Anything but Ordinary (Matthews)

[Professor Daniel Hubbles]

December may not have been everyone’s idea of the perfect time for a bit of sunbathing, but then Dan Hubbles was not everyone and most defiantly liked to be different. So there he was, wrapped up nice and warm with his long grey trench coat and now rather old Hufflepuff scarf tied around his neck, and he was lying on the grass bank by the lake enjoying the warmth of the fun on his face. The other students who were brave enough to wonder around the castle grounds seemed to be taking avoiding action of the headmaster almost as if they were in fear of disturbing him, Dan was just happy no one was around to knock over the small jar that was placed beside him.

On this rather nice, blue skied Sunday afternoon Dan had arranged to meet up with Paige Matthews for her extra lesson. It had not taken him long to come up with this lesson plan and that was all it was really an idea, he thought there was no point planning to far ahead because there were so many places where it could go wrong everything could take a drastic turn and get rather messy.

Slowly Dan opened up his eyes at the sound of the clock tower chiming to signal it being the thirteenth hour of the day and it should also signal the arrival of his pupil. The clouds moved slowly across the sky due to the lack of a breeze and it just made it feel like time was dragging on by so slowly and so it was with a deep sigh of relief he heard the footsteps of someone approaching him.

[Paige Matthews]

She wasn't even sure why she signed herself up for this especially since she was being asked to meet on a Sunday when she should be up in her room lounging. Then she remembered that was why she signed up to give her something else to do make her a better possible a more well-rounded student. The headmaster surely got to be headmaster because of his superior wit and intellect. He had been a former Hufflepuff after all.

So outside she went to see what he was going to teach her. She said she was willing to do anything that was fun and dangerous. Being here for these last few months made her find out some things about herself and that was that she was bold and daring.

Her heavy robes on she went outside to find the man laying on the floor. Paige looked down at him wondering if this is what they were going to be doing. "Um Headmaster I'm here for my lesson."

[Professor Daniel Hubbles]

The sound of the person approaching behind him was indeed the student he had been waiting for and at the sound of her rather confused tones. With a wide grin Dan jumped to his feet picking up the jar as he went and turned to face the Hufflepuff. “Indeed you are!” Dan agreed to her previous statement as he threw the jar from one hand to the other, he could not help but have a cheeky smile on his face as he thought about what he had planned…this was going to be fun!

“Miss Matthews a quick test for you!” He held the small jam jar out in front of him so that it was level with the young Hufflepuff’s face. There were air holes pierced into the lid and inside was a mass of green leaves. It looked more like something that a seven year old would have on their bedroom window at home, in fact when Dan was seven he did have jam jars full of creatures like this. “What creature is inside this jar?”

This was not a trick question, there were creatures among the mass of green, very slow, small creature who’s shimmering trails could been seen all over the leaves and sides of the glass jar. Straight after lunch Dan had been down in the cabbage patch looking for these creatures and he had found a good few! Dax was just happy they would no longer eating his cabbages!

[Paige Matthews]

Paige didn't know the headmaster well though she did know he was good friends with her cousin Will. Only things she had heard of the headmaster didn't always paint him in a positive light, but she did know of Will and he was good so for him to be friends with Daniel Hubbles there had to be some good there as well. After all he was a Hufflepuff just as she was. Paige allowed herself to calm down a bit as he began speaking, he seemed genuinely excited.

"Miss Matthews quick test for you." Paige looked up rather quickly shocked that they were already discussing tests. She hadn't studied didn't even know what he could possibly be testing her on. A jar was brought out and placed close to her face. Paige stared inside the jar seeing the air holes and the leaves. There were little things in there and Paige made a face not really knowing what they were but thinking they were kind of gross.

Looking back at the Headmaster she had to be honest. "No I can't say I know what they are." Hopefully those little things wouldn't be the source of their lesson since Paige had no idea how long she could stomach looking at them.

[Professor Daniel Hubbles]

Dan looked at Paige, his eyebrows raised in expectation and a small smile on his face as he waited for her to give him the answer that he wanted to hear. ’I don’t know’ was not the answer he wanted to hear and for the briefest of moments his smile faltered, although it was not for long seeing as he was far to excited about the prospect of this lesson to get too down heartened. “Come on Miss Matthews.” Dan teased as he started to undo the jam jar lid. “It’s a common garden bug.” Putting his hand inside the jar as far as it could reach he tried to take hold of the pesky blighters so he could show the Hufflepuff one in clearer light.

With one now stuck to his hands Dan slowly brought it out of the jar, the creature was already slowly making its way across the palm of the man’s hands, the cold silver trail of slim highlighted the creatures path. It long antennas grew and strung in size as they felt their way along Dan’s hand. Oh yes this is what in the business is known as a Gastropod or to take up its common game the common garden Slug!

“Come on Miss Matthews you can not tell me you have never seen a slug before. They get such bad press really.” He muttered as he gently stroked the back of the slug with his little finger. “People think they are disgusting, but they are just snails without shells and little bigger. They truly fascinate me.”

Binging his hand up to eye level Dan studied the slug, looking at the different patterns on the creature’s cold flesh, the streaks of colours and how its slim glistened in the sunlight. Really Dan was still that ten year old boy that put slugs in his little sisters bed.

“These are going to out test subjects for the day Miss Matthews. We are going to have a bit of fun with charms…now how are you with the enlarging charm?”

[Paige Matthews]

Paige wasn't into bugs always was the kind of girl who thought they were icky. Screamed if she saw one in her room so the professor acting like she should know what it was sort of stunned her but she said nothing of the sort. Never tell people your weakness my dear her mother told her so she tried to keep her face impassive as the professor removed the nasty looking thing from the jar allowing it to crawl across his hand.

She stared at it, and the name of the bug was starting to come to her it started with an S or something like that but then the rest of the name eluded her it was there in the back of her mind but wouldn't come out.

Then he reminded her of what it was a slug. That was it, they were gross little buggers leaving slime and whatever else on the professors hand. He told her that they fascinated him. She had to look up at him wondering if he was as daft as they were saying.

Paige started to wonder what this lesson was going to be about because for the moment she had no clue. Then he mentioned charms and the enlarging charm. That was one she had heard of several times not that she had actually put it into practice much, her mother didn't want them enlarging things in the house and breaking them. So today would be her first time actually trying it out. "Yes I know the spell but honestly I've never performed it so this should be and interesting lesson," she laughed.