Teachers Sweets [Deva]

[Deleted]

April 24 2026

Phoebe hurried though the halls past the hoards of students rushing to get back to their dorms to change for the weekend, and then to get out into the nice spring weather. She was still wearing her green Slytherin uniform, with socks pulled up to her knees. If one looked closely, they would notice the number of scrapes, starts of holes, and even a faint green color around the knee. The girl had dropped her bag off in her dorm, and grabbed a wrapped paper bag that she held closely to her. It wasn't far to go before she made it to the classroom, she only hoped that the professor was still there. As she approached, she saw a few more students leaving, that was a good sign. Letting them pass, Phoebe gave them all a smile before moving in.

"Excuse me, Professor?" She said happily as she entered. She hadn't had class today, but really wanted to make sure that Professor Di Angelo got it. "Do you have a moment?"

@deva

[Deleted]

Deva had settled into her new role as teacher rather well. Life was good these days, there was no doubt. Still her fear of the dark led to her feeling on edge whenever she had to run patrols, even if she logically knew she had nothing to fear. She always asked Severus for company and she was fairly certain it was part of all the rumours she seemed to hear about them having some sort of secret love affair. It was true that they had a very good relationship, but it was a friendship and had never been anything more than that. She'd had a brief crush on the highly attractive man but nothing ever happened and she'd put the feelings aside years ago. By now the idea of dating him seemed quite absurd, even more so with Bjorn in her life. Yet kids and teens would gossip and well, she could see why they might have the wrong idea in mind.

After teaching a very satisfying class in which most students at least had been paying attention (which was quite the accomplishments on certain days), Deva had started cleaning up the classroom, answering questions from straying students. She'd found that students in her class appreciated that she considered her class not to be important to pass because she was teaching it but more because the skills would simply serve the students well. She didn't expect good grades but simply hoped to help teach the students skills they could actually use in their adult lives. As such it was a relatively easy ride, with students mostly or only picking up skills they thought to need. Filing taxes, while hated by most students, was actually one of the classes where they tried to put their best efforts in most of the time. They hated it, but she had helped them understand the benefits of the skill. Getting a good return by making the most out of the rules was quite the game and she often rewarded the tax returns with things like freshly baked cookies. The more they managed to get in returns in taxes from their assignment, the more cookies they could bring home. While some were happy with a single cookie, other saw the game and tried to get the most out of their tax returns. To each their preferences, as it should be.

She looked up as a student asked her attention and she smiled as she saw one of the Trelawney girls step in. She nodded. "Of course, come in." It always took her a few moments to distinguish them but the happy gait often betrayed the presence of Phoebe, the sleepwalking one. She'd been warned of the girls habit and had encountered her once on one of her patrols. It seemed that she had visions and Deva couldn't imagine such a burden on such a young person. "How can I help you?" She asked as she opened up the jar of cookies on her desk. "Cookie? There are some left over from last class." She offered, not wanting to eat too many cookies herself. She had to consider a few things that she hadn't quite expected after all. Like fitting into a dress.

@phoebe

[Deleted]

Phoebe loved Home Economics, and the new professor was someone that the young Slytherin had started to look up to. The girl had attention issues, but those issues rarely showed during this class. She adored making food and the idea of helping her family. Many students thought of it as an easy O, or Outstanding. Making things in this class really clicked with her, though some of their units were harder to grasp, though she always tried to pay attention, Professor Di Angelo also helped make it easy for even her to grasp. Talking about tax returns, it was easy to zone out, but the promise of cookies helped her focus and try really hard.

Entering the room, the girl was happy to hear the woman accept her in. She half skipped to the professor. The woman offered her a cookie and her smile widened. "I wanted to give you this." She held out the package to the woman. "As a thank you." After handing the package over, she happily took a cookie.

Inside the paper package were a few fudgy brownies individually wrapped. She had obviously kept some for herself, and given some to her sisters, but a number of what was made had been given to the house elves that had helped her, and said that it was alright that she use the kitchen after school one time.

@deva

[Deleted]

If there was one thing that Deva leaned on most when it came to teaching it was that everybody learned in different ways. Not everybody was equally motivated either. While some students struggled with practical learning but could do the theoretical parts in a single class others were the exact opposite. Since her class was highly diverse in the lessons she actually taught her students she made sure to switch it up enough that there was always something the students could focus on without overwhelming them. The few that did struggle were offered plenty of help and those disinterested were usually merely reminded that they were here because they had chosen to be. The least they could do was not make it harder on their peers. They could skip the classes if they wanted and at times she encouraged them to practise elsewhere and marked them as present if they had the skills already from other lessons. Deva tried to be the teacher that taught them what they actually needed to know, not so much what would get them through the exam. Since she did know exactly what they'd cover it was part of the classes, but the many loopholes of the law where it came to taxes were obviously used far more than the law itself, since that legally gained the students greater profits. As long as they did nothing illegal, she felt it was best to allow them to learn how to best utilise their government, as it was supposed to serve them, after all.

