My boys. [Dorian] on Potions

Mary Brooding-Hawthorne

June 08, 2020 11:59 PM

My boys. [Dorian] by Mary Brooding-Hawthorne

My boys. [Dorian]"Are you ready?" Mary asked, smiling at Zeus and running a finger through his blonde curls. "You're going to meet Mr. Dorian today. He's very excited to see you, and I think this will be lots of fun," she added, although whether she was telling Zeus or reassuring herself was not clear. She wasn't exactly sure whether Dorian was excited to meet Zeus, or whether it would be lots of fun, but she thought that it would at least be fun for Zeus, so that was good.

Before Zeus could answer with more than a grin, there was a knock and Mary turned around to find Dorian entering her office. She smiled, feeling a bit sheepish. Mary hadn't had any classes for the day, which might've meant she'd had time to get herself up to snuff for this meeting, but she'd spent the day babysitting and grading at the same time, so she was mostly just tired. A sheen of sweat on her brow, mussed hair, and a generally frazzled demeanor that had become her overall personality since the start of term were evidence of that.

"Hi, Dorian," she said. "Thank you for coming." She closed the distance between them and opened her arms for a hug, both because she was happy to see him and because she needed something to do with her arms. Plus, it seemed like a good, low-key way to show Zeus that Dorian was a safe person, and to show Dorian that he could just be himself. Zeus was generally a hugger in Mary's experience, but her experience was pretty limited so she wasn't sure what to expect on that front.

Hug done, Mary held her hand out to Zeus, who ran up to take it, his eager eyes fixed on Dorian's face, a grin spreading widely on his own. "This is Zeus."

Zeus nodded. "This is not mommy," he said seriously, pointing at Mary. "But mommy went away, so we can call her mommy." He nodded firmly, the matter clearly decided for him. "Or Mary. But she's learning to be a mommy, so that works best."

Mary turned fiercely red and her eyes widened for a moment, shock and warmth fighting for a place in her chest. "Mr. Dorian calls me 'professor'," she pointed out to Zeus, before looking up at her student. "Although you're an adult now. Once you graduate, you probably don't have to call me 'professor'. I don't recommend 'mommy', though, either." She smirked a little. "'Mary' would be just fine."

22 Mary Brooding-Hawthorne My boys. [Dorian] 1424 Mary Brooding-Hawthorne 1 5

Dorian Montoir

June 09, 2020 8:07 AM

Our guiding light by Dorian Montoir

Dorian was weirdly nervous about meeting the child. Professor Brooding’s child. Kind of. Was he supposed to think of him that way? Was it rude to categorise or rude to not categorise him as such? The whole situation was just… strange and sudden, and he guessed that was why it all felt so odd.

But he knew he liked kids, and was good with them. He would have been happy to have a playdate with Dora. He just hoped Zeus felt as kindly inclined towards him. It would be sort of awkward if they didn’t get on. What if Zeus took one look at him and burst into tears, or kicked him in the shins? Dorian trusted Professor Brooding to be a good parent, who wouldn’t raise a child to be so horrible, but she had only had him for a matter of weeks…

He also wasn’t sure if you were supposed to bring something to… whatever occasion this was. A first meeting. It wasn’t exactly like it was a baby shower, but it was kind of important. It wasn’t like he had a lot to hand though. He had made a ‘Welcome to Sonora!’ card for Zeus. It had cheerful children’s cartoon versions of the four animals on the front under a banner with those words on. The animals were not as perfect as Dorian would have liked - whilst flourish and design were things he did well at in his schoolwork, straight up drawing by hand was less his forte, and especially when he was trying to draw in a style for children, which was not so familiar to him. It was less perfect than he would have liked but still probably passable to a four year old. For extra points, it also had a detachable cardboard badge in the same shape as the prefect and head student ones. It had a sticking charm on so that Zeus could put it on his clothes if he liked. Dorian had considered writing ‘Future Teppenpaw’ on it but figured wasn’t entirely fair to the second Professor Brooding-Hawthorne, even though she had no particular house affiliation (but clearly would have been a Pecari). He’d gone with ‘Future Head Boy’ instead, as it was house neutral and not a matter that he thought should be in much doubt.

The first thing that struck him about Zeus was that he was blond. That was something of a shock. He had repeatedly made himself adjust the mental picture of a baby, but - illogical as it was - he had somehow still been picturing a child that looked like the Professor Brooding-Hawthornes were his parents. Zeus and Mary did not look like a family- did not look like they were related. And of course, there was no reason they should. They weren’t. But Tatya did not look half Chinese and she was still his sister. He was wrong to think they could not look like a family, because a family was not the same as a bloodline.

He took a deep, steadying breath trying not to imagine his mother mindreading him thinking such things, and trying not to imagine presenting her with some fair haired child and claiming she should regard it as her grandchild. This wasn’t about him.

He tried not to laugh as Zeus pretty much introduced Professor Brooding-Hawthorne to him. He had known her longer than Zeus had been alive. And much, much longer than Zeus had. And those two things would always be true. Though Zeus would see her more. And would know her for a bigger percentage of his life… And it wasn’t a competition. Still, part of him clung to ‘before’ like a trophy. I knew her before you existed. I have some part of her that is mine.

