Professor of Astronomy's Office

Knocking thrice was heard in Octavius's ear. The professor got out of his comfortable desk chair and decided that he would just go and open the door. No point in yelling, unless it served a purpose in busting someone, proving that they're in further trouble than what they originally thought they were in.

But this particular incident, Octavius had a feeling wasn't trouble.

Walking up to the door, he grasped onto the handle and opened it. "Come on in child, who are you?"

His eyes grazed over the outfit. "You like yellow? Seriously? Oh well. Well, if I had to choose a shade of yellow that I prefer the most above any yellow- I'd choose Sunflower." Perhaps the boy wouldn't know what he was talking about, but that was fine.

"You're here. Why did you come? Your class is later. What are you... up to?" He stated, trying to keep the curiosity in his vocal tone.

He gestured for the boy to follow him. Taking a seat back at his desk, he pointed at the two chairs in front of his desk. "Come on now, take a seat. We can continue talking right here- if you're fine with that."

That said, Octavius's eye quickly glanced at his lava lamp, considering whether he should hide it or not.

Axyen waited while looking at the floor. Perhaps it was him being nervous because after ten(10) seconds Axyen instantly wondered if he made a mistake. Too late to turn back now... Axyen thought to himself as he waited patiently for a voice to call him in.

Axyen immediately looked up at the sound of the doorknob twisting to see professor Baird. Immediately the professor asked for Axyen's name. "O-oh, Axyen D-Dragonclaw..." Axyen replied. Professor Baird proceeded to comment on Axyen's Hufflepuff uniform being yellow. "O-oh it's j-just the school u-uniform for H-Hufflepuff..." Axyen said, although there might've been a slightly defensive tone, it was certainly hidden behind his normal stuttering which Axyen grimaced, why did he always need to stutter?

Professor Baird asked why Axyen came, but then gestured Axyen inside to take a seat. Perhaps if Axyen wasn't so interested in the floor out of being shy he would've noticed his professor glancing quickly at a lava lamp. While keeping eye contact with the floor Axyen said, "I-I was curious a-about your opinion a-and thoughts about t-the possibilities of Al-" Axyen quickly stopped himself and tried to find a more... professional way of saying it. "I-I mean other life being on other planets..." Axyen said more quietly, well, more so than usual anyways.

Axyen has been interested about Astronomy ever since he attended the class, he then went to the library the next morning to look up some information, and ended up reading something about aliens and possible other life outside of the earth, so of course Axyen dug deeper down the rabbit hole but ended up not being able to understand most of it, he did understand that there was multiple opinions and views on the subject though. Axyen wasn't sure if he should ask anybody to give their thoughts and opinions as he didn't notice anyone interested in the subject, although Axyen was unsure as there were a ton of students.

It was right then and there that Axyen decided that the best way to get an opinion was to get one from a professional, and the professional he knew of was professor Baird.

Mentioning

Reducio

• @Octavius Baird

His eyes shifted softly from the Lava Lamp. "Um- yeah. Yes. Are you really sure you want to know about life outside of Earth? I will warn you. It's not exactly what you're expecting. We don't have straight up concrete proof that someone actively lives on another planet. But we do have a theory, things that could fly as if there was a sign of life. So, take it how you want to take it, but... with there being life..."

Octavius paused, opening his drawer, and grabbing out a clay ball that his son had made, representing Mars. While he knew the boy would need to wait until his seventh year for a detailed lesson, he would figure out what he would need to say despite the fact that he had six years until he could learn more about it.

"So, you know about aliens? How people have different stories about them? Well, I cannot say anything about that. There has been no concrete evidence except muggle documentaries that show hoaxes of people obviously being in costumes- and flying spaceships that seem to be held up by a string. So, here's this about Mars." The Professor said.

He handed the boy, staring down at the floor for some reason, the now-hardened clay ball. "There was evidence provided by NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, in the United States- in Florida." He allowed the boy to do whatever he wanted with the ball. "NASA had found that there was a huge amount of ice found on Mars- about 5 million kilometers cubed." He let the boy take a moment to think about that. "Water is a vital part of our wellbeing, so if it was on a planet that supposedly had no lifeform there, why was there a part of our life essentials there?"

Axyen listened, he looked up at professor Baird. Axyen listened to professor Baird's warning. I am sure it can't be THAT surprising can it? But then again Axyen, you're talking with a professional.... Axyen thought to himself quickly. Axyen was paying attention, he was extremely eager for the answer until professor Baird paused and handed him a ball made of clay, it looked like orange and red mixed together.

