Settling in

Lucas Grey was still a new teacher really. He had somehow managed his way through first term alone, but this term he got an 'apprentice,' which would be all sorts of useful. He was already tired of grading papers and tests and essays. Her name, apparently, was Alastair Vladimir. She went to Beauxbatons and she was 19. That's all the paper he had told him.

He was sort of nervous, he wasn't too good at first impressions normally.. He always made a fool of himself. And the paper didn't really say anything about her... was she insane? serious? That might be a problem, if she was too serious. He never liked that sort of person. Was she a ginger? Lucas has a good friend who was a ginger growing up. She had a terrible temper.

He ran a hand through his hair, making it stick up slightly and continued moving things around his classroom. He was missing three star charts and a telescope. How the hell did he lose a telescope? He began his search for it.

He was looking in the closet when he heard the classroom door open. "Hello?" he called, sticking his head out the closet door....

Alastair was nervous.

But she would never admit that.

Usually, she was confident, but knowing that she was an apprentice and had to prove herself made her worry. Alastair didn't think she'd have to be an apprentice. And, if she did, she thought it was going to be at Beauxbatons, not at Hogwarts. This was no good. It didn't help that she had already gotten lost in the castle. This wasn't going to go well. She would make a fool of herself.

What if she fell off the Astronomy tower?

Oh, now she was being silly. She would be fine. After all, it couldn't be that hard could it? It wasn't like she knew nothing about Astronomy. She loved Astronomy. Oh god, she was going to fail miserably.

Opening the classroom door, she really began freaking out when she heard the Astronomy Professor, no Lucas Grey, call out. Clearing her throat, Alastair wrung her hands together. "Hello?" She called back in her lightly accented voice. "Where are you?" She wondered.

He heard her. French. She sounded French. He should have gotten that. She went to Beauxbatons. He couldn't see her. He ran a hand through his hair nervously. What if she was invisible? Fuck. 'Stop being an idiot' he said, closing his eyes briefly.

Lucas opened his eyes and took a step back only to trip over something. He landed flat on his back, staring up at the ceiling. He sat up and looked at what he tripped over. The telescope. Typical.

"Hi. Sorry." He said standing up clutching the telescope. There she was. The French girl. She was really quite beautiful- No he told himself We will not do this. She is here for a long time. Don't fuck it up

He shook the thoughts from his head. "Lucas Grey. You're Alastair?"

Alastair walked over to where she thought he was, and when she reached him, she let out a gasp when he fell on his back. At least it wasn't her. God she was horrible. Reaching toward him, Alastair was about to lend out a hand but he managed to get up on his own. "Are you okay?" She wondered, her eyebrows knitting together.

Letting her eyes trail over him, it was hard to deny that he was attractive. But, she couldn't start fancying him. He wouldn't work that way. Stupid Alastair.

Nodding Alastair stuck out her hand, "Nice to meet you. Thanks for accepting my apprenticeship, no one else would." Alastair said with warm cheeks.

"Fine" He grinned at her. He ran his hand through his hair. Damn. It was becoming a bit obsessive. Normally he only did that when he was nervous. He dusted his pants off and looked up at her. Fuck. He looked at her hand for a second before taking it. "It's nice to meet you."

He smiled, "Really?" He asked "I'm not so great with the whole 'time management' thing, so I'm very glad you're here" He grinned.

"So do you want to be an Astronomy teacher?" he asked "Or did you just need somewhere to go?"

Alastair bit her lip awkwardly. God, what was she going to do. Would she play it cool? Or would she be serious? What was he like? If she made a joke would he fire her? Could he fire her? Of course he could fire her. God, maybe she should go fall of the Astronomy tower. No. No, killing oneself is bad. She couldn't do that. My god he was attractive. Wait, what?

"I'm glad I'm here too. Better than in France. I was getting cabin fever. But, London is beautiful and now that I'm in Scotland, I'm enjoying myself more than I thought I would." Was she rambling? She hoped she wasn't. What the actual fuck was wrong with her?

