Ohmygod. She took it back. She took it all bloody back.
The heavens didn't love her. They despised her. There could be no other possible explanation.
Professor.....Professor Hayes.....that brilliant, brilliant masterpiece of a man......was leaving?
The world didn't deserve to exist.
Who would she stare at on dreary, rain-cloud ridden breakfast mornings when the house elves forgot to make raspberry jam, trying to drown her sorrows? Who would make tedious, double Transfiguration classes worth the effort of keeping awake? Who would she compare every boy she met to, and then utterly give up all the males of her generation for lost? Whose voice would be God's gift to girl student-kind, and she'd bet her broomstick on it, a good portion of the....ah, differently-inclined boys? Oh for Merlin's sake, who?
"No. No, no, no, no, no." Even as Professor Hayes turned in his seat slightly, as if poised to rise and exit from her life forever, Alisha jumped to place, securely cutting off his vision of the door, bright, large eyes and small, downturned mouth working in unison to produce a look that a begging puppy would be insanely jealous of. It, was art. Her voice made quite a decent attempt at reasonable normality , "I mean....Professor....surely you should reconsider. You must have worked so hard at your job.....to bring your students where they are today. Think of the couple of people who actually managed to do you proud. Think of all those hours spent needling at the idiots who passed only because of your infinite amounts of patience. Just. Think." Her hands were twisting into one another, pressed into her lap; her chin quirked and angled up, the entire demeanor brilliantly entreating. "You wouldn't want to leave all of that, would you?"
Of course she could have said so much more. She could have affirmed that he was the best Transfiguration teacher like..........ever. But she couldn't say that, because her brain was naturally objective, and protested that all the Transfiguration teachers ever had never taught her; and she hardly listened to what Professor Hayes really taught in class anyway- so it wouldn't be complete truth. Damn that stupid Vow. She could also have announced that she, and probably half of the student population was madly in love with him; but then that would be emotional blackmail, and Alisha never resorted to something like that, no sirree.
Of course her conscience thwacked her upside the head for that- then how were all the pleas over the years to her parents fulfilled, if not by emotional blackmail? Alisha ignored it completely. At least she could relish the freedom of lying inside your own head.
But the man was going to leeeeaaave......and darn how was she supposed to convince him if he didn't even give her the requisite time? She was one of the people who could persuade the Queen of England to adopt the Giant Squid, if she put her mind to it. Of course, it would be less of persuasion and more of incessant-bugging-until-ultimate-surrender, but Alisha Merchant was a force of nature when she made up her mind on something. And now, she vowed this, on the blood of her grandfathers. Kieran Hayes would not leave the hallowed halls of Hogwarts until her fifth year was over.
Because there was no denying he was gorgeous, but even she didn't swoon over him to the extent as to throw herself into the snake-lined pit that was NEWT Transfiguration.
So, now she needed something to buy time. Time, time, time.......
"What a coincidence!" Her voice was loud and fake-cheery enough to startle herself. Also to make the goblins sitting at the table next to theirs jump out of their skins and glare at her balefully. "Even I have Christmas shopping to do. Lets get it done together then, right Professor?"