— professor cane

          killian lifted a cigarette to his mouth, the trembling of his fingers nearly imperceptible with his cloak wrapped so tightly around him to guard against the early-winter chill.  he was rarely found outdoors in the summer or spring months, only finally deigning to walk to school grounds when everything began to die in the fall.  winter was his season, especially the sharp, cold sunrises before the earth had even a chance to warm under the thin sun. students unfortunate enough to be up so early could catch him on the front steps of hogwarts, often smoking or with a mug of bitter black coffee in hand, as though he enjoyed punishing himself out in the elements with only the barest of comforts to keep him alive.

          though he only taught magical theory and advanced magical theory to the older students, he was responsible for all the students in the castle, regardless of their age or house.  so when someone approached, he didn’t bother disguising a deep sigh, barely glancing up past a messy fringe of dark hair.  as much as he was sure they both loathed being bothered by the other, it was only barely past morning curfew, and he would be remiss if he didn’t at least give them a hard time.

“—Just because my father was a Death Eater, it does not mean that I will become one. I’m not him, I’m me. Why can they not understand that?” 

          a brief history of time / stephen hawking.           the universe in a nutshell / stephen hawking.           einstein's cosmos : how albert einstein's vision transformed our understanding of space and time / michio kaku.

She watched as the youngest Potter boarded the train for his final year, Lorcan her twin board for their fifth year, and the girl sat at the station, her suitcases beside her as she planned on NOT moving, letting the train leave without her and Lysandra could return home and not go back to school for the next year. Unfortunately, after the wizarding war, the train was chaperoned by teachers and Cane had this year, her magical theory teacher, the only class she actually advanced in as it had nothing to do with performing the spells and her plan was foiled. “Professor Cane…”  her head turned towards him, tears still ran down her face as the boys who tormented her at school ran past her to catch the train, laughing as soon as they saw her ALONE, knowing it would only begin to spark rumours about looney lyssie. It was how everything began, she just wanted to curl up in her suitcase and never leave, the creatures there, they protected her, kept her safe, made her feel at home, Hogwarts wasn’t her home. The Hufflepuff sniffled softly, tucking her cardigan into her hand as she wiped it across her face before laying her fists on her knees. however, it wasn’t going to stop her tears and mental anguish Shaking her head the girl sighed gently. “Thanks, Professor, but I am only ever smart in Hagrid’s, Uncle Professor Longbottom’s or your class, I can’t do anything with actual magic, I can’t defend myself, I am far from strong.” She couldn’t take the compliment, she was horrible at receiving them, even worse at actually believing them. “It’s because of THEM” - a hand went up as the final boy who laughed at her boarded one of the middle carriages - “they torment me at school Professor, Lorcan tries to stop them, but he isn’t in my house, he’s a Ravenclaw, there is only so much he can do, half of them are Hufflepuffs, and the rest are in your house Professor. I don’t want to go BACK to Hogwarts.” 

          that wasn’t what he meant by smart, or strong.

          ❛  in my experience, there is much more to strength and intelligence than doing magic and getting good marks.  ❜

          dry and factual, his tone betrayed no sympathy or comfort.  he wasn’t planning on lying to her (unless she frustrated him to the point of wanting to end the conversation at any cost), and he had no intention of flattering her.  defending oneself was important, but magic was certainly not the end-all to that.  and in his opinion, there were plenty of classes that one’s aptitude within had absolutely no bearing on one’s intelligence.

          he knew the boys in question, and obnoxious though they were, he had no intention of correcting their behaviour, at least not in any way that would aid her.  their defense against a cruel world was cruelty, and he was in no position to judge them for that, though their execution did leave something to be desired.  subtlety would have served them better, but he was under no obligation to instruct them in the finer points of being mean whilst still being likeable.  even within his own house, he played favorites.

          besides, punishing their behaviour would likely only make things worse for the girl.  they would grow more cruel and more sneaky and she would still be here (or in the hospital wing, more likely) crying just the same.

Chronic pain: Gemini, Leo, Pisces

Anxiety: Libra, Taurus, Aquarius

Mania: Aries, Cancer, Virgo

“I don’t want to go back to school this year.”

          he was really truly not cut out for dealing with this sort of thing, and it was the very last time he would be agreeing to chaperone the hogwarts express, on pain of death.  indeed, he looked pained even being near her, but despite his cold, callous exterior carefully cultivated to prevent exactly this type of closeness, he knew something about panic and fear and hurt.  it almost elicited something akin to empathy.

          ❛  miss scamander...  ❜  he said, uncharacteristically soft, but only silence followed, and he slowly lowered himself onto the bench beside her, keeping a careful few inches between them, and letting the sounds of the train and the platform fill the air.  hands pressed together and tucked between his knees, shoulders tense, brow pinched.  it was his job to get her on the train and safely deposited at hogwarts, but it was more than just that, even though she was young and not in his house and of no real consequence to him at all.

          he couldn’t stand seeing people in real pain.

          ❛  i’m afraid it is a cruel fact of life that we are not always able to do what we want to do.  and that in and of itself may not seem very comforting, but do remember than humans possess a remarkable capacity for adaptation.  you’re a smart girl, and stronger than you think.  ❜

          rarer even than sympathy were compliments, yet he meant them.  he was not much given to lying.