Sara Desjardins
professors
Groundskeeper
Looking for love in all the wrong places...
Posts: 28
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Post by Sara Desjardins on Feb 9, 2010 23:19:14 GMT -5
Sara watched as the elegant creatures strolled across the grass. Tomorrow she'd turn them loose in the grounds, as instructed, but for now she was letting them recover from their journey.
These were not the type of creature normally found at Hogwarts, but apparently the new Headmaster had ordered them specially. The Powers-That-Be had been remarkably reticent about the new Head's identity, but as she watched the new residents of the Paddock, Sara had a really bad feeling about it...
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Post by Professor Lucius Malfoy on Feb 26, 2010 22:36:15 GMT -5
Lucius strolled across the grass, towards the little stone hut set by the forest. He could see the white birds strutting around in a pen set up near the hut; the peacocks were his pretext for this visit; but his ulterior motive was an encounter with the beautiful groundskeeper.
As he approached the enclosure, built from sturdy pine branches, with willow intertwined, he could see that on the other side of the pen, Sara was busy weeding the pumpkin patch, with her back towards him.
Moving quietly, Lucius stopped at the wooden fence, and leaned one elbow on it, sparing barely a glance for the elegant white peacocks. He was far more interested in watching the lithe movements of the dark-haired woman, as she moved between the pumpkin plants.
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Sara Desjardins
professors
Groundskeeper
Looking for love in all the wrong places...
Posts: 28
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Post by Sara Desjardins on Feb 27, 2010 13:18:42 GMT -5
As usual, Sara found that working among the plants soothed her. She was able to throw off her wistful reminiscences of earlier, and just enjoy her present circumstances. Ever since she was a first year at Hogwarts, she'd thought that being gamekeeper would be wonderful.
Her father, of course, had been outraged when she first talked about it, and her mother had jeered. That a Desjardins should contemplate spending their life grubbing in the dirt, was completely unthinkable. And besides, Sara was destined to make an advantageous marriage.
The idea of marrying someone her father picked had remained as a vague shadow through her school years, and into the unexpected years that she'd spent living at home. The distaste had turned to horror when she was introduced to the sagging, slovenly old man she was expected to wed and bear children for. By that time, of course, Nathalie had created a precedent by refusing the man her parents had chosen for her, and being disowned.
Sara had not hesitated. She had waited until the house was silent and sleeping, and crawled out of her bedroom window, climbing down the whomping willow (which, of course, had not attacked her - it never did). Sara knew that her room was spelled so that she couldn't disapparate from it; apparently her parents had never imagined that she'd simply climb out of the window, like some eloping Muggle.
Nathalie had taken her in, and incredibly, the job she'd dreamed of had been vacant. When Nathalie took up her post teaching at the school, Sara had accompanied her, moving into the gamekeeper's hut. She loved living in her little stone cottage, tending the animals and plants.
She'd been lonelier than she'd expected, never thinking she'd still miss her parents so much. She was adaptable, and had become accustomed to her mother's caprices, and her father's irritability. Even now, a year after her flight, she sometimes cried herself to sleep. Especially now that Nat had become so distant, wrapped up in her quest to start a family.
Sighing, Sara straightened up, turning towards the peacock pen. Her eyes widened, startled. How long had the headmaster been standing there, watching her? She remembered that shocking thought she'd had earlier, during the feast, and felt herself blush again.
Trying to collect herself, she managed to say, “Good evening, Professor Malfoy.”
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Post by Professor Lucius Malfoy on Feb 27, 2010 17:19:30 GMT -5
At last, she turned, and realised he was there. That she was startled to find she wasn't alone was understandable, but the deep blush was very interesting. What was she thinking to provoke that reaction.
Lucius smiled as she greeted him. "Indeed, it's a beautiful evening." He gestured towards the peacocks. "They seem to have survived the journey with no ill effects," he commented. He walked around the outside of the pen, until he was standing just a short distance from Sara. "Tomorrow, I think, you can turn them loose in the grounds. They're accustomed to roaming free."
Sara felt her heartbeat speed up as Professor Malfoy walked towards her. What on earth was happening to her? But his attention seemed to be on the peacocks. She nodded in reply. "Yes - they were a bit ruffled when they first got here, but they soon calmed down." She reached into her pocket, and took out a handful of corn, then leaned over the fence, and chirruped to the birds. They came flocking around her, eagerly pecking at the food she offered them
Lucius watched as Sara fed the birds, noting how readily the normally skittish creatures approached her. "They seem to respond well to you," he commented.
