Put Pretty Into History (Muggle History Interview)

[Elliott Ashford]

It was a good day. And it wasn't about Mr. Ashford's haircut or rugged good looks. No! Today was the day that Elliott Iorwerth Ashford would make his life more meaningful.

Yes, today was the day he would speak with the Headmistress of Providence. Elliott got all giddy thinking about how amazing the thought of being a teacher was. Being around the students. Getting noticed. Having the little girls to swoon over him. The thought of actually helping students learn about his Muggle side of life. He's been with muggles long enough to know about the history, not only of Wizards, but also of Muggles. It was astounding to think that he may teach here. Teach about what was normal life to him.

He walked through the halls. He dressed dapper today, wearing a white long-sleeved t-shirt, tucked into his Khaki pants and a green and yellow argyle sweater over the shirt. He wore nice dress shoes. It wasn't his normal dress, usually consisting of polos and jeans, but having done interviews so many times before, he knew how to dress to impress, even if that sacrificed his manliness. It was a tough choice, but he really...really wanted this job.

Ever since he was in college, he had aspirations to be a teacher. It was unfortunate to have thought that he could actually go and do...non-social work. It would deprive Elliott of his happiness, and quite frankly, he REALLY didn't want that to happen. He loved people. He loved being around them. He loved talking. He loved talking about himself. He didn't know much else except History and himself. The gussing up in the mirror for two hours, three times a day, had to mean something to Elliott Ashford.

Elliott could see himself get closer to the office. As the door came to view, he could feel his gut tighten up. Why should he be scared? He was Elliott Ashford, the prettiest guy ever to interview a teaching job at Providence. He had a feeling he would get this job. He should. He's been through a lot at such a active age and he was getting older (is that Thirty coming around the corner? He shivers at the thought). He needed to settle down. What better way to settle down then help teach kids to respect Muggles or learn more about Muggle Culture.

He knocked on the door of the Headmistress, feeling his gut take a tight grip. Why was he nervous? He was sure there was nothing to hide. There had to have been nothing to hide. 'Just walk in. Do the interview. Flirt a little, maybe. Then go and wait. Or celebrate. Which ever comes first,' he thought.

"Headmistress? It's Elliott Ashford. I'm here for that interview for Muggle History," he began. He breathed out after saying it. The gut feeling was still there but he was proud. It was the beginning of a new life, maybe. Either way, he will still look beautiful.

[Headmistress Rollins]

The day had been a long one and the Headmistress was glad it was drawing to a close. The rain had finally stopped, so Sammy took the opportunity to open the window and let the fresh mountain air breeze in and extinguish the stuffiness. She stood by the window for a moment and allowed the gale to take hold of her senses. The view from the large bay window was breath taking and looked down upon the town of Providence. It was a quaint little community that was absent from the non magical world hidden in the mountains of Montana. To a common person just driving through it looked to be a ghost town, but once the veil was lifted the town came alive behind the curtains. The town was founded by a French Magician back in 1789, before the Louisiana Purchase, so the French influence made the town even more charming. Sammy was born and raised there, went to school there and returned home after attending Greens Academy and then Highlands University for her teaching degree and doctorate.

She had one more interview to conduct for a Non Magical Cultural History professor and he appeared to be another promising prospect. She had read over Mr. Ashford's file and felt he could be a good fit for the position since he was raised in a non magical atmosphere until he received his letter to attend Providence. She felt that life experience was just as important as attending college and was excited to see how the interview would go. He was a bit younger that the other professors, but she also knew that a younger perspective was good and helped the other's keep a more youthful by giving feedback that was very important. Elliot had attended Greens Academy and graduated in 2021 so she wondered what he was up to for the last eight years. His resume didn’t really reflect was jobs he held during that period so she was interested to learn what his background was.

Some times the parent lost sight that is was important to educate a child on the cultural differences in their community and world, so this position was very important. Even though there were people in the world that could not perform magic didn't mean they weren't special or gifted in ways a wizard could never imagine and kids had to be reminded of that or loss sight. Unfortunately once a child lost sight of that, then the next step was calling the other child out on it and that is when the bullying begins. Simple education and redirection make a world of difference and helps to make the world a better place one by one. Bullying was simply one thing she would never put up with in her school.

