An Adventure in Chaperoning [Victoria]

[Professor Konstantinov]

"Their curriculum?  I have heard rumours about what they teach there but I'm not sure how much of it is true."  He glanced over at her, that dead set expression still lingering on his face, "I've heard them, as well, and most are very true.  I saw plenty of students using spells on others to 'practice' while I was a student there myself.  They only left me alone because I taught myself the defenses and the counters.  It was appalling, really."  It was a bit of a long rant and he hadn't intended it to be but he hoped she wouldn't mind too terribly as he sometimes got caught up in what he was talking about.  He had to admit that he agreed with her sentiment about teaching as it was very similar to his own, really.

"It is definitely a good place to get away from grading papers.  I suppose we have our chance to spend plenty of time this time."  He nodded in response, "That's what I'm hoping.  I've spent so much time in that office that I swear I'm going to go crazier than I already am if I have to grade another essay right now.  Everyone needs a break now and then and I think we're more than deserving, don't you?"  As soon as they reached the village the whole group dispersed, leaving the two of them standing there chatting while they went to various shops and stores.  "So...where to first?"

[Victoria Sorin]

Tori found that she wasn’t really surprised that most of the rumors were true but then he went on to tell her how the students would practice their spells on each other.  “That’s horrible” she stated, “Didn’t the professors do anything to stop it?” She questioned. “It’s good that they left you alone as I can’t imagine that would have been a very pleasant experience.”  She was rather horrified to find out that at Durmsrang, she’d had no idea it was that bad.  It made her glad that she had attended Hogwarts, “Did you ever ask to transfer to Hogwarts?”  She probably would have if she were in that position however she also knew now that sometimes that is not possible.

She nodded in his agreement of his sentiment about needing a break.  “Crazy? You?”  She questioned, “I don’t think that your crazy at all.  Unless this is a ploy to give me a sense of false security,” she said raising a brow at him in jest.  “I think that we are more deserving after al we out in a lot if hours in our jobs where others don’t.”  Then he was asking her where she thought they should go first, she gave his question some consideration before answering, “How about we start in Honeydukes and satisfy our sweet tooths?”

[Professor Konstantinov]

When Victoria asked if the professors did anything to stop it, exclaiming how horrible it was that something like that was going on at the school.  He shook his head, "Most of the time, the professors didn't even know about the more...devastating spell work.  However, if they just saw them tormenting one another they merely affected the 'they need to learn to stand up for themselves' mantra.  It was all rather twisted if you ask me."  He agreed with her about the fact that they left him alone and, he had to admit, learning to stand up for himself had worked but not everyone knew how to do that and the way they went about it certainly wasn't the way to garner that kind of attitude.  "As for transferring, no, I never asked.  It was hard enough for my father to send me to school, I don't think he would have been able to send me across the continent to go to Hogwarts, not with my mother sick while I was in school."  He was just glad that he'd been able to get a proper education even though he knew it had been difficult.

She told him that she didn't think he was crazy unless he was trying to deceive her which brought a grin to his face, "No, no deceit on my part.  What you see is what you get, however impressive or disappointing that may be," he said jokingly.  He was as sane as anyone else teaching there though teaching did tend to make one a little bit quirky sometimes.  He agreed that the amount of hours they put in not only in the classroom but in grading papers, setting up lessons and all the other things that came with the territory entitled them to a bit of free time now and then.  She asked about going to Honeydukes first which sounded like as good of a plan as any, "Sounds great, it's not too far from her and then we can just work our way along.  So, I've told you a little bit about going to Durmstrang, what's your story? I assume you went to Hogwarts like most of the other professors here."

[Victoria Sorin]

Tori was appalled to hear what it was like for student’s at Durmstrang and that the professor’s turned a blind eye to it all.  She shook her head as he spoke, “I suppose they don’t realize that some children just aren’t equipped to deal with someone bulling them.”  Not all children had what it took to stand up for themselves which she knew could prove to be scarring.  “I agree it is but with no one to stop it it’s just going to continue and the professors don’t seem that interested in doing anything about it.”  It was a sad fact but it was something that neither she nor Isaak could do about it alone.  Tori thought that she had been lucky in that there hadn’t been a definite plan for her education and could have easily ended up at Durmstrang if they had come for her like the Headmaster had.  As far as him transferring he hadn’t asked and what he told her next caused her to be a little unsure what to say.  “I’m sorry to hear that I expect he might have wanted to keep you close to home as well,” she finally said, “Did your mother get better?”  She asked hoping that she wasn’t over stepping and that his mother had gotten better. 

Tori smiled when he told her that he wasn’t being deceitful, “A very good thing to know.”  As for whether he was impressive or disappointing, “I don’t think there is anything disappointing and if there is I haven’t seen it yet.”  So far she thought that he was a rather nice man, friendly for sure and also rather attractive.  They were in agreement that professors spent for too much time working to not be allowed a bit of free time to get away from it all from time to time.  Today though they had to keep an eye on the students was a good day to keep at least a little.  It had also been settled that they would go to Honeydukes first.  “That sounds like a good plan,” she told him and he wanted to know a little more about her, she nodded when he asked about Hogwarts.  “There’s really not much to tell. I did go to Hogwarts and was in Hufflepuff.  Working here you know what it’s like for a student.  Mostly I kept to myself and bided my time till I could graduate and leave Britain to travel.”