Student Support., (Karen & Nikki)

[Nikki Sutton]

Nikki sat alone in the classroom, her long brown-red hair tied off her face, her brown eyes shining as she quickly filled in her day in her diary.

She wore a simple blue shirt and jeans, her long legs encased in thigh-high black boots. She looked much like the all american-girl she wanted to be. The only difference was the cloak draped over her seat.

She normally wore her teaching robes but it was after-hours and she'd taken the risk of not bothering with robes.

[leePWNSshay]

Karen had just finished her final class of the day, and week, Double Potions, and quite frankly she was exausted. She spent half the class listening to Professor Snape lecturing about how to correctly chop and use the Chinese Chomping Cabbage after a group of male Hufflepuffs ended up blowing up their Everlasting Elixirs. And there really was only so much of Snape's voice one could take.

Now, Karen had to take care of her prefect duties, a position she had been appointed in fifth year. Now in her sixth, she no longer enjoyed the routines, it was more like chores. Karen needed to find Professor Flitwick, her head of house, to report a spell that had gone wrong in the common room, when a group of smart-arse first years attempted a seventh year charm.

Karen opened each door, which each revealing an empty classroom. Finally she ended up in the last classroom, she opened the door onto a Professor.

"Oh sorry!" apologized Karen quickly.

[Nikki Sutton]

Nikki glanced up at the girl's manners. "It's fine." She smiled. "Can I help you at all?" She was polite, her tone gentle, much like that of her 'sister'... she was different however, she was quiet and tended to speak only to students.

She shut her diary and packed it into her bag, screwing the lid on her ink and packing that too before cleaning her quill to a tissue and binning it, returning the quill to her bag.

Her eyes remained on Karen as she waited.

[leePWNSshay]

Karen put her prefect duties aside, remembering the T grade she had received on her last Defense Against The Dark Arts essay, and actually did have some questions about it. She never got 'Troll' grades. She was a hard-working Ravenclaw after all. Sure she was a little preoccupied when she wrote it, what with Oliver's strange behaviour that seemed to change every minute and her brother getting that evil wand that had posessed her. But she couldn't have deserved a T.

"Actually," Karen said, stepping into the classroom. She took her wand out from her bag and pointed it into the hallway. She thought to herself, 'Accio Essay' and the very long piece of parchment flew through the halls into her arms.

"Well I kind of had a problem with my last essay, the one on the Peruvian Vipertooth," she told Professor Sutton, "Well I got a T, and no offence of course, but I think you must have marked it wrong." Karen was hoping that she was right, and Professor Sutton had marked it wrong, but unfortunately she knew that she was easily distracted.

[Nikki Sutton]

"I'm sorry Karen, take a seat and I'll try to explain why." She took the essay from Karen, re-reading her notes on the essay. "Okay, let's start from the top shall we?"

She was scanning for the first mistake. "You haven't acknowledged which books you lifted your quotes from which wouldn't help with grade at all, added to that you have several small spelling mistakes and the overall presentation isn't up to your usual standard."

She spoke gently enough but she was clearly confused as to why it had been Karen who got the bad grades.

[leePWNSshay]

Karen sat down at one of the many empty desks in the front of the room. She watched, with a twinge of nerves as Professor Sutton took her essay and began looking through it. When she began listing the faults in her essay. Karen sighed.

"Really?" she frowned, "I never make spelling mistakes, and I never forget to site the books I used. I mean, I didn't have time to triple-check, but still," she finished in a mumble.

Karen was dishearted by her falling grades. This had happened to her last year, when she was completely distracted when she had to watch her best friend date a girl that continually cheated on him, and she was secretly jealous the whole time of that girl. Karen shook these thoughts away, now with Oliver's strange behaviour and her brother and the wand, she could end up being distracted again. She would have had straight O's in her O.W.L.s if it weren't for her easy distraction. Karen really needed to start focusing again.

[Nikki Sutton]

"Karen..." Nikki spoke kindly. "I'm going to be offering extra lessons for students to fix up their grades, normally I wouldn't expect you to be joining us... after this grade however, I'd suggest you come and get some help with it... start again. I'm sure you have it in you to get a better grade, in fact I know you do..."

She did actually, she'd seen the usually high grades slip slowly. "Now, I'm going to ask you to be honest with me... is there anything wrong? besides work-ethic?"

She wanted to help Karen, she liked the girl.

[leePWNSshay]

"Extra lessons," gaped Karen, her head falling in shame. She couldn't take extra lessons, not only would she be completely ashamed, but with her prefect duties and tutoring first and second years would give her no time to take extra lessons.

Karen considered the question for a moment, then shook her head, "No of course not," she said quickly.

Karen got up quickly, wanting to avoid the question at all costs, "You know, Professor, I really need to be going, prefect duties and all," she explained, stammering slightly as she edged towards the door, "Thanks for the help, I'll see you in class."

With that said Karen almost sprinted for the door, leaving her essay behind. She did not want to tell anyone how easily distracted she was, and she didn't wish to explain how she had become that way. So she quickly escaped.

[Nikki Sutton]

Nikki sighed. "Great, guess I'll have to fix it myself then..." She muttered, gathering her bag and belongings before rolling up the parchement and leaving the classroom.