Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter – the series belongs to JKR and whoever she has signed a contract with.
This is a man of constant sorrow.
This thought keeps running through my mind on loop as I attempt to conceal surreptitious glances at the man sitting to my right. He continues to push food around his plate, staring at it and refusing to partake in the conversations of our colleagues, only to break his self-imprisoned monotony when looking up to glare at students.
Months of studying this man to the best of my ability has led to this still elusive, inconclusive decision. Mind you, this decision stems only from the dealings I have had with him, and they are woefully few and far between. My attempts to get closer to him have been thwarted time and time again, everything leading to no avail.
It's not as though I had believed he would open up to me instantly…perhaps 'open up' is not the correct turn of phrase – I don't believe he would ever particularly welcome attention from any person – but I had hoped that he would eventually talk about something aside from lesson plans and detentions, or staff meetings, if given the choice. No matter what new topic of conversation I have initiated, and they have been numerous, he has effectively shut me down at every turn. No matter what I say to him, or wherever I run into him, he keeps his comments brusque and clipped, and along the same vein. And I find myself close to running out of weeks to update in my lesson plans; then I will have nothing to inform him of.
I suppose it's a sign of some hope that he does not ignore my presence all together, and that is a silver lining I am clinging to, and will continue to clutch onto to like a life vest until I admit defeat and understand that all hope is lost. Of course, I am too stubborn for my own good so this action might not occur until I have badgered him so far as to cause him to back me up into a wall and threaten to hex into next Tuesday. But that is a risk I am willing to take.
This man fascinates me. I may know little to nothing about him, but I do know that there is more to him than his snide veneer. He's snarky and nasty; he's confident and calm; he's suspicious and determined; his actions are deliberate and precise. He is highly impatient, yet painfully polite at times, leading to terribly stilted and short conversations.
He is a walking mystery.
I just need to catch myself before I begin to characterize him as some sort of tragic gothic hero. If he ever were to believe I thought of him like that, his sneer alone would give cause for me to cash in my sick days and spend a week ensconced in my room for 'research purposes.'
Although, that would cause us to discuss something other than lesson plans.
…It might be worth a shot.
A/N: I have no idea if I want this to remain a one-shot or if I want to develop this into multi-chapter story. If anyone has any opinions on this, I would love a review.