Feeling more at ease now that she was interacting with the peacocks - she had always felt more comfortable with animals than people - Sara glanced up, with a smile. "Yes. I've always been good with animals. I think it's because I'm an earth elementalist. It seems to make animals happy."
An elementalist? Interesting. Lucius nodded, and looked at Sara. "It seems to make you happy too. Happier than you were during the feast. Forgive me for asking, but why did the sorting make you so unhappy?"
So he'd noticed. She'd thought no-one had. Keeping her eyes on the peacocks, Sara said hesitantly, "It just... reminded me of my own sorting. I desperately wanted to be in Slytherin. And when I became a Ravenclaw, I knew my parents would be so disappointed." She sighed. "I seem to have failed as a daughter. I doubt they'll ever speak to me again. It makes me feel... lonely, sometimes," she said, not quite knowing why she was admitting this to the new headmaster. Surely he would not be interested in her misery.
Lucius could hear the unhappiness in her voice. He knew her background, of course, the Desjardins moved in the same circles he did.
He took a step closer, and put a hand on her shoulder. He knew he had to handle this moment carefully, he could ruin the whole thing if he rushed her. For now, he must simply make her feel he understood.
"My dear, it was your parents who failed you. The marriage they arranged for you was outrageous. I assure you, everyone understood why you refused to marry that senile old fool. And when they disowned you... well, they are no longer welcome in many homes - my own, included."
When she looked up at him, surprised, he nodded. "Oh yes. I have always felt that this custom of arranged marriages is barbaric. My own marriage was arranged when I was a mere baby, not even two years old. And the way it turned out... well, one puts a good face on it, of course, but really, it was not what I would have chosen for myself."
He spoke dispassionately, as if discussing a bad business deal; he wanted to make Sara feel that he understood her, but he didn't want to lay it on too thick. He turned to face Sara, meeting her gaze, his hand still resting on her shoulder as he said softly, "You have nothing to be ashamed of."
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Sara Desjardins
professors
Groundskeeper
Looking for love in all the wrong places...
Posts: 28
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Post by Sara Desjardins on Mar 1, 2010 21:55:58 GMT -5
When Professor Malfoy put his hand on her shoulder, Sara felt her heart rate jump. His words were comforting, and somewhat surprising; she'd assumed that someone from such an eminent family would uphold all the customs. But it seemed he disapproved of arranged marriages.Then he stepped closer, and Sara looked up at him. Their gazes met, and Sara's heart beat even faster. The moment seemed to stretch out, and Sara's lips parted slightly. She was half-afraid, half hopeful of what he would do next. Nervously, she caught her bottom lip between her teeth, still looking at him.
Sara turned her eyes up to his, and Lucius looked into their vivid blue. For a moment they stood, just looking at each other, before she bit her lip alluringly, and Lucius was tempted to take the next step. But he'd had years of experience in this sort of thing, he knew that his best chance of achieving his aim with her was to back off, leave her wondering what it might have been like if he'd kissed her, thinking about what else might have happened...
He held her gaze for a moment longer, parting his lips slightly, increasing the pressure of his fingers on her shoulder just a little, then he stepped back, letting his arm drop back by his side.
"Well, my dear, I should leave you in peace," he said softly, stepping back, with a half-smile.
Sara caught her breath, held by the unexpectedly intimate gaze. His fingers tightened on her shoulder fractionally, his mouth opened slightly and for a second she was sure that he was going to... but then he smiled, moving back, and releasing her. She barely heard what he said, aware only of the gentleness of his voice, and the sudden startling stab of disappointment she felt.
Lucius nodded slightly. "Goodnight, Sara, " he said quietly, his eyes meeting hers again for a second, before he turned and began to walk towards the school.
Now that his back was safely to her, he allowed himself a satisfied smile. He'd played the scene perfectly. He need only wait a few days at the most, to move to the next step...
Sara watched as Professor Malfoy turned away, after one last searing glance. She stood for a moment, her eyes on him as he retreated into the dusk. She frowned, remembering the stories she'd heard about him, the accounts of his Death Eater days. None of it tallied with the man she'd just encountered. He'd treated her with concern and courtesy. As for the way she'd felt when their gazes locked... she was sure he'd felt it too, yet he'd backed off, he hadn't taken advantage of the moment.
