Chapter 115: Preparations and Warm-Up (2/2)
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Quinn walked inside the Headmaster's office and he had to say that Dumbledore's office was interesting, to say the least.
It was a large and beautiful circular room, full of funny little noises. Several curious silver instruments stood on spindle-legged tables. They whirred and emitted little puffs of smoke. Portraits of old Headmasters and Headmistresses, some gently snoozing, covered the walls of the office. Every headmaster (or headmistress) had their names and their period of tenure on their frames. He also saw an enormous, claw-footed desk and, sitting on a shelf behind it, a shabby, tattered wizard's hat— the Sorting Hat.
Quinn's eyes were also attracted to the shelves-after-shelves of old tomes and books that graced a knowledgeable presence to the Headmaster's chaotic office. If Quinn had been left here with no supervision, he would've definitely opened every book and read through every page.
As Quinn walked in, he looked over his shoulder and saw a golden perch beside the room's entrance. Quinn identified the golden perch as the Phoenix's resting place.
After taking in the interior of the Headmaster's office, Quinn nodded in satisfaction.
”Mr. West, would you like to share your thoughts with us?”
Quinn looked to his front and saw Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, clad in purple robes with stars, sitting behind his desk. He was looking at him through the half-moon glasses with a smile on his face.
”Certainly, Headmaster. I was thinking that, after observing your office's interior, my office on the fifth-floor is better,” a relaxed smile on his face as he spoke.
A chuckle came from the right, and a deep hum from the left came in response as James Potter chuckled and Severus Snape looked at Quinn warningly.
”Is that so? It saddens me a little to hear that. I have put in a lot of work to make my office unique and fun.” The owner of the office smiled through his beard. ”I even had to suffer from the nagging of the previous owners for years before they settled down.”
Dumbledore roamed his eyes at the sleeping portraits of previous Headmasters and Headmistresses who occupied this office before him.
”I'm not saying that your office isn't unique and fun, Headmaster. I agree with you. Your office has a charm that sets it apart from others. It's just that mine is better,” smiled Quinn.
Dumbledore smiled and then looked at the other three men in the room.
”James, Severus, Filius. You three can leave. James, you should join your family down in the hospital wing. My dear professors, it's almost dinnertime, I'm sure you all are hungry. Please, proceed to the Great Hall,” said Dumbledore before turning Quinn. ”Mr. West and I will have a short talk before joining you at the Great Hall.”
James Potter and Severus Snape walked past Quinn. Both had different thoughts in their minds.
James was thankful to Quinn for knocking out the Accionite, who was about to get away with his son. If Quinn hadn't interfered, James didn't know what he would be doing now. He wasn't sure where his son would be or if he would even be safe.
Snape looked both pleased and conflicted. He was pleased that his attempt to convey that Remus Lupin was a Werewolf was successful because, from what James had said, Quinn already knew about it and had understood what he was trying to do. Snape was conflicted because Quinn hadn't outed Remus as a Werewolf to the school or family.
Their eyes met and they immediately became hostile towards each other. Before Quinn had entered the office, they had been exchanging taunts to each other. They only stopped because Dumbledore scolded them both.
Filius tagged along with his former students, so the three men exited the Headmaster's office. They left behind Quinn and Dumbledore in the office.
”Please take a seat, Mr. West,” said Dumbledore, and with a wave of his hand, a chair was pulled back for Quinn.
”Thank you, Headmaster,” said Quinn as he sat down.
”You can call me Professor like your other teachers, Mr. West,” said Dumbledore as Quinn made himself comfortable.
”You are the head of the school, Headmaster. I like to use the proper title when I address people,” smiled Quinn. ”Maybe if you teach the Alchemy class in my sixth and seventh year, I'll call you professor.”
Dumbledore looked interested at the mention of Alchemy. He asked with his eyes shining with interest.
”You are interested in Alchemy, Mr. West? I haven't seen many students who are interested in Alchemy. The lack of interested students is the reason we have to cancel the Alchemy subject every year.”
”Alchemy is magic, Headmaster. I'm interested in anything that is magic,” stated Quinn as if he was stating a universal fact.
”Your grades certainly show that. They are truly impressive, Mr. West,” said Dumbledore as he turned parchments on his desk. ”Other than Potions and History of Magic. You have scored more than a hundred percent in every exam of every subject in your four years at Hogwarts. Even in the two mentioned subjects, you haven't once scored anything less than an Outstanding.”
Quinn shrugged and smiled, ”I do well in class, Headmaster. It's what I like to do.”
Dumbledore continued to turn parchments, stopped at a certain parchment, and said.
”Your establishment of an office on the fifth-floor, allowed by Filius. You've called it the A.I.D., and if I recall correctly, it has been a huge success. The notes that you release every year have been a great success; even though I haven't read them, the faculty have told me that they are excellent. You have been known to create interesting knick-knacks that see great sales, and interestingly, none of them have been banned by our caretaker, something that I consider a big accomplishment. The A.I.D. has become popular for helping other students which is another great and unique accomplishment.”
”Tell me, Mr. West. Why did you start this initiative of yours?” asked Dumbledore, curious about the birth of the A.I.D. He hadn't seen something like this in Hogwarts before.
