After a few closing remarks, Professor Frasier wrapped up the class and dismissed them.  There was the usual emergence of chatter as the students gathered their things and made their way towards the Great Hall for lunch.  An hour of respite to eat something - fuel up was probably a more fitting term.  With a full schedule of classes, Sasha still had Charms, Ancient Runes, History of Magic and Astronomy to get through before the day was done.  The scheduled activities, at least.  There was always quite a load of homework to do as well.

Sasha followed his classmates suit and began gathering his things into a neat pile.  He was usually rather deliberate with his movements but, today, Sasha was purposefully moving at a particularly slow pace.  If he timed it right, the classroom would be empty except for him and Professor Frasier by the time his things had been loaded in his bag. 

Despite Dreogan's encouragement, Sasha had managed to put off approaching Professor Frasier for extra help and materials.  With Sasha's schedule, it had been far too easy to generate reasons to not find time.  Yes - telling himself he was too busy was an excuse - albeit a rather legitimate excuse.  Of all the professors at school, Professor Frasier was probably the most likely to understand - but, perhaps, Sasha had just grown so used to only confiding in Professor Knox.  And, now, Professor Bombay.  But, Sasha had heard rumors of these extra study opportunities which, if Sasha had any hope of going, required him to approach the Muggle Studies Professor. 

Once the room had emptied, Sasha pushed himself to his feet and hoisted his bag to his back.  "Um ... sir," he said.  "I was hoping I could have a minute ... I've been meaning to talk to you."  What was he supposed to say?  Where was he supposed to begin?  He knew his stepfather would want Sasha to cut to the chase and explain why Sasha was looking to occupy his time.  "I heard that you might be doing some sort of ... extra study project." 

Having just wrapped up the latest fifth year class, Isaac began to straighten up his notes as the students left the room for lunch.  There was the usual chatter he tuned out, not really caring to know the latest gossip.  Instead he focused on refilling the papers he had used and getting to lunch himself.

With the agreement he had made with his publisher to push back any sort of due dates as he would be leading a research expedition to South America had eased his stress level enormously.  They seemed willing to give him all the time he needed as long as it led to a book.  That meant in the long run he would be able to take the necessary time to put out a quality product instead of a rush tome that would only serve as a lasting embarrassment for him no matter how well it might be received.

Morrigan had also volunteered her services, as well as Kendall's.  He wasn't entirely sure if the other Wizard realized he would be spending his weekends camping in close proximity to the fiesty redhead or not.  It was certainly going to make things interesting, and he hoped he wouldn't have to spend his time refereeing any arguments between the two.  At least it would hopefully mean they could all spent less time acting as chaperones.

"Um ... sir."

Looking up he was surprised to find Sasha still in the room.  He had been meaning to approach him about possibly being one of the students involved in the research.  After all, he considered the young man one of his brightest students.  He was a good student and Isaac had hoped he might be eager to join.

"What can I help you with?" he asked.  He had a bit of an open door policy with the students, and while few took advantage of it he hoped that they would feel comfortable approaching him.

"I heard that you might be doing some sort of ... extra study project." 

"News certainly travels fast," he mused with a smile.  "I was actually hoping you might be interested.  I've found myself with an opportunity to combine my research and teaching, and I'm looking to take a select group of students with my as field assistants."

It wasn't until Sasha had spoken that the Muggle Studies Professor was aware that Sasha had remained behind.  As nervous as Sasha was about approaching the current topic, he wasn't surprised at Professor Frasier's willingness to listen to him.  Of course, in the first few years, Muggle Studies had revolved around muggle culture - sports, arts, entertainment.  For the few muggleborns that took the class, the material was always considered rather simple - especially given they were pretty much familiar with most of the material.  But, it had also always been one of Sasha's favorite classes.  He'd always found Hogwarts' perspective on muggle intriguing but, even more than that, let's face it, there weren't a lot of purists who took Muggle Studies.  It was a fairly safe and comfortable class. 

Sasha tipped his head forward in a subtle acknowledgment of the man's offer to speak and settled himself into one of the desks at the head of the class.  His insides churned nervously but he set his bag on the floor next to his seat - a symbolic gesture to himself of his commitment to the conversation. 

