Leopold read over the file again and frowned.  If there was a problem student in his house, he was looking at their file.  The boy had lost more house points than any other and hadn't done much to counterbalance that feat.  He was a troublemaker, pure and simple.  The reasons, however, were not quite so simple.

Time to nip this in the bud, as it were.

He'd asked Figaro Sellaphix to come by his office after Transfigurations on Friday because it would give them a long time to talk and would give Figaro a long time to think about what they had said before he had to go back to class.  He needed to turn this young man around and he needed to do it soon.

Friday afternoon stretched out before him, and there was nothing else Figaro wanted more than to enjoy the good weather outside with his friends.  He wanted to try out for Quidditch again this year, and he also wanted to relax.  The school year had started full bore and with all the excitement it was harder to find spare time, even with his more open class schedule.  But his professors had been sure to assign so much homework for the in-between that it didn't feel any easier than last year.

The new Head of House was nice.  Everyone said so, even people who's already had their meeting with him.  So Figaro wasn't dreading it so much as he was just more interested in getting a proper start on the weekend.

He brushed into the office and had a seat, still in his school clothes.  Hopefully this would be quick and they'd be through.  He sat low in the chair, his eyebrows raised expectantly.  He wasn't smiling exactly, but he was in a pleasant enough mood.

"Hullo, sir.  Whatcha need?"

"Thank you for joining me, Mr Sellaphix,"  Leopold said.  "Would you care for some tea and a biscuit?  Not too many.  I wouldn't want to spoil your dinner."

The boy seemed quite friendly and agreeable, which didn't seem to sit well with what his file said.  "Your file has some interesting things to say about you,"  he said, pouring himself a cup of tea and pausing to see if Figaro wanted any before he put the pot down.  This was either going to go quite well or quite badly depending on how the young man reacted.

Tea and biscuits?  "Sure, thanks."  Figaro leaned forward towards the desk to partake in the offering, never one to turn down food when offered. 

"Huh?"  his brow furrowed at mention of his file.  There really was a file? He supposed there had to be, but he'd never actually seen it until now.  He supposed Professor Aileen Reid must have had it at his career counselling last year where she'd set him on the arduous revision schedule that ultimately prevented his total failure on his OWLs.

"My file, eh?" he leaned forward, hoping to get a look at what was in there.  "This about my O.W.L.s? Did alright, I thought."  He took a biscuit and had a bite, still trying to look past Professor Sandusky's hands into the content of his file.

The year had barely begun - he hadn't done anything to get in a hot cauldron yet.  Had he?

Leopold poured a cup for the boy and set the pot down.  "Milk and sugar?  Honey and lemon?"  Leopold smiled.  "I'm didn't ask you here to talk about your OWLs.  I'd prefer, actually, to talk about your performance in relation to the House Cup.  I was wondering if there was anything I could to to help make certain your rather... colourful... antics of last year are not repeated.  As the new Head of Hufflepuff, I'd like to get off to an early start and have the House Cup locked up by Christmas."

Figaro took the cup and a wedge of lemon nearby.  He squeezed it into the tea, juice getting on his fingers.  He wiped his hand on his pants and took up the tea and let out a great sigh.

"Alright, house points," he said, not too happy that this was about discipline stuff.  It wasn't that big a deal to him, but parents and teachers always had a problem with it, seeing it as some desperate problem in need of correction that should he continue to talk in class too much, blow up a few worthless toilets, or urinate in antique vases that the world would come to an end and he'd end up in Azkaban.

He did not do a good job of hiding his eye roll as he sat back again. 

"Um... I dunno.  I will try to... not?"  he ventured, hoping that if he said the right thing this'd be over quick.  Figaro wasn't the most introspective person and didn't really regret anything he'd ever done.  He didn't always like the consequences, but that was different than wishing he'd made different choices.  He was just having a laugh, or whatever, in the moment.  He lost points, served a detention and life moved forward.

"I mean, what should I be doing...?" 

"Trying is all I can ask of you,"  Leopold said.  "Sometimes things happen that we can't control and our response is to try to exercise greater control over the rest of our lives.   We lash out because we are angry or upset because we think we don't have any other options.  I'd like you to know, Mr Sellaphix, that there are always other options.  My door is always open if you need somebody to listen and not judge.  Part of my job is to be a mentor as well as a teacher and I will be in your corner no matter what.  don't get me wrong, I'm not going to let you get away with things but if you need me, I will be there."

Leopold smiled, setting down his tea cup and nibbling on an almond biscuit.  "Now, what do you need from me to help you succeed?''

Figaro shifted in his seat uncomfortably and chuckled hoping to alleviate some of the tension.  He didn't know how much attention he wanted from Professor Sandusky, or how much interference he'd want from a mentor.  Did he need a mentor? He had no idea and he couldn't, at the moment, imagine a scenario where he'd come and open up to him in that 'my door's always open' kind of way.  Professors and Heads past hadn't been so warm and inviting in this way, and Figaro tended to relate to them as pure authority figures.  He was fond of his professors mostly, but they weren't, well, chummy. 

