Meeting with a student (Angel Shield) on Cascade Hall

Headmistress Kijewski

November 05, 2011 7:22 PM

Meeting with a student (Angel Shield) by Headmistress Kijewski

Kiva had been going through some of the student paperwork to get to know them and to determine with there were any that she might need to keep on eye on. There was one student in particular that had caught Kiva’s eye. Angel Shield. There was little to no information provided for him other than his medical reports. This concerned Kiva. There should be some sort of paper trail with him, but there just wasn’t.

She had given it some thought for a couple of days before finally deciding on her best course of action. She had sent an owl to request a meeting with the first year and was now awaiting his arrival. Kiva wasn’t sure how well the boy would take any of what she was going to say to him. Kiva couldn’t imagine any eleven year old would be too happy about being called to the Headmistress’s office and then be told it was because there she needed to determine what level of schooling he was at. She didn’t think it would go over too well. Of course, maybe it wouldn’t matter too greatly. There was a chance that his guardian hadn’t been too sure of what to send or did not have licensed tutors that could send any information to her that she needed. Kiva knew of many Pureblood families who took this route when it came to educating their children.

If it were to be any of those reasons, Kiva would find out after Angel finished the workbook and Kiva would happily send him on the way to enjoy his first year at Sonora. However, if the reason was because Angel didn’t have formal education, it would mean that he would have to have special help. She was okay with acknowledging this because she had the help that he needed. She just didn’t know if he would be okay with acknowledging this too. Most people didn’t enjoy admitting they needed help.

Over the years of having been a Professor, Kiva had accepted this knowledge, but hadn’t really done anything to change it. This year, she had wanted things to be different. By doing that, she wanted to begin a peer tutoring program. Students seemed to like working with others their age instead of with adults. So, she sometime within the near future, she will be owling specific students with whom some of the professors had advised were excelling in certain fields. It was their choice to agree to be tutors, but Kiva was hoping they would want to help and, it would look good on their applications.

She would worry about that later. For now, she watched the hallway, waiting for her student to arrive. Most students never knew what the hall of plants was for, but it was the guide to the Headmistress’s office. At the end of the hall was Tony the Plant who would declare visitors to her and then open the ‘wall’ to her office. Today, she left the entrance open so that Angel would not have to figure out the mind of Tony the Plant.

Upon seeing him, Kiva smiled openly and stood up from her desk. “Hello Mr. Shield, I appreciate you coming to see me. Please have a seat.” Kiva indicated the chair across from her and then sat back down again. “I wanted to discuss your educational background, Angel. Your Guardian didn’t send very much information to me regarding your progress, so I was hoping you could fill in some blanks for me.”

She paused there to see if Angel was comfortable with this conversation. “Can you tell me what you have learned?”

0 Headmistress Kijewski Meeting with a student (Angel Shield) 0 Headmistress Kijewski 1 5

Angel Shield

November 06, 2011 12:38 PM

... by Angel Shield

Breakfast had been skipped altogether. Nervousness made his stomach ache, and for the first time in a long time he wondered if it would reject even the nutrient potion he had to take twice a day. The sick feeling remained on the edge, but never quite fell over it as Angel moved quietly down the hall of plants at the designated time. His bare feet made no sound at all as he moved along the plant lined hall way and Angel came to a quiet halt just outside of the open doorway.

Angel kept his eyes on the ground a few feet in front of him as the Headmistress stood up from her desk and welcomed him into the room. Hesitant steps led the young Teppenpaw into the room and he perched on the edge of the seat offered. He didn’t know what should have been sent, but apparently it hadn’t arrived, so Angel would need to tell the woman whatever it was she wanted to know. One pale foot tapped lightly on the ground, its bare state hidden easily by the too large robe as Angel fidgeted under her scrutiny.

“Can you tell me what you have learned?” The question hung unpleasantly in the air as Angel attempted to formulate a proper response. What did she wish him to say? The question didn’t give him any indication of the answer she wanted to hear. And, not knowing that Angel felt lost. With his mother he’d never had lessons. It was only when Lady Cynthia took him in that she decided seems he could do accidental magic, no matter how aggravating (no matter how fitted the robes they always ended up two sizes too big, eventually the woman just gave up and bought them that way) he should learn enough to get into one of the schools that would no doubt send him a letter when he turned eleven.

Being a healer it didn’t take her long to find a woman with a child sick enough to require a ridiculous amount of money to treat. The woman (Miss Mary) couldn’t afford the cost and Lady Cynthia made a deal with her. Teach her ward whatever he was capable of learning, and she would treat the child for free. Over the next two years the woman met with Angel for four hours a day, five days a week. Learning progressed slowly, mostly due to the fact that she had heard far too many stories about the Shield family and believed it to be cursed. This resulted in her wanting as little interaction with the small albino as possible, so she taught him the basics and mostly had him spend his time in busy work so that she didn’t have to work with him directly.