"Well, yeah, I guess it does.  Which is strange - I'm not usually, you know, the first to hear gossip.  But -"  But what?  Well, perhaps, people just knew Sasha was keeping an ear out for such things.  It was probably becoming more common knowledge around the school that it had been Sasha that organized the Muggle Appreciation Club.  Perhaps Dreogan had mentioned his growing interest in the area as well.  For a variety of reasons, Sasha assumed the word had just known to find him. 

A pinch of color rose on Sasha's cheeks and he nodded - he was, earnestly, pleased that Professor Frasier would think of including him.  "I ... I really would like to go.  It would be great."  Sasha hesitated a moment.  There was, really, no concrete reason for his current state of discomfort - it wasn't like Sasha was disclosing any big secrets.  Not yet, at least.  But, habit had made Sasha tentative about divulging anything personal and, he knew, he'd probably have to divulge a fair bit of it before the conversation was up.  "I don't know if you know, but I've been ... well, corresponding with Mr. Dreogan Eleor.  At the Ministry?  He says you know each other.  He's been encouraging me to explore, you know, muggle mage relations more.  Outside of class."  Because, what Sasha needed were more extra-curricular activities. 

Sasha took a deep breath, his gaze dropping to his hands.  It was inevitable awkward questions were going to be posed.  "And, that I should consider approaching you for some help with some ... extra studying I'm doing.  And, I really would like to go on this trip but ..."  He hesitated, convinced he knew he was wasting his time.  It probably wasn't his choice - even if Sasha could be allowed an exception, it'd probably have to come from Headmistress Snark, in which case Sasha didn't have a chance.  Unless, Professor Frasier could get it from Professor Bombay.  "...I won't be able to able to get parental consent."  There was, simply, no way on Earth his stepfather would be signing that slip - even if it was fixed to make it look like it came from Switzerland. 

Sasha seemed a bit nervous about something, but Isaac didn’t dwell on that too long.  He seemed sincerely interested in the project, which was what Isaac was hoping for.  He needed students who would put forth the required effort, not those whom he would have to “babysit” for the duration of the trip.  He also didn’t want to force that on any of the other staff who had volunteered their help.

"I ... I really would like to go.  It would be great."

He sensed a ‘but’ to the statement, something that was preventing an instant affirmative in response.  He nodded slightly at the mention of Dreogan.  They had been corresponding for sometime, mostly about possible internships and those who might be interested in Ministry positions after graduation.  It didn’t surprise him that Dreogan had tried referring Sasha.

He listened patiently as he continued on about the trip, not wanting to cut him off before he discovered the reason for conversation.  If it had simply been a matter of accepting a spot among the students going he would have just said that and been off to lunch.  There was something else, and thankfully Isaac didn’t have to wait long to find out what exactly.

“There are ways around it,” he said, knowing that for some of the students it simply wasn’t possible.  If Sasha was unable to get the permission slip the conventional way, it would mean that Bombay as Sasha’s head of house or Analiza as the Head Mistress would have to be involved.  He wasn’t entirely secure with the odds of a positive outcome on that end either and the last thing he wanted was to have to spend any more time trying to clear this with Analiza.
 
“Are you absolutely certain there is nothing I can do to help you get parental consent?  It’s not really a secret that I am not among Professor Bombay’s favorite people,” he continued…especially not after what happened in the staffroom with Aileen.

There was no doubt Sasha had extra reasons to be nervous and he was sure it showed, but speaking with professors - or any authority figure didn't come easy.  Hoping to avoid the mistakes they'd made with Jacoba, Sasha's mother and stepfather made sure Sasha attended a straight-edged, conservative Catholic school - prior to Hogwarts, at least.  He'd learned, quickly, that most of the Hogwarts' professors didn't share the love of hierarchy and self-discipline that the teachers at his previous school had, but speaking casually with most of them was a skill that was proving hard to master. 

