The Unexpected Summoning

[Rune Sanderson]

Rune had never felt more nervous in his life, which was definitely saying something for the continuously anxious Hufflepuff. He has received an owl from the professor this morning at Breakfast. He rarely received an letter unless it was from his older sister asking to hang out. Rune definitely enjoyed those letters. He never passed up on a chance to talk about art with Marlow. This letter, however, was not such a good sign. This letter was requesting Rune to meet Professor Mallory Corrins in her office after breakfast. Instantly, Rune's stomach had felt sick, those butterflies fluttering faster than they had in a long time. He could not imagine why she wanted to meet with him. Of course you can. You aren't doing well. She wants you to just drop charms. You clearly don't have the skill. The negative thoughts rushed through Rune's head.

After the letter, Rune could not finish a single bite of food. Those butterflies were much too active. Instead he decided to just sit at the Hufflepuff table, pale and wondering all the horrible things he was going to have to hear about his Charms skills, or well lack of Charms skills. If only he could be great at the subject like his brother, but it was clear that they were two separate people. The young Hufflepuff waited until a lot of the table had finished eating and left before he decided to get up. He walked slowly to the third floor corridor. He had never been in trouble before. The professor's letter had seemed nice enough, but that was just how she was. She certainly couldn't put the bad news in the letter. The young Hufflepuff had been trying so hard, doing so much work to just keep up with his classmates. It clearly wasn't working, even though for a moment he had hoped he was improving.

Taking a deep breath, Rune waited a few second outside of the Professor's office. He knew he had to just get this over with. The wait was almost as bad. Rune brought his hand up to softly knock on the door three times.

 

[Professor Mallory Grayveson]

Mallory liked to think she was helping her students to be better versions of themselves. Jordie's grades were improving, Celia seemed to be flourishing. Mallory was hoping to pick up a few more extra students this year. She'd been watching her classes a little closer, and she thought she had seen a few students this year that might benefit from the extra lessons.

She was going over her lesson plans that morning, her tea pot already whistling as she heard the knock on the door. She looked up, smiling, and with a wave of her hand the door opened. "Mister Sanderson, please, come in," Mallory motioned to one of the chairs in front of her desk. "Would you like some tea?" She asked, giving him her warmest smile.

 

[Rune Sanderson]

Rune tried to plaster a confident smile onto his face as the door opened and the professor greeted him. However the smile looked more nervous-making than none at all. He wasn't so great with this whole confidence even if he was just trying to fake it. Rune entered the office, trying not to be so worried. Not like he could just flip the switch and feel better instantly. If only.

His voice was soft when he spoke. "Umm. Yes.. thank you professor. I would love some tea." he said actually meaning it. Tea had certainly grown on him during his time in Divination. Especially since it often had calming properties. The young Hufflepuff boy took a seat where the professor motioned to him to sit. His thoughts were frantically bumping around in his mind, but he thought it best to let the professor speak first. He wasn't sure what worrisome nonsense would spill out if he dared to open his mouth to speak.

 

[Professor Mallory Grayveson]

Mallory smiled, moving to make them some tea. She could see he was nervous, and she didn't want to keep him waiting too long in suspense. "Thank you for coming to see me," She started, putting together her tea tray as the water heated. "I couldn't help but notice you seem to be struggling a bit in class," She poured two cups of tea before returning to her desk. She set the cup in front of him and the tray within reach, settling in with her own tea. "It's nothing to be ashamed of, magic can be difficult to get the hang of."

Mallory sipped her tea. "I called you in because I'd like to offer you extra lessons. One on one, if you'd like. We can keep it between us, of course, and I'm willing to continue offering them as long as you need them, even up to graduation." She added, knowing he would be switching to Misha's classes the next year.

