bakerstreet | ( picture prompt meme )

[Damn, Warren really planed this out, didn't he? Isaac can't help but raise his eyebrows, impressed despite himself. But instead of replying, he just raises his hands, palm froward, in an "alright" gesture, and stands up, grabbing his bag in the process.

Once he's inside said office, he flops down on the chair in front of his teacher's desk. He's not really worried about anything of this talk. He knows he hasn't anything that's actually wrong, whatever one feels about deliberate underachieving aside, and Warren didn't really scare Isaac. He'd known the man too well to not know he was more bark than bite.

It's only now that they're in Warren's office that Isaac speaks, even if just a word.] So.

[Warren can't help but sigh softly when Isaac throws himself into a chair, wanting to cluck his tongue about students who can't even bring themselves to treat furniture with a little dignity. Instead though he walks over to an old fashioned kettle, tapping it with his wand.] Tea? Coffee?

[He does turn around long enough to arch a cold eyebrow at that so however.] Really Isaac? So? [You could tell he was at least a little bit frustrated if he was going to use the kids first name rather than the more formal titles professors afforded to students here... but Isaac wasn't just some other student to Warren, having been a friend of the Dupond family for years.]

[Isaac shakes his head at the offer.] No thanks. [That, at least, was a display of politeness that his parents managed to permanently etch into his demeanor.

And then Warren is going into full family friend mode, complete with calling Isaac by his first name, and he's shrugging.] You asked me to stay, I can't just start the conversation! [Come on Warren, you should know this by now, is what he thinks but doesn't say.]

[Warren resists the urge to cluck his tongue at that too, sets about making himself a cup of coffee before bringing it and settling it down ont he desk and taking his own seat.]

If you can't start the conversation then perhaps you shouldn't try and make yourself irritating by saying so as if you don't know exactly why I brought you here today. [And he delivers it in his perfect you're a little bitch and I won't be having it tone.] Perhaps next time you should launch immediately into supplication.

Supplication? [And now he's raising his eyebrows, both because he's surprised at how strong Warren's word choice, and because, admittedly, he's a bit worried that he might have actually bombed the exam instead of getting the average score he thought he'd get by not studying. Still... He knew the material well enough to not fail, he's pretty sure.] That's a bit much, surely.

Supplication. [He says the word sharply and reaches out to take a sip of his coffee.] Don't forget, despite my ties with your parents Isaac... I'm a Ravenclaw first. We don't get confused in our choice of vocabulary and we definitely don't play games with the words we do choose.

[Ooooh, so that's why adults say the way they sometimes take house rivalry and traits so seriously is embarrassing. He knows better than to say that out loud, of course, but whew, that seemed a bit much even for him.

He just... Slowly half raises his hand, as if he's just asking a question in class.] Uh... House traits aside, can I... Please know my grade on the exam, just so we're both on the same page?

Edited 2017-01-15 20:32 (UTC)

[Warren pulls open a draw at his desk and pulls out the exam, even if it was only a practice the A grade is scratched over the top of it as if it were a personal insult.] An acceptable... with a subject so important as this? [He genuinely did seem insulted and sips on his coffee, giving the boy time to look over the paper. Perhaps he'd marked it harshly, but the point still stood. All because of a couple simple mistakes his grade had gotten progressively lower; it was clear that it was due to lack of attention to detail rather than lack of knowledge.] How would your father feel about this? Please, tell me what your perception of that is because I already know what he might say.

[He really should have seen this coming, in hindsight. In all the years he'd known Warren, the man hadn't ever taken academics as anything but the most vital of things in the life of anyone Isaac's age, so taking an A as a personal insult was... Expected. Annoying, but expected. He extends a hand towards the test and motions his fingers towards himself, silently asking to give a look over the test.] That I can and should do better, for one, I'd say.

[Warren actually laughs at that as if it were some great joke before taking another sip of his coffee.] An A Isaac... an A in one of the most oversubscribed NEWT subjects there is. Do you think they let people with just acceptable grades take NEWTs when there are others doing better and working twice as hard already waiting to start them? [He sighs, having burned away some of his anger with the rant.] What happened? Tell me.

[Isaac continues looking through his exam, secretly pleased that his prevision of his performance was accurate. Warren's question, on the other hand...

Truth was, he didn't study. But he doubts telling that to Warren would be anything but an invitation for futher lecturing and angering his professor some more, and truth be told, he's really not in the mood for that.] You know, that's a surprisingly hard question to answer. [Not for any reason Warren would appreciate, of course, but... Still, it gives him to think.] Best I can say is... I was distracted with something else at the time. [Meaning horsing around. He returns the exam to Warren as he speaks again.] It won't happen again. [Read: next exam before the final exams of the year, he'll cram just before it to get an E and keep Warren off his back.]

