Daria Ravenclaw Owlyear Nosey Part One
DISCLAIMER: Daria is the creation of Glen Eichler and is the property of MTV Viacom. Harry Potter is the creation of JK Rowling and is the property of JK Rowling, Warner Brothers, and Wizarding World. I own neither franchise, nor do I expect or deserve any financial compensation for this work of fiction. I am writing for my own amusement and ego gratification, not for financial remuneration.
Daria Ravenclaw: The Year of the Owl* Daria Ravenclaw: The Year of the Owl* Daria Ravenclaw: The Year of the Owl
Teacher's Lounge James Ferguson Elementary School Highland, Texas
Diocles McGraw stepped into the teacher's lounge for his afternoon cup of coffee. Jeanine Javert was there and waved him over.
"Hi, Quick-Draw!" she said. She'd given him the nickname a couple of years ago and it made them both laugh. "I'm glad I caught you. I've got some important news."
"Can it wait until after I pour myself some coffee?" he said.
"It can," she said.
He went and poured himself a cup of coffee. Mrs. Fuller still believed in stocking the good stuff, but he wondered just how much longer she was going to be around. She was getting near retirement age and Diocles feared the teacher's lounge coffee quality was going to take a sharp turn for the worse.
He came back with his coffee and sat down across the small table from Jeanine.
"So what's the news?" he said.
"It's good news and bad news," she said.
"You might as well tell me the bad news first," he said.
"I'm leaving Highland," she said. "I got a job offer with the Abilene school district with a higher salary and more benefits. I'll be leaving in June.
Damn, he thought. He liked Jeanine, he was happy for her, but he didn't want to see her go.
"You'll be nearer your kids, though, won't you?" he said.
"That's my main reason for taking it," she replied. My husband and his children live in Tye, and Abilene's a lot closer than Highland. I'll be able to see them more often."
"So when are you leaving?" he said.
"I'll be leaving in June, but the District's already hired a new guy named Matthew Stearne. They'll be showing him around some of the other schools, but he'll be here for three weeks."
-(((O-O)))—
It was another year at James Ferguson Elementary School. Her last year there, but not too soon to start thinking about junior high and expanding her popularity. She was an ambitious girl and she wanted to shore up her position. Junior High was only two years long in Highland, covering only seventh and eighth grades, but it was a crucible for ambitious girls who wanted to become popular when they finally got into high school.
She glanced around the lunchroom and frowned. So many of her classmates were fashion and grooming disasters. She wasn't going to be; she was already making notes for her wardrobe. She'd have to move into the right circles, but the trouble was she wasn't sure yet as to which of her classmates were going to be in the right circles and which ones just weren't.
There was also some tidying-up to do. There were certain embarrassing people she needed to part with. The more distance she put between herself and them the better.
There was one in particular. Where was she? She glanced around the lunch room and spotted her. Her back was to her, but she recognized her by her height and her long, auburn hair. OMG, she was sitting and talking with the Crazy Twins! How low could you get? And if anyone remembered that they'd once been friends, she'd become an instant pariah.
She'd heard rumors that said that Daria was going off to some fancy-schmancy private school next year. Yeah, right. Morgendorffer was probably smart enough to get into such a place, but did her parents have the bucks to send her there? She doubted it. Her Mom might be a lawyer, but she was paying mortgage on two houses. Fancy talk or no fancy talk, she was certain that Morgendorffer would be around next year. If anyone remembered how they'd been friends back in third grace, it would be the kiss of death to her popularity.
She'd have to do something.
-(((O-O)))-
Jeanine sat down with the new guy in her office. "Well, how do you like James Ferguson Elementary thus far?" she said.
"It's interesting," he said. "I didn't realize that there were so many troubled children here."
Of course there are. This is Highland, she thought. Her last three years had been a learning experience. She gave him a half-smile. Was I ever that naïve, she thought. She suspected that she was.
"There's so much trouble here, but I think I can make a difference here!" he said. "I can get a grip on the most troubled kids, get them into group activities, and turn their lives around."
"We do have after-school programs," said Jeanine. They did. They had several clubs for children sponsored by local businesses and charities that were continuing to hang on despite budget pressures and school-funding cutbacks from the state legislature.
"Is it enough?" said Matthew.
Jeanine glared at him. Of course it isn't enough. It wasn't adequate when I came on board and it's even less now.
"But what I really need to do is to identify the most troubled children, and get them into programs."
