teacher’sPET[dim]

[chaos]

..

She makes the Venus de Milo look like she's got no style

just talk to him she had to keep telling herself. It was not as if she did not want to talk to him, it was more of the fact that she could not form words. It was abnormal that she could not think of something to say, it was normally quite the opposite. Most people could not get her to shut her mouth, but introduce an off limits, attractive male and she could barely get the courage to walk into his class room after class. this is so backwards she told herself, not for the first time that day.

If she couldn't have something she wanted it, and if it was easily given what was the point of trying. Her little crush hit both notes. He was a teacher which meant he was doubly off limits. She normally did not have an issue with this basic rule, because teachers were, well, teachers. But there was something different about Dimitri. One of those differences might have been his teaching position, but there was more to it. Adel did not fall for just anyone. She knew she was fairly pretty, but that always made her second guess reason for people to like her. More than any thing she wanted to be loved for who she was, not what she looked like.

Professor? she called out, finally finding her voice. Peering around the door, she smiled as her gold hair tussled off her shoulder. Nervous she hesitated out the door. Hopping from foot to foot, she took a deep breath and pranced into the room. She glided gracefully over to his desk. Her footsteps were light on the ground almost making no noise. If she did not know better she would have thought he could have heard her heart beat, which was pounding in her chest. Oh professor Dimitri she called out one more time in her soft sing song voice.

She make Sheena of the Jungle look meek and mild

^{word count: 315
lyrics: crush on you - Bruce Springsteen
listening to Police - don't stand to close lol}

[Dimitri Mikhail Zolnerowich]

His last class of the week was over and Dim was cleaning up his office a little. Of course he had his 'proper' office in his rooms, where he also slept, but the Defense classroom also had an adjoined small chamber which he called 'office' for the lack of a better name (or a lack of vocabulary). In truth it was really just a storage room filled with stuff he used during classes and which he didn't want to drag all the way to and from the class all the time. Things tended to clutter, though, and he tended to try and organise the place at least once a year. This time, he had planned to get all this done during the Christmas break - but he hadn't.
So now he was finally doing it. He didn't have much better things to do, anyway, and although he was likely to get dusty, he had promised himself a long, hot shower before dinner - that seemed like a suitable reward for cleaning up.
Moving around a pile of books to a shelf, he nearly knocked over a model of some creature's skelleton. It was a fake, Dim knew, and he could fix it if it broke, but he'd rather not sit there and puzzle for the rest of the evening - so he lunged for it.. and fell. "Ow." He was fine and so was the object, sure, although he'd have a bruise here or there. Dimitri was, however, now covered in a fine layer of dust.

As he was padding his robes to get the worst off him and make him look less like a ghost or someone fifty years older, he heard a voice calling out.
Professor? He coughed slightly, more due to dust than surprise, not sure if whoever it was meant him or some other professor in the corridors. He wasn't very likely to be needed right now - on the other hand nothing at Hogwarts was entirely predictable. Luckily, the next time Adel called out, Dimitri could at least be sure she needed him specifically, so he stepped out the narrow door behind his classroom desk (for the most part still dusty and, no doubt, looking a spectacle that might to some students undermine his authority).
Trying not to cough too much (and failing, just a little), he half smiled a welcome at the student. "Adel - was there a problem?" he asked, in the meantime crossing the distance to the high windows and opening them to let in some fresh air.

Au contraire to the girl, any general idea of romance was far from his mind. Coming from a rather cold household (not just in terms of climate, if you catch my drift), it had taken him a while before he'd been able to get emotions working in the real world. He'd had time to do that in France, with his then-fiancée, but had never gotten any farther than feeling a deep friendly and platonic attachment - nor had he ever longed for something more. He did friendliness and compassion fairly easily now and it made him happy that it almost came natural, but as a son from parents sleeping in separate beds and never showing mutual affection he could hardly be expected to quite know what true romantic attachment was, no matter how close he got sometimes.
My guess is that the closest relationship with any living thing he has, is with his cat, because he tells her everything and has, in fact, told her (numerous times) that he would be lost without her. Then again, those are surely things a lot of people say to their pets and as a relationship based on the distributing of food, drink, and petting and the changing of cat-litter, I don't think we can count it as the sort of intimacy Adel is thinking about.

[chaos]

..

I need a quick shot, Doc, knock me off my feet

The glory of the youth is they have time to learn, but there is so much to learn. Adel was a smart girl, but some things just escaped her grasp. The words no and love were two of those things. She would not accept the one and the other was always just out of her reach. She just could not accept this fate, so she exasperated it. Nothing was too impossible, and everything could get worse. She might be crushing on a teacher, but there was no cure for heart break or stupidity.

