Banks Gallaudet
Wizard
Retired Professor
All the Pain held in Your hands are shaking Cold;;Your hands are Mine to hold
Posts: 419
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Post by Banks Gallaudet on Jul 24, 2006 20:08:41 GMT -5
It was an unusual scene compared to the usual inhabitants of the common room, but some would say a great photo opportunity. Sitting on one of the large couches of the Gryffindor Common room was Head of House, Banks Gallaudet. His head was drooped down, chin on chest, asleep. But he was not alone. Wrapped in a light pink blanket, only a blad head visible, was a small baby. She lay on her stomach, vertically across Banks' chest, also sound asleep - finally. The mans arms and hands held her firmly against him and even as Banks had fallen asleep the grip did not loosen.
His mother had been correct in the warning of sleep deprevation which Banks and Tamis were experiencing. Thus the reason Banks had come to the common room in the first place. He had had to practically force Tamis to take a nap. He decided to take the baby to the common room, not knowinf exactly how he would find the common room. But this time it was quiet, finally calm. He was extremely lucky. It didn't take long for his daughter to fall alseep after her bottle which now lay on its side on the couch. Banks was at least catching up on some sleep, hopefully Tamis was as well.
Despite the sleep loss, Banks loved every minute of their new life with a baby. He didn't want to miss out on anything. With a baby, there wwas a whole new set of responsibilities and unfortunatly worries. Especcially now when she was the most vulnerable. It was going to take a lot to leave her alone when she got older. He didn't even want to start thinking about boys. But that would certainly be a ways off. Still, Banks knew the years would pass by.
Yet, he was still slightly nervous with her. He wanted to be a good father. Not too overbearing, but not oblivious. But where was the median? He knew he would make his fair share of mistakes, everyone did.
{closed for now}
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Post by Alhana Starbreeze on Jul 24, 2006 21:13:57 GMT -5
Quite an unusual scene, indeed. Not only was their Head of House actually IN the common room, the Gryffindor's probably couldn't recall such an event except for a select few of them, but there was absolutely no explosions going off in the girl's dorm, nor were there paint bombs being lugged across the room and painting everything in a multi-color fashion. In fact, neither Starbreeze was yet present.
All class blocks were over with for the day, but it wasn't yet supper time. Not long after her last class, the eldest Master Prankster(<3 Reina) had gone out for a jog to wear her body to exhaustion, trudged up seven flights of steps (no short cuts that afternoon), stretched, had taken a nice, long, steaming hot shower and could now be found sleepily standing at the top of the stairs.
Stretching out her arms and bending down to do the same to her legs once more and hoping to Merlin she didn't tumble down, Alhana decided to take the lazy way down and hop onto the rail. With a dull thud, she let herself crash to the plush carpet and stayed right where she landed. Not knowing that there was another, two others, actually, she let out a tired sigh. "Anyone there?" she called out hopefully.
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Banks Gallaudet
Wizard
Retired Professor
All the Pain held in Your hands are shaking Cold;;Your hands are Mine to hold
Posts: 419
|
Post by Banks Gallaudet on Jul 24, 2006 21:25:27 GMT -5
Despite the faint thud from the eldest Starbreeze, Banks did not stir what so ever. He had fallen into a relatively deep sleep. It was perhaps the only real sleep he had gotten in months. With the constant worry of Tamis going into labour prematurely those last couple of months, and now the worry of the baby and feeding her during the night, he was living on less than four hours a night. If that.
Banks would have kicked himself if he could see himself sleeping. What if the baby fell? All the what ifs.. but he was just paranoid. With the grip he had on his daughter, it would be very hard for her to slip, for the baby also had her fingers wrapped around his shirt. But these were the first days, and he was exceptionally worried about little things.
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Post by Alhana Starbreeze on Jul 24, 2006 21:54:14 GMT -5
When her ears only met silence, Alhana groaned and struggled to her feet. Not having the energy to walk properly, she wobbled over to the first thing her gray eyes landed on.