A knock came to the door and broke Sammy from her internal rant and she felt her anger compiling a bit as it always did when she thought about people being ugly to each other. She took a deep cleansing breathe and closed her eyes and gave pause for a moment before approaching the ornate cherry door. The naturally curly blond with crystalline blue eyes opened the door widely, welcomed the prospect in the door with expressive eyes that spoke their own language. She shook his hand and said, "It is very nice to meet your Mr. Ashford. I look forward to speaking with you today. Please take a seat and we can get started. " She showed him to his seat, grabbed a bottle of water for each of them from the mini fridge sitting in her little bar area and then sat across from him after handing him water.

She didn't get much time away from the office so the pseudo kitchen was a necessity. She stayed at the office partially because she hated walking in her doors and having a terribly empty house and partially because she knew she would never find love because she was married to her job. It was important for her to put the focus on the kids and make sure they had a positive though strict experience at school. Running a school with an iron fist created more thirst to rebel and the Headmistress recognized that, so she took a different approach.

She opened up her water and took a long drink and then set it aside and then said, “I have read over your resume and Headmaster Love sent me over your thesis paper from Greens. “How Cultures formed and Influence by Sociology.” It was an interesting read to say the least. He spoke highly of you and you had a decent GPA, but I am interested to know what you have been doing for the last eight years Mr. Ashford. After Greens Academy in 2021 you don’t have any thing reflected on your resume but perhaps I am missing a page.” The Headmistress shuffled through her paperwork and found the document she had received from Mr. Ashford and then handed it to him with a smile.

[Elliott Ashford]

When Elliott was greeted by the Headmistress, he smiled wide. He knew his smile was charming (or at least the girls told him so), and he wanted to appear an open and friendly kind of guy. He was, but through the egotism, most would not see much else beside his constant grooming and facinastion with his own self. He shook Miss Rollins hand, saying, "And the same to you Headmistress." He entered, feeling the cool wind that replaced the warmth in the office. He was glad to feel the comforting wind. It was calming. He needed calming. He felt the nervousness of having this interview go through him. He felt something was going to happen, like it would be something he forgot. Was there something?

Eliott moved over towards the seat, about to sit down until he saw that Miss Rollins had offered him a drink. Normally, he would refuse, finding it akwardly rude to drink in front of a possible future boss, but today, it was different. The nervousness made him sweat, but he kept smiling and took the water, thanking the Headmistress and sitting down. The chair made a slight noise and it was comfortable. Elliott almost made the wrong move to slunch, but he stopped himself. It was tempting, however.

When Miss Rollins spoke of his college years and his thesis, Elliott made a sigh and smiled softly. "I remember the thesis. Definately my favorite part of the year. I love researching. I love history, sociology, and psychology in general," he said, smiling. The smile faded at the main flaw he had forgotten.

His past after college was a dark time. Going to New York City and being with the muggles, he would find himself immersed in the temptations of alcohol. At the time, in trying to find himself, he used the booze to cover up how terrible he really is. He was so into himself that no one seemed to care for Elliott Ashford. The booze helped him recover his insecurites. However, it made him addicted. Week after week, bottles of licquor was consumed by Elliott and his demons. He wanted to stop so many times but he felt right. He felt calmer and himself. But when he had too many at the bars, he would barely stand. His parents, who are good souls, helped him go to rehab, which helped him immensely. He still has the battles, but for three years, he has been sober. It was hard to do, but he knew what he did wrong.

It made him rethink why he was here. Yes, he wanted to help the kids. That was the main thing, but it was also on his stability. He tried for so long to get a job and was never able to get one because of his recovering alcoholism. It was sad to think, but today he needed this job. He absolutely wanted this job. There was nothing else in the world he could do. He was too pretty to hide from people and he wanted these kids to know everything they wanted to know. He wanted to help. He gripped the bottle cap slightly, looking at Miss Rollins, scared of what to say. Elliott Ashford in all his insecure glory. It's a once in a lifetime oppurtunity. Get it while it last.

"I...I went to the muggle world to get back to my muggle surroundings. I love my wizard blood, but I beleived in embracing my muggle blood. It was important to me. I was able to be a statistic. I was able to listen to the radio. Go to resturaunts as a muggle, not as a wizard. I loved it, but...I also had a stumble," Eliott began.

