The Maze You Call A School [Elenore]

A couple of days had passed since Odysseas had arrived at Hogwarts. The train ride was... adequate. Honestly, the man would have preferred to arrive at the school with some other means, but his sister had insisted he made the whole trip. He had to give a message, as the heir of the Venizelos family, and the future Care of Magical Creatures Professor, and hiding away would not send the correct message. With a heavy heart and a nod, the man followed his sister's advice.

With a few weeks free, before the lessons started, Odysseas had the freedom to explore the castle and learn more bout it. The problem was, though, that he had no idea from where to start. Being a smart man, he had asked for someone to tour him around the famous school, when he was applying for this position, and the Headmistress had agreed upon having one of the upperclassmen to deal with it, since most of them were after extra credit.

Truthfully, the man didn't really care who was going to be honored enough to show around the new, handsome Care of Magical Creatures Professor, but whoever it was, it better be good, because Odysseas was not going to fool around. Hogwarts would be his home for the next year, maybe more, and he wanted to be able to wander around freely, if anything happened. Knowing your environment was a basic thing.

Therefore, on the scheduled day, the wizard stood outside the Staffroom, a little earlier than what he was supposed to be, and waited for the student to arrive. He hadn't received a name or House, but all Odysseas could hope for was for the student not to be a total idiot. Because, if that was the case, he was going to ask for a different tour guide immediately.

Odysseas thought that he would be waiting for quite some time, since he had been ready some time earlier than the appointed time, but to his surprise, the person that was supposed to show him around was coming his way. Though, nothing could have prepared him for it...
The wizard didn't hide the surprise in his eyes, as none other than Elenore Clement, the Clement Heiress, the daughter of the people that had taken over his country, and had completely destroyed his life. The same people that had taken what was rightfully his.

Had he seen the girl outside of school, the hatred that he felt for her wouldn't be hidden away from his eyes, but now, under the circumstances they were in, Odysseas stopped himself from glaring at the young witch, and instead put on a smile for her. He had to play nice. After all, while they were at the school, he had the power over her, even though the tables automatically turned the moment they stepped foot outside of the Hogwarts' Grounds.

As the witch spoke of how surprising it was to see him at the school, Odysseas couldn't help but understand what she meant. It wasn't normal for people like him to teach at Hogwarts. Though, the surprise was not him being here, but the other way around. The older wizard couldn't have possibly expected the Headmistress to assign Elenore Clement as a tour guide, but here she was, and now Odysseas had to put aside their differences and hope Elenore Clement was good at giving tours.

"The Headmistress sent me to oversee your tour of the castle."

"I would say I am surprised that the Headmistress chose you, but now I can see why. She knows very well how demanding I can be, and I did hope that my guide would be intelligent enough. You see, I can not put up with stupidity, and I'd like to learn this castle and all it has to offer, or hide, as soon as possible." Odysseas admitted and gave the witch a big smile.

"Please, lead the way."
Odysseas would have, under other circumstances, offered his arm for her to take, but since they were in school, the older wizard knew well enough that such things would be easily misunderstood, and instead refrained from doing so. Though, the urge to do so was prominent.

"I fear that should I tell you of the items the castle can hide, I would upset a number of my fellow students here."

When Odysseas had asked the young girl to reveal to him all the secrets this Castle  was hiding, he hadn't been serious about it. The man had been student too once, and just like Durmstrang, he was sure that Hogwarts was full of secret passageways and rooms, made for those who needed them. As a professor, it was Odysseas' duty to find out about those rooms and passageways, and make sure the children stayed away from them, but Odysseas had not come here to spoil the fun the teenagers wanted to have. No, instead, he would leave them be, as long as they were discreet about their.. adventures.

Though as the Clement girl spoke of revealing some of them to him, Odysseas found himself chuckling softly. Elenore Clement seemed to be intelligent enough to reveal such secrets to him, yet keep them hidden. She knew how to keep both parties happy, it seemed, though Odysseas wouldn't have been mad if she had denied him any information on that matter. Though, he had to admit, he was quite intrigued by the fact that Elenore Clement, a Pureblood lady such as herself, knew of places like these. Places that usually young couples went to act on desires she was forbidden of having. Yet.

"Any information you provide me with, will be useful to me." Odysseas admitted, but left it at that. After all, there wasn't much to add.

Elenore started the tour by explaining what was going on in the Ground Floor, before moving to the Dungeons. Odysseas wasn't surprised when the girl mentioned that the Slytherin Common Room was placed there, but he was surprised when she spoke of the Hufflepuff Common Room being there as well. From what the man had heard, the Slytherin House was that of the cunning and sly ones, whilst the Hufflepuff house was... soft. Why would they put such house in such a dark place?

"The stairs, obviously, lead up the castle. Be careful of the stairs, they like to move on a whim at times. Which can be vastly inconvenient when you're heading to lessons."

"They do?" Odysseas asked, surprised, taking a good look at the stairs before following after the young girl. The wizard had no reason not to believe the Clement princess, but so far, he had not experienced any movement from the stairs. Though, he had to admit, he hadn't been close to them much.

