Professor Wilson's Office (Opet to everyone friendly)

Professor Wilson at the desk of his office

The Note at the Door:

This is where you can always get advice.
To enter, knock three times.

Selwyn knocked three times on the professor's door and waited to be summoned. From what he'd experienced of the professor, he was a very proper type of person, and just walking in probably wouldn't go down well.

''Enter, whoever it is. Just remember, if you have bad intentions, you will be thrown out through the small window of the office. How? You shall see!'', said Wilson hearing the knock. He wondered who it might by. He was sure it was not Arthur - Arthur always knocks once and enters immediately.

That was a very "Professor Wilson" thing to say, in Selwyn's opinion. He was such an eccentric. Selwyn's first thought after being told there was a possibility of being thrown from a small window was to wonder what Wilson's idea of a bad intention was, not how the man intended to go about the chore. Considering he was an accomplished wizard, there were probably dozens of ways he could evict Selwyn from his office. Hell, there were dozens of ways Selwyn could evict Selwyn from an office, so to be honest, he actually wasn't that curious. Telling the professor that? Probably not a good idea.

He entered the office. It had a desk and some books and beyond that, Selwyn didn't take much in. He wasn't much interested in what his teachers did.

"Hello, Professor Wilson," he began, "I was wondering if you'd have any advice, not as a judge, as a muggle studies professor, for someone competing in the Hogwarts Tournament?"

''And you are? Thorfin? From Slytherin? Well, never mind. You know, I should not talk to you about this, but never mind now. What I would advise to you is to be smart. How skilled of a wizard are you, Mr. Thorfin?'', he asked.

Selwyn shrugged. He hated questions like this. At least, he hated when they came from people in authority. In front of his peers, sure, he'd boast about how much he knew and how much better he was at it than anyone else, but Selwyn had no idea how to give an honest assessment of his own merits.

"Pretty good, I guess?" he said. "I pick things up quickly and I get good marks in most of my classes."

''Then you are probably average. Someone who is insecure about his abilities is in most cases pathetic, but since you have been selected as the champion, I do have confidence that you are not... pathetic. What is the most advanced spell you can make? How brave are you? How intelligent and logical are you? And what is the most advanced potion you can make?'', Wilson asked.

Selwyn weighed up the wisdom of calling Wilson out on his accusation. On one hand, it wasn't smart to pick a fight with a professor. On the other, this was supposed to be an honest conversation. At least from Selwyn's end, it was.

"I'm not insecure; I'm honest," he said flatly. "If I'd said I was best in my year, you'd have told me anyone who overestimated their abilities was in most cases pathetic."

This whole conversation was beginning to irritate him. He felt like the muggle studies professor didn't want to give him any advice at all, and was just using the opportunity to undermine his confidence. He was succeeding.

"Are those questions you want the answers to, or just things I ought to think about going into this competition?" he went on, reluctant to enlighten Professor Wilson any further.

''At first, when you said the remark about your abilities, I thought you were brilliant. That was a great remark. You have proven to be intelligent and honest. Indeed, anyone who boasts without a reason is pathetic in most cases. Anyone who is realistic is more powerful than he is. I withdraw the question about intelligence.'', Wilson said with a satisfied smile.

''Mr. Thorfin, you will have to get used to, if you want advice from me, to read between the lines. To see through my games. Some of my questions and comments are not there to insult someone, although they do seem to be like that. They are just test for your abilities, they are tests for your skills and are, in most cases, meant with utmost care, if you can call it care. Any way, they are positive. Therefore, I advise you not to get insulted, but to listen carefully and think about each of my words. The three questions that I have said earlier stay. I do want the answers to them.'', said Wilson.

Selwyn shrugged. Mind games. He could handle mind games. You didn't survive long downstairs without being able to think in knots. That, and watching teen flicks had him primed. If the films were true, all teenage girls had more cunning and guile of any evil genius built into their very being. Selwyn lived with teenage girls every day. Ergo, mind games were no problemo.

"Well, it all depends, doesn't it?" he said. "What do you think advanced is? It's kinda pointless being able to conjure a patronus if you can't levitate a pencil. Same goes for potions. I can't make a love potion, but I can make a mean boil cure solution, and we learnt that in first year. I also can't see myself using a love potion in the near future."