Slightly surprised by Dimitri's entrance, she stopped dead in her tracks. She stifled a giggle pressing her hands to her mouth, but her giggles escaped anyway. Oh my professor were the only words she came to her mind. Her professor looked quite odd. Her mouth hung slightly open at her loss of words. What could she say? Quick thinking witty girl that she was, she could always think of something to say. It was a rare moment that she was quite. it might have been the Apocalypse if she did not say something soon.

little dusty back there huh? she questioned with a sideways smirk which crossed her face, as she was fully amused by this whole situation. Jumping up on to the near by desk she watched as he open the window. Swinging her legs she tried to amuse herself by looking around the classroom. Till once again he stopped her on a dime. His words registered in her mind and a frown pulled on the edges of her smile. there is no problem she said with a shake of her head. Guess she need a better reason to come here. He assumed something was wrong. Guess there had to be something wrong if she wanted to talk? Maybe there was some truth in that.

I was just interested in what you said last class and was wondering if you have any suggested reading It was mostly the truth. Though it was more of a backwards truth. She loved this class, but for all the wrong reasons. She did want to know more about the last lecture, if it only meant that she could talk to Dimitri. Despite sad and pathetic those are unnecessary words. Just call her young, that would cover all the bases.

She said looking past him and into the dark abyss for which he came. Twirling her hair she smiled up at him. looks like you could use a some help She jumped off the desk she landed lightly on her feet. Then ducking her head and keeping her eyes to the ground she muttered her last phrase. but I can go if you want her words were nice and soft. Truthfully she did not want to say these words. Though she would rather leave this room than become an nuisance. She hated to admit it, but some people thought she could be a little aggressive, invasive . you name it, it was her bad habit. So like it or not she might not be wanted here at all, as a student, lover or even friend.

Cause I'll be minding my own business walking down the street - watchout

^{word count: 523
lyrics: crush on you - Bruce Springsteen
she has such a little crush}

[Dimitri Mikhail Zolnerowich]

The beauty of youth, indeed - the illusion that everything is possible, that the world is endless, that possibilities aren't limited. Maybe that this specific time, with the war and everything, wasn't as filled with hope as previous generations, but youth always finds a way to somehow elate their moods and laugh in the face of danger, right?
Dimitri had passed this stage of 'youth' a long time ago and he had accepted that life did not offer limitless possibilities. In his opinion, this was it - teaching, having a home of his own. A bit of a quiet life, but he didn't have anything to complain about, either. No, Dimitri was quite happy with his life and accepted it as it was. This was as good as it was gonna get and as it could possibly get much, much worse, this was good.

That didn't mean, however, that youth didn't cheer him up every once in a while. Seeing a student laugh at his ridiculous demeanor did make him smile, to be honest. "Sorry, been cleaning up." Taking off his outer robes, he shook them in an attempt to get the dust out of them, leaving him in black trousers and a brown cable sweater becausecablesweatersaresodeadsexy.
"Pretty dusty - I don't clean often enough, apparently," he joked, folding the robes over the back of his chair. He didn't need it cleaning and it was warm enough inside, anyway. If it got cold, he'd close the window. Dimitri glanced at Adel, who seemed to have made herself comfortable on top of his desk, but oh well.. it was outside of class hours anyway. "No problem? Well, that's good," he commented, raking his hand through his hair to get the last remnants of dust out. Something in his voice asked 'no problem? then why are you here? no friends to spend the afternoon with?' Dim didn't actually ask, though. He had made the mistake of doing that when he had just started teaching and soon found that teenagers didn't like it when teachers asked them about their personal lives, so he had stopped trying. Maybe she'd had a bit of a scuffle with a good friend, maybe she thought this was a good way to get extra credit - either way, he was not going to pry.

What he said last class? "Well.." he smiled a little apologetic, "you'll have to refresh my memory - I teach a lot of classes and even if I do remember the last one I taught you, I don't know what I might specifically have said that triggered your interest." Dimitri was always happy to provide students with extra material when they asked for it (or just needed it for an essay) and he didn't expect Adel to half-lie to him - he didn't have any reason to do so.
He was a little surprised when she offered her help, though. Sure, there was no problem, she just wanted some reading material - but helping him out cleaning out an old dusty cupboard instead of having fun with friends somewhere? To be honest, Dimitri was about to come up with a gentle reason to send her off, why she didn't have to help, but then she said that she'd go if he wanted and it made him almost feel guilty. Well.. he didn't want to make her feel like she had to go..
"Well, if you're sure.." he said, shrugging a little. Because really.. what could he say to a helpful student? What harm could it possibly do? "And only if you're careful." Not that all the items he had stored there were dangerous, but they weren't exactly all harmless either.

