A/N: A long chapter?! I think so. The snow is wonderful, isn't it? So
far we've had a 4-day weekend off school, and there's no school again
tomorrow, making it 5 days.
I love this chapter. It's one of my official favorites now.
I'm sick of all the renovating fanfiction.net is doing, with the fiction press thing and all. Also, all the formatting for the chapters is messed up when you upload one. Oh well, bear with me here.
The Copier***********
Jessica quickly wove her way throughout the mob in front of the school doors. Inside, the hallway was almost empty. Mr. Scots was easy to spot in all his black.
She tried to catch up and fall into step with him, but one of his strides was almost two of hers.
"Something you need, Miss Jessica?" Mr. Scots inquired without glancing at her.
Jessica gulped. "Actually, I wanted to know if you had told any of the other substitutes that you told me."
Mr. Scots didn't say anything, but didn't try to get rid of her either as they walked up the stairs to the eighth grade hall. They were going towards the staff room.
Jessica slipped through the doorway of the staffroom cautiously, but quickly, before the door (which Mr. Scots, of course, did not hold open) closed. Looking around, she noticed that no one was there except her and the professor.
Mr. Scots sat down at the desk and shuffled through some papers.
"Um, what happened to the copy machine?" Jessica had to ask, as the copier was quite a sight to see. Papers were jammed into every slot; weird figures were on the keypad; and more paper was scattered all over the floor. Jessica bent down to pick them up while Mr. Scots explained.
"Some of the other teachers were trying to use it, but couldn't quite figure out how it was to work. The result is what you see before you."
Jessica looked up to see an amused look on his face and laughed quietly.
"Severus! I was erasing the chalkboard the muggle way and suddenly the erasers started clapping like crazy, on their own! Did you charm them again?!"
A chalk-covered Ms. Manor stormed into the staff room, but stopped short when she noticed Jessica.
"Oh, hello dear." Ms. Manor said quickly, then looked inquiringly at Mr. Scots. He merely raised an eyebrow in reply.
Jessica had to smile as she watched the exchange of looks between the teachers. This was just as she imagined they'd act at Hogwarts.
Mr. Scots was the next to speak. "Miss Jessica, I do believe you know Ms. Manor?"
"I'm in your 3rd period English class." She told the flustered teacher.
"Yes, I remember." Ms. Manor looked between the girl and the professor. "Why is she in here?"
"Well, I thought she could, perhaps, help fix the copier," Mr. Scots said smoothly. His eyes flickered in her direction, and Jessica could tell she was supposed to play along.
When Ms. Manor looked at her, Jessica nodded brightly in agreement. This seemed to convince her. "Well, good luck. I dare say no one else could figure it out. But then again you are a...student here, and it is an...American contraption." She trailed off as she left the room.
After Ms. Manor had left Jessica let out a sigh of relief, and soon realized that the other occupant of the room had too. She stood up and looked at Mr. Scots. "Smooth. I'll take that as a no to my original question."
The professor smirked. "Brilliant deduction," he said sarcastically. "While you're here, you might as well try to fix the copier. No one else can. I'll be right back." He got up and walked to the exit. Before leaving, he turned back. "Don't leave and no snooping." He looked at her sternly, but there was a strange glint in his eyes that she couldn't decode.
Turning back to the copier, Jessica stared at it, not knowing where to begin. After unstuffing and picking up all the paper, the area atleast looked cleaner. She tried turning the machine on, but nothing happened. It was plugged in, but still wasn't working.
She sighed. Just then, an open drawer of the desk caught her eye. Checking the doorway, Jessica crept over to the desk and looked in the drawer. Underneath some papers, she found a quill, some ink, and a narrow box. Lifting out the box, she blew off the heavy coat of dust and read the label.
'Spare Wand- Willow, 7 ¾ inches, dragon heartstring- Ollivanders'
Carefully she opened the box. Inside lay a beautiful dark wood wand. Jessica gently picked it up out of the box. Immediately, she felt a warmth go through her body. It was a strange, yet good sensation, which soon went away.
