~~~
Chapter Two: In which Indira struggles with mixed feelings
-About ten minutes later that same day-
~~~
After making her rounds, Indira Nay saw that she had a good half hour before the Slytherins had their nightly meeting in the house common room, so she decided that now was as good a time as ever to report the incident to the headmaster. Getting Dumbledore and/or Minerva in trouble was not her intent, and it never was. She did not tolerate rule-breaking from anyone, under any circumstances, but this time, it wasn't just about the rules. She was concerned about the welfare of the offenders, and that if something wasn't done about what happened, it might occur again, and who knew where that would lead. She also wanted to make sure it stayed under wraps, known only to herself, Dumbledore, Minerva, and the headmaster. Minerva had been romantically involved with a Slytherin boy named Paul Garrett for a little over a year now, and Paul was not known for being civil when something disrupted his perfect world. Indira was worried about what he might do to Minerva if he ever found out. She doubted that the hug was anything more than a platonic, congratulatory gesture, but Paul might not.
The password "glow worm" let Indira past the statue of the gargoyle concealing the entrance to the staircase that led up to the headmaster's office, and she began her ascent. She hoped Dippet was up there. The last time she needed to speak with him, he was teaching a group of first-years how to play Quidditch; a perfectly legitimate activity, but not one the headmaster usually engaged in.
Indira reached the top of the staircase, walked over to the door, and gave it three swift, precise knocks. A second or two passed, and then came Armando Dippet's voice, bading her come in. She opened the door and stepped inside. The headmaster, an alumni from Ravenclaw house and former Astronomy instructor, was sitting behind his desk, writing on a piece of parchement. He looked up from his work and smiled politely at her. "Good evening, Professor Nay," he said. "What can I do for you?"
"I need to report an incident," Indira replied.
Dippet cringed. "Have Moody, Riddle, and Garrett enchanted the suits of armor to dance through the halls during class again?" he asked.
"No, thank Merlin," she said. "This concerns Professor Dumbledore and Minerva McGonagall."
"Minerva McGonagall?" he repeated. "I would say that her only problem is getting involved with Paul Garrett - no offense to any of your Slytherins, of course-"
"None taken," she interrupted. "I don't like him, either. Anyway, getting back to Professor Dumbledore and Miss McGonagall. A few minutes ago, I went by Dumbledore's office to return a book I borrowed from him last week, and when I went in, he and Miss McGonagall were..."
"Were what, Indira?"
"They were hugging each other," Indira said. "Professor Dippet, that sort of activity between a teacher and student is unacceptable, and they should be rebuked accordingly."
Dippet wasn't sure what to think. He was well aware of the Transfiguration instructor's frienship with his star student, but he saw no problem with it as long as it remained at the strictly platonic level. Neither one of them were the type that purposely broke rules. On the other hand, though, there was always the chance that Indira had a good reason for telling him this, and he had a feeling that reason was Paul Garrett. Paul was a prefect and popular among the students, but he wasn't always the nicest person around. He was, most people felt, overly possessive of Minerva and took extreme measures when he felt there was a threat to their relationship. If, on the off chance that the hug was more than platonic, and even if it was, Paul's reaction would not be pleasant.
"I will speak to Albus," Dippet finally decided. "Will that suffice?"
Indira nodded. "Thank you."
"You're welcome. Anything else?"
"Nothing comes to mind, sir."
He smiled at her. "Very well, then. Thank you, Indira." He sometimes wished she would ease up off the formality. Indira wasn't one of his favorite people, but he had a feeling that there was a good person beneath her stern exterior and dark past. However, no matter how often he tried to see if it really existed, she remained as serious and formal as ever. He knew her weakness, knew her secrets, but he promised himself long ago that he would only use that as a last resort. There was no telling what it would do to her.
Indira suddenly looked mildly surprised, and she cocked her head to the side and peered closely at him.
"What?" Dippet asked, confused.
"Nothing," Indira replied, her expression returning to normal. "Just... something I overheard some students say a few days ago."
"And what was that?"
Dippet couldn't be sure, but he thought he saw Indira's cheeks flush red for a moment. "That you look like Humphrey Bogart," she mumbled, then turned around and headed for the exit.