“I’m sure she is very good at it,” he smiled, kneeling down to Zeus’ level as he explained about Professor Brooding-Hawthorne learning to be a mother. “She is good at looking after people.

“And I am not yet graduated,” he mumbled, raising his eyebrows at her as she suggested he might end up having to call her something other than ‘Professor’ once he crossed that line. They would have to see about that…

He was ‘Mr. Dorian.’ It felt funny but good. He understood that Professor Brooding wanted him to be offered a modicum of respect, which was a nice thing to have bestowed on him. And, whilst at any other time he would have been happy to have a family word stuck on him, he was glad to be spared it right now. It would only start him spiralling into thinking whether he would get to be ‘Oncle Dorian’ to Émilie’s kids for real, or what his mother would think of him being Dorian Shushu or Dorian Gege to Professor Brooding-Hawthorne’s child. The latter of those words had also had its own set of complicated, stomach clenching connotations even before everything to do with family had got so complicated. He was happy to be Mr. Dorian - and she could remain Professor, and they could still be family.

“Here, I made you a card,” he added, offering it to the small boy, “It’s a Welcome to Sonora card,” he explained.

13 Dorian Montoir Our guiding light 1401 0 5

Zeus Brooding-Hawthorne-Smith

June 09, 2020 1:53 PM

Sunshine!! by Zeus Brooding-Hawthorne-Smith

Zeus nodded noncommittally. "She's alright," he said. Then he grinned. "She gives me hugs when I have bad dreams."

Mr. Dorian thought Mary-mommy was good at taking care of people, huh? Did that mean Mr. Dorian was sort of like his brother now? He wasn't sure how that worked because Mr. Dorian was . . . maybe like 35? Zeus couldn't tell. Mommy and daddy's students weren't really like his siblings at all usually. This particular student seemed especially super awesome because he gave him a card! And it had a sticker in it!

He quickly affixed it to his chest, grinning up at mommy. "Head boy" wasn't a concept he really had in his head, but it looked like the badge on Mr. Dorian's chest, so that was cool, too. Now they were twins, even if they weren't brothers.

"We have the same one," he told Mr. Dorian. Then, remembering his manners, he added: "Thank you."

Mommy was smiling a lot, which was cool. She didn't smile like that super often. Sometimes she did, and Zeus thought she probably smiled when he wasn't around sometimes, and probably cried when he wasn't around sometimes, because he wasn't around all the time, but she looked real happy and that was nice.

Wondering at the reason, Zeus leaned in towards Mr. Dorian, steadying himself on one of his shoulders by bracing one small hand there, and leaning forward to whisper in Mr. Dorian's ear, with his free hand cupped over his mouth. "Are you mommy's favorite student?" he asked.

22 Zeus Brooding-Hawthorne-Smith Sunshine!! 1576 0 5

Dorian Montoir

June 10, 2020 6:48 AM

That too by Dorian Montoir

Alright? Alright?! Dorian was somewhat offended on Professor Brooding-Hawthorne’s behalf by this damning with faint praise, and he glanced up from Zeus to check if she appeared to feel hurt by this.

“That sounds very good,” he nodded, when Zeus was enthusiastic about Professor Brooding-Hawthorne’s comforting. Not that it was good that Zeus had bad dreams… But that was normal for a four year old (right?) and he seemed to be smiling rather than worried. It did remind Dorian again that Zeus had had another mother, one whom he was probably missing… Professor Brooding-Hawthorne might have been one of the most wonderful people in the world, and he had no doubt that she would be excellent at being a mother, but mothers were very special people. Even though he had Professor Brooding-Hawthorne, it wasn’t like he could stand the thought of losing his own - even in a much less permanent way than Zeus had. Dorian felt rather worried and sad about what Zeus had been through, but the boy himself didn’t seem to be letting it affect him, and Dorian would have had no idea what to say anyway, so he just… let him carry on.

“Yes we do,” Dorian smiled, as Zeus noted the similarity in their badges. “You’re welcome,” he nodded about the card. “The badge means… It means people like you, and they think you are good,” he explained. He knew not everyone agreed on those definitions of him any more but enough people had - and he believed it about himself. There was something so wonderfully reassuring about having to put the world into terms that a four year old would understand. It left so much less room for the messy grey parts. “The good part… That is something you have to keep earning. When you have a badge like this, you are meant to be a good example. That means having nice behaviour so that other people will behave nicely too,” he explained.

He smiled as Zeus leant in, whispering secrets with him. He wondered how to answer. Again, the world was awfully black and white from where Zeus stood. He leant across, so he could cup his hand around Zeus’ tiny ear and whisper back.

“Maybe,” he said. Straightening up and using a quiet but not impervious to adults voice, he added, “One of them, anyway. I don’t know if she’s really allowed to have one and I don’t want to get her in trouble.”