Elliott turned the cap slowly. Touching something made him think. He had to touch something when talking to somebody or he wouldn't pay attention to anyone. He rolled his lips, thinking of how to explain the alcoholism.

"I...enjoyed the alcohol I bought more than most people would have enjoyed it. I was irresponsible with drinking because I had a depressive fallout. My personality...is stuck-up and I thought the booze would help me get rid of my insecurites. Of course, it made me lose myself. It was a dark time in my past..."

He paused a moment, still looking at Miss Rollins, scared stiff. He was awaiting the " Thank you, we'll call you" lie that he would get. They always did when he told him this story. The cap twisted to the top, feeling loose.

"I...went to rehab. My parents intervined me and I'm glad they did. When I got sober, I decided to move back to Providence. I've been sober for three years and I'm so proud of myself that I haven't taken that sip. I wasn't that statistic that relapsed. I was the one that survived," he spoke with a strong confidence.

"I know, that when you are thinking about these interviews you will be thinking about the safety of the children, and I will respect that, if you say..." he gulped, resisting to say the last word, "...no. " Elliott hung his head down.

"After the rehab, I knew I wanted to be a teacher. At first it was a historian or working in the ministry, but I honestly love people. I love being around people. They make me happy and I love showing people and teaching people something they never knew. It's a warming feeling to me. That's why I'm here, Miss Rollins," he finished, looking back up into her face. He had forgotten that you never look away from your future boss, but he had poured out his heart to the headmistress, which made his ego fall hard. He showed his vunerablity, which he thought no one would see. Rollins seemed nice but stern, which he liked. He awaited her response, feeling his gut tighten. That 'no' seemed so close, he could almost taste it.

[Headmistress Rollins]

Sammy sucked in deep and hard when he professed that he had an alcohol problem in the past, but had been working hard to get himself clean and sober. Three years was a milestone there was no doubt but he was still young in his sobriety. The Headmistress had dealt with alcoholism on a very personal level, having dealt with a father that would go into alcoholic rages and while he usually didn't take this anger out on her physically, he was always smashing her mother’s things across the wall. Her mum was a sweet woman, feisty though and didn't put up with much at all. She would stand up to her daddy nose to nose and look him sternly in the eye all 5 foot two inches of her and challenge him. It was scary to Samantha, especially when he was really young, but she always knew her mum would kick her dad's butt if he ever touched her in a malicious manner. She was a tough woman.

Eventually her patience worn thin and the straw snapped; she was done. He was gone for the better part of four years and then the family had to deal with her older brother and his fits of rage that came after dad left. Clearly he loved his father and was acting out because he missed him, but at times he mimicked her father completely. He would fall to the ground for the attention and then thrash around when he didn’t get his way. Sometimes he would let it go on for hours with on fit lasting for over four hours. He would scream and holler and kick and punch and scratch, sometimes he would throw things, but mainly it was his voice he loved throwing around. Sammy often found herself under her blanket with her ears covered or turning up the tele or the radio to drown out the drama. Mum got the family involved in positive ways and encouraged the kids to put their focus on something productive.

In Sammy’s opinion his obstinacy took far too long to grow out of and she always thought he had a bigger problem. Mum didn’t trust the major medications out there and instead of medicating him, so worked hard to refocus him. When Chris got into one of his mood’s, she would find something for him to put his focus on instead of being angry; most of the time that would help. Her brother was brilliant and the Headmistress suspected that he just had so much swimming around up there that he just became overwhelmed. Even to this day he still acted out, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as when he was young.

Her daddy eventually came back into the picture a changed man. With the help from his higher power he turned away from alcohol and became the sort of man that people look up to. He had made so many poor decisions as a result of his disease that his life was a constant struggle. He kept his nose to the grind stone and three years was just the beginning, but it was hard at times. Her dad wasn’t perfect, but he was a good man and she was glad to have him back. He missed mum’s love so much that he did everything in his power to get her back during the separation, but the only thing that mum wanted was his sobriety and once he finally realized that everything was quite a bit better.

She smiled at Elliott and broke free from her memories. There were several different stereo types of drunks, though she had a feeling that Elliott was probably not the abusive alcoholic type. Had he been, he would have a record preceding him, though she would keep a very watchful eye on him.

