The Memory of Trees

[Aleksey Alkaev]

For students to attempt and find Professor Alkaev after class was like trying to find a stalk of hay in a needle-stack--naked. Painstakingly difficult, in other words, if only because if one did manage to find him once, the promise of discovering him in the same spot a day or so later was never guaranteed. You would have to wander about for hours in search of him then, if you didn't give up after initially finding his previous spot unoccupied--or tended by someone other than the eccentric teacher. In fact, one could be quite sure that he was never in the same spot twice. The grounds were vast; but was there really the possibility that he could find somewhere new every time?

Fortunately--for anyone who hadn't given up their man-hunting excursions--he was actually--for once--in an open and obvious place today. One could have spied him from the castle, and had to simply escort themselves down the covered bridge from the courtyard, trek through the stone circle, and then veer immediately to the left and down the hill a little ways. They would find one of the older trees inhabiting this space and, at its breast, Aleksey Alkaev.

He was sitting in a childish position, long legs pretzeled up under his rear, his body pointed toward the continuing descent of the hill to the mouth of the Black Lake. It was a sentimental place to him, beneath this tree, where many a social gatherings, study sessions, and tom-foolery commenced between himself and his companions. At the moment it was only shared with his living scarf--Nefertiti, the Egyptian Mau, who strung herself haphazardly across his narrow shoulders. She was more like an appendage than a Cat, and if Witches and Wizards were rumored by Muggles to have "familiars," then Neffie was the epitome.

There was no conversation. This was probably normal to anyone else, for what sort of talk could someone really have with a Cat? Anyone familiar with him, though, knew better--he talked to Nefertiti as if she were a human; and, although she couldn't vocalize in turn beyond your average feline sounds, there seemed to be an understanding there. They were both depthless and unpredictable. No, instead, Alek was content to act upon his serene mood today and just tune into his surroundings. Meditation for the open eyes. Lacking any expectation of intrusion.

Not that he'd mind an interruption.

  

[Irina Skeeter]

Irina was searching Aleksey for half an hour. She knew that he wasn't like the other professors- so searching him in his classroom wasn't a good idea. She didn't understood a lot from the last lesson. She was actually thinking in the whole lesson about her new dresses. But when she heard some rumors that they may write a test she started studying. For her bad luck she didn't understood anything so she decided to ask her teacher.

She was asking a lot of students and at last, a fifth year Hufflepuff said her that he was in the gardens. Irina hated the classrooms so the fact that her teacher was in the garden made her quite happy. She runned at the corridor- something that didn't fitted a lady and stepped out.

When she founded Aleksey she putted on her best angelic smile and walked to him hopping she wasn't disturbing an important ritual. " Professor Alkaev" She gritted cheerfully holding her divination book.

" I was searching you everywhere, some students told me that we are going to write a test so I wanted to ask you about that things we learned about planets and stars last week" She started talking. A lot of people told her that when she opened her mouth she couldn't close it. " Oh and your cat is lovely" She added and gave the animal a smile.

  

[Aleksey Alkaev]

If he had known (or considered) that students were fervently seeking him out after-hours, Aleksey would have at least put a stopper on his more erratic wanderings. Up until now, he'd been under the impression that students desired little to do with him once his daily role was played, although he did encourage them to approach him at any time if they needed guidance or reminders. It just didn't occur to him that he may have overestimated their scavenger hunting skills, and his own tendency to pull an effective "Houdini."

In saying such, the young Professor was understandably surprised when Irina Baddock turned up at "his" tree this evening. Pleasantly surprised, that is, judging by the faint appearance of a fond smile coiling his mouth upward at the corners. "Oh," he remarked, in a soft and almost sing-song voice, "Hallo Miss Baddock." Meet your Russian Luna Lovegood of the Victorian Era.

Allotting her time to forward her explanation, the briefly silent Alkaev shifted so that he was leaning back against the tree and physically alerted to her presence, no longer relaxed but rigid in the throws of deep breathing. She may have noticed before that his eyes had been half lidded and clouded with a thin film of drowsiness; however, now they were peeled open and glassy, blinking on occasion in a slow, thoughtful manner. No longer meditating, the previously serene Aleksey was now subject to whatever flamboyant swings his psyche chose. Fortunately, extreme annoyance with a student's inability to pay attention--or toward any situation in general--was not a mood setting he frequented at all. That radio dial was dustier than a sleeping elderly person.

"I hope you didn't have to look very long," he mused at length, his expression terribly amused. Maybe he was now alerted to his disappearing problem, considering the girl looked as if she'd run somewhere. Good lord. "Of course, Irina, ask away." Gesturing dismissively at her textbook, Alek suddenly brought himself to his feet, stretching as discretely as possible. In the meantime he glanced over to the face of Nefertiti by his cheek and chortled, reaching up to scratch her ears. "Thank you. She's quite warm too, I'll have you know."

  

[Irina Skeeter]

Irina felt uncomfortable as she didn't actually knew what to ask. She didn't knew anything to have any questions. But she remembered that it was about planets and meaning of star symbols. Or at least that she understood of the one minute she read the whole page. " Well, I didn't understood about....that little planet..Platon was it name..and the other bigger one..and that stuff about or birthday" She started with a forced smile.


" Oh what's her name" She asked hoping her professor doesn't think she is a fool. Bravo, Irina, even a third year knows that stuff and you don't even know the name of the planets, she said to herself. She really ahd to stop learning all the important stuff the last momment. But it was such a pain to sit and study for so long.