[chaos]

..

I got birds in my ears

This looked like a boys room, which it was. There was not a women's touch in this entire room. Sure some would say, duh it is the Defense Against the Dark Arts Class, but if there had been a female teacher this room would have not been this way, and likely Adel would not have been there. Maybe that would have been better, but for now the room
lacked that feminine touch. It was not like Adel was going to add froo froo pink curtains and flowers, but it made her smile at the very masculine way the room was set up. "Sorry, been cleaning up." Looking around she could not wipe the smirk off her face. Oh I can tell she said half sarcastically half teasingly, but without a doubt it was meant to be taken friendly. Only a male could say that this was cleaning. How could they let it get so messy in the first place?

Only pretty dusty? she raised one eyebrow and gave him a skeptical look. If you have to take of your robes in order to shake the dust off it is not pretty dusty. She stared at him, truly amused. There was a laughter that danced across her face as she asked When was the last time you cleaned in here? days, mouths, years who knew how long ago. Boy will be boys, and Adel did not know any boy who really truly cleaned up well after himself. Guess something’s never change. Though to be fair, it was not the class room that was really a mess, and dust does tend to get everywhere no matter how neat you are.

No problem, that was a good thing. At least it was supposed to be. He was not supposed to question it, at least that is what Adel believed. Sure she had plenty of problems, after all she was a teenager. Boy problems, daddy dilemmas, girl grudges, teacher troubles, authority issues. She was ten feet under in the world of problems, it just came with the territory of being a teenage girl. Some would call it teenaged angst, she preferred the term teenage challenge. So yes it was good that there was no problem at the moment, none she wanted to think about anyways. Though his statement seemed more like a question. It was not a direct blow, but she could feel the warmth coming to her cheeks as a slight blush brushed over them.

oh sorry of course you have so many classes. She turned away from him for a moment looking over at the something in the far corner of the room. What did she expect, him to remember every class that he had? She was supposed to be smart enough to not believe that he would remember his last class with her, like she had. Sometimes she just doesn’t think things completely though. She had thought that maybe just maybe he remembered their conversations or curriculum in which she actually replied. Guess not. Talking in a deep breath she straightened some of the papers on his desk, almost as if to keep her hands busy. She did not really pay attention the papers instead she was trying to find her voice again. It is funny how little things, that know one know about seem to cut just that much deeper, because they did not know.

the one about Faries She found her voice, and it was sweet soft and steady as before. There was little sign that the girl even thought twice about his words. She was an excellent actresses, though she knew if she turned around now something in her eyes would give her away, they always did. Walking absently around the room she kept her gaze up at any object, but the professor’s face. I guess it intrigued me the most, because when I thought of faires I always thought of you know Tinker Bell she was genuinely curious. After all when you grow up watching Disney movies the first thing she thought of was Tinker bell. Thinking about it with an open mind, Tinker bell did almost kill Wendy, but the way Dimitri taught it there was so much more to them. Something more mysterious than pixie dust.

Stopping in her tracks she pivoted on her toes and turned immediately to face him. I will be extra careful she said with a bright smile but her words were sincere. Sure cleaning up the class room was not ideal, many other students would not be caught dead in this situation, but she was not most students. She was perfectly content helping out any teacher, but there was something different here. She wanted him to notice her. where should I start? it was a small crush, which could lead to large trouble.

And a devil on my shoulder

^{word count: 806
lyrics: crush - cute is what we aim for
ehh I rammbled -glares at post-}

[Dimitri Mikhail Zolnerowich]

Dim had never really thought about the furnishing of the classroom in any sort of aesthetic way, to be honest, so in a way it can be said that the room lacked any sort of decorative touch at all. Dimitri preferred practicality. When they needed to practise spells, he wanted to be sure the desks could easily be cleared to the side of the room, so they had enough space to move around in. There were a few models and posters on walls here and there, a few glass cabinets with artifacts (or well-crafted replica's of them), but apart from that, Dimitri hadn't done much in terms of interior design.
He grinned a little when he heard Adel's half-mocking comment. That's what he liked about her, her outspokenness. Sure, Adel sometimes talked before she thought, but he preferred that over students who never spoke in class at all. If she was comfortable enough to speak her mind around him, he felt he was doing a decent job as a teacher. He wanted his students to feel like they could ask him anything, that he was there if they needed help; Dim wanted them to trust him (it made him feel so much better when they did).