Axyen took the clay ball model, words were engraved into it. Mars. Jacob though looking at the ball, he was trying to see if it was an accurate representation of the planet, is that how planets worked? Jacob didn't know as he never got to see the detailed land of any planets, but the planet looked too simple and a real planet obviously wouldn't have its name engraved into it.

Axyen looked back up immediately once professor Baird began speaking more about how ice was on Mars. About five million(5,000,000) kilometers cubed to be exact. Axyen thought about this for a moment. How is that possible? Axyen began coming up with theories. Axyen was about to ask a question, but it wouldn't make sense... Professor Baird continued and then asked why would there be water on a planet with no life.

Axyen thought for a short amount of time. "W-what if... wh-what if maybe a-aliens f-from outside o-of our so-solar system c-came in a-and r-recently I-inhobit- I-I mean In-Inhubited.. Mars...?" Axyen asked, he seemed to forget how to pronounce 'Inhabited' but Axyen hoped his message was clear enough.. at least to be understood.

Mentioning

Reducio

• @Octavius Baird

"Right, Right." The professor said, nodding, showing that he was listening. The boy still had the model of Mars, he could tell- but he also wondered if Clark would just murder his dear old dad. (Yes, he heard Axyen mispronounce the word inhabited.) "Okay, so." The Astronomy Professor paused. He closed his eyes, and tried to think of stars, as they helped him consider the best response in certain situations with specific questions. But he couldn't think of any decent answers to give.

He stood up, tapped Axyen on the shoulder to gesture for him to come with him, as Octavius was heading back towards the door, to let Axyen leave. "What I think about aliens, is that they're not necessarily aliens. And this is just a theory, what if it's some type of well- human. What if they are us in the future, as you know we are trying to colonize on Mars or were at least. I haven't last checked up with any form of NASA news in a while, been busy caring for you students. I think we left the 'inhabited' area, because we found that objects were scarce there, there weren't any trees or anything to provide proper oxygen that we truly need. So, we travelled to another planet."

He wanted to go on about what his opinion was on one of the theories, but he considered it best to not say anything until Axyen went to Astronomy in the near future. "Alright, and this is where I have to say, I'll see you later. Don't be afraid to stop by any time. But I unfortunately have to grade, oh and I need Mars back. Thank you."

The Office is Open

Date: Thursday, September 7th
Time: half-past 7:00 pm
Meeting @Octavius Baird before her first Astronomy class

Astra loved the view from the Astronomy tower. If she didn't have a mission already, she would've just stopped and stared out at the afternoon sky until someone kicked her out or her class began, lost in the skies she was named after.

She found herself staring already and shook her head, snapping out of her reverie. Another time, the young girl consoled herself.

The door to Professor Baird's office was wide open. She peered into the room through the wide open door, keeping most of her bodyweight on the doorframe. The desk was rather large but a bit cluttered with papers and a Muggle item that Astra recognized vaguely thanks to her Muggle grandpa, Eli. It was called a lava lamp, she remembered, and that she had only ever seen one.

The room itself was decorated with some plants. Tomato plants, if her grandma Marisol's garden was anything to go by, but then again Marisol had strange very strange plants most years.

"Um, hello?" she asked timidly. Though she wasn't good at speaking to people in general, Astra had a bit of a fear talking to adults. She always seemed to do it wrong and end up either looking like an idiot or being disrespectful. "Professor Baird?"

She hesitantly stepped out from behind the doorframe and went to stand at his desk. "My astronomy class is in a few hours, and I was just wondering if I could meet you beforehand. Astronomy was my favorite subject in primary school, even though it was Muggle astronomy."

Astra realized that she had forgotten to introduce herself. "Oh, I'm Astra Norrick," she stammered, making it sound more like "As-as-terra" than her actual name. Though the man had a kind air about him, she was scared to say something wrong. She quickly turned her attention to the lamp-thingy on his desk as if to erase her nervousness. "My grandpa has one of those. He said it was a big thing in the 70s."

As he found himself staring at the nonfunctioning lava lamp, he was reminded of how fragile it was but how it was amazing and still so cool to stare at, even without the bubbles that merged and split and changed colors.

A girl came in. He'd never seen her before, so she would've had to have been a new student, perhaps one of the first-year students that recently arrived a week or so ago. She said his name, likely not knowing who he was either.

"Octavius Baird, Professor of Astronomy." He said, extending out his hand in terms of exchanging pleasantries.

