Post by Deleted on Jan 28, 2013 19:35:59 GMT -8
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Professor Kettleburn had been teaching Care of Magical Creatures for a few decades now, and was practically as old as Hogwarts itself. Wrinkly and straight-laced, he seemed to Noomi to possess a wavering grasp on reality. He frequently forgot her name and tended to refer to himself in third person. Frankly, he was getting senile, and it should have come to no surprise when he retired respectfully and quietly. Kettleburn had begun the term confidently, but within a couple months, resigned, leaving his assistant, Noomi Wolfram, a bit in the lurch. A Squib, she certainly wasn't qualified to teach the class independently - at least now in the eyes of the Ministry of Magic and over-protective parents . She had been told by Headmaster Dumbledore that a replacement would be due shortly, but until then, the class was her sole responsibility. In any case, Noomi was no less grateful. As financially lucrative as backdoor creature breeding and trading was, it was becoming a bit exhausting. She was eager for something more stable. Teaching the Care of Magical Creatures class was her dream job. The only thing was, Noomi didn't exactly like kids and she was pretty sure they didn't like her.
That was the worry she struggled with all morning as she paced back and forth across the Hogwarts grounds. Kids... they were agonizing, truth be told. They were always shouting, and running around, and dong something incredibly daft. It was like they didn't have brains at all. When Kettleburn had held this post, he really only used Noomi for hands-on tasks, like when they were dealing with bigger beasts like unicorns or thestrals. All Noomi had to do was keep the creature under control, make sure they didn't get spooked, et cetera. For an animal breeder like herself – illegal or not – it was quite the simple task. Even without magic, she was more than capable of making sure a hippogriff didn't beak a student to death. And the best part was that she barely had to say to words to the magical brats. Now though, it appeared that the tables had turned. Now she'd actually have to talk to them, not just at them, the latter of which was more her specialty. She groaned inwardly at the thought of having to deal with their insipid inquiries and inflated hormones. Merlin help her.
Noomi stood at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. A thestral mare and foal stood at Noomi's side as she waited anxiously for the first students to arrive. She ran her hand across the mother's forehead, whispering gentle shushing sounds to calm the creature and, more importantly, herself. To those idiot children, it would probably look as if she were stroking the air, murmuring to herself. Noomi could see the two thestrals as clear as day. At least she could have this moment of peace before the students arrived. Releasing a gentle sigh, Noomi silently prayed this day would go alright. She had yet to bond with any of the students. Much like Filch, Noomi was really more of an enigma to the students rather than someone they came to. Noomi wasn't really sure if she wanted that to change. She couldn't imagine becoming the best of friends with any of her students. They didn't have to like her, but they would at least give her their respect, that was for damn sure. She wasn't about to let some privileged witches and wizards push her around just because she was a sad, little Squib. Fuck that shit.