Humphrey Bogart? He'd heard of the American Muggle film star, but never thought they bore any resemblance. Then again, one was usually not aware of this sort of thing until another pointed it out. "Do I really look like Humphrey Bogart?" Dippet inquired.
Indira stopped at the door and glanced back at him. "Yes," she answered, and left.
Dippet watched her go, then said to himself, "Humphrey Bogart." He shrugged and went back to work.
~~~
"... but Professor Dippet has been around longer, so it would actually be more logical to say that Humphrey Bogart looks like him."
Those were the first words Indira heard upon entering the Slytherin common room. The person that had spoken them was a sixth-year named Emily Donati, seated on a couch between two other girls, sixth-year Bianca Netzel and seventh-year Teresa Beck. "I don't know," said Teresa. "You could say that, but he just looks like Humphrey Bogart now. He might not have when he was that age."
Bianca spotted the head of their house walking in there direction, and said, "Let's ask Professor Nay. Professor!"
"Yes, Miss Netzel?" Indira asked.
"Does Professor Dippet look like Humphrey Bogart or does Humphrey Bogart look like Professor Dippet?"
Indira wondered when it would stop. The students had been going on about this for so long that she was starting to wonder herself. "Neither," she responded, hoping it would bring an end not only to the subject around the school, but her thoughts on it as well. "Professor Dippet and Humphrey Bogart both look like themselves."
The girls blinked and exchanged glances. Emily spoke for all three of them. "What?"
"Never mind," Indira said. "Besides, I don't think Professor Dippet would appreciate being compared to a Muggle."
The professor excused herself and went over to a bookshelf to organize the titles - the students always messed them up when they took them out for studying - but couldn't help overhearing the girls' conversation. "Whatever," Bianca said. "I still think he's handsome."
"Which one?" Teresa asked, smiling a little. "Professor Dippet or Humphrey Bogart?"
"Both," Bianca replied, and the three girls burst into a fit of giggles.
Indira rolled her eyes. They just had to have this conversation now, just after she finished speaking to the headmaster about a possible attraction between a teacher and a student. Now these girls were talking about how much another faculty member resembled one of the most handsome men in the world. Muggle or not, Humphrey Bogart had a lot going for him in the visual department. She almost slapped herself as she realized that she was practically obsessing over the resemblance between Dippet and Bogart and just how attractive the headmaster really was. Would it ever stop?
Indira's thoughts were soon shifted to other things, but when they were, she almost wished that she could go back to thinking about Dippet and Bogart. Three students had just entered the room - seventh-years Tom Riddle and Alastor Moody and sixth-year Paul Garrett. Tom, Alastor, and Paul were rarely seen more than ten feet apart. All three were hugely popular among the students; Tom was Head Boy, Alastor was the captain of Slytherin's Quidditch team, and Paul was a prefect. Outside of Slytherin house, the three were almost always seen in the middle of a large group of friends, which usually included their girlfriends as well. Paul was dating Minerva McGonagall, Tom was involved with a sixth-year girl Ravenclaw prefect named Kelsie Appanitis, and Alastor had been with a seventh-year Gryffindor girl named Arabella Figg for almost three years. Indira rather liked Alastor, but she didn't care so much for Tom, and liked Paul even less. The two of them were funny and well-liked by the students, and Tom was a school hero besides, but Indira didn't trust either of them. She didn't know what it was about them, but they gave her the feeling that they would be the kind of students that gave Slytherin house a bad name. There was already one of those lurking around in the world. She quickly pushed that thought aside. The memories were too painful.
"Hi, everybody," the charismatic Tom said, smiling at all the occupants of the Slytherin common room. It amounted to about fourteen people in all, including Indira and the three boys that had entered. "What's going on?"
"Hey, Riddle," said Colin Davison, a fifth-year, who was playing chess with another fifth-year named John Byron. "Just waiting for everyone to get here."
Paul whispered something to Alastor. Tom went over to help John with the chess game, since he was losing badly.
"Hi, Professor Nay," Alastor said, greeting the head of their house.
"Hello, Mr. Moody," Indira replied, not looking up from her work at the bookshelf. "Mr. Garrett."
"I told you," Paul mumbled to Alastor, thinking Indira couldn't hear him. "Did you hear that? She hates me."
"She doesn't hate you, Paul," Alastor whispered back. "Now knock it off."