The same applied for cooking. She didn't just teach them standard meals, she taught them food safety and hygiene more than recipes and taught the ones that asked about allergies the best ways to handle those. When it came to life skills and home economics, Deva simply did not believe there was such a thing as a 'one size fits all' class schedule. Phoebe was one of her students that did great in things that would benefit others. Practical assignments seemed far more her forte than the theory, especially considering taxes. Yet she seemed to be catching on, so Deva really had nothing to complain about. The best students worked hard, regardless of their grades. Perfect students with only perfect grades were rather boring to teach after all.

Deva gladly accepted the package and unwrapped it carefully, smiling brightly when she noticed the fudgy brownies and groaning slightly in both delight and desperation. "Thank you so much." She said with a genuinely happy smile. "Although you shouldn't make this a habit, or I won't fit into my dress." She said in a conspirital whisper, giving her a small wink before taking one of the brownies and taking a bite. She smiled happily and nodded for a moment. "These are perfect Phoebe! I see you've been paying attention in class." She teased good naturedly. It was always good to see that she actually managed to teach people something. "One day you're going to want to add cherry liquor to these. Balance it out with a litle more cacao and flour for the moisture balance. It gives them a very nice twist." Deva said before taking another small bite, licking her lips for a moment. "Plus if they are slightly fudgy like these, they'll retain just that tiny little hint of liquor to them, and not just the cherry. I used to make them for girls nights after graduation. They were quite popular. Cleaning the kitchen was a mess though." She said with a laugh. She loved a good snack any day and these were excellent. "How are you coming along with the taxes?" She then asked Phoebe. "Are you starting to see the logic in them yet?" She asked curiously, wondering if that part was also starting to connect as well as the cooking and baking seemed to.

@phoebe

[Deleted]

Phoebe had always been the type to want to make friends, but always struggled with sitting still. Classes were so long, and teachers expected her to stay in one place and pay complete attention to their lesson? Often this proved to be difficult. It helped if lessons were entertaining, and attention grabbing. It also helped her if there were practical parts, where she could be hands on. Professor di Angelo's classes almost always seemed easy to learn from. Sure there were still parts that she struggled with. But once they started on cooking and baking, she was a new girl. The woman had the girls undivided attention, which wasn't a regular occurrence. While the professor sometimes let students skip if they already knew that subject well, there was no way Phoebe would miss any lesson where they would be making sweets. But talking about taxes left the girl struggling to even make a note. But the woman seemed to understand Phoebe and work with her more than others. The girl felt a connection with her professor. Because of this, she tried harder. Her effort a way to give back to the teacher who worked so hard to help her and the other students.

Happily giving the woman the gift she had prepared she beamed as the woman delicately opened it. The anticipation of knowing what it was, and the excitement of seeing the Deva see it for the first time. The moment she opened it up, and saw what was inside, the woman smiled brightly, which in turn, made Phoebe beam her own smile. The young girl couldn't help but bounce a little at the woman's reaction. Deva thanked her and Phoebe smiled, chuckling a little as the woman mentioned not making it a habit. "I would never want that." She said, the smile relentlessly staying on her face. She was just so happy that she had accepted them. She also loved the feeling of being a co conspirator to some secret. It made the youngest triplet feel special.

Soon the moment came, the moment where the woman took a bite of the fudgy confection. She was surprised when the woman said that they were perfect. Sure, she knew they were good, but perfect? No one had told her that before. The girl gave a little giggle "It's my favorite subject" She loved baking, and loved sharing her baked goods. Though some people gave her some weird looks when she tried to share with random students. Why were so many people distrusting of her? Was it because of her sisters? The woman then mentioned that, one day, she could add cherry liquor to the recipe. Se even gave a way to make sure that the wet to dry ratio didn't suffer. She'd have to add that note to the professor. "I'll do that then!" Unfortunately she was a bit underaged, but maybe when she was a little older she would try it out. "After I graduate, and make them, I'd love to send some to you!" She didn't have many friends who were as passionate about baked goods as she was. Cleaning was mentioned and the girl nodded. She wasn't the best at cleaning, though she knew that if she made it, she'd have to clean up for it.

The subject changed from sweets to taxes, and the smile quickly dropped, the girl blushed and fidgeted with her hands. "Oh, um.....well, I understand math part, but it just seems too complicated." She stammered. Sure she was sure she'd be able to get the assignment done alright, she hopped. But she'd just ask her daddy to help her with the hard stuff later... maybe she'll keep her notes on the subject, just in case.

@deva

[Deleted]

While Deva had hardly tried to keep her engagement a secret she hadn't exactly announced it to the students and faculty. She'd told Severus of course, since he was her best friend at the school, but apart from that the only part that showed her relationship status had been altered was the ring that was now around her finger. Ancient and beautiful, Deva found herself often staring at it in moments she was alone. When she was teaching she obviously had other priorities.