"I know it's not my place to say so,"  Sasha started, hoping he wouldn't sound too disrespectful.  Between the end of year feast in the spring and the start of term feast a month agom Professor Frasier, more than likely, was aware of what seemed to be personal dislike Professor Snark seemed to have towards Sasha.   But, this extra credit assignment was far too exciting to leave it up to chance.  "But, Professor Bombay is far more likely to give ... well, me consent than Headmistress Snark.  She's far less likely to approve."  Of giving Sasha any leeway when she, really, had absolutely no reason to do so. 

"Or," Sasha said, a glimmer of optimism as he spoke.  "The head of Mr. Eleor's department provided me with permission to go to visit the Ministry.  I don't know - maybe they could sign the form on my behalf?"  It was a long shot - their signature alone didn't allow him to visit.  But, maybe, somehow, they might see Professor Bombay's approval as some sort of standing order?  Approval of anything fun or interesting that might further Sasha's education. 

But, his stepfather give permission for Sasha to travel to a (what his stepfather would write off as) a third-world country to study the 'magic' of the non-Christian indigenous population?  Quite frankly, the fact that this was for an entirely different school than Gerhard thought he was paying for didn't even need to come into the equation.  There was absolutely now way his stepfather would ever consent to such a trip.  Maybe ... maybe if Sasha tried to claim that this was, in fact, some sort of missionary adventure he might get some approval - only after Gerhard had carefully questioned whoever was leading the missionary efforts. 

"N- No," Sasha said, shaking his head.  He took a deep, shaking his head again.  The trip was important to Sasha - but, unfortunately, not important enough even risk spinning that lie.  There were too much room for it to backfire.  And, before Professor Frasier considered offering to explain to Sasha's parents for him, Sasha shook his head again.  "I'm afraid, I can't even ask them.  They really can't know I'm going."

He sighed, his shoulders sinking as he shook his head.  He was fully prepared for that to be a deal breaker. 

It was a miracle he had managed to arrange the trip at all, and he nodded slightly in understanding as Sasha told him that parental consent would simply not be possible.  Bombay was their best option...much to Isaac's dismay.  He wasn't quite sure how he was going to convince the other man to help them, but perhaps they could put professional and personal differences aside to help a student.

"Well...I can try to talk to Professor Bombay after classes," Isaac offered.  "I'd rather not bother the Headmistress too much more in regards to this.  It will be easier all the way around."

He smirked a little, as it wasn't any secret that Analiza wasn't particularly fond of Sasha.  They could easily be facing a bit of an uphill battle on this, but if need be he would go to Dreogan to seek out Ministry approval.  That, however, would be a last resort.  It wasn't really a Ministry issue and he was certain an answer could certainly be found within the walls of Hogwarts.  It just wouldn't be an easy answer.

"I don't want to keep you from lunch, but might I ask why it's impossible to find some way to get permission from your family?" he asked.  He was certain Sasha was from a Muggle background, but he wasn't quite sure how his parents had felt about his magical abilities.  After all, not all Muggles took kindly to the idea that magic was real.

Oblivious to any muddy or rough waters between the Muggle Studies Professor and his Head of House, Sasha had full confidence that Professor Bombay would extend permission to Sasha.  He'd never had much interest in gossip - he'd just assume stay out of any gossip rings himself.  There was really only one potential challenge: Professor Bombay's optimism in (even, perhaps, possessiveness towards) Sasha's dedication towards Herbology.  And, certainly, Sasha hadn't decided against herbology, yet.  His interactions with Mr. Eleor - and his continued pursuit of muggle academic subjects - had simply left him particularly intrigued about the area of muggle-mage relations.

"It would be easier.  I think Professor Bombay would be willing," Sasha nodded.  "And, ..."  In case it would help ... "you can tell him I'd be willing to do some extra projects in Herbology to make up for it." 

"I usually eat lunch on the run," Sasha ensuring Professor Frasier that he wasn't at all concerned about missing lunch. 

He'd been expecting the question - perhaps, even, hoping for the question.  Given the way things were going this year, he couldn't have too many allies.  And, as Dreogan had pointed out, if Sasha ran in to trouble with his other studies (like the current chemistry equation he had been struggling over for the last three days) - Professor Bombay was the most likely source of help at Hogwarts.  But, he never liked to complain - it was unlikely he would have offered the information on his own.  But, now that he'd been asked, it was quite unlikely he'd refuse an answer.