That sounded nice on the surface, but even Jeanine had grown cynical about Principal Trimble and his administration. She suspected that Trimble would fund a token handful of programs like the Boys and Girls Clubs, then try to sneak in some of the barely-disguised clubs that some of the churches were using as fronts for proselytization, but spike anything he considered controversial. She wondered how the Camp Fire Girls would fare; they'd somehow drawn the ire of a couple of area churches.
"Sounds wonderful," said Jeanine. "I assume that when you start identifying the most troubled students here, you'll consult with the school nurse, the administration, as well as the teachers."
"Of course," said Matthew. "And I also will ask the students for their assistance. I'm sure they'll be able to help out."
Jeanine looked at him with incredulity. Diocles would say that this had bad idea written all over it.
"Matthew," she said. "I think that you really need to rethink how to obtain student co-operation."
-(((O-O)))—
She stood up and joined the exodus out of the school auditorium. This was a chickenshit waste of her time, she thought. She wondered why the school counselor would bother to address then. This Stearne guy was a real doofus. She could tell by the way he looked and acted. Did he really expect the kids to narc on their schoolmates? She didn't think so. Not if they didn't want to become instant pariahs.
Despite her loathing for narcing and the weaklings, tattle-tales, and goody-two shoes who enjoyed telling on other students, Stearne's speech remained in the back of her mind.
A program on the Old Movie Network made her realize that maybe there was a way to use Stearne's stupid idea for her benefit after all. She sat down at her desk with a pen and some paper and started to write.
"Dear Mr. Stearne,
"I was so inspired by your speech today and your enthusiasm for turning Ferguson School around. I am so glad you want to reach out to troubled students here at school and help them turn their lives around."
"I hate to inform on my fellow students, but there's this one girl, Daria Morgendorffer, about whom I am really concerned. She's got a bad attitude and is really anti-social—" She stopped and scowled at what she'd written. She'd have to re-write this note; it was crap.
She exed out her words and continued. "I am concerned about the way she spends her weekday evenings. I fear that she is running around with a bad crowd and might be—" No, that wouldn't do, she thought. "Is getting into the drug scene. I really think you ought to talk with her before she gets into real trouble." Not good enough. She'd need to write another couple of drafts before she had something she liked.
OK, when she got something she liked, she'd put it in an envelope and seal it. When school started the next day, she'd find a way to go near his office and slip it under his door. That'll get her out of her way, she thought.
-(((O-O)))—
The PA system came on while Daria was working on English. "Could Daria Morgendorffer report to Ms. Javert's office?" She closed the novel Ms. Fields had assigned as class reading and put it in her desk. She got up and walked to the front of the classroom and Ms. Field's desk.
"Could I have a hall pass, ma'am?" she asked. Ms. Fields opened a drawer in her desk and gave her one of the red-edged cards that James Ferguson Elementary School used for hall passes.
Ms. Javert wasn't in her office. The new guy, Mr. Stearne, was there instead.
"Ah, Miss Morgendorffer," he said. Daria didn't like the timbre of Stearne's voice. It sounded like the tone of voice that adults used when they talked to children they thought were getting into trouble, and it set her teeth on edge.
"I wanted to talk to you," he said.
"It looks like we're talking," she said. What's this about was left unsaid.
"As you know, I'm new here and I'm trying to reach out to the school's students, particularly ones from troubled background," he said.
Say WHAT, she thought, but didn't say.
"That's nice," she said, "but shouldn't you be talking to troubled students instead of talking to me?"
"Hah, hah," he said. "I'm glad you have a sense of humor. Humor helps all of us deal with the challenges and complexities of life."
Boilerplate BS, she thought.
"I need to talk to you because I need to build a baseline so I can reach out to troubled students here at James Ferguson Elementary School," he said.
Daria glared at him. The idiot had gotten it into his pea-brain that she was a "troubled student," she thought. Did he think of it on his own or did someone set him up for it?
More than anything, she wanted to tell him to get stuffed, then stand up and leave. Unfortunately she was all too aware that she was a little kid and didn't have that option. She hated it.
"I have heard reports that you keep to yourself," he said.
"I have some friends," she replied.
"Do you have many friends in your class?" he asked.
"Not many," she replied. "I don't really relate that well to most of my current classmates. I jumped a grade last year and they still look at me as a fifth-grade wanna-be even though I keep up with them."
"So why don't you have more friends in your class?" asked Mr. Stearnes.
