[Staff Room] Psychobabble (Newton)

[Professor Daniel Hubbles]

It was always the way with October in Britain, when you looked outside through the security of a window the castle grounds looked so beautiful. The leaves on the trees in the forbidden forest were slowly turning from green to shades of brown and red, the sky was as purer blue as any day in the summer and the lake glistened as the sun shone down upon the grounds. The one problem was it could never prepare you for the bitter chill that would great you as soon as you left the relative warmth of the castle. A cold wind blew from the mountains and so even though Daniel Hubbles had his sunglasses on he was also wrapped up as if he was returning from an expedition from the Antarctic instead of just popping out to Hogsmeade to buy Dia an apple and cinnamon tart from Madam Puddifoots. (He knew that after a tutoring session in the library the tart and a very strong cup of Earl Gray would be on the cards.)

When he pushed open the doors of the Entrance Hall the heat from inside hit him and already he could feel himself over heating through his many layers. Slowly as he legs automatically carried him towards the Staff Room Dan began to untie his scarf and un-zip his coat, which of course got a few shouts from the more older students of the castle and he was convinced even a wolf whistle…although that might have been the wind through the broken window. ’Hmmm best get that window fixed.’

For this time of day the Staff Room was strangely empty, he knew that a few lessons would be running and only a few of his Professor were on duty but the others were clearly being unsociable and remaining in their offices. Placing the cardboard box down that contained the tarts on the closest coffee table Dan flopped down onto the sofa, hands resting behind his head, feet up and eyes closed as he enjoyed one of those very rare moments when the Headmaster had some time to himself.

[Newton Biggs]

Newton was the type of man who got persistently nagging feelings that simply wouldn't go away until he followed through with whatever the feeling was about. Usually once he had done so he found out that it was for some really good reason, as though he'd drunk some Felix Felicis and was just going with the flow. You create your own luck, that's what Newton believed and in moments like these it was all too evident.

On this particular October day, when there was a chill on the air and more then a few clouds, Newton got this feeling, you see? Yes, he simply had to go. Leave London, the ministry, they'd survive without him for a few hours. So, using the floo network, Biggs traveled quickly across the country and came shooting into Hogwarts, inside the Headmasters office. Jumping to his feet as though he were twenty-five again, Newton brushed the dust from his long gray coat and dusted out his hair, looking around the ... apparently empty office.

Shrugging, Newton set off in search of the man he was looking for. Leaving the office, Newton flew down the spiral stairs with a new found energy that he could not explain, the Minister walked with his normal hasty stride down the many corridors of his old school, which he remembered with more then perfect clarity. If Hubbles wasn't in his office, Newton pondered, then he might be in the Staff Room. Knowing the way as though he walked it every day, Newton soon arrived at the worn door and, without knocking, walked in, turning the handle with one gnarled hand.

And there, sure enough, on one of the sofas was the man he had been searching for. Closing the door as quietly as he could, Newton walked on his toes towards the snoozing Headmaster before he sprung. Grabbing hold of Dan's leg, Newton gave it a rough pull while shouting, "never worked a day in your life, have you slacker?" Newton couldn't keep the frown he was wearing on his face and soon began to laugh heartily before dropping the younger man's leg and offering him a hand to shake.

"How are you?" Newton said after, falling into one of the armchairs smiling. Leaning over the one arm, Newton opened the box that was sitting on the coffee table next to him. "Hmm," Newton murmured approvingly, "who's the lucky one who gets this?"

[Professor Daniel Hubbles]

Dan was sure he could have fallen asleep right there, lounging around on a comfortable sofa, the outside noise of the castle a distant lulling hum and the warmth of the fire just made everything so cosy. He was just drifting off into a particularly enjoyable reoccurring dream when someone took hold of his legs! Dan’s eyes snapped open in fright to see the Minster of Magic frowning away at him muttering something about not working hard; the only thing that was passing through Dan Hubbles head at that moment in time where a few choice words that is not even suitable for the most hardened of folk.