Jessica walked back over to the copy machine with the wand. Shakily she pointed the wand at it and said softly, "Enervate." Nothing happened. But she tried again anyway. "Enervate." This time the machine flickered on, but then back off. One more time, and with a bit more confidence, she said quietly, "Enervate!"
Suddenly the machine went into action. Lights flickered on; motors started running, and the keypad screen said "Please refill paper." Jessica smiled and slid a stack of plain paper into the appropriate slot.
Realizing she was still holding the wand, she quickly stuck it back in the box and put the box in the desk drawer. Then she stepped back in front of the copier, away from the desk.
Someone cleared his or her throat, making Jessica jump. She spun around to see Mr. Scots leaning against the doorframe. He straightened up and crossed the room. Smirking, he said, "You got it to work, I see. Good job."
It took a moment for Jessica to recover, but she snapped out of it. "You didn't think I could do it?" She raised an inquiring eyebrow.
The strange glint was in his eyes again. "There's a lot of things I thought you Muggles couldn't do, but now I see that you can, even without magic."
Jessica kept a blank face, but was taken aback. Had he seen?
Mr. Scots then said, "You might as well leave now. But I would like you to come to a staff meeting after school tomorrow. It will run late, so you'll be staying later then 4."
Jessica nodded. Mr. Scots handed over her backpack. Just as she turned to go, he called her back, the strangle glint stronger than ever.
"Since you seem to already know so much about Hogwarts, I assume you know about the four houses?" She nodded. He smiled slightly. "Well, I think you would have been in Slytherin." Mr. Scots had to laugh as he watched Jessica run out of the room with a broad grin on her face.
Halfway home, Jessica finally opened her backpack to see what it was that was jarring her back. She gasped when she pulled out the spare wand.
A/N: I love this chapter. Snape gave Jessica the greatest compliment ever, in my opinion. Review! More soon! The word Muggles is officially in my spell check.
I love this chapter. It's one of my official favorites now.
I'm sick of all the renovating fanfiction.net is doing, with the fiction press thing and all. Also, all the formatting for the chapters is messed up when you upload one. Oh well, bear with me here.
The Copier***********
Jessica quickly wove her way throughout the mob in front of the school doors. Inside, the hallway was almost empty. Mr. Scots was easy to spot in all his black.
She tried to catch up and fall into step with him, but one of his strides was almost two of hers.
"Something you need, Miss Jessica?" Mr. Scots inquired without glancing at her.
Jessica gulped. "Actually, I wanted to know if you had told any of the other substitutes that you told me."
Mr. Scots didn't say anything, but didn't try to get rid of her either as they walked up the stairs to the eighth grade hall. They were going towards the staff room.
Jessica slipped through the doorway of the staffroom cautiously, but quickly, before the door (which Mr. Scots, of course, did not hold open) closed. Looking around, she noticed that no one was there except her and the professor.
Mr. Scots sat down at the desk and shuffled through some papers.
"Um, what happened to the copy machine?" Jessica had to ask, as the copier was quite a sight to see. Papers were jammed into every slot; weird figures were on the keypad; and more paper was scattered all over the floor. Jessica bent down to pick them up while Mr. Scots explained.
"Some of the other teachers were trying to use it, but couldn't quite figure out how it was to work. The result is what you see before you."
Jessica looked up to see an amused look on his face and laughed quietly.
"Severus! I was erasing the chalkboard the muggle way and suddenly the erasers started clapping like crazy, on their own! Did you charm them again?!"
A chalk-covered Ms. Manor stormed into the staff room, but stopped short when she noticed Jessica.
"Oh, hello dear." Ms. Manor said quickly, then looked inquiringly at Mr. Scots. He merely raised an eyebrow in reply.
