[CR.Staff] If No One Will Listen

[Professor William Vaid]

He watched his muscles flex as he carried an arm full of books and parchments down the corridor towards the staffroom. It was Will’s lesson off and no matter how much he wanted to go down to the pub he had his responsibilities to deal with and was already falling behind with all his marking. Things had gotten a little out of hand recently, his temper was always pushing the limited and it would only take for someone to accidently walk into him in a busy corridor and everyone in it would have detention! If he had gotten his way however he would be till sitting in the dungeons enjoying the quiet of his office but he had been kicked out of it by Dan who wanted to work on some potion he was creating…they may have been best friends but sometimes even Will thought that Dan had lost his marbles.

So that was why he was now making his way towards the staffroom, where he thought that considering lessons were currently underway he would be able to sit in quiet and get on with some marking. As he kicked open the door his hopes were raised when the room was empty and so with a loud thud from dropping all the books in a heap Will flopped down onto the sofa, kicking off his shoes and picking up the first essay.

“Ten uses of wormwood and the properties in which it holds…” Will spoke the first line out loud to the empty room and gave a small laugh as straight away he could see mistakes glaring at him and even though he was no good at Divination he could predict the future and had a feeling that this essay would be only be getting an ‘D’ for dreadful at a push. Still chuckling to himself Will threw that parchment to one side and picked up the next in the stack which got a very similar response however this essay was about Salamander Blood.

It was while he was chuckling to himself about the poor answers of these students (which they could argue back represented the quality of teaching standards) the door of the staff room opened and there stood the one person that Will did not really want to be interrupted by and this was clear on the man’s face.

[Prof. Hannah Edgecombe]

Hannah didn't look to enthused and to be honest she didn't really want to be there in the first place. Hannah simply wasn't feeling herself lately and she knew exactly why. As much as she hoped things would get easier to deal with, it didn't. Hannah who had guarded her heart so tightly finally allowed someone in, someone she thought she could love, and he turned around took her heart and stomped on it. Hannah mocked women who behaved the way she was behaving, yet here she was moping over a man As she stood in front of her desk one of her students raised their hand to ask her a question. It wasn't until Hannah heard her name out loud that she realized this. "Oh I'm sorry Bethanne um you know what I'll have to look into that and get back to you tarot card reading isn't really an exact science." She didn't have the energy to go on anymore. "You know what class I think this is enough for the day, I know it's a bit early but I'm suddenly feeling ill and think I might head to the healers office just to make sure I'm alright."

The students of course didn't bother to argue with this, they were out the door before she even looked up from her desk. Sighing she grabbed her books, and started out of the room. Of course she had no intentions of going to the Hospital wing, she doubted the healer could do anything about a broken heart. No Hannah was simply going to have to deal with this on her own, but today wasn't the day that was going to happen. Wandering the hall for several minutes it came to her attention that she needed to go somewhere before Dan spotted her and wondered why she wasn't in her class.

She stopped for a moment and when she looked up she realized that she was right outside the staff room. Checking her watch she noted it was still early yet so there shouldn't be anyone else in there and she would have time to regroup before heading back into the halls to face the rest of the school. Maybe she would even take a short nap, lord knows she hadn't been getting any sleep lately.

Pushing open the door the first thing she heard was a voice “Ten uses of wormwood and the properties in which it holds…” she knew without a doubt whose voice it was. Hannah froze for a moment unable to push the door open, or close it once more. He was the last person she was expecting to see and the last person she wanted to see. After a moment, she had no idea what possessed her but she walked inside the room anyway. Her green eyes spotting him immediately. "Oh um hell Will" she said in a voice so meek that it barely sounded like her own.

Staring at him her eyes on the verge of shedding tears she turned her head from him, a strand of hair falling in her face and she didn't bother to move it. Walking further into the room she went for the coffee, just to give her something else to do. Grabbing her cup, she pulled the coffee pot and started to pour the brown liquid in it. Not even bothering with condiments she went ahead and took a seat at the table farthest away from Will, her heart hammering in her chest, her hands shaking so badly she had to put the mug down or risk spilling coffee onto the table.