The girl had a talent for baking, that was obvious from the very first taste. Deva wondered if the girl had considered her options for after school. It was interesting that this was her favourite subject, to say the least. For some reasons she figured it wasn't due to all the aspects of the home economy but mostly because it was one of the classes where she could bake. Deva had noticed that Phoebe seemed to enjoy those classes utterly and never missed a single one, even if Deva was one of the teachers that had a reputations amongst the students for letting them skip classes where she felt they already had the required skills. She looked at Phoebe for a moment. "Have you considered what you want to do after graduation?" She asked the younger girl. Perhaps the girl would enjoy at least an internship at a bakery to see if she kept enjoying it in a more business like setting. Deva was sure that with a recommendation and one or two of her baked goods she could easily get an internship somewhere if she wanted one. She just didn't want to push the girl in a direction she didn't want to go. If her plans were not unclear, Deva figured she could suggest that the young girl considering becoming a baker.

Deva nodded understandingly as the girl mentioned it being too complicated. "Don't worry, you're improving a lot. Plus, if you make enough money you can pay somebody to do it for you. That way you don't have to worry about it at all." She said with a kind smile. It wasn't for everybody, she knew that much. "And you're doing just fine. I'm sure that with a little effort you can manage your own taxes if you need to. You might not always get maximum returns but you don't have to worry about getting in trouble with them either. I'll see if I can find a way to make it more clear. Maybe I'll see if I can find a more complicated recipe for baking that I can use to make it make some more sense, as you don't seem to find those all that difficult to understand." She said with an encouraging smile. Not everybody learned the same way and she wanted to try if she could teach Phoebe using her strengths rather than trying to make her wrestle through her weaknesses.

@phoebe

[Deleted]

The shiny new accessory the Deva had on her left ring finger had been missed by some students. But Phoebe had caught onto it rather fast. For starters, it was caught the light beautifully, and Phoebe simply loved shiny jewelry.

The youngest girl adored baking. It was one of her favorite things in the entire world. Well, second favorite, second only to her dearest family. Having the chance to gain recipes and practice baking in class was an utter dram for her. Some units they covered, she still struggled with, but not having to wait for the classes and meals to be over to bake was idea for her. Naturally Phoebe had become fast friends with the house elves in the kitchen, she had gone their often enough. They let her bake, and she shared her goodies with them in kind. The woman asked if she had thought about what she was going to do after graduation and Phoebe took a moment to think about it. Shaking her head, "Not really, graduation is still forever away." Sure, the girl was a sixth year, but there was still plenty of time to think about that.

Talking about taxes, the younger girl didn't feel too confident. She was starting to understand parts of it, but why did it have to be so complex? Couldn't they have made it easier? Then the teacher mentioned that if she ended up making enough money, she could pay someone else to do it. Phoebe peaked up at this. "Really?" Sure, she intended to get help from her family, but what if they couldn't, or worse, wouldn't help her. But she knew that eventually, she'd have to do things like that on her own. That was scary, and what made things worse, was that people got in trouble for doing it wrong. She couldn't bear the thought of that. Then the woman mentioned adjusting the learning by incorporating a complicated recipe to help her learn. The girl smiled at Deva. "That would be amazing. That might actually help." And if it didn't, well, she would still get a good recipe out of it, right?

@deva

[Deleted]

Deva remembered somewhat how insanely far away graduation felt, even during her sixth year. Then seventh year had flown in the blink of an eye and before she knew it she'd graduated with the feeling she should have prepared more and sooner. And she'd been meticulous. She smiled slightly. "It might seem that way, but it'll creep up on you when you least expect it." She promised the young girl. It was nice to see that she was so happy and full of life. She just hoped that it would stay that way.

Deva laughed gently at the hope that sparkled in the eyes of the other girl at the mention of paying somebody else to do her taxes for her. It sounded exactly like the kind of encouragement that Phoebe needed. "Really. There are very few services that you can't purchase with enough money. It's very common to have somebody else do your taxes though. Believe it or not, but most people don't seem to enjoy it." Deva mostly liked the puzzle aspect to it, but she realised it was not for everybody. Deva nodded for a moment as Sophi mentioned it might actually help her if she explained taxes more like baking. She already had a bit of an idea. "I think I'll give you a recipe without specified quantities and by applying the rules of taxes you'll be able to figure out exactly how to balance it out. And you can easily check yourself by baking it. If it comes out right, you know you're on track. If it comes out wrong you can go back easily enough to figure out where you went wrong, as you seem to understand baking rather perfectly." Deva suggested with a big of a smile.

Then she paused a moment. "Have you considered working at a bakery after graduation? Learn from a master and then potentially open up your own shop one day?" Deva asked, although she was mostly suggesting it to the young girl. She had a passion for baking, that much was clear. Not to mention she had talent and seemed to get a large amount of joy from baking. To see that go to waste for sake of a pursuit of more socially esteemed careers seemed utterly insane.

@phoebe