Jessica had to smile as she watched the exchange of looks between the teachers. This was just as she imagined they'd act at Hogwarts.
Mr. Scots was the next to speak. "Miss Jessica, I do believe you know Ms. Manor?"
"I'm in your 3rd period English class." She told the flustered teacher.
"Yes, I remember." Ms. Manor looked between the girl and the professor. "Why is she in here?"
"Well, I thought she could, perhaps, help fix the copier," Mr. Scots said smoothly. His eyes flickered in her direction, and Jessica could tell she was supposed to play along.
When Ms. Manor looked at her, Jessica nodded brightly in agreement. This seemed to convince her. "Well, good luck. I dare say no one else could figure it out. But then again you are a...student here, and it is an...American contraption." She trailed off as she left the room.
After Ms. Manor had left Jessica let out a sigh of relief, and soon realized that the other occupant of the room had too. She stood up and looked at Mr. Scots. "Smooth. I'll take that as a no to my original question."
The professor smirked. "Brilliant deduction," he said sarcastically. "While you're here, you might as well try to fix the copier. No one else can. I'll be right back." He got up and walked to the exit. Before leaving, he turned back. "Don't leave and no snooping." He looked at her sternly, but there was a strange glint in his eyes that she couldn't decode.
Turning back to the copier, Jessica stared at it, not knowing where to begin. After unstuffing and picking up all the paper, the area atleast looked cleaner. She tried turning the machine on, but nothing happened. It was plugged in, but still wasn't working.
She sighed. Just then, an open drawer of the desk caught her eye. Checking the doorway, Jessica crept over to the desk and looked in the drawer. Underneath some papers, she found a quill, some ink, and a narrow box. Lifting out the box, she blew off the heavy coat of dust and read the label.
'Spare Wand- Willow, 7 ¾ inches, dragon heartstring- Ollivanders'
Carefully she opened the box. Inside lay a beautiful dark wood wand. Jessica gently picked it up out of the box. Immediately, she felt a warmth go through her body. It was a strange, yet good sensation, which soon went away.
Jessica walked back over to the copy machine with the wand. Shakily she pointed the wand at it and said softly, "Enervate." Nothing happened. But she tried again anyway. "Enervate." This time the machine flickered on, but then back off. One more time, and with a bit more confidence, she said quietly, "Enervate!"
Suddenly the machine went into action. Lights flickered on; motors started running, and the keypad screen said "Please refill paper." Jessica smiled and slid a stack of plain paper into the appropriate slot.
Realizing she was still holding the wand, she quickly stuck it back in the box and put the box in the desk drawer. Then she stepped back in front of the copier, away from the desk.
Someone cleared his or her throat, making Jessica jump. She spun around to see Mr. Scots leaning against the doorframe. He straightened up and crossed the room. Smirking, he said, "You got it to work, I see. Good job."
It took a moment for Jessica to recover, but she snapped out of it. "You didn't think I could do it?" She raised an inquiring eyebrow.
The strange glint was in his eyes again. "There's a lot of things I thought you Muggles couldn't do, but now I see that you can, even without magic."
Jessica kept a blank face, but was taken aback. Had he seen?
Mr. Scots then said, "You might as well leave now. But I would like you to come to a staff meeting after school tomorrow. It will run late, so you'll be staying later then 4."
Jessica nodded. Mr. Scots handed over her backpack. Just as she turned to go, he called her back, the strangle glint stronger than ever.
"Since you seem to already know so much about Hogwarts, I assume you know about the four houses?" She nodded. He smiled slightly. "Well, I think you would have been in Slytherin." Mr. Scots had to laugh as he watched Jessica run out of the room with a broad grin on her face.
Halfway home, Jessica finally opened her backpack to see what it was that was jarring her back. She gasped when she pulled out the spare wand.
A/N: I love this chapter. Snape gave Jessica the greatest compliment ever, in my opinion. Review! More soon! The word Muggles is officially in my spell check.