[Professor William Vaid]

The atmosphere in the room suddenly changed as soon as the door opened and Hannah walked in. The wide grin that had filled his face while reading the humours essays vanished and his dark eyes focused on Hannah, not knowing how to react. Inside of him he could feel the guilt building up as it was as clear as day the hurt that he had caused but then there was this new side to him, the more dominate side and he could not help but look over at Hannah with scorn. Her timid hello caused a pain to run through his guilt ridden heart which was only to be over ridded by the thought of ‘She is a snake…she slept with Warren…’ That was the side that saw no reason, which was the side that recently always seemed to win over.

As a result his greeting to his colleague was a simple grunt and he lifted the parchment back up to block the view of the brown haired beauty. The only problem was as he heard her footsteps crossing the room he could not help but let his gaze wonder over at watch her as Hannah poured herself a cup of coffee and went to sit down to get on with her own work. Dan was right, he should never have got himself involved with a fell co-worker, it just made moments like this unbearable. But every time he thought of that her would see Dan and Dia together and how happy they are and Will could not help but long for that for himself and after all his two friends worked with each other before they hooked up.

’I need to say something’ He thought to himself as he tried to swallow back the guilt that was making his stomach so unsettled. Breathing in deeply Will let out a long, noisy breath, placed the parchment down once again and looked back over at Hannah. “Have you got much work?”

It was not the most awe inspiring statements, it was not romantic and defiantly not an apology for acting like such an idiot over the past few months…but it was a start. A simple neutral statement that was about something they both had in common even if it was work. All Will really wanted to do was to end this tension that filled the air, he was a man of leisure and when sitting on a sofa caused him this emotional stress just because a certain someone was in the room he knew he needed to do something.

[Prof. Hannah Edgecombe]

Hannah still wondered why she walked in the room knowing that he was in there. If she had common sense she would have walked out and went back to her room. That's where she was safest, that's the one place no one could get to her including Will. The air in the room was ripe with tension, it was so thick you could cut it with a knife. There was nothing for it, running away now would simply make her look weak, something she had already been looking like lately. This was pretty much her torturing herself.

She hadn't seen him in weeks and she wasn't going to lie despite everything she wanted to see him. Now she knew what pulled her into the room the thought of seeing him again. There you had it, Hannah Edgecombe had now become a glutton for punishment. Obviously, Will wanted nothing to do with her, he was done with her, but she couldn't seem to let go and now here she was sitting there in the staffroom torturing herself over him.

She shook her head wondering what happened to the real Hannah the one who didn't give a damn about anyone but herself. That was the Hannah she needed right now. Instead she was this quivering, pathetic mess, that allowed a man to screw with her and turn her into mush. Grabbing the coffee in her still shaking fingers, she started to wonder how long she would sit there and just act like everything was peachy keen. Already he couldn't even be bothered to give her a proper hello, no she didn't merit even that much, instead she got a non-committal grunt like the kinds the students gave to each other.

Hannah didn't even bother responding she simply just sat there holding a coffee cup in her hand like some sort of prop in a play. Maybe she should simply down the whole cup that way she could say she had just come in there for a cup and now that she was done, well she was out. Yes that sounded reasonable enough.

Putting her lips to the rim of the glass she prepared herself to take that first sip. This preparation was for naught because seconds before the liquid touched her lips Will actually chose to say something to her. Putting her cup back down she looked at him quickly, "No, um not really I've been..." she let her voice trail off. "What about you?" She asked in that same meek voice.