"My parents - stepfather, especially - are conservative and religious muggles."  The benefit of speaking to Professor Frasier was saying things like 'conservative' and 'religious' actually meant something - Sasha didn't have to explain.  "I doubt they'd approve of my ... traveling to someplace like this.  But, I couldn't even really ask - they don't know I'm here."  He confessed, slowly, blushing again.  "They think I go to a selective international boarding school in Switzerland." 

It seemed that perhaps Bombay had some preference for Sasha so perhaps getting his help wouldn’t be too terribly difficult.  If Sasha was so sure that his head out house would grant permission then he would keep that in mind to give him a little confidence in a positive outcome for the situation.  Not matter what it would be easier then facing Analiza.

He listened, not entirely surprised by the young man’s explanation as to what exactly his parents had been told about the school.  It certainly wouldn’t be the first time a story had been concocted to help in getting a student with magical abilities to the school.  After all, there had been quite few when he had gone to school.  It seemed some thing never changed.

“That can make things a bit more difficult,” he said, trying to put the young man at ease a bit.  “Your situation is not completely unheard of.  It’s often difficult for those who aren’t magical to understand this world.  My mother is Muggle…she’s known about the Wizarding community since before she and my father married, but at times there are still things she had trouble accepting.  It’s unfortunate that something as simple as ignorance can cause so much strife.”

The most difficult thing of course had been accepting the fact that magic could not truly fix everything.  It couldn’t really save his father, no matter how much the all wished it could.  The healers were helping him to maintain some quality of life, but it was not really what anyone would wish for themselves.  It had become a normal occurrence during his visits home for her to question exactly why his world couldn’t come up with some easy and quick fix.

“That can make things a bit more difficult.”

It seemed like such a profound understatement - between the workload it produced and ... well ... trying to find ways of getting permission for extracurricular activities, it certainly was difficult.  And, he could only imagine what grief he would get if his situation was publicly known.  He already got enough for being muggleborn - he could only imagine the hay day Knight would have if he discovered he was a muggleborn that spent his holidays pretending to be muggle.  "I don't, you know, like lying.  But, when they first came to bring my letter, they, well, had to modify my parents' memories." 

He'd seen his step-father get angry before, but this had been one of the few times the color in the man's face make it all the way from purple to white again.  He'd made a number of threats at the messengers - he'd turned to call the police and file a formal complaint - that had been when the two wizards had modified his memory and left.  They'd come back three days later, in more 'proper' attire, with a full array of brochures and information pamphlets about sending your child to receive a prestigious education in Appenzell, Switzerland. 

It was comforting, in some strange way, to hear it had happened before.  "I finally told my sister," he admitted.  "And, she apparently found Mr. Eleor - but, she's been estranged for several years so it doesn't really help at home.  I don't even think they know she's back in the UK."  In fact, knowing she was back would, probably, make things worse. 

"But, one of the more challenging things," Sasha added, "is - you know - my parents still think I'm in a muggle school.  They have pretty high expectations-" another understatement.  "So - during holidays, they expect to see progress - both academically and ... well, they think I'm on the equestrian team at school, too.  There really isn't anything I can do about my riding skill, I don't think, but I ... you know, pursue the basic muggle studies.  Not - not like this," he quickly added, aware that might prove confusing, given his current audience.  "But - like, classes.  Pre-calculus and Chemistry, history and literature.  It's a lot."  And, like Neely said (when they were still talking), there wasn't a lot of time for fun.

To be sure it was a difficult position to be in.  Being stuck between the two worlds was not something Isaac would wish on anyone, and part of him was concerned that the extra work load would certain cause the young man to burn out mentally.  As Sasha indicated, it was a lot.  While it seemed the lie was the best solution at the moment, he wondered if a disservice wasn't being done to someone who should be enjoying their teenage years.

"It seems like you have your bases covered to keep the story believable," Isaac told him after a moment.  "But, do you have any time to be with your friends?  You need to take a bit of time to do something other then simply work."