She didn't understood how she got her Owls. Maybe she was lucky or someone put Felix Felicis in her tea that day. The wasn't other normal answer. Her father was actually so happy that she passed so he bought her a bunch of new dresses. Even her stepmother was happy that day. And Irina was quite sweet with her. But the other day they had a big fight because Irina couldn't find one of her dresses. Well this was a common day in the Baddock household in the summer.

  

[Aleksey Alkaev]

Aleksey was slightly reproachful upon discovering Irina's severe lack of knowledge on the subject. It had been just last week, and he hadn't expected her to have forgotten so fast, let alone to have not been paying the lessons any attention at all. Divination was an elective, after all. More a novelty than an actual class--to the students, anyway--and he fancied their participation for the entertainment or interest value of it, at the least. Not Irina Baddock, apparently. Oh, well. He would have been the last to take it personally, if ever. She seemed to have a busy mind--whether or not it was school related was none of his business.

"... Alright, Miss Baddock," he said after a few moments of studying both her and the Divination book in a ponder-some manner, feigning a comically dramatic sigh, "I am, after all, at your service. Would you like a recap lesson now, or would you like to schedule one some other time this week?" He watched her passively with his hands stuffed into the pockets of his coat, while his scarf proceeded to writhe and coil about his throat tighter in order to gain her balance and sit on one of his shoulders, regarding the girl with feline indifference.

"Nefertiti," Alek remarked offhandedly, gesturing to his companion. It'd taken her squirming on his shoulder for him to realize that she still existed, and that Irina inquired after her name. Oh, silly absent-minded Alkaev.

"I can't promise you ease in finding me any other day this week, you know... So, if I were you, I'd take advantage of my otherwise whimsical Professor's very complacent and lazy attitude." A funny little smug smirk cocked up one side of his mouth, and again his eyes became partially closed. They panned sluggishly over to the distant, crawly black form of the lake and remained there while waiting for her answer, unblinking. It was one of those very elusive days where his mind couldn't bear the thought of being anywhere other than in one place, doing very little with himself physically. Miss Baddock had good timing, if she was willing to utilize it.

  

[Irina Skeeter]

" I can learn it right now, I learn fast" She answered. Her words were too redicolous, she had forgotten the things she learn last week. But actually this was a little true. When she was finding interesting something she learned it really fast. She liked Divination but that day she preffered to think about her summer wardobe.

" I can read a book from the library.." She started with a smile. At least she had to look that she was interested. Or next year she was going be sent to Beauxbatons. It wasn't that bad, she had friends there but she hated french. Her french tutor was so strict so it made her hate the language. That doesn't mean she hated fashion too.

" The most difficult part is to remember all these names"She said. Well this was unacceptable for someone who learnt latin and ancient greek as a child. Her father wanted the best education for her daughters. That's why he spend so much money on tutors. She never enjoyed learning them. She actually never understood why they were so usefull. They were dead languages, nobody speaked them. So why she had to learn them?

Time was important for Irina and she didn't want to spend it on useless things. She was learning only the most important spells and potions. Her stepmother was always saying how important her studies were. That was another reason to hate her. She had a good life, with her father's money, she never used her wand.

  

[Aleksey Alkaev]

Aleksey was awake again, listening attentively to her as he persisted in the activity of pacing. It was a very slow, leisurely, rhythmic march from one point to another, and then back in a straight line. Clearly said regime got the cogs in his mind to turn, because one would notice the second brightening of the eyes, and how his lower lip was pulled thoughtfully into his teeth every now and again.

How was he going to get through to this girl?

"Can you?" he inquired at length, turning his head so that he could watch her lazily as he paced. "Can you learn it right now?" It was almost a challenge for her to step up her game; but Alek just smiled complacently--which was probably irritating to anyone's ego--and marched on. He'd already assumed that she'd lost all of that information by way of dreaming during class. He recognized that particular issue fairly quickly, if only because, as a boy, he'd had to invent his own method of studying in order to get his good grades out of the way. Fortunately for her, he already had a solution that might just work. At the moment--with this pacing and rhetorical, Cheshire interrogating--he was just amusing himself.

"I think you can; but you're going to need a quill and some parchment. I don't expect you've brought your own, so..." Pausing, the professor disrupted his own march to approach his bag and produce a roll of paper with a starry border and a peacock quill, offering them toward her. "You won't need that old text book. I want you to pay attention to nothing other than what I say. I'm going to go quickly, so be ready; and I'll confide my game plan for you when I'm finished. Sound like a deal?"

  

[Irina Skeeter]

"Deal!" She answered with a happy voice. " I am ready to learn" She added and she tried to erase everything which has to do with clothes and travelling in her mind. At the starting of this term her father said her that he was going to send her to her Aunt for the holidays if she didn't studied enough.

And these weird drawings were interesting. At least she wasn't going to learn spells or theory. In class she was writing all the theory the teacher says, just to look that she cares of the lesson. Actually she didn't understood a thing of that she was writing. She was too busy of planning, or maybe dreaming, her future life.

" So from where are we going to start?" She asked cheerfully. " I remember that the planets are nine...or ten.. or eight..well it isn't a big difference...and that each person has a personal star, or something."

Irina was too childish some times. Stop acting like a first year, she said to herself. Why she had to be so immature? All the students say that she is a spoiled daddy girl, that's why she was like that. But her stepmother was the spoiled one not her.