She drew in a deep breath, and let it out slowly. Then she turned towards her cottage, smiling to herself. Perhaps the school wasn't in such bad hands, after all.
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Post by Professor Lucius Malfoy on Mar 2, 2010 23:15:19 GMT -5
Lucius approached the pen where the peacocks had been confined earlier that week. The new school year was almost a week old - Friday night, when the students were relaxing after a strenuous week. It was past curfew for them by now, although a warm, rosy light still suffused the sky from the setting sun.
He had been working in his study, when the owl arrived - a tiny Scops owl, carrying a small, folded note, written in a shaky hand. Apparently Sara had discovered one of the peacocks dead. From the tone of her letter, she was quite upset about it. As he walked across the grass, he was surprised that he hadn't thought of this himself; he would have considered it well worth sacrificing one of the birds, in order to engineer another private meeting with Sara.
But no matter, the peacock had managed it without his help. Probably the girl was disturbed at the thought that one of his peacocks had died in her care, and she might be blamed. It would be the perfect chance to persuade her that he was the thoughtful, caring man that he had seemed to be when they spoke on the first night of term. He smiled to himself. Things were progressing perfectly.
Sara looked up from where she was crouching by the fence, and saw Professor Malfoy approaching. He didn't seem angry, more concerned - though that honestly wasn't the cause for her distress.
She stood up, and faced him. Once he was close enough, she said, "Professor Malfoy, I'm so sorry. One of the peacocks was missing when I went to bring them in for the night. I found him by the Whomping Willow - he must have gone too close."
Lucius was surprised by the tremour in Sara's voice as she explained. He wasn't all that surprised at what had happened, the showy birds were not exactly bright, and this unlucky one must have wandered too close to the tree, oblivious to the danger it presented.
He stopped, and looked down at the peacock, lying on the turf, its neck at an odd angle. "It appears to have been an unfortunate accident. " He looked up at Sara, seeing the distress clearly written on her face. "My dear, please don't upset yourself. It was clearly not your fault."
The headmaster's voice was gentle, and Sara crouched down beside the peacock, trying to hide the tears that had sprung to her eyes. No-one really understood quite how badly it hurt her when an animal died. It was part of being an Earth elementalist, she felt such a strong connection to the creatures in her care that to lose one was devastating. "It - it's just that I was getting... fond of them," she managed to say.
Lucius watched Sara, as she tried to hide her emotions. Her faltering explanation made him frown slightly, until he remembered that the girl was an Earth elementalist. He'd heard they became ridiculously attached to pets and livestock. Frankly, he couldn't understand becoming that fond of an animal - it would be like developing an attachment to a Muggle! But for his present intentions, this was perfect. A chance to offer comfort, to draw Sara that much closer to him.
He crouched beside Sara, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Sara - don't cry. It wasn't your fault. I know it hurts for you to lose an animal in your care, but you mustn't break your heart over it, or you'll be overwhelmed. You still have other animals to take care of."
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Sara Desjardins
professors
Groundskeeper
Looking for love in all the wrong places...
Posts: 28
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Post by Sara Desjardins on Mar 3, 2010 0:31:12 GMT -5
Sara felt the headmaster's hand on her shoulder, and despite her grief, she was aware that little jolt that ran through her at his touch. When he spoke, she turned her head to look at her, even though she knew her face was wet with tears now. He seemed to know why she was so upset. She nodded. "Yes. I know, I have responsibilities. You - no-one else has really understood how I feel about - about this sort of thing. It's always been hard for me to explain why it... it hurts so much."
Lucius nodded. He was playing this perfectly. "As an Earth elementalist, you have a special connection with living things." He stood up, slipping a hand under Sara's elbow, raising her to a standing position.
"Come along. You need to take a few minutes to calm yourself." He began to guide her towards her cottage.
Sara let Professor Malfoy help her up, and move her through the door of her hut. She rubbed her eyes with her free hand, and swallowed hard. In a steadier voice, she said, "Thank you. You're very kind, Professor Malfoy."
Lucius looked down at Sara as they entered the cottage. "So formal? Surely you can call me Lucius?" he suggested. Being privileged to use his first name would make her feel that much closer, that much more compliant.
OOC: Moving inside Sara's cottage
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