"Okay - very dusty, I admit." He smiled a little wider, half apologetic, half amused. The house elves had offered to clean the cabinet a few times, but Dimitri had always declined. His parents had servants, but he had hands and could do his own work. This classroom was his responsibility and the house elves had other things to attend to as well. "I only clean this thing up once a year, had planned to do so over the Christmas holidays in fact, but I never got round to it." Dimitri's Christmas holidays weren't usually that eventful, hence the yearly cleaning spree in his classroom. He had no family to visit, after all, and although he had gone home for a few days this year (just to give a sign of life to the neighbours and pick up a few things at home), this year had been no different from others - quiet.
He sometimes remembered Christmas at Emily's, which had been so fun and homely that he couldn't quite remember it without feeling a little sad for having lost all that. (How would Brittany be doing? How old would she be? Would she miss him or had she forgotten him?) Emily was and always had been a terribly cook, yet she had insisted on making Christmas dinner the first time he was there. After having to order in Chinese (and airing the kitchen to clear it of the smoke that the burnt food had caused), Dimitri had taken to cooking the Christmas dinners from then on. He didn't bother to now, really. There was no one to cook for but himself and he didn't really see the point of putting a lot of effort into it when it was just him. It was only food, he didn't care about food that much.

Dimitri hadn't meant to first make her feel uncomfortable by half-doubting her statement that there was no problem and then making her think he didn't remember her. He did remember her. He knew almost all of his students' names, Adel's being no exception, but he did feel a certain fondness for her. As said before, he liked her outspokenness and honesty. He had just wanted to know what she wanted to ask about his classes exactly, so he'd be able to give her a complete answer. Hearing the disappointment in her voice, he pulled a bit of a face (good thing she was turned away so she couldn't see!) and toyed with a loose thread on the end of his sleeve a little. He wasn't very good with sad or disappointed girls, the whole emotional thing caught him off-guard and made him feel insecure and inept.
The one about Faeries - he certainly remembered that. Dim watched Adel walk around the room, leaning on his desk a little. Her voice had sounded less disappointed than before - but he still felt bad. He hadn't wanted her to think he never noticed her. "Yes, I remember," he said with a bit of a smile, trying to sound reassuring. "And I agree - it is intriguing. There has been little research about Faeries, but they pop up from ancient Celtic times to the present without a lot of noticable changes - when a species seems immune to evolution like that, it's always a reason to be cautious." His voice trailed away a little - he was going into teaching mode again and maybe this wasn't the answer to her question at all.. "But yes, Tinkerbell is usually the stereotype we think of. I suppose that when we don't quite understand something we tend to like to make ourselves believe that it's harmless fantasy."

Although he was still a little surprised that a student could smile so happily about helping a teacher cleaning out his classroom closet, Dimitri wasn't about to complain. He was just glad Adel was smiling at all, seeing as there had been something bothering her a minute ago. "There aren't any truly dangerous things in here, of course," he assured her - and it was true, the really dangerous stuff (very little to begin with) he kept in his personal rooms, where students rarely came. "It's just that I'll still be responsible if you get hurt and I wouldn't forgive myself if that happened."
The professor glanced at her for a second, rolling up his sleeves with practised ease. "I usually just start taking everything out, then cleaning the shelves and everything, before putting it all back in." It was a bit of a double feeling. As much as he liked company, he still couldn't quite wrap his head around why Adel would so willingly get dusty with him. Oh well.. maybe she'd clear that up later.
"So how was your Christmas?" he asked, flashing a polite smile in his student's direction as he picked up a box labelled 'target practise' and put it on a nearby desk.

[chaos]

..

What's a crush to do?

Clean it your self. Not many wizards would even consider this. Growing up without house elves nannies or even maids, she was used to this. Though some of the students here had different ideas about this. She automatically rolled her eyes at the sound of the house elf will do it because she thought the idea was abused. If you make a mess clean it up, it really was not that hard. Muggles did it all the time, so why couldn’t wizards?

good admitting that you have a problem is the first step she turned to him smirking, and gave him a playful wink. It was not even like she thought about it. Yes she had a crush on him, no she was not going to throw herself at him, but this was who she was when she let her guard down. She rarely had walls built up around her, but there were a special few who had the privilege of the cold shoulder. Though almost everyone knew she was the feisty flirty girl who stood in the classroom. For her there was no second thought about it. She had a comment and a smile for almost anyone. She was just being herself.

He said he remembered, and he was so reassuring that she could not help but hope that maybe, he had noticed her. It seemed crazy, and she knew it but maybe just maybe. She nodded as he spoke. He went into teaching mode, and she could not hold back the smirk. He really must love his job, though who else could put up with the awful awkward stage between child and adult.

