A Happy Place in Which to Dwell [Octavian]

[Deleted]

Truth be told, nothing much had changed in the years since Severus Shacklebolt had first walked the halls as a child over a decade ago. The stone walls echoed with the chatter of children even now on the first day back from the Christmas school holidays and it would be a hard-hearted man that did not let their laughter draw out a smile on his face. So much had happened in the years since Severus had left the safety and familiarity of the Hufflepuff basement for the last time. He'd forgive himself for indulging in the melancholy of times past, the blissful innocence of peaceful adolescence that he had been blessed with. Not so his younger sisters, whose schooling years had been scarred with the terror of kidnap and murder - a mere 4 years and what a difference of experience. It was in this moment of thought that Severus was brought back to the present when two students rounded a corner in haste and almost bowled him over like a skittle.

"Forgive us, Mister!" the smaller of the two yelped in surprise, whilst Severus put a hand out to the stone wall to steady himself. "Run along," he said jovially enough, waving the students along their path, "although maybe take it a bit slower round the corners, eh?" he flashed them a bright smile yet they were already on their way. From their cherub-like faces and diminutive stature, he would presume they were only in their first year of studies at Hogwarts. He knew that they'd be a handful for the professors as they raced out of his sight and around another corner.

This was the right decision, Severus reflected, as his melancholy gave way to a smile with yet more students crowding the hallway as they rushed towards a common point. The young professor glanced at his watch to confirm his initial assumption; it was indeed lunch time. For a brief moment he considered turning along with the horde to fill his grumbling belly and yet he eyed the weather through the great panes of glass and knew it would have to wait. It was early January, after all and today they'd been blessed with a mildness they had not seen in at least a week.

The moment Severus exited the castle his dark eyes sought the sun. It was bright and warm, clear of the clouds that had soaked the Scottish countryside since the past year. Under foot, the stones of the paths crunched wetly as Severus strolled leisurely in the general direction of the Black Lake. The smell of wet earth was a welcome change to the smog that surrounded the city and he breathed it in liberally. "Welcome home, Shacklebolt," he said happily, turning around to face the castle with open arms, as if to embrace it like an old friend. Instead, he found himself face-to-face with another adult. "Oh - uh - hello, I am Professor Severus Shacklebolt.. I'm to teach Muggle Studies. How do you do?" he introduced himself swiftly, offering out a hand to his new companion.

Tag: octavian archimedes vector jr.

[octavian archimedes vector jr.]

Somebody once told me
that there's two sides to life

January 2026
@severus

The beginning of term was slower than the rest of the months, but with graduation and NEWTs fast approaching, Archie knew better than to take this time for granted. With his hands in his pockets, Archie exited the castle for a short walk. The NEWT level course is what took most of his time, and he would have less and less time for these walks and fresh air, especially when spring came around, and the temperature was more comfortable. The younger students ran around while the older ones tended to group together and never leave each other’s side as if a permanent sticky charm had been cast on their school robes. Girls giggling in groups and boys standing up taller than they actually were.

Archie sometimes missed those simpler times of his youth but he also was never at peace as he was now. Well, he liked to tell himself he was but he managed. Archie walked for a little while before hearing a voice, it wasn’t that of a student but wasn’t one he recognized either—but he did catch the name. Ah, the new Professor had arrived. The Muggle Studies post had been vacant since the Quidditch accident and various Professors had helped fill the role in part-time or temporary capacities. Archie was always the friendly sort and he didn’t hesitate to shake the man’s hand, a friendly smile on his own face. ”Ah yes, we’ve been expecting you. Octavian Vector, Arithmancy.” Archie introduced himself, his father’s name though he preferred not to use it. ”Please, call me Archie.” With a name like Shackelbolt it was hard to pretend he didn’t have some recognition of the man, though he didn’t know him personally before this. ”Have you gotten settled in?”

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In a very small amount of time, Severus had taken in the teacher that had stumbled upon him this afternoon. He tried to rack his brain, having learnt from a young age that it's better to never forget a face and always use their name but... no, he couldn't place the man that seemed amiable enough. When Octavian shook his hand, Severus made sure it was a good one - first impressions were everything, after all! " Oh yes, I'm very sorry that I hadn't come sooner. A change in career can be quite daunting and, I'll be honest, it took all the courage of the New Year to finally say Yes to the Robes," Severus joked easily, though the probability that it would land well with a wizard unless they were on top of muggle pop-culture. "Nice to meet you, Archie!"