He laughed again, not trying to be insulting, just not at all sure what to make of this.  Was he in trouble? He couldn't yet tell.  Sandusky didn't seem cross.

"Uh, sure.  Good.  Heh.  Erm... 'what do I need to help me succeed...?'," he repeated back, in apparent thought.  He'd never been asked that question before.

"An O in Transfiguration...?" he queried with a hopeful, cheeky look on his face.   

Sandusky raised an eyebrow, looking amused.  "If you earn one, rest assured I'll give you one," he said.  "I'm quite serious.  If there is something you need, let me know.  Having trouble with charms?  I'll speak to professor Cadmon about remedial work.  Have a question that is keeping you awake at two in the morning?  I'll answer it.  At breakfast."  There was a wry smile on Leopold's face.  If Figaro expected him to answer questions at that hour of the morning, he was dreaming.

"I realize you had a difficult year last year.  I'm trying to make this year better for you.  Now, some people who say things like that and claim to have no ulterior motive are pulling your leg.  Just so you know I'm not pulling your leg, I'm telling you my ulterior motive.  I want the House Cup.  I want the other houses to respect Hufflepuff.  We will not be an 'also-ran'.  If we can't be first, by Merlin, we'll give whoever is first at the end of the year a run for their money."

Wasn't he an odd old codger. 

"Hufflepuff doesn't win the House Cup," he laughed, forgetting he was talking to his Head of House.  "That's for Ravenclaw and whoever wants to spend their time on something pointless - no offense."

Figaro gulped down another mouthful of tea and went for another biscuit, eyeing the monkey perched nearby, who in turn was eyeing his biscuit. 

"I'm not trying to tank us or anything.  I'd just rather have a laugh than worry about points."  It was honest; honesty was easy for Figaro.  Maybe not depth or perception, but honesty always. 

"It is not your job to worry about the points,"  Leopold said.  "That would be my job, which is why were are having this conversation.  Don't kid yourself, young man, Hufflepuff has a proud history, despite what the other houses may say.  Loyalty and hard work are the traits this house is built on and hard work is what wins the House Cup.  If you actually looked at the cup, you would find Hufflepuff's name etching into it, right along side the names of the other houses.  I'm asking you to help me put it there again.  This house can be proud of the students that make it up and they can be proud of this house.  Be proud to be a Hufflepuff, Mr Sellaphix.  You were sorted into this house for a reason.  Make that mean something."

There was real passion behind Leopold's words.  He meant every single one of them, meant them from the bottom of his heart.  Hufflepuff was a proud house and he would do everything in his power to make the entire school stand up and take notice. 

It had been a long time since Figaro had heard anyone speak from such authority about how badass Hufflepuff was.  The last one he could remember was their old Headmaster, Professor Greyfriar who himself had been a Hufflepuff, but that had been in his 3rd year.  Professor Sandusky was totally serious.  He wanted to win the House Cup.  Like a mission.

Fig was impressed.  He nodded, his eyebrows skyward.  "Mad fer it, Professor. Completely mad."  He quietly thrust a fist in the air over his head, as if he was at Quidditch.  "I'm your man."

"So...."  Figaro felt like they'd had a good talk.  Damn good talk. Covered all sorts of interesting topics.  He felt properly academically advised.  And now a sunny day awaited.

"I'm glad to hear that you're on board,"  Leopold said, grinning from ear to ear.  "I can see how eager you are to continue our chat but I think we've taken up enough of each other's time for now.  I have faith in you, Mr Sellaphix.  You can take that to Gringott's.  Don' hesitate to drop by if you need to talk."

It was obvious that the young man wanted to be elsewhere and Leopold was fairly certain that to detain him longer would be counter productive.    They'd made progress and that was all he could ask of such a short meeting.  There was more to be done but it could be done later.

At last.  Five minutes never seemed so long, but at least it hadn't been bad news.  He jumped up and returned his tea cup to the desk and wiped crumbs off his lap.

He clapped his hand and then rubbed his palms together.  "Yes sir, glad to have the chat.  Thank you, thank you," he chattered happily and carefree.  That really could have gone alot worse.  Who knows what was in that file. 

Figaro took up his bag and made it four steps towards the door before he stopped and returned to the desk.

"There is...actually something," he said with a cringe.  "Dunno if I should ask..."

"Feel free to ask,"  Leopold said.  "I'd be making a liar out of myself if I told you no, after just saying you could come to me anytime, now, wouldn't I?"  He had stood up to see the boy out but now he sat back down again.  "What's on your mind?"

He was pleased that Seto had decided to confide in him, whatever the issue was.  Hopefully he would be able to assist.  After all, he had promised to be in the boy's corner.