He felt like a bit of a hypocrite giving him that advice since until recently he had been completely absorbed in work.  When he wasn't teaching or planning lessons he had been attempting to write his book.    At least the upcoming trip and the extension on the book had eased some of the stress.  And of course given Morrigan the opening to complain about the fact that Fleetfoot had been completely ignoring her.  Somehow he suddenly wasn't so sure having the two of them working together in the Amazon was one of his brighter ideas.

With a slight dip of his head, Sasha acknowledged and accepted what he readily assumed was a compliment.  Despite his distaste for (and, therefore, lack of practice in) lying, he'd been managing to pull off this quite hefty fib.  Even with the recent complications of mops and make believe girlfriends. 

Time to be with his friends?  Well - Sasha had never been that good with casual leisure time.  A short coming it seemed Neely had been trying to work through.  Back when they were talking, that is.  He'd never really gotten that good at it but now he was definitely back to his tight schedule of exercising, classes, studying and carefully scheduled activities.  "Well, I'm on the quidditch team," Sasha offered.  It had been the example of 'fun' he'd offered Neely, though she hadn't exactly been impressed by his ability to have fun. "And, I've started doing the Muggle Appreciation Club.  But, I've got a full schedule of school classes on top of the non-wizarding academic subjects."  In short, unless the leisure was scheduled in, it was unlikely to happen. 

And, because what Sasha needed was to be finding more work: "Mr. Eleor had recommended asking you about some articles about muggle-mage relations.  He has recommended it as a potential area of study to pursue - I don't really know, yet.  But, I know with O.W.L.s and deciding on what N.E.W.T classes to take, they were worth looking into."  Since the start of the year, both of those events had been looming large in his mind.  He knew he couldn't continue with the whole arsenal of Hogwarts classes but he also knew that choosing to drop a class (potentially erroneously) could close off future career choices.  It was just all too much to decide. 

Somehow Isaac got the sense that the real answer to the question was no, but he let it slide for the time being.  The trip to the Amazon would certainly be a change of pace considering it seemed Sasha didn’t get much time for much other then studying.  It was a shame in many ways that he had to lead a bit of a double life.  Yet, it meant he could be at Hogwarts studying magic and honing those skills.  Perhaps in the long run it would serve the young man well.

Isaac had a sense though that Dreogan might have been on to something suggestion the young man explore a bit more on muggle-mage relations.  Sasha certainly would have a bit of different perspective then the those who usually pursued the field.  It tended to be filled with the “absent minded professor” types who didn’t seem to have the first clue as to how to truly approach Muggle relations.  They tended to be from a primarily Wizarding background without any real experience within the Muggle world.

“I can certainly help you with that,” he said.  “I have a few back in my chambers I can bring to the next class time for you.  I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on them given your background and what you’ve encountered with your family.”

With a small smirk he added, “As you’ve probably figured out my field isn’t only about trying to explain how light bulbs work.”

Sasha nodded appreciatively.  "Thank you.  I'm kind of curious what ... I mean, I know a lot of the early muggle studies classes were about, like, what a muggle is."  An unfortunate way to put it, like they were studying the behavioral habits of other creatures.  Even the title of the class "Muggle Studies" made it sound like wizards sitting around counting the number of times individual muggles pushed buttons.  "And, I know it's necessary.  But, it's all rather -"  he searched for the right word.  'Basic' wasn't right, nor was 'simple.'  "-familiar.  But, I liked our first class.  It was new."   

I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on them given your background and what you’ve encountered with your family.

Sasha froze, watching Professor Frasier carefully.  What, exactly, had he meant by that?  Did he just mean Sasha's background as a muggleborn?  Was it just the challenges he faced with his immediate family?  Or, did Professor Frasier know more?  Sasha had always assumed that his family history wasn't there in his academic record for anyone to read - presumably, he would have heard whispered comments before, if that were the case.  Right?  Maybe that was all Professor Frasier was referring to. 

