lake, his mind completely forgetting about his encounter with his blind colleague from earlier.
Reducio
Artemis and Yuya leave Hogwarts to Hogsmeade while Cypress continues to wander and listen to her music.
Artemis Vernatis
Professor of Charms