I am not worried about anything in here, after all you are here she did feel safe here. Specifically with the Defense Against the Arts teacher, but the walls around Hogwarts seemed to keep the war away. The war had a whole surreal feel to it. Here safe and unconcerned she could almost forget about the fighting and death. It just felt so far away. She knew it was there but it was hard to think about. The only life she knew was one where she was safe and sheltered. Her world was safe, for now, but everyone knew the war had only really just begun. Her generation would be the next solider, for good or bad. They would be the ones fighting.

you would not let anything happen She thought her heart might have skipped a beat when he mentioned that he would not want anything bad to happen to her. Even if it was purely platonic which is was it still was good to know that she had a someone who would watch out for her. Beaming she had a wide smile and her eyes sparkled a light blue.

What's a crush to do

Christmas she said the word aloud, but it was soft gentle and distant, because his question brought back the feelings. She had stayed here for Christmas break. She had been begged invited to come back home, but she just could not do it. She loved her father, but she was the only child in their family of two. Things always got worse when she came back. He was better when she way away. In letters he was cheerful and slowly moving on in his life, but when she was there he became a recluse, did not talk, did not eat. He reverted back to the months after her mother had disappeared. She did not blame him, if anything she blamed herself. The fact was it was no one’s fault. Adel reminded her father of her mother, and some memories are best left in the past. So she did not go back if she did not have to. Christmas was good. I spent it here, but where is more magical than Hogwarts? and that was what she believed. She was a perpetual optimist, she had her moments where she wondered why it was her here alone, but then she remembered that she was never really alone in this castle.

Seeing the impact the dirt could make she had already decided to take of her school clock. Sliding it of her arms, she wished she had worn something well cuter. Instead she had her holey jeans, tan boots, and a tee shirt that said girls make better ninjas. It was not exactly cute sexy or really an attention getter. It was just what she had thrown together at an unearthly hour this morning. Brushing her jeans with her fingers, as if she could brush away the wholes in her pants, she fidgeted with her clothing for a moment. If she would have know she would have been here she would have worn something different, but at least she did not have to worry about getting dusty and dirty.

Grabing the next box she followed his lead and started moving them out What about you, how was your Christmas? she countered. She did not really want to explain the whole situation with her family, and he probably did not want to hear it. He most certainly did not want a crying teenage girl in the room either. She could deal with it in private, but every time she spoke about it she ended up in tears. She just wanted a normal family. She just wanted to be loved for who she was, not compared to any one else.

when he can't get through

^{word count: 900
lyrics: crush - cute is what we aim for}

[Dimitri Mikhail Zolnerowich]

Dimitri knew that he was a little unique because he liked to do things himself. Better yet, although he was going to clean out this cabinet magically (simply because it was quicker and more thorough), at home he did nearly everything the muggle way. Call it therapy, but it gave him something to do to take his mind off things. He knew he generally was a thinker rather than a do-er and that was why cleaning the living room or doing the dishes was liberating to him in its own way, it cleared his head.
Of course, it was also his own silent rebellion against everything his parents were and stood for. He had moved into a muggle neighbourhood on purpose, had dedicated his days to teaching children how to defend themselves rather than to harm others - it felt good to make his own choices. Sometimes, he thought about his parents, wondered what they'd say or do if they could see him now - but thoughts like that never ended well, so he tried to avoid them if he could. After all, bad people or not, his parents were still his parents - he simply could not hate them (no matter how hard he tried) and Dimitri had always been one of those children who had wanted to make his parents proud, craving a sort of recognition and praise. He was happy with the choices he'd made, of course!, but sometimes, in the back of his mind, it felt like a failure. He knew it was nonsense to think that, but yet he couldn't shake the feeling sometimes.

He laughed a little at Adel's words, though - his parents weren't on his mind now. "Planning to be a psychiatrist when you grow up?" he half teased, grinning lopsidedly. He did wonder what Adel wanted to be when she graduated. She was a sixth year now, so no doubt she'd already had a career-talk with her Head of House or she was going to have one soon. He knew she was rather good at Quidditch - would she like a career in that, he wondered. He was a firm believer in doing what you wanted rather than following the easy way and he had a feeling that Adel would agree with that.
That's why he was teaching in the first place. Adel was right - he loved his job. The fact he could leave a positive impression on young teenage minds and guide them through school, give them the tools to defend themselves later in life.. it was rewarding in so many ways. Still, there was a time for teaching.. and not so much. As his monologue ended and Adel didn't ask any more questions, he guessed he had (apparently) told her what she'd wanted to know, so he didn't continue on the subject. Dimitri didn't want to bore his student to death.