Or, as Muggle Studies professor, it was reasonable to assume Professor Frasier had spent some time studying muggle history.  While Sasha's surname was unlikely to surface in a basic primer on German or World War II history, the name Schlagenweit had a tendency to crop up in more in depth history texts.  Sasha had never understood why - he preferred to ignore it, really - but Jacoba had always taken a strong interest in their family history.  Probably another attempt on her part to rile Gerhard.  Family sentiments hadn't changed much from their grandparents to their parents generation, but the Schlagenweits, apparently, owed a hefty sum in post-war reparations.  A fact that was overlooked when the family ended up in Soviet-occupied Germany.  Avoiding those reprocussions had been the primary reason the Schlagenweits had moved to England following the fall of the Soviet Union.  And, why, Gerhard hoped Sasha would return to Germany after school.  He hoped the detail of money would be lost if they skipped a generation. 

It wasn't a topic Sasha relished lingering on - but, he was observant enough to know that that background did influence his perspective on the topic of muggle mage studies.  His sister had made a point of making sure Sasha was aware of the history and politics Gerhard promoted.  And, while he avoided talking about it, the similarities between them and the blood purist ideology were as observable to him as the similarities between Potions and Chemistry. 

"Well, I -" Sasha quickly tried to recover from the thought stumble and focused on the professor's last statement.  It took a moment, but an amused grin replaced the startled uncertainty in his features.  "To be honest, most muggles can't explain how a light bulb works.  Ironically, I think most muggles probably think the ones that can are a bit strange.  But, it's still fun to stick the wires in the potato and watch the lightbulb light up."  Yes - but, Sasha was just starting to recognize that the field was broader and further reaching than figuring out muggle life.  And, he knew what Dreogan did, he knew that Professor Frasier taught but - he recognized he was only beginning to understand the full breadth of the field.  "What, if I can ask, is it really about?  I mean what ... what job options are out there for people in the field?"  Or, him, more specifically.

He could remember a time early on when his friends had looked at him like he had sprouted up an extra head when he mentioned wanting to pursue Muggle Studies.  They had thought it a waste of his time and talent, although their tunes had quickly changed when he began doing research in exotic locations.  Of course not everyone took the paths he had chosen, and his interest had always been more in finding a link between mundane and magical.

With the publication of his book the doubters had been silenced completely, but it didn’t mean his field was perceived any differently.  Most thought of those who pursued Muggle Studies as a bunch of absent minded types who, as Sasha mentioned, sat around trying to get a light bulb to light up in a potato.

“Well,” he began, considering the variety of paths, “there’s research which was always more my specialty.  Some people dedicate their lives to trying to figure out how Muggle inventions work, others study modern Muggle life, and others are more like me seeking the less understood people of the world.  There’s also Muggle Wizard relations which requires an excellent understanding of both communities.  It’s really not all potatoes and light bulbs.”

He gave a slight smirk as he spoke and then added, “What I’ve discovered most of my colleagues lack is any real understanding of what Muggle life is like.  I was lucky, my mother as much as she tried never really found her way once my father introduced her to this world.  So, I was raised in a traditional Muggle home, but had the benefit of venturing into the Wizarding World with my father.  Sometimes in this field you get farther by simply being able to relate.”

"But," Sasha started, but stopped.  He didn't want to sound rude - especially to a professor - and he wasn't sure if elaborating on his thought would be interpreted as such.  It sometimes seemed there was such a fine line between thoughtful and smug.  And, given the way the year was going, he needed to be careful. 

However, the question would continue to bug him if he didn't ask.  Maybe it was a simple matter of a misconception on his part as to what type of research people in the muggle relations field conducted.  "Isn't ... isn't it kind of like reinventing the wheel for wizards to sit around with lightbulbs, trying to figure out how they work?  I mean, muggles know why these things work - they invented them.  Wouldn't it make more sense to ... well, ask them?  I mean - I know why a lightbulb works but mostly because I've been studying the science classes muggles do.  And, it just seems like its one thing to figure out how a lightbulb works - but another to learn how muggles view their world.  And, understand protons and electrons and - where, scientifically, magic fits into that puzzle." 

He'd been thinking aloud - in his mind trying to organize his conversations with Dreogan with the one he was having now and, in the process, had gotten a bit ... enthusiastic about the conversation.  Probably more so than Professor Frasier was looking for right before lunch.  "Sorry," he offered, with a sheepish grin.