[Professor William Vaid]

It was odd for Will, having a sensation of guilt that he did not fully understand and it was even stranger for the man to have a part of him that did not understand why he felt this way. He knew that he had done Hannah wrong; their last confrontation was anything but perfect and that cryptic conversation he had had with Dia only a few weeks ago was racing through his mind…maybe this was the ‘situation’ she had been referring too. Now that had been on of the most awkward conversations he had ever had with his old childhood friend and it was clear that someone had but Dia up to it, Will always suspected Dan, the bloody coward.

But as Will looked on at Hannah he could not help but notice that state that she was in. She did not look her normal radiant self, there were bags under her eyes, her hair was not as perfect as it normally was and her hands that grasped the coffee mug actually seemed to be trembling. That was the part of all this that got to him the most, was she actually scared of him? The way he had acted that night in the pub she could not blame him in all honesty but there was that dark side of him that wanted to do it all over again, kiss someone else and give Hannah a good old slap…and it was this side that right now the true Will was trying to ignore and overpower. It was an internal struggle between good and evil!

Even her response to his simple question seemed to avoid her, her voice sounding week and miserable as it trailed off into nothing. ‘Oh just get over yourself’ a gruff voice groaned in his head as Will ran his hand over his thick dark stubble that highlighted his strong jaw. With a deep breath in take of breath he pushed himself up off the sofa where he lay and slowly wondered over towards Hannah. He had one of the essays held tightly in his hand and as he perched on the arm of the chair in which she sat and he gave her a small smile. With a smooth wrist action he held the parchment out to his fellow Professor and gave a small chuckle. “That is the work I have, deciphering students rambles about potions and their ingredients. It makes you wonder about the quality of their professor”

Will was trying, and quiet possibly failing at making the mood in the room light once again, he doubted that at a snap of is fingers everything between the two of them would fall back into how it was before hand, but anything would be better then this atmosphere that clung to the very air of the staffroom. “I guess you don’t have this trouble do you?”

[Prof. Hannah Edgecombe]

The longer she sat there acting like someone other than herself Hannah wondered what power it was Will seemed to have over her. How could she allow this? Why did she allow this? If her parents had seen her now they would be shamed by their daughter's wussy behavior. She was nothing but a coward allowing a man to make her feel less than she was. Shaking her head she looked over at him, but quickly turned away. There's no way she could even bare to look at him now. The staff room was simply a hard place to be right now, and it was only two of them in there. As soon as she had seen him sitting there she should have simply just backed out of the room and gone back to her room where nothing could get to her.

Seems like just yesterday she was in the same room talking Dia's ear off about Will, begging her to have a conversation with him, find out what was wrong with him. Hannah had no idea if Dia had actually done so, she really hadn't expected her to wasn't even sure why she asked. The woman was desperate for that particular man to love her.

The two used to be able to talk to one another, and now well now they could barely be in the same room with each other. Hannah was sitting hunched in a corner like a scared mouse. Putting the cup down she was ready to end all of this now by leaving the room. She could put him out of his misery and he could be alone like it seemed he wanted to be. Beginning to push her chair back, she stopped abruptly when she heard him get up. Maybe he was going to make the first preemptive strike by leaving her there alone.

No such luck instead he came over to her even sitting on the arm of her chair. Hannah couldn't help but feel weary about this since last time they were in the same vicinity he treated her despicably. Hannah eyed him with suspicion, then tried to cast around in her mind for an image of what was to come, but because of her emotional state her powers had been on the fritz she could barely see if there would be sun in the mornings. When he held out the parchment for her to read Hannah kind of jumped a little, it sort of took her by surprise. The cup of coffee on the table teetered dangerously but luckily nothing fell out of it.

Staring at the paper she realized that it was some sort of essay a student's essay to be exact. Hannah took a good look and could see what Will meant, a chuckle escaped her lips unintentionally but she couldn't stop it. Sometimes these students were a laugh riot half the time she wondered where in the world they came from. "Ha I have this trouble and more. sometimes I wonder if they do it just to see if we're paying attention. I don't believe it reflects poorly on us, its the poor parents that have to deal with such stupidity, all we can do is teach." She laughed again handing back the parchment. Some of the tension had gone from the room, but there was still this cloud that hung over them and soon Hannah's laughter died out.

