"Evening," Professor Storm greeted the Ravenclaw when he appeared in the classroom door. It was a little less formal for dropping the good, or for just addressing Sasha by his surname. Strangely addressing him as Schlagenweit since all the events of December seemed a little sore.

"Glad you got my note." There were days he forgot Gerda was his house elf, and able to run the occasional helpful errand inside of Hogwarts. She'd joined the ranks of the Hogwarts elves temporarily between wrapping up the house in Germany and buying the house in Godric's Hollow this time last year, so enjoyed the occasional summoning to Scotland from the West Country.

He was piling out a set of small Ministry-issued guides from one of the low cupboards ready for the following morning for the first years at nine o'clock. They would all read them as gospel, and he would enjoy opening their narrow little minds to the over simplified methods. The cupboard door closed with a bump, and Ignan straightened up to regard Sasha with his full attention.

"Good Christmas?" He asked, though it sounded a little forced on his part. "Well, as good as it could be?" He clarified with an apologetic tone, hands clasped behind his back. The pile of books between them as he nodded thoughtfully to his son's explanations.

"I have some news, thought you were best to hear it from me." He studied Sasha's expression. He had told Sasha about Miranda during summer when he had visited Godric's Hollow, though they hadn't met.

"Miranda and I went to Norway and I asked her to marry me."

Sasha closed the classroom door behind him and crossed the room towards the desk.  "Evening," Sasha offered in return, trying his best to ignore the near compulsive impulse to formalize the response.  Despite the events of the last few weeks, the line between 'family' and 'Deputy Headmaster' still became vague once they were framed by the stone walls of Hogwarts.   

"Good Christmas?  Well, as good as it could be?"

"It was eventful, at times," Sasha offered, vaguely, not entirely sure what, if any, details might have reached Professor Storm.  He offered a tentative grin, just in case.  "It was good to have some time off.  I think I needed it." 

From personal experience, Sasha knew that phrases like best you hear it from me could be followed by any number of assorted revelations.  One afternoon of boredom induced (or, decidedly-ill-from-excessive-recreational-chemical-ingestion induced) mid-day television watching could offer a broad assortment of examples.  Sitting down seemed to be a common response in most of those cases and Sasha took the television-supplied suggestion. 

"You're getting married?" 

Belatedly, Sasha hoped the surprised inflection in his response fell on the appropriate syllable.  Whatever that appropriate syllable might be.  Even if 'you're getting married' had been his initial response, implying that the participants in the activity, rather than the activity itself, had been the source of his surprise wasn't exactly polite.  Even in somewhat familiar company. 

In his desperation to detract from the potential faux pas, Sasha quickly fished for a reaction elaboration before properly processing what was being said.  And, why it was being said to him. 

"Why Norway?"  While under pressure, that bit of information had been the most neutral part of the sentence.

"You're getting married?"

Sasha's reaction, surprise, was alright. Ignan felt all the better for saying it. He'd stewed and thought over things, about whether to write to Sasha from Norway, whether to make effort to find and visit him abroad or wherever he'd been at Christmas, whether to do it now like this.

It had all turned out a little odd to say the least with Jacoba's passing. Typical for the family they had been all over the place and nowhere to support Sasha - well, at least he hadn't. That was what mattered really. He hadn't been there. Even if he had no idea how to be there.

"Erhm," Ignan replied almost involuntarily and dipped his head, feeling self-conscious a moment. It was very hard to talk about this. He loved Miranda unconditionally and it had come from nowhere. He'd thought long and hard about asking her, convinced he would not have another chance in his life if he missed it. For a strange little moment, inherited mannerisms might have been observed.

"Why Norway?" Sasha got in before Ignan could add to it. Honestly, it was a good question, and the Professor paused a moment to consider it.

"It has significance to both of us, professionally, personally. Though if I am very honest, it was more to do with the northern lights, being so remote, and it just felt right." He gave a little shrug to his shoulders, it wasn't a grand romantic gesture and the climate was something they were both more suited to than the tropics.

"And past tense." He brought his hands before him and gestured to the wedding ring. "Just a quiet ceremony. No guests. Strange enough the thought of getting married for people without planning a time for them to awkwardly pretend to be in support." He shuffled the top guides in the pile, deflecting the awkwardness. It was an odd mannerism - he never fiddled.

"But more importantly," He hastily continued in a clearer tone, leaving the shuffling, "Are the fires out?"  He examined Sasha with more intent, gaze unflinching this time.