“Sir.” Dan’s hands quickly removed themselves from the back of his head as he quickly reached forward to shake the Minster’s hand. If there was someone in the magical world who could make Dan Hubbles feel uneasy then Newton Biggs was that person. Considering the man’s personality he would be hard to believe but Newton held two very important Joker cards that Dan just could not look over. One being that he was his boss and could have him fired at any moment, and the second being that these two wizards knew each other before their many promotions, in fact Newton knew some things about Dan that not even he could remember…well he guessed that but like was mentioned before that part of his life and tour of Europe was rather, well, patchy.

When the Minister was making himself comfortable in one of the near by armchairs Dan nervously fidgeted in his chair crossing his arms and his legs before nervously entwining them again deciding that casual seemed to be the best option for this particular surprise visit. That was the problem; it had caught Dan so much off guard that he did not know how to act anymore as he could not help but have that nagging feeling in the back of his mind that he should be doing something. ’That bloody window. I bet he saw it!’

“I am good, thank you Minister….and yourself?” He could not help but wince at what he had just said, who in this day in age asked someone how they were like that? Maybe he should have tried to use some sort of hip phrase to show he was down with the kids, or would that be counted as trying to hard? In all his self evaluation and what could only be labelled panic Dan almost missed the Minsters question towards the apple tart. “It’s for Dia but…you can have if you wish sir.”

Had Dan just offered the Minster of Magic his wife’s apple and cinnamon tart, he really needed to get a grip of himself. Newton was not the sort of man to go telling tales about the antics in foreign lands that the Headmaster of Hogwarts got up to in his youth so all Dan had to do was get over himself…relax… and breath.

[Newton Biggs]

Dan's facial expression was exactly what Newton had been looking for, the very reason he had nearly tipped the man over backwards. He had looked panicked, then angry, then shocked, then his - lately - usual awkwardness settled in. The constancy of this man was like clockwork and Newton liked that about Daniel Hubbles. Of course it had taken him years to even find out the man's name as every time they bumped into each other Dan was usually ... well ... his old self, a side Newton had not seen in a long time.

"Siiir?" Newton repeated, looking down at the uncomfortable Headmaster. "Good gracious, how long have we known each other, Hubbles? And still with this 'sir' business? You are the reason people say you can't teach used sock new tricks." Newton chuckled heartily to himself, his blue-gray eyes twinkling with delight. This was a big part of the reason Newton kept coming back for more, even when he didn't mean it Dan could make him laugh. "A thoroughly useful ability, you have Hubbles," Newton voiced his thoughts aloud with a broad smile, "and some at the Ministry could stand to take a page or three out of your book, that's for sure."

His sights on the box with the tart inside, Newton nodded his head. "I am very well, thank you," he reponded, crossing his legs and clapping his arms onto the armrests of the armchair he was sitting in. "I'm about to be a grandfather again," he informed Daniel, "Aine's going to be having her second child in a few days. Mya's very excited, of course, fouth grandchild and all. It's a very exciting time in my house." Newton had once of twice twisted Dan's arm into coming to his house for a meal so he spoke with an openness about his family, knowing that as soon as his daughter had her child it would be in all the newspapers and magazines anyway.

"Dia?" Newton chimed, with a slightly silly, playful wobble of his head. "What a funny name! And thank you." Newton picked up the box quickly and, putting it on his lap, opened the box and breathed in deeply. He then closed the box and put it back where it had been. "You're a very brave man, Hubbles," Newton said, smoothing the leg of his trousers, "offering me your wife's tart? Whatever would she do with you? Though I suppose knowing that I was the one who had it wouldn't bother her too much I suppose. She knows me well enough."

Suddenly pulling out his wand, the Minister gave it a wave and two tea cups full of tea appeared. Giving it another wave, the tea cups sped to the men and Newton took his, his wand now away again. Taking a sip, Newton held it up to Dan and gave him a skew smile. "Happy tea," he said, "if you get my meaning ... or else you will soon." Taking another sip of his potent tea, Newton chuckled and sat up straight again, uncrossing his legs. "Tell me Hubbles," Newton said, leaning an elbow on the arm of the chair, "how are you coping with the job? And how is that lovely wife of yours?"

