Jemari's Office IC

Alan would smile brightly, showing a little of tooth as he did so and nodded. "I will see you in June th-then, River, sir,", he would say his good byes as he gathered his stuff. In order to carry his broom comfortably as to not damage it any further, he set down Tiger gently so that the feline could simply follow him along. "Have a nice day, sir!"

With that all being said and cleared, he would slip out of the office, making sure that Tiger was following him and walked back to the Gryffindor tower. Once he would arrive there he would store the broom away safely, string at it for a while with a judgmental expression. Was it even possible to safe it still? He would highly doubt it, but that was fine, he would not mind and could simply ask his parents to get him a new broom. He was sure that his father would be exhilarated as he had always wanted Alan to try out flying but the kid had always refused over the past three years. But a lot has changed since then and now Alan was determined to give it a try and do his best to succeed.

Ileen walked down the corridor to the office of the new flying Professor who had arrived a few months ago. Restlessly she kneaded her hands and looked around again and again as if she was doing something forbidden - which of course was not the case. But it was an emotional issue, so she was careful by principle.
For her, it was rare thing to approach a Professor to ask for school-unrelated support. She did it before once, when the pressure had been high enough to influence her concentration and wellbeing. Her current situation was quite similar. She was here to ask for the last piece of her puzzle to deal with the fact that she won’t return to her parents this summer. Or ever -who knew? Hogwarts was her home now. For good.
She had received a letter from her parents yesterday, telling her that she could stay with her friends over summer – no need for Ileen to go home to her parents who had left her here, moving back to her home in New Zealand. Well, there was no chance Ileen would forgive them, soon. They had betrayed her trust, maybe had lied to her and now, they even didn’t want to face her after her first year in Hogwarts. Enough was enough.
This had been the final letter that had pushed her over the edge. She had wanted to ask for this since her second day at Hogwarts. But so far she hadn't been able to bring herself to do it and kept putting it off.

And now, Ileen head reached the office and stood in front of the door. Was this really a good idea? Would he probably think that she was ridiculous? Her fist already raised in order to knock, the young Slytherin hesitated.
But then she forced herself to breathe deeply and knocked. As usual, her expression was serious and firm determination was evident in her eyes. What could happen? In the worst case he would say no. She had nothing to lose, but a lot to win.

When Ileen heard the familiar voice inviting her in, she took another deep breath. Of course, she had already met River in the one or the other flying lesson, but as in all classes she had tended to stay in the background. She had never had anything to do with the professor personally.
Ileen could fly. Maybe not excessively well, but well enough to keep herself safely in the air. Actually, she liked to fly - it gave her a rare feeling of absolute freedom. But she had never stood out in his lesson.
She opened the door and stepped into the office before she could change her mind and decide that her request was stupid after all. “Hello River.” He had told them in his first lesson to call him by his first name, but it still felt weird. Ileen gave the young man a rare friendly smile. “I hope you are alright. Sorry to disturb you. Do you probably have a minute?” An attentive observer would notice the shadows under her dark brown eyes which indicated many sleepless nights. Even though her facial expression was friendly and serious, you could see the flickering in her gaze. Restlessness. Uncertainty. Maybe even agony.

With her heart racing in her chest she closed the door behind herself and then looked around. She had never been in her before – or in anyone’s office. She was quite curious what kind of stuff professors stored in their private places, but she also valued privacy more then mostly everything else, so she forced herself to fix her gaze on River. She didn’t mean to dig around in his private life and business.
Ileen stepped towards the desk, pulling nervously on a loose thread of her robe. Even though she had planned this for so long, she struggled to put her request into the right words. Finally, she pulled herself together, looked River firmly in the eyes and blurted things out.
“Is there any possibility you could take me for a flight to the roof of Hogwarts when it’s dark?”
It clearly showed how important this topic was for the eleven-year-old Slytherin that she did not blush when she asked this question. Instead, she looked at the professor with a serious expression on her face. She would not beg. It was a request. “I- I suppose I’m not allowed to do this on my own. Otherwise I wouldn’t bother you,” she added and wrinkled her nose. She probably should have provided more background information, but she had been too eager to get right to the point. Nervously she watched his reaction. Would he laugh at her? Or send her right away?

Relieve. That was the first and dominating feeling that flowed through Ileen when she was not immediately sent away or laughed at. She had taken the offered seat and now slid excitedly forward to the edge of the chair. Her dark brown eyes were wide open and fixed on the professor in front of her.
And then came the expected follow-up question and the excitement vanished as fast as it had overcome her. The smile slipped from her lips and a slight frown wrinkled the young girl’s forehead. She had expected that and he hadn’t said ‘no’ yet, but how could she explain this irrational request? Of course, she had prepared the words for it and had let them go through her mind again and again, but now they were gone. Ileen lowered her head and her long brown hair fell over her shoulders while she nervously nested on a loose thread of her sleeve.

Get it together, Knight! This is important, so don’t give up just yet! “I—” She cleared her throat and then forced herself to look up and meet the gaze of the young man. “This might sound a bit weird, but seeing places from above…” She stopped and bit her lower lip, thinking about her next words. She would pause for a few seconds before building up her courage and speaking up again. “It helps me to get an impression of the place and that helps me to feel more at home. I haven’t seen Hogwarts from above at night yet. The roof seems like a comfortable spot. Being in high places has the same effect as flying for me – you can watch your problems from a distance and everything is less… depressing.”

With a deep inhale she decided to reveal another personal information that she hadn’t told anyone but Dealla yet. “I kind of lost my home this year and I hope that this would help me to feel at home here.” She closed her mouth and swallowed hardly with her eyes still fixed on River. Did what she had just said make any sense? Would it be enough to convince him? Ileen had always been honest, but she didn't like to talk about her feelings either, so she usually just didn't say anything. Now that she had said it, she felt lighter, so it had already helped. Still, she nervously clung to the edge of the chair and waited with a pounding heart for a reaction.

Ileen hesitated. Even though she had anticipated that kind of answer, she wasn’t prepared for it. How do you tell a professor that climbing roofs, trees and places where no one was supposed to be were part of this odd little tradition? Even in her own thought these words sounded silly. Ashamed she looked down on her own hands and crossed her fingers to stop them from plucking on her robe.
Blushing she bit her lower lip before looking back up to meet Rivers' gaze. “You are right. Maybe that would be enough. I really do not want to make any fuss.” She tilted her head and followed the urge to elaborate on her request. “It’s just the flying part as well. It’s hard to get an opportunity to fly at night.” Or in peace in general without the chattering idiots from my class around.

With a heavy heart she forced herself to stand up. A warm and friendly smile curled her lips and she brushed one strand of her dark brown hair from her eyes. “I’m sorry. That is a rather unusual request. Thanks anyway.” A bit sad the young girl turned around, ready to leave. The poor man probably had better things to do than play flight attendant for every student. Nevertheless, this conversation had helped her. She had put her thoughts into words, left her comfort zone and faced her fear. She was not disappointed but grateful. And that didn't mean she would never fly at night. “Have a nice afternoon!” She hoped he would read her emotions in her eyes before she left.

Ileen would leave unless stopped
Sorry it took me that long Busy times