AN. I found out I'm terrible at wrigting filler. yaaay! :D
...wait...
I do not own Harry Potter. Enjoy.
Normality
The students probably had a bit of a sore spot for Hogwarts new professor by now. If not them, then they had already managed to work her short fused nerves in a record amount of time.
Desiray had recently given a short quiz to better understand how competent they were in this subject, stating that it was necessary for her to be able to review the full extent of their academic standing. Sure she could have picked the information out of their young unprotected minds, but the idea of filtering through groups of adolescent thoughts didn't sound particularly exciting to the woman. Plus she was pretty sure the action was frowned upon in the school, especially when used on the student population.
Instead she leaned against her desk with vigilant eyes observing the students around her without missing a single movement or detail. No inconspicuous cheating tactic slipped passed her gaze even though all of them may have thought they were successful, because Desiray didn't speak against them. She simplify stood and observed, silently weeding out the lesser individuals from the more serious students.
The quiz wasn't even a long one, so those who cheated put themselves even lower on her tolerance list. When the last of the students turned in their papers, Finnigan seemed to be doing his very best to get himself to the very bottom of said list. It was obvious that his paper copied every sentience from Luna Lovegood, right down to the last quotation.
If he was up to cheating, you would think he would try his best not to get caught. Even a child could have noticed the obvious similarities.
"Hmm...Interesting." She mumbled to herself as she gave the papers one last glance before tossing them on the desk behind her, "Kindly turn to page 49 in the book Deity's and Fighting Souls ;We will start our studies in more common grounds and then move into greater unknown territory."
Desiray charmed the board to write her words with a indifferent wave of her wand before letting the long wood dance idly between her nimble fingers.
"Leviathan, pronounced le·vi·a·than, comes from the Hebrew word 'Livyatan' meaning twisted or coiled. Beast such as the Greek multi headed Hydra and the Norse 'Midgard Serpent' Jörmungandr ' 'YOUR-mun-gand'" She pronounced it once more slowly. "Are classified under this name of water dwelling behemoths. While they are considered dark and evil under the majority of standard culture, such creatures are typically born into their name with no real choice. They grew to be massive and formidable foes so their lives were short lived due to them being wrote into someone book of End Times."
Desiray fell effortlessly back into the teaching routine, but that did not keep her day from passing in a tedious manner. Each class proved to be more useless than the last and the woman was reminded about why she gave up the teaching ruse early in life.
When the day was over and the last class rushed from the room, Desiray was almost excited to begin marking the class papers. Even though they were mostly trash, a few of them were decent and the Lovegood girl proved to have and interesting way of wording her thoughts.
The fireplace suddenly flared to life, causing the woman's eyes to flash to the area.
"Are you giving out assignments already Professor Salvatore? You're not asking advice from Severus are you?" Dumbledore's voice chimed as he stepped from the flames.
Desiray's tense form relaxed after the sudden disturbance of peace.
Desiray scoffed and dropped her quill, "If I asked, I doubt he would give it. His glares are quite relentless. Regardless, I never was one to delay my purpose head master, you know this. "
"Of course, how could I have forgotten." He said with a small grin, "Let's just blame it on my fleeting memory."
Another age joke?
Desiray made to roll her eyes at the man but was distracted by the deaden hand he had shown her from a few nights ago.
She had almost forgotten about it.
The smell was nowhere near the intensity she last remembered, but it was in no means gone. The scent of death and rot still clung to the flesh, if only somewhat diluted and condensed by a few charms. Actually, why had he taken the flo for transportation? His energy level was always an energetic one, even in the worst of time from what she last remembered..."
Desiray gave the man a look but didn't bring up the subject, "Is there something you need from me, Headmaster?"
"Only a small favor," he answered, walking closer to her desk. Desiray was about to conjure him a chair, but he quickly dismissed the thought with a casual wave of his good hand, "Do you mind chaperoning the students to Hogsmeade later this afternoon? It's short notice and on normal circumstances this wouldn't even be your responsibility this week."
"I thought Professor Snape was to do so today. Did something happen to him?" She wondered curiously.
"He was...called away and as a result, rather preoccupied at the moment." The Headmaster explained slowly.
Oh, is that so?" Desiray's eyes studied the wizened man intently, "When were you planning to tell me that the wizard wears the Dark Mark?"
"I didn't think you needed me to inform you of that fact Professor."
Desiray grinned, "You would be correct in that statement, but it's never a good idea to toy with my...senses Headmaster."
"I think you are trying to delay me of my answer Professor Salvatore."
The woman scoffed shortly, "You know me to well. I don't mind chaperoning the students. It's a minor task...well as minor as keeping track of groups of mischievous kids can be I suppose."
The old man smiled making his eyes twinkle mysteriously, "Excellent. Horace will be there with you so you won't be completely overwhelmed."
By time she was able to fully register the man's words he was already disappearing in the fireplace.
Oh...She should have known to ask what the catch was.
Desiray had to hold back a grimace. Being with Horace Slughorn was about as useful as going in alone, not to mention that he would probably strike up a conversation to try to get some benefit out of her...and the man was a blatant drunk.
"Oh joy." The professor chuckled humorlessly.
She would be sure to throw back a few shots at The Three Broomsticks to calm her nerves.
***TFP***
Desiray decided she liked Hogsmeade a lot more when there weren't groups of adolescent children running amuck.
At the moment she had a sweet tooth for one of honey dukes famous blood pops, but she knew indulging on such a thing around the students would be to suspicious.
Would it?
Perhaps she could bribe one of the children, preferably a Slytherin...or were they the racist ones? Hmm...
Either way Desiray sat in the far back corner of The Three Broomsticks, sipping chilled red wine and eyes glued to a great book in her hands. It was getting easier for her to tune out the constant bickering of humans, but the persistent stares she felt still received a glare from over the leather books many pages.