A grin stretched across the Ravenclaw's face as the little confessional progressed from northern lights to a wedding ring and something about feigning support.  With the conversational agility of a used car salesman distracting a customer from a vehicle's flaw, Professor Storm attempted to change the subject. 

"Are the fires out?"

The grin faltered and Sasha pursed his lips for a moment.  Theoretically, the 'accidental house fire' over Christmas had been handled in the muggle world by muggle investigators and muggle insurance companies.  But, it had made the local news section of some of the muggle papers.  Sasha had wondered if anyone in the wizarding world noticed and how far the information might have traveled.  Looks like he had his answer. 

The revelation and question were working through the boy's mind at the same time, and he stared at Professor Storm, trying to process both.  He found himself gazing down the gray line between father and professor, though the marriage wasn't, technically, any of Sasha's business, no matter which shoes Professor Storm saw himself wearing.  However, it was easier to view the subject change as a recommendation, rather than a directive, if his father wasn't wearing his Professor hat.  Or, the other way around.  Or, shoes.  Or...whatever.

Professor or father.  It would soon be obvious is Sasha assumed incorrectly. 

"Wait," Sasha said, shaking his head, shifting forward somewhat in his seat.  "You can't just drop that on me and move on, like it's a tick on a to-do list.  I know it doesn't really matter what I think, but-"  But, what?  He thought he had a right to share it?  He was going to share it, anyway?  He hoped Professor Storm wouldn't completely dismiss it? 

The grin returned to Sasha's face, though it was more tentative than before.  "I don't know why people would have to pretend to be supportive.  I think it's great.  I mean, weird.  But, in a good way.  It seems like she makes you happy, as best as one could tell.  I just don't know which color dish towels to get you." 

There were, of course, broader implications and those were only just starting to trickle into Sasha's thoughts.  Again, the grin faltered and Sasha dropped his gaze to his hands.  It was selfish, he knew, to wonder where he factored in all of this, but he'd grown used to pilfering whatever tangential opportunities to be around the man that he could.  That, he knew, would change; it would be hard to explain why a random student was hanging around. 

He made to speak but hesitated.  When he looked up, the grin was back on his face through it didn't quite reach his eyes.  "I suppose this means you'll be away from the castle more.  No more chasing students from the forest?  And, those shackles will keep you from crashing other professor's holidays.  I'm sure you're relieved about that." 

Done, dusted, on to being the concerned father-figure .. or… not…?

"… like it's a tick on a to-do list." Ignan's gaze dropped suddenly at the accusation which was more true than his son probably realised. Oh dear. A new year didn't make him any better at this.

"… I think it's great." Ignan glanced up again, touched, "I mean, weird." Sasha clarified and Ignan's expression shifted to perplexed, "But, in a good way." Good, but weird, was that positive? He wasn't sure. Teenagers were as cryptic as ever with how they explained their emotions.

"… which colour dish towels to get you."
"Dish towels? Oh! No, please, don't. There's absolutely no need." Ignan hastily raised both hands before him as if to stop Sasha. "For anything." He added in clarification. "No fuss, that was also the point." His hands lowered back to his sides and found his pockets.

"Possibly, probably. Not entirely sure yet." The Professor replied to the suggestion he would be away more. "Responsibilities as Deputy Headmaster, Professor McGonagall in London with the wizengamot regularly prevents any would-be desertion. As for chasing students from the forest, Mr Woodward and Professor Donovan are rather proficient, so I tend to leave it to them."

A rare sighting of genuine humour crossed the Professor's face and he moved to perch on the edge of a desk, crossing his feet at the ankles. A little less formal. "Hmph, I was the perfect house guest for Tapendra, was I not?" He looked to Sasha and the pair of them shared in the amusement of how ridiculous the previous Christmas had been in Cambridge.

"You will get to meet Miranda. She does know about you." He explained. "It would have been Christmas but we needed to get away and breathe. The business in December was far too close to us all, and it was time to recover." He gestured from himself to Sasha sombrely. They were very lucky not to have been burying not one but three, not that they were lucky to have buried the one either.

"Perhaps the first Hogsmeade weekend, difficult." The remark was almost a half formed thought and he gave a faint shrug of his shoulders. "As it happens you've gained a step-sister and a step-niece. Maya, a few years older than you, and Katrine, who is about so-high." He gestured to the toddling head height with one hand. "And they a respectable step-brother."