 

[Rune Sanderson]

Rune could certainly feel his nerves getting to him. This was it. The professor had noticed he was struggling. Was she going to kick him out of the class? Was she going to suggest that he should not continue? He needed to stay though. He had to do well in the classes that his father found important or else he would have to drop some of the classes that were interested to him, like Divination or Arithmancy. He really did not want that to be the case.

He accepted the cup of tea with a kind nod at the professor. "Th..thank you professor" He managed to said as he took a slightly shaky sip of tea. Why were his hands doing that? He set the cup down on the desk, trying not to make his nerves so obvious, although he could easily assume they were. Her would were rather kind though. He smiled slightly. He really hoped she meant it instead of just being nice though.

To his surprise, the professor offered extra lessons for him one on one. "Professor... that is well that is the nicest offer." He said not sure how his father would feel to learn that he needed extra classes. But the professor had mentioned that it was possible to keep it a secret. No one could know. If Ryder caught wind of this, Rune would never live it down. "I'd really love that. I try so hard, but sometimes it takes just so much effort. I think One on One classes would be a nice solution." He spoke his voice growing past the whisper it had been.

"But Ryder can't know. No one can. My father would be so disappointed in me." He added quickly, his voice going back down to the common whisper that was so common in his tone. Almost like he was afraid to speak up, like his words were not quite important enough. "I should just know this stuff." He added reaching out for his cup of tea to sip on it. He had already said way too much. It was embarrassing.

 

[Professor Mallory Grayveson]

Mallory listened quietly to the young boy, sipping her tea. Her heart ached at his final words, and she set her cup down gently. "I understand that very well," She murmured softly. "You have my full support, Rune." She reassured him gently. "We can arrange a time that works well for you." She folded her arms on the edge of her desk.

"Rune, sweetheart. I know very well that pressure from your father can be... hard." Mallory sighed. "But please, can we focus on what makes you happy?" She asked him gently. She leaned in. "Rune... My siblings and I grew up with a very strict, very demanding father. He wanted nothing less than perfection. I spent all my life tutoring my brother and sister so they could meet his expectations." She confided in the boy gently. "The pressure was intense. My brother was disowned and kicked out of our home when he refused to marry the woman our father chose for him- my brother is now unimaginably happy with his boyfriend, working in the owl shop."

She smiled gently. "My sister and I chose to leave home. I'm happy, content here. My father has never approved of my job as a Professor here. But I stay, because helping you learn and grow as your own person is the most rewarding thing in the world to me." Mallory picked up her tea again. "My point is, yes, I will absolutely help you to meet your fathers expectations. But please, for me, just think about what would make you happy, too," She smiled warmly at him.

 

[Rune Sanderson]

Rune almost felt the pink in his cheeks. He had certainly opened up more than he had ever planned to, more than he should have. It was beyond embarrassing. He did not think he could even meet the professor's eyes at this point. The young Hufflepuff boy sipped on his tea, almost trying to force the words back down his throat that he had already let spill out through his lips. It wasn't helping though.

He only looked up as the professor mentioned what made him happy. Honestly Rune did not know the answer to that question. He never considered what made him happy. He only considered what made everyone else around him happy. That was the most important thing. Pleasing his father. Following in his brother's shadows. Making sure Marlow was happy and supported in her art work. But what did he want? That never really crossed his mind.

The young Hufflepuff boy listened to the professor's personal story about her own family. It really did sound like the professor understood where he was coming from. It didn't seem possible. He let a small smile fall on his face as he heard about her brother, living happily with his boyfriend. Boyfriend A term Rune never came across unless he was listening to his mother speak to his older sister about relationships and her lack of love life. For some reason, the word sat with him a little longer than he had planned it to. But that wasn't important. Rune continued to listen to the professor, feeling a little better with each word.

"I really appreciate it Professor" Rune said honestly, his voice for some reason a littler shakier than he would have wanted them to be. "I'm not sure what would make me happy" He whispered, trying to get up the courage to go on, but he just couldn't find the words. Instead he took another cup of tea. He wasn't here to think about his happiness. He was here to get better at Charms, to make his father understand he was just as good as his twin brother and not just disappointingly different. "Thank you for offering so much help. I think I'll start with just the one on one classes. Getting better at charms is the most important thing right now." He added, truly believing that.