Severus put his hands comfortably into his pockets and rocked casually on his feet as he relaxed into conversation with his new colleague. "I havent, I will be honest with you. I have organised my room a bit, but I took one look at my classroom and then decided it was better to treat myself to the rare sunshine for lunch time instead," he said with a nervous smile because ... Today had been a little more overwhelming than he'd thought. "How long have you been teaching Arithmancy, Archie?"

octavian archimedes vector jr.

[octavian archimedes vector jr.]

Somebody once told me
that there's two sides to life

January 2026
@severus

Archie chuckled. Shacklebolt seemed friendly enough and enthusiastic about his new posting. He certainly wasn’t shy, but he supposed his name and the spotlight that came with that had something to do with it—one of those ‘names’ such as Charlie Weasley, who was also on their staff. This was also the reason he had opted to attend the start of the term feast. There was another rumor that more staff postings would be filled later during the term—though Archie wondered why not just wait until the fall if that was the case? Depending on the subject, it could be difficult for students to adjust to new faces and earn the staff’s trust, but it wasn’t an issue for the most part. ”Indeed it can.” Archie agreed wholeheartedly with a slight grin. A career in education was not what he had imagined for himself at seventeen.

Shaking his hand in return, he noted it was strong—the man meant business or at least how to make a good first impression. Not that such things held a lot of weight with Archie. He naturally got along with most people, willing to give them the benefit of the doubt—a bad habit in some cases depending on the person. ”It’s not all bad—when NEWTs are around the corner, the Castle is actually kind of quiet, and you can take as long a lunch as you want.” Archie admitted. Some weeks were busier than others, depending on how many papers he had to read and grade, and it was nice to take a break with the students went down to the village, or there was a Quidditch match. Archie paused to think, when had he started teaching? ”Oh…almost five years now.” Yes, it was almost five years now. Archie hadn’t even realized how much time had passed. ”But I sympathize on the career change—I was a Cursebreaker long ago and briefly worked for the Museum in Wales.”

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The new colleague seemed to be completely and utterly companionable, a fact that let Shacklebolt take in an easy breath and relax into the easy conversation. Why was he so nervous? He genuinely wanted people to like him, but as an adult that grew up in the spotlight... he knew that not everyone would. However, there was an added stress about how young he was compared to many of the other professors and his own perfectionism getting in his way. Still, Archie's return hand-shake was just right and Shacklebolt was put at ease. "Ohhh, Merlin. I was so stressed for my N.E.W.T.s, I am looking forward to seeing all that from a completely different angle," Severus replied, an almost wicked grin growing slowly on his face. "I would've thought the kids would be more demanding of your time, requesting extra help and all that? I know I certainly did."

Severus rolled his shoulders and took a small step to the side, so that he could look over the lawns and stand a little less directly with his new friend. "Wow, five years! That's a really decent amount of time - oh, a curse breaker before this hmm? And I thought my change of career was a big side-step," the young man said with an easy laugh. He was a liaison officer for the Ministry of Magic, so talking to people was what he did. Nagivating the dangerous world of treasure hunting? Hmm, no the classroom was definitely different. "The kids are really lucky to have such a knowledgeable professor though - I'm sure you've got some seriously ambitious curse-breaker hopefuls in your class?"

octavian archimedes vector jr.

[octavian archimedes vector jr.]

Somebody once told me
that there's two sides to life

January 2026
@severus

It was a good sign that new staff was joining the school. In Archie’s mind, while they would never forget the people lost due to tragic events, this would help the school move on. Plus, Severus seemed amiable enough. So far, Archie hadn’t had an issue with any staff members though some were easier to interact with than others. For example, Parvati was lovely to talk to, but Blaise wasn’t one for small talk. ”It depends. Not many take Arithmancy unless they’re trying to get selected for the Auror or Cursebreaker training programs, and then most of them are just trying to do just well enough.” There were exceptions, of course. The top-tier students never hesitated to ask for help or additional questions.