"Whatever," Paul grumbled, and walked over to Tom, John, and Colin.
Alastor was right. Indira didn't hate Paul, but she did strongly dislike him. She wasn't quite sure exactly when it started; she'd become a teacher his second year, and her contempt for him set in soon after. He was smart, but arrogant and insubordinate. He gave her a lot of crap her first two years at Hogwarts, and although he never made her snap, he certainly came close. Paul backed off a little bit when she became head of Slytherin house his fifth year, but their relationship still hadn't improved at all. Then, Minerva came into the picture. They had been together for over a year, and even after all this time, Indira still didn't see what a promising, intelligent person like her saw in someone like him. She could do much better, and Indira could only pray that she would.
But not with Albus Dumbledore.
~~~
About half an hour later, Dumbledore decided to stop by the headmaster's office to see if Indira had done any damage. "I was wondering when you would come by," Dippet said when Dumbledore came in. "I've been expecting you."
"I bet," was Dumbledore's reply. "Look, I don't know what Indira told you, but-"
"Relax," Dippet interrupted. "I know you better than that. Please just do your best to make sure that it doesn't happen again or that Paul Garrett finds out."
Dumbledore began to feel uneasy. He hadn't even thought about Minerva's boyfriend. Paul was the only student at Hogwarts that had ever intimidated him, but he didn't dare let anyone know it. There was no telling what that would lead to.
Dippet continued. "And don't worry about Indira. I'm sure she's just having a bad day."
Dumbledore felt a smile fighting at the corners of his mouth, and was unable to hide it. "She must have a lot of those."
Dippet was a little more succesful at holding his smile in. "Remember, she is a colleague."
"Yes, I know. I just... I just don't understand her most of the time."
"You're not the only one."
Dumbledore sighed and glanced around the room, letting his eyes linger on no one thing for too long. His wandering gaze quickly returned to the headmaster. "What do you think of her?"
"I'm trying not to."
Another smile worked its way across his face. "Armando Dippet, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you've got a bit of a soft spot for her."
Dippet picked up his quill and began writing on a piece of parchment on his desk in front of him. "Good thing you know better, eh?"
Chapter Two: In which Indira struggles with mixed feelings
-About ten minutes later that same day-
~~~
After making her rounds, Indira Nay saw that she had a good half hour before the Slytherins had their nightly meeting in the house common room, so she decided that now was as good a time as ever to report the incident to the headmaster. Getting Dumbledore and/or Minerva in trouble was not her intent, and it never was. She did not tolerate rule-breaking from anyone, under any circumstances, but this time, it wasn't just about the rules. She was concerned about the welfare of the offenders, and that if something wasn't done about what happened, it might occur again, and who knew where that would lead. She also wanted to make sure it stayed under wraps, known only to herself, Dumbledore, Minerva, and the headmaster. Minerva had been romantically involved with a Slytherin boy named Paul Garrett for a little over a year now, and Paul was not known for being civil when something disrupted his perfect world. Indira was worried about what he might do to Minerva if he ever found out. She doubted that the hug was anything more than a platonic, congratulatory gesture, but Paul might not.
The password "glow worm" let Indira past the statue of the gargoyle concealing the entrance to the staircase that led up to the headmaster's office, and she began her ascent. She hoped Dippet was up there. The last time she needed to speak with him, he was teaching a group of first-years how to play Quidditch; a perfectly legitimate activity, but not one the headmaster usually engaged in.
Indira reached the top of the staircase, walked over to the door, and gave it three swift, precise knocks. A second or two passed, and then came Armando Dippet's voice, bading her come in. She opened the door and stepped inside. The headmaster, an alumni from Ravenclaw house and former Astronomy instructor, was sitting behind his desk, writing on a piece of parchement. He looked up from his work and smiled politely at her. "Good evening, Professor Nay," he said. "What can I do for you?"
"I need to report an incident," Indira replied.
Dippet cringed. "Have Moody, Riddle, and Garrett enchanted the suits of armor to dance through the halls during class again?" he asked.
"No, thank Merlin," she said. "This concerns Professor Dumbledore and Minerva McGonagall."