Taking another sip of wine (or was it Bourbon now? Oh well better make it a shot.) , she immersed herself into the creative literature. The detailing was incomparable, each breeze moved before her eyes, every character death left the woman in a pit of sorrow and the atmosphere brought a cold chill down her spine. She knew these people even more so then they knew themselves. It was almost brought a tear to her eye.
Not really.
So immersed was she, that she almost didn't hear the approaching footsteps near her table.
"Um... excuse me Professor Salvatore."
When Desiray looked up from her pages to the eyes of Ms. Granger, she was less than pleased and not in any kind of mood to talk.
After an awkward moment of silence where Granger finally realized the woman wasn't going to say anything, the girl shot several glances at the book before replying with a, "I-is... Is that really Silver Tides by Vahan Keith? One the only handwritten originals?"
Desiray's eyes narrowed in irritation, upset by the fact that she would have to entertain this child in the middle of an epic war scene. She closed the book with a snap and looked at the cover sardonically, where Argentum Complura was engrave, "It must be because that's what it says on the front, albeit in Latin, hmm?"
"There are only 4 of those in the world. Written in - "
The woman rolled her eyes, "Handwritten in early Latin, and there are three actually. One was destroyed in the early 1850 by an accidental fire in The US Library Of Congress, but the Americans rather not have Keith find out about that."
"Vahan Keith is still alive?!", The girl exclaimed in disbelief.
"Alive and as well as the day he was born. I met him a few years ago while vacationing in the US; California I believe. He's a gifted and talented fiction writer, but a physicist at heart."
"But that would make him hundreds of years old!" She protested.
Desiray sighed in irritation, "Van Keith is a vampire, and has been for a good five hundred years." She rose a dismissive hand when the young witch opened that mouth again, "Perhaps Ms. Granger, if you are so interested it would be wise of you to consider taking my courses and not shortening my leisure time."
The girl blushed, taking note of the quiet, unperturbed environment that she had just destroyed. If someone interrupted her in the middle of a book, (Especially the exceptionally rare original hand written, Argentum Complura ) She'd be furious. It happed plenty of times at Hogwarts, Ron and Harry didn't have any kind of respect for a good book.
Desiray blinked, pulling herself out of the girls mind, just in time to actually hear Granger say, "S-sorry Professor Salvatore." As she walked away briskly.
"Come by later, Ms. Granger, I may let you borrow it if you are interested."
Desiray watched as the young witch walked back to her group with a little bit more pep in her walk.
She had mostly told the girl that because the idea of having one of the 'Golden Trio' in her class could prove itself to be entertaining. Especially this Hermione Granger who just so happened to be the brightest witch of her age and the girl she had mind wiped due to Damon's childishness.
Desiray couldn't resist meddling in background affairs.
Potter eyed the new Professor with curiosity, probably wondering about the conversation the two just had, while the Weasley boy seemed to be dabbling in his new surfacing hormones. Perhaps Desiray shouldn't have wore her casual robes, they were nearly the same as her teaching robes as they were made by the same designer, the material was just thinner and more form fitting.
She raised an eyebrow at the boy who's eye were straying to her more curved areas. Hermione caught the males staring and slapped him upside the head, blushing, but managing to take the attention off the professor.
Chaperoning sucked.
At that moment heavier steps approached her table and she was instantly horrified by the man who she knew they belonged to.
Horace Slughorn.
He was half drunk, obvious by the way that his fat ass hit the booth with a sloppy thud.
Oh how Desiray wished she had fled the area before his arrival...
The next half hour was filled with him asking questions about her family, what position she held in the 'family line of business' and throwing in occasional compliments to get her on his 'Fame Watch' list all while speaking in such a slurred voice that even Desiray's ears had a hard time making everything out. She had to hush him more than once when he spoke certain words to loudly and hoped that the man's loud mouth wouldn't cause the woman to have to perform any unnecessary mind wipes.
Damn she couldn't stand this moocher; his whole existence was formed off of someone else's accomplishments. How long was she going to have fake interest in his nonsense?
At that moment, as if some higher being heard her misery, the door opened and a familiar smell greeted her senses.
Desiray looked up to see a tall man with light brown eyes and dark cropped hair held in messy spikes by some kind of gel. He wore basic grey wizard attire that looked hastily put together and he smelled of landscape mixed with rain but was in no way really memorable.
At least not to her. From the whispering that could be heard, apparently he was somewhat attractive.
"Felix." Desiray greeted the man shortly.
He nodded once and replied, "Desiray."Then pulled out a letter which she grabbed reluctantly, "What? Did think you would get a break or something?"
Desiray shrugged, "A girl can dream right?"
"I'll be sure to get lost next time k girly?" Felix laughed before heading out the door, probably on his way to deliver another letter that was to important for some bird to deal with.
The woman frowned.
It seemed her original profession was one that wouldn't hold off, even for her, so with a sigh she made some excuse to Slughorn about confidential matters to get away from the man. Of course she couldn't leave the students here alone with Slughorn, so the woman sought after some shaded tree where she watched from a distance and glared at the insignia of an allied clan that was stamped on the official looking letter.
Another sigh escaped her frowning lips.
Fuck My Life.
-TFP-
AN. Another day in the life of Desiray Salvatore. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I loved writing it for you. Life has definitely been catching up to me, but I REFUSE to abandon my work!
In other words...sorry for the long wait... again. Take solace in knowing that the next chapter is already HALF WAY DONE. Mostly because it was supposed to be this chapter...but I changed my mind. So yeeeeah...
I also completely revise and rewrite my stories 3 TIMES before I post them up here. Yeah im a perfectionist and maybe a bit OCD lol.
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Thank you for your time. ;)