She blushed slightly, "Do you want the honest answer?" Alastair wondered timidly. "I love Astronomy, but I originally applied to be an Intern at St. Mungos, but someone else got it. Astronomy teacher was my second choice though." Great job Alastair. He would probably fire her now.

"I've never been to France. I wish I had gone. I could have, a few years back. But I didn't." He shrugged and rocked on his heels. He was staring at her wasn't he. Shit. He looked at his feet. Why did he have to get an attractive apprentice? Couldn't he have just gotten someone average? No. Stop. He couldn't screw this up in the first five minutes.

"Second choice?" He asked, "It was my first, but..." He bit his lip "Yeah.. Did you apply to be a healer then? Or just.." Duh. What else would she be. God he was an idiot.

"So uh.. I haven't gotten lunch yet. Wanna head down to Hogsmead with me.. We can uh..." Breathe. Fuck. What was he doing. "Get to know each otherorsomething" he ran the last words together, laughing nervously. His heart was beating loudly. Could she hear it? Fuck.

Alastair smiled what she hoped to be a graceful smile. "You should go sometime. I grew up there, but I will always appreciate it's beauty. I wouldn't go to Paris right away though, too many tourist." Alastair blushed when she saw he was staring at her. Maybe it would've been better if she got an old boring professor to be an apprentice for. Lucas was around her age. And attractive. Damn the attractive part.

"I was always better at healing in school, but Astronomy was always more interesting!" She stumbled over her words, feeling embarrassed. What a great way to start out. "Yes, I applied, but apparently someone with more experienced applied before me. Which makes no sense. Shouldn't a less experienced healer be the intern?" Alastair wondered, before shrugging. "I'm glad I was rejected though. I think I'll like being an apprentice here." God, was she flirting already? What was wrong with her? It must be a French thing, like they all say.

Smiling brightly, Alastair nodded. "That sounds great. I would love to see Hogsmeade, since I've never been." She found it, what, adorable that he seemed so nervous? He made her feel a lot better with his nerves. "I'd love to get to know you."

Yep. Must be a French thing.


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Alastair walked into the classroom with Lucas in tow. She was thankful to be back in the castle, considering it was safer than out in Hogsmeade with that man out there. And, she was thankful to be alone with Lucas. At least they could get to know each other better. And, that was always a good thing. Especially considering Alastair had taken an uncanny liking to the awkward Astronomy professor.

Turning to face him, Alastair smiled. "Much better." She stated.

"Stay here" Lucas instructed her and ran off to wash the blood off his face. When he came back he was pulling a black T-shirt over his head. "Here" he handed her a T-shirt "It's my sister's. She left it last time she visited me. I might be a little big on you. You can change in the bathrooms at the bottom of the stairs" He said and smiled slightly.

He waited for her to return, sitting on his desk, swinging his feet slightly. When he was sure she was gone he jumped off his desk and kneeled next to it. He took the key that he had on a chain in his pocket and unlocked the drawer. He pulled out a small vile before closing the drawer and locking it back up. He popped the vile open and drank the contents quickly before going back to sitting on his desk, waiting...

Alastair did as she was told and waited in the classroom. When he returned with a shirt, Alastair gave him a thank you and went to go change. Closing the door to the bathroom, Alastair quickly swapped the nice top she was wearing for the tee-shirt and gathered her hair into a bun. She hardly looked professional now and her jeans were mucky too. God, what a way to make an impression. Though, today had hardly gone according to plan.

Walking back to where Lucas was, she got a glimpse of him drinking something from a vial. But, he quickly put it away, making it appear like he didn't want anyone to see it. Deciding that it was better not to question, Alastair cleared her throat. "I'm back."

He grinned and jumped off the desk. "Alright. Lesson one of being an Astronomy teacher," he started, leaning against the door to the balcony, "It's got to be the most important lesson, save grading papers and you know, understanding the students," he opened the doors and motioned for her to come out, "Lesson one is you have to learn to love this" he looked up at the sky, which was nearly dark now, the sun barely peaked over the horizon. He grinned "You have to teach them to love it. Pass it on." He stuck his hands in his pockets and looked up at the sky.