[Professor Daniel Hubbles]

It truly seemed impossible for Dan to be able to have a few quiet moments to himself, although in all honesty if he was going to have someone distract him then, despite the fact that recently Newton made Dan very self conscious, the minister would be one of those people. Still has the man whittled one about him not calling him sir and then as normal started talking to himself making some comment about people in the Ministry needing to be like him. Dan did not say anything and it was only through nerves that he managed to keep a straight face, but that had to be on of the most hysterical things he had heard in a long time.

Newton was happily making himself comfortable in the Staffroom when the conversation went off in another direction, there personal lives. This was something that Dan, surprising or not, was a little more comfortable talking about this then work mainly because it reminded him of the olden days when him and Newton would talk. So with this feeling of security the man was able to relax ever so slightly and actually give a response without stuttering.

“Another Grandchild. Well give Aine my best wishes she is a brave one having kids.” Dan gave a small chuckle, he could not help but think about how he how had reached that time in his life when his old classmates were off having children and getting on with their life. “I can’t imagine having children yet.” He added rather absentmindedly “I don’t think I am ready to be father.”

A frown furrowed its way across Dan’s forehead as he thought about what he had said, he always said that he wanted a family but when push came to shove right now he job seemed a bigger priority. ‘While Hogwarts is left leaderless’ The ghostly voice of Professor Edgecombe rang through the man’s head blocking out everything in fact the only thing that snapped Dan out of his little nighmare world was a tea cup that had just appeared in front of him.

Happy tea? Dan looked puzzled down at the brown liquid half expecting there to be a smiley face floating on the surface made out of bubbles. Sadly this was not the case, it looked like a bog standard cup of tea as far as the Headmaster could notice but why the Minister had called it ‘Happy tea’ still worried Dan and so he very gingerly raised it to his mouth and only allowed the tiniest amount of liquid passed over his lips. It tasted like normal tea, if a little bit stronger and there was no bitter aftertaste to suggest any other substance, even as Dan lowered the tea cup the ran his tongue over his lower lip to try and get a different after taste. ’hmmm’ However there was very little time to linger on this factor as in true Newton style the conversation was moving on at a quick pace.

“Hard work.” Dan chuckled as he rested this teacup on the arm of the sofa. “But the job is even worse.” It was the oldest joke in the book but here Dan was using it more out of nerves then actually meaning that his marriage to Dia was tough, quite on the contrary, without her Dan was sure he would have never got this far. It was as this thought crossed through the mans mind a small absent minded smile filled his face before he remembered where he was and who he was sitting with.

“Anyway sir…er…Newton to what reason do I owe this pleasure of your company?”

(Blarrr)

[Newton Biggs]

Taking a sip of his tea, Daniel wished Newton give Aine his best wishes. “I shall definitely do so,” Newton said, with a smile on his face that could mean a million and one things all together and at the same time nothing at all. For a moment the Minister fell silent, his blue-gray eyes unfocused on anything, but then he came back to where he was, focused on Dan’s face as the man continued to speak. It was unusual, Biggs thought, for this particular man to doubt himself, as he was doing, and Newton knew exactly what he was talking about.

“You sound like me just before Liam was born,” Newton said nostalgically, looking into his tea cup for s brief moment, then turning back to Daniel. “I was a year or two older then you are now, practically newly wed and I couldn’t believe my ears when Mya told me that she was pregnant. A man is only ready to become a father when he first holds his child. It was true for me, my son and son-in-law too. And I know it will be true for you too. You’ll know you’re ready when you hold that few minute old fragile thing and it smiles up at you, or in Aine’s case cries up at you, but it all holds true: only then will you know. So no use worrying about it now.”

Newton took another sip of his tea, holding his saucer in his other hand, and put the cup down. “No use,” he repeated, taking more of his tea.