Biting his lip lightly Angel spoke, his soft Georgian flavored words short and lacking in detail “Mathematics, reading, writing.” Language had been the most difficult for the young boy, but mathematics had clicked very well and he’d excelled in that subject.

0 Angel Shield ... 0 Angel Shield 0 5

Headmistress Kijewski

November 06, 2011 6:45 PM

This really isn't so painful by Headmistress Kijewski

Many in this school may be surprised by Angel’s appearance, but Kiva wasn’t. He was not the first albino student to ever grace these halls and she didn’t think he would be the last either. As rare of a genetic defect Albinism was, it was not so rare that one couldn’t meet multiple people with the disorder. She knew there was another reason why students (and some professors) may stare at the young boy in front of her. He was a Shield. A long ago prominent Pureblood family that faded away when they failed to procreate outside of their own family. The family was thought to have died out, but the boy was clearly proof otherwise.

She waited patiently for him to answer her. She knew it was a vague question, but any one with formal training would have been easy to answer her with what they have learned. Years of tutors and proper educational lessons were so ingrained in students, they could recite them in their sleep. That included Muggleborns who went through Elementary schooling. Those who did not have formal education might find it more difficult to explain what it was that they have done and what they feel they are capable of.

When he finally spoke, Kiva was grateful that they were in her quiet office and not surrounded by a bunch of others because she had to strain to hear him and he was only across her desk. “Angel, it is customary to look at a person when addressing them.” She commented, her words light and friendly, not harsh or commanding at all. She had been around plenty of people before who never made eye contact. Sometimes though, it could be unnerving. As though they were frightened or hiding something. She preferred to look someone in the eye when having a conversation.

“Alright, so you at least have the basics.” Kiva said more to herself than to him. “I would like for you to tell me about yourself and the types of lessons you were given so that I can assess a few things.” Kiva explained to him. Kiva pulled out some parchment and inked her quill, ready for him to begin talking about himself. She wanted to take notes so that she could place it in his permanent file, just in case she did not remain Headmistress and whoever ran the school after her needed to know his history. “This is to help ensure you are okay here at Sonora.”

0 Headmistress Kijewski This really isn't so painful 0 Headmistress Kijewski 0 5

Angel

November 06, 2011 11:14 PM

... by Angel

Crimson eyes leapt up from the desk and made eye contact for exactly three seconds before dropping again. Don’t look at me with those demon eyes! the voice of a dead woman jolted though him like lightning. Keeping his eyes on the floor was something that had been ingrained in him from a very young age. It was nearly impossible now for him to actually look at someone full on for more than a brief moment.

At first it seemed like the answer was satisfactory and Angel relaxed slightly figuring she would dismiss him now that she had the information she sought. But, instead of dismissing him she asked further even more open ended questions. Tell her about myself? What, what does she want me to say? He had no idea how to answer that question. He chewed on his thumbnail as he tried to figure out what to say. Finally he settled on just a random list of facts beginning with his name, even though the woman already knew it. “Angel Shield, albino, mentally defective, digestive defects.” The words were ones that Lady Cynthia associated most often with him, so he figured they would suffice. She had decided from the start that Angel suffered from more than just physical defects, and Angel believed her. After all, she was a healer, she would know best.

Feeling like he’d adequately answered the question about himself, he moved on to his lessons. “Two years, reading, Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, writing Tuesdays, Thursdays, mathematics Wednesdays, Fridays.” Again Angel fell silent, feeling slightly out of breath from the long answer. He hoped that was what she wished to know, if not he was sure she would change the question. Then maybe he would have a better idea of what she wanted him to say.

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Headmistress Kijewski

November 08, 2011 8:27 PM

We're nearly at the end now. by Headmistress Kijewski

Kiva had to mentally sigh. He must have been awfully shy if he couldn’t even bare to look at her for thirty seconds. As much as she preferred to have someone look at her when she was speaking and at her when they were speaking, but if he wasn’t ready for such contact, than she couldn’t very well force it upon him. That wasn’t likely going to get him to like her any or be willing to continue on with this conversation, let alone possible tutoring if it were required. Kiva wasn’t here to scare him off or anger him in any way. She just wanted to be sure he had the educational background that would allow him to work equally with his peers.

After asking him to explain to her about himself and of his lessons, Angel had just sat in front of her without saying a word. She hadn’t thought either question to be terribly difficult. She had asked it of others plenty of times in her life. An eleven year old would almost eagerly go about explaining himself. An eleven year old would likely chat her ear off with all the things that make them happy (cookies, Quidditch, their family) or even of things that made them unhappy. That was just how the minds of children and teenagers worked. Maybe not so much the older adolescents who were a bit more jaded, but an eleven year old would tell someone their thoughts.