Dish towels were hardly fussing, by Sasha’s standards.  As far as gestures went, they were as mundane and non-fussy as one could get.   Insisting on hunting down a Renoir or presenting a set of custom made Meissen dinnerware, now that would be fussing.  But, Sasha simply nodded an acknowledgement, though there was a good chance he might end up “fussing".  Just a little bit.   

"Hmph, I was the perfect house guest for Tapendra, was I not?”

“It was evident you were trying,” Sasha countered with a slight grin.  That Christmas had, indeed, been ridiculous and cramped and quite busy.  But, it had also been one of the warmest and best holidays of his life.  “The lone knight reputation slowly crumbles away.”

Surprise and then uncertainty flickered across Sasha’s face at the news that this Miranda knew of him and of step-sister and … niece?  And, a young one, apparently.  He’d just spent the last month coming to terms with the knowledge that what had been left of his family was gone.  Now, in the last few minutes, three people had been suddenly added to the picture.  It was a lot to take in.

Especially since it seemed logical that Professor Storm would not want them to be in the know.  “I assume I probably won’t be meeting them?”  Sasha asked, with a resigned sigh.  “Given, you know, toddlers aren’t the best secret-keepers.  Or, at least, my sister wasn’t.  Or, maybe I could wear a disguise.  Polyjuice or something, if that would help."

"It wouldn't, no." Ignan replied with a short shake of his head. He slipped his hand back into his pocket and frowned. "I barely know them myself if I'm honest, Sasha."

He shifted slightly as he thought about it. With the wedding being abroad and just the two of them, there'd been little need to get to know Maya well or interact with her beforehand. Mira hadn't seemed too concerned and had informed her daughter herself.

"It's been more than a year now, I acknowledge," Ignan continued, not meeting Sasha's gaze. "And recent events have made me more acutely aware. It is your final two terms at Hogwarts, and for the sake of passing through them with the minimum of fuss, I feel it worth prolonging the quiet." He narrowed his eyes and looked to Sasha. "After which, I will leave it your decision as to how you would like to publicly associate."

The last thing either of them needed was for there to be more gossip at Hogwarts, and the harsh judgement of peers, colleagues and extended family just before Sasha's final exams. However selfish the reasons had been to date, if it all came out after them at least Sasha would be away from Hogwarts, and there would be space.

There was no right way about it, really, was there?

The Professor exhaled, dipped his head a moment and looked back to Sasha properly.
"But on the subject of extending the circle. Would you be adverse to me informing Camille - Professor Duerr? You get on well with her, do you not?" He asked, eyes glancing over Sasha's reaction for signs that it would be a bad idea. "She and Johann are both far better at all this… and if you also wanted to confide in someone … outside of the family then I can hardly prevent you."

Sasha shifted uncomfortably in his seat, trying but failing to shake the feeling of guilt.  He knew he complicated things and Professor Storm had never asked for those complications.  Even with more time to prepare for the information, he hadn’t been anymore certain what he wanted to do with the knowledge of their kinship than the man standing in front of him.  There had been irrational moments of doubt when Sasha wondered if Professor Storm would have been less insistent on secrecy if Sasha had been some confident, adept Slytherin.  Aside from those moments, it had been easy to accept Professor Storm's request to keep their relationship quiet, especially in light of all the complications with Kronos and his own family.

It hadn’t been until the winter holidays that Sasha knew what he wanted.  And, Sasha was fully aware it had little to do with Professor Storm and everything to do with himself.  As such, it was highly unfair to Professor Storm. 

“I’d be happy for her to know,” Sasha answered, initially, unsure if it was his place to elaborate.

He opened his mouth to speak but then hesitated.  The Ravenclaw closed his eyes and ran his hands through his hair.  Sasha took a deep breath and looked up at his father.  He was so tired of this game - so tired of having to watch his step all the time and making sure he’d donned the right mask for the right circumstance. 

"I don’t really know if I have a say in this, but I’d rather not keep it quiet anymore.  I don’t feel a need to announce it, but a couple weeks of being the focus of the gossip mill is a small price to pay to not spend my last two terms here hiding.  I’ve had enough fearing the consequences of confiding in the wrong person or worrying that someone will catch me talking to the wrong person at the wrong time.  I’ve never been able to just be me.  I’m sorry.  I know it’s incredibly unfair.  I’ll respect your wishes, if that’s what you really want, but, we'd only be hiding it for your benefit.  Not mine."