Newton’s comment on the tea seemed to astound the Headmaster of Hogwarts and Newton as knew it would do. It wasn’t everyday that Newton got to drink this particular type of tea. It was a sort of magical tea, though there was nothing magical about it, except for it’s ability to induce a sense that everything is going to be okay and that all the worries the drinker had been worrying about were silly and futile, while drinking the tea of course. It was the plant that this particular tea came from, a special plant, no doubt, and few knew of it, Newton being one of the few, of course.

Still, the man said nothing so neither did Newton. He just smiled away to himself, sipping his hot tea and singing a song in his head about a goblin that Liam had taught him a few nights prier. Daniel began speaking again and Newton, picking up the tea pot, refilled his tea cup and let it go before it floated towards Dan and topped his up too as it rested on the arm of the sofa. The man’s response to his question was enigmatical but as soon as he continued Newton picked up on the meaning. It was strange for this man to think of his own wife as ‘hard work’, it wouldn’t have been the term he had chosen; ‘good’, ‘well’, ‘having a slight hernia at the thought of yet another grandchild’ perhaps but not ‘hard work’.

Chuckling loudly, Newton threw his had back and nodded. “I thought you might find it challenging,” Newton told him, “but the board and I were sure you were the best choice for it. You might not think so just yet but you are doing well. I’m sure your little wifey would agree with me on that one.” Chuckling into his cup, Newton took another sip of his tea.

A shocked look creased the man’s whole face as he frowned at Dan. “Why Daniel,” Newton said, his surprise ringing in his grizzly voice, “must a person have a reason to visit an old friend?” Newton looked most indignant. “Merlin’s beard, has the job friend your brain that much?! Perhaps it wasn’t a good idea to make you Headmaster; I’m sure we could find someone to take the position within a fortnight if you’re willing to wait that long?” Newton was absolutely serious, if Hubbles hadn’t picked up on it, and he was sitting forward in his arm chair just to prove it, scrutinising Dan’s face with his brow furrowed.

[Professor Daniel Hubbles]

Newton has a way of saying things to Dan that made him feel, from time to time, quite immature and not as smart as he liked to believe. He did not begrudge the man because of it, heck it was one of the things that Dan thinks, he can not fully remember, why he started to talk to Newton all those years ago in Poland, that little pearl of knowledge that still stuck with the man till this day. ’When you have finished drinking your fifteenth Fire Whisky that is when you know you need to change to something stronger as you clearly are not drunk enough!’

Of course at this present moment in time Newton and Dan were not sipping on Premium Russian vodka, but this happy tea that the Minister of Magic seemed rather found of. Dan rather nervously and more out of good manors carried on sipping out of the small china cup knowing that as soon as it was gone then he would not have to worry about it anymore…but Newton seemed to have read his mind and refreshed his cup. Trying not to look to disappointed he offered Newton a rather weak smile and muttered a small thank you before continuing to drink the supposed tea, although this time he felt a little, well happier.

In fact Dan was feeling a lot happier and even chuckled along with Newton as he seemed to find his comment rather amusing. The only way Dan could relate to this feeling of slight ecstasy was to be drunk but with still being fully in control, he needed to find out what this stuff was. “I am glad you had faith in me, Dia reminds me everyday that I can do it. I do try to make sure your faith is not miss placed.”

Now that was not an understatement, during his time as Headmaster Dan had worked him self down to the core, many a night he would be woken up by a light kiss from Dia as he had once again fallen asleep at his desk, a half written letter in front of him and ink stains all over his hands and face. Maybe the tiredness was showing, in his vanity he noticed the bags under his eyes had grown bigger and wrinkles had started appearing, the other night Girty joked about him having a grey hair but he most defiantly did not! He dyed it for a start! But then Newton seemed to have noticed a difference too.

“What?!” A rather high pitched shout escaped the man as Newton mentioned about replacing him. Quickly placing his tea cup down on the table in front of them Dan looked the Minster straight in the eyes “No, Newton I am doing fine…I…what has Dia being telling you?” Dan gave a slight chuckle as for some reason he could just imagine Dia having a quiet word with Newton asking him to make sure Dan was back in the castle before nightfall once in a while. “I…no, I am doing fine. You keep that job advertisement out of the papers! I plan on keeping this spot for a while longer thanks.”