Arche grinned. Compliments from a person he just met, he wasn’t sure what to make of that, but he preferred it to a negative interaction. ”There’s actually…three other former Cursebreakers on staff.” At least he thought it was only three. It was hard to keep track at times, but it was nice to have someone to compare stories with. ”Yes a few, though I have seen many attempt to get into Auror training and then work for Gringott’s instead.” It wasn’t the career for just anyone. Archie did miss it at times but not the danger itself. ”What about you? Why the career change?”

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Severus remembered the days where students did just well enough in their courses when he was a student. Merlin knew he had done just well enough in Arithmancy himself to obtain a passing grade for graduation, despite having very skilled auror parents. Why had he taken it, if not for wanting a life as a curse-breaker or auror himself? Because in third and fourth he'd wanted to spend more time with a certain student who eventually broke his heart in fifth year so he'd thrown himself down the study-hole to cope. His lopsided grin spread further as he replied, "ah well I remember there was only about ten students doing the NEWTs when I was at school so I wouldn't take it personally." Severus was teasing of course because at least Archie's subject was considered to be of academic value whereas Muggle Studies was always joked about since time immemorial as far as Severus knew.

"Wow, really? Hmmm - let me guess what they'd be teaching," Severus pondered playfully for a moment. "Arithmancy, obviously. DADA? Transfiguration? ... obviously home economics," the third was just Severus being silly as he was aware the position wasn't filled right at the current moment. Besides, he couldn't imagine a curse-breaker teaching kids how to bake cookies or do their taxes. "Definitely either HoM or Ancient Runes for the last one??" he looked forward to making connections with his new colleagues.

He nodded when Archie said that more often than not, those who couldn't become aurors ended up working for Gringott's. "I think kids forget how competitive the traineeship is for aurors. It's a hard life," he said, remembering the stories his parents shared with him. "My career change?" Severus rubbed the back of his neck for a moment and took in a deep breath. "I'd been in the Ministry since I graduated Hogwarts and I needed a bit of a change. New challenges and all that... jazz." That was a far more diplomatic version of: I pissed off my boss one too many times and knew that I wasn't going any higher at my current position because of it. "When I saw the Muggle Studies position available I simply couldn't resist. Moulding the minds of the next generation? Yes, thanks!"

octavian archimedes vector jr.

[octavian archimedes vector jr.]

Somebody once told me
that there's two sides to life

January 2026
@severus

Archie wasn’t naïve to think that Arithmancy was a popular subject. It was required for only a few careers though the very rare student took it for fun. Nova had done that, but the subject also came easy for them, which had surprised absolutely nobody. He supposed Muggle Studies might be the same in that regard. Still, he smiled. ”Oh no, I feel quite lucky. The smaller classes are easier to manage.” He thought about the classes he had observed, such as Charms or Potions, where a classroom of students from two houses crammed into a space. It was no wonder Professors such as Zabini were so tough on their students.

Sev almost had it correct, and Archie waited until he was finished guessing. ”Almost.” He corrected his new colleague. ”Meric and I used to work together. He teaches Potions now.” In fact, Archie had been in the year ahead of him as fellow Ravenclaw alumni. ”Jasper worked with us as well. He teaches Charms.” Yaxley had been in Slytherin and the same year as Archie, but they’d never gotten close as there were still tensions with blood status at the time. Nowadays, things had settled down, plus when one worked side by side in the cursed sands in Egypt, your name or blood status didn’t matter. ”He’s new this year as well, along with Renfri, who is teaching History of Magic.” Unfortunately, he’d never worked with Renfri as she had joined after he had left the career.

Archie had considered applying for the Auror training program but had decided against it in the end. Severus had a fair point in that, and he nodded his head. Now that he was older, he knew he would have done it all for the wrong reasons. But, when Archie asked Severus about his own career change, the new Professor paused, and Archie wondered if there was a story that went along with that. ”Well, it's certainly a challenge…but at the end of the day, I think you’ll enjoy it.” There was a satisfaction in seeing his students succeed, and he realized that felt better than anything he’d ever accomplished working for the bank.

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