Adam Brockert
November 03, 2006 7:59 PM
Is it safe? by Adam Brockert
It was the morning of the Quidditch championship. Adam figured that most people would probably be there and it might be a little bit safer to enter the library. He would have been there even though he didn't care for the sport at all and there were so many people there so he could support his sister but she'd wanted him to stay in so he wouldn't get sick from the heat. Adam had been sticking to Kaylie since the pumpkin incident in Defense. He was more anxious than ever about being around people, particularily the first and second years. He knew they all hated him.So instead of cheering Kaylie on, Adam was in the library looking for a new book to read. He liked books because they couldn't judge him and laugh at him the way people did. Well, he supposed they could technically if they were the right kind of book, but Adam didn't read books like that, for obvious reasons. He perused the shelves, looking for something safe. A non-laughing, non-biting book.
Suddenly, he heard footsteps behind him. All the blood drained from Adam's face and he began to quiver. A wave of acid welled up in his belly. Whoever it was would probably be very cruel to him, perhaps tease him about Defense. Adam's eyes darted around furtively searching for a place to hide, but before he could make his move he came face to face with the other person.\n\n
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Adam Brockert
Is it safe?
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Adam Brockert
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Professor Deck
November 05, 2006 2:45 PM
As can be. by Professor Deck
It wasn't that Declan disliked Quidditch; hell, he was British born and bred. It was practically required. But ever since Michael's death... well, they'd met at a Quidditch match, hadn't they? Harpies versus Cannons, almost nine years ago. Harpies won, of course, though Michael'd cheered himself hoarse for the Cannons, his almost flourescent orange shirt clashing awfully with dark red hair. Deck smiled at the memory and shook his head, laughing noiselessly.In any event, Quidditch wasn't something he had much interest in anymore. Sure, when he was back in England he attended his sister's games--she played for a local league when she wasn't interning at St. Mungo's--but even that brought back painful memories. That was why championship day found 'Professor Deck,' as he'd come to be known by a majority of the student body, perusing the astronomy section of the library for lesson ideas for next year. The year had gone so fast that he hadn't even had a chance to look into ordering those Muggle texts, like he'd discussed with Tarq back when he first arrived... maybe for the fourth and fifth years next term...
After exhausting the astronomy shelves, he moved on to fiction, looking for a little light reading for later. He turned a corner, looking for the beginning of the 'D' section--a little Dostoevsky wouldn't be amiss--when he found himself face to face with a trembling second year. Adam Brockert, he thought. He'd noticed the boy during the first Astronomy lesson--quiet, shy to a point most wild animals didn't reach, and incredibly nervous. The boy looked ready to be sick even running into someone here.
Declan smiled a little, his dark green eyes crinkling kindly. "All right there, Adam?" he asked softly, half due to the hush of the library and half because of the boy's jumpiness. "Not a Quidditch fan?"\n\n
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Professor Deck
As can be.
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Professor Deck
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Adam B.
November 13, 2006 9:40 PM
So you won't hurt me? by Adam B.
Adam calmed down slightly, but only slightly. At least it was only a staff member, and not a scary one like Professor O'Leary or Coach Fox. Professor Deck seemed rather nice, aside from making them work in groups which Adam really, truly despised.Something he hated more than Quidditch even, but how could Adam tell Professor Deck that? The man had specifically asked about it and Adam was terrified that he'd laugh at him. Professor Deck might think he was a real loser. Men seemed to live and breathe sports but the second year was very different. Adam simply wasn't interested. He didn't like playing because he was deathly afraid of flying and he didn't really care for the game in general because it was so violent. He knew that was weird too. Boys were supposed to be aggressive and like violence and gruesome stuff. Adam was a freak of nature. He hated that Kaylie played too because he was always so sure she'd get hurt. She'd been lucky not to when they played Crotalus and she'd been against Lily. Plus, that other Geoffrey tried to hurt her the year before. The thought that something that could happen to her terrified Adam to the point it made him slightly ill.
He looked down at the ground and shook his head. "No, sir, not really," Adam whispered meekly, bracing himself for the potential laughter and criticism that he normally expected from everyone except Kaylie. And Gray, she'd been super nice to him. Maybe Pepper. He was still pretty sure Ginger was mad at him though. "I-I like reading better. Plus it's so hot out, my sister-she's the Teppenpaw Seeker,-told me to stay in so I didn't get sick. " He felt so ashamed and he hoped Professor Deck didn't think less of him than he probably did already. After all, who could like him ?\n\n
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Adam B.
So you won't hurt me?
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Adam B.
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Professor Deck
November 14, 2006 9:45 AM
Pinky promise. by Professor Deck
Well, the boy looked marginally less nauseous, which Deck supposed was a good sign. It still worried him how very anxious Adam was. And he'd ended up in Crotalus? Merlin, no wonder the boy was a mess..."You'll have to forgive an old man," Deck said with a wink (though in all honesty, the passage of his thirtieth birthday a few weeks back had led to a little despir on his part, as had the discovery of a gray hair). "Why don't we sit down? My back's killing me." True enough--but that was because Twitch had managed to get stuck under the wardrobe again, and Deck, never the biggest nor strongest of men, had had to lift it manually... mostly because it was two in the morning, Twitch's yowling had awoken him, and Deck was too half-asleep to remember a simple levitation charm.
As Adam spoke, Deck turned two chairs away from the table so that they were facing one another, but not directly; he settled down into the first, left ankle crossed over his right knee, hands folded in his lap as he listened attentively, doing what Maggie called his "armchair-psychiatrist routine." From the way he whispered his response to Deck's question, Adam was... afraid?... of Deck's reaction. And the number of excuses he gave afterward--trying to make it seem like a preference of books rather than an avoidance of Quidditch... and his sister's orders...