[Professor William Vaid]

Being this close to Hannah again seemed to be bringing back some memories for Will which sadly went from one end of the emotional spectrum to another. He had missed it, over the months they had gone out his relationship with Hannah had been rather nice, the two of them just being able to sit down and chat idly about one thing or another. He had missed that more then the intimacy of their relationship…although that had been good too. Yet even though he had been the one to make the move and sit on the arm of her chair he could not help but feel that it might have been a bad idea, the guilt seemed to have doubled the closer he got to his…well ex-girlfriend.

The conversation that passed between them was what Will would have to call civil, it was not heartfelt with emotion or easy going as if the words just tumbled out of their mouths. It was clear that both of them had to make an effort and although it helped ease some of the nervous tension it also aided the creation of the long awkward silences that seemed to linger in the air like a bad smell that just won’t go away. Thankfully Hannah was willing to play ball and, although he doubted it was happily, she politely looked at the essay chuckling to herself at the mistakes that riddled the parchment.

“Oh yeah I am sure that would look great on a child’s report to their parents.” Will could not help but chuckle as he imagined the astonished look on a proud parents face as they read his belittling statements. “ ‘Dear sir and madam, the reason your sons grades this term where so low was because he is a stupid idiot. You have my condolences.’ HA! I doubt even Dan would let us send that sort of stuff out.”

Will continued to silently chuckle to himself as he thought about the things his best friend most likely would allow them to say to parents, he was the kind of person who might actually allow you to send something like that to the parents out of a practical joke…maybe after their next drinking session (as long as it did not end up in a punch up) he would ask permission.

Slowly the laughter in the staff room died out and the two of them were left sitting in silence, Will rubbing his stubble nervously as he racked his brain to try and come up with something else he could say, but something that would not cause any pain for the two of them…now that was the trick. His internal battle continued to rage as he could not decided if he should apologise for how he acted the past few months. He wanted to, heck he was racked with so much guilt it seemed the only obvious and sensible thing to do but that dark voice in his head kept saying no and for some reason it was that voice he continued to listen to.

“So other then having dumb students how are your lessons going?” Oh well, if he could think of nothing else to say then he might as well stick to work at least it was something they still had in common.

[Prof. Hannah Edgecombe]

Hannah had to wonder what came over Will. For weeks he had no interest in talking to her he seemed like he actually hated her. That hurt her more than anything because they used to be so close at one time. Hannah thought he could be the one and in a flash something came over him and he turned on her without warning. Then he kept turning on her after that. Hannah realized that there was just no talking to him so she had stopped trying.

Now today he actually made an effort to come over to her and try to break the ice in the staff room. Of course there were other things they should be discussing right now, more important things, like what the hell his problem was but instead he was trying to take it slow.

After the joke about the paper there didn't seem to be much else to say to one another, which was sad because they used to be able to talk about anything, and nothing. How she missed those times with him. He used to be such an amazing man and she enjoyed his company. He was fun to talk to and fun at other things to. She missed that, just missed him.

Sighing she simply took another sip of coffee wondering when this farce would end, when the mean Will would reemerge and make her feel insignificant once more. How would she react this time? She had no idea, and did not think she wanted to find out. So when she felt him getting ready to speak she steadied herself wondering if this was the moment.

After he asked his question she was free to breathe easy. All he wanted to know about were her classes and how they were going. This was something that she could handle. "Oh well you know there are two types of kids who take Divination class, the first group believe and are interested in all aspects, and the other type think the class is an easy grade and put forth no effort because somehow they think it's BS. Trying not to kill them is all I can do. What about you, how are things going?"

[Professor William Vaid]

They were talking about lessons, how formal, how…boring. But Will was willing to carry on seeing as he had started the conversation so it would be plain rude if he stood up and just walked out of the room.