When Adel said she didn't feel worried for her safety with him there, he smiled a little to himself. No use in denying it: Dim felt flattered. Not that he really had any reason to, because Adel was safe with him: there was nothing in that storage room that he couldn't take care of. On the other hand, had she known what Dimitri used to do in school, she might have felt a lot less safe and very probably rather creeped out. But Dim is not about to tell her about that. He didn't need angry letters from parents about why in Merlin's name they were letting a murderer teach Defense. (Not that Dimitri had wanted to kill people - it had simply been part of his curriculum. Very nice school indeed.)
As for the war, it seemed it had not quite penetrated Hogwarts yet. Well.. there was some tension between those who believed in pureblood supremacy and those who didn't, but so far the staff had been able to keep it all very low profile. A few detentions had been given out, a few very serious warnings, but nothing had escalated yet. Dimitri wondered if this was the right way to go, though. It would be summer in a few months and the students would be going home then - wouldn't it be better to prepare them for the worst? Just to be sure? Dumbledore had assured him it wouldn't be a good idea to frighten the students unnecessarily and Dimitri supposed the headmaster had a point. Dim was in the Order himself, so he had seen 'the worst' a couple of times - maybe that was clouding his judgement. Maybe it was good that they made Hogwarts feel like a safe haven. The students were only children, they were not supposed to get tangled up in wars.
"You would not let anything happen." Adel's voice pulled the teacher out of his thoughts and he flashed a smile at her. "Not if I can help it." His smile widened slightly as she smiled back. This is what he did this for - this feeling of being trusted was so worth it.

Dimitri had brought up Christmas because it was usually a happy subject. Incidentally, it wasn't really for Adel or him, so that made it a bad guess, but what other common subject could he have introduced? He was pretty sure that Adel didn't want to hear about marking essays or lesson plans and Dim was rather sure he ought not amuse her with an anecdote of the last argument between Slughorn and MacGonagall (which, incidentally, had been pretty amusing, but might undermind their authority as teachers). No, when Dim had asked about Christmas, he expected to hear a happy story about family and presents and snow and puddings.
He was generally rather up to date about his students' happenings at home. He knew Annelise's brother had been murdered last year, he knew the tense situation at the Black brother's home, but the death of Adel's mother had occurred long, long before she had started attending Hogwarts and he had not been told, no doubt because it was seen as irrelevant to how she was doing at school. It didn't influence her progress like the death of Jacob had shocked Annelise, after all - or did it?
Still, her answer was satisfying enough. He didn't see any harm in why a student would want to spend Christmas at school. Many of the older students did so in order to be with their friends.

Adel needn't worry about her clothing. Because really - it wasn't like Dimitri was going to notice. No offense, but he didn't generally pay much attention to students' clothing, unless something with the uniform was not in order. He was supposed to be strict about the uniforms, but in truth, he never was. Dimitri hated the uniforms. It made all students look alike, robbed them of their individuality. He knew the reason why uniforms were custom in the UK, to blur the distinction between rich and poor, to make everyone equal, but teenagers were inventive. They had other ways of humiliating those who had second-hand books, other ways of showing that they had luxuries most other students could never dream to afford. No, Dimitri didn't like the school uniform, but he didn't have any better solution, either, so he was just going to have to live with it.
So, not paying attention to what Adel was wearing, Dimitri was moving what looked like a giant bird cage out of the way. "My Christmas?" he echoed Adel's question, putting the huge thing down. It wasn't heavy, it just was big and difficult to handle. Maybe he should've levitated it. Oh well. "Rather quiet, to be honest - but that's the way I like it." Like Adel told herself that Christmas at school was the most magical Christmas she could possibly have, Dim convinced himself every year that he didn't mind having Christmas dinner with colleagues or on his own. "Went home for a few days to pick up some things, to show the neighbours I was still alive," he half joked. Speaking of neighbours.. "Do you like shortbread, by the way? My muggle neighbour made me a batch for a Christmas present-" he paused and flashed Adel a bit of a guilty smile "-I hate shortbread, but I just couldn't say 'no', she was being so nice. You can have it if you want, share it with your friends or something."

[chaos]

..

What's a crush to do?