 

[Professor Mallory Grayveson]

Mallory smiled at the boy. "Of course, Rune. We can start with the lessons. My office is always open, of course, for anything you may need." She sipped her tea, considering what she wanted to do. "Alright, Rune. Talk to me." She smiled gently at him. "In order for me to help you properly, it would help if I knew more about you. Tell me about yourself." She smiled, cradling her cup on the table. "Would you like more tea?" She asked.

 

[Rune Sanderson]

Talk to me The words swirled in his head for awhile. He was silent for a moment only nodding when the Professor offered more time. "Yes please" Rune said feeling a little more awkward. Had he not just spoken way too much, shared too much information about himself. What else could he even say? What if he managed to say something even more embarrassing, if that was even possible at this point. His cheeks were still hot with the memories of the last spoken words.

The worst part was probably that he did not even know what to say about himself. It was like one of those traumatizing ice breaker games during the first week of classes. The young Hufflepuff boy never quite knew what to say. He always mentioned he was a twin, much to his brother's annoyance. That seemed like the only exciting thing he could think about to say. Obviously, the professor already knew this fact about him, and really it wasn't supposed to be such a defining characteristic of his personality. But it was. He was always just Ryder's twin, second.

Rune thought for awhile. He took another sip of his tea before he dared to open his mouth again. "There really isn't much to say Professor" he began respectfully. He did not want to make the professor think he was hiding anything or being withdrawn. Seriously, he just could not think of a single thing to say about himself. He tried to think what Marlow would say about him if she was here. In a way, his older sister always had a way of raising him up or defending him. "I have an older sister. You probably know that, Marlow is her name. She is amazing at art. My brother is great at sports. Always wins" He began. This wasn't about him and he realized that before the words even came out of his mouth. But he couldn't stop. It was just so natural.

"My mother is an amazing gardener and teacher. She used to do our lessons out in the garden" He said with a small smile thinking about home. He missed those days. At least it was normal for him to feel alone when he was only around family. "I liked to help her in the garden." He said, surprised that for once the fact was indeed about him. "I wasn't great at it or anything. But it certainly helped me when I came here and took Herbology" He added, a small barely audible laugh escaped his lips. Herbology, one of the few subjects he was good at.

Rune wasn't sure what else to say. He took another sip of tea. That seemed like enough information about him. There wasn't like a book about his life, no one would even read such a thing.

 

[Professor Mallory Grayveson]

Mallory waited for Rune patiently, smiling softly at him. She got him a new cup of tea, listening as he spoke. He seemed more open to talking about his family than he was talking about himself. She took note of everything he said, considering what to do. She nodded as he finished, and picked up her quill. "Alright, darling, thank you for telling me." She picked up a fresh parchment and scribbled out a handful of questions. "Finish your tea, my sweet, while I write this out," She murmured.

Soon enough, she'd finished, and she copied it quickly to another page before sliding the original over to him. "I'd like you to come back in and see me next week, and try to fill this out before you come in. I've got the same list, and I'll do the same. For every question you answer, I'll answer the same, and we can discuss it when you come back. Is that alright?" She smiled at him, thinking that if he had more time and the option of writing it down, it might help him to open up a bit more to her.

Spoiler: Questions

1. What is your favorite color?
2. Where did you grow up?
3. What's your favorite thing to drink?
4. Do you like the winter or the summer?
5. What do you like to do in your spare time?
6. What do you like to do when you're with Marlow?
7. How do you like to spend your time with Rune?
8. When you're with your brother, do you tend to do what he wants, or do the two of you discuss things and decide together what to do?
9. What was the nicest gift ever given to you?
10. Who would you say is your best friend here at school?