Reaching out once more for his tea, Dan sat back in his chair still shaking his head and muttering to himself as he continued to sip his tea. “Riddikulus.” (OOC: hehehe) Dan muttered to himself. “Crazy.”

[Newton Biggs]

It would come as no surprise that Newton Biggs was not being completely honest with his old friend. It was questionable whether he was ever completely honest with anyone. Selective truthfulness always seemed to work in his favour and he followed that line all his life. It wasn’t that he lied, he just neglected to inform some of details, such as Dan at this moment in time, but enough of that, his tea going down very well and that was good.

Dan seemed reluctant to drink the tea but he did it any way. That was always a something that past unspoken between them, that they never did anything that wasn’t in the best interest of the other. Unspoken and understood, as a lot of things were with Newton and Dan. Newton smiled to himself, watching Dan with his cool gray eyes, as he lifted his tea cup to his lips and sipped. Simply lovely.

An assumption jumped to his mind as Dan all but jumped to his feet, defending himself and his position. Newton smiled knowingly at Dan as the man ranted about he wanted to stay where he was. The Ministry couldn’t say that he wasn’t pleased to receive this response, after all, being Headmaster did become Daniel Hubbles very well. It was doubtful that Newton would ever speak such a thing to the man but the thought was there.

Dan sat back, still muttering to himself, and Newton remained still for a moment, simply looking at Daniel. Then he suddenly sat up and began laughing. He clapped a hand to his knee and shook his head. “There’s the old fife I was looking for,” Newton chuckled hoarsely. “And you’re welcome to it. I’ve got enough on my plate as it is to be worrying about you and yours too. Not that I don’t anyway, I just don’t want to be focusing on it to any sort of measurable time.”

Newton was in more ways then one connected with this man. He and Dan went way back to when they were both younger and more foolish. Some things never changed. But looking at them now it was clear that some things do change. “But I am glad to see you fighting so passionately for what you have,” Newton said thoughtfully. “It’s always important that while we look for what we want we fight for what we have.” Newton inclined his head towards Dan and smiled, his wrinkled face stretching as he did.

“I have heard rumours though,” Newton said, now looking thoughtfully into his tea cup. “That you had been thinking about retiring or some such?” Newton looked at Dan again, studying his face as he waited for a reply to this new piece of information.

[Professor Daniel Hubbles]

Dan could not decide if he had over reacted or not with the whole situation of him not being able to handle the pressure of being Headmaster, but then he really did not want to step down, this was his opportunity to do some good in the world and he was not going to let it slip away from him. Newton however seemed to be rather impressed with Dan’s moment of passion for the job and it may have been one of those very rare occasions when Dan Hubbles, despite his hot headedness had done the right thing.

A small smile spread across the mans face as he took another swig of his tea, although it did not stay for long. In fact Dan almost chocked on his tea with what the Minister had to say next. The sound of his china cup hitting the saucer rang out around them as Dan’s mouth hung open flabbergasted at what he had just heard.

“Wha- I hav- retiring?” Dan looked at Newton with a face of complete confusion. “I know I joke about being old mate but not retiring. Geez, that makes me sound sixty.” Dan sipped his tea as he tried to think about where these ’rummors’ had come from. “I threatened to resign last year but I was persuaded not to. I have no idea where rumours of my retirement have come from.”

Newton really knew what to say today to put Dan on edge, he never truly thought much about the outside world, Hogwarts was his world, his little kingdom that he had to keep running as well he could. Merlin knows what the many parents were thinking, what speculations the press were creating to try and sell papers or even what the whispers were inside the Ministry. With a small sip of his tea Dan gave a thoughtful sigh, maybe people were expecting him to step down, after all him and Dia could not live in the castle forever.

“How are things at the Ministry?” Dan asked trying to move the questions away from himself and to put Newton on the spot for a while. “I hope you are keeping all those whippier snappers in shape.”

(I am sorry Robyn, that was rather lame *le sigh*)