As she mentioned how she liked Astronomy, and stated that even if it was muggle astronomy, she still liked it. "Well, there isn't too much of a difference, if I had to be honest. I believe I teach more than those in the school system for muggles. Keep in mind, I'm also very descriptive and expect you to know a lot more about missions in the future, the constellations, the celestial bodies, and so on. I believe all children should know that prior to being an adult. It's important to inform them that they can aim beyond the stars and be astronomically exceptional."

"Ah yes! I saw your name on my roster! It's a really pretty name Astra!" Octavius stated, complimenting her with a grin on his face.

As she redirected her attention to his ever-so-popular lava lamp, he could tell there was something she wanted to know, something she was too nervous to ask. So in order to try and make her smile and forget about her nervousness, he lamely joked. "Ah yes, maybe I know your grandfather. I do believe we went to school together in the '40s." Obviously not true due to Octavius's youthful complexion. "Now, what did you come in here for? What do you want to know? What should I be teaching you?"

The office is closed

Astra shook the professor's hand as he introduced himself. He had a nice smile and voice, and Astra got the feeling he wasn't like most of the teachers at her old school, or any of the other adults in her life thus far. Octavius Baird... that's a cool name, she thought.

She listened intently as he explained how Astronomy at Hogwarts was going to be much more in depth than her previous classes on the subject. Her light-colored eyes sparkled. "That sounds so much better than what I've taken before," she said. Astra found herself liking this guy better every second as he described how he liked to encourage his students.

She blushed a little as he complimented her name. "Thank you... I'm named after my aunt," she explains. "My dad and his sisters all have Astronomy themed names. And yours is really cool, too!"

Her anxiousness slowly disappeared and she sat in one of the blue cushioned chairs across from Professor Baird. He cracked a joke, causing her to laugh quietly. "He's not that old," she said. "Must've been somebody else's grandpa you're thinking about."

Astra didn't trip over her words when she answered Professor Baird's question, "I just came in here to meet you. I was also wondering what planets are currently visible? I usually keep a notebook to write that sort of thing down, but I think I forgot it at home." She's visibly sad about this, as stargazing is ironically one of her most loved hobbies.

Talking with the stellar @Octavius Baird

He listened intensely, looking like was trapped in the action of thinking, his eyebrow raised and his face scrunched to symbolize him thinking. Oh? Did she say that her family had names inspired by astronomical objects? "Dude!" He said, his face now shocked, "That's mega cool!" Did kids these day say 'mega cool'? Was he cool now?

And she cracked a question about what planets are currently visible. Well, he could respond to it from the view from Earth. "When you look up into the sky, the night sky that is, you- well- I'll get off track for a second, just a few days ago on the 4th, there was a Jupiter-Moon conjunction which allowed you to be able to see Jupiter. However, you aren't able to see it tonight. You usually can see Mars and Venus in the night sky basically every night but that's not a guarantee. On the 19th, which is only 12 days from today, you will be able to see Neptune, and I will allow you to use a telescope because it's hard to see. So to answer your question, the planets that are currently visible are Venus and Mars. The one that appeared just a few days prior was Jupiter, and the ones coming up soon are Mercury and Neptune."

That said, he took a breath. And then he provided a blank star chart for the girl in front of him because she might want one tonight to learn what a star chart is used for.

"It was nice to meet you, and if that's all the questions you have, then I will see you tonight."

Interacting with @Octavius Baird
Astra speaking: #136323
Thoughts: Italics
Others: Bold

Astra laughed as the words "mega cool" left Professor Baird's mouth. Oh my word, that was so cringey, she thought. But hilarious. Even if he wasn't necessarily "cool," with his old items and obsession with stars, Astra liked him. Maybe because they were a little similar in that respect.

She nodded along, making a mental note to stay out a little late on the 19th. Even if she got caught it would be totally worth it. "Thanks, Professor," she said as he finished explaining what planets were visible. She took the blank chart with a look of intrigue. I don't know how to use one of these... hopefully I'll learn soon, though! It looks interesting.

"It was nice to meet you, and if that's all the questions you have, then I will see you tonight," the man said. Astra got up from the chair and adjusted it back to its original position.

"Nice to meet you too, Professor. Can't wait for the lesson," she said with a grin. "See you later!" The girl exited the office with a wave, peering at her new chart with a look of happy interest. Why was I so nervous, he's really nice. Grandpa Eli would probably like him, too. She lingered in the Astronomy tower for a few minutes, gazing at the setting sun, excitement for the night's class building. I think I'm going to like this. I'm going to like it a lot.

Astra has exited the thread