Unique did not quite cover the description. Wizards simply did not clean themselves.well I clean things myself? But that doesn’t count, because everyone knows I am not normal…and he is a teacher. Teachers are supposed to be normal. And don’t they have more important stuff they should be doing? these were the arguments she kept to herself as she thought over the reasons why he was actually manually cleaning anything. It was not a bad thing, per say after all she had does it herself but she had always accepted her status as different before she had ever realized that cleaning something obsolete. Though growing up in a muggle neighborhood made this oddity seem normal, at least more normal than the other things Adel had been caught doing. the girl loves her broom and quidditch Well it’s good to know someone can clean up something without house elves

What do you want to be when you grow up? it was an very easy question when she was a child. All she had to do was cross her arms and tell them very firmly that she was never growing up. Maybe it was the fact that she actually read books or maybe watched too many movies, but she firmly believed that Narinia was behind every wardrobe and peter pan would eventually come for her. Sad thing is that no matter how many closets and wardrobes she explored or how many times she looked for the second star on the right, she never found what she was looking for. Now when people asked her that same exact question it wasn’t cute to not grow up.

Nope, I am not sure I could listen to people complain for a living she shook her head at the thought. She knew he was only teasing her, but the very thought of having to listen to people whine about their said lives would make her depressed and upset. the girl gets a little too emotional. Admittedly at first she would probably be super supportive and reassuring, but then she would probably snap at someone who only needed a hug, but the reality was that she could only take so much whining before she would have told her patients to grow a pair. the girl has a short temper Her response wouldn’t go over well with most her clients, so she was going to avoid being a psychiatrist if she could help it. I do better with animals, than people she added in defense. It was not that she did not like people, but comparatively animals had the upper hand. Animals do not lie. They do not tell your secrets. They genuinely liked you for you or in some cases your food, but it didn’t matter because they were unconditionally loved you. Not for your looks or your house, but just for you and that was all Adel was ever looking for.

Though doing what you loved every day did not sound like a bad plan. It was just the fact that she was not sure she loved anything enough to be doing it for the rest of her life. Yes she loved Quidditch, but she loved it because it was an escape for the every day. If she hadto do it, she feared she would lose her love for it. It was fun because she could lose herself on the field. Playing for a living might as well trap her there. Yet here was Dimitri, doing what he loved every day of his life. He was a great teacher and Adel looked up to him maybe that was the problem.

Not if I can help it. Those words made her take a deep breath. It was nice being able to trust someone. Maybe that is why she was crushing so hard on a teacher, because it was so easy to do. He made her feel safe and protected. Not a lot made her feel that way. Maybe it was the war or maybe it was her past. Though the past was the past, Adel lived in the now and sometimes in occasional day dreams but we won’t go into that. Christmas was supposed to be a happy time, and it was. Adel wouldn’t complain to anyone about it, no one wanted to hear a sob story, and she didn’t want any sympathy. So she made the best of it, which was why she stayed in Hogwarts.

what could possibly go in that cage she curiously peeked over the side of the giant bird cage looking between him and the cage as she asked. She nodded and smiled as he told about his Christmas. Though her she looked up from the object she was about to pick up when he mentioned cookies. She was a highly food motivated individual. You couldn’t tell by her figure but she ate like a giant. Of course, I love food it was a simple answer, but it was the truth. She really want not a picky eater, but when it came to sweets she would eat anything. Forgetting the thing she was about to pick up and move she pranced back over to where he stood ya you really cant turn down home baked anything, its kind of a rule she smirked as she pictured her first home cooked meals. Look up she took another step towards him. baking is not as easy as it sounds she said as she wiggled her finger at him in a tisk tisk manner. The crooked smile on her face said she was only joking, yet the close distance between them and the gleam in her eye said something more.

when he can't get through

^{word count: 942
lyrics: crush - cute is what we aim for
Other: I am back!}

[Dimitri Mikhail Zolnerowich]

Yep, most wizards probably thought Dimitri was insane. The sting of detergent on skin, wrinkly fingers from the water, the general time and effort it took - cleaning is not often considered a fun job. If Dimitri was anything, it was far, far from normal. No one ever really was, but Dimitri was just a silly man. Don't tell him I said that, but it's true. He's a figure of dichotomies, not in the least in the way he ran from the people who expected him to conform to their views, only to live somewhere else and then trying so hard to be liked. Did that make him independent or the complete opposite? Hard to tell. Cleaning things manually is the least of Dimitri's quirks.
He smiled at her a little. "Goodness knows I've had it with servants," he joked good-naturedly. "I don't know what it is but something about them just throws me off. No species should live in such overwhelming servitude, it's asking for trouble."