"Professor?" Alhana asked, her brow drawing down in confusion. What in Merlin's name was he doing here? She couldn't remember the last time that he has spent more than a passing minute to check up on how they were doing. Now he was conked out in one of the many comfy armchairs, cradling a baby in his arms.
"Professor?" she asked again, this time standing up and strolling as best she could over to the man. Her gaze fell to the pink blanket and her eyes widened. What if she fell? Sticking one of her arms out just in case he was startled, Alhana used her finger to poke the man's arm. She didn't want to just take his baby girl away from him not only because she didn't know how he'd react but because he might drop her in surprise if she tried.
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Banks Gallaudet
Wizard
Retired Professor
All the Pain held in Your hands are shaking Cold;;Your hands are Mine to hold
Posts: 419
|
Post by Banks Gallaudet on Jul 24, 2006 22:04:11 GMT -5
Banks murmered something that sounded like, "Oy, won mo miate", as Alhana first tried to wake the man up. But when he was poked, his head rose and saw Alhana standing in front of him, arms stretched. Thankfully he was too asleep to jump or be surprised by the Gryffindor. Looking down at his chest where his baby lay, he frowned. He shouldn't have fallen asleep.
"How long was I out?" he asked, in a whisper hoping not to wake the child.
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Post by Alhana Starbreeze on Jul 24, 2006 22:10:37 GMT -5
Letting her arms drop to her sides, Alhana shrugged her shoulders lightly, also dropping her voice down to a whisper so the child could get some rest. "I don't know. I wasn't paying attention when I got back from jogging and I just got back down." she replied, finding a sofa closest and pulling it nearer to the man.
"You shouldn't fall asleep with the baby like that. She might roll over." the girl pointed out the obvious with a slight motion of her finger. Alhana collapsed back into the chair in a totally relaxed and weary posture with her shoulders slumped forward. She studied his face with a tilted head. "When was the last time you slept?" she asked lightly, a concerned face pulling itself on.
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Banks Gallaudet
Wizard
Retired Professor
All the Pain held in Your hands are shaking Cold;;Your hands are Mine to hold
Posts: 419
|
Post by Banks Gallaudet on Jul 25, 2006 15:40:00 GMT -5
Banks sighed and hoped he hadn't been sleeping too long. Although, a little sleep was what he needed, but not in this situation. He would have chuckled at her scolding about how he shouldn't have fallen asleep. She sounded so much like Tamis -- and really his own mother. But it was true what she had said, and he knew it. He wanted to kick himself for it. But in hopes not to wake up the baby, he supressed the chuckles and merely smiled.
"I know. I didn't mean to." he said, feeling odd making an excuse to her. Thinking about her question, he shook his head. "Well, last night I slept. But Leah woke up a few times and.." he trailed off.
He had honeslty not let himself go to sleep. He had sat in a rocking chair by her crib for half the night and dozed off a few times until Leah woke up again. Adding it up he probably only slept one or two hours. But he wasn't going to tell Alhana this.
Seeing the concern on her face, he gave her a slight smile. "I'm fine."
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Post by Alhana Starbreeze on Jul 25, 2006 18:31:49 GMT -5
A small smile passed over Alhana's face at the mention of the baby's name. It sounded so soft and seemed to fit her perfectly. Leah. It was a nice name.
She gave Proffy G a low, disbelieving "Ha" at his assurance that he was fine. "You certainly don't look fine." Alhana stated matter-of-factly. "Plus, when you fall asleep like that without knowing it, it means you're really worn out. Where's Professor Raynor?" she asked, wondering if maybe it was his turn to watch the baby.
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Banks Gallaudet
Wizard
Retired Professor
All the Pain held in Your hands are shaking Cold;;Your hands are Mine to hold
Posts: 419
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Post by Banks Gallaudet on Jul 25, 2006 18:38:34 GMT -5
Banks frowned, "I don't even want to know what I look like." he sighed. He was sure that over the past months he had aged. He was only in his early thirties, but felt older. He supposed it was just the new 'father' title that made him feel older.