As they emerged from the castle, Odysseas smiled, loving the feeling of being outside. The grounds had to be his favorite place so far, and since he would be teaching Care of Magical Creatures, he would be seeing a lot of them. As if reading his mind, though, the witch lead him towards the Black Lake, speaking of how he would have probably seen it on his way here, before asking him what subject he would be teaching. "Care of Magical Creatures, my dear. Are you interested in the creatures of the magical world?" He asked politely, hoping that the young woman wouldn't be too bored in his presence.

Odysseas allowed himself to take a good look at the young witch. For a Clement, she seemed to be quite... perfect. And that was the worst part. The Clements had proven to be monsters, in a way, and Odysseas, despite the fact that he was witnessing a different side, did not want to believe that they were good. Because they surely were not. They destroyed you, the voice in his head reminded him, and Odysseas took a deep breath in to calm himself. He hated them, and even though his position in school did not allow him to treat her any differently than the other students, the man was not going to stop believing that she was just like her parents. Heartless, cold... disgusting.

But as that small smile touched her features, Odysseas almost stumbled over, but caught himself before the young lady could notice. Oh no, he was not going to make a fool of himself before a student, especially if said student was of the Clement family. Odysseas, though, no matter his blood purity, was still a man, and seeing a beautiful lady smile like this made him feel... uneasy. Don't, the voice in his head reminded him. He was a professor, she was a student, and no way in hell would he ever do anything with a Clement. Well, except humiliating them, perhaps.

"Actually... it's one of my favourite classes."

To say he did not expect such an answer would be an understatement. Care of Magical Creatures required a lot of work and devotion, and quite a few times, you had to get your hands dirty, something that Ladies such as Elenore Clement were obviously not allowed, or interested in doing. But standing there, next to him, was the sole exception. Truthfully, Elenore was the only lady in his circle who had admitted to liking everything about the creatures of the magical world. To honestly like them, and not pretend, in order to gain a position in his heart, or bed.

"I truly hope I will live up to your expectations." Was all Odysseas said, before falling silent once more as the young witch continued explaining where everything was. At the mention of Quidditch, though, the man perked up. "I must admit I am quite interested in the sport. Do you enjoy it?" Odysseas asked, though he did not expect to receive a positive answer. However, she could always surprise him with her response, like she had already done once.

The Forbidden Forest was a place Odysseas made a note of visiting, when he had free time. He had heard that there were Centaurs living inside the woods, and the man felt excited at the prospect of talking with one. Sadly, there were not many Centaurs left in Greece. Most of them had fled, after the fires that had burnt most of Greece's flora.

"How are you finding Britain so far?"

Odysseas chuckled. Did the young witch think he had not visited Britain before? "Oh, it's not the first time I am visiting. But Britain doesn't have even a quarter of the beauty Greece has." Odysseas admitted. The man loved his country and he was very proud of its history and accomplishments.
"Have you even been to Greece, my Lady?" Odysseas asked, the name slipping from his lips. He hadn't meant to call her that, but habits died hard. And if they were outside of the school, this was going to be the proper title to use.

The answer Elenore gave him made him raise an eyebrow slightly. Quidditch was always fun to watch, even if the teams weren't as good as you expected or wanted them to be, but that did not mean you gave up on watching! Odysseas knew that deep down, there was more to this subject that what the little witch was letting on, and even though he found himself being particularly interested in learning what had caused the little princess to change her mind about something she enjoyed, he knew better than to ask, or say anything. After all, he was in no position to ask her private questions. It would be inappropriate, even if they weren't in school. Instead, the man simply gave a nod, showing her that he understood, in a manner, and let the subject drop. After all, Quidditch was not that important, anyway.

"No country is ever as beautiful as our home country. Britain is quite awful, though, as far as other countries go."

The man couldn't help but chuckle at her words. She was right, though. There was no man, woman, or child on earth, that considered a country more beautiful than their own, and Odysseas was no different. Truthfully, he doubted that she was any different either, but he couldn't blame her. Unlike Britain, France was quite the beauty, and that reminded the man that it had been a while since he had traveled to Paris. Maybe, when the Holidays arrived, he would be able to take some time off, and maybe visit. It wasn't too far from here.

As Elenenore admitted that she could not recall visiting Greece, Odysseas frowned. Greece was beautiful country, with lovely weather and lovely people. It was was a country surrounded by sea, with amazing island and tasty food. There were so many things to see, so many things to do... But her next words brought a small smirk on his lips. "I am sure Greece would be glad to accommodate you." Odysseas said. Yes, perhaps inviting the little Clement to Greece was not a bad idea. After all, his intentions were... pure.

As the tour came to an end, Odysseas found himself feeling... weird. The young witch had done an excellent job on showing him all the places he would most likely need, but now that the tour was over he... didn't want her to go. It was rare for him to find an intelligent person, like her, to talk with. And despite her age, she seemed to be a very bright witch. Though, she was still a child. She had a lot to learn before she took her first steps in the real world.

"Do you need help with anything else, sir?"

"I think you've covered everything for me, Miss Clement. Merci beaucoup." He said and gave her a small smile. "Though, I am afraid I would feel terrible, if I didn't escort you back to your House. May I?" After the witch agreed, Odysseas walked alongside her towards the Dungeons, all the while making small talk. Only after the girl was safe behind the portrait did the older wizard return to his rooms.

One thing was for sure. Elenore Clement was not what the man had expected.