Usually, Prefects, Headboys, and Headgirls would be the students who helped the other students. If they couldn't solve the problem, they would go to the Professors. But ever since A.I.D. had opened up in Hogwarts, there had been a steady increase of students relying on Quinn to help them.
In one of the faculty meetings this year, the faculty had noted that they had seen a dive in the number of younger students coming to them for help. They connected it to the presence and ever-growing popularity of A.I.D. Every year the A.I.D. would gain a new batch of students.
After the professors exchanged their experiences, they realized that the A.I.D. had been equally popular in every house: no student, regardless of their house, had ever turned away from the door of A.I.D. If they had a problem, A.I.D was the space.
Pureblood students who had a strong sense of blood supremacy used A.I.D's services because Quinn was a pureblood himself. Muggleborn students, who were on the opposite side of the spectrum, didn't shy away from the A.I.D. because it was a place that would explain anything they wanted to know about the new and unknown magical world.
The A.I.D. was an establishment that reached every type of student present in Hogwarts.
Dumbledore, who got informed about what was happening in the school from the faculty meeting, became impressed and curious about the A.I.D. and how it was able to rise up to this point in only three years.
”Hmm, originally, I wanted to do something different. Create something that nobody in Hogwarts had ever done and something different from what my schoolmates were currently doing,” answered Quinn, not telling the real reason about A.I.D.s' founding. He still provided Dumbledore with some actual facts, though. ”I wanted to create something of my own and, in-process, use magic. I wasn't expecting it to get this big. But well, I guess I'm happy how things turned out.”
'I have more than a hundred students who would do what I ask of them, students from all houses on every step of the social ladder. Indeed, I guess I'm happy how things turned out,' thought Quinn.
”I see,” said Dumbledore and once again started to turn the parchments and stopped when he saw something that interested him. ”Hmm... this here says that you had access to the Restricted Section of the Library for the entire year, last year.” He looked up at Quinn and said, ”It was given to you by Professor Lockhart.”
Quinn nodded and confirmed the statement from Dumbledore but didn't say a single word in response.
Dumbledore waited for a moment for Quinn to speak something, but when he didn't say anything, Dumbledore asked, ”May I ask why did you ask for the pass to the Restricted Section?”
”I was interested in the books there, Headmaster,” replied Quinn, keeping it short.
”... And Professor Lockhart gave you the pass for the entire year? Not a particular book, but an entire year?” asked Dumbledore.
Quinn shrugged in reply, ”I established his fan club at Hogwarts. I was the reason for his popularity in the school, so I guess he simply allowed me to browse through the library because of that.”
”Yes, I recall hearing about Professor Lockhart's fan club,” said Dumbledore before asking with a pause. ”... Did you have contact with Professor Lockhart after he left the school?”
”Unfortunately, I lost contact with Professor Lockhart after he left his post. He was a fun person to listen to and hang around. He had fascinating stories to tell,” answered Quinn.
”What books interested you, Mr. West,” asked Dumbledore as he observed Quinn through his half-moon glasses.
”Hmm, there were many, but mostly some advanced applications of what I was studying at the moment,” answered Quinn, and he didn't lie. Dumbledore didn't know what level of magic he was studying at that point.
Dumbledore once again waited for Quinn to explain what he meant by the vague answer, but Quinn didn't say a single more word.
He once again looked down at his desk and turned some sheets before once again asking.
”You've been learning Healing Magic from Madam Pomfrey,” stated Dumbledore as he looked at Quinn with surprise.
”Yes,” answered Quinn with a single word.
The third time around, Dumbledore finally caught up with what was happening.
”... Do you want to become a healer, Mr. West?”
”No, sir. Not at all. Healing is a type of magic, and I'm interested in anything that's magic,” smiled Quinn.
The Headmaster stared at the student while the student looked around the office with a curious gaze.
”Headmaster, my view of your office is improving by the minute. It's growing on me,” complimented Quinn.
If Dumbledore didn't want to get straight to the point, Quinn also didn't mind stretching things along. Plus, he employed his usual strategy of letting the other person ask questions to control the flow of information.
”It seems I have gone off the topic, Mr. West,” said Dumbledore and closed the file of parchments. ”It's just that I don't get to talk to students often. So whenever I do get to talk to a student, I get a little distracted as I want to know more about them.”
”It's fine, sir. You are a busy man; the Headmaster of Hogwarts, the Supreme Mugwump of the I.C.W., and the Chief Warlock of Wizengamot. All these titles and the responsibilities that come with them are time-consuming,” said Quinn and then suggested as he looked at Dumbledore. ”If you aren't enjoying your current workload and if it makes you feel uncomfortable... perhaps you could drop a position or two and concentrate on fewer things.”
Dumbledore watched Quinn, and as Quinn said the last sentence, the Headmaster smiled widely, more widely than he had smiled since Quinn had entered the office.
”Let's get to the point, Mr. West. Let's talk about what happened at the Shrieking Shack.”
Quinn held back the smile that was threatening to break out on his face and nodded.
”Let's.”
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Quinn West - MC - Let's get started.
Albus Dumbledore - Headmaster - Yes, let's get started.
Ivy Potter - Has a Quinn-encounter quota in her mind - *Sigh.*
Poppy Pomfrey - Matron, healer - I repeat, Quinn is troublesome.
Severus Snape - Conflicted - I knew that brat knew!
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