“My lessons are going as you would expect with cauldrons melting, rat hearts being thrown around and oh yeah not forgetting the poisonous green gas that was realised the other day. The room still smells rancid.” Will gave a small chuckle as he thought about the comparison between their lessons. Will’s seemed to be full of high action explosions while Hannah’s just had people telling a few porkies about what they are truly seeing in their crystal balls. Divination was never something that Will excelled at, in their third year him and Dan had taken it up as a laugh but he knew that there were a few, like Hannah who truly had a gift and it was in front of those people he had learnt to never bad mouth the subject.

But alas now the conversation had run low once more and Will was racking his confused mind to try and find a topic in which they could approach that would not cause too many hurt feelings to pass between them. Giving a very throaty cough Will slipped off the arm of the chair where he sat and wondered over to the drink making facilities and started to throw together a hot chocolate for himself. Once more that silence filled the room and puffing out his cheeks in boredom the evil side of Will was trying to restrain the side of him that wanted to apologise to Hannah for everything that he had said and done.

“Hannah.” The first syllable of her name was full of confidence but for the end of her name everything seemed to fade into nothingness as once more he doubted his own actions. “I-I am…er…” Giving his stubble covered jaw a good scratch out of nerves Will took a deep breath and as a result blurted out what he had to say in a sentence that sort of blurred altogether.

“IamsorryforwhatIdid. Ishouldneverhavetalkedtoyoulikethat, itwasoutoforder.”

Well at least he had got it all off his chest, the chances where that Hannah did not understand a word of it but it made the normal Will feel better. The part of him that did care about Hannah but sadly that was the part that normally got overrun by the aggressive side that had been taking such a focal point of late. With a slight red tinge to his cheeks Will looked up, his dark eyes fixed upon Hannah as he waited with baited breath for some sort of response.

[Prof. Hannah Edgecombe]

They were having the most boring conversation she could think of. Lessons, did either one of them really care about the others lessons. This is what their meetings had been reduced to making small talk that would put anyone else to sleep. Will was trying hard to talk to her and Hannah was trying hard not, well who knows what he was trying hard not to do. Last time they talked he was making her feel about as small as a cockroach, surely he didn't have that in mind again. This time she didn't think she could take it. Not this time.

Hannah simply sat there listening to him talk about his class, some of it was funny even in her own days at school potions was usually the hardest class for most. In her fifth year a girl named Carla Bowen managed to set fire to her cauldron and to her robes to this day no one knows how she did it, even the professor couldn't figure it out. She had to be rushed to the nurse. For some reason following instructions was simply hard for some. Now Hannah was saying she was top of her class in the subject but she didn't do poorly either. "Well at least no one has burned your class to ground yet, that's saying something" she joked, but the laughter died down quickly. Again the whole small talk thing was getting to her.

There was a time when the two of them were thick as thieves, couldn't keep away from each other and now they couldn't find anything else to talk to each other about except school. Hannah really wished she knew what went wrong, what had happened to make him turn on her that way, but she didn't want to ask him because she didn't want him to tell her off again. The room became quiet once more. Will walked away to make himself something to drink. Hannah took the time to think about leaving the room once again, so far they were being civil toward one another but then how long was that going to last Will could do a Jekyll and Hyde at any moment and she didn't want to be caught unawares.

Again she was prepared to get up from her chair the idea seemed to be best but again Will surprised her. He said her name and she couldn't help but freeze in her seat. Was this going to be part two of his tirade against her, was he going to tell her that she should simply die and go straight to hell once the body is cold. The woman didn't turn around best not to look him in the eyes in case it set him off some more. She waited but he didn't seem able to say what it was he wanted to say.

He started again but the words were said in a rush and they sounded like one long sentence squashed together and she barely understood any of it.