13 Dorian Montoir That too 1401 0 5

Mary Brooding-Hawthorne

June 11, 2020 6:36 PM

And stormclouds. by Mary Brooding-Hawthorne

Mary covered her mouth to stifle her laughter when Dorian explained what it meant to be Head Boy, not because of the description but because of Zeus' reaction. It was the most perfectly shocked, excited face she'd ever seen someone wear, and he puffed out his chest, clearly proud of what he had been labeled. Pride competed with humor in her chest and she was glad she managed to laugh instead of cry; Dorian had grown so much and to see him believing in himself that way meant more than she could explain. Also, she thought that he would probably be very concerned if she burst into tears and could only manage 'you're Head Boy' as a justification.

She couldn't hear what Zeus asked but watching Dorian whisper back in Zeus' tiny ear made her laugh again. It felt so good to laugh so much. She laughed with Tabitha, but they'd both been stressed and it was nice to just let other people do things. She didn't have to take care of Zeus right this moment, Dorian would, and she could just watch.

When Dorian stood up, his answer did help her get a pretty good idea of what Zeus had asked, and she pulled an expression of mock indignation, crouching and reaching out to grab Zeus 'round the belly. "Are you trying to get me in trouble?" she asked, tickling him. He laughed the way that kids turned to when they're being tickled in front of someone - somewhere between the cute, mirthful laughter of a sweet child and the raucous shrieking of a banshee. "You're trying to get me in trouble!" she said, still tickling him as she hoisted him into the air and stood up. He grinned at Dorian, his legs hanging over Mary's back and his curls dangling down towards the ground. Upside down, with his back bent over her shoulder, couldn't have been very comfortable, but he didn't seem to mind. Mary shook her head playfully at Dorian, eyes sparkling. "He's trying to get me in trouble. Hmm . . . what should we do." She looked around the room. "I know! Mr. Dorian, do you remember the recipe for the potion I taught you last year?" she asked in a sing-song voice, cocking an eyebrow and wondering what Dorian was going to do. Would he play along? "I think we'll have to make. . . . little boy stew!!"

22 Mary Brooding-Hawthorne And stormclouds. 1424 0 5

Dorian Montoir

June 30, 2020 8:10 AM

No, none of those by Dorian Montoir

Zeus seemed pleased with his badge, and Dorian relaxed into his still slightly awkwardly fitting label of ‘male role model.’ He could teach Zeus to be good, to be kind, to be worthy and deserving of the real version of the badge that had just got pinned to his chest. He knew that. And he knew that was all Professor Brooding-Hawthorne wanted from him. He didn’t have to be a model of masculinity. But it still made him slightly uneasy.

Still, he could get on well enough with the child in front of him, and that was the main thing that mattered, and then he was relieved even of that duty for a moment as Professor Brooding-Hawthorne was tickling Zeus and scoopng him up.

“No, he isn’t,” Dorian defended loyally when asked if the little boy was trying to get Professor Brooding-Hawthorne in trouble. He had been trusted with secrets after all, and was fairly sure he was honour bound to now protect Zeus.

His face froze slightly as Professor Brooding-Hawthorne suggested making Zeus into stew. He knew that was a joke, obviously (a stew was not even a potion, so she would not have taught Dorian about it anyway, for one thing). And it was that sort of silly, mean-but-not-mean rough and tumble that people got up to with children. With boys, in particular. The sort he had never been particularly adept at engaging in. He wasn’t sure whether Zeus’ shrieks were real, or the pretend play of someone who enjoyed being frightened just a little bit. He personally had never found that much fun.

“I was thinking something more like a tea party, actually,” he stated, slightly nervously, but trying to sound casual as he leant against a desk, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow, issueing both a challenge and a joke. After all, she had told him that he didn’t need to be forceful, rough or anything except himself. And he did not like making little boys scream. He liked having tea with bunny rabbits.

13 Dorian Montoir No, none of those 1401 0 5

Mary Brooding-Hawthorne

July 01, 2020 5:15 PM

You promise? by Mary Brooding-Hawthorne

Mary paused as she put Zeus down, checking Dorian's expression. He sounded . . . hesitant. But she wasn't sure whether it was a corrective sort of hesitancy and he was trying to insinuate that her parenting was going poorly, or merely that he wasn't interested in that sort of play and he was trying to advocate for his place in the games. She knelt besides Zeus, who was grinning ear to ear, and they looked up at Dorian together.

"Tabby loves tea, doesn't she? Do you remember what she taught you about tea parties?" she asked Zeus softly, grinning and breathing a little harder than usual, still out of breath.

Zeus nodded and ran towards Dorian taking his hand excitedly. Mary pulled out her wand and transfigured a small set of table and chairs in the corner for Zeus and Dorian to sit at, as well as a chair for herself of course, and brought the teapot and cups by hand. Zeus pulled Dorian there by his hand.

"Between you and my wife," Mary said, smiling at Dorian as she set the supplies down. She brushed her hair out of her face with both hands. "Zeus is going to be a proper tea aficionado before he's ready for school. A little expert!"

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