Alastair smiled and listened to Lucas closely at he spoke. She felt enthralled as he spoke, as if she were in a trance. She wished she had him for a teacher when she went to Beauxbatons. But, then again, if she did, she wouldn't get any work done. Ever. Alastair followed him and looked up at the sky. The sky was something she never too for granted and she enjoyed it more than anything. "That'll be easy enough. Back home they can't get me to shut up about Astronomy. It's funny, really." She replied.

Looking over at him, Alastair smiled. "Why did you become a Astronomy professor?"

"You'll do great. I'm sure. From what I've seen of you, you have what it takes. You're not insane, or rude or mean, you know how to deal with tough situations." He grinned, looking at her. Already he felt more at ease around her. She had sort of saved his ass and she was... pretty fucking awesome. Not what he expected at all. But that was a good thing.

"When I was little, my dad would take me and Mallory outside to watch the sunsets, and then when I started here, each summer and winter until he died, we'd go out and watch the sun set, wait for the stars to come out. He always told me about them, the stars. And he had this telescope, a muggle one, that made it seem as if you were right there, you could see what the star looked like, not just a twinkle. I always loved it, and he always told me to chase what I love." he said, focusing on the sky, smiling slightly at the memory.

Alastair let out a loud laugh, "Well, I'm glad I'm not any of those things. And you're not at all like I expected you to be, which is a great thing. And, the tough situation thing isn't that great. I mean, the only reason I know how to deal with that is because I used to get into fights all the time in school." Alastair admitted, her cheeks warming. It was hard to deny that she fancied Lucas. It was bound to happen.

Hearing his memory, Alastair smiled brightly. "That sound lovely. I wish I had memories like that. I've never used a muggle telescope, I'd like to try it sometime." Alastair said, looking up at the sky dreamily. "No one ever understood my love for stars. My mother called me a dreamer and foolish. She said I had to get my head out of the stars and back down to earth."

He couldn't help but laugh. It was hard to imagine the girl in front of him, who still seemed to have that childlike innocence look to her, fighting in school. "I never would have guessed that." He said, looking down at her. "I got into fights, with Lewis and this one bloke named Anderson. The only person I fight with now is Psyche Malfoy. And that's mainly verbal. Mainly" he laughed.

"I have one around here somewhere. I pull it out sometime. It's really amazing" he grinned, looking at her. She looked adorable in Mal's too big shirt and a pair of jeans... He really couldn't help but like her. She was pretty and smart and she thought he was attractive and... he sighed and smiled.

Alastair laughed along with him, because looking back on it, she really was the delicate girl who was just in the wrong place at the wrong time with a horrible temper and dangerous wand skills. Alastair smiled softly, it was hard to believe that she actually did the things she did. "Yeah, me either if I wasn't me." Alastair smiled, "I can see that. Considering Psyche is the Head of Slytherin. She doesn't seen to horrible though, maybe a bit cold. Sirena is really kind though, if not a bit unfiltered." Alastair said, having a difficult time choosing the last word.

"Great! You'll have to show me." Alastair said, smiling up at him. But, it didn't stop there. No, instead Alastair felt her smile fall and her body move on it's own account. And, her body decided to press up against Lucas' while her lips moved over his. Talk about a leaving an impression.

He laughed "She's a bit more than cold sometimes, but if the Headmistress trusts her, so do I." he shrugged and smiled slightly "Unfiltered. She'd like that" he grinned

"Yeah well-" He stopped short as her lips came against his own. His eyes widened and he put his hands up a little. He was too shocked really to kiss back. He just sort of stood there, eyes wide, hands up. Not to say he didn't enjoy it, because he did.

Alastair pulled away quickly, covering her mouth with her hands. She stared at him for a long moment, her cheeks red and her mind racing a hundred miles per hour. Oh my god, what the hell was wrong with her? "I am so sorry." She stumbled over her words, moving away from Lucas. "Forget I ever did that." Alastair exclaimed, feeling so embarrassed it hurt. "Oh god, I'll just be going." She rushed over to grab her things, tripping over her own feet in the process, almost managing to fall straight on her face.