"Most of my friends went on to junior high and high school," she said. "I don't feel like putting in the effort. I'm not going to be here much longer; I'm going to boarding school next year."
"So tell me about your week," he said.
"I keep busy," she said. I do spend Monday and Tuesday at home, but I use the time to work on my homework. I also go to Temple classes with my Dad on Thursday evening." She'd realized that Mrs. Ocampo's work load wasn't that arduous and had just signed up for another class in Temple.
"So where is that?" asked Mr. Stearnes.
"It's in Sweetwater," she said. "I assume that you know where Sweetwater is."
"Are you participating in any other activities?" he asked.
"I am also taking an informal class on Wednesday night," she replied.
"Can you tell me about it?" he asked. "Who runs it? Is she in the phone book? Can I talk to her? Are there any other members of this class in school?"
Daria had already learned enough about the necessity of adhering to the Statutes of Secrecy to go on full alert.
"Mr. Stearne," she replied, giving him her look of strongest disapproval. "I am participating in a structured educational activity supervised by sober, responsible adults. That's all I have to tell you and all you need to know."
"Any more of these sorts of questions, and you can talk to my mother. My Mother is an attorney at law."
And I'm not just going to talk to my Mom, she thought. I'm going to try and get in touch with Ms. Bowden.
"Are we through here?" she said. "I'd like to go."
-(((O-O)))—
She told her mother about the nosy school counselor when she got home that day.
Helen was infuriated. "That man is asking you those sorts of questions?" she said. "Who the hell does she think he is and what is he looking for?"
"He thinks he's a school social worker and he thinks I'm a girl in trouble," Daria replied.
"I'll call the school tomorrow and I'll ask them not to bother you," said Helen.
"I also think you ought to talk to Ms. Bowden in case he decides to bother Joe Don or the Aldrete sisters," said Daria.
"I didn't think you liked Joe Don," said Helen.
"I don't," said Daria. "But that doesn't mean I want to have that smiley-face wanna-be Inquisitor getting him into trouble. Joe Don's likely to be at Ilvermorny with me next year while Stearne is going to be something in my rear-view mirror."
Helen called Ms. Bowden and left a message on her answering machine. Ellen, however, was out of town and didn't get it for several days.
By that time another poison-pen letter had slid under Matthew Stearne's door and the PA system at James Ferguson Elementary School came on and said that Connie Aldrete should report to Mr. Stearne's office.
Mrs. Aldrete called the Bureau of Social Services that evening. Ellen Bowden had returned home and had returned Mrs. Morgendorffer's telephone call. Mrs. Aldrete's phone call, the second complaint about the school social worker, convinced her that something needed to be done.
Ms. Bowden thought that this Stearnes guy could just be someone being zealous, but still the manual said that she was supposed to inform the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. She contacted William Casales by telephone. "I think we might need to do some obliviation and some memory-modification work with this Stearne guy," she said.
By chance, James Dillon was in the office and overheard part of the converation.
"Ellen, could you spell this guy's name for me?" said Casales. "That's Stern as in S-T-E-R-N?"
"It's not? It's Stearne as in S-T-E-A-R-N-E? Matthew Stearne. Got it!"
James Dillon's eyes widened. "Casales, my office," he said after Casales hung up.
-(((O-O)))—
At first, Ellen thought that just reporting Stearne's activities would be the end of it, but when it was Marshal Dillon from the Marshal's office that called her back. Ellen had been on the ground for the better part of a year in the Sweetwater District and despite the fact that she was a social worker, not a cop, she'd learned that the Marshal didn't involve himself with the small stuff.
She'd already talked to the Morgendorffers, then to Connie Aldrete. She suspected that this Stearne fellow was somebody people used to call a "Nosey Parker" who didn't have the good sense to leave people some privacy.
By his questions and his tone of voice, though, she thought that the Marshal thought there might be something worse.
Her years of social work had trained to seek ways to de-escalate potentially violent or dangerous situations. In her opinion, Marshal Dillon was overreacting. "Marshal, are you sure you aren't making too big a deal out of this?" she said. "From my talks with Miss Morgendorffer and with Miss Aldrete, the guy's not a Scourer or a child molester. He's a social worker, just a garden-variety idiot who's overstepping his boundaries."
Ellen could tell by Marshal Dillon's expression that he strongly disagreed.
"May I suggest another approach, something more subtle?" she said.