Not Hannah had no choice she had to turn and look at him and what she saw surprised her, he was looking up at her, his cheeks red, and it his eyes didn't hold any hatred in them. Hannah took a chance "I'm sorry can you repeat that I really didn't get a word of what you said." Did she want to know? Closing her eyes something told her that she did.

[Professor William Vaid]

Okay then, he had rushed his sentence a bit as Hannah had just asked the worst thing he could have thought of…she wanted him to say it again. Swallowing hard Will tried to clear the lump in his ever tightening throat; it was as if his body was fighting against him as if physically stopping him from apologising. It had been hard enough the first time to tell Hannah he was sorry but to have to do it again with her gaze fixed upon him, there was no way he could manage it. Looking around nervously Will hoped that something would happen now that would act as a distraction. Maybe the staff room door would burst open and a gaggle of giggling students could save him or maybe an owl could fly in through the open window bearing a letter which meant he was needed down in London, heck even Australia…anywhere.

But the seconds ticked slowly by, each one being loudly announced by the grandfather clock that stood proudly in the corner of the staffroom. But none of Will’s wanted distractions happened. It was only the summer breeze that blew in through the open window and the corridor behind the door reminded deadly silent…deadly silent like the staffroom. He was going to have to tell her, he was going to have to say something at least…anything, did not even have to be an apology…maybe ask her if she wanted a cup of hot chocolate with extra marshmallows.

No, he needed to be a man and stand up to his responsibilities! Licking his dry lips Will took a deep breath to draw together his strength and with slowly raising his head he looked Hannah directly in the eyes and tried to form a slow paced, coherent sentence.

“I am sorry for what I did.” He paused and had to think about if he was going to apologise for everything or go with what he had before…although he regretted kissing the women in front of Hannah he had enjoyed it, which was not a sin surely? “I should never have talked to you like that, it was out of order.”

There it was, he had said it and he meant what he said. He was sorry for saying such harsh and hateful words towards Hannah, the women he cared about but the problem was there that dark side to him that he knew would escape again and he would most likely do it all over again. But for now at least this most defiantly was not a hollow apology, he was truly sorry.

[Prof. Hannah Edgecombe]

There it was a gain that eerie silence that seemed to constantly fall between them. Hannah didn't think she was asking anything hard. She hadn't understood what he said before and simply wanted him to repeat it, but the way he was acting you would have thought that she asked him to get married or something. Hannah was simply growing tired of this game they were playing. He didn't seem to want to give and inch and she was constantly trying to give him everything she had, but there was only so much she could give.

Hannah knew she shouldn't have stuck around apparently he didn't want to talk to her, he was still the same cruel man he had been that night at the bar the only difference was there was no other woman there for him to make out with in front of her the way he had that horrible day. Hannah wasn't sure what hurt more him kissing someone else or the horrible words spoken. It was probably a combination of both she hadn't really been the same ever since.

She had even gone to Dia and begged her to find out what was wrong with Will. Hannah didn't do things like that, not for a man anyway, but he was different this was the man she could see herself with but something changed and she had no idea what or why. There was no reason to keep putting herself through this was there? He didn't care he could even talk to her like a normal person and she was sticking around for what. No this time she started to rise from her chair she was going to leave him alone, leave him to his own devices.

Before she had the chance to push her chair back so she could get up he started to talk, again catching her completely off guard. He kept doing this to her and she had no idea if he found this fun or if he was just as nervous as she was.

Finally, he looked at her and she looked back at him. Taking a few deep breaths she waited wondering what it was he wanted to say to her and then he said it. He actually apologized to her and Hannah was stunned into silence. Staring at him wondering what brought this on. Tilting her head to the side she was afraid to open her mouth in case this was just some plot to lull her into a false sense of security before he let her have it again.

"You're sorry huh? I just wonder why, I hadn't done anything to you Will, if anything I was good to you and suddenly you turn on me and I have no idea why." These were all the things she wanted to say for so long.