"Minerva McGonagall?" he repeated. "I would say that her only problem is getting involved with Paul Garrett - no offense to any of your Slytherins, of course-"
"None taken," she interrupted. "I don't like him, either. Anyway, getting back to Professor Dumbledore and Miss McGonagall. A few minutes ago, I went by Dumbledore's office to return a book I borrowed from him last week, and when I went in, he and Miss McGonagall were..."
"Were what, Indira?"
"They were hugging each other," Indira said. "Professor Dippet, that sort of activity between a teacher and student is unacceptable, and they should be rebuked accordingly."
Dippet wasn't sure what to think. He was well aware of the Transfiguration instructor's frienship with his star student, but he saw no problem with it as long as it remained at the strictly platonic level. Neither one of them were the type that purposely broke rules. On the other hand, though, there was always the chance that Indira had a good reason for telling him this, and he had a feeling that reason was Paul Garrett. Paul was a prefect and popular among the students, but he wasn't always the nicest person around. He was, most people felt, overly possessive of Minerva and took extreme measures when he felt there was a threat to their relationship. If, on the off chance that the hug was more than platonic, and even if it was, Paul's reaction would not be pleasant.
"I will speak to Albus," Dippet finally decided. "Will that suffice?"
Indira nodded. "Thank you."
"You're welcome. Anything else?"
"Nothing comes to mind, sir."
He smiled at her. "Very well, then. Thank you, Indira." He sometimes wished she would ease up off the formality. Indira wasn't one of his favorite people, but he had a feeling that there was a good person beneath her stern exterior and dark past. However, no matter how often he tried to see if it really existed, she remained as serious and formal as ever. He knew her weakness, knew her secrets, but he promised himself long ago that he would only use that as a last resort. There was no telling what it would do to her.
Indira suddenly looked mildly surprised, and she cocked her head to the side and peered closely at him.
"What?" Dippet asked, confused.
"Nothing," Indira replied, her expression returning to normal. "Just... something I overheard some students say a few days ago."
"And what was that?"
Dippet couldn't be sure, but he thought he saw Indira's cheeks flush red for a moment. "That you look like Humphrey Bogart," she mumbled, then turned around and headed for the exit.
Humphrey Bogart? He'd heard of the American Muggle film star, but never thought they bore any resemblance. Then again, one was usually not aware of this sort of thing until another pointed it out. "Do I really look like Humphrey Bogart?" Dippet inquired.
Indira stopped at the door and glanced back at him. "Yes," she answered, and left.
Dippet watched her go, then said to himself, "Humphrey Bogart." He shrugged and went back to work.
~~~
"... but Professor Dippet has been around longer, so it would actually be more logical to say that Humphrey Bogart looks like him."
Those were the first words Indira heard upon entering the Slytherin common room. The person that had spoken them was a sixth-year named Emily Donati, seated on a couch between two other girls, sixth-year Bianca Netzel and seventh-year Teresa Beck. "I don't know," said Teresa. "You could say that, but he just looks like Humphrey Bogart now. He might not have when he was that age."
Bianca spotted the head of their house walking in there direction, and said, "Let's ask Professor Nay. Professor!"
"Yes, Miss Netzel?" Indira asked.
"Does Professor Dippet look like Humphrey Bogart or does Humphrey Bogart look like Professor Dippet?"
Indira wondered when it would stop. The students had been going on about this for so long that she was starting to wonder herself. "Neither," she responded, hoping it would bring an end not only to the subject around the school, but her thoughts on it as well. "Professor Dippet and Humphrey Bogart both look like themselves."
The girls blinked and exchanged glances. Emily spoke for all three of them. "What?"
"Never mind," Indira said. "Besides, I don't think Professor Dippet would appreciate being compared to a Muggle."
The professor excused herself and went over to a bookshelf to organize the titles - the students always messed them up when they took them out for studying - but couldn't help overhearing the girls' conversation. "Whatever," Bianca said. "I still think he's handsome."
"Which one?" Teresa asked, smiling a little. "Professor Dippet or Humphrey Bogart?"
"Both," Bianca replied, and the three girls burst into a fit of giggles.
Indira rolled her eyes. They just had to have this conversation now, just after she finished speaking to the headmaster about a possible attraction between a teacher and a student. Now these girls were talking about how much another faculty member resembled one of the most handsome men in the world. Muggle or not, Humphrey Bogart had a lot going for him in the visual department. She almost slapped herself as she realized that she was practically obsessing over the resemblance between Dippet and Bogart and just how attractive the headmaster really was. Would it ever stop?