"Tam- Professor Raynor is hopefully sleeping." he said.
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Post by Alhana Starbreeze on Jul 25, 2006 18:46:41 GMT -5
"Ah, so it is your turn to watch the little one." Alhana smirked. Tilting her head to the side, she studied his face a little more closely. He definitely hadn't been getting enough sleep, that much was clearly evident.
She opened her mouth, hesitating a moment before speaking. "I can watch over her for a while, if you wanted, so you could sleep. You're in desperate need of it." Alhana offered, shrugging one of her shoulders. "I won't dye her hair blue or anything..." she trailed off, knowing that was probably one of the first things that came to mind despite Leah not barely having any hair atop her tiny head.
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Banks Gallaudet
Wizard
Retired Professor
All the Pain held in Your hands are shaking Cold;;Your hands are Mine to hold
Posts: 419
|
Post by Banks Gallaudet on Jul 25, 2006 19:06:09 GMT -5
Catching her smirked, he nodded. In fact, Banks hadn't let Leah out of his sight for more than a few hours since she was born, and she had been with Tamis during that time.
At her offer, Banks smiled slightly. "Thank you, I appreciate the offer. But, with her being just a few weeks old, I wouldn't want to put that responsibility on you. Once she is older, you'll be the first person I ask." he told her.
"I don't think there is any hair to dye." he said, letting out a chuckle, and running his hand over her head.
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Post by Alhana Starbreeze on Jul 25, 2006 19:15:33 GMT -5
"I wouldn't mind. I've handled younger ones than her." Alhana nodded her head. "My co-" she stopped short, just catching on to what he had said.
He said she'd be the first person he'd ask. "Do you mean that, Professor?" she asked, her brow drawing together slightly, not sure if he was serious or just saying that so he wouldn't offend her for her offer.
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Banks Gallaudet
Wizard
Retired Professor
All the Pain held in Your hands are shaking Cold;;Your hands are Mine to hold
Posts: 419
|
Post by Banks Gallaudet on Jul 25, 2006 19:31:55 GMT -5
Looking at the girl, Banks smiled slightly and nodded. "I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it." he said. Thinking for a moment, he added, "I will have to admit, I know I'm protective over her. And there are only a few students I would really trust with Leah. And you are at the top of those."
It was a bit funny. Alhana had caused a lot of stress to Banks the past months, especcially after the end of the year feast. But despite all of the paint and destruction, he trusted her. It wasn't favoritism, but a bond. A very unusual bond, at that.
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Post by Alhana Starbreeze on Jul 25, 2006 19:46:01 GMT -5
A bright smile suddenly lit up the lassie's tired and weary face. Alhana shifted in her seat, sitting up a little higher and brought up her legs to her chest to rest her chin atop her knees.
What Banks said meant a lot. It was a nice feeling to know that someone trusted you enough to watch over their flesh and blood, especially when parents were so protective and picky about those things. That while over the years she had spent at Hogwarts lugging paint bombs across courtyards and testing out new experiments in the girl's dorm room and causing both him and Raynor stress, even if unintentionally, he felt comfortable enough around her for that meant loads.
Her smile widened. "Thanks, Professor." Alhana said and hen cleared her throat. "Aren't there any professors you can trust with Leah so both of you can get some sleep?" she inquired, changing the subject slightly. By both she meant the two lucky parents, of course.
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Banks Gallaudet
Wizard
Retired Professor
All the Pain held in Your hands are shaking Cold;;Your hands are Mine to hold
Posts: 419
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Post by Banks Gallaudet on Jul 25, 2006 19:52:13 GMT -5
Banks thought for a moment. It hadn't really crossed his mind to ask other professors to watch Leah. "Of course there are." he said.
He hesitated a moment, before speaking again, "I honestly just don't want to leave her alone. I don't want to miss anything." he admitted. He didn't want to miss a single smile, yawn, or even cry.
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