[Warren just frowns at that, finishing his coffee and setting the cup down, relaxing further as he leans on the desk, resting his head on his hand.] Distracted? Is there something you'd like to talk about? I mightn't be your head of house but at least I'm something more than a member of teaching staff to you, or at least I'd like to think. [Read: he's bought you gifts in the past you little shit.]

[Oh jesus, here comes the guilt. The man is right, of course, he is more to Isaac than just a teacher, almost an uncle, but 1) he's not admitting it right now or possibly any time soon, 2) gift or not, it's honestly better for the two of them if the truth doesn't come up. So, he shakes a hand and head no in response.] No, no, don't worry, it's nothing serious. It was like... [Quick simile that isn't suspect, quick simile that isn't suspect... Aha!] You know like those really stupid songs muggles have, that just stay stuck in your head? It kinda of like that. Just something stupid your brain doesn't let go.

[Warren wasn't offended by the head-shaking, not at all, it didn't hurt even the slighted bit. AKA You're a terrible fucking person Isaac and Warren doesn't have his own kids so he hopes you don't want him to continue being a nice pseudo-uncle.] Of course... just like a stupid muggle song. [He was half tempted to throw a book at the kid's head and call him a stupid muggle.] You know what my brain isn't happy letting go of right this moment? Your terrible grades.

[Oh boy... He knows that tone and look. And that... That is not a tone he ever done well with. Isaac is a dick, he knows that, but, actually hurting his family is... Not something he ever liked or something he ever did on purpose. And he knows he just did that to Warren, who, despite the lack of blood relation and the distance that had opened between the two over the years ever since Isaac went to Hogwarts, basically is.

There's a visible shift in Isaac's posture, almost as if the bravado and desire to be anywhere but there had been deflated out of him. He rubs his neck in discomfort before he finally speaks, his voice softens.] Look... Uh... [He bites his lip, wondering if he should call Warren by his name, speak to him as the son of a friend instead of just a student. For now, he decides to avoid going either way.] I'm sorry; I fucked up. I was messing around the whole time leading up to the exam, and that's how this happened. [And he really means the apology.] I'll do better next time. You deserve that much.

[Now Warren was able to acknowledge he was dealing with the boy he actually knew. He hated the fact that the kid had changed so thoroughly over the years, gone was the boy who treated him like a fun surprise when he showed up at the family manor and instead a certainly necessary coldness had bloomed into place between them because of the new roles they had to play. With Isaac's admission even Warren seems to relax.] Now that is more satisfactory than the song you'd been singing before. [He actually smiles then, in a way that wasn't going to fracture his entire face.] And of course you'll do better next time because neither of us want to see what would happen if you did genuinely terribly.

[He sighs slightly, resting his face on his hand again.] I don't enjoy lecturing you, you must know that, right? I'd much prefer to be able to take you into Hogsmeade for a Butterbeer than bring you into my office and yell at you for a sub-par performance.

[Isaac just nods at the end of the admonition. There really isn't anything else to say, after all. He doesn't want to see what would happen if he failed, and he doesn't want this to happen again, for several reasons. He's glad to see Warren smile, though, actually smile. It's a nice change from everything so far.

He allows himself a chuckle at the addition after the sigh.] In all fairness, you'd probably have to be a bit on the sadistic side to enjoy that.

[Warren's smile turns a little coy at that admission.] And who says I'm not at least a little bit on the sadistic side to begin with, Isaac? [Because really at the end of the day Warren knew himself he could be sadistic in certain regards, it took a special soul to make their profession teaching DADA.]

[He chuckles at that, raising an eyebrow in some disbelief.] Not gonna lie wouldn't really be able to tell from what I know of you.

[Warren just rolls his eyes at that.] Of course because I’m the portrait of innocence and purity. [He runs a hand through his messy hair, trying to pull it into some sort of order and just making it worse.] I wonder where you bought those rose tinted glasses of yours.

[He just rolls his eyes playfully and chuckles.] Please, I think I remember what happened at that dinner party in 2009 too well to think that. I just never saw you being particularly sadistic, is all.

[Warren raises an eyebrow at that.] What ever are you trying to say? [And he shrugs.] I think you have to be sadistic in some way to be a teacher.

[He bites his lower lip to contain his chuckle.] That I remember how not-innocent you can be when you want to. [He pauses at this before continuing.] Or when you and my father get drunk enough, I s'ppose. [He shrugs as well.] I guess you know that better than me, don't you?

[He just laughs loudly at that one, there was no point even trying to deny any of the information.] Well... that one is definitely true. I'd hate for you to go around painting me in that light though. [Even if he knew for a fact Isaac would never even consider it.] And believe me... no-one here has the taste for fire whiskey your father has. I'm in no danger of being that drunk.

[Isaac laughs at that, raising his eyebrows as he remember just how good his dad is with his fire whiskey.] You should see him when he gets his hands on good mead. But either way... [He waves his hand dismissively at Warren's concern.] Nobody would believe me if I did, so I couldn't even if I wanted.

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