Ignan nodded at Sasha's confirmation that he was happy for Camille to know. When he'd find a suitable moment he wasn't too sure, but at least he could, and stop being so careful.

A moment passed between them. The way Sasha looked suggested there was more to be said, so Ignan kept quiet and let it.

"… I'd rather not keep it quiet anymore."

It had been going so swimmingly.

Ignan stared unblinkingly across at Sasha, completely taken aback by this. He had anticipated the Ravenclaw would prefer a quiet end to his time at the school, to have fun and study hard. He was glued to text books, he hated interruption.

But then again, it was Sasha. Who had been the one he and Tapendra had found blood-splattered in the woods when Ava died. Who had been suspended from Hogwarts, helped Bevans attempt necromancy. Even at Christmas, the house had burned down.

Either drama found Sasha, or Sasha found drama. Ignan wasn't ever going to dare draw comparison aloud.

"It is a minor miracle that it has stayed quiet for so long." Ignan remarked, contemplating. "I believe, very strongly, that you are best to not do that while you're still here at Hogwarts. Not just for your peers, but also for the judgement of Professors, and the wider world. I'm a recognisable figure - you are also the subject of much speculation as it is in the Prophet. Here you can't get away from it. Summer, one can. It will blow over quicker." He exhaled, leaned back a little and contemplated now he had said his reasons.

"If you feel very strongly about this then of course I can't stop you, and it's unfair whichever way we cut it. It's our lives, and neither of us expected to be linked to the other. But at the very least, where the family you grew up with has gone - you do have mine. Will you let me tell Camille first, she may well be a barometer of opinion."

"I believe, very strongly, that you are best to not do that while you're still here at Hogwarts. Not just for your peers, but also for the judgement of Professors, and the wider world."

The Ravenclaw scowled in thought as his finger absently traced a crack in the desk.  The edges of the crack had been worn smooth, both by time and countless rounds of refinishing.  Sasha couldn't help but wonder if the professor was speaking of himself just as much, if not more so, than of Sasha.  That, perhaps, was the root of the unfairness in the situation: keeping it secret likely impacted Sasha more while Professor Storm was more effected by people finding out. 

"I'm sorry," he offered, sincerely.  "It's just...if I confide in someone, there's always the risk someone else will find out.  Peeves.  Portraits.  Listening charms.  I surmised all the informational loopholes my first year.  You have the authority to tell ghosts or portraits to not repeat things-"  Sasha glanced over his shoulder at the portrait-lined corridor beyond the classroom door.  "I don't.  I've never had the freedom to just be me and be honest without worrying about what I'm going to lose if I make a mistake."

"But at the very least, where the family you grew up with has gone - you do have mine. Will you let me tell Camille first, she may well be a barometer of opinion."

The Ravenclaw glanced up, surprised and touched.  He grinned, slightly, and nodded.  "Of course, sir," he agreed.  It certainly seemed reasonable enough.  After a moment, he added, "I ... thank you.  I appreciate that.  I'd be proud of that."

Sasha glanced, awkwardly, down at his hands for a moment, wondering if he'd lucked out and Professor Storm had forgotten about the fire.  Partly as further distraction and partly because, in Sasha's mind, it was related to the previous topic, Sasha glanced up and grinned.  "You know, I finally managed a patronus.  About the same time I figured out the animagus transformation."  He assumed Johann had, eventually, mentioned the later unless it had been overlooked amid all the other confusion of the poisonings. 

Proud. That gave him a funny kind of feeling, Ignan realised, taken aback by the statement. Pride wasn't a word he at all used internally to discuss what this tie was. Which was, perhaps rather awful of him, but true. Just reinforced the notion that Sasha was better off for knowing some of the family than they were for any tie between them individually.

Sasha took the opportunity while Ignan reeled for a moment, distracted by the comment, to suggest something happier for conversation. The animagi news had gone by the by before Christmas. A passing comment swept away with the funeral, Miranda being comatose, relief that it wasn't three of them.

"Good, good I am glad." The Professor uttered a little distantly, nodding and blinking, returning to the conversation, although somewhat jilted. "Hard work paying off. Though, we said it would come back, the patronus. I er.. wouldn't know about the animagus." He gestured with a hand and folded his arms again. That study had never really interested him, partly for the vulnerability of being an animal. "Well, er, well done. You must be very pleased."

End