Ms. Rollins parted her lips to speak and the said, “I respect your honesty Elliott. Rehab is a good start, but I do hope you are still going to your AA meetings. Three years is quite the milestone, but still very young in your sobriety.” She paused briefly and said with compassion in her voice, “I believe there are meetings held at the church down in town ….” She paused again before continuing and took a sip from her water.

She could tell that Elliott was terribly uncomfortable in the spot he was in, perhaps because he hadn't wanted something this bad in a while and he was preparing himself for the blow. Sweat was beading up on his brow and he looked a bit pale. She remembered that feeling many years prior, but with age comes wisdom and life experience, so in due time, if he was steadfast in what he wanted to accomplish, he would be sitting in a position where he was making the other person squirm.

“I believe we all need a second chance at life, so I will give you a chance, but I need to know how you plan on dealing with stressful situations. Children can be challenging at best so you will need to have a game plan and I do hope you understand that I will not tolerate dissention on any level. We all have demons Mr. Ashford … tell me … how do you deal with yours?”

[Elliott Ashford]

Elliott looked up and saw the smile. A hoepful look. Eliott's eyes began to twinkle and his trademark smile came back into view. Finally, a chance. A chance of showing that he can and will. The cap finally fell off as he turned it some more, now excited at the fact that Miss Rollins had said neither yes or no. She would actually listen to him. He kept thinking of the mental letter in his mind: "Dear Teacher, today we learned about honesty being the best policy."

Elliott bent over in his seat, getting the bottle cap and putting it back on his bottle, fumbling slightly as Rollins discussed his AA meetings. "Oh, yes. Absolutely. I'm almost a mentor to some of the others at the church. I've been at Providence for awhile. I used to come to school here, which was really fun. It was very traditional, back in the day," he said, grinning wide. His self-esteem picked up, little by little. His strength was begin to fill the seams.

"Oh, I'm not really worried about the kids, Headmistress. If there is any trouble, I'll warn them. If they do it again, I'll make sure a detention will be set up," Elliott nodded, looking at Rollins and taking another sip of water. "I'm going to try anything in my ability to make sure they act straight before they come to you. I know you're a busy woman," he added. When he talked about how he holds down his demons, he only but smiled.

"Book collecting. I'm an avid book collector of history. Instead of doing something silly with my galleons, I take them to the bookstore and look up some major war from the ancient times, or get a biography," there was a pause, to which Elliott thought, sighing a bit. All those books in his house had to mean something. He was truly a scholar and he wanted to show that. "Also, meditation. The only good thing that happened when I went to London was having met a couple of buddhists. Very strict and decidicated to their God. I guess, I basically lost myself and forgot what they taught me. I'm glad I got back to it," he said, rubbing his arm slightly, feeling some chills go down his back as the sweat rolled down. "It's calming, soothing," he whispered, thinking of meditating now, but jumped back, grinning.

Elliott sat up in his seat, interlocking his fingers and staring at Rollins. His brown eyes looked alive now. The sparkle that everyone said he had was shining bright. He rolled his lips and looked down a bit, thinking of what to say.

"When I do my class, I do plan to get the students to ask me questions more than I ask them. I beleive that the education of a student should boil down to what they WANT to know, more than what I want to teach. I could teach about the ancient times for days, Miss Rollins. I could tell them about how books were made and who fought against who in wars and why," he paused, hoping his words were coming in loud and clear. When he thought that she did, he continued.

"But these times, Headmistress, I do beleive these kids need to understand that muggles are not awful or useless. Having been muggle born, I've seen many...MANY things that are similar to the wizarding world. I just want to guide them that way. I don't want another Voldemort, or another Vladimir coming from Providence and from my class. That is my goal, Miss Rollins, to help these kids be open-minded, just as I have been over the years."

He inhaled, sighing out. He was glad to get that out. It felt like something had released inside him and he couldn't help but slink into the temptation chair. Elliott took another sip from the cooling water. The sweat was drying and he couldn't help but rub his forehead, grinning wide. He was anxious to hear what the Headmistress said. In the back of his egotistical mind, he was awaiting for the "brilliant!" speech. However, he had a feeling he would get more.