When Angel finally did speak, he gave her information that was clearly obvious to her. Well, minus the mental defectiveness. She knew about the digestive problems as his Guardian had provided the necessary information to their school medic. His explanation for his lessons was even more vague and the fact that he had said ‘two years’ made Kiva all the more suspicious. Kiva took her head trying to process what she needed to explain to him about the type of information she was looking for. She thought she had been obvious with her question, but perhaps not. “Angel, I’m sorry, I’m a bit confused. You said mental defect and only two years of schooling? Did I hear you correctly?” She asked him, hoping that she had heard wrong.

“With only two years of schooling, I am not sure you will be able to keep up with the course load that first years have.” Kiva advised him. “Don’t worry though, I have someone in mind who can help you with your work and make sure you get caught up and on the right track. Her name is Dulce Garcia, she’s been tutoring students for a couple years now and she has top marks in all of her classes.” Kiva pulled out a parchment and handed it to him. “This is your course load and Dulce’s schedule. I expect you’ll meet up with her. I will be checking up on you periodically to be sure this is helping.”

0 Headmistress Kijewski We're nearly at the end now. 0 Headmistress Kijewski 0 5

Angel

November 08, 2011 10:54 PM

... by Angel

“Yes.” Angel said, feeling a bit more confident now that she was asking a simple yes or no question. He hoped that was the answer that she was looking for, because she did seem a bit annoyed though not overly much. Maybe now I can go? He wondered hopefully as he waited to see what she’d say next.

”With only two years of schooling, I am not sure you will be able to keep up with the course load that first years have.” Kiva said, and Angel’s eyes snapped again to her face, widening in denial. Lady Cynthia would be so angry with him. Classes hadn’t even started yet, and the Headmistress was already going to send him back because he wouldn’t be able to keep pace with the other students. His pale pink lips parted as he fumbled for the right words to promise that he would keep up, even if he had to study for hours on end he would do it!

Before he could utter a single syllable she spoke again. Angel visibly relaxed when it wasn’t a command to go and repack his bags but an offer of tutoring with an older student. Taking the parchment with fingers that shook slightly Angel nodded his agreement, his chest still tight with the brief panic at the thought of being sent away. He was willing to take whatever help he could get as long as the student was still willing to help him after she learned his name.

0 Angel ... 0 Angel 0 5

Headmistress Kijewski

November 16, 2011 8:27 PM

Eventually, you'll have to talk. by Headmistress Kijewski

Watching Angel, Kiva wondered what type of home life he must have really had. He was so passive and meek. This was a personality she was not accustomed to when it came to boys. Sure there were shy boys, Ryan O’Malley was a shy kid, but she thought he had no problem talking to her or looking at her while she was speaking to him. There had been many shy students to walk these halls, but she wasn’t sure any were quite like Angel.

Maybe he was afraid? From what she could recall of the information she had learned of the Shields growing up, they were not a popular Pureblood family. But her knowledge was limited and she didn’t care so much about the politics of bloods (of course, now she had to be aware of them more in her current position), so those things didn’t really matter to her. But there were some who still held on to those past ideals and might view Angel in a very negative light.

At the mention of having to go to a tutor, Kiva expected some sort of argument of denial of needing a tutor, but Angel simply nodded. That went much easier than she had anticipated. Of course, after having him in her office for this long, perhaps she should have realized that he would have just passively agreed. “Okay, I’m glad that you are agreeing to the tutoring. I expect you to meet with Dulce everyday after classes to work with her and then I’ll discuss your progress with Dulce to figure out how much tutoring you may need.” Kiva let this information sink in for a moment before continuing. “Unless you have any questions, you are free to go.”

0 Headmistress Kijewski Eventually, you'll have to talk. 0 Headmistress Kijewski 0 5

Angel

November 18, 2011 9:20 PM

... by Angel

Another small nod of agreement was given at the Headmistress’s declaration he meet with the tutor each day. It was acceptable to Angel, more than acceptable. Magic came easily to the young albino, but he was abysmal at bookwork. If he wished to make even a low passing grade he’d need the offered help.

Why? That was the question Angel wanted to voice, but it remained locked in his throat. Why would she willingly offer to help him? Of what concern was it to her, his success or failure? Angel could understand why Lady Cynthia got him a tutor, simply because she didn’t want to attempt to teach him herself. But the Headmistress had no such reasons, from where Angel sat it appeared she had no reason at all to offer him aid.

He could taste the word on his lips, almost feel it straining against his teeth to be free but in the end he just clutched the sheet a little harder. The sound of parchment crinkling under his too tight fingers helped keep the question from escaping. It wouldn’t do to anger her and lose this opportunity. The reasons didn’t matter in the end, just the results. Please don’t hate me. Angel thought as he stood to leave. Learning from a tutor that hated him would be of little use and he desperately needed the help.

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