She rushed out into the corridors before remembering that she didn't know where to go. Fighting her pride, Alastair walked back into the classroom with burning cheeks and a racing heart. "I don't want to get lost. Where am I suppose to sleep?" She wondered, feeling like jumping off the Astronomy tower was a great idea at the moment.

Lucas stood there for a minute, confused. Why was she sorry? His feet had decided not to work, and he watched in a sort of haze as she stumbled around. Fuck. Was she leaving? He started towards the classroom at a hurried pace. Why was she leaving? Fuck. He reacted badly. He screwed it up and now she was probably going to request a transfer or something.

He was almost to the door when she returned, his brain was still slightly muddled. She asked where she was sleeping. "Um..." He thought for a moment then shook his head. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath and opened them, he looked at her. She looked upset. God he was an ass. He could only think of one way to fix his ass-ness, he took a deep breath and leaned down, pressing his lips against hers.

God, she wanted to fall off something. She couldn't handle him just staring at her. Would he hate her? He obviously didn't react, so he obviously didn't think of her that way. God, he was going to fire her for sure now. She didn't know what she'd do. Alastair never really got emotionally invested in anything. Had she read the signs wrong? Oh, what signs? Alastair never got into these kind of things! And, to add onto the fact that she was falling over her own feet didn't make her feel any better. Why did god hate her? What was this?

Alastair gasped when she saw him when she opened the door. She wasn't expecting him to be there. She couldn't figure out his feelings. He looked, she didn't even know. Why wasn't Alastair like other girls. Why couldn't see be cool, calm, and collected? Just as she was about to burst out into tears, Alastair let out another gasp when she felt him kiss her this time.

And, well, it would've been stupid of her not to kiss back.

So they stood there, by the door of the Astronomy classroom, kissing. After a few moments Lucas pulled away, "Sorry" he whispered "Couldn't help myself" he smiled and brushed a strand of hair from her face.

"Chambers. right" He said after a moment, he looked at her and grinned he offered his hand "I'll escort you there" He smiled again, "It's a bit of a walk though, be warned"

Alastair smiled when he pulled away, feeling a lot better abut this kiss than the first. "That's fine. Don't apologize." Alastair leaned into Lucas slightly. "Oh mon dieu," She murmured in French, not able to speak in English at the moment. "That was just, wow, just, yeah." Alastair didn't know what to say, she could just smile like an idiot.

"Yes, Chambers, that's important!" She said with a snap of her fingers. Taking the hand he offered, Alastair smiled. "How nice of you." She replied, before shrugging. "That's okay. I don't mind."

He smiled at her and laughed when she spoke in French "Ahh Je connais un peu le français. pas beaucoup" he grinned. He had learned so he could seem more pureblood, so he could babysit Winnie. "J'ai appris que puisse obtenir un emploi...?" he hadn't spoken in French in years, but he still remembered the basics "Mon nom est Lucas. Venez par ici" he said, walking out of the classroom "Ah. Give me one of those" he said, nodding towards her baggage.

Alastair's whole face lit up when Lucas began speaking in French. "Oh, vous semblez en savoir plus que d'autres." She replied in fleunt French, enjoying speaking it after not for so long. She loved that he know some. "Vous avez? Quel travail, si vous n'avez pas l'esprit me demandant?" She wondered, hoping he understood what she was saying. But, if he didn't, Alastair would understand. She grew up in France and he didn't. "Plaisir est pour moi, Lucas. Je suis Alastair et je n'ai aucun problème qui vous permet de me conduire aussi longtemps que vous ne recevez pas me perdre." Alastair joked, laughing slightly. Looking down at her bags, Alastair smiled. "I can take care of it, but if you insist." She handed him the heavier of the bags and followed him to her chambers.

He listened carefully, and bit his lip "Oui française est bonne!" He said "J'ai regardé sur mon voisin, son nom est Winnie, elle va ici maintenant, Elle est très douce" He said, taking the bag and putting it over his shoulder "Je ne pense que je vais perdre. J'ai refoulée neuf années ici. Mais qui sait." He bit his lip, thinking"Je suis surpris Je me souviens de ce bien français" He said, "But I don't think I know much more" He laughed, as they started down the hallway