Dimitri had not been the growing-up-type either. But first his parents had forced him to grow up, making him do things Dimitri thought not even adults would do, and then he'd had to grow up in order to start a life for himself, away from there. He still has a weakness for fairy tales, however - not that he'll ever admit it. I think Dimitri would be delighted to find Narnia in the back of his wardrobe - just for one second, and then he would worry how it had gotten there. It was a pity, to be sure, but times like these tended to turn good things sour.
As he wrung the water from the piece of cloth he was cleaning with, he laughed softly at Adel's brusque way of dismissing psychiatry as a career option. "It's not about just listening, though - it's about creating solutions," he commented with a smile. Had he been able to emotionally detach himself, he might've thought about becoming a psychiatrist. Which is funny, because in another universe, he is one! He smiled as she admitted to working with animals better than with people. It was true that animals were less two-faced and that was nice, but Dimitri did appreciate conversation every once in a while. Plus he tended to be clumsy with animals - his cat was already the most spoiled specimin on the planet, probably. "Maybe, but you're not exactly bad with people, I think." Dimitri flashed her a reassuring smile. "You're just honest and forward, there's nothing wrong with that initially." Of course sometimes more tact was required, nothing was ever black and white. Almost nothing, anyway.

As nice as Adel found it to be able to trust someone, Dimitri found it felt equally great to be trusted. Somehow, it was so easy for most of the students open up to him. Dimitri wasn't sure why. Did they just accept it as truth that he was trustworthy because he was a teacher or did he really appear like a good man to them? Or did they fake it and tried to make it seem so just as hard as he did - that was a possibility as well, of course. Not a possibility Dimitri preferred, but it was there nonetheless.
Christmas usually was happy, yes. And English Christmas was so very different from Russian Christmas! To begin with, the completely different date, because in Eastern Orthodox Christian countries Christmas was celebrated on January 7 and it was mostly something of a religious event, not specifically a cozy time to spend with family. Dimitri remembered the long, boring services in church on Christmas Eve he'd had to sit through during his youth all too well and then after that - worse! - going home for the 'Holy Supper'. He sometimes wondered if that was the reason why he didn't like excessive eating, because the 'Holy Supper' consisted of twelve courses - one to honour each apostle. His parents had always liked showing off their wealth, so the food had been extravagant and exotic to the point where the young Dimitri simply hadn't wanted to eat anything anymore. It had always been too much for him to stomach and his father had always insisted that he eat everything. Every year had been a struggle. And then, after the Holy Supper, eventually, his parents would drag him back to church again for the всеночная, the All Night Vigil, which he'd sit through feeling sick or half asleep or both. Sure, some aspects of Russian Christmas were the same as in England, like the figure of Father Christmas, called Дед Мороз ('Grandfather Frost'), with the added character of his granddaughter Снегурочка ('Snegurochka' or The 'Snowmaiden'), but it was not enough to make it a cozy time, in Dimitri's opinion.
But oh, British Christmas, English Christmas - that was brilliant. That was a time for family and light and late-night shopping for the perfect gift in the snow with the prospect of hot chocolate afterwards. It was just all so cozy, with stockings and carols and Christmas crackers and presents and Christmas trees and Charles Dickens. Interestingly enough British Christmas ended on January 6 - the day before Russian Christmas started - and it was considered bad luck to have any Christmas decorations still up by that time. Dimitri found that amusing - the whole of Russia must've been having a lot of bad luck for a long, long time then!

"This cage?" he echoed, putting it to the side. "All sorts of things, really. When I came here, there was a dead parrot inside." Dimitri pulled a face - it had been rather disgusting. Apparently the previous teacher had gone off and left his pet behind to die. Considering that parrots were highly social beings that could go mad from sheer loneliness, he didn't like to think of what the last weeks of the bird's life must have been like. "I keep it here for show mostly, really.. Might put some model in, I don't know," he admitted. "I don't want to throw it away because I know that when I do, I'll probably need it." He chuckled to himself.
He laughed again when she admitted that she loved food in that straightforward, honest way she was. "Good, you take the lot then. Remind me when we're done cleaning, if you walk along to my rooms I'll give you the whole batch." It was probably good she wasn't a picky eater - no growing teenager should be! Dimitri is just slightly neurotic about food (and other things - which might be why he gets along with Devin so well). Standing on a box that didn't look particularly stable, he reached up a higher shelf to empty it so he could dust it off. He handed a few boxes to Adel so she could put them out the way. "No, I know that. It would be too impolite, turning down gifts. But it would be a waste to throw it away, and I know I will, so it's for the best that you have it."
He half grinned at her as she chided to him that baking wasn't easy. "Oh, I know it isn't," he said, "can you pass me the-" he gestured for the bucket of water and smiled as she handed it over "thanks. Anyway, I know it's not easy - that's why I never do it. Plus I wouldn't eat the results, anyway, so that would be a little useless." He hadn't quite noticed how close she was, too caught up in chatting and cleaning and (more importantly!) keeping his balance.



[Ahem, sorry for the huge digression on Christmas there? I'm a culture fetishist xD]