Indira's thoughts were soon shifted to other things, but when they were, she almost wished that she could go back to thinking about Dippet and Bogart. Three students had just entered the room - seventh-years Tom Riddle and Alastor Moody and sixth-year Paul Garrett. Tom, Alastor, and Paul were rarely seen more than ten feet apart. All three were hugely popular among the students; Tom was Head Boy, Alastor was the captain of Slytherin's Quidditch team, and Paul was a prefect. Outside of Slytherin house, the three were almost always seen in the middle of a large group of friends, which usually included their girlfriends as well. Paul was dating Minerva McGonagall, Tom was involved with a sixth-year girl Ravenclaw prefect named Kelsie Appanitis, and Alastor had been with a seventh-year Gryffindor girl named Arabella Figg for almost three years. Indira rather liked Alastor, but she didn't care so much for Tom, and liked Paul even less. The two of them were funny and well-liked by the students, and Tom was a school hero besides, but Indira didn't trust either of them. She didn't know what it was about them, but they gave her the feeling that they would be the kind of students that gave Slytherin house a bad name. There was already one of those lurking around in the world. She quickly pushed that thought aside. The memories were too painful.
"Hi, everybody," the charismatic Tom said, smiling at all the occupants of the Slytherin common room. It amounted to about fourteen people in all, including Indira and the three boys that had entered. "What's going on?"
"Hey, Riddle," said Colin Davison, a fifth-year, who was playing chess with another fifth-year named John Byron. "Just waiting for everyone to get here."
Paul whispered something to Alastor. Tom went over to help John with the chess game, since he was losing badly.
"Hi, Professor Nay," Alastor said, greeting the head of their house.
"Hello, Mr. Moody," Indira replied, not looking up from her work at the bookshelf. "Mr. Garrett."
"I told you," Paul mumbled to Alastor, thinking Indira couldn't hear him. "Did you hear that? She hates me."
"She doesn't hate you, Paul," Alastor whispered back. "Now knock it off."
"Whatever," Paul grumbled, and walked over to Tom, John, and Colin.
Alastor was right. Indira didn't hate Paul, but she did strongly dislike him. She wasn't quite sure exactly when it started; she'd become a teacher his second year, and her contempt for him set in soon after. He was smart, but arrogant and insubordinate. He gave her a lot of crap her first two years at Hogwarts, and although he never made her snap, he certainly came close. Paul backed off a little bit when she became head of Slytherin house his fifth year, but their relationship still hadn't improved at all. Then, Minerva came into the picture. They had been together for over a year, and even after all this time, Indira still didn't see what a promising, intelligent person like her saw in someone like him. She could do much better, and Indira could only pray that she would.
But not with Albus Dumbledore.
~~~
About half an hour later, Dumbledore decided to stop by the headmaster's office to see if Indira had done any damage. "I was wondering when you would come by," Dippet said when Dumbledore came in. "I've been expecting you."
"I bet," was Dumbledore's reply. "Look, I don't know what Indira told you, but-"
"Relax," Dippet interrupted. "I know you better than that. Please just do your best to make sure that it doesn't happen again or that Paul Garrett finds out."
Dumbledore began to feel uneasy. He hadn't even thought about Minerva's boyfriend. Paul was the only student at Hogwarts that had ever intimidated him, but he didn't dare let anyone know it. There was no telling what that would lead to.
Dippet continued. "And don't worry about Indira. I'm sure she's just having a bad day."
Dumbledore felt a smile fighting at the corners of his mouth, and was unable to hide it. "She must have a lot of those."
Dippet was a little more succesful at holding his smile in. "Remember, she is a colleague."
"Yes, I know. I just... I just don't understand her most of the time."
"You're not the only one."
Dumbledore sighed and glanced around the room, letting his eyes linger on no one thing for too long. His wandering gaze quickly returned to the headmaster. "What do you think of her?"
"I'm trying not to."
Another smile worked its way across his face. "Armando Dippet, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you've got a bit of a soft spot for her."
Dippet picked up his quill and began writing on a piece of parchment on his desk in front of him. "Good thing you know better, eh?"