From behind a kind smile, Deck watched the boy shrewdly. If he was any judge, all of Adam's problems were rooted in what appeared to be zero self-confidence. Was there anything Deck could do to help that...?
"I don't really like Quidditch anymore, either," he said, dropping his voice to a more confiding tone. "It's such a dangerous sport... of course, here at the school it's marginally safer than out in the real world. Instead of just a mediwizard, the coach, and the referee, you have an entire school's-worth of professors keeping an eye on the students, and Doctor Wolfe is certainly a very capable man." Of course, he'd wince later when he found out exactly how violent the championship game had been--but on the whole, he was telling the truth. "And I like books too," he offered with a wink. "Have you met the librarian yet? Mr. Reynolds? He's a very nice man; a little shy, though, so you'll have to be gentle around him. I'm sure he'd be able to make better recommendations than a poor astronomy professor like myself."
He glanced over at the boy to see if his chatter was having any effect on him at all. "Adam, if you don't mind my asking... do you like cats?"\n\n
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Professor Deck
Pinky promise.
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Professor Deck
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Adam B.
November 17, 2006 8:25 PM
Well..okay. by Adam B.
Adam sat down across from Professor Deck timidly, his eyes downcast, as usual. However, hearing the professor say he didn't like Quidditch either, he looked back up, though still not right at the man. "Really?" Adam asked. "My sister's playing and I'm scared to death she'll get hurt. The Pecari beaters are really aggressive." He felt a bit like crying. He couldn't stand the idea of anything happening to Kaylie. "I know the medic is capable, but I worry anyway." Adam was a constant worrier. Lots of these worries kept him up at night. He never slept very well. "They could kill her!" His voice came out sounding strangled. The idea of losing Kaylie, the mere thought of it made Adam extremely depressed. He continued. "And Coach Fox is so mean. She'd probably say it was Kaylie's own fault if she got hurt and leave her on the ground to die."Adam gave the man a weak smile. "I love to read. It's what I do with my free time. I haven't met the librarian though." He tried to avoid meeting people in general. He was terrified of them. They were mostly cruel and awful. Besides, he was, well, not likeable. However, something Professor Deck said caught his attention. "He's shy? Like me?" Adam was obviously terminally shy and he knew it. That's why he could admit it to the astronomy professor.
His next inquiry confused Adam. Did he like cats? Oh Merlin, what was the right answer? What did Professor Deck want him to say? What if he answered wrong ? What if the professor didn't like him, like Professor O'Leary and most of the students didn't like him because Adam felt differently.
Adam looked back down at the ground and nodded meekly. "Y-yes. Um, I like them." He whispered. His real favorite was puffskiens though. He absolutely loved Peanut. Adam wasn't going to tell him that though, unless he was asked. What if Professor Deck thought they were stupid or didn't like them? \n\n
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Adam B.
Well..okay.
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Adam B.
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Professor Deck
November 17, 2006 10:18 PM
Good, then. by Professor Deck
Deck smiled reassuringly at the boy. "It is a violent sport, Adam, I won't lie to you. But the chances of your sister actually dying in a school match are... well, I don't think it's ever happened, at least not that I can think. Maybe once at Hogwarts--where I went to school--but several centuries ago, when medical magic was still rudimentary in comparison to today.""Oh yes, Tarquin's horribly shy. A good man, though. He'd be very glad to meet you, I think--and he's incredibly intelligent. Good for recommending books." He offered the boy a wink.
For some reason, Deck's question about the cats seemed to discomfit Adam again; the professor frowned. Was Adam's self-esteem so very low?
"I tell you what, Adam. I have a cat--a kitten, really, a bundle of energy. What with classes and everything, I don't really get a chance to play with him much, and I know he misses going outside... but I don't want him getting into trouble, you see? And I don't have the time to take him out and keep an eye on him. I was wondering if you might want to come around and take him out to the gardens, say, twice or three times a week?" he suggested, watching the boy closely.\n\n
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Professor Deck
Good, then.
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Professor Deck
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Adam B.
November 20, 2006 2:28 AM
*smiles* (A rare expression for this character) by Adam B.
Despite the hot day outside and the normal temperature in the library, Adam shivered. His pale blue eyes looked up at Professor Deck. "But all the beaters at this school are really sadistic and scary. I don't want anything to happen to her. I-I can't be without her." It was true. Things had always been hard for Adam without Kaylie. When she'd first gone to Sonora, he'd been so inconsolable that he got extremely depressed to the point where his resistance went down and he'd gotten quite sick. Being sorted into a different house than her was hard too. He went on, "Plus, she's my sister and I love her." Adam looked down on the ground. Would Professor Deck laugh at him just for loving his sister, never mind being dependent on her?Adam glanced back up again as the astronomy professor mentioned the librarian. "Is he as shy as me? And do you really think he'd like me?" The idea that anyone aside from Kaylie, Marshall and his parents could like him still seemed odd to the second year.
A nervous but genuine smile found its way to Adam's face. "I-I'd like doing that." He couldn't believe Professor Deck wanted him out of all the students at Sonora, to help with his cat. "I-I'll do the best job I possibly can do." Adam told him. "Does your cat like puffskiens at all? I,um, kind of have one." He really hoped the professor wouldn't say anything bad about puffskiens. Adam would feel so stupid if he did, especially after blurting out that he had one. He wasn't even sure why he'd mentioned it. He just wanted to know if Peanut could play with him and the cat too. Adam was afraid he'd regret saying it even though Professor Deck seemed nice. He even trusted Adam to play with his cat! It was just that his cousin, Damian, had made fun of him for having a puffskien over Christmas and called it a baby pet. It didn't make Adam like Peanut any less though. His cousin was just mean.\n\n
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Adam B.
*smiles* (A rare expression for this character)
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Adam B.
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